JP2023031105A - Tether clip and pillar garnish mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tether clip and a pillar garnish mounting structure, in which a pair of stopper portions easily engage with a tether storage portion when a curtain airbag is inflated.SOLUTION: A tether clip includes: a base portion 32 that approaches a base wall 54A when an engagement holding portion 40 is separated from an insertion hole 54X toward a pillar side as a result that an anchor portion 30 of the tether clip 10 is connected to a leading-end composing portion 27 and a curtain airbag is inflated; a first stopper portion 34 a leading-end portion 34A of which is separated from a tether portion 20 and forms a curved shape when a basal-end portion is connected to a base portion and is free; and a second stopper portion 36 having such a linear shape that a leading-end portion 36A is separated from the tether portion when the basal-end portion is connected to the base portion and is free, and having its total length shorter than the first stopper portion. The shapes of the first stopper portion and the second stopper portion are set such that, when the basal portion approaches the bottom wall while the leading-end portion of the first stopper portion comes into contact with a connection wall 54C, the leasing-end portion of the second stopper portion does not enter a communication hole and comes into contact with the bottom wall.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a tether clip and pillar garnish attachment structure.

Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses a pillar garnish mounting structure in which a pillar of a vehicle and a pillar garnish attached to the pillar are connected by a tether clip. The pillar garnish has a garnish body for storing the folded curtain airbag and a tether storage section. The tether storage part has a bottom wall separated from the garnish body and formed with an insertion hole, and a connection wall connecting the garnish body and the bottom wall. The tether clip has an engagement holding portion fitted into the insertion hole, an elongated tether portion extending from the engagement holding portion, and an anchor portion provided at a tip forming portion of the tether portion. The anchor portion has a pair of retaining portions that are symmetrical with respect to the distal end forming portion of the tether portion.

When the engagement holding portion of the tether clip is separated from the insertion hole of the pillar garnish due to deployment of the curtain airbag, the pillar garnish moves along the tether clip toward the tip forming portion of the tether clip. Furthermore, a pair of retaining portions of the anchor portion of the tether clip engage with the bottom wall of the tether storage portion.

JP 2017-88081 A

When the pillar garnish of Patent Document 1 moves toward the tip structure portion of the tether clip, one retaining portion may engage with the tether storage portion, while the other retaining portion may enter the insertion hole of the tether storage portion. There is

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tether clip and pillar garnish attachment structure in which a pair of retaining portions can be easily engaged with a tether storage portion when the curtain airbag is deployed.

A tether clip according to claim 1 includes a garnish body that houses a curtain airbag in a folded state, a bottom wall separated from the garnish body and formed with an insertion hole, and connecting the garnish body and the bottom wall. A tether clip for connecting a pillar garnish having a tether housing portion having a connection wall and a pillar of a vehicle, wherein a fastening portion fastened to the pillar faces the bottom wall from the pillar side a seat portion that cannot pass through the insertion hole; an engagement holding portion that is provided on the seat portion and is fitted into the insertion hole; is connected to a long tether portion arranged in the tether storage portion, and a distal end configuration portion that is the end portion of the tether portion opposite to the fastening portion, and the engagement holding portion is connected to the insertion hole an anchor portion that separates from the bottom wall when fitted, the anchor portion is connected to the tip forming portion, and the engagement and holding portion moves from the insertion hole through the curtain airbag when the curtain airbag is deployed. The base is connected to the base that approaches the bottom wall when detached to the pillar side, and the base is connected to the base. and an elastically deformable second retaining portion having a base end portion connected to the base portion and having a linear shape in which the distal end portion is separated from the tether portion when in a free state, When the base portion approaches the bottom wall while the tip portion of the first retaining portion is in contact with the connection wall, the tip portion of the second retaining portion does not enter the insertion hole and contacts the bottom wall. The shapes of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are set so as to do so.

The engagement holding portion of the tether clip according to claim 1 detaches from the insertion hole of the bottom wall of the tether storage portion of the pillar garnish toward the pillar when the curtain airbag is deployed. As a result, the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the tether clip approach the bottom wall side. Since the first retaining portion has a curved shape in the free state, the tip portion of the first retaining portion easily comes into contact with the connection wall of the tether storage portion when the curtain airbag is deployed. When the base approaches the bottom wall while the tip of the first retaining portion is in contact with the connection wall of the tether housing portion, the tip of the second retaining portion contacts the bottom wall without entering the insertion hole. Therefore, when the curtain airbag deploys, the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the tether clip according to claim 1 are easily engaged with the tether storage portion.

Furthermore, since the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are elastically deformable, the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are less likely to be damaged when the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are engaged with the tether housing portion.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a tether clip according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the overall length of the second retaining portion is shorter than the overall length of the first retaining portion.

In the invention according to claim 2, the total length of the second retaining portion is shorter than the total length of the first retaining portion. It is difficult to interfere with

The tether clip according to the invention of claim 3 is the invention of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the insertion hole has a rectangular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the bottom wall, and the first Each of the retaining portion and the second retaining portion has a plate-like shape, and at least a portion of the first retaining portion and at least a portion of the second retaining portion have a dimension in the width direction that is equal to the lateral direction of the insertion hole. and when the base portion approaches the bottom wall without the tip portion of the first retaining portion contacting the connection wall, the anchor portion and the bottom wall are aligned in the thickness direction of the bottom wall. When viewed, the width direction of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion extends along the lateral direction of the insertion hole.

In the invention according to claim 3, when the curtain airbag is deployed, when the anchor portion and the bottom wall are viewed along the thickness direction of the bottom wall, the width direction of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion is It may be along the width direction of the insertion hole. When the base approaches the bottom wall while the width direction of the first retaining part and the second retaining part is along the width direction of the insertion hole, at least part of the first retaining part and at least part of the second retaining part engages the bottom wall; Therefore, in this case, there is little possibility that the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion will pass through the insertion hole of the bottom wall. Therefore, when the curtain airbag deploys, the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of the tether clip according to claim 3 are easily engaged with the tether storage portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a tether clip according to the third aspect, wherein the widthwise dimension of the base portion is larger than the widthwise dimension of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion. .

In the invention according to claim 4, when the curtain airbag is deployed, when the anchor portion and the bottom wall are viewed along the thickness direction of the bottom wall, the width direction of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion is It may be along the width direction of the insertion hole. When the base approaches the bottom wall while the width directions of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are aligned with the widthwise direction of the insertion hole, the base engages with the bottom wall. Therefore, when the curtain airbag deploys, it becomes more difficult for the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion to pass through the insertion hole of the bottom wall.

A pillar garnish mounting structure according to the invention of claim 5 includes a pillar of a vehicle, a garnish body for accommodating a folded curtain airbag, a bottom wall separated from the garnish body and having an insertion hole formed therein, and the and a pillar garnish having a tether housing portion having a connection wall that connects the garnish body and the bottom wall, and is connected by the tether clip according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

As described above, in the tether clip and pillar garnish mounting structure according to the present invention, when the curtain airbag is deployed, the pair of retaining parts are easily engaged with the tether storage part, so that the pillar garnish is separated from the tether clip. It has an excellent effect of being difficult.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction of the pillar garnish of the pillar garnish mounting structure according to the embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the upper end portion of the pillar garnish shown in FIG. 1 cut along the width direction of the pillar garnish; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an insertion hole formed in the bottom wall of the tether housing portion of the pillar garnish shown in FIG. 1; 1 is a perspective view of a tether clip according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the anchor portion of the tether clip shown in FIG. 4 cut; FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the anchor portion, the tether portion, and the tether storage portion when the pillar garnish moves away from the pillar and the tip portion of the first retaining portion comes into contact with the second side wall of the tether storage portion; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 when the pillar garnish has moved further away from the pillar from the position of FIG. 7; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 when the second retaining portion contacts the bottom surface of the bottom groove of the tether housing; 10 is a perspective view of the anchor portion, the tether portion and the tether storage portion in the state shown in FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the tether clip and the bottom wall, showing the dimensional relationship between the tip forming portion of the tether portion of the tether clip and the insertion hole of the bottom wall of the tether storage portion. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the anchor portion and the tether storage portion when the pillar garnish moves in a manner different from FIGS. 7 to 10; FIG. 13 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 12 of a modification of the invention;

A pillar garnish 50 and a pillar garnish mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The left and right front pillars 60 of the vehicle body and the pillar garnish mounting structure are symmetrical to each other. Therefore, in the following description, the left front pillar 60 and the pillar garnish mounting structure will be described.

An arrow 60L shown in FIG. 1 indicates the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 60, and an arrow Wd indicates the plate thickness direction of the pillar inner panel 62. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, FL indicates one side of the front pillar 60 in the longitudinal direction 60L. One end of the front pillar 60 is the front end (lower end) of the front pillar 60 . Further, IN indicates one side of the pillar inner panel 62 in the plate thickness direction Wd. The plate thickness direction Wd is substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the direction indicated by IN is substantially parallel to the direction from the pillar inner panel 82 toward the vehicle interior space (vehicle interior).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of left and right front pillars 60 are provided at the front of the vehicle having the tether clip 10 . Each front pillar 60 is a metal body frame member extending from the front end portion of the roof (not shown) of the vehicle body toward the front lower side of the vehicle.

The front pillar 60 includes a pillar inner panel 62 that constitutes its inner plate, and a pillar outer panel (not shown) that constitutes its outer plate. A clip attachment hole 62X is formed as a through hole in the pillar inner panel 62 .

Next, the tether clip 10 and the pillar garnish 50, which are components of the pillar garnish mounting structure, will be described.

A pillar garnish 50 that is an integrally molded product made of resin is provided on the interior side of the pillar inner panel 62 . The longitudinal direction of the pillar garnish 50 is parallel to the extending direction of the front pillar 60 . The pillar garnish 50 includes a pillar garnish main body 52 (hereinafter simply abbreviated as “garnish main body 52 ”) and a tether storage portion 54 . As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape of the garnish body 52 is substantially C-shaped.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hollow tether housing portion 54 is connected to the back surface (inner surface) of the upper end portion of the garnish body 52 . The tether storage portion 54 includes a bottom wall 54A, a first side wall 54B, a second side wall (connection wall) 54C and a third side wall 54D. The bottom wall 54A is separated from the back surface of the garnish body 52 toward the pillar inner panel 62 side. The bottom wall 54A is substantially parallel to the back surface of the garnish body 52. As shown in FIG. The first side wall 54B, the second side wall 54C and the third side wall 54D connect the bottom wall 54A and the back surface of the garnish body 52 . The first side wall 54B and the second side wall 54C face each other in the lateral direction of the pillar garnish 50 (horizontal direction in FIG. 2). The angle of inclination of the insertion hole 54X formed in the bottom wall 54A with respect to the axis 54XA is larger in the second side wall 54C than in the first side wall 54B. The front pillar 60 side ends of the first side wall 54B and the second side wall 54C are connected by a bottom wall 54A. The third side wall 54D connects the ends of the first side wall 54B and the second side wall 54C on the front lower side of the vehicle. An opening 54E is formed at the end of the tether storage portion 54 on the vehicle rear upper side (opposite side to FL).

An insertion hole 54X is formed as a through hole in the bottom wall 54A. As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion hole 54X has a rectangular shape when viewed in the plate thickness direction Wd of the pillar inner panel 62 (the thickness direction of the bottom wall 54A). Note that the shape of the insertion hole 54X when viewed in the plate thickness direction Wd may be substantially rectangular. This substantially rectangular shape is also included in the "rectangle" in the scope of claims. The longitudinal direction of the insertion hole 54X is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pillar garnish 50. As shown in FIG. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the insertion hole 54X is parallel to the arrow 60L in FIG. The longitudinal dimension of the insertion hole 54X is 54EL. The transverse direction of the insertion hole 54X is parallel to the width direction of the pillar garnish 50. As shown in FIG. The dimension of the insertion hole 54X in the transverse direction is 54SL, which is shorter than the dimension 54EL.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 to 10, on the inner surface of the bottom wall 54A, first ribs 54F and second ribs 54F are located on both sides of the insertion hole 54X in the short direction and extend along the longitudinal direction of the insertion hole 54X. Two ribs 54G are projected. The corner of the end of the second rib 54G on the side of the garnish body 52 on the side of the first side wall 54B is chamfered. That is, a guide surface 54Ga is formed at the corner of the second rib 54G. Further, on the inner surface of the bottom wall 54A, there are a bottom groove 54H positioned between the first rib 54F and the second side wall 54C and a bottom groove 54I positioned between the second rib 54G and the first side wall 54B. is provided. The bottom grooves 54H and the bottom grooves 54I extend in a direction parallel to the first ribs 54F and the second ribs 54G.

Next, the tether clip 10 will be explained. The tether clip 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is a member for attaching the pillar garnish 50 to the pillar inner panel 62. As shown in FIG.

The tether clip 10 is an integrally molded product made of resin. The elastically deformable tether clip 10 has a seat portion 12 , a clasp portion 14 , a tether portion 20 , an anchor portion 30 and an engaging retainer portion 40 .

A substantially rectangular flat seat portion 12 is provided at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction (extending direction) of the tether clip 10 . A first surface 12</b>A, which is one surface in the thickness direction of the seat portion 12 , is connected to the base ends of the pair of engagement holding portions 40 and the tether portion 20 . A fastening portion 14 is connected to a second surface 12B, which is the other surface of the seat portion 12 in the thickness direction.

The fastening portion 14 is a portion that is fastened to the pillar inner panel 62 . Note that the basic configuration of the fastening portion 14 is substantially the same as the known configuration disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-88081, for example, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, each engagement holding portion 40 has a pair of engagement projections 44A. The width 40W (see FIG. 4) of the base end side portion of each engagement holding portion 40 relative to the pair of engaging projections 44A of each engaging holding portion 40 when each engaging holding portion 40 is in the free state is the width of the insertion hole 54X in the lateral direction. It is substantially identical to dimension 54SL. The distance 44L between the tips of the pair of engaging protrusions 44A when each engaging holding portion 40 is in the free state is longer than the widthwise dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X. Each engagement holding portion 40 is elastically deformable in a direction in which the pair of engagement protrusions 44A approach and separate from each other.

A base end portion 22 of an elongated tether portion 20 is connected to a portion of the first surface 12</b>A of the seat portion 12 located between the pair of engagement holding portions 40 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the longitudinal direction L of the tether portion 20 in the free state is along the longitudinal direction of the pillar garnish 50 .

The tether portion 20 includes a proximal portion 22, a first curved portion 24 connected to the proximal portion 22, and an extension connected to the first curved portion 24 and substantially parallel to the seat portion 12 when in the free state. It has a portion 25 , a second bending portion 26 connected to the extension portion 25 , and a tip forming portion 27 connected to the second bending portion 26 . The length of the tether portion 20 is set according to the distance to separate the pillar garnish 50 from the pillar inner panel 62 when the curtain airbag 70 (see FIG. 2) described later is deployed.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the tip forming portion 27 that is linear in the free state has one end 27A connected to the second bending portion 26 and the other end 27B connected to the anchor portion 30 . A width 27W (see FIG. 5) of the tip forming portion 27 gradually increases from one end 27A toward the other end 27B. The width 27W of the one end 27A and the other end 27B is shorter than the longitudinal dimension 54EL of the insertion hole 54X. As shown in FIG. 11, the width 27W of the one end 27A is shorter than the width 54SL of the insertion hole 54X, and the width 27W of the other end 27B is longer than the width 54SL. Also, the thickness 27TH (see FIG. 5) of the tip forming portion 27 gradually decreases from the one end 27A toward the other end 27B. The thickness 27TH of the one end 27A and the other end 27B is shorter than the transverse dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X.

An anchor portion 30 is connected to the tip forming portion 27 of the tether portion 20 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, the anchor portion 30 includes a base portion 32, a first retaining portion 34 having a base end (one end) connected to the base portion 32, and a base portion 34 connected to the base portion 32. and a second retaining portion 36 to which an end (one end) is connected. The base portion 32 connected to the tip forming portion 27 extends in a direction parallel to the width 27W direction of the tip forming portion 27 . A dimension 32L (see FIG. 5) in the extension direction of the base portion 32 is the same as the width 27W of the other end 27B of the tip forming portion 27. As shown in FIG.

The first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are plate-shaped. As shown in FIG. 1, the first retaining portion 34 extends from the base portion 32 in the thickness 27TH direction of the tip constituent portion 27 when viewed from the width 27W direction of the tip constituent portion 27 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1). located on one side of The second retaining portion 36 of the anchor portion 30 is located on the other side of the base portion 32 in the thickness 27 TH direction when viewed from the width direction of the tip forming portion 27 . As shown in FIG. 6, the first retaining portion 34 is curved in the free state. The distance in the thickness 27TH direction of the tip constituent portion 27 between the first retaining portion 34 and the tip constituent portion 27 gradually increases from the base end side of the first retaining portion 34 toward the tip portion 34A. A portion between the intermediate constituent portion 34B and the tip portion 34A, which is a portion between the base end portion and the tip portion 34A of the first retaining portion 34, is substantially parallel to the thickness 27TH direction of the tip constituent portion 27. As shown in FIG. The width (the dimension in the width direction) 34L of the first retaining portion 34 is constant over the entire length. The width 34L of the first retaining portion 34 is the same as the longitudinal dimension 32L of the base portion 32 . The second retainer 36 has a linear shape in the free state. The distance in the thickness 27TH direction of the tip constituent portion 27 between the second retaining portion 36 and the tip constituent portion 27 gradually increases from the base end side of the second retaining portion 36 toward the tip portion 36A. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the anchor portion 30 in the free state is viewed (in the direction orthogonal to FIG. 6 (paper surface)), the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are the tip forming portion 27. is asymmetrical about the centerline 27CL of the . The width (the dimension in the width direction) 36L of the second retaining portion 36 is constant over the entire length. The width 36L of the second retaining portion 36 is the same as the longitudinal dimension 32L of the base portion 32 . The longitudinal dimension 32L and the widths 34L, 36L are shorter than the longitudinal dimension 54EL of the insertion hole 54X of the tether housing portion 54 and longer than the lateral dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X (see FIG. 3). Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the total length 34LT, which is the distance along the first retaining portion 34 between the base end portion of the first retaining portion 34 in the free state and the distal end portion 34A, is equal to the second retaining portion in the free state. It is longer than the total length 36LT, which is the distance along the second retaining portion 36 between the proximal end portion of 36 and the distal end portion 36A.

The tether clip 10 configured as described above is attached to the pillar garnish 50 separated from the pillar inner panel 62 . Specifically, the anchor portion 30 elastically deformed in the direction in which the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 approach the tip forming portion 27 is inserted into the insertion hole 54X of the tether housing portion 54 from the front pillar 60 side. insert. After the anchor portion 30 passes through the insertion hole 54X and is positioned inside the tether housing portion 54, the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are returned to the free state. Further, the tether clip 10 is relatively moved (rotated by 90°) with respect to the tether storage portion 54, and as shown in FIG. insert. When each engagement projection 44A provided in each engagement holding portion 40 moves in the insertion hole 54X in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 54A, the engagement projection 44A is pushed by the inner surface of the insertion hole 54X to engage the pair. The holding portion 40 is elastically deformed. When each engaging projection 44A passes through the insertion hole 54X, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of engaging holding portions 40 return to the free state, and the pair of engaging projections of each engaging holding portion 40 return to the free state. A portion on the proximal side of 44A is fitted into the insertion hole 54X. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the first surface 12A of the seat portion 12 contacts the outer surface of the tether housing portion 54, and the engagement protrusions 44A of the engagement holding portions 40 are located on the seat portion 12 side. contacts the inner surface of the tether housing portion 54 (the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G). At this time, as shown in FIG. 1 , most of the anchor portion 30 and the tip forming portion 27 of the tether portion 20 pass through the opening 54E and are positioned outside the tether storage portion 54 . In this way, the pillar garnish 50 and the tether clip 10 separated from the pillar inner panel 62 are integrated.

Subsequently, the fastening portion 14 of the tether clip 10 is press-fitted into the clip attachment hole 62X of the pillar inner panel 62 . Thereby, the pillar garnish 50 is attached to the front pillar 60 via the tether clip 10 . A longitudinal intermediate portion of the garnish body 52 is fastened to the pillar inner panel 62 by a clip (not shown) different from the tether clip 10 . A lower end portion of the garnish body 52 is inserted into an insertion hole formed in an outer end portion of an instrument panel (not shown) in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, in a front space S1 formed between the front portion 52A of the garnish main body 52 and the pillar inner panel 62, wiring items 72 such as a wire harness and a drain hose are routed. . A curtain airbag 70 in a folded state is accommodated in a rear space S2 formed between the rear portion 52C of the pillar garnish main body 52 and the pillar inner panel 62. As shown in FIG. The deployment direction of the curtain airbag 70 is the vehicle rear lower side and the vehicle interior side.

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

Next, the action and effect when the pillar garnish 50 is attached to the front pillar 60 of the vehicle using the tether clip 10 will be described.

When the curtain airbag 70 shown in FIG. 2 is deployed during a side collision or rollover, the pillar garnish 50 tends to move away from the front pillar 60 due to the deployment pressure of the curtain airbag 70 . Then, the insertion hole 54X of the pillar garnish 50 is disengaged from the engagement holding portion 40 of the tether clip 10, and the pillar garnish 50 moves away from the front pillar 60. As shown in FIG. Further, the tether portion 20 moves relative to the insertion hole 54X of the pillar garnish 50, and the anchor portion 30 approaches the bottom wall 54A of the tether storage portion 54.

At this time, due to the structures of the tether clip 10 and the pillar garnish 50, it is highly likely that the anchor 30 will approach the bottom wall 54A of the tether housing 54 while the pillar garnish 50 rotates relative to the tether 20. . More specifically, when the anchor portion 30 approaches the bottom wall 54A when the curtain airbag 70 is deployed, the position of the pillar garnish 50 (the insertion hole 54X) and the anchor portion 30 in the rotational direction centering on the tether portion 20 becomes There is a high possibility that it will change by approximately 90°. That is, when viewing the anchor portion 30 and the bottom wall 54A approaching each other along the longitudinal direction of the tether portion 20, the widths 34L and 36L directions of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 and the direction of the insertion hole 54X There is a high possibility that the short directions are substantially orthogonal to each other (see FIG. 7). By the way, the first retaining portion 34 has a curved shape, and the portion between the intermediate constituent portion 34B and the tip portion 34A of the first retaining portion 34 is substantially parallel to the thickness 27TH direction of the tip constituent portion 27 . Therefore, in this case, there is a high possibility that the tip portion 34A of the first retaining portion 34 of the tether clip 10 will come into contact with a portion of the inner surface (the portion 54Ea) of the second side wall 54C.

By the way, the phantom line in FIG. 6 indicates a comparative example of the first retaining portion 34 . The first retaining portion 34 of this comparative example has a linear shape with an overall length larger than that of the second retaining portion 36 in the free state. In this comparative example, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 8, when the anchor portion 30 approaches the bottom wall 54A side from the position shown in FIG. may collide with the bottom surface of the bottom groove 54H without contacting the inner surface of the bottom groove 54H. In this case, since a large force along the extension direction of the first retaining portion 34 is applied from the bottom surface of the bottom groove 54H to the tip portion 34A, the first retaining portion 34 may buckle (break). On the other hand, when the tip portion 34A of the curved first retaining portion 34 contacts the second side wall 54C (the portion 54Ea), the first retaining portion 34 is elastically deformed in the curving direction. There is little possibility that the retaining portion 34 will be damaged.

After the tip portion 34A contacts the portion 54Ea, the anchor portion 30 further approaches the bottom wall 54A along the arrow DA direction in FIG. Then, when the tip portion 34A moves along the inner surface of the second side wall 54C to the position shown in FIG. are also located on the second rib 54G side.

When the tip portion 34A moves along the inner surface of the second side wall 54C to the position shown in FIG. 9, the intermediate constituent portion 34B of the first retaining portion 34 comes into contact with the first rib 54F. When the tip portion 34A contacts the inner surface of the second side wall 54C and the intermediate component portion 34B contacts the first rib 54F, the tip portion 36A is located closer to the first side wall 54B than the second rib 54G.

Furthermore, when the distal end portion 34A contacts the third side wall 54D, there is a high possibility that the tether housing portion 54 rotates relative to the anchor portion 30 in the RD direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. That is, there is a high possibility that the second side wall 54C will push the first retaining portion 34 (anchor portion 30) in the RD direction while rotating relative to the anchor portion 30 in the RD direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the second retaining portion 36 moves toward the bottom groove 54I while being guided by the guide surface 54Ga of the second rib 54G, and the tip portion 36A of the second retaining portion 36 moves toward the bottom groove 54I. contact the bottom surface of the

Also, when the curtain airbag 70 is deployed, the pillar garnish 50 may not rotate relative to the tether portion 20 and the anchor portion 30 may approach the bottom wall 54A of the tether storage portion 54 . That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the anchor portion 30 is positioned in the tether storage portion 54 in such a manner that the width direction of the first retaining portion 34 (and the second retaining portion 36) and the lateral direction of the insertion hole 54X are substantially parallel. may approach the bottom wall 54A of the . In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, when the anchor portion 30 and the bottom wall 54A are viewed along the longitudinal direction of the tether portion 20, the width direction of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 is inserted. It may extend along the width direction of the hole 54X. That is, when the anchor portion 30 and the bottom wall 54A are viewed along the longitudinal direction of the tether portion 20, the width directions of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are parallel to the lateral direction of the insertion hole 54X. Alternatively, the width direction of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 may be slightly inclined with respect to the lateral direction of the insertion hole 54X. By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the widths 34L and 36L of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are longer than the lateral dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X of the tether housing portion 54. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, as shown in FIG. 12, a portion of the first retaining portion 34 and a portion of the second retaining portion 36 contact the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G. Therefore, in this case, at least one of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 is less likely to enter the insertion hole 54X of the tether housing portion 54 . That is, in this case as well, there is a high possibility that the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 will not enter the insertion hole 54X and will engage with the inner surface (first rib 54F, second rib 54G) of the tether housing portion 54 .

In this way, both when the pillar garnish 50 rotates relative to the tether portion 20 and when it does not rotate relative to the tether portion 20, the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 do not enter the insertion hole 54X and the tether housing portion 54 is moved. likely to engage the inner surface of the When the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are engaged with the inner surface of the tether storage portion 54 in this way, only one of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 is engaged with the inner surface of the tether storage portion 54 . Since the force applied from the tether storage portion 54 to the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 is smaller than when they are engaged, the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are less likely to break. Therefore, the pillar garnish 50 is difficult to separate from the tether clip 10 when the curtain airbag 70 is deployed.

Furthermore, when the anchor part 30 is engaged with the tether housing part 54 in the manner shown in FIGS. Therefore, there is little possibility that the first retaining portion 34 will be damaged due to contact with the tether housing portion 54 . Furthermore, by elastically deforming the first retaining portion 34 in this manner, the shock generated in the anchor portion 30 due to the collision between the anchor portion 30 and the tether housing portion 54 is absorbed, so that the tip portion 36A comes into contact with the bottom groove 54I. There is little possibility that the second retaining portion 36 will be damaged when it is removed. 12, when the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 come into contact with the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G, the second The first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are elastically deformed. Therefore, when the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 come into contact with the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G, the second retaining portion 36 is less likely to be damaged.

Furthermore, when the anchor portion 30 approaches the bottom wall 54A of the tether housing portion 54 in the manner shown in FIG. The insertion hole 54X is widened in the width direction by the intermediate portion 27M whose width 27W is larger than the dimension 54SL in the width direction of the insertion hole 54X. That is, the widthwise dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X changes to a dimension 54SLE that is slightly larger than the widthwise dimension 54SL of the insertion hole 54X. As the intermediate portion 27M of the tip forming portion 27 widens the insertion hole 54X in this manner, the moving speed of the anchor portion 30 when the anchor portion 30 approaches the bottom wall 54A is reduced. Therefore, when a portion of the first retaining portion 34 and a portion of the second retaining portion 36 contact the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G, the first retaining portion 34 is moved from the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G to the first retaining portion 34 and the second rib 54G. Also, a large force is less likely to be applied to the second retaining portion 36 . Therefore, when the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 come into contact with the first rib 54F and the second rib 54G, the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 are less likely to be damaged.

Furthermore, the upper end of the pillar garnish 50 (the right end of the pillar garnish 50 in FIG. 1) is connected to the front end of the roof (not shown) of the vehicle body. Therefore, as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. 1, if the second retaining portion 36 is formed in a shape symmetrical to the first retaining portion 34 with respect to the center line 27CL, in the state before the curtain airbag 70 is deployed, The tip of the second retaining portion 36 interferes with the tip of the roof. On the other hand, the second retaining portion 36 of the tether clip 10 of the present embodiment is formed in a linear shape with a total length 36LT shorter than the total length 34LT of the first retaining portion 34 . Therefore, as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1, the front end portion 36A of the second retaining portion 36 does not interfere with the front end of the roof before the curtain airbag 70 is deployed.

Although the tether clip 10 and the pillar garnish mounting structure according to the embodiment have been described above, the design of the tether clip 10 and the pillar garnish mounting structure can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the present invention may be implemented in the mode shown in FIG. The extension direction dimension 32LA of the base portion 32A of the anchor portion 30 of this modification is longer than the extension direction dimension 32L of the base portion 32 of the above embodiment. Both end portions of the base portion 32A are positioned laterally from both side edge portions of the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 . When the anchor portion 30 of this modified example engages with the tether housing portion 54 in the same manner as in FIG. 12, both ends of the base portion 32A are positioned laterally from the insertion hole 54X as shown in FIG. Therefore, the possibility that the first retaining portion 34 and the second retaining portion 36 enter the insertion hole 54X when the anchor portion 30 of this modified example engages with the tether housing portion 54 is different from that of the first retaining portion 34 and It is less likely that the second retaining portion 36 will enter the insertion hole 54X.

The total length of the second retaining portion 36 may be equal to or greater than the total length of the first retaining portion 34 .

The first rib 54</b>F and the second rib 54</b>G may be omitted from the tether housing portion 54 .

The pillar garnish 50 of the above embodiment is a front pillar garnish. However, the present invention may be applied to pillars other than front pillars and pillar garnishes attached thereto. For example, the present invention may be applied to rear pillars and rear pillar garnishes.

10 tether clip 12 seat portion 14 fastening portion 20 tether portion 27 tip structure portion 30 anchor portion 32 base portion 34 first retaining portion 34A tip portion 36 second retaining portion 36A tip portion 40 engagement holding portion 50 pillar garnish 52 pillar garnish main body 54 Tether storage portion 54A Bottom wall 54C Second side wall (connection wall)
54X Insertion hole 60 Pillar

Claims (5)

A garnish body for storing a folded curtain airbag, a tether storage section having a bottom wall separated from the garnish body and formed with an insertion hole, and a connection wall connecting the garnish body and the bottom wall. A tether clip connecting a pillar garnish and a pillar of a vehicle,
a fastening portion fastened to the pillar;
a seat facing the bottom wall from the pillar side and not penetrable through the insertion hole;
an engagement holding portion provided on the seat portion and fitted into the insertion hole;
an elongated tether portion extending from the seat portion in a direction penetrating the insertion hole and having at least a portion thereof disposed within the tether housing portion;
an anchor portion that is connected to a tip forming portion that is an end portion of the tether portion opposite to the fastening portion and is separated from the bottom wall when the engagement holding portion is fitted into the insertion hole;
with
The anchor portion
a base connected to the tip structure portion and approaching the bottom wall when the engagement holding portion is disengaged from the insertion hole toward the pillar by deployment of the curtain airbag;
an elastically deformable first retaining portion having a proximal end connected to the base and having a distal end separated from the tether and forming a curved shape when in a free state;
an elastically deformable second retaining part having a base end connected to the base and having a linear shape in which the tip is separated from the tether when in a free state;
with
When the base portion approaches the bottom wall while the tip portion of the first retaining portion is in contact with the connection wall, the tip portion of the second retaining portion does not enter the insertion hole and does not contact the bottom wall. A tether clip in which the shapes of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion are set so as to be in contact with each other. 2. The tether clip according to claim 1, wherein the total length of said second retaining portion is shorter than the total length of said first retaining portion. The through hole has a rectangular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the bottom wall,
Both the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion have a plate-like shape,
at least a portion of the first retaining portion and at least a portion of the second retaining portion have a widthwise dimension larger than a widthwise dimension of the insertion hole,
When the base portion approaches the bottom wall without the tip portion of the first retaining portion contacting the connection wall, when the anchor portion and the bottom wall are viewed in the thickness direction of the bottom wall, 3. The tether clip according to claim 1, wherein the width direction of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion extends along the lateral direction of the insertion hole. 4. The tether clip according to claim 3, wherein the widthwise dimension of the base portion is larger than the widthwise dimension of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion. a vehicle pillar;
A garnish body for storing a folded curtain airbag, a tether storage section having a bottom wall separated from the garnish body and formed with an insertion hole, and a connection wall connecting the garnish body and the bottom wall. pillar garnish;
are connected by the tether clip according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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