Supports – Instrument in panel
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-22
2004-10-05
Wood, Kimberly T. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Instrument in panel
C248S027300, C248S224800, C248S231900, C296S097110, C296S097120, C296S097900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06799743
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bracket for mounting an auxiliary machinery to a vehicle body, and more particularly to a bracket for mounting, for example, a sun visor with an electrical equipment or the like to a vehicle body.
As an auxiliary machinery provided in an automobile, as shown in
FIG. 1
, there are, for example, a sun visor
102
with an electrical equipment placed in a roof trim
101
above a driver's seat and an assistant driver's seat, a movable room lamp
103
placed substantially at a center of the roof trim
101
and the like. Mounting opening portions
104
,
105
and
106
are formed at respective positions of the roof trim
101
where the auxiliary machinery is mounted, as shown in FIG.
1
. These sun visors
102
and the room lamp
103
are mounted to the mounting opening portions
104
,
105
and
106
by using a bracket for mounting to a vehicle body.
In a first technique which the inventors have considered, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the sun visor
102
is mounted to the roof trim
101
including an inner panel (not shown) by using a visor side bracket
108
provided in a front end portion of a fixed shaft
107
and a panel side bracket
109
. In this case, the visor side bracket
108
and the panel side bracket
109
are fixed to the roof trim
101
by being screwed.
Further, as a second technique, there is a structure shown in FIG.
3
. In this mounting structure, a visor side bracket
110
to which the front end portion of the fixed shaft
107
is rotatably mounted is attached and mounted to a panel side bracket
111
fixed to the roof trim
101
side. In particular, the panel side bracket
111
is provided with an engaging piece
112
protruding downward, and the visor side bracket
110
is provided with an engagement portion
113
engaged with the engaging piece
112
of the panel side bracket
111
. At a mounting time, an operation of pressing the visor side bracket
110
to the panel side bracket
111
is performed so that the engaging piece
112
of the panel side bracket
111
fixed to the roof trim
101
side is inserted to the engagement portion
113
.
Further, as a third technique, there is a structure shown in FIG.
4
. In this mounting structure, the front end portion of the fixed shaft
107
is rotatably mounted to a panel side bracket
114
, and a visor side bracket
116
is attached to the panel side bracket
114
. In particular, the panel side bracket
114
is provided with an engaging piece
115
protruding downward, and an engagement portion
117
for engaging the engaging piece
115
is formed in the visor side bracket
116
. Then, the panel side bracket
114
and the visor side bracket
116
are connected so as to mount the sun visor
102
by pressing the visor side bracket
116
to the engaging piece
115
protruding to a passenger's room side from the mounting opening portion formed in the roof trim
101
so that the engagement portion
117
is engaged.
However, in the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 2
, since a weight of the sun visor
102
is supported only by the mounting portion holding the front end portion of the fixed shaft
107
, there is a problem that a moment of rotation is generated in the mounting portion and a shaky state and a foreign noise are easily generated in the mounting portion of the fixed shaft
107
. Accordingly, in the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 2
, a fixing strength capable of resisting against the moment of rotation is required.
Further, in the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 3
, since the fixed shaft
107
is supported by the visor side bracket
110
, it is necessary to increase an engaging strength between the engaging piece
112
of the panel side bracket
111
and the engagement portion
113
of the visor side bracket
110
. Accordingly, a force required for inserting the engaging piece
112
to the engagement portion
113
is increased and there is a problem that an assembling operability and a take-out operability are deteriorated.
Further, in the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 4
, it is necessary to form a lock canceling hole
118
for canceling an engagement between the engaging piece
115
and the engagement portion
117
in the case of taking out the visor side bracket
116
. In this mounting structure, since it is necessary to simultaneously cancel the engagement between all the engaging pieces
115
and all the engagement portions
117
within the lock canceling hole
118
, an operability is bad and there is a problem that a design characteristic is deteriorated since the lock canceling hole
118
is formed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been achieved by taking the matters mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to a bracket for mounting an auxiliary machinery to a vehicle body which can make a mounting operation and a take-out operation easy and can prevent a shaky state and a foreign sound of an auxiliary machinery from being generated.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body mounting bracket for fixing an auxiliary machinery to a panel in a vehicle body side comprising: a first bracket arranging and supporting the auxiliary machinery to one side; a shaft supporting portion protruded from the first bracket and fitting a fixed shaft supporting the auxiliary machinery to another side; an engaging portion formed near a peripheral wall portion of the shaft supporting portion; a second bracket holding the first bracket; an engagement portion which is formed on the second bracket and with which the engaging portion is engaged by assembling the first bracket; and fixing means fixing the first bracket and the second bracket to the panel.
According to the invention described in the first aspect structured in the manner mentioned above, the engaging portion formed near the peripheral wall portion of the shaft supporting portion protruded from another side of the first bracket is engaged with the engagement portion of the second bracket at a time of assembling the first bracket and the second bracket, thereby reinforcing a mechanical strength near the shaft supporting portion. Accordingly, since the fixed shaft of the auxiliary machinery is held not only by the shaft supporting portion of the first bracket but also the engagement portion of the second bracket, the fixed shaft of the auxiliary machinery serves to prevent the shaky state from being generated.
Next, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting an auxiliary machinery to a vehicle body as described in the first aspect, further comprising an opening portion which is formed in the second bracket and to which the shaft supporting portion is inserted, and a guide holding plate forming the engagement portion to which the engaging portion is slidably inserted, in a peripheral edge portion of the opening portion.
Therefore, according to the invention described in the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the invention described in the first aspect, the shaft supporting portion of the first bracket is inserted to the opening portion formed in the second bracket. Since at this time, the engaging portion formed near the peripheral wall portion of the shaft supporting portion is inserted in a sliding manner to the engagement portion of the guide holding plate provided in the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion in the second bracket, it is possible to reinforce the shaft supporting portion only by assembling the first bracket and the second bracket.
Next, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting an auxiliary machinery to a vehicle body as described in the second aspect, further comprising a locking projection locked in a state that the engaging portion is engaged with the engagement portion and formed in the engaging portion or the engagement portion.
Therefore, according to the invention described in the third aspect, since the locking projection formed
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Wood Kimberly T.
Yazaki -Corporation
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