Pillar garnish

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9446736-B2
Application number	US-201514751674-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Jul 3, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A pillar garnish includes a body, a sliding plate, a mounting base, and a bridging portion. The body includes a decorative surface facing an inner side of a compartment of a vehicle and a back surface opposite from the decorative surface. The body extends in an extending direction of a pillar of the vehicle and mounted to the pillar with space between the back surface thereof and the pillar. The sliding plate is slidable along the back surface. The mounting base on the back surface is for mounting the body to the pillar. The bridging portion on the body is for retaining space in which the sliding plate is inserted between the back surface and the mounting base and for holding the mounting base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pillar garnish comprising:
a body including a decorative surface facing an inner side of a compartment of a vehicle and a back surface facing an outer side of the compartment, the body extending in an extending direction of a pillar of the vehicle and to be mounted to the pillar with space between the back surface thereof and the pillar;
a sliding plate slidable along the back surface;
a mounting base arranged on a back surface side for mounting the body to the pillar;
a bridging portion on the body for maintaining space in which the sliding plate is inserted between the back surface and the mounting base and for holding the mounting base, wherein
the body includes a pair of sidewall portions and a middle wall portion,
the sidewall portions extend in the extending direction of the pillar, and
the middle wall portion is arranged between the sidewall portions and opposite the sliding plate; and
a restricting portion for restricting movement of the mounting base toward the inner side of the compartment relative to the middle wall portion, the restricting portion being located on the middle wall portion at a position opposite the mounting base.

2. The pillar garnish according to claim 1 , wherein
the bridging portion bridges between the sidewall portions.

3. The pillar garnish according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting portion is configured to hold the sliding plate from the inner side of the compartment to restrict the movement of the mounting base relative to the middle wall portion when the pillar garnish is mounted to the pillar.

4. A pillar garnish to be mounted to a pillar of a vehicle, the pillar garnish comprising:
a body including a decorative surface facing an inner side of a compartment of a vehicle and a back surface facing an outer side of the compartment, and having a long dimension in an extending direction in which the pillar extends, the body including:
a middle wall portion to be arranged parallel to a surface of the pillar, the middle wall portion including the decorative surface and the back surface, the decorative surface and the back surface facing the inner side of the compartment and the outer side of the compartment, respectively, when the pillar garnish is mounted to the pillar; and
a first sidewall portion and a second sidewall portion continue from long edges of the middle wall portion, respectively, the first and the second sidewall portions being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the middle wall portion, wherein the middle wall portion, the first sidewall portion, the second sidewall portion, and the surface of the pillar define space when the pillar garnish is mounted to the pillar;

a sliding plate arranged in the space and slidable along the back surface of the middle wall portion;
a mounting base for mounting the body to the pillar;
a restricting portion projecting from the back surface of the middle wall portion toward the mounting base between the back surface of the middle wall portion and the sliding plate and restrict displacement of the mounting base toward the middle wall portion during mounting of the pillar garnish to the pillar; and
a bridging portion including:
a first bridging portion continuing from a first end of the mounting base closer to the first sidewall portion to the back surface of the body; and
a second bridging portion continuing from a second end of the mounting base closer to the second side wall portion to the back surface of the body, wherein

the middle wall portion, the first sidewall portion, the second sidewall portion, the first bridging portion, the second bridging portion, and the mounting base define space through which a portion of the sliding plate is passed.

5. The pillar garnish according to claim 4 , wherein
the first bridging portion extends from the first end of the mounting base to the first sidewall portion along the back surface of the middle wall portion and connects the first end of the mounting base to the first sidewall portion, and
the second bridging portion extends from the second end of the mounting base to the second sidewall portion along the back surface of the middle wall portion and connects the second end of the mounting base to the second sidewall portion.

6. The pillar garnish according to claim 5 , wherein
the first bridging portion projects from an upper portion of the first sidewall portion,
the second bridging portion projects from an upper portion of the second sidewall portion, and
a portion of the sliding plate inserted in the space defined by the middle wall portion, the first sidewall portion, the second sidewall portion, the first bridging portion, the second bridging portion, and the mounting base is an upper end of the sliding plate.

7. The pillar garnish according to claim 4 , wherein the mounting base is a mounting base for holding a mounting fixture that is to be pushed into a mounting hole formed in the pillar.

8. The pillar garnish according to claim 6 , further comprising a force transfer portion for transferring a force applied to the middle wall portion to the mounting base, the force transfer portion including:
a force transfer body having a plate-like shape perpendicular to the back surface of the middle wall portion, arranged between the sliding plate and the mounting base, and extending toward the mounting base, and
a fixing portion that connects the force transfer body to the first bridging portion and the second bridging portion.

9. The pillar garnish according to claim 4 , wherein the mounting base is a mounting base for holding a mounting fixture that is to be pushed into a mounting hole formed in the pillar.

10. The pillar garnish according to claim 9 , further comprising a force transfer portion for transferring a force applied to the middle wall portion to the mounting base, the force transfer portion including:
a force transfer body having a plate-like shape perpendicular to the back surface of the middle wall portion, arranged between the sliding plate and the mounting base, and extending toward the mounting base, and
a fixing portion that connects the force transfer body to the first bridging portion and the second bridging portion, wherein
an edge of the force transfer body opposite the back surface of the middle wall portion is opposed to the restricting portion with a gap therebetween.

11. The pillar garnish according to claim 10 , wherein
the portion of the sliding plate inserted in the space defined by the middle wall portion, the first sidewall portion, the second sidewall portion, the first bridging portion, the second bridging portion, and the mounting base is an upper end of the sliding plate, and
the upper end of the sliding plate is inserted in the gap when the upper end of the sliding plate is moved above a lower edge of the force transfer body.

12. The pillar garnish according to claim 8 , further comprising a reinforcement portion having a plate-like shape, arranged below the mounting base and the bridging portion, connected to the first sidewall portion, the second sidewall portion, the bridging portion, and the force transfer portion.

13. The pillar garnish according to claim 12 , wherein the reinforcement portion continues from the first bridging portion, the second bridging portion, and the force transfer body.

14. The pillar garnish according to claim 12 , wherein
the reinforcement portion includes a projecting portion and at least one contact portion,
the projecting portion is located at an edge of the reinforcement portion closer to the back surface of the middle wall portion and separated from the back surface of

Assignees

• Toyota Boshoku Kk

Inventors

• Ando Hiroshi

Classifications

• B60R22/201 Primary

  with the belt anchor connected to a slider movable in a vehicle-mounted track (for passive restraint systems B60R22/06) · CPC title

• B60R13/025

  Pillars; Roof rails · CPC title