Holder for vehicle upholstery

• US 6,877,766 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dr. Ing. H.C.F. Porsche Ag
• Original Assignee: Dr. Ing. H.C.F. Porsche Ag
• Inventors: Mikolajewski, Sergej
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/275,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20040037629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,179 Days
• Field of Search: 280/732, 280/728.2, 280/728.3, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/4941 Deformation occurs simultaneously with action of separate, diverse function, joint component

Abstract

A support for an interior lining part of a vehicle has a first attachment element connectable to the interior lining part and a second attachment element connectable to the body of the vehicle. An elastically and/or plastically deformable deformation element, which lies between the attachment elements and is connected to the attachment elements, has a tensile load absorption feature which relieves the deformation element in the tension direction. To achieve reproducible deformation results on the support, the tensile load absorption feature includes a hook on at least one of its ends, which is hooked onto one of the attachment elements or onto an end of the deformation element on the attachment element side. The hook is open toward the tension direction.

Claims

1. A support for an interior lining part of a vehicle;

comprising a first attachment element connectable to the interior lining part, a second attachment element connectable to a body of the vehicle, a deformation element that is at least one of elastically and plastically deformable and is arranged to lie between and be connected to the first and second attachment elements, and a tensile load absorber configured and arranged to relieve the deformation element in a tension direction, wherein the tensile load absorber has a hook on at least one end thereof so as to be hookable onto one of the attachment elements or onto an end of the deformation element toward one of the attachment elements and to be unhookable toward the tension direction, and wherein at least one device configured to increase friction is operatively arranged at least one of an inner surface of the hook and on the attachment element in a region enclosed by the hook the friction increasing device being configured as teeth arranged to engage one another, one of which is positioned on the hook inner surface and the other of which is positioned on one of the attachment elements.

2. The support according to claim 1, wherein another end of the tensile load absorber is rigidly connected to the other one of the attachment elements.

3. The support according to claim 1, wherein an eye is arranged at one of the attachment elements such that the hook is hookable thereinto.

4. The support according to claim 3, wherein another end of the tensile load absorber is rigidly connected to the other one of the attachment elements.

5. The support according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the attachment elements is configured as a slab-shaped strip, into which a cutout is formed as the eye.

6. The support according to claim 5, wherein the cutout is arranged slightly behind neighboring curved section ends lying next to one another, through which a cutout support stud lying between the attachment elements and the deformation element is formed and onto which the hook is hookable.

7. The support according to claim 1, wherein the attachment elements are configured as slab-shaped strips, and the deformation element has at least one curved section with curved section ends that are each connected to a respective one of the attachment elements.

8. The support according to claim 7, wherein the curved sections are one of curved, V-shaped and U-shaped.

9. The support according to claim 1, wherein the deformation element has two spaced, substantially parallel curved sections, the support is configured as a one piece, bent-and-stamped part, and the tensile load absorber is constituted by a stamped-out material section between two curved sections.

10. The support according to claim 9, wherein the curved sections are one of curved, V-shaped and U-shaped.

11. The support according to claim 1, wherein the deformation element has two spaced, substantially parallel curved sections, the attachment elements and the deformation element constitute a one-piece, bent-and-stamped part, and the tensile load absorber has two hooks, each of which is hookable into a respective one of the attachment elements.

12. The support according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the attachment elements has a penetration opening for an attachment device.

13. The support according to claim 1, wherein the interior lining part includes an airbag cover for a vehicle passenger airbag.