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US 9,022,450 B1Granted
Vehicle instrument panel assembly
AssigneeNissan North America, Inc.
InventorsMichael Eberlein, Aaron Andersen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a center stack assembly that has a main trim surface and an attachment surface with a peripheral edge surrounding the main trim surface. The peripheral edge includes a lower first side portion and a lower second side portion laterally opposite the lower first side portion. A first side trim surface extends from the lower first side portion of the peripheral edge and a second side trim surface extends from the lower second side portion of the peripheral edge. The first side trim surface and the second side trim surface are inclined toward one another such that the first side trim surface and the second side trim surface converge toward one another in a direction moving away from the main portion in a vehicle longitudinal direction.
Claims19
A vehicle instrument panel assembly comprising:
- a center stack assembly having a main portion that includes a main trim surface and an attachment surface on an opposite side of the main portion from the main trim surface with a peripheral edge surrounding the main trim surface, the peripheral edge including an upper portion, a bottom portion, a lower first side portion, an upper first side portion, a lower second side portion laterally opposite the lower first side portion and an upper second side portion laterally opposite the upper first side portion,
- the center stack assembly further including a first side trim surface and a second side trim surface opposite the first side trim surface, the first side trim surface and the second side trim surface being located on a side of the main portion defining the attachment surface, the first side trim surface intersecting the main portion along the lower first side portion of the peripheral edge, and the second side trim surface intersecting the main trim surface along the lower second side portion of the peripheral edge, the first side trim surface having a first section and a second section that is inclined relative to the first section, the second side trim surface having a third section and a fourth section that is inclined relative to the third section, the first section of the first side trim surface and the third section of the second side trim surface diverging away from one another in a direction moving away from the attachment surface of the main portion in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the second section of the first side trim surface and the fourth section of the second side trim surface being inclined toward one another such that the second section of the first side trim surface and the fourth section of the second side trim surface converge toward one another in the direction moving away from the attachment surface of the main portion and away from the first section and the third section, respectively, in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
A vehicle instrument panel assembly comprising:
- an instrument panel main body installed within a passenger compartment of a vehicle and having a dash wall facing surface, a trim surface exposed within the passenger compartment opposite the dash wall facing surface and a center stack supporting section, the trim surface including a central opening that coincides with at least part of the center stack supporting section;
- and
- a center stack assembly installed to the center stack supporting section and having a main trim surface with a peripheral edge surrounding the main trim surface, the peripheral edge including an upper portion, a bottom portion, a lower first side portion, an upper first side portion, a lower second side portion laterally opposite the lower first side portion and an upper second side portion laterally opposite the upper first side portion, the bottom portion of the peripheral edge being located rearward of the trim surface of the instrument panel main body in a vehicle longitudinal direction by a predetermined distance,
- the center stack assembly also including a first side trim surface that extends from the lower first side portion to the trim surface of the instrument panel main body and a second side trim surface that extends from the lower second side portion of the main trim surface to the trim surface of the instrument panel main body, the main trim surface having a first width measured proximate the bottom portion of the peripheral edge from the lower first side portion to the lower side second portion in a vehicle lateral direction, and
- a second width is measured at a level corresponding to the first width from a forward end of the lower first side portion to a forward end the lower side second portion, the first width being greater than the second width such that a section of the first side trim surface and an adjacent portion of the trim surface of the instrument panel main body define a first recessed area, a section of the second side trim surface and an adjacent portion of the trim surface of the instrument panel main body define a second recessed area, the first recessed area and the second recessed area being exposed within the passenger compartment rearward of the trim surface of the instrument panel main body, and the first recessed area and the second recessed area are hidden from view by the main trim surface of the center stack assembly as viewed from an area rearward of the center stack assembly along a line normal to a plane defined by the main trim surface of the center stack assembly.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.