Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-13
2002-08-13
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S210000, C280S748000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431640
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-243907 and No. 2000-260710 which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assist grip to be swingably attached to a ceiling panel of a vehicle, and more particularly to an assist grip capable of reducing an assembly man-hour.
Further, the present invention relates to an assist grip to be swingably attached to a ceiling panel of a vehicle, and more particularly to an assist grip which is suitable for a vehicle having a curtain shield air bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to support an occupant's body of a vehicle, an assist grip is provided in the vicinity of the upper part of a side window over a ceiling panel of a passenger car. The assist grip generally comprises an U-shaped grip body and a-mounting seat provided on both ends of the grip body, and the mounting seat is fixed to the vehicle body through the ceiling panel and is thus used. In recent years, moreover, the grip body is rotatably supported on the mounting seat. According to such an assist grip, the grip body can be stored along the ceiling panel during nonuse and can be prevented from being protruded toward a vehicle compartment. Therefore, an appearance in the vehicle compartment can be enhanced and the vehicle compartment can be used widely.
Further, there is also provided a shock absorbing member for absorbing a shock by deformation when a human body collides with the assist grip by great force. The shock absorbing member is formed of an almost cylindrical metallic member and is fixed to the vehicle body through welding. The mounting seat of the assist grip is fixed to the shock absorbing member through bolt fastening so that a shock acting on the assist grip can be absorbed.
However, when the conventional assist grip is to be fixed to the vehicle body, the shock absorbing member is to be first fixed to the vehicle body in advance and the mounting seat is to be fixed to the shock absorbing member through the bolt fastening. For this reason, an automobile assembling line requires two works of a step of welding the shock absorbing member and a step of assembling the assist grip. Moreover, the number of parts is large and a device and a space for carrying out a welding work are required. Thus, a man-hour is increased.
In the assist grip in which the grip body is rotatably supported on the mounting seat, moreover, a spring is provided on a pivotal shaft and the grip body is energized in a direction of the ceiling panel through the spring in many cases. Consequently, the grip body can be always positioned along the ceiling panel during nonuse.
Further, in many cases, the assist grip includes a damper for preventing the grip body from being quickly swung by the energizing force of the spring and colliding with the ceiling panel and suppressing the generation of a collision sound.
In the case in which the assist grip thus energized by the spring is to be fixed to the vehicle body, however, the grip body is an obstacle during the bolt fastening. Therefore, it is necessary to fasten a bolt with the grip body swung and held against the energizing force of the spring. On other words, the grip body is to be swung and held by one of operator's hands and the bolt is to be fastened by the other hand. Therefore, there is a problem in that the assembling work is carried out with difficulty in a small working space such as a vehicle compartment.
The spring and the damper are generally provided in the vicinity of a pivotal support shaft of the mounting seat. In that case, however, the spring and the damper are provided so that the size of the mounting seat is increased. Consequently, the assist grip has a comparatively large size, which is not preferable in respect of a design or an appearance in a vehicle compartment.
It is proposed that a bridge portion formed of a synthetic resin for coupling the mounting seats on both ends is provided and the spring and the damper are accommodated in the bridge portion. Consequently, the size of the mounting seat can be reduced and the bridge portion to be newly added has a comparative small volume. Therefore, the design can be improved and the appearance in the vehicle compartment can also be enhanced. Moreover, the stability of an operation can also be enhanced.
In recent years, some automobiles have a curtain shield air bag provided in the upper part of a side window in order to enhance safety during a side collision. However, in the case in which the curtain shield air bag expands into the vehicle compartment, a stress also acts on the assist grip. In the assist grip having the bridge portion, therefore, it is particularly necessary to take a countermeasure against the air bag in the bridge portion. In other words, it is necessary to prevent the bridge portion from being broken by the stress and to prevent fragments from being scattered.
Accordingly, it is preferable that the bridge portion should be formed of a metal. If the bridge portion is formed of a metal, the stress applied from the air bag is absorbed by the deformation of the bridge portion. Therefore, the bridge portion is not broken and fragments are not scattered.
On the other hands since the bridge portion is exposed into the vehicle compartment, the bridge portion formed of a metal is not preferable for the design. It is proposed that the bridge portion is covered with a cover having a design surface. In the case in which the cover is to be thus put, it is usually formed to have an U-shaped section and is generally provided to cover the bridge portion such that the open side is opposed to the ceiling panel and a bottom portion thereof is exposed to the vehicle compartment side. In this case, however, a shock applied from the air bag acts on the cover from the open side. Therefore, force in a direction of removal from the bridge portion acts on the cover. Accordingly, it is necessary to firmly fix the cover to the bridge portion in order to reliably prevent the cover from being separated from the bridge portion.
However, the bond of the cover and the bridge portion increases a man-hour and deteriorates maintenance. Therefore, it is desirable that the bridge portion should be covered with the cover through only mechanical engagement. In consideration of an assembling workability, moreover, it is desirable that the cover should be assembled easily into the bridge portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances and has an object to provide an assist grip which can decrease the number of parts, does not require a step of welding a shock absorbing member and can reduce an assembly man-hour.
In addition, the invention has an object to provide such a structure that a cover is not separated from a bridge portion even if a shock is applied from an air bag and the cover can easily be assembled into the bridge portion in an assist grip having the bridge portion.
In order to solve the problems described above, the invention provides an assist grip comprising a grip body and a shock absorbing portion swingably supported on at least one of ends of the grip body, the shock absorbing portion being fixed to a vehicle body, wherein the mounting seat is constituted by a pivotal support portion rotatably supported on the grip body and a buckling portion which is extended integrally from the pivotal support portion and is deformed by a shock, thereby absorbing the shock, the shock absorbing portion being fixed to the vehicle body.
It is desirable that one of ends of a cap for covering the shock absorbing portion should be pivotally supported on the shock absorbing portion and the other end of the cap should be provided with an engagement portion for swinging the shock absorbing portion to expose the shock absorbing portion and for swinging the cap in the same state to be engaged with the grip body, thereby controlling the swinging motion of the shock absorbing portion i
Hosokawa Takashi
Kondo Hiroshi
Sakuma Yoshiyuki
Tajima Hiroyuki
Totani Chiharu
Morrow Jason
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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