JP2004074909A - Front part vehicle body structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid or reduce the situation wherein an air conditioning unit is pushed backward by an engine moved backward at head-on collision. <P>SOLUTION: An expansion part 1a expanded backward on a central part along the vehicle width direction is formed on a dash panel 1 partitioning an engine room 2 and a cabin 3, and the engine room 2 is extended backward for the expansion part 1a. A rear end part of the engine 4 arranged in the engine room 2 intrudes into the expansion part 1a. An air conditioning unit 20 is arranged at the back of the dash panel 1 while having a predetermined distance, and a space between the air conditioning unit 20 and the dash panel 1 is a crash space CS. A load absorbing member 30 or a washer tank 51 can be arranged in the crash space CS. An audio unit 42 having a space along the longitudinal direction is arranged by offset with respect to the air conditioning unit 20 along the vehicle width direction or the vertical direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In an automobile as a vehicle, an engine room in which an engine is disposed is provided in front of a vehicle room, and the vehicle room and the engine room are defined by a dash panel. In general, an air conditioning unit is disposed immediately behind the dash panel on the vehicle compartment side (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-58431). This air-conditioning unit is generally located at a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction to supply air-conditioning air to a number of air outlets opened in the vehicle interior. The air conditioning unit will be located on the extension line. The air conditioning unit has at least a built-in heat exchange unit (typically having two heat exchange units for cooling and heating) and collects air-conditioned air after passing through the heat exchanger. It often has an air mixing chamber, and is a considerably large member and a strength member having excellent rigidity.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, it is desired to set the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the vehicle as much as possible in order to improve the athletic performance of the vehicle. It will be desired. However, if the engine is simply moved rearward to a position immediately adjacent to the dash panel, the air conditioning unit serving as a strength member will be located immediately behind the engine with the dash panel interposed. This means that at the time of a forward collision, the air-conditioning unit is pushed rearward, that is, toward the passenger compartment by the engine that is to be moved rearward.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to minimize or prevent the occurrence of a situation in which an engine is pressed rearward by an engine during a forward collision. An object of the present invention is to provide a front body structure of a vehicle.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following solution. That is, as described in claim 1 of the claims,
An engine room in which an engine is disposed in front of the vehicle compartment is configured, the vehicle room and the engine room are defined by a dash panel, and an air conditioning unit is disposed on the vehicle room side behind the dash panel. In the front body structure of the vehicle,
The air conditioning unit is disposed so as to be located substantially at an intermediate portion in a vehicle width direction and on a rear extension line of the engine,
The air conditioning unit is disposed away from the dash panel so as to be located a predetermined distance behind the dash panel, so that the space between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel is used for absorbing a shock in a frontal collision. Set as crash space,
It is like that. As a result, even when the engine is arranged as far back as possible without interfering with the dash panel, a crash space is located between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel, that is, the engine and the air conditioning unit are separated by a predetermined distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce a situation in which the engine causes the air-conditioning unit to be largely pushed backward by the engine at the time of a forward collision.
[0006]
Preferred embodiments based on the above solution are as described in Claims 2 and 3 in the claims. That is,
A load absorbing member may be disposed between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel to absorb a longitudinal load generated at the time of a frontal collision (corresponding to claim 2). In this case, it is preferable to receive the engine that is going to be moved rearward at the time of a frontal collision by the load absorbing member, and to more sufficiently exhibit the effect according to the first aspect.
[0007]
The load impact member may be a crush can that is shrunk and deformed in the front-rear direction when receiving a load in the front-rear direction (corresponding to claim 3). In this case, the effect corresponding to claim 2 can be sufficiently exerted by the crash can functioning solely for the purpose of cushioning.
[0008]
A vehicle accessory which can be easily deformed by receiving a load in the front-rear direction is disposed between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel (corresponding to claim 4). In this case, the crash space can be effectively used as an installation space for the vehicle accessory.
[0009]
The vehicle auxiliary device may be a washer tank for a front window glass (corresponding to claim 5). In this case, the washer tank can be located at a position close to the front window glass. Of course, the washer tank itself has a hollow interior and can be easily deformed in the front-rear direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rearward load from the engine from being directly transmitted to the air conditioning unit, It can also be expected to reduce the impact in the front-back direction.
[0010]
The dash panel is formed so that a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction protrudes rearward, and an enlarged portion that is partially expanded rearward is formed in the engine room corresponding to the protruded portion. Has been
A rear end portion of the engine enters the enlarged portion,
(Corresponding to claim 6). In this case, only the heavy engine can be positioned particularly rearward, which is extremely preferable in bringing the center of gravity of the vehicle closer to the center of the vehicle in the front-rear direction. Of course, it is possible to secure a larger space in the vehicle compartment, particularly in the space under the front seats, than when the dash panel is moved rearward as a whole.
[0011]
An audio unit may be arranged so as to be offset in the left-right direction or the up-down direction with respect to the air conditioning unit (corresponding to claim 7). In this case, it is not necessary to arrange an audio unit having a considerable size in the front-rear direction in series with the air conditioning unit in the front-rear direction. This eliminates the need to retreat the instrument panel rearwardly, that is, toward the passenger compartment side in order to secure a crash space, which is preferable in securing the passenger compartment space (space in the front-rear direction) as much as possible. By the way, if an audio unit is provided immediately after the air conditioning unit as is usually performed, it is necessary to position the instrument panel backward by the amount of the audio unit.
[0012]
The upper end of the dash panel is joined to a cowl box having a closed cross section extending in the vehicle width direction,
The lower end portion of the front window glass is supported by the cowl box,
The air conditioning unit is located behind a lower end position of the front window glass in a vehicle width direction in which the air conditioning unit exists,
(Corresponding to claim 8). In this case, the air conditioning unit is located sufficiently rearward in consideration of the positional relationship with the lower end of the front window glass, which is a preferable position setting for ensuring a sufficient crash space.
[0013]
【The invention's effect】
Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or reduce a situation in which an air conditioning unit is pushed rearward by an engine during a frontal collision while arranging the engine as rearwardly as possible.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a dash panel. The front of the dash panel 1 is an engine room 2, and the rear of the dash panel 1 is a vehicle compartment 3. An engine 4 is provided in the engine room 2. In the embodiment, the engine 4 is a reciprocating in-line multi-cylinder engine, and has a vertical arrangement in which a crankshaft (output shaft) extends in the front-rear direction. A transmission 5 is connected to the rear end of the engine 4, and although not shown, an output shaft extending from the rear end of the transmission 5 is connected to a rear wheel via a propeller shaft extending in the front-rear direction. ing. Thus, in the embodiment, the vehicle is a rear-wheel drive vehicle in which the rear wheels are driven.
[0015]
As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the dash panel 1 generally extends substantially vertically and in the vehicle width direction, but expands rearward (toward the passenger compartment 3) at a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction. A protruding (projecting) bulging portion (recess) 1a is formed. An enlarged portion protruding rearward is formed on the engine room 2 side corresponding to the bulging portion 1a. That is, the engine room 2 is expanded rearward by an amount corresponding to the bulging portion 1a. Since the bulging portion 1a is formed only at a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction, a space under the driver's seat and the passenger's seat (space in the front-rear direction) is sufficiently ensured.
[0016]
The lower end of the dash panel 1 is connected to a floor panel 6 that forms the floor of the passenger compartment. The floor panel 6 has a tunnel portion 6a which is formed to protrude upward at a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction. The tunnel portion 6a is formed to extend in the front-rear direction over substantially the entire length of the passenger compartment 3, and a front end portion thereof is integrally connected to the bulging portion 1a of the dash panel 1. The transmission 5 and the propeller shaft are arranged in the tunnel 6a. The front end of the tunnel portion 6a gradually increases in width toward the front, and gradually extends upward, and is finally connected to the bulging portion 1a of the dash panel 1.
[0017]
The upper end of the dash panel 1 is joined to the front end of a cowl box 10 extending over substantially the entire length in the vehicle width direction. The cowl box 10 has a closed cross-section as a whole, and in the embodiment, a lower panel 11 having a substantially U-shaped cross section opened upward and a lower panel 11 so as to cover an upper opening of the lower panel 11. And an upper panel 12 joined to the upper panel 12. In the cowl box 10, a concave portion 10 a formed by bulging rearward so as to be convex toward the rear corresponding to the bulging portion 1 a formed in the dash panel 1 is formed on the front surface. Have been. The concave portion 10a is connected to the bulging portion 1a and expands the engine room 2 rearward. As described above, the engine room 2 is expanded rearward at the substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction by the bulging portion 1a of the dash panel 1 and the concave portion 10a of the cowl box 10. The lower end of the front window glass 13 is supported on the upper surface of the rear end of such a cowl box 10. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a hood that covers an upper part of the engine room 2.
[0018]
The engine 4 is located sufficiently rearward in the engine room 2 and its rear end enters into the bulging portion 1a. That is, the height position of the upper end of the engine 4 (the upper end of the cylinder head cover) is slightly lower than the lower surface of the cowl box 10, but the rear end surface of the engine 4 is located near the rear end position of the bulging portion 1a (dashed line). The panel 1 is located at the deepest position of the bulging portion 1a).
[0019]
An air conditioning unit 20 is arranged on the vehicle room side behind the dash panel 1. The air conditioning unit 20 is located at a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction and is located on a rear extension line of the engine 4. That is, when the engine 4 is largely moved straight rearward, the air conditioning unit 20 is disposed at a position where it interferes with the engine 4 moved rearward. The air conditioning unit 20 has a heat exchanger for cooling and heating, and also has a mix room in which the conditioned air after the temperature and humidity are adjusted is collected. The air conditioning unit 20 is connected to a plurality of ducts connected to a plurality of air-conditioning air outlets provided in the passenger compartment 3.
[0020]
The air conditioning unit 20 is located at a predetermined distance behind the dash panel 1 (the bulging portion 1a). In the embodiment, the position of the front end face of the air conditioning unit 20 is set to be substantially the same as or slightly behind the rear end face position of the cowl box 10 in the vehicle width direction range where the air conditioning unit 20 exists. ing. The predetermined distance, which is the distance between the dash panel 1 and the air conditioning unit 20 in the front-rear direction, is a distance sufficient to function as a crash space CS for absorbing a shock in a frontal collision, as described later. . More specifically, the above-mentioned predetermined distance is more preferable for absorbing shock as it is larger. However, in consideration of securing the length of the vehicle compartment 3 in the front-rear direction, the predetermined distance is, for example, about 10 cm to 20 cm. Can be set. The crash space CS is virtually shown in FIG. 1 as a box shape hatched by a dashed line.
[0021]
The crash space CS is provided with a load absorbing member 30 for absorbing a load in the front-rear direction. The load absorbing member 30 absorbs a load in the front-rear direction at the time of a frontal collision, and performs shock absorption for preventing or reducing a large external force from acting on the air conditioning unit 20 side, that is, the vehicle interior 3 side. In the embodiment, the load absorbing member 30 is a dedicated member that contracts and deforms in the front-rear direction when receiving a load in the front-rear direction to absorb the load.
[0022]
A specific example of the load absorbing member 30 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the load absorbing member 30 roughly includes a substrate 31, a deformation member 32, and an adjustment plate 33. The substrate 31 is formed of a steel plate or the like having excellent rigidity, and has a size slightly larger than a projected area when the air conditioning unit 20 is viewed from the front-back direction. The deforming member 32 is formed in, for example, an iron plate or the like to have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is formed in a bellows shape so that it can be easily contracted and deformed in the front-rear direction. The adjusting plate 33 has a flat plate shape as a whole and is joined to the deforming member 32 so as to cover the opening of the deforming member 32 having a U-shaped cross section. As described above, the deforming member 32 and the adjustment plate 33 are formed in a tubular shape (closed cross-sectional shape) extending in the front-rear direction in cooperation with each other, and the rear ends thereof are joined to the substrate 31.
[0023]
The board 31 is located just before the air conditioning unit 20 in a state of being extended in the up-down direction (vehicle width direction). The upper end of the substrate 31 is joined to the rear end of the cowl box 10, and the lower end is joined to the dash panel 1 (near the rearmost end of the bulging portion 1a). Thus, the load absorbing member 30 is located between the air conditioning unit 20 and the engine 4, but the front end of the assembly unit of the deforming member 32 and the adjustment unit plate 33 is located immediately after the engine 4. (The bulging portion 1a of the dash panel 1).
[0024]
The air conditioning unit 20 is covered with the instrument panel 40 and cannot be seen from the passenger compartment side (the air conditioning unit 20 is arranged in the instrument panel 40). The upper end (front end) of instrument panel 40 is joined to the rear end of cowl box 10. As shown in FIG. 4, inside the instrument panel 40, a blower (air blower) 41 for air conditioning and an audio unit 42 are arranged, and a glove box (accessory) 43 for a passenger seat is arranged. Is established. That is, the blower 41, the audio unit 42, and the glob box 43 are each offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the air conditioning unit 20 (in the embodiment, offset to the passenger seat side). An audio unit 42 is arranged on the side of the air conditioning unit 20, and a glove box 43 is arranged outside the audio unit 42 in the vehicle width direction. The blower 41 is located on the side of the air conditioning unit 20 and immediately before the audio unit 42 and the glove box 43. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 15 denotes a steering handle.
[0025]
The blower 41 is connected to the air conditioning unit 20 via a duct (not shown), and functions as a source of air for conditioned air. The audio unit 42 is composed of, for example, a tuner and drives for receiving and regenerating recording and regenerating media such as various kinds of audio such as CDs, MDs, and cassette tapes. An operation unit 44 is provided at a substantially middle portion of the instrument panel 40 in the vehicle width direction. On the operation unit 44, various operation switches such as a volume for operating the audio unit 42 and a display unit for audio are centrally arranged, and similarly, various operation switches for air conditioning such as a temperature adjustment switch and a display for air conditioning are similarly arranged. The departments are concentrated. Of course, the operation unit 44 is operated by an occupant in the vehicle compartment.
[0026]
In the above-described embodiment, at the time of a forward collision, the engine 4 is moved rearward (in FIG. 1, the engine 4 moved rearward is indicated by a dashed line). Since a crash space CS is formed (secured) between the engine 4 and the air conditioning unit 20 in advance, a situation in which the air conditioning unit 20 receives a large pressing force from the engine 4 to the rear by the engine 4 moving rearward. Prevention or reduction. At the time of a forward collision, the engine 4 attempts to move rearward while crushing the load absorbing member 30, so that the rearward acceleration or speed of the engine 4 is reduced. That is, even if the air-conditioning unit 20 is pressed rearward by the engine 4 moved rearward, the rearward pressing load acting on the air-conditioning unit 20 is sufficiently reduced.
[0027]
6 and 7 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the duplicate description thereof will be omitted. The same applies to the embodiment). In the present embodiment, instead of the load absorbing member 30, a washer tank 51 as a vehicle accessory that can be easily deformed in the front-rear direction is provided in the crash space CS.
[0028]
The washer tank 51 is, for example, for a front window glass, and a replenishing port for replenishing a washer liquid is opened through the communication pipe 52 on the upper surface of the cowl box 10 (in the drawing, the replenishing port is provided). A lid 53 to cover is shown). On the panels 11 and 12 of the cowl box 10, maintenance openings 54 and 55 are formed so that the washer tank 51 can be easily accessed from above the cowl box 10 (so that the washer tank 51 can be mounted and removed). The uppermost opening 55 is covered with a cover member 56. The lid member 56 is detachable from the cowl box 10 by a fixing tool such as a bolt. Of course, the lid 53 for the washer liquid replenishing port is located above the lid member 56.
[0029]
The washer tank 51 is held on the vehicle body using a board 57 (corresponding to the board 31 in the above-described embodiment), as in the above-described embodiment. That is, a plurality of mounting brackets 58 are provided on the substrate 57, while a plurality of mounting brackets 59 are provided on the washer tank 51, and the brackets 58 and 59 are aligned, and illustration is omitted. The washer tank 51 is fixed to the substrate 57 by a fixing tool such as a bolt. Of course, the board 57 is joined to the dash panel 1 and the cowl box 10 in the same manner as the board 31 in the embodiment. Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 7 denotes a washer pump.
[0030]
The washer tank 51 has a large hollow portion therein for storing a large amount of washer liquid therein, and is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin so that it can be easily deformed when subjected to a load in the front-rear direction. Has become. That is, at the time of a frontal collision, when a large rearward load is applied from the engine 4 that is about to move rearward, it is easily contracted and deformed, and no large external rearward force is transmitted to the air conditioning unit 20. It has become.
[0031]
FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the audio unit 42 is disposed above the air conditioning unit 20. As a result, similarly to the case where the audio unit 42 is offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the air conditioning unit 20, the air conditioning unit 20 is set at a position where the instrument panel 40 is largely moved backward without moving the instrument panel 40 largely backward. It becomes possible to do.
[0032]
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes, for example, the following cases. As long as the engine 4 functions as a drive source for driving the vehicle, the type of the engine such as a rotary piston engine is not limited, and the engine 4 may be in a horizontal position. The use of the washer tank 51 disposed in the crash space CS is not particularly limited, such as for a headlight. In addition, as the vehicle auxiliary equipment disposed in the crash space CS, not limited to the washer tank 51, any appropriate one can be adopted as long as it can be easily deformed by receiving a load in the front-rear direction. The front end of the load absorbing member 30 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 may be simply brought into contact with the dash panel 1 without being joined to the dash panel 1, or may be arranged with a slight gap. The audio unit 42 may be arranged below the air conditioning unit 20. Further, the air-conditioning blower 41 may be built in the air-conditioning unit 20. However, from the viewpoint of shortening the length of the air conditioning unit 20 in the front-rear direction as much as possible and ensuring the length of the crash space CS in the front-rear direction as long as possible, the blower 41 is moved in the vehicle width direction or the vertical direction with respect to the air conditioning unit 20. It is preferable to arrange them offset. Of course, the objects of the present invention are not limited to those explicitly stated, but also implicitly include providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as advantages.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line X2-X2 in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a dash panel.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the dash panel and its peripheral members as viewed from above.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a load absorbing member.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the washer tank used in FIG. 6 and a mounting portion thereof.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part, showing still another embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
1: dash panel 1a: bulging portion 2: engine room 3: cabin 4: engine 5: transmission 6: floor panel 10: cowl box 20: air conditioning unit 30: load absorbing member 40: instrument panel 41: blower 42 : Audio unit 43: Glove box 51: Washer tank CS: Crash space

Claims (8)

An engine room in which an engine is disposed in front of the vehicle compartment is configured, the vehicle room and the engine room are defined by a dash panel, and an air conditioning unit is disposed on the vehicle room side behind the dash panel. In the front body structure of the vehicle,
The air conditioning unit is disposed so as to be located substantially at an intermediate portion in a vehicle width direction and on a rear extension line of the engine,
The air conditioning unit is disposed away from the dash panel so as to be located a predetermined distance behind the dash panel, so that the space between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel is used for absorbing a shock in a frontal collision. Set as crash space,
A front vehicle body structure for a vehicle. In claim 1,
A front vehicle body structure for a vehicle, wherein a load absorbing member is disposed between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel to absorb a load in a front-rear direction generated at the time of a frontal collision. In claim 2,
A front body structure of a vehicle, wherein the load impact member is a crash can that is shrunk and deformed in the front-rear direction when receiving a load in the front-rear direction. In claim 1,
A vehicle body structure for a front part of a vehicle, wherein a vehicle accessory that is easily deformed by receiving a load in the front-rear direction is disposed between the air conditioning unit and the dash panel. In claim 4,
The vehicle body structure of a front part of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle accessory is a washer tank for a front window glass. In any one of claims 1 to 5,
The dash panel is formed so that a substantially middle portion in the vehicle width direction protrudes rearward, and an enlarged portion that is partially expanded rearward is formed in the engine room corresponding to the protruded portion. Has been
A rear end portion of the engine enters the enlarged portion,
A front vehicle body structure for a vehicle. In any one of claims 1 to 6,
A front vehicle body structure for a vehicle, wherein an audio unit is disposed so as to be offset in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction with respect to the air conditioning unit. In any one of claims 1 to 7,
The upper end of the dash panel is joined to a cowl box having a closed cross section extending in the vehicle width direction,
The lower end portion of the front window glass is supported by the cowl box,
The air conditioning unit is located behind a lower end position of the front window glass in a vehicle width direction range where the air conditioning unit exists,
A front vehicle body structure for a vehicle.

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