Abstract:
A vehicular storage device provided in opposed relation to a passenger seat. A convex part, protruding from a rear surface of a lid in a direction opposite from a vehicle occupant, has a deformation allowance part that deforms when an impact is applied to the convex part.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a vehicular storage device provided in a passenger compartment in opposed relation to a passenger seat. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A glove box, which is a storage device for a vehicle provided in front of a passenger seat, is disclosed in JP 08-002333 A. 
   The glove box is disposed in an instrument panel in front of the passenger seat so that the left and right side surfaces of the box are substantially parallel with the front doors of the vehicle. The side surfaces of the box are formed with curved surfaces in which the sides each bulge inward. An impact can be absorbed by mounting ribs on the curved surfaces. 
   However, a depth in the glove box is necessary for the left and right sides to deform and collapse, and the effect cannot be expected under a condition in which the depth is reduced. In the particular case that an interior design is adopted in which the instrument panel curves toward the center of the vehicle width so as to encompass vehicle occupants, the center portion of the instrument panel between the driver seat and the passenger seat bulge. Therefore, the depth of the left side surface in the vicinity of the vehicle door cannot be assured in comparison with the right side surface of the glove box in the vicinity of the center portion. In other words, there is a problem in that a distance between the passenger seat and the glove box is less on the right side surface of the glove box in the vicinity of the center portion, and the glove box collides with the legs of a vehicle occupant before the effect of an impact is sufficiently absorbed. The shape of the left and right side surfaces can be made different, but the structure then becomes complex. 
   A glove box disclosed in JP 09-086318 A has a front surface wall disposed in an instrument panel. The front surface wall is configured as a hollow structure composed of a base wall of a box, and a surface plate mounted on the seat side of the base wall. The hollow interior has lattice-shaped means for absorbing an impact. Impact-absorption is improved for this reason. 
   However, a thickness sufficient for providing the lattice shaped impact absorption means in the hollow space of the front wall is necessary in the front surface wall of the structure of the glove box, but, depending on conditions, a sufficient thickness of the front surface wall cannot be assured when a certain storage capacity is provided. For example, in the case of an interior design in which the instrument panel is made to curve so as to encompass the vehicle occupants, the center portions of the instrument panel between the driver seat and the passenger seat bulge, but the depth is reduced in the vicinity of the door. Therefore, the hollow space of the front wall is made thin, and as a result, the ability of the impact absorbing means to deform is reduced and it is difficult for the impact to be absorbed. The thickness of the hollow space in the vicinity of the center components can be increased (made wider), but the structure is made more complex in terms of setting the thickness of the impact absorbing means as well as in other aspects. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a storage device for a vehicle that can better absorb an impact and has a simple impact-absorbing structure even when storage depth cannot be provided. 
   According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular storage device which comprises a lid disposed in opposed relation to a vehicle occupant, a convex part protruding from a rear surface of the lid in a direction opposite from the vehicle occupant, and a shaft part provided on the convex part for swingably supporting the lid. The convex part has a deformation allowance part for allowing deformation when a load of a predetermined level or greater is applied to the convex part. 
   When the vehicle has a frontal collision, the lid is pushed into the passenger compartment by an impact applied from the front surface of the vehicle, and when the lid interferes with a leg of the vehicle occupant in the passenger seat, the deformation allowance part becomes the point of origin, deforms together with the convex part, and absorbs the impact applied to the leg. At this time, the lid connected to the convex part also deforms and absorbs the impact. As a result, an impact applied from the front surface of a vehicle can be sufficiently absorbed, even in a storage device in which storage depth cannot be increased. 
   Preferably, the shaft part is provided at a distal end of the convex part, and the deformation allowance part has a chevron shape notched to open downwardly at a center portion of the convex part. The deformation allowance part can reliably be made to deform even when a load is applied to the lid upward from below. 
   Desirably, the lid is arranged such that distances from left and right ends of the lid to the vehicle occupant are different, and the deformation allowance part is formed on the convex part which is provided on that one of right and left ends of the lid which has a shorter distance to the vehicle occupant. An impact can be absorbed effectively even in a case in which there is variability in input force. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing a front seat of a vehicle provided with a storage device according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the storage device of  FIG. 1  in an opened state; 
       FIG. 3  is a left side elevational view of the storage device of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the storage device as seen in the direction of arrow  4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a right side elevational view of the storage device; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective of the storage device as seen from a box part side; 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded view showing the storage device of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the box part as seen in the direction of arrow  8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of a lid as seen in the direction of arrow  9  of  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of portion  10  of  FIG. 9 , showing a convex part, a deformation allowance part and a shaft part provided to the lid; 
       FIG. 11  is a view as seen in the direction of arrow  11  of  FIG. 7 , showing in perspective the convex part and a hinge mechanism mounted on the lid; and 
       FIG. 12A  shows a state in which the deformation allowance part formed on the convex part has deformed, while  FIG. 12B  shows a relationship between the storage device and the vehicle occupant upon receipt of an impact. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A storage device  11  is a glove box provided to a passenger seat  13  of a vehicle  12 , and is disposed in an opening part  15  of an instrument panel  14  on the side of the passenger seat  13 . A lid  16  opens when drawn toward a vehicle occupant M, and accommodates small articles, as seen in  FIGS. 1 , and  2 . A front body  17  supports the engine in the forward area of the instrument panel  14 . 
   The instrument panel  14  curves so as to encompass the vehicle occupant M. In other words, the instrument panel  14  curves by having the center portion  22  between the driver seat  21  and the passenger seat  13  form a bulge toward (in the direction of arrow a 1 ) the center of the front-to-rear direction of the passenger compartment  23 . The center portion  22  of the instrument panel  14  is connected to a center console  24  positioned at the center of the vehicle width of the passenger compartment  23 . The vicinity of the center portion  22  is, e.g., nearer a seat  26  of the passenger seat  13  (distance Y 1 ), and a left-end part  27  is farther away from the seat  26  (distance Y 2 &gt;Y 1 ). The lid  16  is formed using a curve that conforms to the curve of the instrument panel  14 . For example, a distance from one end (right end)  31  of the lid  16  to the seat  26  is Yb 1 , a distance from the other end (left end)  32  of the lid  16  is Yb 2  (Yb 2 &gt;Yb 1 ), and the one end  31  of the lid  16  is also nearer to the vehicle occupant M. 
   The distances Yb 1 , Yb 2  are set with reference to a seat cushion  33  of the seat  26 , but the reference may be other than the seat  26 . In other words, the length of lid  16  in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle orthogonal to the direction of the vehicle width may be different at one end  31  and the other end  32 . 
   The storage device  11  has a hinge mechanism  36  mounted on an opening lower part  35  of the opening part  15  of the instrument panel  14 . The device also has the lid  16  in which the hinge mechanism  36  is provided to a lower part  37 . The device further has a box part  38  connected to the lid  16 , and a card holder  41  provided to the internal surface of the lid  16 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 through 5 . 
   The lid  16  shown in  FIG. 4  differs in distance from the passenger seat  13  and the legs K of the vehicle occupant M, as described above. In other words, the depth (the length in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle) of the right-side wall part  43  is greater in comparison to the left-side wall part  42  of the box part  38 . 
   The hinge mechanism  36  is composed of the first hinge mechanism  45  connected to one end  31  of the lid  16  on the instrument panel  14 , and a second hinge mechanism  46  connected to the other end  32  on the instrument panel  14 . 
   A first shaft part  47  of the first hinge mechanism  45  is concentric with a second shaft part  48  ( FIG. 3 ) of the second hinge mechanism  46 , and the first shaft part  47  and the second shaft part  48  are the rotating support points when the box part  38  is drawn open. 
   The box part  38  is composed of a left-side wall part  42 , a right-side wall part  43 , a front wall part  51 , a rear wall part  52 , and a bottom part  53 . 
   The lid  16  is composed of a front wall part  51 , an interior wall part  55  is integrally latched onto the front wall part  51 , and a hollow part  56  composed of the front wall part  51  and the interior wall part  55 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Convex parts  61 ,  61  are formed on the interior lower part  57  of the interior wall part  55 , and the hinge mechanism  36  is connected to the convex parts  61 ,  61 . 
   The convex parts  61  are composed of a first convex part  62  on which a first hinge mechanism  45  is attached, and a second convex part  63  on which a second hinge mechanism  46  is attached. 
   The front wall part  51  has a lower elongated part  65  that extends from the bottom part  53  in an external direction of the box part  38 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . The lower elongated part  65  is provided with a first through part  66 , through which the first convex part  62  ( FIG. 6 ) formed on one end  31  is passed, and a second through part  67 , through which the second convex part  63  ( FIG. 6 ) that is formed on the other end  32  is passed. 
   The first hinge mechanism  45  has a first piece member  73  swingably mounted on the first shaft part  47  provided to a first convex distal end  72  of a first convex lower part  71  of the first convex part  62 , as seen in  FIGS. 9 ,  10 , and  11 . 
   The second hinge mechanism  46  has a second piece member  77  swingably mounted on the second shaft part  48  provided to a second convex distal end  76  of a second convex lower part  75  of the second convex part  63 . 
   The first convex part  62  extends in a square columnar form toward the interior of the instrument panel  14  ( FIG. 2 ) from the rear surface of the interior wall part  55 , has a projecting length of L 1 , and has a deformation allowance part  81  notched downward in substantially the center portion of the first convex lower part  71 . 
   The deformation allowance part  81  is a notched location in a chevron shape, wherein θ is the angle of the chevron shape, and the distance H 2  from the first convex lower part  71  to the point of origin  82  of deformation is greater than the distance H 1  from the first convex lower part  71  to the first shaft part  47 . 
   The second convex part  63  extends in a square columnar form toward the interior of the instrument panel  14  from the rear surface of the interior wall part  55 , wherein L 2  is a projecting length, and the length L 2  is in a relationship L 2 &lt;L 1 ; and is shorter than the first convex part  62 . 
   In other words, the first convex part  62  is longer in comparison with the second convex part  63  by an amount equal to the difference in the distance from the seat  26  of the passenger seat  13 , or the distance from the vehicle occupant M, in accordance with the curve of the instrument panel  14 . The difference in distance is, e.g., Y 2 −Y 1  or Yb 2 −Yb 1  of  FIG. 1 . 
   Impact absorption of the storage device when the vehicle has a frontal collision will be described next, while viewing  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and with reference to  FIGS. 12A and 12B . 
   When the vehicle  12  has a frontal collision, there are occasions in which the instrument panel  14  is pushed into the passenger compartment  23  as shown by arrow b 1  in accompaniment with damage to the front body  17 , and the storage device  11  together with the instrument panel  14  may reach the vehicle occupant M seated on the seat  26  of the passenger seat  13 . Since a load is applied to the first convex part  62  when there is interference between the right leg (one leg) Km of the vehicle occupant M and the lid  16  of the pushed storage device  11 , the force (stress) applied to the point of origin  82  of the deformation allowance part  81  increases (concentration of stress), and the deformation allowance part  81  begins to deform, and then continues to deform and buckles upward above the first shaft part  47  (in the direction of arrow b 2 ) while absorbing the impact. The first convex part  62  becomes short and the box part  38  also collapses in accordance with the deformation of the first convex part  62  depending on impact conditions. As a result, the impact applied from the front surface of a vehicle  12  can be absorbed even when storage depth cannot be provided. 
   The storage device  11  of a vehicle of the present embodiment is particularly effective in a glove box disposed in the vicinity of the position of the legs of a vehicle occupant M, or in a glove box disposed on the lower surface side of the instrument panel  14 . 
   After the right leg (one leg) Km of the vehicle occupant M and the lid  16  have interfered, the impact of the interference is absorbed, and the first convex part  62  becomes short, whereupon the difference in the distance between one end  31  of the lid  16  and the other end  32  is reduced and the lid  16  becomes substantially parallel with the seat  26 . Therefore, the lid  16  having become parallel continues to press upon the two legs substantially uniformly in the case of an even larger impact, and the impact applied to the legs can be dispersed to the left and right, even with a curved lid  16 . In other words, an impact can be absorbed effectively even in a case when there is variability in input force. 
   An example was shown in which the storage device of the present embodiment was applied to a glove box, but application can also be made to object other than a glove box. 
   The first convex part  62  had a square columnar form in cross section, but is not limited to a square columnar form. 
   The deformation allowance part  81  had a chevron shape but is not limited to the chevron shape. For example, formation in the shape of the letter “U” or the shape of a saw tooth is also possible. 
   The second convex part  63  may also be provided with a deformation allowance part  81 . 
   The storage device of the present embodiment is suitable for a glove box provided to the front of a passenger seat. 
   Obviously, various minor changes and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.