Automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure and automobile ceiling material installation method

• US 8,833,797 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suga, Hitoshi, Abeta, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/005,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20140042734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0212 Roof or head liners movable head-liners B60J7/0007
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

To obtain an automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure and an automobile ceiling material installation method in which it is not necessary to set dedicated receiving portions for provisionally placing a ceiling material and with which the degree of freedom of setting positions of receiving portions can be improved. In an automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure, receiving portions for provisionally placing a roof headlining are disposed on existing resin covers covering curtain airbags, so it is not necessary to dispose dedicated receiving portions. Therefore, an increase in cost can be suppressed. Moreover, resin covers are formed in long shapes along roof side rails, so the degree of freedom of the setting positions of the receiving portions disposed on the resin covers can be improved. Therefore, workability when installing the roof headlining in a vehicle body can be improved.

Claims

1. An automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure comprising:

a ceiling material that configures a lining of a ceiling of a passenger compartment;

curtain airbags that are disposed between roof side rails of a vehicle body and the ceiling material in a state in which the curtain airbags are folded in long shapes along the roof side rails, with the curtain airbags inflating upon being supplied with gas generated by inflators, whereby the curtain airbags deploy downward while bending vehicle width direction end sides of the ceiling material; and

resin covers that are formed in long shapes along the roof side rails, are disposed between the roof side rails and the curtain airbags, cover the curtain airbags in the folded state from the roof side rail sides, and have disposed thereon receiving portions arranged to provisionally support vehicle width direction end portions of the ceiling material by contacting the ceiling material when the ceiling material is installed in the vehicle body,

the receiving portions being disposed on vehicle rear side end portions of the resin covers and being disposed on vehicle rear sides of vehicle rear side end portions of the curtain airbags in the folded state.

2. The automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving portions are disposed in proximity to securing portions for securing the resin covers to the roof side rails.

3. The automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving portions are disposed below the securing portions.

4. The automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving portions extend downward from vehicle width direction outside sections of cover bodies of the resin covers covering the curtain airbags, provisional placement claws projecting inward in the vehicle width direction are disposed on lower end sides of the receiving portions, and the vehicle width direction end portions of the ceiling material are provisionally placed on upper surfaces of the provisional placement claws.

5. The automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure according to claim 4, wherein

vehicle width direction inside end portions of the provisional placement claws are made to serve as guide portions obliquely inclined downward and outward in the vehicle width direction.

6. The automobile ceiling material provisional placement structure according to claim 1, wherein

vehicle width direction outside end portions of the receiving portions are in contact with the roof side rails.

7. An automobile ceiling material installation method comprising:

attaching resin covers, which cover curtain airbags folded in long shapes from roof side rail sides of a vehicle body and are formed in long shapes along the roof side rails, to the roof side rails;

thereafter provisionally placing vehicle width direction end portions of a ceiling material of a passenger compartment on receiving portions disposed on the resin covers, the receiving portions provisionally supporting the vehicle width direction end portions of the ceiling material by contacting the ceiling material; and

securing the ceiling material to a vehicle body via plural vehicular parts including sun visor brackets and assist grips in the provisionally placed state.