Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-06
2001-10-30
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S039100, C296S203030, C280S748000, C188S376000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309011
ABSTRACT:
The contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-283894 with a filing date of Oct. 25, 1996 in Japan and Japanese Patent Application No. 8-309832 with a filing date of Nov. 21, 1996 in Japan are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in an interior material for an automotive vehicle, and more particularly to the improvements in the interior material for covering a panel of a pillar or a roof rail of the automotive vehicle, provided with an impact absorbing structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto many interior materials for an automotive vehicle have been proposed and put into practical use, in which the interior materials have an impact absorbing structure. One of them is disclosed as a pillar garnish in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 6-239189. The pillar garnish is arranged to cover the passenger compartment side of a pillar forming part of a vehicle body. The pillar garnish includes a main body section which is provided at its inner surface with many cylindrical impact absorbing bosses. The pillar is formed with many circular holes which are located corresponding to the energy absorbing bosses of the pillar garnish.
With the thus arranged conventional interior material or pillar garnish, when a pressing impact load is applied onto the main body section of the pillar garnish from the side of the passenger compartment so as to displace the pillar garnish toward the pillar, each impact absorbing boss is frictionally inserted into the corresponding hole of the pillar thereby absorbing the impact load.
In order effectively accomplish such impact load absorption, it is necessary to enlarge the stroke (time) of the energy absorbing process. This requires a sufficient distance between the surface of the pillar garnish and the pillar and requires a corresponding increase in the length of each energy absorbing boss. As a result, the main body section of the pillar garnish protrudes into the passenger compartment away from the pillar, and therefore it becomes impossible to obtain a larger passenger compartment while providing the fear of a pressure feeling being given to the vehicle passenger. Additionally, the pillar garnish main body protruding into the passenger compartment may obstruct smooth getting-in and out actions of the vehicle from the side of the passenger. Furthermore, the protruding pillar garnish main body section has the fear of narrowing the visual range of the vehicle passenger who sees the outside of the vehicle from the side of the passenger compartment. Therefore, overcoming the above drawbacks has been eagerly desired.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved interior material for an automotive vehicle, which can effectively overcome drawbacks encountered in conventional interior materials for an automotive vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved interior material for an automotive vehicle, which is high in energy absorbing efficiency for impact load to be applied to the interior material though the height dimension of the interior material is smaller.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved interior material for an automotive vehicle, which can exhibit an impact wave-form having a plurality of peaks in deceleration during an energy absorbing process for impact load to be applied to the interior material.
An aspect of the present invention resides in an interior material for an automotive vehicle, comprising a main body section formed of plastic. The main body section is to be fixedly connected to a vehicle body located at a side of a passenger compartment. A structure is connected to the main body section and is to be located between the main body section and the vehicle body. The structure is constructed and arranged to cause the interior material to exhibit an impact wave-form having a plurality of peaks in deceleration.
By virtue of the structure which is constructed and arranged to cause the interior material to exhibit the impact wave-form having a plurality of peaks in deceleration, the impact wave-form of the interior material can be controlled to have a plurality of peaks, thereby effectively accomplishing energy absorption for a pressing impact load applied to the main body section of the interior material. This realizes an energy absorbing structure which is less in the amount of stroke (moving stroke of the main body section of the interior material) even if the energy absorbing amount is the same. As a result, the interior material or pillar garnish can be reduced in thickness thereby ensuring a wide visual range, a comfortableness in the passenger compartment, and improved entry and exit capabilities for the vehicle passenger.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in an interior material for an automotive vehicle, comprising a main body section formed of plastic. The main body section is to be fixedly connected to a vehicle body located at a side of a passenger compartment. A boss is fixedly connected to and extends from the main body section. A clip supporting member is connected to the boss. Additionally, a clip is fixedly secured to the clip supporting member. The clip is to be fixable to the vehicle body so as to install the interior material to the vehicle body.
The interior material is installed to the vehicle body through a two-stage supporting or energy absorbing structure including the clip and the boss. This enhances rising of an impact wave-form to form a first peak at the initial stage of an energy absorbing process. At the next stage, a trough of the wave-form is formed upon the boss collapsing. Thereafter, a second peak is formed in the wave-form, owing to the flexural stiffness of the vehicle body. Thus, the impact wave-form has the two peaks under the energy absorbing action of the boss formed between the clip supporting member and the panel of the vehicle body. This improves an energy absorbing efficiency for a pressing impact load applied to the main body section of the interior material, and realizes an energy absorbing structure which is less in the amount of stroke (moving stroke of the main body section of the interior material) even if the energy absorbing amount is the same. As a result, the interior material or pillar garnish can be reduced in thickness thereby ensuring a wide visual range, a comfortableness in the passenger compartment, and improved entry and exit capabilities for the vehicle passenger.
A further aspect of the present invention resides in an interior material for an automotive vehicle, comprising a main body section formed of plastic. The main body section being to be fixedly connected to a vehicle body located at a side of a passenger compartment. Additionally, at least one energy absorbing rib is fixed to and extends from the main body section along a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the main body section. The rib is generally plate-shaped and has an edge facing the vehicle body. The rib is formed with a cutout groove which opens to the edge and extends toward a surface of the main body section to which surface the rib is fixed.
By virtue of the cutout groove formed in the energy absorbing rib in a manner to open to the edge of the rib, the energy absorbing rib can start to tear and collapse from the cutout groove as a tearing starting point. Accordingly, the impact wave-form of the interior material can be controlled to have two peaks, thereby effectively accomplishing energy absorption for a pressing impact load applied to the main body section of the interior material. This realizes an energy absorbing structure which is less in the amount of stroke (moving stroke of the main body section of the interior material) even if the energy absorbing amount is the same. As a result, the interior material or pillar garnish can be reduced in thickness thereby ensuring a wide visual range, a comfortableness in the passenger compartment, and improved entry and exit
Ichikawa Satoru
Kawai Akira
Komatsu Motoru
Matsuyama Kazuo
Yoshikawa Satoru
Gordon Stephen T.
Gutman Hilary
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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