Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door armrest assembly for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a door armrest assembly having a rigidity sufficient to support an arm of an occupant and preventing injury to the occupant, as at least a portion of the door armrest is separable from a trim panel in the event of a side impact.
Description of Related Art
A door of a vehicle is provided with a door armrest configured for supporting the arm of an occupant.
The door armrest is designed to have a rigidity sufficient to withstand a load applied by the occupant's arm. However, when the rigidity of the door armrest is excessive, the door armrest may strike a flank, abdomen, or the like, of the occupant in the event of a side impact, causing severe injury to the occupant.
Thus, the door armrest may be designed to be collapsible in the event of a side impact, absorbing impact energy and preventing injury to the occupant.
According to the conventional art, the door armrest has at least a groove or at least a through-hole, so the door armrest has been configured to be collapsible due to the groove or the through-hole in the event of a side impact, to absorb the impact energy.
However, the groove or the through-hole of the door armrest, according to the conventional art, may reduce the rigidity for supporting the occupant's arm under normal conditions.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds