Clip, curtain airbag mounting structure and pillar garnish mounting structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9592786-B2
Application number	US-201414895995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2014
Priority date	Jun 6, 2013
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

A clip includes a clip main body. The clip main body has a pair of locking pawls which are deformable in a direction in which they approach each other. The pair of the locking pawls have internal side faces opposed to each other. A projection/recess is provided on at least part of the internal side face of the pair of the locking pawls. A projection portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on one side is opposed to a recess portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the other side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clip comprising:
a clip main body, wherein
the clip main body includes a pair of locking pawls which are deformable in a direction in which they approach each other and a seating portion,
the pair of the locking pawls have internal side faces opposed to each other, shank portions which are connected to the seating portion and extend in a direction in which they leave the seating portion, pawl portions which are connected to the shank portions and extend in a direction in which they leave the seating portion, and protrusion portions including inclined face which inclined relative to a clip central axial line,
a projection/recess is provided on at least part of the internal side faces of the pair of the locking pawls, the projection/recess being a comb-like projection/recess that extends along the clip axial direction and has a plurality of projection portion and a plurality of recess portion, the projection/recess extending in the clip axial direction,
the projection/recess of the locking pawl on one side and the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the other side are shifted with respect to each other such that the projection portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the one side is opposed to the recess portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the other side and the recess portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the one side is opposed to the projection portion of the projection/recess of the locking pawl on the other side, and
the pair of the locking pawls falls down in a direction in which both of them approach each other, the projection portion of the locking pawl on one side is received by the recess portion of the locking pawl on the other side.

2. The clip according to claim 1 , wherein
the protrusion portions project in a direction in which they leave each other are formed on the pawl portions of the pair of the locking pawls.

3. The clip according to claim 2 , wherein
the protrusion portion is formed over an entire width or substantially entire width of the pawl portion of the locking pawls.

4. The clip according to claim 1 further comprising: a lock pin, wherein
the lock pin has side faces,
a space is provided between the internal side faces of the pair of the locking pawls and the lock pin can be inserted into the space, and wherein
when the lock pin is inserted into the space, a front end face of the projection portion on the internal side face of the pair of the locking pawls contacts the side face of the lock pin to inhibit the pair of the locking pawls from being deformed in a direction in which they approach each other.

5. The clip according to claim 4 , wherein
the projection/recess is formed on at least part of a shank portion and at least part of a pawl portion of the pair of the locking pawls, and wherein
the projection/recess having the projection portion which rushes in the recess portion formed in the shank portion of the locking pawl, when the lock pin is inserted into the space, is formed at a portion of the lock pin corresponding to the shank portion of the locking pawl.

6. The clip according to claim 4 , wherein
the lock pin has a pin pawl portion,
the clip main body has a temporary holding hole which receives the pin pawl portion into a wall of a lock pin insertion hole to hold the lock pin temporarily and a final holding hole which receives the pin pawl portion to hold the lock pin finally,
the final holding hole is provided on a deeper side of the lock pin insertion hole with respect to the temporary holding hole,
when the pin pawl portion engages with the temporary holding hole, the pair of the locking pawls are deformable in the direction in which they approach each other,
when the pin pawl portion engages with the final holding hole, the pair of the locking pawls are inhibited from being deformed in the direction in which they approach each other.

7. The clip according to claim 1 further comprising:
a lock pin that is inserted along a clip axial of the clip main body.

8. The clip according to claim 1 , wherein
the clip main body includes a seating portion and a shank portion which extend in a direction in which they leave the seating portion,
the pair of the locking pawls extend from a connecting portion with the shank portion to a seating portion side and terminate at a free end.

9. The clip according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the locking pawls projects in a direction in which it leaves a clip central axial line and includes an engaging portion which is capable of engaging with a peripheral portion of the clip mounting hole in a clip axial direction when the clip is mounted on the clip mounting hole and an engagement releasing portion which is provided at a front end of the locking pawl on a side near the seating portion and extends in the direction in which it leaves the clip central axial line.

10. The clip according to claim 9 , wherein
the projection/recess is formed on an opposing internal side faces of the engagement releasing portion provided on the locking pawl.

11. The clip according to claim 8 , wherein
the projection/recess is formed on both the internal side face of the locking pawl and the internal face of the shank portion from the front end of the locking pawl on a side near the seating portion up to a front end of the shank portion on a side far from the seating portion.

12. The clip according to claim 8 , wherein
the clip is a tether clip.

13. A pillar garnish mounting structure in which a pillar garnish is mounted on a body using the clip according to claim 12 .

14. A curtain airbag mounting structure in which a curtain airbag is mounted on a vehicle body using the clip according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamoto Kazuhito

Classifications

• B60R21/216

  comprising tether means for limitation of cover motion during deployment · CPC title

• B60R21/232

  Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge · CPC title

• B60R21/213 Primary

  in vehicle roof frames or pillars · CPC title

• F16B19/1081

  fastened by a drive-pin (F16B19/109 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R13/0206

  Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings (devices for fastening or securing F16B) · CPC title