U.S. patent application number 10/743040 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-23 for structure for supporting an instrument panel by a defroster nozzle.
Invention is credited to Johnson, Brian, Yamazaki, Yasunobu.
Application Number | 20040183331 10/743040 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32813025 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040183331 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yamazaki, Yasunobu ; et
al. |
September 23, 2004 |
Structure for supporting an instrument panel by a defroster
nozzle
Abstract
A structure for supporting an instrument panel by a defroster
nozzle whereby sufficient rigidity can be imparted to the top of
the instrument panel. A supporting member is attached to an upper
wall of the defroster nozzle arranged inside the instrument panel
and is disposed in contact with the instrument panel on the surface
one another to support same.
Inventors: |
Yamazaki, Yasunobu;
(Okazaki-shi, JP) ; Johnson, Brian; (Troy,
MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
32813025 |
Appl. No.: |
10/743040 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/72 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D 25/142 20130101;
B60H 1/00564 20130101; B60H 1/242 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/072 |
International
Class: |
B62D 025/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 25, 2002 |
JP |
2002-375218 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A structure for supporting an instrument panel, comprising: a
defroster nozzle arranged inside the instrument panel; and a
supporting member disposed on an upper wall of said defroster
nozzle and contacts with the instrument panel on the surface one
another to support the instrument panel.
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said supporting
member includes at least one support having a rectangular external
form and formed separately from said defroster nozzle.
3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein said support is
shaped like a box opening downward and having a bottom at an upper
end thereof, the bottom being disposed in contact with the
instrument panel on the surface one another.
4. The structure according to claim 2, wherein said defroster
nozzle is bifurcated right and left along a width direction of a
motor vehicle, and said support is arranged on each of the
bifurcated right and left portions of said defroster nozzle.
5. The structure according to claim 3, wherein said supporting
member has a plurality of mounting holes, the upper wall of said
defroster nozzle has support-mounting bosses respectively inserted
into the mounting holes, and said supporting member is joined to
said defroster nozzle by heating and melting the support-mounting
bosses.
6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein said defroster
nozzle includes a defroster nozzle front member having a front wall
and a lower wall continuous with the front wall, and a defroster
nozzle rear member having an upper wall and side walls continuous
with the upper wall, the defroster nozzle front member and the
defroster nozzle rear member being assembled to form an air duct,
the defroster nozzle front member and the defroster nozzle rear
member have flanges protruding from peripheral edges thereof,
respectively, and constituting joint faces, the flanges of one of
the defroster nozzle front and rear members have a plurality of
assembling bosses formed thereon, the flanges of the other of the
defroster nozzle front and rear members have a plurality of
mounting holes formed therein for receiving the respective
assembling bosses, and the defroster nozzle front and rear members
are joined together by heating and melting the assembling bosses at
the same time that the support-mounting bosses are heated and
melted.
7. The structure according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said
plurality of mounting holes of said supporting member serves also
as positioning means.
8. The structure according to claim 6, wherein said defroster
nozzle front member, said defroster nozzle rear member and said
supporting member are formed simultaneously by means of a single
mold.
9. The structure according to claim 6, wherein the assembling
bosses formed on the flanges of said defroster nozzle front or rear
member are oriented in a direction identical with that of the
support-mounting bosses formed on the upper wall of said defroster
nozzle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. 119(a) on Patent Application No. 2002-375218 filed in Japan
on Dec. 25, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a supporting structure for
an instrument panel of a motor vehicle, and more particularly, to a
structure for supporting an instrument panel by a defroster
nozzle.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] An automotive air conditioner provides a comfortable
environment for occupants of the vehicle in all climatic and
driving conditions, prevents fogging and frosting of the windshield
etc. to secure the driver's range of vision, and also permits safe
and comfortable driving, and thus most of motor vehicles are
equipped with an air conditioner. The air conditioner is usually
arranged in the vehicle body at a location under an approximately
central portion of the instrument panel, and conditioned air is
guided through an air duct arranged inside the instrument panel and
let out from vents located in the vehicle compartment. Also, a
defroster is provided for eliminating fogging of the windshield and
adapted to eject warm air toward the inside of the windshield from
thereunder, thus removing fogging of the inside of the
windshield.
[0006] The air conditioned by the air conditioner flows up toward
the vents while pushing the ceiling wall of the air duct upward,
and thus the joint between the inlet of the air duct and the air
outlet may possibly become separated, causing leakage of the air.
To prevent this, an air conditioner air duct has been proposed
wherein the air duct arranged inside the instrument panel is
provided with a rib, as an abutment, which is disposed in contact
with the inside surface of the top of the instrument panel (see
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H08-118942 (hereinafter
referred to as Patent Document 1), for example).
[0007] The instrument panel is arranged along the overall width of
the driver's and front passenger's seats of the vehicle, and a
front end portion thereof extends to the bottom of the windshield
and is provided with an opening for a defroster nozzle. Usually,
the instrument panel is a resin molded article and has a reinforced
structure such that the instrument panel is supported at its front
portion by a deck cross member through brackets, supported at its
rear portion by brackets extended downward from the deck cross
member, and supported at its both sides by front pillars. However,
the offset of the central portion of the instrument panel from the
deck cross member is large, giving rise to a problem that the
central portion is liable to be bent or warped because of its low
rigidity. Especially in the case of a wide deck type instrument
panel having an increased dimension between its front and rear
ends, the rigidity of the central portion is noticeably low.
[0008] A rib may be formed on the inside surface (underside) of the
instrument panel near the central portion thereof so that the
central portion may be supported by the air duct etc. of the air
conditioner located under the instrument panel. If such a rib is
formed on the inside surface of the instrument panel, however, a
problem arises in that a sink mark may appear on the outside
surface of the instrument panel, impairing the appearance. Also, in
the case where there is a considerable distance (large space)
between the instrument panel and the air duct etc., the rib needs
to be lengthened, which leads to poor moldability. Further, in the
case of the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 wherein the
air conditioner air duct is provided with a rib which is disposed
in contact with the inside surface of the top of the instrument
panel, not only the moldability is poor but a wide area cannot be
secured for supporting the instrument panel. With this structure,
it is difficult to increase the rigidity of the top of, in
particular, a wide deck type instrument panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a structure
for supporting an instrument panel by a defroster nozzle capable of
imparting sufficient rigidity to the top of the instrument
panel.
[0010] The present invention provides a structure for supporting an
instrument panel, comprising: a defroster nozzle arranged inside
the instrument panel; and a supporting member disposed on an upper
wall of said defroster nozzle and contacts with the instrument
panel on the surface one another to support the instrument
panel.
[0011] Thus, sufficient rigidity can be imparted to the top of the
instrument panel, thereby effectively preventing bending or warping
of the top of the instrument panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of a
defroster nozzle used in an instrument panel supporting structure
according to the present invention; and
[0013] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be
hereinafter described in detail with reference to the drawings
which are given by way of illustration only.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a defroster nozzle used in
an instrument panel supporting structure according to the present
invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in
FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the defroster nozzle 1 comprises
three members, that is, a defroster nozzle front member 2, a
defroster nozzle rear member 3, and a defroster nozzle supporting
member 4 as a member for reinforcing an instrument panel 6. The
defroster nozzle front member 2 has a front wall 2a located on one
side of the defroster nozzle 1 closer to the front of a vehicle
body, and a lower wall 2b continuous with the front wall. The
defroster nozzle rear member 3 has an upper wall 3a and right and
left side walls 3b, 3b continuous with the upper wall. The front
and rear members are combined to form an air duct.
[0016] Specifically, the air duct 5 (FIG. 2) is defined by the
front wall 2a and lower wall 2b of the defroster nozzle front
member 2 and the upper wall 3a and both side walls 3b of the
defroster nozzle rear member 3. The air duct 5 branches off into
front defroster nozzles 5a, 5a opening upward and side defroster
nozzles 5b, 5b opening sideways on the right and left sides,
respectively. The lower wall 2b of the defroster nozzle front
member 2 and the upper wall 3a and side walls 3b of the defroster
nozzle rear member 3 have flanges 2c and 3c protruding from their
respective lower edges to be connected to an air duct of an air
conditioner.
[0017] The defroster nozzle front member 2 also has flanges 2d, as
joint faces, protruding from peripheral edges of the lower wall 2b
thereof, and assembling bosses 2e are formed on the flanges 2d.
Assembling bosses 2e are also formed on an inside surface of the
upper portion of the front wall 2a so as to be oriented in the same
direction. A plurality of, for example, four mounting portions 2f
for mounting the defroster nozzle 1 to the vehicle body protrude
integrally from the front wall 2a of the defroster nozzle front
member 2.
[0018] The defroster nozzle rear member 3 has flanges 3d protruding
from peripheral edges of lower portions of the side walls 3b
thereof, as joint faces corresponding to the flanges 2d of the
defroster nozzle front member 2, and mounting holes 3e for
receiving the respective assembling bosses 2e are formed in the
flanges 3d. A front end portion of the upper wall 3a is curved
upward and has mounting holes 3e formed therein for receiving
distal ends of the respective assembling bosses 2e. Also, mounting
portions 3f for mounting the defroster nozzle 1 to the vehicle body
protrude integrally from both sides of the upper wall 3a. The
assembling bosses and mounting holes for joining the defroster
nozzle front and rear members 2 and 3 together may be formed such
that either of the flanges 2d and 3d are provided with the
assembling bosses and the other with the mounting holes. In the
case where the assembling bosses 2e are formed on the flanges 2d of
the defroster nozzle front member 2, the assembly of the defroster
nozzle supporting member 4 is facilitated, as described later.
[0019] The defroster nozzle supporting member 4 has a pair of
supports 4a each having a rectangular external form. Each support
4a is in the form of a box opening downward and having an upper
surface (bottom) 4d. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the
defroster nozzle 1 is bifurcated right and left along the width
direction of the vehicle, and the supports 4a are arranged on the
bifurcated right and left portions of the defroster nozzle 1,
respectively, with a space therebetween. The supports 4a are
connected to each other by a connecting part 4b continuous with
lower edges of the respective rear walls.
[0020] Right and left sides of the connecting part 4b are
continuous with lower edges of outer side walls of the right and
left supports 4a, respectively, thus forming flanges 4c. The
defroster nozzle supporting member 4 is placed on a central portion
of the upper wall 3a of the defroster nozzle rear member 3.
Specifically, the connecting part 4b and the flanges 4c are shaped
so as to match the shape of the upper wall 3a, and the supports 4a
are supported at their lower ends by the upper wall 3a in contact
therewith.
[0021] The height of the supports 4a from the upper wall 3a of the
defroster nozzle rear member 3 to their upper surfaces 4d is set to
a height which is necessary for the supports 4a to come into
contact with and support the inside surface of a central portion 6a
of the instrument panel 6. Because of the box-like shape, the
supports 4a have increased rigidity and permit the areas of the
upper surfaces 4d to be enlarged, thus making it possible to
contact with inside surface of the central portion 6a of the
instrument panel 6 on the surface one another with a large contact
area to support the instrument panel 6. Further, the box-like shape
permits the supports 4a to be increased in height while ensuring
sufficient rigidity, and accordingly, the defroster nozzle can be
easily applied to vehicles having a long distance (large space)
between the defroster nozzle and the instrument panel 6. The
defroster nozzle supporting member 4 is molded separately from the
defroster nozzle rear member 3, and it is therefore possible to
prevent the formation of a sink mark, which appears on the surface
of the defroster nozzle rear member 3 when the two members are
molded as a one-piece member.
[0022] The connecting part 4b and the flanges 4c have mounting
holes 4f, 4g and 4h formed therein. The central mounting hole 4f is
a circular hole which also serves as positioning means for
restraining the supporting member from being displaced to the front
or the rear or to sides. The mounting holes 4g located on both
sides of the central hole are each an elongate hole elongated
sideways, and the mounting holes 4h in the flanges 4c are circular
holes slightly larger than the mounting hole 4f. Support-mounting
bosses 3h are formed on the upper wall 3a of the defroster nozzle
rear member 3 at locations corresponding to the mounting holes 4f,
4g and 4h, respectively, and are oriented in a direction identical
with that of the assembling bosses 2e. The mounting hole 4f can
receive the corresponding support-mounting boss 3h, and the
mounting holes 4g can receive the corresponding support-mounting
bosses 3h even if the bosses are slightly displaced to sides. The
mounting holes 4h can receive the corresponding support-mounting
bosses 3h even if the bosses are slightly displaced to the front or
the rear or to sides. In this manner, displacement of the
support-mounting bosses 3h relative to the respective mounting
holes 4f to 4h of the defroster nozzle supporting member 4 can be
absorbed, whereby the assembly of the defroster nozzle supporting
member 4 is facilitated. Also, the mounting hole 4f, which also
serves as positioning means, permits the supporting member 4 to be
accurately positioned and mounted to the upper wall 3a of the
defroster nozzle rear member 3.
[0023] The defroster nozzle front member 2, the defroster nozzle
rear member 3 and the defroster nozzle supporting member 4 are
formed at the same time by molding resin in a single mold (3-cavity
type). Such simultaneous formation by means of a single mold makes
it possible to reduce mold costs. Also, since the defroster nozzle
supporting member 4 is formed as a separate member, the shape
thereof can be changed as desired and the freedom of layout
widens.
[0024] The flanges 2d and 3d of the defroster nozzle front and rear
members 2 and 3, which constitute the joint faces, are brought into
contact with each other, with the assembling bosses 2e inserted
into the respective mounting holes 3e. Also, the defroster nozzle
supporting member 4 is placed on the upper wall 3a of the defroster
nozzle rear member 3, with the support-mounting bosses 3h inserted
into the respective mounting holes 4f to 4h. Then, the distal ends
of the assembling bosses 2e and support-mounting bosses 3h are
heated and melted at the same time, to weld the bosses to the
peripheral edges of the respective mounting holes 3e and 4f to 4h.
In this manner, the defroster nozzle 1 is fabricated.
[0025] The assembling bosses 2e formed on the flanges 2d of the
defroster nozzle front member 2 are oriented in the same direction
as the support-mounting bosses 3h formed on the upper wall 3a of
the defroster nozzle rear member 3. Accordingly, the defroster
nozzle front and rear members 2 and 3 and the defroster nozzle
supporting member 4 can be assembled with ease. Also, a welding
machine used for joining the members may have a simple
construction, and the welding requires only a simple operation,
thus enhancing the work efficiency. Further, since the defroster
nozzle supporting member 4 and the defroster nozzle front and rear
members 2 and 3 are molded at the same time and also are welded
together at the same time, man-hour can be cut down and the
manufacturing and tooling costs can be minimized.
[0026] The defroster nozzle 1 is arranged inside the instrument
panel 6, as shown in FIG. 2. At this time, the inlet of the air
duct 5 is connected to an air outlet of the air conditioner. Also,
the defroster nozzle 1 is positioned such that the front defroster
nozzles 5a, 5a each open into an opening 6c of the instrument panel
6 and are situated inside a windshield 7 close to the bottom
thereof, and that the side defroster nozzles 5b, 5b are directed
toward the windows of respective front doors (not shown).
[0027] The instrument panel 6 is a wide type, for example, and is
supported at its front portion by deck brackets, supported at its
rear portion by brackets connected to the deck brackets, and
supported at its both sides by front pillars (none of the brackets
and pillars are shown). Recesses 6b are formed in the inside
surface of the central portion 6a at locations corresponding to the
upper surfaces 4d of the respective supports 4a of the defroster
nozzle supporting member 4. The upper surfaces 4d of the supports
4a of the defroster nozzle supporting member 4 abut against the
respective recesses 6b and support the central portion 6a from
below. The supports 4a are box-shaped and thus have increased
rigidity and also the upper surfaces 4d have a large area, as
mentioned above. Accordingly, the inside surface 6b of the central
portion of the instrument panel 6 can be securely supported on the
surface with a large contact area. This structure imparts
sufficient rigidity to the central portion of the top of the wide
type instrument panel 6 and thus can effectively prevent the top of
the instrument panel from being bent or warped.
[0028] In the foregoing embodiment, the defroster nozzle supporting
member 4 is provided with a pair of supports 4a. The number of
supports 4a is, however, not limited to two, and a single or three
or more supports 4a may be provided instead.
* * * * *