Abstract:
A cushion clip may include an engagement leg that is capable of being attached to either one of a fixed member or a movable member moving toward and away from the fixed member; and a cushion that is capable of being elastically deformed by a load applied from the movable member moving toward the fixed member, thereby absorbing impact caused by movement of the movable member. The cushion has a hollow barrel shape such that an intermediate portion positioned between a bottom portion connected to the engagement leg and a top portion positioned opposite to the bottom portion is circumferentially expanded to a maximum circumference.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cushion clip. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cushion clip that can be compressed and absorb impact when a glove box door (a movable member) of an automobile is closed. The glove box door is preferably be attached to an instrument panel (a fixed member) of the automobile and can be closed and opened. 
     Description of Related Art 
     A known cushion clip of this type is taught by, for example, JP2010-164171A. The cushion clip includes an engagement leg that can be connected to a fixed member by inserting it into an attaching hole formed in the fixed member, and a cushion that can contact a movable member and elastically deform. The cushion has a hollow truncated cone (frustoconical) shape and is tapered (reduced in diameter) from a base portion connected to the engagement leg toward a top portion positioned opposite to the base portion. Further, the cushion has a wall thickness that gradually becomes smaller starting at the base portion and going towards the top portion. 
     In the cushion clip taught by JP2010-164171A, when the cushion is compressed by a load applied from the movable member, compression strain can be formed in the cushion. At this time, a portion adjacent to the top portion having a relatively thin wall thickness can be excessively deformed, so that concentration of stress can be generated in the portion of the cushion. When the concentration of stress is generated in the cushion, the cushion may have a reduced restoration capability with regard to the compression strain. Therefore, the cushion cannot retain a required elastic repulsive force. As a result, when the cushion clip is used in a glove box door (a movable member) of an automobile, the grove box door may produce rattling when it is closed. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved cushion clip. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     For example, one aspect of the present invention may provide a cushion clip that may include an engagement leg. This engagement leg may be attached to either one of a fixed member or a movable member moving towards and away from the fixed member. The cushion clip may also include a cushion that is capable of being elastically deformed by a load applied from the movable member moving towards the fixed member. In this way, the cushion can absorb impact caused by movement of the movable member. The cushion has a hollow barrel shape such that an intermediate portion positioned between a bottom portion connected to the engagement leg and a top portion positioned opposite to the bottom portion is circumferentially expanded to a maximum circumference. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, the cushion having the hollow barrel shape can be compressed and elastically deformed in a compressing direction when a load is applied the cushion from the movable member. During such compression, the entire cushion can be uniformly deformed while the intermediate portion is circumferentially expanded. In this way, compression strain can be formed in the cushion. However, concentration of stress cannot be generated in the cushion. Therefore, the cushion may have sufficient restoration capability with regard to the compression strain. Thus, the cushion can retain a required elastic repulsive force. As a result, when the cushion clip is used in a glove box door (the movable member) of an automobile, the glove box door may be prevented from producing rattling in a state where it is closed. This may prevent the production of noise in a cabin of the automobile. 
     Optionally, the cushion may be shaped such that the intermediate portion circumferentially expanded to maximum circumference has a maximum wall thickness. Further, the cushion may be shaped such that the bottom portion has a minimum wall thickness. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, when the cushion is compressed by the load applied from the movable member, portions close to the bottom portion and the top portion can be deformed before the intermediate portion. Thereafter, the intermediate portion can be deformed while it is circumferentially expanded, so that the entire cushion can be uniformly deformed. 
     Further, because the bottom portion has the minimum wall thickness, the bottom portion can be easily deformed although the bottom portion is connected to and constrained by the engagement leg. Thus, the whole cushion can be uniformly deformed. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood after reading the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cushion clip according to a representative embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational view of the cushion clip, in which a fixed member and a movable member are respectively shown by chain double-dashed lines; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the cushion clip; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cushion clip, in which a cushion of the cushion clip is partially enlarged; 
         FIG. 6  is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 5 , which view illustrates a modified form of the cushion clip; 
         FIG. 7  is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cushion clip, which view illustrates an initial stage when the cushion clip is compressed and deformed; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cushion clip, which view illustrates an intermediate stage when the cushion clip is compressed and deformed; and 
         FIG. 9  is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cushion clip, which view illustrates a final stage when the cushion clip is compressed and deformed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Next, a representative embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 9 . 
     A representative cushion clip  1  shown therein may be configured to be compressed and absorb impact when a glove box door  34  (a movable member) attached to an instrument panel  30  (a fixed member) of an automobile (not shown) is closed. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the cushion clip  1  may include a cushion  10  made of a soft material such as a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., TPE), and an engagement leg  20  made of a hard material such as polypropylene (PP). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , in this embodiment, the engagement leg  20  is inserted into an attachment hole  32  formed in the instrument panel  30 , so that cushion clip  1  can be attached to the instrument panel  30 . The cushion  10  of the cushion clip  1  attached to the instrument panel  30  can contact the glove box door  34  as the glove box door  34  moves toward the instrument panel  30  when the glove box door  34  is closed. In this way, it can be compressed and elastically deformed in a compressing direction. Thus, the impact caused by movement of the glove box door  34  can be dampened or absorbed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 , the cushion  10  may generally have a hollow (bottomed) barrel shape. That is, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the cushion  10  may have an outwardly-bulged arcuate shape in its vertical cross-section. In particular, the cushion  10  may have a bottom portion  10   a , a top portion  10   b  and an intermediate portion  10   c . The intermediate portion  10   c  may be circumferentially expanded to a maximum circumference, so as to have a maximum diameter which is greater than the bottom portion  10   a  and the top portion  10   b . Further, the bottom portion  10   a  and the top portion  10   b  may have substantially the same diameter as each other. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cushion  10  may have a circular upper opening  14  that is formed in a central portion of the top portion  10   b . In particular, the cushion  10  may have an annular top peripheral portion  10   b   1  formed in the top portion  10   b , so that the opening  14  can be formed therein. The cushion  10  may also have an air vent port  16  that is formed in the bottom portion  10   a  in order to provide communication between the inside and the outside of the cushion  10 . Further, the cushion  10  may have a base portion  12  integrally formed in the bottom portion  10   a . The cushion  10  may be integrally connected to the engagement leg  20  via the base portion  12 . 
     As described above, because the cushion  10  may have a hollow barrel shape, when the cushion  10  is compressed by the glove box door  34 , the entire cushion  10  can be uniformly deformed while the intermediate portion  10   c  can be circumferentially expanded. As a result, concentration of stress in a portion of the cushion  10  can be prevented. This may prevent formation of compression strain in the cushion  10 . 
     As described above, because the cushion  10  can be uniformly deformed due to the hollow barrel shape, the cushion  10  may have a uniform wall thickness over the entire length thereof (from the bottom portion  10   a  to the top portion  10   b ). However, in this embodiment, the cushion  10  may be at its thickest in the intermediate portion  10   c  such that the cushion  10  can be more uniformly compressed and deformed. Such a configuration will be described hereinafter in detail. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the top peripheral portion  10   b   1  of the cushion  10  may preferably be thickened in order to increase stiffness or rigidity thereof. Therefore, even when the cushion is compressed and deformed, a constant diameter of the opening  14  can be substantially maintained. Further, an end face of the top peripheral portion  10   b   1  may preferably have a semicircular cross-sectional shape. 
     Conversely, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the engagement leg  20  may have a disk-shaped base portion  20   a  and an engagement portion  20   b  projecting from the base portion  20   a . The base portion  20   a  may be embedded (received) in the base portion  12  of the cushion  10 , so that the engagement leg  20  can be integrated with the cushion  10 . Conversely, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the engagement portion  20   b  may preferably have a ship bottom-shape (a substantially cross-sectional U-shape). In particular, the engagement portion  20   b  may have a pair of outwardly bulging flexible portions. Further, the cushion  10  and the engagement leg  20  may preferably be integrally formed by a two-color molding of the soft material (e.g., TPE) and the hard material (e.g., PP). 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the engagement portion  20   b  of the engagement leg  20  is pressed into the attachment hole  32  formed in the instrument panel  30 , the engagement portion  20   b  can be inserted into the attachment hole  32  while the flexible portions formed in the engagement portion  20   b  may be flexed inwardly. As a result, engagement surfaces (shouldered portions)  20   c  formed in the flexible portions of the engagement portion  20   b  may engage an inner periphery  32   a  of the attachment hole  32 , so that the engagement leg  20  can be secured to the instrument panel  30 . Thus, the cushion clip  1  can be attached to the instrument panel  30 . 
     As described above, in this embodiment, the cushion  10  may be at its thickest in the intermediate portion  10   c  with the exception of the top annular peripheral portion  10   b   1 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the intermediate portion  10   c  may have a wall thickness T3 that is greater than a wall thickness T1 of the bottom portion  10   a  and a wall thickness T2 of the top portion  10   b . That is, the cushion  10  may be shaped such that the wall thickness T3 may represent a maximum wall thickness. In particular, the cushion  10  may be reduced in thickness from the intermediate portion  10   c  toward the bottom portion  10   a  and the top portion  10   b.    
     Further, the wall thickness T1 of the bottom portion  10   a  may be substantially the same as or smaller than the wall thickness T2 of the top portion  10   b . However, in this embodiment, the cushion  10  may be shaped such that the wall thickness T1 may represent a minimum wall thickness. In particular, as will be apparent from  FIG. 5 , the cushion  10  may be largely reduced in thickness from the intermediate portion  10   c  toward the bottom portion  10   a  such that the bottom portion  10   a  may be thinner than the top portion  10   b . Thus, the cushion  10  may be shaped such that the wall thickness T1 of the bottom portion  10   a  is smaller than the wall thickness T2 of the top portion  10   b.    
     Further, the thickness of the cushion  10  may be modified. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the cushion  10  may be shaped so as to have an arcuate depressed portion between the intermediate portion  10   c  and the bottom portion  10   a . In such a modified form, the cushion  10  may be at its thinnest between the intermediate portion  10   c  and the bottom portion  10   a . That is, in the modified form, the cushion  10  may be shaped such that a portion between the intermediate portion  10   c  and the bottom portion  10   a  may have a wall thickness at its minimum 
     According to the cushion clip  1  thus constructed, when the glove box door  34  is closed and is pressed against the cushion clip  1  attached to the instrument panel  30 , the cushion  10  of the cushion clip  1  can be compressed and elastically deformed in the compressing direction by a load applied from the glove box door  34 . Thus, the impact caused by the movement of the glove box door  34  can be absorbed. Further, when the cushion  10  is compressed, the opening  14  formed in the top portion  10   b  of the cushion  10  may be closed by the glove box door  34 . However, even if the opening  14  is closed by the glove box door  34  when the cushion  10  is compressed, air contained in an interior of the cushion  10  can be discharged via the air vent port  16  formed in the bottom portion  10   a  of the cushion  10 . Therefore, the cushion  10  can be constantly and smoothly compressed. 
     Next, an operation of the cushion clip  1  thus constructed will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 9 . 
     As previously described, the cushion  10  may have the hollow barrel shape in which the intermediate portion  10   c  is circumferentially expanded to its maximum. Further, the intermediate portion  10   c  may be the thickest part of the cushion  10 . That is, the cushion  10  may be shaped such that the wall thickness T3 may represent a maximum wall thickness which is greater than the wall thickness T1 and the wall thickness T2. Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 7 , when the cushion  10  is compressed by the load applied from the glove box door  34 , a portion close to the bottom portion  10   a  and a portion close to the top portion  10   b  can be deformed before the intermediate portion  10   c . Thereafter, as shown in  FIG. 8 , when the cushion  10  is further compressed, the intermediate portion  10   c  can be deformed while it is circumferentially expanded. Finally, as shown in  FIG. 9 , when the cushion  10  is further compressed, the whole cushion  10  can be uniformly deformed. Thus, concentration of stress in a portion of the cushion  10  can be prevented. This may prevent formation of compression strain in the cushion  10 . 
     Generally, the bottom portion  10   a  of the cushion  10  cannot be easily deformed because the bottom portion  10   a  is constrained by the base portion  12  to which the base portion  20   a  of the engagement leg  20  is connected. However, in this embodiment, the bottom portion  10   a  can be easily deformed because the bottom portion  10   a  may have a minimum wall thickness (the wall thickness T1). Therefore, the cushion  10  can be uniformly deformed as a whole. 
     Naturally, various changes and modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiment, the cushion  10  and the engagement leg  20  are integrally formed by the two-color molding of the two different materials. However, the cushion  10  and the engagement leg  20  can be separately formed and connected to each other by using adhesive. Further, the cushion  10  and the engagement leg  20  can be integrally formed by single-color molding of a single material as required. As will be recognized, in this case, an elastic material may be used as the single material such that the cushion  10  may have a desired elasticity. 
     A representative example of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Only the claims define the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the foregoing detail description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe detailed representative examples of the invention. Moreover, the various features taught in this specification may be combined in ways that are not specifically enumerated in order to obtain additional useful embodiments of the present invention.