Technical Field

The present invention relates to an instrument panel structure in which an upper instrument panel and a lower instrument panel cover the surroundings of the steering wheel of a vehicle and a fuse box is arranged forward of the lower instrument panel in the vehicle.

Background

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an instrument panel structure in which an upper instrument panel and a lower instrument panel cover the surroundings of the steering wheel of a vehicle and a fuse box is arranged forward of the lower instrument panel in the vehicle. In such conventional instrument panels, an opening is formed through which the fuse box can be seen from the driver's side, and a lid for covering the opening is formed to hide the fuse box.

Citation List

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1 : Japanese Patent No. 3915536

Summary

Technical Problem

However, the above-described conventional instrument panel structure requires a lid for being attached to the opening, and accordingly has a problem in that operation of attaching and detaching the lid is necessary in maintenance of the fuse box , resulting in inconvenience for maintenance and cost is increasing. In view of this, the applicant of the present invention decided to study structures and ideas that can hide the fuse box without using a lid, and further an instrument panel structure that enables the maintenance of the fuse box to be more easily performed.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an instrument panel structure that does not require a lid, allows the fuse box to be directly accessed, and enables the maintenance of the fuse box to be more easily performed. Solution to Problem

An invention according to claim 1 provides an instrument panel structure including an upper instrument panel and a lower instrument panel that cover surroundings of a steering wheel of a vehicle and a fuse box that is arranged forward of said lower instrument panel in the vehicle. A low end portion of said lower instrument panel is positioned below a lower end of said fuse box and has an opening portion through which said fuse box is visible. Said opening portion is defined by an inner surface curving downward and forward from said low end portion of said lower instrument panel in the vehicle so as to cover visible areas inside of said lower instrument panel (2).

An invention according to claim 2 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 1 , in which said fuse box tilts so that an upper portion thereof faces downward and backward in the vehicle, and a longitudinal line thereof is extended to said steering wheel in the side view, said low end portion of said lower instrument panel is arranged in a position aligned or overlapped with the upper portion of said fuse box in a vehicle front-rear direction, and said opening portion is formed at the position aligned or overlapped.

An invention according to claim 3 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 1 , in which said opening portion has a slit having a width that is substantially the same as the width of said fuse box, and an upper portion of said fuse box is visible through said slit.

An invention according to claim 4 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 3, in which said inner surface has a first inner surface and a second inner surface that are formed on right and left sides of said slit, and said slit is formed between said first inner surface and said second inner surface.

An invention according to claim 5 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 4, in which on both sides of said slit, front-down end portions are formed that widely extend forward and downward in the vehicle along said first inner surface and said second inner surface, and said front-down end portions are formed so that the width between ends thereof in horizontal is larger than said width of said fuse box.

An invention according to claim 6 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 3, in which at a position downward and backward of said low end portion of said lower instrument panel in the side view of the vehicle, a viewpoint position exists where a portion forming a top line of said slit looks coincident with said upper portion of said fuse box. An invention according to claim 7 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 1, in which said lower instrument panel is detachable from said upper instrument panel and is also connectable to said upper instrument panel by snap fit means.

An invention according to claim 8 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 7, in which said lower instrument panel has a male snap fit that is formed protruding forward in the vehicle at an edge on the inner-surface side of said lower instrument panel, said upper instrument panel has a female snap fit that is able to receive and be connected to said male snap fit.

An invention according to claim 9 provides the instrument panel structure according to claim 8, in which said lower instrument panel has a mounting portion for mounting an accessory in said edge on the inner-surface side of said lower instrument panel (2) where said male snap fit is not formed.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the invention of claim 1 , the low end portion of the lower instrument panel is positioned below the lower end of the fuse box and has the opening portion through which the fuse box is visible. Thus, a lid can be unnecessary and the fuse box can be directly accessed, whereby maintenance of the fuse box can be more easily performed. Furthermore, because the opening portion is defined by the inner surface curving downward and forward from the low end portion of the lower instrument panel in the vehicle so as to cover visible areas inside of the lower instrument panel , other components around the fuse box can be hidden and this appearance is still well . By fonning only the opening portion, it's possible to reduce the cost than by forming lid structure.

According to the invention of claim 2, the fuse box tilts so that the upper portion thereof faces downward and backward in the vehicle, and its longitudinal line is extending to the steering wheel in the side view, the low end portion of the lower instrument panel is arranged in the position aligned or overlapped with the upper portion of the fuse box in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the opening portion is formed at the position aligned or overlapped. Thus, it's possible for the fuse box to tilt close to the lower instrument panel until aligning or overlapping with the lower instrument panel and to be seen and accessed only by forming the opening portion. So, the maintenance through the opening portion can be more easily performed. According to the invention of claim 3, the opening portion has the slit having a width that is substantially the same as the width of the fuse box, and the upper portion of the fuse box is visible through the slit. Thus, it is possible to see the fuse box up to the upper portion thereof without inserting one's head deeply.

According to the invention of claim 4, the inner surface has the first inner surface and the second inner surface that are formed on the right and left sides of the slit, and the slit is formed between the first inner surface and the second inner surface. Thus, the fuse box can be directly seen through the slit, and also visible areas on both sides can be hidden by the inner surfaces. Specifically, such inner surface provides better stiffness of the slit from both sides.

According to the invention of claim 5, on both sides of the slit, the front-down end portions are formed that widely extend forward and downward in the vehicle along the first inner surface and the second inner surface, and the front-down end portions are formed so that the width between ends thereof in horizontal is larger than the width of the fuse box. Thus, larger width gives some clearance and whole fuse box can be easily attached and detached in maintenance.

According to the invention of claim 6, at a position downward and backward of the low end portion of the lower instrument panel in side view of the vehicle, a viewpoint position exists where a portion forming a top line of the slit looks coincident with the upper portion of the fuse box. Thus, the whole of the fuse box can be seen from the viewpoint position at the position downward and backward of the low end portion of the lower instrument panel in the vehicle, and accordingly one's head does not have to be inserted deep into a pedal space below the lower instrument panel.

According to the invention of claim 7, the lower instrument panel is detachable from the upper instrument panel and is also connectable to the upper instrument panel by the snap fit means. Thus, not only the maintenance of the fuse box, but also maintenance of components around the fuse box can be easily performed. Furthermore, because the lower instrument panel is connected to the upper instrument panel by the snap fit means, the manufacturing time for assembling can be reduced, which consequently reduces

manufacturing costs.

According to the invention of claim 8, the lower instrument panel has the male snap fit that is formed protruding forward in the vehicle at an edge on the inner-surface side of the lower instrument panel, the upper instrument panel has the female snap fit that is able to receive and be connected to the male snap fit. The female snap fit needs some receiving clearance for male snap fit because of its hole structure. However, the female snap fit is formed in the upper instrument panel which has enough space inside. Thus, it enables to save space of the lower instrument panel and achieves compact structure. Accordingly, appearance can be made excellent and, by attaching or detaching the lower instrument panel at the edge thereof, operation can be easily performed, and space for attaching another component at the center can be kept available.

According to the invention of claim 9, the lower instrument panel has a mounting portion for mounting an accessory in said edge on the inner-surface side of said lower instrument panel where the male snap fit is not formed. Thus, a dealer or a customer can easily attach an accessory at edge area without performing modification that may damage the surface of the lower instrument panel. Furthermore, the mounting portion is arranged on the inner-surface side of the lower instrument panel, whereby appearance of the vehicle interior can be seen smart and simple.

Brief Description of Drawings

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal structure of an automobile to which an instrument panel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating surroundings of the steering wheel of the automobile to which the instrument panel structure is applied.

[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is an inner-surface view illustrating a lower instrument panel in the instrument panel structure.

[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view illustrating the vicinity of an opening portion of the lower instrument panel in the instrument panel structure.

[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fuse box seen from a position below the lower instrument panel in the instrument panel structure.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a sectional view along line VI- VI in Fig. 2.

[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a sectional view along line VII-VII in Fig. 2.

[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 2.

[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a sectional view along line IX-IX in Fig. 2.

[Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a sectional view along line X-X in Fig. 3.

[Fig. 1 1] Fig. 1 1 is a sectional view illustrating snap fit means in the instrument panel structure. Description of Embodiments

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the drawings.

An instrument panel structure according to the present embodiment is a structure that is applied to a front area (in front of the driver seat) of a vehicle interior of an automobile (four-wheel car). As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the instrument panel structure is configured so that a upper instrument panel 1 and a lower instrument panel 2 cover the surroundings of a steering wheel H of the vehicle, and a fuse box 3 is arranged forward (in F direction) of the lower instrument panel 2 in the vehicle. Herein, as definitions for various directions, the forward and backward directions of the vehicle are denoted by F and B, respectively, and the upward and downward directions with respect to a horizontal plane are denoted by U and D, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1.

The automobile used in the present embodiment includes, in addition to the above-described components, a meter cover 12 which is designed correspondingly with the instrument panel, whereat an upper steering shaft cover 13 and a lower steering shaft cover 14 are connected so as to cover a steering shaft at upper and lower, a select lever for selecting some shift position of transmission 15 mechanically mounted to a center console 18, a Driver's seat 16 for positioning backward of the steering wheel H, a front side garnish 17 for attaching around a door space, a floor carpet 19 as an interior base of vehicle, a brake pedal 20 and an accelerator pedal 21 designed under the instrument panel structure for operating braking and acceleration, a front wheel 22, and a front tire 23. Near the instrument panel structure according to the present embodiment, a steering hanger pipe 24 (see Figs. 6 to 9), an air conditioning duct 25, an air conditioning outlet 26, an open tray 27 for inserting some user's things, a switch unit 28, a winker & lighting lever 29, a key cylinder 30, a meter 31 , and an engine starting / stopping switch 32, for example, are arranged onto the instrument panel structure.

The upper instrument panel 1 is mounted to the vehicle frame, like as a steering hanger pipe 24 at first and the meter cover 12 is attached to the upper portion of the upper instrument panel 1 for covering around a meter and forming the air conditioning outlet 26 and the open tray 27 and so on. And then the lower instrument panel 2 is attached to the lower portion of the upper instrument panel 1. Accordingly the instrument panel structure is mainly comprised in such three parts which are plate-like plastic molded parts that are attached to a front area (in front of the driver seat 1 ) of the vehicle interior to constitute the instrument panel of the vehicle. The lower instrument panel 2 covers up the fuse box 3, so that an occupant of the vehicle cannot see the fuse box 3 in normal sitting position. In the present embodiment, the lower instrument panel 2 is attached to the upper instrument panel 1 by snap fit means (male snap fits 8 and female snap fits 9) as described later.

The fuse box 3 almost is mounted at right lower side of Driver near the key cylinder

30 or the engine starting / stopping switch 32 because main electrical harness is wiring to such switch and easy to connect to the fuse box 3 too. The fuse box 3 includes components to which fuses connected to the electrical system of the vehicle are attached, and is fixedly attached to the steering hanger pipe 24 with a bolt Bl as shown in Fig. 6. Such fuses area, or space is shown as 3 c inserting to fuse box 3. Furthermore, the fuse box 3 according to the present embodiment tilts so that an upper portion 3 a thereof faces downward D and backward B in the vehicle. The fuse box 3 is positioned with its longitudinal line L (see Fig. 7) directing to the steering wheel H in side view. If the fuse box structure has a lid to access in lower instrument panel 2, the longitudinal line (L) of the fuse box 3 is directed to the meter 31 or the above meter 31 because the surface of the fuse box 3 is prefer to set in parallel to the one of the lower instrument panel 2.

Herein, a low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 according to the present embodiment is positioned below (at the horizontal position indicated by β in Fig. 6) the lower end 3b (the horizontal position indicated by γ in Fig. 6) of the fuse box 3, and the low end portion 2a has an opening portion 4 through which the fuse box 3 is visible from an eye point Pa where one's head does not have to be inserted deep into a pedal space forward the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 is arranged in a position overlapped (or aligned) with an upper portion 3 a of the fuse box 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the opening portion 4 is formed at the overlapped (or aligned) position. Accordingly, the whole of the upper portion 3a (plane at which fuses are mounted) of the fuse box 3 is visible from a viewpoint(the eye point) Pa through the opening portion 4.

In other words, in the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, at a position downward D and backward B of the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 in the vehicle, the viewpoint position Pa exists where a portion forming a top line a of a slit 7 looks coincident with the upper portion 3 a of the fuse box 3, at least the top end of fuse area 3 c. Fig.6 is a cross section of VI-VI line in Fig 2 where is center of the opening portion 4, or the slit 7. From a viewpoint position Pb shown in Fig. 7 which is a cross section of VII-VII line in Fig 2 which is cut at the first inner surface 5 of the opening portion 4, the upper portion 3 a of the fuse box 3 cannot be seen because Pb position is apart from Pa position to right side in where fuse box 3 is not located, then it's better to cover inside of the lower instrument panel 2. From a viewpoint position Pc shown in Fig. 8 which is a cross section of VIII- VIII line in Fig 2 which is cut at the second inner surface 6 of the opening portion 4, Pc is left apart position almost same situation as Pb and only a lower portion of the fuse box 3 is visible, but there is no fuse area to be seen. In addition, from a viewpoint position Pd shown in Fig. 9 which is a cross section of IX-IX line in Fig 2 which is cut at low end portion 2a of lower instrument panel 2, no portion of the fuse box 3 can be seen.

So, it's not necessary to make a lid like as prior art and it can achieve simple & smart appearance for instrument panel.

Furthermore, the opening portion 4 according to the present embodiment has the slit 7, a first inner surface 5, and a second inner surface 6 as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the slit 7 is formed between the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6, and has a width Ws that is set substantially the same as the width Wf of the fuse box 3 (i.e., the width of the top line a at the top portion (see Fig. 6)). Accordingly, the upper portion 3a of the fuse box 3 is visible through the slit 7. Herein, Fig. 5 illustrates a view seen from the viewpoint Pa (see Fig. 6).

Furthermore, on both sides of the slit 7, front-down end portions 7a are formed that widely extend forward F and downward D in the vehicle along the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6. The front-down end portions 7a are also formed so that the width between ends 7a thereof is larger than the width Ws of the fuse box 3. In other words, the width Ws of the slit 7 in the top-line direction a is set substantially the same as the width Wf of the fuse box 3, whereby visibility of the fuse box 3 can be secured. In addition, the width between the ends of the front-down end portions 7a that is set larger than the width Ws makes it possible to improve workability when attaching or detaching the fuse box 3.

The first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6 are portions formed on right and left sides of the slit 7, and are configured with surfaces curving downward D and forward F from the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 in the vehicle so as to cover visible areas inside of the lower instrument panel 2, especially in a right and left direction. In other words, the opening portion 4 has the slit 7 through which the top or upper portion 3a of the fuse box 3 is visible and the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6 that are formed on both the right and left sides of the slit 7. Thus, the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6 prevent components around the fuse box 3 (components other than the fuse box 3) from being seen.

And also, both sides inner surfaces (5, 6) enables to make better stiffness even the opening portion 4 has the slit 7.

The lower instrument panel 2 according to the present embodiment can be detached from the upper instrument panel 1 , and can also be connected to the upper instrument panel 1 by the snap fit means (male snap fits 8 and female snap fits 9). Specifically, the lower instrument panel 2 has the male snap fits 8 that are formed protruding forward F in the vehicle at edges on the inner- surface side of the lower instrument panel 2 as shown in Fig. 3, and the upper instrument panel 1 has the female snap fits 9 that can receive and be connected to the male snap fits 8.

The male snap fits 8 include clips 10a, 10b. The clips 10a fitting into a holes h (see Fig. 1 1) formed at predetermined positions of the lower instrument panel 2. The male snap fits 8 include clips 10a , 10b are inserted into the female snap fits 9 including openings formed on the upper instrument panel 1 , and accordingly elastic deformation of the clips 10b enables the upper instrument panel 1 and the lower instrument panel 2 to be connected together. In the present embodiment, the male snap fits 8 and the female snap fits 9 are covered by the lower instrument panel 2 with the male snap fits 8 and the female snap fits 9 being connected together.

Furthermore, the lower instrument panel 2 according to the present embodiment has, on the inner surface thereof, mounting portions 1 1 for mounting accessories in areas where the male snap fits 8 are not formed as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 10 which is a cross section of X-X line in Fig 3. These mounting portions 1 1 are portions that are integrally molded on the inner surface of the lower instrument panel 2 and, for example, a foot light R (illuminating device for illuminating foot space) can be fixedly mounted thereon by a stay and bolt B2 at the position back side (F direction) of the low end portion 2a.Accordingly, the foot light R enables to light the fuse box 3 effectively and it's easy to do maintenance in night. Herein, the part that is mounted on the mounting portion 1 1 is not limited to the foot light R, and may be another accessory.

According to the above-described embodiment, the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 is positioned below the lower end of the fuse box 3 and has the opening portion 4 through which the fuse box 3 is visible. Thus, a lid as required in the conventional technology can be unnecessary and the fuse box 3 can be directly accessed, whereby maintenance of the fuse box 3 can be more easily performed. Furthermore, the opening portion 4 is defined by an inner surface (first inner surface 5 and second inner surface 6) that curves downward D and forward F from the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 in the vehicle so as to cover visible areas inside of the lower instrument panel 2. Thus, other components around the fuse box 3 can be hidden and this appearance s still well. By forming only the opening portion 4, it's possible to reduce the cost than by forming a lid structure. .

The fuse box 3 according to the present embodiment tilts so that the upper portion 3 a thereof faces downward D and backward B in the vehicle, and its longitudinal line L is extending to the steering wheel H in the side view. In addition, the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 is arranged in a position aligned or overlapped with the upper portion 3 a of the fuse box 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction (F direction and B direction), and the opening portion 4 is formed at the aligned or overlapped position. Thus, it is possible for the fuse box 3 to tilt close to the lower instrument panel 2 until the fuse box 3 is aligned or overlapped with the lower instrument panel 2 and to be seen and accessed only by forming the opening portion 4. So, the maintenance through the opening portion 4 can be more easily performed.

Furthermore, the opening portion 4 has the slit 7 having the width Ws that is substantially the same as the width Wf of the fuse box 3, and the upper portion 3 a of the fuse box 3 is visible through the slit 7. Thus, it is possible to see the fuse box 3 up to the upper portion 3 a thereof without inserting one's head deeply. In particular, the inner surface according to the present embodiment has the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6 formed on the right and left sides of the slit 7, and the slit 7 is formed between the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6. Thus, the fuse box 3 can be directly seen through the slit 7, and also visible areas on both sides can be hidden by the inner surface (first inner surface 5 and second inner surface 6). Especially, such inner surface provides better stiffness of the slit 7 from both sides.

On both sides of the slit 7, the front-down end portions 7a are formed that widely extend forward F and downward D in the vehicle along the first inner surface 5 and the second inner surface 6, and the front-down end portions 7a are formed so that the width between the ends 7a, 7a thereof in horizontal is larger than the width Wf of the fuse box 3. Thus, larger width gives some clearance and whole fuse box 3 can be easily attached and detached in maintenance. Furthermore, at the position downward D and backward B of the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 in side view of the vehicle, the viewpoint position Pa exists where the portion forming the top line a of the slit 7 looks coincident with the upper portion of the fuse box 3. Thus, the whole of the fuse box 3 can be seen from the viewpoint position Pa at the position downward D and backward B of the low end portion 2a of the lower instrument panel 2 in the vehicle, and accordingly one's head does not have to be inserted deep into a pedal space below the lower instrument panel 2.

Furthermore, the lower instrument panel 2 can be detached from the upper instrument panel 1 and can be connected to the upper instrument panel 1 by the snap fit means. Thus, not only the maintenance of the fuse box 3, but also maintenance of components around the fuse box 3 can be easily performed. Furthermore, because the lower instrument panel 2 is connected to the upper instrument panel 1 by the snap fit means, the manufacturing time for assembling can be reduced, which consequently reduces manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, the lower instrument panel 2 has the male snap fits 8 that are formed protruding forward F in the vehicle at the edges on the inner-surface side of the lower instrument panel 2, the upper instrument panel 1 has the female snap fits 9 that can receive and be connected to the male snap fits 8. The female snap fit needs some receiving clearance for male snap fit because of its hole structure. However, the female snap fit is formed in the upper instrument panel which has enough space inside. Thus, it enables to save space for the lower instrument panel and achieves compact structure. Accordingly, appearance can be made excellent and, by attaching or detaching the lower instrument panel 2 at the edges thereof, operation can be easily performed, and space for attaching another component at the center can be kept available.

Furthermore, the lower instrument panel 2 according to the present embodiment has, on the inner surface thereof, mounting portions 1 1 for mounting accessories in said edge on the inner-surface side of said lower instrument panel where the male snap fits 8 are not formed. Thus, a dealer or a customer can easily attach an accessory at edge area without performing modification that may damage the surface of the lower instrument panel 2. Furthermore, the mounting portions 1 1 are arranged on the inner-surface side of the lower instrument panel 2, whereby appearance of the vehicle interior can be seen smart and simple.

The present embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, to assemble the lower instrument panel 2 to the upper instrument panel 1 , means that is different from the snap fit means (male snap fit 8 and female snap fit 9) may be used, or general fastening means such as screws may be used. In the present embodiment, the front-down end portions 7a are formed on both sides of the slit 7, but alternatively, portions that do not widely extend may be provided instead of the front-down end portions 7a.

Industrial Applicability

An instrument panel structure having a different appearance or shape or an instrument panel structure to which another function is added, for example, can also be used, as long as the structure is an instrument panel structure in which a low end portion of a lower instrument panel is positioned below a lower end of a fuse box and has an opening portion through which the fuse box is visible, and the opening portion is defined by an inner surface curving downward and forward from the low end portion of the lower instrument panel in the vehicle.

Reference Signs List

1 upper instrument panel

2 lower instrument panel

3 fuse box

4 opening portion

5 first inner surface

6 second inner surface

7 slit

8 male snap fit (snap fit means)

9 female snap fit (snap fit means)

10a, 1 Ob clip (snap fit means)

1 1 mounting portion

12 meter cover

13 upper steering shaft cover

14 lower steering shaft cover

15 gear shift knob

16 driver's seat

17 front side garnish

18 center console

19 floor carpet 20 brake pedal

21 accelerator pedal

22 front wheel

23 front tire

24 steering hanger pipe

25 air conditioning duct

26 air conditioning outlet

27 open tray

28 switch unit

29 winker & lighting lever

30 key cylinder

31 meter

32 engine starting / stopping switch

H steering wheel

h holes