Abstract:
A bracket ( 20 ) for mounting a sun visor to a vehicle body includes a bracket body ( 21 ) by which the sun visor is supported, and a female connector ( 22 ) which is detachably attached to the bracket body ( 21 ) and capable of being connected to an electric wires ( 27 ) and ( 27 ) connected to the sun visor. The bracket body ( 21 ) is made of resin such as polyacetal. The female connector ( 22 ) is made of polybutylene terephtalate. The bracket body ( 21 ) and the female connector ( 22 ) can be made of materials suitable of required characteristics, and the cost reduction and quality improvement of the bracket ( 20 ) can be realized.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field Of The Invention 
     The present invention relates to a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body, and more particularly, to a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body capable of supplying electricity to auxiliary equipment such as a sun visor having an electrical component. 
     2. Description Of The Related Art 
     Examples of auxiliary equipment mounted in an automobile are a sun visor a light fixture mounted on a roof of a front seat, a movable room lamp mounted to the roof, and the like. As a bracket for mounting-the auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body, there is one having a structure shown in FIG.  1 . The bracket for mounting the bracket to the vehicle body is used for mounting a sun visor having a lamp (electrical component). 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a bracket  1  for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body comprises a plate-like bracket body  2  which is integrally formed with a connector  3 . In FIG. 1, a reference number  4  represents a sun visor. The sun visor  4  is supported by a sun visor support  6  formed on the bracket body  2  through a support rod  5 . One ends of electric wires  7  and  7  are connected to auxiliary equipment (not shown) on the side of the sun visor  4 . The other ends of the electric wires  7  and  7  are inserted through the sun visor support  6  and connected to connection terminals  8  and  8  of the connector  3 . Grommet screws  9  and  9  are projected from predetermined locations of the bracket body  2  for securing the bracket  1  to a vehicle body panel. 
     The bracket  1  is disposed mounted such that the connector  3 , sun visor support  6 , the grommet screws  9  and  9  and the like are directed toward an inner panel (not shown) through an opening formed in a trim of the roof of a front seat of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, a panel-side connector  10  is disposed on the inner panel. In FIG. 2, a reference number  11  represents electric wires. One ends of the electric wires  11  and  11  connected to the panel-side connector  10 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the panel-side connector  10  is attached such that their alignment can be adjusted in x-direction and y-direction. If the bracket  1  is assembled to the inner panel through an opening formed in the trim, the connector  3  and the panel-side connector  10  are fitted to each other to establish the electrical connection therebetween. 
     In the conventional bracket  1 , however, since the bracket body  2  requires mechanical strength, rigidity and stable size, it is necessary to make the bracket body  2  of expensive resin such as polyacetal (POM). The connector  3  integrally formed together with the bracket body  2  is also made of the same material. Therefore, there is a problem that the bracket  1  is expensive as a whole due to this material cost. 
     Further, in the case of the conventional bracket  1 , since the structure of the roof of the front seat and the mounting angle and the like are different depending upon vehicle type, it is necessary to produce the bracket  1  having the connector  3  for each vehicle type. For example, an angle between the support rod  5  of the sun visor and the bracket body  2  is different from a bracket  1  shown in FIG. 3 to a bracket  1 ′ shown in FIG.  4 . However, the shape of the connector  3  is substantially the same between these different vehicle types. Since the brackets  1  and  1 ′ each having the connector  3  are produced depending upon the structure of the bracket body  2  except the connector  3  are produced, there is a problem that the cost is expensive. Further, even if the type of vehicle body is the same, the sun visors  4  may not have a lamp (electrical component) depending upon the grade of the vehicle. In such a case, a bracket  1 ( 1 ′) in which electric wires are not connected to the connector  3  is used in such a vehicle of that grade. A bracket for that grade is newly provided in some cases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished in view of these circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body capable of improving its quality at low cost. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body panel, comprising: a bracket body by which the auxiliary equipment is supported, and a first connector detachably attached to the bracket body and capable of being connected to an electric wire connected to the auxiliary equipment, wherein in a state in which the bracket body is mounted to the vehicle body panel, a second connector disposed on the vehicle body panel is connected to the first connector. 
     With the first aspect, since the first connector is a separate member which is detachably attached to the bracket body, a structure of the bracket body can be simplified, and the bracket body can be formed easily. According to the first aspect of the invention, even if the bracket body facing the passenger room is changed in accordance with the vehicle type or its grade, the first connector can be used widely, and the first connector need not be made of material of the bracket. Therefore, the cost of the bracket can be reduced. 
     According to a second aspect, in the bracket of the first aspect, the bracket body and the first connector are made of different materials. 
     Therefore, with the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the bracket body can be made of resin having high mechanical strength and rigidity, and the first connector can be made of resin having high heat resistance and electrical insulating strength, and the bracket body and the first connector can be made of materials suitable of required characteristics, and the cost reduction and quality improvement of the bracket can be realized. 
     According to a third aspect, in the bracket of the first aspect, the bracket body is formed with an engagement groove directed to the other end, and the first connector is formed with an engaging portion which engages the engagement groove. 
     Therefore, with the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, it is possible to easily mount the first connector to the bracket body by inserting and engaging the engaging portion of the first connector to and with the engagement groove formed in the bracket body. 
     According to a fourth aspect, in the bracket of the first aspect, the auxiliary equipment is a sun visor disposed on a roof portion of a vehicle body. 
     Therefore, with the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, even if the shape or structure of the bracket is changed in accordance with the vehicle type, if the first connector is engaged and a roof inner panel which is the vehicle panel includes the second connector, the first connector and the second connector can generally be used in different vehicles. Therefore, the cost of the bracket can be reduced. Further, when the sun visor itself has an electric component, the sun visor can be connected to the second connector using the first connector, and when the sun visor itself does not have the electric component, the sun visor can be mounted to the bracket body without mounting the first connector. Therefore, even when the type of the vehicle is the same and the grade is different, the bracket body can generally be used. 
     According to a fifth aspect, in the bracket of the first aspect, the second connector is supported by a roof trim disposed on an inner panel of a vehicle body on the side of a passenger room. 
     Therefore, with the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, even if the second connector is supported by the roof trim, it is possible to reliably support the second connector by the vehicle body panel by mounting the bracket body to the vehicle body panel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a conventional bracket mounting apparatus to a vehicle body; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conventional bracket to which a connector is connected; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of a structure of the conventional bracket; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of another example of the structure of the conventional bracket; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment (sun visor) to a vehicle body according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the bracket of the embodiment; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of the assembled bracket of the embodiment; 
     FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the bracket of the embodiment; 
     FIG. 9 is a front view of the bracket of the embodiment; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a male connector of the embodiment for showing an assembling procedure; 
     FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the male connector of the embodiment for showing the assembling procedure; 
     FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the bracket of the embodiment for showing the mounting procedure; 
     FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the bracket of the embodiment for showing the mounting procedure; 
     FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the bracket of the embodiment for showing the mounting procedure; 
     FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the bracket of the embodiment for showing the mounting procedure; 
     FIGS. 16A and 16B are side views showing the mounting procedure in which the bracket of the embodiment uses a female connector; and 
     FIG. 17 is a side view showing the mounting procedure in which the bracket of the embodiment does not use the female connector 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A bracket of the present invention for mounting auxiliary equipment to a vehicle body will be explained in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. In this embodiment, the auxiliary equipment is a sun visor having an electrical component to be mounted to a roof portion of a front seat. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the bracket  20  for mounting the auxiliary equipment to the vehicle body according to this embodiment. The bracket  20  includes a bracket body  21  and a female connector  22  as a first connector. 
     The bracket body  21  is of a substantially flat plate-like shape, and is made of polyacetal (POM) having high mechanical strength and rigidity. The bracket body  21  is formed at its one end with an engagement groove  23  such that the engagement groove  23  is extended through a predetermined length toward the other end of the bracket body  21 . An engaging portion  33  formed on a lower portion of a female connector (which will be described later) can be inserted into the engagement groove  23 . A width W of an inside  23 A of the engagement groove  23  is set wide, and a width w of an opening  23 B of an upper portion of the groove is set narrow. 
     Grommet screws  24  and  24  are projected from the bracket body  21  on the side of an inner panel opposite from a side facing a passenger room when the bracket  20  is mounted to the roof portion of the vehicle body. The grommet screws  24  and  24  are disposed at locations to sandwich the engagement groove  23 . The grommet screws  24  and  24  are substantially cylindrical in shape, and their opposed side portions are formed with slits  24 A and  24 A along height direction. Each of the grommet screws  24  and  24  has a cylindrical hole formed throughout the bracket body  21 . The cylindrical hole is set such that its diameter is gradually reduced from an upper opening  24 B toward a passenger room-side opening of the bracket body  21 . Therefore, if a grommet screw projection (not shown) is inserted into the cylindrical hole of each of the grommet screws  24  and  24  from the passenger room-side opening, an upper portion of the grommet screw  24  is expanded and secured to the inner panel. 
     Further, a substantially cylindrical sun visor support  25  is projected from the inner panel side surface of the bracket body  21  in the vicinity of the other end thereof. The sun visor support  25  has a cylindrical hole  25 A which is also formed throughout the bracket body  21 . A support rod  26  of the sun visor is rotatably fitted and held in the cylindrical hole  25 A from the passenger room-side surface. A pair of electric wires  27  and  27  connected to a lamp used for a vanity mirror of the sun visor for example are inserted through the support rod  26  of the sun visor. 
     A hanging projection  28  for hanging the bracket body  21  on the inner panel side is projected from the other end of the bracket body  21  on the side of the inner panel. 
     Next, a structure of the female connector  22  will be explained. The female connector  22  is made of resin material or the like having high heat resistance and electrical insulating strength such as polybutylene terephtalate (PBT). The female connector  22  comprises a rectangular bottom plate  29 , side plates  30  and  30  rising from opposite edges of the bottom plate  29 , and a back plate  31  rising from the other edge of the bottom plate  29  for connecting the side plates  30  and  30  to each other. A pair of connection terminals  32  and  32  inserted from outside of the back plate  31  are projected into space surrounded by the bottom plate  29 , side plates  30  and  30 , and the back plate  31 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the electric wires  27  and  27  led out from the cylindrical hole of the sun visor support  25  of the bracket body  21  are connected to the connection terminals  32  and  32 . The back plate  31  is integrally formed at its upper portion with an inclined guide plate  34  inclined diagonally upward rearwardly. The inclined guide plate  34  has a function as a cover for protecting the electric wires  27  and  27  and a function for guiding a male connector (second connector)  40  which will be explained later. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, each end of the electric wire  27  is swaged to a swaging portion  32 A provided on a rear lower portion of each of the connection terminals  32  and  32 . A lower surface of the bottom plate  29  of the female connector  22  is formed with an engaging portion  33  to be inserted into the engagement groove  23  of the bracket body  21 . The engaging portion  33  comprises a narrow portion  33 A to be inserted into the narrow opening  23 B of the engagement groove  23 , and a wide portion  33 B integrally formed on a lower portion of the narrow portion  33 A. The wide portion  33 B is to be inserted into the inside  23 A of the engagement groove  23 . 
     Next, an assembling procedure of the bracket  20  of this embodiment for mounting the auxiliary equipment to the vehicle body will be explained. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the electric wires  27  and  27  are let out from the cylindrical hole of the sun visor support  25 , and the ends of the electric wires  27  and  27  are swaged to the swaging portions  32 A of the connection terminals  32  and  32 . Next, as shown with an arrow a in FIG. 6, the connection terminals  32  and  32  are inserted into an insertion hole (not shown) formed in the back plate  31  and held in a state in which the connection terminals  32  and  32  are projected into the space in the back plate  31 . Then, as shown with an arrow b in FIG. 6, the female connector  22  is inserted into the front end of the engagement groove  23  from the rear end of the engaging portion  33 , thereby mounting the female connector  22  to the bracket body  21 , and the assemble of the bracket  20  is completed. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the assembled bracket, FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view thereof, and FIG. 9 is a front view of thereof as viewed from one end. 
     Next, a method of the present embodiment for mounting the bracket  20  to the roof portion of the front sear of the vehicle will be explained. 
     First, before the bracket  20  of this embodiment is mounted, a method for mounting the male connector  40  as the second connector to the roof will be explained using FIGS. 10 and 11. First, a connection terminal  37  shown in FIG. 10 is connected to a terminal of an electric wire  36  on the side of the vehicle body arranged on the back side (upper side) of a roof trim  35  as shown in FIG.  11 . The connection terminal  37  is inserted and disposed into a male connector housing  38 , a lid  39  provided on the male connector housing  38  is closed to hold the connection terminal  37 , thereby assembling the male connector  40  as shown in FIG.  11 . Then, as shown with an arrow c in FIG. 11, the male connector  40  is moved to an opening edge of a mounting opening  35 A formed in the roof trim  35 , and the male connector  40  is held in the opening edge of the mounting opening  35 A of the roof trim  35  as shown in FIG.  12 . 
     Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the bracket  20  for mounting the sun visor to the vehicle body is moved such that the female connector  22  is moved upward around a connection portion between the hanging projection  28  and the roof trim  35  to accommodate the male connector  40  in the female connector  22  in a state in which the hanging projection  28  is hung on the opening edge of the mounting opening  35 A of the roof trim  35 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the female connector  22  and the male connector  40  are connected to each other. In this state, as shown in FIG. 14, the bracket  20  connected to the male connector  40  is inserted into a mounting hole  41 A and the like, a grommet screw projections (not shown) are inserted into the grommet screws  24  and  24 . Then, the upper portions of the grommet screws  24  and  24  are expanded, and the bracket  20  is secured to the inner panel  41  as shown in FIG.  15 . 
     In the bracket  20  of the present, the bracket body  21  and the female connector  22  are separate members, and they are made of materials suitable for respective functions. Therefore, the quality of the bracket  20  can be improved. By using the female connector  22  and the male connector  40 , it is possible to widely use the female connectors  22  for a plurality of vehicle types, it is unnecessary to prepare only the bracket bodies for each of the vehicle types and thus, the cost can be cut down. Further, apart from the case in which the female connector  22  is assembled into the bracket body  21  and applied to the sun visor having the electrical component as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, when the sun visor having no electrical component is mounted, the bracket body  21  can be used without using the female connector  22  as shown in FIG.  17 . Therefore, the same bracket bodies  21  can be used for both mounting sun visors having electrical components and sun visors having no electrical component in the same type of vehicles with different grade. Thus, the cost can be reduced. 
     Although the embodiment has been explained above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various changes relating to the subject matter of the structure can be made. For example, although the female connector  22  is assembled into the bracket body  21  in the above embodiment, the male connector may be assembled into the bracket body  21  of course. 
     Further, the connector to be engaged with the bracket body  21  is not limited to the engaging means to be fitted to the engagement groove  23  formed in the bracket body  21 , and various kinds of engaging means may be used. 
     Further, the above embodiment is the example in which the present invention is applied to a bracket for mounting a sun visor to a vehicle body, but the invention can also be applied to a bracket for mounting auxiliary equipment such as a movable room lamp or the like to a vehicle body.