JP2004217144A - Cowl structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cowl structure of a vehicle having a simple structure and capable of exhibiting sufficient shock absorbing property. <P>SOLUTION: The cowl structure of the vehicle comprises a bottom wall section 11 extending in the car width direction along the upper edge of a vertical-wall-like dash panel 3 for partitioning the engine room and the cabin of a vehicle and extending like a shelf from the cabin side to an engine room side, a vertical wall section 12 having an easily deforming section 14 that stands from the bottom wall section 11 and is easily vertically crashed and deformed by a load F acting from the upper part to a vertically intermediate position, and an upper wall section 13 that projects like a shelf from the upper edge of the vertical wall section 12 and supports the front edge of a windshield 70. A plurality of shock absorbing members 2 that are suspended vertically between the upper wall section 13 and the bottom wall section 11 and absorb the shock by crashing vertically when the impact load F acts to a cowl 1 from the upside are disposed at a predetermined interval in the car width direction between the upper wall section 13 and the bottom wall section 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cowl structure of a vehicle, and more particularly to a cowl structure that crushes and deforms to absorb an impact when an external object hits from above.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a cowl of a vehicle has an open cross-sectional structure so as to be crushed and deformed to absorb an impact when an external object hits from above. FIGS. 11 (A) and 11 (B) show a conventional representative example of this type of cowl structure, which extends in the vehicle width direction along the upper edge of a dash panel 3 separating an engine room and a vehicle compartment, and includes left and right front pillars. The cowl 1 </ b> E bridged between the joints of the upper member 60 and the apron upper member 50 includes a bottom wall 11 projecting from the upper edge of the dash panel 3 toward the engine room, and a dash panel extending from the rear edge of the bottom wall 11. A vertical wall portion 12 erected so as to extend the panel 3 upward; and an upper wall portion 13 extending from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 12 to the engine room side in a shelf shape and bonding and supporting the lower edge of the windshield 70. And has an open cross-sectional structure in which a space is opened between the front edge of the bottom wall 11 and the front edge of the upper wall 13. An easily deformable portion 14 that is easily crushed and deformed in the up-down direction is formed in the middle of the vertical wall portion 12 in the vertical direction.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 11B, in the event of a collision, an object such as a pedestrian hits the lower end of the windshield 70 from above, and the cowl 1 impinges on the cowl 1E via the windshield 70 with a collision load F (white). When an arrow (arrow) acts, the vertical wall portion 12 is crushed around the easily deformable portion 14 (indicated by a broken line in the drawing) to absorb an impact.
[0004]
Further, as another conventional cowl structure that crushes and deforms and absorbs an impact, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, a cowl 1G having a closed cross section provided along the upper edge of the dash panel 3 is provided. A glass support portion 9 comprising a bent portion 91 having a substantially rectangular cross section projecting obliquely upward and forward, and a box portion 92 having a closed cross-sectional structure formed at the tip of the bent portion 91, and supporting the lower edge of the windshield 70. Some are provided. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). According to this, when an external object hits the lower end of the windshield 70 and a collision load F (white arrow) acts, the bent portion 91 of the glass support portion 9 is deformed and the box portion 92 is displaced downward (FIG. 12B )), While absorbing the impact. In the figure, reference numeral 98 denotes an engine hood, and 99 denotes a cowl louver.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-321709
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional cowl structure having an open cross section, since the impact is absorbed only by the vertical wall portion 12, the resistance to the collision load is low, the deformation stroke when the collision load is applied becomes large, and the collision load is reduced. If it is large, there is a possibility that it will bottom out. Further, even in another conventional cowl structure provided with the glass support portion 9, if the collision load is large, the box portion 92 of the glass support portion 9 may bottom out on the cowl 1G, and the number of parts is large and the structure is complicated. There was a problem. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize a cowl structure of a vehicle which has a simple structure and can sufficiently exhibit impact absorbing performance.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a bottom wall portion extending in a vehicle width direction along an upper edge of a vertical wall-shaped dash panel that partitions an engine room and a vehicle compartment of a vehicle, and extending in a shelf shape from a vehicle room side to an engine room side; A vertical wall portion having an easily deformable portion which is erected from the bottom wall portion and is easily crushed up and down by a load acting from above at an intermediate position in the vertical direction, and a windshield extending from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion in a shelf shape. In a cowl structure for a vehicle including a top wall portion supporting a front edge, a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion are vertically suspended between the top wall portion and the bottom wall portion, and the cowl is placed on the cowl from above. A plurality of shock absorbing members are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction to crush and deform vertically to absorb a shock when a collision load is applied (claim 1). Since a plurality of shock absorbing members are provided between the upper wall portion and the bottom wall portion, the resistance of the cowl to a collision load is improved by the shock absorbing members and the vertical wall portions. Therefore, when a collision load is applied, the above-described drag is exerted at the beginning of the operation, and the impact absorbing member and the vertical wall portion are stretched to such an extent that an external object is not damaged. Thereafter, the vertical wall portion and the shock absorbing member are crushed and deformed, and absorb the shock. In this case, the cowl has a small deformation stroke and does not bottom out.
[0008]
The impact absorbing member is formed of a columnar member made of a panel material. The structure is simple and easily collapsed.
[0009]
The vertical wall portion is erected so as to extend the dash panel upward from the rear edge position of the bottom wall portion, and the upper wall portion protrudes from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion to the engine room side in a shelf shape. The shock absorbing member is provided between the front edge of the top wall and the front edge of the bottom wall (claim 3). The structure can be simplified.
[0010]
The vertical wall portion is erected so as to extend the dash panel upward from the rear edge position of the bottom wall portion, and the upper wall portion is bent by bending an upper end portion of the vertical wall portion toward the engine room. The shock absorbing member is formed and bridged between the front edge of the upper wall portion and the vicinity of the upper edge of the dash panel at a position near the rear edge of the bottom wall portion. The shock absorbing member and the vertical wall can be reliably crushed and deformed between the upper wall and the dash panel.
[0011]
The vertical wall portion is erected from the front-rear intermediate position of the bottom wall portion, and the upper wall portion is formed by bending the upper end portion of the vertical wall portion toward the cabin, and the shock absorbing member is It is bridged between the windshield bonding portion of the upper wall and the position just above the dash panel at the rear edge of the bottom wall (claim 5). The same operation and effect as those of the cowl structure according to claim 4 described above can be obtained.
[0012]
The plurality of impact absorbing members connect the upper end and the lower end of the plurality of impact absorbing members in a belt shape in the vehicle width direction.
[0013]
An easily deformable portion that is easily crushed and deformed when a collision load is applied from above is formed in a connecting portion that connects upper ends of the plurality of shock absorbing members (claim 7).
[0014]
The vertical wall portion, the upper wall portion, and the shock absorbing member are integrally formed (claim 8).
[0015]
The dash panel is provided with a dash reinforcement at a center position in the vehicle width direction, which reinforces the dash panel along a wall surface on the passenger compartment side, and the cowl is provided with the vertical wall portion at a center position in the vehicle width direction. A first reinforcing member that connects the upper end of the dash reinforcement with a second reinforcing member that is provided inside the cowl and connects the upper wall portion, the vertical wall portion, and the bottom wall portion; and A third reinforcing member protruding from the dash panel along the lower surface of the bottom wall portion toward the engine room is provided. The vibration of the lower edge of the windshield can be prevented by the first and third reinforcing members.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
First Embodiment A cowl structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, the cowl 1 extends in the vehicle width direction along an upper edge of a dash panel 3 having a vertical wall shape that partitions an engine room and a vehicle compartment of a vehicle body. The left and right terminals of the cowl 1 stand along the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 50 extending in the front-rear direction along the upper edges of the left and right side walls of the engine room and the left and right side edges of the dash panel 3. The front pillar 60 is connected to a connection portion with the intermediate portion. In the drawing, 51 is a suspension tower provided on the left and right side walls of the engine room, and 52 is a front side member extending in the front-rear direction along the lower edge of the side wall of the engine room.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, the cowl 1 has a cowl lower 11 serving as a bottom wall, a cowl inner 12 standing up from a rear edge of the cowl lower 11 and serving as a vertical wall, and an upper end of the cowl inner 12. It is composed of three panel members composed of a cowl outer 13 forming an overhanging upper wall portion, and has an open cross-sectional structure in which a space between the front edge of the cowl lower 11 and the front edge of the cowl outer 13 opens forward. The left and right ends of the cowl 1 are closed by cowl side panels 19 made of a panel material, and are connected to the joint between the apron upper member 50 and the front pillar 60 via the cowl side panels 19. The cowl lower 11 is provided so as to protrude from the upper edge flange 31 of the upper edge of the dash panel 3 toward the engine room side in a shelf shape to the engine room side, and the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and the upper edge flange of the dash panel 3 are provided. 31 are superposed and welded.
[0018]
The cowl inner 12 has a lower edge flange bent toward the cabin side integrally welded to a joint between a rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and an upper edge flange 30 of the dash panel 3. The dash panel 3 is erected so as to extend upward at a position offset toward the engine room. The cowl inner 12 has an easily deformable portion 14 which is easily crushed and deformed by a collision load F (white arrow) acting from above, over the entire width in the vehicle width direction at an upper and lower middle position. The easily deformable portion 14 is formed on the plate surface of the cowl inner 12 with an inclined portion that is once bent obliquely upward from the lower side toward the engine room side, and is substantially Z-shaped in cross section that is bent upward from the upper end of the inclined portion in the vertical direction. It is formed in.
[0019]
The cowl outer 13 is provided so as to protrude in a shelf shape from the upper edge of the cowl inner 12 toward the engine room, and the rear edge flange is welded to the upper edge flange bent toward the cabin inner side of the cowl inner 12. The lower edge of the windshield 70 fitted into the front window of the vehicle body is bonded to an adhesive portion 130 provided at the front end of the upper surface of the cowl outer 13, so as to support the lower edge of the windshield 70.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the front edge of the cowl lower 11 and the front edge of the cowl outer 13 are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance in the vehicle width direction. There are provided a plurality of columnar members 2 made of a panel material which vertically hangs. These columnar members 2 are crushable and deformable by the action of the collision load F, and are shock-absorbing members that absorb the shock when a collision load is applied by crushing and deforming (hereinafter, the columnar members are referred to as shock-absorbing members). . Each shock absorbing member 2 is formed integrally with the cowl outer 13 and is bent downward from the front end edge of the cowl outer 13. Reinforcing flanges 21 are formed on each of the right and left side edges of each impact absorbing member 2 so as to bend the side edges into the inside of the cowl into a substantially L-shaped cross section. A reinforcing flange (FIG. 1C) having the same cross-sectional shape as the reinforcing flange 21 is also formed on the front end edge of the cowl outer 13 located between the shock absorbing members 2. Each impact absorbing member 2 has a lower edge flange 22 having a lower end bent toward the engine room side welded to the front edge flange of the cowl lower 11 by overlap welding.
[0021]
If a foreign object such as a pedestrian's head or shoulder hits the lower end of the windshield 70 from above due to a collision accident, a collision load F acts on the cowl 1 via the lower end of the windshield 70. Become. In this case, since the cowl 1 is provided with the plurality of shock absorbing members 2 spanning between the front edges of the cowl lower 11 and the cowl outer 13, the resistance of the cowl 1 to the collision load F is smaller than that of the conventional open-section cowl structure. Have improved. Therefore, at the beginning of the collision of the foreign object, the above-mentioned drag is exerted, and the shock absorbing member 2 and the vertical wall portion 12 are stretched to such an extent that the foreign object is not damaged. Some are negated. Thereafter, the impact absorbing member 20 and the cowl inner 12 are crushed and deformed by the action of the load that has not been canceled (shown by chain lines in FIGS. 1B and 1C) to absorb the impact of the collision. At this time, since the deformation stroke of the cowl 1 is suppressed to a small stroke, bottoming does not occur.
[0022]
Further, the cowl 1 has a plurality of shock absorbing members 2 spanned between the front edges of the cowl lower 11 and the cowl outer 13, so that the structure is simpler than a cowl structure having a conventional glass support portion. Each impact absorbing member 2 may have a structure in which another columnar member made of a panel material is bridged between the front edges of the cowl lower 11 and the cowl outer 13. By forming the shock absorbing member 2 integrally with the cowl outer 13 as in the present embodiment, the shock absorbing member 2 can be easily formed when the cowl outer 13 is formed, and the productivity and the assemblability are good.
[0023]
The resistance to the collision load F of the cowl 1 can be easily changed by changing the number and interval of the shock absorbing members 2 and the width and shape of each shock absorbing member 2 at the stage of designing the cowl. The drag can be set to a level not to give.
[0024]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 focusing on differences from the first embodiment. In the figure, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, the cowl 1A includes a cowl lower 11 that forms a bottom wall, a cowl inner 12 that forms a vertical wall, and a cowl outer 13 that forms an upper wall. I have. Between the front edge of the cowl lower 11 and the front edge of the cowl outer 13, there are provided a plurality of shock absorbing members 2a which bridge these members in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction.
[0025]
Each shock absorbing member 2a is formed integrally with the cowl outer 13. The cowl outer 13 is provided with a vertical plate 20 that bends downward from the front edge of the upper wall portion and extends vertically between the front edge of the upper wall portion and the front edge of the cowl lower 11 over the entire width in the vehicle width direction. A plurality of rectangular openings 23 are formed in the vertical plate 20 along the vehicle width direction, and the column-shaped shock absorbing members 2a are formed by partitions between the adjacent rectangular openings 23. The rectangular opening 23 is configured such that the vertical dimension thereof is about two-thirds of the height dimension of the vertical plate 20 so as to leave a margin at the vertical position of the vertical plate 20. The width of the rectangular opening 23 is wider than at least the width of the shock absorbing member 2a. The upper and lower edges of the rectangular opening 23 are provided with reinforcing flanges having the same cross-sectional shape as the reinforcing flange 21 on the side edge of the shock absorbing member 2a.
[0026]
In each of the shock absorbing members 2a integrally formed by the vertical plate 20, a lower edge flange 22a in which a lower edge of the vertical plate 20 is bent toward the engine room is overlap-welded to a front edge flange of the cowl lower 11.
[0027]
According to the present embodiment, when an external object hits the lower end of the windshield 70 from above and a collision load F acts on the cowl 1A, the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the lower edge flanges 22a of the respective impact absorbing members 2a integrally formed by the vertical plate 20 are continuously connected in the vehicle width direction, when the impact absorbing members 2a and the cowl lower 11 are connected, the lower edge flanges 22a are formed. Can be successively welded to the front edge flange of the cowl lower 11 in the vehicle width direction, so that the assembling work is better than in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the vertical plate 20 constituting the shock absorbing member 2a is formed integrally with the cowl outer 13. However, the vertical plate may be formed as a separate member. The thickness can be changed, and when setting the drag against the collision load of the cowl, the plate thickness can be changed in addition to the number and intervals of the shock absorbing members 2a and the width and shape of each shock absorbing member 2a. This is convenient for setting the drag.
[0028]
When the plurality of shock absorbing members 2a are integrally formed by a vertical plate as in the second embodiment, a belt-like shape extending in the vehicle width direction with upper and lower ends of the respective shock absorbing members 2a left at upper and lower positions of the rectangular opening 23. The impact absorbing members 2a may be unnecessarily high in strength against crushing deformation in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable to provide the easily deformable portion 24 in the form of a flat plate over the entire width in the lateral width direction by eliminating the reinforcing flanges 21 on both side edges in the upper and lower middle portions of each shock absorbing member 2a. According to this, the strength of the shock absorbing member 2a does not increase more than necessary, and the shock absorbing member 2a is easily crushed and deformed by the collision load F. The easily deformable portion 24 is not limited to this, and for example, a groove having a substantially rectangular shape in cross section may be provided over the entire width in the width direction of the shock absorbing member 2a.
[0029]
When a plurality of shock absorbing members 2a are integrally formed by the vertical plate 20, as shown in FIG. 4, a substantially mountain-shaped marginal portion 25 which is the upper edge of the rectangular opening 23 located in the adjacent shock absorbing members 2a. Preferably, a notch 26 is provided. According to this, the margin 25 connecting the upper ends of the adjacent shock absorbing members 2a easily bends and deforms downward due to the collision load F acting from above.
[0030]
For example, when an external object such as a pedestrian's head or shoulder hits the cowl 1A, a collision load F acts on a narrow area in a part of the cowl 1A in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the collision load F acts on the position just above the margin 25 between the adjacent shock absorbing members 2a, the notch 26 is opened and deformed, and the margin 25 is bent downward and deformed. At the same time, the impact load F also acts on the shock absorbing members 2a on both sides, and these 2a are crushed downward and deformed. In this case, the upper wall portion of the cowl is partially bent and deformed by the bending deformation of the blank portion 25. As described above, in addition to the shock absorbing effect due to the crushing deformation of the shock absorbing member 2a, the shock can be absorbed by the bending deformation of the upper wall portion and the blank portion 25.
[0031]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), when the collision load F acts on the position directly above the shock absorbing member 2a, the notches 26 on both sides of the shock absorbing member 2a are opened and deformed while the shock absorbing member 2a is deformed. The margin portion 25 and the upper wall portion immediately above are bent and deformed, and the shock absorbing member 2a is crushed and deformed. In addition to the shock absorbing effect of the crushed deformation of the shock absorbing member 2a, the shock absorbing member 2a is bent and deformed. A shock absorbing effect is obtained.
[0032]
Also, the cowl 1A adheres and supports the lower edge of the windshield 70 to the front end of the upper surface of the cowl outer 12. If the supporting force is low, the lower edge of the windshield 70 may vibrate and generate an abnormal noise. In particular, the center of the lower edge of the windshield 70 in the vehicle width direction tends to vibrate. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the supporting force at the center of the cowl 1A in the vehicle width direction. FIG. The dash panel 3 has a substantially hat-shaped cross-section reinforcement 30 which forms a closed cross section with the panel surface along a panel surface on the side of the cabin at the center in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge of the dash panel 3. It is installed vertically to the upper edge.
[0033]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (A), the upper end of the reinforcement 30 and the upper and lower middle portions of the cowl inner 12 are inclined at the rear part of the cowl 1A in the vehicle width direction at the rear side of the cabin. The back surface of the cowl inner 12 and the upper end of the reinforcement 30 are connected to each other with a first reinforcing member 51 made of a narrow metal plate.
[0034]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (B), the lower surface of the glass bonding portion 130 of the cowl outer 13, the upper and lower middle portion of the inner surface of the cowl inner 12, and the cowl lower 11 are provided at the center in the vehicle width direction inside the cowl 1A. There is provided a second reinforcing member 52 for connecting the front and rear middle portions of the upper surface of the second member. The second reinforcing member 52 is a narrow-width metal body extending in the vertical direction and having a substantially hat-shaped cross section. The upper part of the second reinforcing member 52 is bent obliquely upward and obliquely upward with the open side as the front. The lower end of the second reinforcing member 52 is connected to the front and rear intermediate portion of the upper surface of the cowl lower 11 and stands substantially vertically, and the back surface of the bent portion is connected to the upper and lower intermediate portion of the inner surface of the cowl inner 12. The upper end extends obliquely upward and forward from the portion and is coupled to the lower surface of the glass bonding portion 130 of the cowl outer 13.
[0035]
Further, on the lower surface of the cowl 1A at the center in the vehicle width direction, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 (C), the dash panel 3 extends forward along the lower surface of the cowl lower 11 from the upper end of the engine room side panel surface. A second reinforcing member 53 having a shallow cross section and a substantially inverted hat shape is provided to support the cowl lower 11 from below.
[0036]
The cowl 1 </ b> A is connected at its center in the vehicle width direction with the rear and lower surfaces of the cabin side to the high-rigidity portion of the dash panel 3 reinforced by the reinforcement 30 by first and third reinforcing members 51 and 53. In addition to being supported by the highly rigid portion of the dash panel 3, the glass bonding portion 130 is supported from below by the cowl lower 11 reinforced by the third reinforcing member 53 via the second reinforcing member 52. Therefore, vibration of the lower edge of the windshield 70 is suppressed.
[0037]
In addition, the reinforcing portion of the cowl 1A can sufficiently suppress vibration by reinforcing a narrow area in the center portion with respect to the entire length of the cowl 1A in the vehicle width direction, and furthermore, the reinforced area is small, so that pedestrians, etc. Is less likely to hit the position immediately above the reinforcing portion. Even if the second reinforcing member 52 hits the position immediately above the reinforcing portion, the upper portion of the second reinforcing member 52 is bent forward and downward centering on the middle bent portion, and the glass adhesive portion 130 is lowered, so that the shock absorbing member 2a is also crushed and deformed. (Indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 6). Therefore, since the impact is absorbed by the crushing deformation of the second reinforcing member 52 and the impact absorbing member 2a, damage to external objects is reduced.
[0038]
FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the cowl 1B of the present embodiment is formed by two panels of a cowl upper 10 and a cowl lower 11. The cowl upper 10 rises from the joint between the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and the upper edge flange 31 of the dash panel 3, and has a vertical wall portion 12 a having an easily deformable portion 14 in the upper and lower middle, and an upper edge of the vertical wall portion 12 a An upper wall portion 13a that bends and projects toward the engine room, and a plurality of shock absorbing members 2a that vertically extend the front edge of the upper wall portion 13a and the front end portion of the cowl lower 11 are integrally formed.
[0039]
The impact absorbing member 2a is formed with a plurality of rectangular openings 23 along the vehicle width direction in a vertical plate that is bent downward from the front edge of the upper wall portion 13a and extends downward, and formed between adjacent rectangular openings 23. It is.
[0040]
According to the present embodiment, when an impact load F acts on the cowl 1B when an external object hits the lower end of the windshield 70 from above, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the vertical wall portion 12a, the upper wall portion 13a, and the shock absorbing member 2a are integrally formed, the number of welding points is small, and the productivity of the cowl 1B is good.
[0041]
FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the cowl 1 </ b> C according to the present embodiment has a vertical shape that rises from the joint between the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and the upper edge flange 31 of the dash panel 3 above the cowl lower 11. A cowl upper 10a having a wall portion 12a and an upper wall portion 13a that bends from an upper edge of the vertical wall portion 12a and projects toward the engine room is installed, and a front edge of the upper wall portion 13a of the cowl upper portion 10a and the cowl lower 11 are provided. A plurality of shock absorbing members 2b extending in the vertical direction are provided between the rear end portion and the rear end portion.
[0042]
The plurality of shock absorbing members 2b are formed with a plurality of rectangular openings 23 along a vehicle width direction in a vertical plate 20a made of a separate member, and are formed between adjacent rectangular openings 23, respectively. The impact absorbing member 2b is formed by welding the upper edge flange 27 to the lower surface of the front edge flange of the upper wall portion 13a of the cowl upper 10a and by welding the lower edge flange 22b to the dash panel 3 of the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and the lower end of the cowl upper 10a. Is welded to the front of the joint.
[0043]
According to the present embodiment, when an external object hits the lower end of the windshield 70 from above and the impact load F acts on the cowl 1C, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the impact absorbing member 2b Since the lower end is connected to a position near the upper edge of the dash panel 3, the resistance to the collision load F is high, and the deformation stroke can be reduced.
[0044]
FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the cowl 1D of the present embodiment is obtained by replacing the installation positions of the vertical wall portion and the shock absorbing member of the cowl structure described in the fourth embodiment with the front and rear. In the upper part of the cowl lower 11, a vertical wall portion 12b which rises from a front position of a joint portion between the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 and the dash panel 3, and is bent from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 12b toward the passenger compartment. A cowl upper 10b having an overhanging upper wall portion 13b is installed, and a plurality of shock absorbing members 2c are vertically extended between the upper wall portion 13b of the cowl upper 10b and the dash panel 3 connecting portion of the cowl lower 11. It is.
[0045]
The plurality of shock absorbing members 2c have a plurality of rectangular openings 23 formed in a vertical plate 20b made of a separate member along the vehicle width direction, and are formed between adjacent rectangular openings 23, respectively. The shock absorbing member 2c has the upper edge flange 27a overlap-welded to the lower surface of the glass bonding portion 130 of the cowl upper 10b, and the lower edge flange 22c integrally welded to the joint portion of the rear edge flange of the cowl lower 11 with the dash panel 3. I have.
[0046]
According to this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the fourth embodiment can be obtained. In the third to fifth embodiments, in order to enhance the supporting force for supporting the lower edge of the windshield 70 of the cowl 1B, 1C, 1D, the above-mentioned center of the cowl 1B, 1C, 1D in the vehicle width direction is used. It is preferable to provide a reinforcing structure using the first, second and third reinforcing members 51, 52, 53 (FIGS. 6 and 7).
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, a simple structure in which a shock absorbing member extending in the up-down direction facing the vertical wall portion is provided between the upper wall portion and the bottom wall portion of the cowl, so that foreign objects such as pedestrians can be prevented. The cowl's moderate resistance to the collision load acting in the event of a collision and the shock absorption performance due to the crushing deformation of the cowl can be exhibited in a well-balanced manner. As a result, it is possible to reliably absorb the impact on the external object.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 (A) is an overall perspective view of a cowl, FIG. 1 (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IB-IB of FIG. 1 (A), FIG. 1C is a sectional view taken along the line IC-IC of FIG.
2A and 2B show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is an overall perspective view of a cowl, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IIB-IIB in FIG. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IIC-IIC in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a modification of the second embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing another modification of the second embodiment.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a deformed state due to a collision load of the other modified example.
FIG. 6 is an essential part perspective view showing still another modified example of the second embodiment.
FIGS. 7A and 7B show a reinforcing member used in the above still another modified example. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a first reinforcing member, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a second reinforcing member. FIG. 7C is a perspective view of the third reinforcing member.
8A and 8B show a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2B, and FIG. 8B is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is.
9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 9 (A) is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 (B), and FIG. 9 (B) is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 (C). It is.
10A and 10B show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2B, and FIG. 10B is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is.
11 (A) is a perspective view of a cowl having a conventional open sectional structure, and FIG. 11 (B) is a sectional view taken along line XIB-XIB of FIG. 11 (A).
12A and 12B show a conventional cowl structure provided with a glass support portion. FIG. 12A is a longitudinal sectional view of the cowl structure, and FIG. 12B is a longitudinal sectional view of the cowl structure deformed by a collision load.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,1A, 1B, 1C, 1D cowl
11 Bottom wall
12, 12a, 12b, 12c Vertical wall
13, 13a, 13b, 13c Upper wall
130 Glass bonded part
14 Easy deformation of vertical wall
2,2a, 2b, 2c shock absorbing member
25 Connecting part (margin)
26 Easily deformable part of connecting part
3 dash panel
30 Dash Reinforcement
51 first reinforcing member
52 Second reinforcement member
53 Third reinforcing member
F Impact load

Claims (9)

A bottom wall portion extending in a vehicle width direction along an upper edge of a vertical wall-shaped dash panel separating an engine room and a vehicle compartment of the vehicle, and extending in a shelf shape from the vehicle room side to the engine room side; A vertical wall portion which is erected and has an easily deformable portion which is easily crushed and deformed up and down by a load acting from above at an intermediate position in the vertical direction, and a front edge of the windshield which protrudes in a shelf shape from an upper edge of the vertical wall portion. In a cowl structure of a vehicle comprising a top wall portion, a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion are vertically suspended between the top wall portion and the bottom wall portion, and a collision load acts on the cowl from above. A cowl structure for a vehicle, comprising a plurality of shock absorbing members which are crushed and deformed vertically to absorb a shock when the shock absorbing members are arranged at predetermined intervals in a vehicle width direction. 2. The cowl structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing member is formed of a columnar member made of a panel material. 3. The cowl structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vertical wall portion is erected so as to extend the dash panel upward from a rear edge position of the bottom wall portion. The upper wall portion protrudes from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion to the engine room side in a shelf shape, and the shock absorbing member is bridged between the front edge of the upper wall portion and the front edge of the bottom wall portion. The cowl structure of the vehicle. 3. The cowl structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vertical wall portion is erected so as to extend the dash panel upward from a rear edge position of the bottom wall portion. The upper wall portion is formed by bending the upper end portion of the vertical wall portion toward the engine room, and the dash panel is disposed at a position near a front edge of the upper wall portion and a rear edge of the bottom wall portion. The cowl structure of the vehicle placed between the upper edge of the vehicle. 3. The cowl structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vertical wall portion is erected from an intermediate position between the front and rear of the bottom wall portion, and an upper end of the vertical wall portion is located on a vehicle side. A vehicle in which the upper wall portion is formed by bending the shock absorbing member between the windshield bonding portion of the upper wall portion and a position immediately above the dash panel at the rear edge of the bottom wall portion. Cowl structure. The cowl structure of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of shock absorbing members are connected in a belt shape in a vehicle width direction between upper ends and lower ends thereof. 7. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 6, wherein the connecting portion connecting the upper ends of the plurality of impact absorbing members has an easily deformable portion which is easily crushed and deformed when a collision load is applied from above. Cowl structure. The cowl structure of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vertical wall portion, the upper wall portion, and the shock absorbing member are integrally formed. In the cowl structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the dash panel is provided with a dash reinforcement at a center position in a vehicle width direction for reinforcing the dash panel along a wall surface on the passenger compartment side. A first reinforcing member that connects the vertical wall portion and an upper end of the dash reinforcement to a center position in a vehicle width direction; and the upper wall portion provided inside the cowl and the upper wall portion. A cowl for a vehicle provided with a second reinforcing member connecting the vertical wall portion and the bottom wall portion, and a third reinforcing member projecting from the dash panel along the lower surface of the bottom wall portion toward the engine room. Construction.

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