In-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure

An in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure including a speaker unit having a claw portion provided thereon, and a panel member on which the speaker unit is mounted, wherein the claw portion is inserted into a slit formed in the panel member, so that the speaker unit is mounted on the panel member by being rotated in a circumferential direction. A jig inserting hole is provided in the speaker unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an in-vehicle speaker mounting structure for mounting a speaker on a vehicle such as an automobile.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, speakers for outputting sound reproduced by an in-vehicle audio system represented by such as an in-vehicle radio and an in-vehicle CD player are mounted on doors and/or a rear parcel shelf inside the passenger compartment of an automobile. A general mounting structure for mounting such speakers on an automobile will be described below with reference toFIG. 22.

FIG. 22illustrates an example of a conventional in-vehicle speaker mounting structure and shows a case where a speaker unit120is mounted on a door panel104of an automobile. An opening105is formed in the door panel104for mounting the speaker unit120thereon, and four set holes119are formed around this opening105.

A grommet102into which a screw103is screwed is fit in each set hole119.

When mounting this speaker unit120on the door panel104(hereinafter, this work is also referred to simply as “mounting work”), an operator aligns screw holes120aformed in the speaker unit120with the grommets102installed in the set holes119, and passes screws103through the screw holes120afor screwing into the grommets102while holding a state in which the speaker unit120is disposed in the opening105.

According to the conventional in-vehicle speaker mounting structure, troublesome and complicated operations are needed to mount the speakers on the vehicle body, resulting in an increase in man-hours for operations.

There have been proposed in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structures, and one example is disclosed in JP-A-2001-169374.

In the technique disclosed in the JP-A-2001-169374, a speaker unit101is fixed to a speaker unit mounting plate160as shown inFIG. 23. Namely, when mounting the speaker unit101on the speaker unit mounting plate160, the speaker unit101is inserted into a mounting opening170from a front side of the speaker unit mounting plate160. As this occurs, engagement pieces140protruding from a plurality of locations on a rear side of the speaker unit101and an abutment piece150also protruding from a single location on the rear side of the speaker unit101are inserted into engagement piece inserting cut-outs180aand an abutment piece inserting cut-out190awhich are all formed in the speaker unit mounting plate160, respectively.

Then, in this state, the speaker unit101is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow Z. As a result, the respective engagement pieces140are guided along inclined portions180bfor engagement with engagement piece engagement portions180c, respectively, whereby the speaker unit101is fixed to the speaker unit mounting plate160.

In addition, as a result of the rotation of the speaker unit101in the direction indicated by the arrow Z, the abutment piece150moves from the abutment piece inserting cut-out190ato an abutment piece locking cut-out190bfor engagement therewith via a locking portion190cwhich is a stepped portion. Thus, even when the speaker unit is attempted to be rotated in a reverse direction (a direction reverse to the direction indicated by the arrow Z), the abutment piece150comes into abutment with the locking portion190cto thereby prohibit the reverse rotation of the speaker unit101.

With the rotational-mount type speaker disclosed in the JP-A-2001-169374, however, in order to prevent the ingress of rain water and/or dust into the interior of the speaker unit101and an inner part of a door panel201from a gap between the speaker unit101and the door panel201, a tight adhesion needs to be provided between the speaker unit101and the door panel201to provide waterproof and dust proof functions. This requires a strong torque to be applied to the speaker unit101when the speaker is mounted on the vehicle body.

In this case, although it is not impossible for workers to manually rotate the speaker unit101, on production lines for mass production, speaker units101have to be mounted on a number of automobiles, and this has caused a problem that the manual mounting work of speakers forces the workers to bear tremendously excessive work load.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention was made in view of the problem and an object of the invention is to provide an in-vehicle speaker mounting structure which can provide good workability at the time of mounting.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure including: a speaker unit having a claw portion and a jig inserting hole; and a panel member on which the speaker unit is mounted, the panel member having a slit, wherein the claw portion is inserted into the slit and the speaker unit is rotated in a circumferential direction so as to mount the speaker unit on the panel member.

According to this construction, the speaker housing can be rotated with a large magnitude of force by inserting a screwdriver, which is a general tool, into the jig inserting hole and applying a small magnitude of force to the tool so inserted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure according to an embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2are schematic exploded perspective views showing main constructions of the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure according to the embodiment of the invention,FIG. 3is a schematic perspective view showing a speaker housing,FIG. 4is a schematic elevation of a rear side of the speaker housing shown inFIG. 3,FIG. 5is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the speaker housing is mounted on a panel member,FIGS. 6A and 6Bshow a schematic elevation of a rear side of the panel member and a cross section thereof, andFIG. 7is a schematic cross section showing cross sections of the speaker housing and the panel member, which is a cross section taken along the line Q-Q inFIG. 4.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a speaker unit (a rotational-mount type speaker unit)1mainly includes a speaker main body11, and a speaker housing (hereinafter, also referred to simply as a “housing”)12adapted for holding the speaker main body11.

This speaker main body11includes a cap1-1, a cone (a vibration plate)1-2, an edge1-3, a damper1-4, a voice coil1-5, a plate1-6, a magnet1-7and a yoke1-8. These components constituting the speaker main body11are generally known and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the housing12is integrally molded from a resin, and as shown inFIGS. 2 and 5, three claw portions13are provided on a rear side12bof the housing12for fixing the speaker unit1to a door inner panel3.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a substantially triangular opening4is formed in the door inner panel3on which the speaker unit1is mounted, and three slits5are formed around the perimeter of the opening4at positions corresponding to the claw portions13. The claw portions13and the slits5are formed at intervals of120degrees relative to the center of the speaker unit1.

When mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, firstly, the respective claw portions13on the housing12are inserted into the slits5, and thereafter, the housing12is rotated in a clockwise direction (a direction indicated by an arrow R2inFIG. 2) as viewed from a front side12aof the housing12, whereby the housing12of the speaker unit1is fixed to the door inner panel13, as shown inFIG. 5.

To described in more detail, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the opening4is formed into a substantially triangular shape which is smaller than an outside diameter of the speaker housing12. As shown inFIG. 6A, this opening4has three straight sides41, and the substantially triangular opening is formed by connecting ends of the respective straight sides41via curves (for example, arcs)42. A reason why the opening4is formed into the substantially triangular shape will be described later.

As shown inFIG. 6B, a flange44is formed on the periphery of the opening4by bending an edge portion of the opening4substantially at right angles. The rigidity of the opening44is attempted to be increased by this flange44.

Additionally, a first slit5A, a second slit5B and a third slit5C are disposed around an outer circumference of the substantially triangular opening4in the vicinity of the three straight portions41thereof. Note that these first slit5A, second slit5B and third slit5C may be described as the “slit5” when they are designated collectively.

As shown inFIG. 7, a distal end13aof the claw portion13is bent toward the center of the speaker unit1. The claw portion13includes the distal end13aand an arm portion13bwhich connects the distal end13awith the housing12. The claw portion13is formed such that the cross section thereof becomes a substantially L shape and that the width B1of the distal end13ais greater than the width B2of the arm portion13b.

The slit5into which the claw portion13is inserted includes, as shown inFIG. 6A, an inserting portion51through which the distal end13aof the claw portion13is allowed to pass and a fixing portion52which communicates with the inserting portion51and through which only the arm portion13bis allowed to pass.

When work for mounting the speaker unit on the door inner panel3(hereinafter, also referred to simply as “mounting work”) is carried out, firstly the distal end13aof the claw portion13is inserted into the inserting portion51, and thereafter, the housing12is rotated clockwise so that the arm portion13bis caused to slide into the fixing portion52. Thus, the speaker unit1is firmly mounted on the door inner panel3through engagement of the claw portion13with the slit5.

To describe this by taking the first slit5A for example, since the width W1of a gap of the fixing portion52-1is made to be a minimum width required for the passage of the arm portion13bhaving the width B2, the distal end13ahaving the width B1which is wider than the width B2of the arm portion13bis not allowed to pass through the gap of the fixing portion52-1whose width is W1. Namely, even if the speaker unit1is attempted to be pulled out with the arm portion13bhaving been moved into the fixing portion52-1, the distal end13aof the claw portion13is not allowed to pass through the gap having the width W1of the fixing portion52-1. Consequently, the housing12of the speaker unit1is fixed in a vertical direction relative to the door inner panel3.

In the embodiment, the claw portion13and a rear side3bof the door inner panel3are constructed to be brought into press contact with each other by a restoring force of a lower cushion2(which will be described later) shown inFIGS. 1,2and7, whereby the speaker unit1can be fixed firmly not only in the vertical direction but also in a circumferential direction.

In this construction, however, in the event that the door inner panel3expands or contracts due to change in temperature, contact surfaces of the claw portion13and the door inner panel3are caused to rub against each other, and as a result, a squeak might be generated.

Similarly, when vibrations and impacts generated when the vehicle is running are transmitted to the door inner panel3, the contact surfaces of the claw portion13and the door inner panel3might cause to rub against each other to thereby generate a squeak.

In particular, the cone1-2of the speaker main body11echoes with a squeak so generated, and the squeak is then transmitted to the interior of the passenger compartment to thereby make passengers in the passenger compartment feel uncomfortable. Thus, there is caused a problem of how to reduce or eliminate the squeak.

In order to reduce or eliminate a squeak, it is effective to reduce a friction force generated between the claw portion13and the rear side3bof the door inner pane3. On the other hand, as has been described above, in order to firmly mount the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3by bringing into a strong press contact with the rear side3bof the door inner panel3, a friction force required for this purpose needs to be left.

Thus, in this embodiment, irregularities are formed on a surface13cof the claw portion13which is brought into contact with the rear side3bof the door inner panel3so as to reduce the contact area of the rear side3bof the door inner panel3with the surface13cof the claw portion13, whereby a desired amount of friction force is reduced. A concept of this idea is schematicly shown inFIG. 8. Namely, in the event that minute irregularities are formed on the surface13bof the claw portion13, the contact area between the surface13cof the claw portion13and the rear side3bof the door inner panel3is reduced, and in the event that the door inner panel3expands or contracts due to a change in temperature, or in the event that vibrations and impacts generated while the vehicle is running are transmitted to the door inner panel3, the surface13cof the claw portion13slides on the rear side3bof the door inner panel3appropriately, thereby making it possible to reduce or eliminate the generation of a squeak. In addition, since the irregularities so formed are minute, there is caused no risk that the contact area is reduced more than required, thereby making it possible to eliminate a risk that the friction force is lost which is required to firmly mount the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3.

Note that while the construction is adopted in this embodiment in which the irregularities are formed on the surface13cof the claw portion13, another construction may be adopted in which the irregularities are formed on the rear side3bof the door inner panel3. Namely, the irregularities may only have to be formed on at least either the surface13cof the claw portion13which is brought into abutment with the door inner panel3or the side3bof the door inner panel3which is brought into abutment with the claw portion13.

To form the minute irregularities, an grain finish process is effective which is a processing method for forming a cloth mark effect or a wood grain effect on the surface of a resin or metallic molded piece. In addition, as another method, an etching process is also an effective processing method in which the surface of a resin or a metal is chemically or electrically etched to form minute irregularities thereon.

As shown inFIG. 3, clips17are formed on an outer circumferential surface12cof the housing12for holding or fixing a cable (not shown) for supplying power to the speaker unit1or a cable (not shown) for transmitting a speech signal to the speaker unit1.

The clip17is fixed to the outer circumference of the housing at one end (a proximal end) thereof, and the other end thereof is constructed as an open end (a distal end). In addition, the distal end of the clip17is formed into a wedge shape. Thus, a cable can easily be inserted between the clips17and the outer circumference of the housing12by providing the clips17so constructed, thereby making it possible to fix the cable securely. In addition, there is no risk that the cable is caused to flutter after installation, thereby making it possible to firmly prevent the interference of the cable with other components.

The reason why the opening4is formed not circular but triangular will be described.

An object of the formation of the triangular opening is to approach the claw portions13to the flange44as close as possible.

This is because the surface strength becomes high in the vicinity of the flange44, and because the surface strength is deteriorated as it goes farther away from the flange44.

In the event that the opening4is circular, however, there is a limitation on a processing technique for approaching the entirety of the slits5to a general flange which is provided along the circular opening, and since the general flange and the slits have to be spaced apart by a slight distance from each other, the mounting rigidity of a speaker has not been able to be enhanced sufficiently. In addition, while it would have been possible to devise a countermeasure in which the required surface strength for a panel member is ensured by making the open area of the opening smaller, there has been a demand that the opening area be made as large as possible in consideration of the acoustic properties of the speaker.

Namely, in the event that the opening4is circular, the rotational locus of the claw portions13on the housing13and the outer circumference of the circular opening of the circle become concentric with each other, and the rotational locus of the claw portions13and an edge portion of the circular opening become parallel with each other. Thus, no matter how the housing12is rotated, there is no possibility that the claw portions13are allowed to approach the opening.

In this embodiment, however, since the opening4is formed into the substantially triangular shape, an imaginary line which is an extension from the rotational locus of the claw portions13intersects with the opening4. In other words, when the housing12is rotated, the claw portions13approach the flange44provided along the edge portion of the opening4.

In this embodiment, the inserting portion51is formed at a position where the distance between the straight side41and the rotational locus becomes maximum. In mounting the speaker unit1, when the housing12is rotated after the claw portions13are inserted into the inserting portions51, the claw portions13are allowed to approach the edge portion or the flange44of the opening4.

Then, the mounting rigidity of the speaker unit1can be enhanced by bringing the claw portions13into engagement with the door inner panel3in the vicinity of the flange44.

As has been described heretofore, according to the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure, by forming the opening4not circular but substantially triangular, not only can the speaker mounting rigidity be enhanced sufficiently but also the loss of the acoustic properties of the speaker can be prevented by securing the required opening area.

In addition, in the event that an insertion guide29as is shown inFIG. 3is provided on a rear side12aof the housing12, there is provided a further advantage that mounting work of the speaker unit1on the door panel3can easily be implemented. The mounting work with the insertion guide29will be described below.

The respective claw portions13on the housing12which are to be inserted into the respective slits5are formed inwardly of the outer circumference of the speaker housing12. Namely, when the speaker unit1is mounted on the door inner panel3, the slits5are situated inwardly of the outer circumference of the speaker housing12.

Thus, when mounting the housing12on the door inner panel3, since the worker has to perform the mounting work while he or she cannot see the positions of the claw portions13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12, it is difficult for him or her to accurately insert the claw portions13into the slits5in the door inner panel3.

To cope with this, as shown inFIG. 3, the cylindrical insertion guide29is provided closer to the center of the housing12than the three claw portions13. The height of the insertion guide29is made to become higher than those of the respective claw portions13, and the yoke1-8, the magnet1-7and the plate1-6, which constitute the speaker11, are mounted in the interior of the insertion guide29(refer toFIGS. 1 and 2).

FIG. 9is a schematic front view of the door inner panel3and describing aligning work which is to be carried out when mounting the speaker housing12on the door inner panel3. As shown in the figure, when mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, part of the insertion guide29is caused to slide along the side of the triangular opening4, whereby the entirety of the insertion guide29is inserted into the opening4in an ensured manner. In other words, as shown by dashed line inFIG. 9, only one part of the insertion guide29is inserted into the opening4, and the other part of a circumferential surface of the insertion guide29is in contact with the left side of the substantially triangular opening4. Then, when a force is applied to the insertion guide29upwardly (refer to an arrow M in a dashed line), the insertion guide20naturally moves upwardly along the left side of the triangular opening4to finally be inserted in to the opening4in its entirety.

When the housing12is rotated in this state, the plurality of claw portions13are inserted into the inserting portions51of their corresponding nearest slits5, respectively, and as shown inFIG. 5, the housing12of the speaker unit1comes to be mounted on the door inner panel3.

In addition, since the insertion guide29is made higher than the claw portions13along the full circumference thereof, even if the insertion guide29is inserted into the opening4from any direction, the insertion guide29naturally comes into contact with any of the sides of the substantially triangular opening4, and therefore, the worker does not have to pay attention to the direction in which the insertion guide29is inserted into the opening4in performing mounting work of the speaker unit1, thereby making it possible to enhance the working efficiency.

The insertion guide29also functions as a waterproofing cover, and therefore, there is no need to provide an additional waterproofing cover to thereby suppress the number of components. This contributes to the increase in productivity.

Incidentally, as shown inFIGS. 1 to 3andFIGS. 10 to 16, working recesses20are formed in the housing12, and when mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, the worker is expected to rotate the housing while utilizing these working recesses20to hold the housing12. The plurality of working recesses20for use in such an event are shown inFIGS. 1 to 3andFIGS. 10 to 16, and mounting work of the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3using the work recesses20will be described below with reference to those drawings.

FIG. 10is a front view showing a front side of the housing12,FIG. 11is a schematic horizontal cross section of the speaker housing12and shows a working recess for mounting or a mount working recess,FIGS. 12 to 14are drawings each showing a case where a general tool is inserted into the mounting work recess, andFIG. 15is a drawing showing a case where the general tool is inserted into a working recess for removing or a removal working recess.

As shown inFIG. 10, each working recess20is formed by depressing the outer circumferential surface of the housing12in a direction toward the center of the housing12. The plurality of working recesses20are provided at four positions which are symmetrical relative to the center of the speaker unit1. Additionally, a jig inserting hole30is provided at an inner part of each working recess20.

The working recesses20include mount working recesses20A having a mounting jig inserting hole30A at inner parts thereof and removal working recesses20B having a removing jig inserting hole30B at inner parts thereof. The mount working recess20A and the removal working recess20B are disposed adjacent to each other. Hereinafter, the mount working recesses20A and the removal working recesses20B may also be described as the working recesses20when they are designated collectively. Similarly, the mounting jig inserting holes30A and the removing jig inserting holes30B may also be described as the removing jig inserting holes30when they are designated collectively.

In addition, although they will be described in detail later, a protruding member34A provided on an edge portion of the mount working recess20A and a protruding member34B provided on an edge portion of the removal working recess20B may also be described as protruding members34when they are designated collectively.

The constructions of the working recesses20and the jig inserting holes30will be described.

Since the working recesses20are holes that are used mainly for the worker to hold the housing12securely, recesses need to be formed which are suitable for the worker to grip the housing. This is because the worker needs to hold the housing12securely with his or her hand when aligning the housing12with the door inner panel3accurately in order to insert the plurality of claw portions13provided on the rear side of the housing12into the slits5formed in the door inner panel3.

With these working recesses20provided as has been described above, the worker can rotate the housing12basically without using a tool. However, the worker needs to mount several speaker units1continuously on a production line, and in the event that the worker is required to rotate housings12manually, the worker will have to bear tremendously excessive work load, and hence the working efficiency will be deteriorated.

To cope with this, on the production line, it has been desired to reduce the work load of the worker by using any type of tool to rotate the housings12. In particular, in the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure according to the invention, a large magnitude of torque is required to rotate the housing12(the reason for this will be described later). Thus, it has been an important issue to find a means for using a tool to apply a large magnitude of torque to the housing. In addition, in the event that the tool so used is a general tool such as a screwdriver10or the like, no special tool is needed, and the availability of tools can desirably enhanced at low costs.

Consequently, the housing12needed to be constructed so as to allow the insertion of such a tool.

From the aforesaid background, not only a “shape that is easy to be gripped by the worker” but also a “shape that allows a tool and a jig to be fitted therein” have been required for the housing12. In order to fulfill these two requirements, it was conceived to provide separately holes into which the finger of the worker can be inserted and holes in which the tool can be fitted, but with this construction, the number of working processes in the production of housings12is increased, and costs required for working as well as working time are in turn increased undesirably.

Then, the invention is constructed such that the working recesses20into which the finger of the worker can be inserted are provided in the housing12, and furthermore, such that the working recesses20each have the jig inserting hole30at the inner part thereof.

The working recess20and the jig inserting hole30will be described in detail below by taking the mount working recess20A and the mounting jig inserting hole30A for example.

The mounting jig inserting hole30A is provided at the inner part of the mount working recess20A, and a general tool such as a screwdriver106is fitted in this mounting jig inserting hole30A, as shown inFIG. 12, so that, when mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, a large torque is easily applied to the housing12to thereby rotate the housing12.

In addition, this mounting jig inserting hole30A is used when rotating the housing12in a forward direction (in a clockwise direction) relative to the door inner panel3.

As shown inFIG. 11, a second side wall32A, a protruding portion33A and a first side wall35A are provided inside the mount working recess20A, and the protruding member34A which protrudes radially outwardly is provided on the edge of the opening of the mount working recess20A which is situated on a second wall32A side thereof.

A tangent line L1to the outer circumference of the housing12is illustrated by a double-dashed line inFIG. 11. The first side wall35A is provided in such a manner as to intersect with the outer circumferential tangent line L1substantially at right angles and to extend from the outer circumferential surface12cof the housing12toward the center thereof. In addition, while the second side wall34A is also provided in such a manner as to extend from the outer circumferential surface12cto the center of the housing12, the second side wall32A inclines slightly toward the first side wall35A on a center side thereof.

As shown inFIG. 10, an imaginary extension L2of the second side wall32A has a distance S from the center O at a point where it approaches the center O as close as possible. Namely, the second side wall32A is formed in such a manner as to be offset relative to the radial direction toward the center of the speaker unit1.

The jig inserting hole30is also provided within the working recess20at the same angle as that of the imaginary extension L2, and is formed, as with the second side wall32A, in such a manner as to be offset relative to the radial direction toward the center of the speaker unit1. This construction is adopted in order to avoid the interference with the magnet1-7which exists in the vicinity of the center of the speaker unit1.

In addition, as shown inFIG. 11, the protruding portion33A is formed by a vertical side33A-a protruding substantially perpendicularly from the first side wall35A into the mount working recess20, and a tool inserting hole side wall37ais provided in such a manner as to extend in parallel with the second side wall32A from a vertex of the protruding portion33A toward a deepest part of the mounting jig inserting hole30A (which is also a deepest part of the mount working recess20).

When mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, the three claw portions13on the rear side of the housing12are inserted into the first slit portions of the corresponding slits5in the door inner panel3, respectively, and as shown inFIG. 12, a tool such as the screwdriver106is inserted into the mounting jig inserting hole30A. Thereafter, when a force F1is applied downwardly to a rear end portion106cof the screwdriver106, a portion of the screwdriver106in the vicinity of a distal end106athereof is brought into contact with the tool inserting hole side wall37A (refer to a point C1indicated by a cross), and the housing12is rotated, as shown inFIG. 10, in the clockwise direction about the center O of the housing12by a torque T1applied using the point C1as a fulcrum, whereby the claw portions13on the rear side of the housing12slide from the inserting portions51to the fixing portions in the slits5, respectively, the speaker unit1being thereby fixed to the door inner panel3.

FIG. 15is a schematic view showing a case where the screwdriver106, which is a general tool (a jig), is fitted in the removal working recess20B shown inFIG. 10. The removal working recess20B is formed into an axially symmetrical shape with the aforesaid mount working recess20A with respect to a line indicated by a dashed line L3inFIG. 10, and the detailed description of the construction thereof will be omitted here. In the removal working recess20B, reference character B, instead of A, will be imparted to constituent elements corresponding to those of the mount working recess20A.

When removing the speaker unit1from the door inner panel3, as shown inFIG. 15, the screwdriver106is inserted into the removal working recess20B and a force F2is applied thereto upwardly. Then, a portion of the screwdriver106in the vicinity of the distal end106athereof is brought into contact with a protruding portion33B by a side106bof the screwdriver106(refer to a point C3indicated by a cross), and a portion of a second side wall32B in the vicinity of the edge of the opening and a protruding member34B are brought into press contact with the screwdriver106by a torque T2applied using the point C3as a fulcrum. Then, the housing12to which the torque T2is applied rotates about the center O of the housing12in a counterclockwise direction, and the three claw portions13situated on the rear side of the housing12then slide from the fixing portions52to the inserting portions51of the corresponding slits5in the door inner panel3, respectively, the speaker unit1being thereby put in a state in which the speaker unit1is allowed to be pulled to be removed from the door inner panel3.

Namely, when the speaker unit1is mounted on the door3as has been described above, the screwdriver106is inserted into the mounting jig inserting hole30A, and in contrast, when the speaker unit1has already been mounted on the door panel3, the screwdriver106is inserted into the removing jig inserting hole30B. However, despite the intention of the worker to mount the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, there may be anticipated a risk that the screwdriver106is inserted into the removing jig inserting hole30B, or, in contrast to this, despite the intention of the worker to remove the speaker unit1from the door inner panel3, there may be anticipated a risk that the screwdriver106is inserted into the mounting jig inserting hole30A. Even in such the case, the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure according to the invention is constructed so as to deal with those anticipated risks properly. How the anticipated risks are properly dealt with will be described below with reference toFIGS. 13 and 14.

As shown inFIG. 13, when the screwdriver106is inserted into the mount working recess20A in which the mounting jig inserting hole30A is formed and the force F2is applied thereto in an upper leftward direction, the portion of the screwdriver106in the vicinity of the distal end portion106athereof is brought into contact with the protruding portion33A (refer to the point C2indicated by the cross), and then, the rear end portion106cof the screwdriver106rotates about this contact point in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by an arrow M2indicated by a dashed line, while the distal end portion106aof the screwdriver106rotates about the point C2which functions as a rotational axis in an opposite direction to the direction indicated by the arrow M2, whereby the screwdriver106goes out of the mounting jig inserting hole30A. When the force F2continues to be applied to the rear end portion106cof the screwdriver106, the distal end portion106aof the screwdriver106goes out of the mounting jig inserting hole30A further, as shown inFIG. 14, and finally, the screwdriver106automatically goes out of the mounting jig inserting hole30A completely.

Namely, since the force F2so applied does not act on the housing12, the housing12cannot be removed from the door panel3. When mounting or removing the speaker unit1on or from the door inner panel3using a general tool such as the screwdriver106, the housing12is constructed not to be rotated without using the jig inserting hole30suited to the purpose of the work to be done.

In addition, since the screwdriver106automatically comes out of the jig inserting hole30, the worker can be informed that he or she has inserted the screwdriver106into the wrong jig inserting hole30.

In the event that the screwdriver106is erroneously inserted into the working recess20B having the removing jig inserting hole30B despite the worker's intention to mount the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, a similar action in principle to that of the example described with reference toFIGS. 13 and 14will be performed, and therefore, the description thereof will be omitted here.

Since the worker can securely hold the speaker unit1with the fingers inserted into the working recesses20as described above by providing the same working recesses20when mounting or removing the speaker unit1on or from the door inner panel3, the provision of the working recesses20contributes to the enhancement of the workability. In addition, the worker can easily hold the housing12with both the hands by providing the respective working recesses20at the symmetrical positions relative to the center of the speaker unit1, whereby the workability can be enhanced further. Also, since the mount working recess20A and the removal working recess20B are disposed adjacent to each other, the worker can easily insert his or her fingers into the mount working recesses20A (the working recesses20) and the removal working recesses20B (the working recesses20), the workability being thereby enhanced further.

In addition, the speaker unit can easily be rotated using a general tool such as the screwdriver by providing the jig inserting holes30. In particular, even in a case where a large torque is required to rotate the speaker unit1, the worker can produce a large torque with a small force, whereby the workability can be enhanced.

In particular, since the jig inserting holes30are provided at the deeper parts of the working recesses20, most of the openings and the inner sides of the working recesses20can be commonly used, and the number of holes which are formed in the housing12can be reduced. In addition, this can prevent the reduction in strength of the housing12, and reduce the number of working processes in the production of housings12, whereby the working costs and time can also be reduced.

Furthermore, by providing the protruding member34on the edge portion of the opening of the working recess20, even in the event that the speaker unit1is rotated using a general tool such as the screwdriver106, a case can be avoided where the screwdriver106presses against the edge portion of the opening to damage the same.

In addition, the worker can hook his or her finger on this protruding member34when holding the housing12with his or her hands, whereby the workability can be enhanced.

Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 16, a special tool50for rotating the housing12may be used. In this case, when distal end portions50a,50bof the special tool50are both inserted into the working recess20with a rear end portion50cof the special tool50being rotated in the clockwise direction, the housing12can easily be rotated, whereby the speaker unit1is mounted on the door inner panel3. When the rear end portion50cof the special tool50is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the housing12can easily be rotated in the counterclockwise direction, whereby the speaker unit1can easily be removed from the door inner panel3.

Thus, the worker can produce a large torque with a small force, and the workability in mounting and removing the speaker unit1is enhanced.

In addition, such a special tool50can be mounted on a distal end of the arm of a robot placed along the production line, whereby automatic rigging can also be dealt with.

Incidentally, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a lower cushion2(a seal member) is interposed between the door inner panel3and the housing12. This lower cushion2is formed of a compressive resilient body such as sponge and rubber and ensures the closure of a gap between the housing12and the surface of the door inner panel3despite the provision of the minute irregularities on the surface of the door inner panel3. Thus, the lower cushion2is provided to prevent the ingress of dust and water from the gap. In addition, the lower cushion2also functions to absorb shocks and vibrations produced and transmitted to the door inner panel3while the vehicle is running so that the shocks and vibrations so produced are not transmitted to the speaker unit1as they are.

In order to enhance the dustproofness and waterproofness by the lower cushion2, a rate at which the lower cushion2is compressed between the door inner panel3and the housing12(a rate of compression) needs to be increased. However, in the event that the rate of compression is increased, a frictional force generated between the door inner panel3and the lower cushion2and a frictional force generated between the lower cushion2and the housing12are both increased.

In the conventional speaker unit106adopting the screw mounting method as shown inFIG. 22, since the conventional speaker unit106is not rotated relative to the door panel, when the seal member is interposed between the conventional speaker unit106and the door inner panel3, the rate of compression of the seal member only has to be increased simply. However, in the present embodiment, since the speaker unit1is rotated relative to the door inner panel3so as to be mounted thereon, in the event that the rate of compression of the lower cushion2(the seal member) is increased too high, the workability in mounting is deteriorated.

Namely, in the embodiment, while the lower cushion2is securely compressed between the door inner panel3and the housing12, the frictional force produced between the lower cushion2and the housing12needs to be suppressed. Then, as shown inFIG. 3, a rib (a projection)45is provided along the full circumference of a portion in the vicinity of the edge portion on the rear side12bof the housing12. A cross-sectional shape of this rib45is shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 7is a drawing showing a cross section taken along the line Q-Q inFIG. 4which is an elevation of the rear side of the housing12. The cross section of the rib45is formed into a substantially triangular shape. The rib45raises from the rear side of the housing12with a distal end45athereof being a vertex. This rib45constitutes a member which ensures the rotational properties of the housing12relative to the door inner panel13even while enhancing the rate of compression of the lower cushion2when holding to compress the lower cushion2between the housing12and the door inner panel3.

The compressed lower cushion2expands the rear side3bof the door inner panel3and the rear side12bof the housing12by its restoring force which is a force expanding outwardly. Due to this, as shown inFIG. 7, the housing12is firmly fixed in the circumferential direction, as well as in the vertical direction relative to the door inner panel3, with the surfaces13cof the claw portions13being brought into press contact with the rear side3bof the door inner panel3.

InFIG. 7, a double-ended arrow g1and a double-ended arrow g2denote distances of gaps between the door inner panel3and the housing12, respectively. The gap g2is set to be wider than the gap g1, and the lower cushion2is compressed to be held within these gaps g1and g2, or between the housing12and the door inner panel3.

When mounting the housing12on the door inner panel3, as has been described above, the three claw portions13existing on the rear side of the housing12are inserted into the first slit portions of the corresponding slits5in the door inner panel3, respectively. As this occurs, the lower cushion2provided between the rear side12bof the housing12and the door inner panel3is compressed sufficiently by the rib45.

In the lower cushion2, only a rate of compression at a portion of the lower cushion2which is held between the rib vertex45aand the door inner panel3(hereinafter, also referred to as a “first compression rate P1”) is increased locally, and on the other hand, a rate of compression of the remaining portion of the lower cushion2which is held between the rear side of the housing12except for the rib45and the door inner panel3(hereinafter, also referred to as a “second compress rate P2”) becomes lower than the first compression rate P1. Namely, the expansion of the gap g1can compress the lower cushion2sufficiently by the provision of the rib45, whereby the waterproofness is enhanced, whereas the frictional force generated between the lower cushion2and the door inner panel3is suppressed due to the gap g2between the door inner panel3and the surface12aof the housing being larger than the gap g1.

According to the construction as has been described heretofore, water and dust which attempt to intrude between the housing12and the door inner panel3from the outer circumference of the housing are firmly captured by the lower cushion2. At the same time, when the housing12of the speaker unit1is mounted on the door inner panel3, since the housing12rotates smoothly relative to the door inner panel3, the deterioration in workability can be suppressed.

In addition, the height of the vertex45aof the rib45may be constructed to vary according to the distance from the claw portions13.

This is because, when the lower cushion2is compressed between the rear side12bof the housing12and the rear side3bof the door inner panel3, while the lower cushion2attempts to expand by the restoring force thereof, since portions in the vicinity of the claw portions13can resist the restoring force, the gap g1shown inFIG. 7becomes substantially constant. However, since a portion in the vicinity of a point where a line illustrated by a dashed line L4inFIG. 4intersects with the rib45situated away from the claw portions13, a gap wider than the gap g1may be generated by the restoring force of the lower cushion2.

Due to this, a construction may be adopted in which the height of the rib vertex45ais slightly higher at the other locations than the vicinity of the claw portions13. With this construction, when the restoring force of the lower cushion2is caused to act, the gap g1which is the distance between the rib vertex45aand the door inner panel3can be made substantially constant, and hence the rate of compression P1of the lower cushion2at the gap g1can be made substantially constant.

By this construction, the waterproofness can be enhanced by the lower cushion2, whereas the frictional force generated between the lower cushion2and the surface3aof the door inner panel3can be suppressed appropriately, whereby not only can the rotational performance of the housing12of the speaker unit1be ensured but also the workability can be enhanced.

Incidentally, as shown inFIG. 7, a contact surface (hereinafter, also referred to as a “claw portion surface”)13cof the claw portion13which comes into contact with the door inner panel3is constructed so as to have two contact surfaces having different heights. The door inner panel3is formed by bringing two plates having different thicknesses into contact with each other. According to the embodiment, even in the event that the thickness of the panel varies depending on locations thereof, the speaker unit1is allowed to be firmly mounted on the door inner panel3.

One of the two contact surfaces of the claw portion13is a thin contact surface13c-1which is used when the thickness of the door inner panel3is thin, and the other is a thick contact surface13c-2which is used when the thickness of the door inner panel3is thick. Namely, a difference in level is provided in the contact surface of the claw portion13so that the heights of the respective contact surfaces differ from each other, whereby, even in the event that the thickness of the door inner panel13varies, the housing12is allowed to be firmly mounted on the door inner panel3. Note that a “claw portion contact surface13c” may also be used when the two thin contact surface13c-1and thick contact surface13c-2are designated collectively.

A perspective view of the claw portion13is shown inFIG. 17. In the contact portion13, the thin contact surface13c-1has a height h2and is provided on an outer circumferential side of the housing12, whereas in the claw portion13, the thick contact surface13c-2has a height h1and is provided on a center side of the housing12. In addition, slopes13c-1a,13c-2aare formed on front edges in a mounting direction of the thin contact surface13c-1and the thick contact surface13c-2, respectively. These slopes13c-1a,13c-2aare provided so as to allow the claw portion contact surface13of the claw portion13which is inserted into the silt5in the door inner panel3to slide smoothly from the inserting portion51to the fixing portion52.

As has been described above, in the event that the plurality of heights are provided for the claw portion contact surfaces13c, the configuration of the slit5in the door inner panel5needs to be formed in such a manner as to match the thicknesses of the door inner panel3. This will be described with reference toFIG. 18.

FIG. 18is a schematic view of the vicinities of the opening4in the door inner panel3, and shows a state as viewed from the front side3aof the door inner panel3, the first slit5A, the second slit5B and the third slit5C being provided on the perimeter of the opening4.

The first slit5A and the third slit5C are made up of the inserting portion51and the thin-plate fixing portion52-1, respectively. The second slit5B is made up of the inserting portion51and the thick-plate fixing portion52-2. Namely, the configurations of the first slit5A and the third slit5C are identical, whereas only the second slit5B has a configuration which differs from those of the first slit5A and the third slit5C.

The difference will be described here by comparing the first slit5A with the second slit5B.

A curvature R1of a center side arc of the thin-plate fixing portion52-1formed in the first slit5A is constructed to become larger than a curvature R2of a center side arc of the thick-plate fixing portion52-2formed in the second slit5B, and the configurations of the first slit5A and the second slit5B are substantially the same except for this difference in curvature. As a result, a gap W1in the thin-plate fixing portion52-1in the first slit5A becomes narrower than a gap W2in the thick-plate fixing portion52-2in the second slit5B.

Thus, the gap W1in the first slit5A is constructed so as to differ from the gap W2in the second slid5B to thereby deal with the construction in which the thickness of the door panel3is made to differ at a position where the first slit5A is situated from a position where the second slit5B is situated. Namely, the thickness of the door panel3shown inFIG. 18differs across a boundary line B indicated by a chain line, and the thickness of the right door panel is denoted by t1, whereas the thickness of the left door panel by t2, the thickness t1of the right door panel being formed to be thinner than the thickness t2of the left door panel.

Incidentally, the door inner panel3in this embodiment which is made up of the members having the different thicknesses is produced using a technique referred to as a tailored blank. The tailored blank means a technique for laser welding together plates having different thicknesses or formed of different materials before pressing so as to promote the reduction in vehicle weight or modularization.

The thin-plate contact surface13c-1having the height hi is set at a height which is suitable for the panel having thickness t1, and the thick-plate contact surface13c-2having the height h2is set at a height which is suitable for the panel having the thickness t2.

Since the claw portion contact surface13cand the slit5A are constructed as has been described heretofore, when mounting the housing12on the door inner panel3, the claw portion13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12is inserted into the inserting portion51in the first slit5A, and thereafter, when the claw portion13slides into the thin-plate fixing portion52-1by the rotation of the housing12, only the thin-plate contact surface13c-1of the claw portion13comes into contact with a portion (an area indicated by α on the rear side3bof the door inner panel3which is situated closer to the center than the thin-plate fixing portion52-1, as shown inFIG. 18).

At the same time, the claw portion13is inserted into the inserting portion51in the second slit5B, and when the claw portion13slides into the thick-plate fixing portion52-2in association with the rotation of the housing12, only the thick-plate contact surface13c-2of the claw portion13comes into contact with a portion (an area indicated by β) in the vicinity of the center side of the thick-plate fixing portion52-2on the rear side3bof the door inner panel3shown inFIG. 18. This is because since the thin-plate contact surface13c-1whose height is higher than that of the thick-plate contact surface13c-2of the claw portion13falls into an area indicated by γ in the gap W2in the second slit5B, as a result, only the thick-plate contact surface13c-2is allowed to come into contact with the door panel3.

By this construction, the claw portion13and the second slit5B are brought into engagement with each other in the state as shown inFIG. 7.

Since the configuration of the third slit5C is identical to that of the first slit5A and the inserting and sliding operations of the claw portion13are identical to those of the first slit5A, the description of the third slit5C will be omitted here.

Since the claw portions13and the slits5in the door inner panel3are constructed as has been described heretofore, even in the event that the thickness of the door inner panel3which is the object of the mounting of the speaker unit1differs locally, the speaker unit1can be mounted on the door inner panel3which is the tailored blank by providing the plurality of surfaces having the different heights on the surfaces13cof the claw portions13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12and varying the configurations of the slits5formed in the door inner panel3for insertion of the claw portions13according to the thickness of the door inner panel3.

Namely, even in the event that the thickness of the door inner panel3differs locally, since there is no need to change types of housings12, the design costs of housing can be reduced, and since there is no need to provide a plurality of production lines of housing12, a certain advantage can be provided. In the mounting work of the speaker unit1, since the housing12of one type only has to be mounted irrespective of the thickness of the door inner panel3, the working efficiency can be enhanced.

While the case is described here where the thickness of the door inner panel3changes using the tailored blank technique, even in a case where mounting is made relative to door inner panels having different thicknesses due to a difference in model and grade, it is possible to deal with the case similarly, and this equally contributes to the enhancement in working efficiency.

Incidentally, a schematic front view of a conventional door inner panel104as viewed from the inside of the passenger compartment is shown inFIG. 25. The side of the conventional door inner panel104shown inFIG. 25may also be described as a door inner panel front side104a, whereas a rear side of the door inner panel104may also be described as a door inner panel rear side104b. In addition, since constituent components of the door inner panel104shown inFIG. 25to which no reference numerals are imparted are general, the description thereof will be omitted here.

A conventional speaker120as shown inFIG. 22is mounted on the conventional door panel104at a portion in the vicinity of a lower end thereof. In the conventional door panel104, a water drain hole116is provided on a lower side of an opening105into which the speaker120is inserted. This conventional water drain hole116will be described usingFIG. 24.

FIG. 24is a cross-sectional view of a conventional door schematicly showing a cross section taken along the line D-D inFIG. 25. The conventional door112is mainly made up of a door outer panel114provided on an external side of a vehicle and the aforesaid door inner panel104, and devices such as a side window glass108that can be raised, a window regulator (not shown), a door latch (not shown), a door lock sensor (not shown), a lighting wiring harness (not shown) are installed within a door interior spade112awhich is a space between the door outer panel114and the door inner panel104. Since these devices are general ones, the description thereof will be omitted here.

In addition, a weather strip117is provided at an upper end of the door outer panel114and at an upper end of the door inner panel104, respectively, and the weather strips117so provided are brought into press contact with sides of the side window glass108, respectively, to thereby prevent the ingress of water and dust into the door interior space112a. However, it is very difficult to prevent the actual ingress of water and dust into the door interior space112a. For example, in the case of water, there may be a case where water naturally enters the door interior space112awhen the side window glass108is raised and/or lowered when it rains.

Water that has entered the door interior space112aflow downwardly by gravity and is then discharged to the outside of the door112through a water discharge hole115which is a hole provided at a lowest portion of the door112.

However, holes (component fitting openings) denoted by reference numerals118,141,142inFIG. 25are formed in the door inner panel104, and there may occur a case where water that has entered the door interior space112aenters the interior of the vehicle through these holes (component fitting openings)118,141,142. In the case of a vehicle which is specified as having no speaker installed therein, the opening105which functions as a speaker fitting opening also becomes a hole through which the water that has entered the door interior space attempts to enter the interior of the vehicle.

A butyl seal109and a waterproofing sheet110affixed to the surface of the door by the butyl seal109prevent the ingress of the water that has entered the door interior space112ainto the interior of the vehicle.

The waterproofing sheet110is affixed by the butyl seal109(a sealing agent) to the surface of the door inner panel104which is situated on a passenger compartment side. In addition, the waterproofing sheet110is designed to be interposed between the door inner panel104and a door trim107. In addition, when the speaker120is mounted on the door inner panel104, a cut is given in the waterproofing sheet110at a portion corresponding to the opening105so that the speaker120can be fitted in the opening105.

Namely, should the water that has entered in the door interior space112aattempt to enter the interior of the vehicle, the water attempting to do so is dammed up by the waterproofing sheet110and the butyl seal109. Thereafter, the water flows downwardly by gravity between the waterproofing sheet110and the front side104aof the door inner panel104. Then, the water is returned to the door interior space112afrom the water drain hole116which is the hole situated at the lowest position among the holes formed in the door inner panel104, and is finally discharged to the outside of the door112through the water discharge hole115in the door112.

However, there is caused by the formation of the water drain hole116a problem that a limitation is imposed on a lowest limit position where the speaker120is installed. Namely, the volume of the door interior space112ashown inFIG. 25is not so large, and, there is a shortage of a space for installation of devices, in particular, from the vicinity of a central portion to an upper portion of the door interior space112ain which the window regulator, the door latch, the door lock sensor and the lighting wiring harness, which are all not shown, are provided. Due to this, the speaker120is provided on the door112at as low a position as possible.

However, since the aforesaid water drain hole116needs to be the hole which is formed in the door panel104at the lowest position in view of the functional nature thereof, the opening105in which the speaker120is fitted needs to be provided above the water drain hole116, and at the same time, the water drain hole116needs to be provided a certain distance away from the opening105in view of the acoustic properties thereof, as well as a problem associated with the strength. Due to this, there is a limitation on the installation of the speaker120on the door inner panel104at lower positions thereof.

Furthermore, abnormal noise is generated when the waterproofing sheet110vibrates at the portion where the cut is imparted due to sound generated from the speaker120. This noise is so-called beat noise, and the generation of such noise needs to be prevented.

To attain this, in the embodiment, as shown inFIG. 19, the third slit5C which is provided below the opening4and is situated at the lowest position among the three slits5is constructed so as to also function as the aforesaid water drain hole. This construction will be described below usingFIGS. 19,20and21.

FIG. 19is a schematic front view of the door inner panel3of the invention as viewed from the passenger compartment side,FIG. 20is a cross-sectional view of a door which shows schematicly a cross section of the door taken along the line C-C inFIG. 19with no speaker unit1being provided. In addition,FIG. 21is also a cross-sectional view of the door which schematicly shows the cross section thereof taken along the line C-C inFIG. 19, and in this case, differently from the construction shown inFIG. 20, the speaker unit1is provided. In the door inner panel3shown inFIG. 19, since constituent components to which no reference numeral is imparted are general, the description thereof will be omitted here.

A rotational-mount type speaker unit1as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2is to be mounted at a position in the vicinity of a lower end of the door inner panel3shown inFIG. 19, where substantially triangular opening4, the first slit5A, the second slit5B, and the third slit5C are formed. Since these constituent components have already been described with reference toFIGS. 6A and 6B, the description thereof will omitted here.

The door18shown inFIGS. 20 and 21is made up mainly of a door outer panel24provided on the external side of the vehicle and the door inner panel3, and a side window glass10that can be raised, a window regulator (not shown), a door latch (not shown), a door lock sensor (not shown), and a lighting wiring harness (not shown) are installed within a door interior space18awhich is a space between the door outer panel24and the door inner panel3.

In addition, a waterproofing vinyl (a waterproofing sheet)26is affixed by a butyl seal (a sealing agent)25to the surface of the door inner panel3which is situated on the passenger compartment side, and a door trim9is provided inwardly of this waterproofing vinyl26in the passenger compartment. In addition, a waterproofing vinyl26shown inFIG. 20is a long waterproofing vinyl26A whose lower end is situated at a position which is lower than the third slit5C. On the other hand, a waterproofing vinyl26shown inFIG. 21is a short waterproofing vinyl26B whose lower end is situated at a position which is higher than the third slit5C whose lower end is situated above the opening4.

The door of the vehicle which is specified, as shown inFIG. 20, as having no speaker unit1provided on the door inner panel3will be described. The opening4in which the speaker unit1can be fitted is formed at a lower portion on the door inner panel3shown inFIG. 20, and the third slit5C is provided below the opening4. In addition, a second water drain hole31is provided above the opening4. This second water drain hole31is a water drain hole when the speaker1unit is mounted on the door panel3.

According to the construction, water entering from an upper portion of the door18through a gap between the side window glass10and the weather strips24flows downwardly by gravity within the door interior space18aand is then discharged to the outside of the door18from a water discharge hole22provided in the door outer panel24. In addition, water entering inwardly of the vehicle through a component fitting hole27, the second water drain hole31and the opening4is dammed up by the waterproofing sheet26and the butyl seal25and the flows downwardly by gravity between a front side3aof the door inner panel3and the waterproofing vinyl26. The water enters again the door interior space18apassing through the third slit5C which is the hole located at the lowest position among the plurality of holes formed in the door inner panel3and which is located lower than the opening4and is finally discharged to the outside of the door18from the water discharge hole22.

Namely, the third slit5C also functions as a water drain hole (hereinafter, also occasionally described as a “first water drain hole”)23which is a hole for use in returning water existing between the front side3aof the door inner panel3and the waterproofing vinyl26to the door interior space18a.

Due to this, since there is no need to provide a special water drain hole in the vicinity of the lower end of the door18as in the case with the conventional water drain hole116shown inFIGS. 24 and 25, even in the event that the speaker unit1is mounted on the door inner panel3, as shown inFIG. 21, the installation position of the speaker unit1can be set lower than the conventional example.

In addition, in the event that the speaker unit1is mounted on the door panel3as shown inFIG. 21, the lower butyl seal25is provided along a lower edge of the second water drain hole31, and water which enters inwardly of the vehicle through the component fitting hole27or the like is dammed up by the water proofing sheet26B and the butyl seal25, then, flows downwardly by gravity between the front side3aof the door inner panel3and the waterproofing vinyl26B, passes through the second water drain hole31to enter again the door interior space18aand is finally discharged from the water discharge hole22to the outside of the door18.

As shown inFIG. 6A, since the side of the third slit5C on the outer circumferential side thereof is formed into an arc-like shape which protrudes downwardly, water that has flowed between the front side of the door inner panel3and the waterproofing vinyl26naturally collects at a lower end of the arc-like shape, whereby the water so collecting is allowed to smoothly flow into the door interior space18a.

In addition, as shown inFIG. 21, since there is no case where the opening4is closed with the waterproofing vinyl26B, even when the speaker unit1is mounted on the door inner panel3, there is no need to impart a cut in the waterproofing vinyl which is the case with the conventional example. Due to this, the generation of beat noise can be prevented that would otherwise be generated by the waterproofing vinyl in which the cut is so imparted.

Since the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the invention is constructed as has been described heretofore, the following functions and advantages can be provided.

Firstly, in mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, the worker aligns the three claw portions13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12of the speaker unit1with the three slits provided in the door inner panel3.

As this occurs, the worker cannot see the positions of the claw portions13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12due to the outer circumference of the housing12, and, equally, the worker cannot see the positions of the slits5in the door inner panel3. Due to this, while whether or not the respective claw portions13have been inserted in to the corresponding slits5is determined through the sensation from the hands, since the insertion guide29is provided on the rear side12bof the housing12according to the invention, the worker only has to pay attention to inserting part of the insertion guide29into the opening4which is formed into the substantially triangular shape in the door inner panel3as shown inFIG. 9, the necessity of vertical and horizontal alignments of the speaker unit1relative to the door inner panel3being thereby obviated.

Then, as shown by the solid line inFIG. 9, with the insertion guide29being fitted in the opening4in the door inner panel3completely, when the housing12is rotated in an appropriate direction with the housing12being pressed against the door inner panel3lightly, the claw portions13are inserted into the inserting portions51of the slits5in a natural fashion.

Consequently, the worker can easily insert the claw portions13provided on the rear side12bof the housing12of the speaker unit1into the slits5formed in the door inner panel3.

In addition, in the event that this insertion guide29is made to function as a waterproofing cover, since the number of components can be reduced, the production costs of housings12can be suppressed. Moreover, the number of man-hours required for the production of housings12can be reduced to thereby reduce time required for the production.

In this state, the lower cushion2as shown inFIG. 7is compressed between the rear side12bof the housing12and the front side3aof the door inner panel3. Namely, the surfaces13cof the claw portions and the door inner panel3bare brought into press adhesion to each other by virtue of the restoring force of the lower cushion so compressed.

While the work is expected to rotate the speaker unit1of the rotational locking type relative to the door inner panel3in the clockwise direction as shown inFIG. 10, it is normally difficult to rotate the speaker unit1due to the frictional force generated between the lower cushion2and the rear side3bof the door inner panel3.

According to the invention, however, the rib45having the substantially triangular cross section is provided on the rear side12bof the housing12along the full circumference of the housing12, and the lower cushion2is strongly pressed against the door inner panel3only by the portion of the rear side12bof the housing12in the vicinity of the rib45, while the lower cushion2is weakly pressed against by the other portions of the rear side12bof the housing12than the rib45. Due to this, the frictional force between the lower cushion2and the rear side3bof the door inner panel3is not increased more than required and hence does not interrupt the mounting work of the speaker unit1.

In addition, since the lower cushion2is compressed sufficiently at the portion thereof which corresponds to the rib45, the ingress of water and dust between the door inner panel3and the lower cushion2, and between the lower cushion2and the housing12can be prevented in an ensured fashion.

Additionally, as shown inFIG. 17, since the two heights are provided for the surface13cof the claw portion13, even in the event that the door panel3whose thickness differs for the respective claw portions13is used, the speaker unit1can be mounted on the door inner panel3without altering the specification of the housing12.

In particular, the door inner panel3formed using the tailored blank is effective, and even when mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel of this kind, the worker does not have to pay attention to thickness of the door inner panel3but only has to carry out the mounting work of the speaker unit1using the housing12of the single kind, this contributing the enhancement of the workability.

Then, the worker rotates the speaker unit1relative to the door inner panel3to mount the former on the latter. In this case, as shown inFIG. 12, the worker inserts the screwdriver106from the outer circumferential surface12cof the housing12into the working recess20and then the jig fitting hole30provided in the inner part of the working recess20.

Thereafter, the torque T1is generated relative to the vicinity of the protruding member34on the housing12by applying the force F1to the rear end portion106cof the screwdriver106. Then, the housing12is rotated about the housing center O in the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow R2inFIG. 10.

Namely, since the worker can rotate the housing12of the speaker unit1with the small force F1, the workability in mounting the speaker unit1is enhanced.

In addition, in this case, substantially the same effect can be obtained even if the housing12is rotated not with the general tool such as the screwdriver106but with the special tool50as shown inFIG. 16.

Additionally, in the invention, since the aforesaid frictional force is reduced appropriately by providing the minute irregularities on the surfaces13cof the claw portions13, the generation of abnormal noise can be reduced or prevented which is attributed to the expansion and contraction of the door inner panel3and vibrations and shocks generated while the vehicle is running. Note that the irregularities may be formed no on the surfaces13cof the claw portions13but on the rear side3bof the door inner panel3with which the surfaces13cof the claw portions13are brought into contact.

In addition, in the invention, as shown inFIGS. 19 and 20, since the third slit5C in which the claw portion13of the housing12is fitted can be made to function as the water drain hole, the installation position of the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3can be lowered to the vicinity of the lower end of the door inner panel3, whereby the space inside the door (the space denoted by the reference numeral18ainFIG. 20) can be used effectively.

Additionally, since other devices are rarely installed in the vicinity of the opening4in the door interior space18ashown inFIGS. 19 to 21, the worker does not have to pay attention to avoiding the interference with the devices installed in the door interior space18awhen mounting the speaker unit1on the door inner panel3, and therefore, this can contribute to the enhancement in workability of the speaker unit1mounting work.

Note that the invention is not limited to the embodiment and other modifications made thereto but may be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

For example, the speaker unit1is mounted on the panel member3so that they are formed into an assembly, which may then be assembled to a frame work of the vehicle body.

In addition, in the embodiment, while the speaker unit1is described as being installed in the door of the vehicle, the invention may be applied to a case where the speaker is mounted on the rear parcel shelf. In this case, the rear parcel shelf corresponds to the panel member. Additionally, it goes without saying that the invention can by applied to a case where the speaker is mounted on any other places than the door and the shelf.

Thus, as has been described in detail heretofore, according the in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure of the invention, when the general tool such as the screwdriver is inserted into the jig inserting hole with the small force being applied thereto, the speaker housing can be rotated with a large torque.