JP2000006842A - Drain structure of cowl of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a function as a vent hole, to prevent lowering of performance of an air conditioner due to snow which is apt to occur in winter and to prevent freezing due to snowmelt water. SOLUTION: A drain structure of a cowl is furnished with holes drilled on end parts in the cross direction of the cowl extending in the cross direction of a car body and a protector 36 installed on these holes. The protector 36 is constituted of two side walls 38, 39 positioned with an interval in the cross direction of the car body, a front wall which is the front wall 40 integrated with these two side walls and curved so that fluid hitting this front wall from the front flows downward along the front wall and a rear wall 41 integrated with the two side walls, and a passage 42 of fluid is demarcated by the four walls.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for draining a cowl, particularly a cowl extending in a width direction of a car.
It is particularly preferable that this drainage structure is provided in an automobile that travels in an area where there is snowfall or snow in winter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cowl 10 of a passenger car is schematically shown in FIGS.
1 has air vents 12 and 13, so that the air passing through the lower end 14 of the bumper while the vehicle is running flows as indicated by the arrow 15 and passes through the vents 12 and 13 to reach the air conditioner 11. . When the vehicle travels in winter during snowfall or snowfall, snow enters the air conditioner 11 through the ventilation holes 12 and 13 together with air.

[0003] On the other hand, when the snow on the automobile is melted, as shown in FIG. 8, the snowmelt water 16 flows through the cowl 10, reaches the end of the cowl 10, and falls from the drain hole 17 at the end. At this time, the snowmelt water directly hangs on the hinge 19 of the door as indicated by 18 or falls on the ground as indicated by 20. As shown in FIG. 9, the snowmelt water 16 also flows through the cowl 10, reaches the apron upper 21, and falls through the holes 22 and 23 formed in the apron upper 21. It hangs on the hinge 19 of the door or falls on the ground like 25.

[0004]

When snow enters the air conditioner, the performance of the air conditioner deteriorates. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the hinge freezes when the snowmelt water is directly applied to the hinge, or the snowmelt water that has fallen to the ground grows as an icicle and the hinge freezes when it reaches the hinge.

[0005] By forming a throttle lower portion on the cowl, attaching a drain duct opening to the lower portion of the throttle to the cowl, and disposing the drain duct away from the hinge (see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-101).
No. 81) Although the above problem can be solved, this cannot provide a function as a vent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a drainage structure for a cowl of an automobile, which functions as a ventilation hole, prevents the performance of the air conditioner from deteriorating due to snow that tends to occur in winter, and prevents freezing due to snow-melting water. provide.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a drainage structure for a cowl of a motor vehicle, wherein the cowl extends in the width direction of the vehicle body at each end of the cowl in the width direction, and a protector attached to the hole is provided. And The protector comprises two side walls spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle body, a front wall integrated with the two side walls, and a rear wall integrated with the two side walls. The walls define a fluid passage.

In one aspect of the present invention, the front wall is curved so that a fluid hitting the front wall from the front flows downward along the front wall. In another invention, the two side walls are:
The side wall located on the outer side in the width direction is formed so as to contact the apron panel of the vehicle body at the upper end and the lower end is separated from the apron panel inward in the width direction. In still another invention, the passage is formed so that fluid entering from above the protector flows out below the rear wall.

[0009]

According to the invention in which the front wall of the protector is curved, the fluid that has passed through the lower end of the bumper hits the front wall during traveling, and part of the snow and air of the fluid flows downward along the front wall. . This can prevent snow from entering the air conditioner from the cowl. On the other hand, since the air in the fluid has less inertia than snow, a part of the air enters the cowl through the passage of the protector and reaches the air conditioner.

[0010] According to the invention in which one of the two side walls of the protector has a special shape, it is possible to cause the snowmelt water when the snow on the car melts to drop to a location away from the apron panel. This can prevent freezing of the hinge due to snowmelt water directly hitting the door hinge or icicles growing on the ground reaching the hinge.

According to the invention having the passage of a special form, the passage can be easily made to have a funnel function, and drainage can be improved. Thus, it is possible to prevent the water accumulated in the cowl from overflowing or to prevent the water from flowing back into the cowl when the air conditioner is operated during rainfall.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are cross-sectional views, and FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically show the operation. Referring to FIG. 6 showing a perspective view of the vehicle body, a hole 34 formed at each end 33 in the width direction of the cowl 32 extending in the width direction W of the vehicle body 30, and a protector 36 attached to the hole 34. Is provided. The cowl 32 has a known structure.

The protector 36 includes two side walls 38 and 39 spaced from each other in the width direction W of the vehicle body, a front wall 40 integrated with the two side walls 38 and 39, and two side walls 3 and 3.
A fluid wall 42 is defined by the four walls 38, 39, 40, 41, comprising a rear wall 41 integral with the rear walls 41. The protector 36 has a shape described later, and can be made by injection molding a hard resin such as polypropylene. At the time of injection molding, the protectors disposed at the left and right ends of the cowl 32 are formed symmetrically with respect to a vertical virtual plane including a center line extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The protector 36 shown in FIG. 1 is for the right end.

In the illustrated embodiment, a flange 44 is integrally provided at a distance below the upper end 43 of the side wall 38 located outward in the width direction W of the vehicle body. The flange 44 extends substantially horizontally inward in the width direction W.
The front wall 40, the side wall 39, and the rear wall 41 are integrated with the flange below the flange 44, and the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 are integrated with the portion of the side wall 38 located below the flange 44. It is one. As a result, the side wall 38 projects upward from the flange 44, and the front wall 40, the side wall 39, and the rear wall 41 have a form in which the flange 44 is provided at the upper end.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front wall 40 is curved so that the fluid hitting the front wall flows downward along the front wall 40 from the front. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the front wall 40 has an upper portion 45 that is convexly slanted downward.
And a lower part 46 which is convex toward the upper side. Due to this shape of the upper part 45 and the lower part 46 and the shape in which the rear wall 41 is located almost vertically, the passage 42
Is formed from the upstream side to the downstream side, that is, a funnel-shaped passage is formed. Thereby, a large amount of water can be quickly discharged.

As shown in FIG. 3, one of the two side walls 38, 39, which is located outside in the width direction W, contacts the apron panel 50 of the vehicle body at the upper end 43.
Further, the lower end portion 47 is formed so as to be inclined so as to be separated from the apron panel 50 inward in the width direction W. As a result, the water flowing along the apron panel 50 can be separated from the apron panel 50.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the passage 42 is formed so that fluid entering from above the protector 36 flows out below the rear wall 41. That is, the front wall 4
0 extends rearward, and the lower end 48 is the lower end 4 of the rear wall 41.
9 is located immediately below. Thereby, the passage 42
Can be easily reduced from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the passage resistance is reduced because the passage 42 is bent and opened at a substantially right angle. this is,
This is preferable for quickly discharging a large amount of water.

A protector 36 is attached to the hole 34 and fixed as appropriate. This fixing can be performed by placing the flange 44 on the periphery of the hole 34 and friction between the four walls 38, 39, 40, 41 and the surface of the hole 34. Further, the protector can be bonded with an adhesive or a double-sided tape.

The fluid containing snow that has passed through the lower end 14 of the bumper while the vehicle is traveling at a speed of, for example, 60 km / h is indicated by an arrow 5 in FIG.
Proceed as 2 and reach the suspension tower 54.
The fluid that has exited the suspension tower 54 is the protector 3
6, the direction is changed by hitting the front wall 40, and flows downward along the front wall 40 as indicated by 56. However, a part of the air in the fluid enters the cowl 32 through the passage 42 and reaches the air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rainwater during rainfall and the melted snowmelt 60 that has melted on the automobile flows out of the front shield glass 58 to the cowl 32 and falls through the passage 42 of the protector 36. Side wall 38 of protector 36
Because the upper end of is in contact with the cowl panel 50,
Water can be prevented from flowing down along the cowl panel 50. Further, since the lower end of the side wall 38 is inclined away from the cowl panel 50, the passage 42
The water falling from the vehicle falls on the fender panel 62 and is forcibly sent inward in the width direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, the snowmelt does not fall directly on the hinge 64 of the door, nor does the icicle grow and reach the hinge 64, so that the hinge 64 can be prevented from freezing.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a large amount of water accumulated in the cowl 32 flows in a vortex in the passage 42 and is quickly drained.

In the above embodiment, the front wall 40 is curved,
Of the two side walls 38, 39, the side wall 38 located on the outer side in the width direction is in contact with the apron panel 50 of the vehicle body at the upper end, and the lower end is inward in the width direction from the apron panel 50. To the passage 42
Is formed to allow fluid entering from above the protector 36 to flow out below the rear wall 41, but the protector need not fill all of these, and may be implemented with one or two structures. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a water drainage structure for a cowl of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the operation of the drainage structure of the cowl of the automobile according to the present invention, as viewed in the direction of line 4-4 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the operation of the drainage structure of the cowl of the automobile according to the present invention, as viewed in the direction of line 5-5 in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an engine hood of a vehicle body of the automobile with the engine hood removed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the operation of a conventional cowl, viewed in the same direction as FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the operation of a conventional cowl, viewed in the same direction as FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the operation of a conventional cowl, viewed in the same direction as FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 30 vehicle body 32 cowl 34 hole 36 protector 38, 39 side wall 40 front wall 41 rear wall 42 passage 44 flange

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cowl extending in the width direction of a vehicle body and having a hole formed at each end of the cowl in the width direction, and a protector attached to the hole, the protectors being spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle body. A front wall integral with the two side walls, a front wall integrated with the two side walls, and a front wall curved so that a fluid hitting the front wall from the front flows downward along the front wall; A cowl drain structure for a motor vehicle, comprising: a rear wall integrated with two side walls; and a fluid passage defined by the four walls. 2. A cowl extending in the width direction of the vehicle body and having a hole formed at each end of the cowl in the width direction, and a protector attached to the hole, the protectors being spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle body. The two side walls that are located outwardly in the width direction are located in contact with the apron panel of the vehicle body at the upper end, and the lower end is inward in the width direction from the apron panel. The two side walls are formed so as to be separated from each other, a front wall integrated with the two side walls, and a rear wall integrated with the two side walls, and the four walls define a fluid passage. In addition, the drainage structure of the car cowl. 3. A cowl extending in the width direction of the vehicle body at each end of the cowl in the width direction, and a protector attached to the hole, wherein the protectors are spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle body. It comprises two side walls, a front wall integrated with the two side walls, and a rear wall integrated with the two side walls. Fluid that has entered from above the protector flows out below the rear wall. A water draining structure for an automobile cowl, wherein a passage to be defined is defined by the four walls.