HEADLINER FOR VEHICLE FOR REDUCING HEAD INJURY OF BACKSEAT OCCUPANT

Abstract

Since a rear edge of a headliner is set as a daylight opening (DLO) uppermost endpoint, a rear header point (RHP) is pushed backward from an existing position. Accordingly, since a space in which a jaw is rotatable when an occupant of a backseat collides with the headliner is secured, a Head Injury Criterion value is decreased such that a level of a head injury may be reduced. Particularly, when a distance between the DLO uppermost endpoint and the RHP is greater than or equal to 112 mm, the RHP is set a point 112 mm from the DLO uppermost endpoint, setting an angle between an XY-plane passing the DLO uppermost endpoint and the RHP to be present within a range of 0.5 to 10°, or setting a height difference in a Z-axis direction from the XY-plane as being in a range of 1 to 10 mm.

Claims

1. A headliner for a vehicle that is capable of reducing a head injury of an occupant of a backseat, wherein a proceeding direction of the vehicle is set as an X-axis direction, a width direction of the vehicle is set as a Y-axis direction, and a height direction of the vehicle is set as a Z-axis direction, wherein a hip point that is a reference point of the backseat is set as P28, an upper roof intersection point intersecting a divisional line dividing an upper roof in a headliner plane cut by an XZ-plane passing the hip point is set as PT17, a rear edge part of the headliner plane is set as PT18 which is a daylight opening uppermost endpoint, a central point of a length which connects the upper roof intersection point and the daylight opening uppermost endpoint PT18 in the headliner plane is set as a rear header point, and the rear header point is set as a point 112 mm from the daylight opening uppermost endpoint PT18 when a distance between the daylight opening uppermost endpoint PT18 and the rear header point is greater than or equal to 112 mm, and wherein an angle (θ) between an XY-plane passing the daylight uppermost endpoint PT18 and the rear header point is in a range of 0.5 to 10° or a height difference on the basis of the XY-plane is in a range of 1 to 10 mm in a Z-axis direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a headliner in a conventional method of setting a position of a rear header point RH′;

[0020] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional headliner rear part enlarged to illustrate positions of an upper roof (UR) intersection point, a daylight opening (DLO) uppermost endpoint PT18′, and the header point RH′;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional headliner which illustrates a movement direction of a dummy when the dummy applies a shock to the headliner;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a headliner in a method of setting a position of a rear header point RH according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a headliner rear part enlarged to illustrate positions of a UR intersection point, a DLO uppermost endpoint PT18, and the header point RH according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the headliner according to one embodiment of the present invention and which illustrates a movement direction of a dummy when the dummy applies a shock to the headliner; and

[0025] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating resultant changes in deceleration of changing in time of a conventional headliner to which a rear header point is applied (a comparative example) and the headliner to which a rear header point according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied (an embodiment).

[0026] FIG. 8 is a comparison of the result of deceleration according to a time change with respect to the headliner according to the present invention with an existing headliner for a vehicle (comparative example).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In advance, the terms used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to general or lexical meanings and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts coinciding with the technical concept of the present invention on the basis of a principle in which the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to describe the invention in the best manner

[0028] Accordingly, since the embodiment disclosed in the specification and components shown in the drawings are merely a most exemplary embodiment of the present invention and do not represent an entirety of the technical concept of the present invention, it should be understood that a variety of equivalents and modifications capable of substituting the embodiments and the components may be present at the time of filing of the present application.

[0029] (Components)

[0030] A headliner for a vehicle for reducing a head injury of a back-seat occupant according to one embodiment of the present invention is manufactured such that a daylight opening (DLO) uppermost endpoint PT18 is a part of a rear edge of the headliner, a rear header point RH set at a position in the middle between the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 and an upper roof (UR) intersectional point PT17 is located behind the headliner such that a space is provided in which an occupant's jaw is rotatable to reduce a head injury of the occupant when an occupant's head part collides with the headliner.

[0031] Particularly, when a distance from the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is greater than or equal to 112 mm, the rear header point RH is set at a point spaced 112 mm from the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 such that the rear header point RH may be prevented from moving in front of the headliner more than a certain degree and a space adequate for the jaw to be rotatable may be secured.

[0032] Also, since an angle θ formed between the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 and the rear header point RH on the basis of an XY-plane which passes the DLO uppermost endpoint is to be in a range of 0.5 to 10°, or a height difference H in a Z-axis direction is to be in a range of 1 to 10 mm, an adequate space may be provided between the occupant's head part and the headliner so as to minimize an injury occurring when the head collides with the headliner.

[0033] Hereinafter, the above components will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Here, prior to describing settings according to the present invention, XYZ-axes, a hip point SgRP, the UR intersection point PT17, the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18, and the rear header point RH will be defined with describing the settings.

[0034] A. XYZ-Axes

[0035] In XYZ-axes, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an X axis indicates a proceeding direction of a vehicle, a Y-axis indicates a width direction of the vehicle, and a Z-axis indicates a height direction of the vehicle. Also, it may be easily known to one of ordinary skill in the art that two axes among the axes may form one plane such as an XY-plane, an XZ-plane, and the like.

[0036] B. Hip Point SgRP

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a hip point SgRP P28 is a point corresponding to a hip point of a person when he or she takes a seat. The hip point is referred to as an “H” point or a “seating reference point” and has been defined in a test procedure (TP-201U-02) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 201U.

[0038] C. UR Intersection Point

[0039] The UR intersection point PT17 indicates an intersection point between the XZ-plane Xp and a divisional line A as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Here, the XZ-plane Xp refers to a plane formed of the X-axis and the Z-axis that passes through the hip point P28. Also, when a length of the headliner is D, the divisional line A is a line forming a section along a YZ-plane that passes a point moved behind the headliner by 0.35 D on the basis of a reference point M that is ½ D from both edges of the headliner. The divisional line A has been defined in the test condition procedure TP-201U-02 of FMVSS No. 201U.

[0040] That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the UR intersection point PT17 indicates an intersection point, which is a point moved from an edge of the headliner by the divisional line A, in a headliner plane P cut by the XZ-plane Xp.

[0041] D. DLO uppermost endpoint

[0042] According to the test condition procedure TP-201U-02 of FMVSS No. 201U, DLO means a point which comes into contact with the headliner plane P at a lowermost position when the XY-plane is moved in a Z-axis direction. The point may be one point or two or more points. When two or more points are present, the point means an innermost point.

[0043] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, according to the present invention, a point at a position having a lowest Z value among DLOs defined as described above is set as the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18, and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is to be located at a rear edge part of the headliner plane P.

[0044] E. Rear Header Point

[0045] The rear header point RH is set at a middle position in a length which connects the UR intersection point PT17 and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 along the above-described headliner plane P as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Here, a rear header is a material installed on a roof panel of the vehicle in a Y-axis direction and has a width cross section having an approximately upside-down right triangle shape to be installed such that an inclined plane faces an inside of the vehicle.

[0046] As described above, according to the present invention, since the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is set at the rear edge part of the headliner plane P, a distance between the UR intersection point PT17 and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 increases. Particularly, when the UR intersection point PT17 is fixed, the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is pushed backward such that the position of the rear header point RH is pushed backward behind the headliner by the same distance in comparison thereto. Consequently, the rear header point RH may be formed at a point of 600 nm from a hip point of a backseat to an X-axis distance B to be exempted from a test point or may be formed in a planar section of a rear header S to secure a jaw rotation space so as to reduce injuries of the occupant.

[0047] That is, in an existing headliner, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a setting position is fixed such that a UR intersection point PT17 is located at a predetermined distance (0.35 L) from a rear edge behind a reference point M of a headliner plane P. Also, a DLO uppermost endpoint PT18′ is set at a point moved inward from the rear edge of the headliner plane P. Accordingly, a length between the UR intersection point PT17 and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18′ is shorter than a length between the UR intersection point PT17 and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 according to the present invention in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0048] Consequently, the existing rear header point RH′ which is a middle position between the UP intersection point PT17 and the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18′ is closer to the UR intersection point PT17 in comparison to the position of the rear header point RH according to the present invention. Accordingly, in the existing headliner, as shown an arrow in FIG. 3, when a head part of an occupant sit in a backseat applies a shock to the headliner, the head part applies a shock to an inclined plane of a rear header S so as to be seriously injured. However, in the headliner according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear header point RH is formed in a lower planar section of the rear header S such that the jaw rotation space may be secured so as to reduce a level of an injury.

[0049] Meanwhile, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when a distance to the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 measured along the headliner plane P is 112 mm or more, a point 112 mm from the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 may be set as the rear header point RH. This is because when the measured distance is greater than or equal to 112 mm, the distance between the UR intersection point PT17 and the rear header point RH decreases such that it is impossible to secure an adequate space for the jaw to be rotatable when the occupant's head part tilts toward the headliner.

[0050] Also, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear header point RH may be set such that an angle θ formed by the XY-plane passing the above-described DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 and the rear header point RH is in a range of 0.5 to 10° or a height difference H between the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 and the rear header point RH is to be in a range of 1 to 10 mm This is to secure a space, in which the head part is movable simultaneously to allow the head part to be movable along the headliner plane P when a car accident occurs.

[0051] A result of measuring resultant deceleration according to a time change with respect to a comparison between a headliner for a vehicle (embodiment) in which a position of a DLO uppermost endpoint is moved to a rear edge part of a headliner plane according to the present invention with an existing headliner for a vehicle (comparative example) in which a DLO uppermost endpoint is not moved, is shown in the following FIGS. 7 and 8. In FIG. 7, a horizontal axis indicates time, a longitudinal axis indicates resultant acceleration, a dot-and-dash line indicates an embodiment, and a dotted line indicates a comparative example. A resultant acceleration graph herein is obtained according to FMVSS201U in which a head injury criterion (HIC(d)) is measured by measuring acceleration of launching a head-shaped dummy toward a headliner at a speed of 24 km/h.

[0052] As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in the comparative example, the dummy comes into close contact with the headliner and applies a shock from the initial stage and a stronger shock is applied to the headliner as time goes on toward the middle stage and the last stage. On the other hand, it may be seen that in the embodiment, since an adequate jaw rotation space is secured, the headliner is initially shocked and then the jaw rotates at the moment of coming into contact with a car body panel such that a level of injury decreases.

[0053] This may be easily seen through the graph of FIG. 7. That is, in the comparative example, it may be seen that a point in time when a body comes into contact is slightly delayed but body deformation and resultant acceleration rapidly increases when the jaw rotates and a point in time when the jaw stops rotating is also increased. On the other hand, in the embodiment, it may be seen that a point in time when a body comes into contact is slightly early but resultant acceleration is low and there is little change in resultant acceleration from the start of rotation of the jaw to the end of rotation of the jaw. As a result, it may be seen that the HIC(d) of the comparative example is 819.5 and satisfies ≤1,000 but the HIC(d) of the embodiment is 567.8 and lower than that of the comparative example.

[0054] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a headliner for a vehicle, which is capable of reducing a head injury of an occupant of a backseat, provides effects as follows.

[0055] 1. When a middle point between a UR intersection point PT17 and a DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is set as a rear header point RH, the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 is moved to a rear edge of the headliner instead of the UR intersection point PT17 which is a predetermined and unchangeable point such that the rear header point RH is moved to be behind the headliner and a space in which a jaw is rotatable when a head part collides with the headliner is secured so as to reduce a head injury.

[0056] 2. Here, since the headliner is manufactured such that the rear header point RH and an XY-plane passing the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 form a certain angle or have a height difference therebetween, the rear header point RH may be set at an intended position and the jaw may rotate in a certain jaw rotation space so as to reduce a head injury.

[0057] 3. Also, when a distance between the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 and the UR intersection point PT17 along a headliner plane P is greater than or equal to 112 mm, the rear header point RH is set as a point 112 mm from the DLO uppermost endpoint PT18 such that the rear header point RH may not be moved forward from the rear edge of the headliner by a distance greater than or equal to 112 mm so as to reduce a head injury.

[0058] 4. Also, when the rear header point RH is far greater than or equal to 600 mm from a point P28 which is a hip point SgRP of the backseat in an X-axis direction, the rear header point RH is exempted from being a test target.