DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to devices for occupant safety inside a vehicle, more specifically to instrument panels of the vehicles.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
One of the methods in enhancing occupant safety inside vehicles was to devise a collapsible steering column, which includes a telescopic arrangement of shafts. In cases when an external impact takes place from the front of the vehicle, the collapsible steering column absorbs the energy of impact by collapsing a section of a smaller diameter of the steering column into a section of a larger diameter. This safety feature increases the safety rating of the vehicles manufactured by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). However, customer demands have been on the rise for architectural as well as styling driven modifications. Such modifications include variation in packaging clearance, steering column angles and the like. But, these modifications have a tendency to limit the efficiency of the collapsible steering column which further reduces its reliability. Ultimately, occupant safety is compromised leading to increase in severity of injuries.
There is, therefore, felt a need for a collapsible instrument panel to be provided in a vehicle to overcome the aforementioned problems.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle for occupant safety.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle for occupant safety, which eliminates requirement of large spaces while meeting the safety standards. Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle for occupant safety, which is simple in construction.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle for occupant safety, which is allows for architectural as well as styling-driven modifications.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a collapsible instrument panel of a vehicle. The panel comprises a set of weakenings configured on the panel. The weakenings are configured to facilitate deformation of the panel when an impact force is applied thereon, thus absorbing energy of the impact and hence enhancing occupants’ safety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 shows a side view of a driver side cabin of prior art;
Figure 2 shows a side view of a driver side cabin, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 shows the front view of the lower section of the instrument panel of the Figure 2;
Figure 4 shows a front view of the right portion of the lower section of the instrument panel of Figure 2;
Figure 5 shows a sectional view along section A-A as shown in the Figure 3;
Figure 6 shows bottom view of the upper section of the instrument panel of the Figure 2;
Figure 7 shows a detail X as shown in the Figure 6;
Figure 8 shows a sectional view along section B-B as shown in the Figure 7;
Figure 9 shows a bottom view of the upper shroud;
Figure 10 shows a detail Y as shown in the Figure 9; and
Figure 11 shows a sectional view along section C-C as shown in the Figure 7.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100’ – cabin space of prior art
10’ – instrument panel of prior art
20’ – combination switch of prior art
30’ – ignition barrel of prior art
40’ – steering hub of prior art
100 – cabin space of the present disclosure
10 – instrument panel of the present disclosure
12 – lower section of the instrument panel
14 – upper section of the instrument panel
13, 16, 52 – weakenings
20 – combination switch of the present disclosure
30 – ignition barrel of the present disclosure
40 – steering hub of the present disclosure
50 – upper shroud
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, specific processes specific apparatus structures, and unique techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Figure 1 shows a side view of a typical driver side cabin 100’, in accordance with a prior art. The driver side cabin 100 houses an instrument panel 10’. A steering hub 40’ with its shaft not shown in figure is surrounded by the instrument panel 10’. On the instrument panel 10’, an ignition barrel 30’ and a combination switch 20’ is provided. This results in a compact design of the driver side cabin 100. However, this compact design leaves less clearance spaces between arranged components. As shown in the Figure 1, the clearance space between an edge of the instrument panel 10’ and the combination switch 20’ is reduced to a minimum. Similarly, the clearance space between another edge of the instrument panel 10’ and the ignition barrel 30’ is reduced significantly. In case of a frontal impact occurring on the vehicle, an insufficient clearance space results in reduced collapsing action of the steering column. As a consequence, the impact energy gets transferred onto the occupant and causes severe injuries to the occupant, instead of being absorbed by the instrument panel 10’. Moreover, variation in the inclination of the steering column also causes insufficient impact energy absorption leading to severe injuries. The present disclosure aims at solving these problems.
The present disclosure envisages a collapsible instrument panel 10 of a vehicle, described below with reference to Figures 2 through 11. Figure 2 shows a side view of the driver side cabin space 100 illustrating a combination switch 20, an ignition barrel 30 and a steering hub 40, with the collapsible instrument panel 10 hereinafter referred to as ‘the instrument panel 10’.
The panel 10 comprises a set of weakenings in the form of notches 13, 16, 52 configured on the panel 10. The notches 13, 16, 52 are configured to facilitate deformation of the panel 10 when an impact force is applied thereon.
At least one first notch 13 is configured on an operative lower section of the panel 10. Figures 3-5 show views of a lower section 12 of the instrument panel 10. As shown in the Figure 5, details of a section A-A of Figure 3 are shown. The lower section 12 of the instrument panel 10 has notches 13 defined. These first notches 13, as shown in Figure 5, facilitate deformation of the lower section 12 of the instrument panel 10 at desired locations, so as to allow impact energy absorption in an efficient manner, thus reducing the severity of occupant injuries.
In another embodiment, the thickness of the lower section 12 of the instrument panel 10 is varied along its dimensions to enhance impact energy absorption efficiently.
At least one second notch 16 is configured on an operative upper section of the panel 10, as shown in Figures 6-8. Figure 7 shows detail X of Figure 6. The second notches 16, as shown in Figure 8, have been provided to facilitate deformation of the upper section of the instrument panel 14 at desired locations, so as to allow impact energy absorption in an efficient manner, thus reducing the severity of occupant injuries.
At least one third notch 52 is configured on an upper shroud of the panel 10. Figures 9-11 show views of an upper shroud 50. Figure 10 shows detail Y of the Figure 9. The third notches 52, as shown in Figure 11, have been provided to facilitate deformation of the upper shroud 50 at desired locations, so as to allow impact energy absorption in an efficient manner, thus reducing the severity of occupant injuries.
In an embodiment, as shown in the Figure 2, a first clearance space and a second clearance space are provided between a first operative edge of the panel 10 and the ignition barrel 30 and between the first operative edge of the panel 10 and the combination switch 20 respectively. Providing the clearance spaces facilitate deformation of the panel 10 on application of the impact energy. As a result, the impact energy is efficiently absorbed by the instrument panel 10 of the vehicle, and hence the severity of possible injuries caused to the occupant is reduced significantly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a collapsible instrument panel in a vehicle for occupant safety that:
• is simple in construction;
• is efficient in absorption of impact energy; and
• offers storage space for articles.
The foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A collapsible instrument panel (10) of a vehicle, said panel (10) comprising a set of weakenings configured on said panel (10), said weakenings configured to facilitate deformation of said panel (10) when an impact force is applied thereon, thus absorbing energy of the impact and hence enhancing occupants’ safety.
2. The collapsible instrument panel (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said weakenings is provided in the form of notches (13, 16, 52).
3. The collapsible instrument panel (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one first notch (13) is configured on an operative lower section of said panel (10).
4. The collapsible instrument panel (10) as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one second notch (16) is configured on an operative upper section of said panel (10).
5. The panel (10) as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one third notch (52) is configured on an upper shroud of said panel (10).
6. The collapsible instrument panel (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first clearance space and a second clearance are provided between a first operative edge of said panel (10) and the ignition barrel (30) and between said first operative edge of said panel (10) and the combination switch (20) respectively, to facilitate deformation of said panel (10) on application of the impact energy.