JP2006205966A - Cowl louver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assure air tightness between a cowl louver and an engine room even when a lid is mounted to a cowl louver body, and easily perform mounting/dismounting operation of the lid. <P>SOLUTION: The cowl louver 1 of an automobile is provided with a fitting means between an end part where the length deflected from the lid body 20 of a slender seal member 30 disposed across the lid body 20 is short, and the cowl louver body 10 where the end part is disposed, the fitting means enables the both to be relatively attached/detached by one operation, and the lid body 20 can be also mounted/dismounted accompanied by the attaching/detaching by the fitting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl louver provided with a lid that covers an opening that is formed at a predetermined position of a cowl louver main body disposed in the vicinity of a lower part of a windshield of an automobile and communicates with an engine room.

  FIG. 10 shows a basic schematic configuration of a conventional cowl louver related to this technique. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the state in which the lid 20 attached to a part of the seal member 30 is fitted to the cowl louver main body 10 as viewed from above. In FIG. 10, a seal member 30 is interposed between the cowl louver body 10 and an engine hood (not shown), and the engine hood is placed on the upper surface of the seal member 30. This ensures that the cowl louver body 10 and the engine hood are sealed (airtight), and that the sound and heat generated by the water entering the engine room from the cowl louver side and the engine rules are transmitted to the cowl louver 1 side. Prevent or suppress. A clip hole 41 is formed in the cowl louver main body 10, the lid 20, and the seal member 30, and a clip 40 is fitted in the cowl louver main body 10, the lid 20, and the seal member 30.

In the cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 10, an opening K communicating with the engine room is formed in the lower part of the lid 20. The lid 20 is attached to a part of the seal member 30 and is configured to be detachable from the cowl louver body 10 by removing the clip 40 on the left side of the lid 20 as viewed in FIG. Thereby, the operator can perform maintenance work in the engine room through the opening K.
As this type of related technology, there are those shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3 below.

JP 2003-276642 A JP-A-5-185958 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-2330

  However, in the conventional cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 10, the sealing member 30 is interposed at a position where the one end of the lid 20 on the front side of the vehicle and the engine hood overlap, so that airtightness can be secured to some extent. It has been pointed out that the clip 40 has to be removed when the lid 20 is detached. That is, there is a problem that the work efficiency is deteriorated, for example, the operator needs to remove the clip 30 by putting his hand on the back surface of the cowl louver body 10 or has to be removed using a special tool. It was.

As a means for solving such a problem, a cowl louver 1 as shown in FIG. 11 can be considered. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 10 that is obtained by dividing the parts on both sides of the lid 20 to which the seal member 30 is attached, as viewed from above. In the cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 11, the seal member 30 is divided and formed on both sides of the lid 20 in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, unlike the cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 10, the lid 20 can be detached from the cowl louver main body 10 without removing the clip 40 on the left side of the lid 20 as viewed in FIG. 11. Thereby, the lid 20 can be easily attached or detached.
However, in the cowl louver 1 shown in FIG. 11, since the sealing member 30 is divided and formed, the lid 20 can be easily detached from the cowl louver main body 10, but there is a problem that sufficient airtightness cannot be ensured. That is, there arises a problem that water such as rainwater enters from a slight gap in the divided portion 37 or that sound / heat from the engine room enters the vehicle interior through an outside air inlet formed in the cowl louver 1.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to ensure the airtightness between the cowl louver and the engine room even when the lid is attached to the cowl louver body. In addition, the attachment and removal work of the lid is simply performed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention takes the following means.
A first aspect of the present invention is a cowl louver body disposed in the vicinity of a lower part of an automobile windshield in which an engine room that is opened and closed by an engine hood is disposed at a front position, and an engine room formed at a predetermined position of the cowl louver body. And a cover member that covers an opening communicating with the seal hood, and a seal member is formed between the cowl louver main body where the cover member is located and the engine hood so as to ensure the airtightness of the two. The elongate seal member is a cowl louver arranged across the lid and attached to the lid and the cowl louver body, wherein the elongate seal member is disposed across the lid. A fitting hand that can be relatively attached and detached by one operation between an end portion having a shorter length removed from the lid body and a cowl louver body on which the end portion is disposed. It is provided, wherein the lid with the removable by fitting means is also capable installation and removal.

  In the first invention, the sealing member is disposed across the lid, and the end of the seal member and the cowl louver body on which the end is disposed can be relatively attached and detached by one operation. It becomes the composition provided with. Therefore, the cowl louver main body and the seal member can be easily attached and detached while ensuring the airtightness between the cowl louver and the engine room. In addition, since the lid can be attached and removed along with the attachment / detachment by the fitting means, the lid can be easily opened and closed. In addition, the short edge part which remove | deviated from the cover body among the sealing members becomes a structure which attaches and detaches with the cowl louver main body in which this edge part is arrange | positioned. That is, the distance between the position of the cowl louver main body where the end is disposed and the lid is shortened, and the lid can be easily opened and closed accordingly.

  Here, “one operation” refers to an operation that can be performed by a so-called one-touch operation such as a fitting operation or a pulling-out operation. Therefore, for example, when a convex part is formed at the tip part of the short end part and a concave part is formed in the cowl louver main body where the tip part is arranged, both are attached by an operation of fitting the convex part into the concave part. The detachment operation can be easily performed by removing both by the operation of pulling out from the recess. Conversely, a concave portion may be formed at the distal end portion of the short end portion, and the detachment operation may be performed by forming a convex portion on the cowl louver body where the distal end portion is disposed.

  In the first invention described above, the seal member is preferably an elastic member such as rubber. When an elastic member is used, it becomes easy to ensure the sealing property between the cowl louver and the engine room due to the elastic deformation property, and the attachment / detachment operation can be performed more easily. Moreover, although the shape of the whole sealing member is elongated, the cross-sectional shape may be hollow or airtight.

  Next, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the cowl louver according to the first aspect described above, the fitting means includes a claw portion that protrudes from an upper surface of a cowl louver main body on which the end portion is disposed, and the sealing member. The cowl louver main body and the seal member are fitted to each other by the coupling between the claw portion and the hollow portion.

  In this 2nd invention, since a fitting means is comprised from a nail | claw part and a hollow site | part, the structure of a fitting means becomes very simple. For this reason, the attaching / detaching operation between the short end portion and the cowl louver main body on which the short end portion is arranged becomes easier. In addition, the said hollow part may form the cross-sectional shape of the whole sealing member in a hollow shape, may form only the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of a sealing member in a hollow shape, and may form other parts airtightly. .

The present invention can obtain the following effects by taking the above-described means.
First, in the first invention, a sufficient sealing property between the cowl louver main body and the engine room can be ensured, and the lid can be easily attached and detached. In addition, since the attachment / detachment work of the lid is simplified, the maintenance work in the engine room can be performed efficiently.
Next, according to the second invention, since the configuration of the fitting means becomes simple, the detachment operation between the end portion of the shorter seal member removed from the lid and the cowl louver main body on which the end portion is disposed is performed. It can be done more easily.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automobile M to which a cowl louver 1 according to this embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the lid 20 is detached from the cowl louver main body 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the lid 20 is attached to the cowl louver main body 10. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cowl louver 1 taken along the line AA in FIG.
The cowl louver 1 according to the present embodiment is used to form an opening K in a part of the cowl louver 1 and enable maintenance work in the engine room from the opening K. The cowl louver 1 can be applied to various automobiles such as ordinary cars, light cars, and large cars.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cowl louver 1 according to the present embodiment is applied to an automobile in which an engine room ER that is opened and closed by an engine hood EF is disposed at a front position. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cowl louver 1 includes a cowl louver body 10 disposed in the vicinity of the lower portion of the windshield FG of the automobile M, and an opening formed at a predetermined position of the cowl louver body 10 and communicating with the engine room ER. And a lid 20 covering K.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cowl louver body 10 is made of a hard synthetic resin material, and an upper portion 10 a and a vertical wall 10 b inclined toward the vehicle front side are integrally injection-molded. The cowl louver main body 10 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction and has a substantially box shape. At the lower end of the vertical wall 10b, a bracket portion 11 projecting forward of the vehicle body is formed in the vehicle width direction. The bracket part 11 is formed by injection molding, and a number of clip holes 40a for fitting the clip 40 into the bracket part 11 are formed at predetermined intervals in this molding process. In addition, an outside air intake port 17 having a large number of holes 17a is formed at a part of a substantially central position of the cowl louver main body 10, and the outside air passes through a communication passage (not shown) communicating with the vehicle interior from the outside air intake port 17. It has been introduced into the passenger compartment.

  On the upper surface of the bracket portion 11, a seal member 30 for ensuring airtightness between the cowl louver main body 10 and the engine room ER is disposed. A hole is formed in the seal member 30 in advance so as to correspond to the arrangement position of the clip hole 40a, and the seal member 30 is attached to the bracket portion 11 by fitting the clip 40 into this hole and the clip hole 40a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seal member 30 is formed in an elongated shape, and the overall cross-sectional shape thereof is hollow. Further, the seal member 30 is disposed across the lid body 20. For this reason, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the claw part 50 formed on the upper surface of the bracket part 11 is formed at the tip part of the end part (hereinafter referred to as the outer end part 30a) that is short to the left from the lid 20 A hollow portion 32 for bonding is formed. The seal member 30 is made of rubber and can be easily elastically deformed.

  Around the opening K, there is formed a step 13 for forming a step in each direction and fitting the lid 20 downward from the upper part 10a and from the vertical wall 10b to the rear of the vehicle. The lid 20 is attached to the cowl louver main body 10 by fitting the lower surface portion of the upper end of the lid 20 into the step portion 13. That is, it can be changed from the state where the lid 20 of FIG. 2 is removed to the state where the lid 20 of FIG. 3 is attached. Further, by providing the step portion 13, it is possible to more reliably prevent water from entering the opening K and propagation of heat and sound from the engine room.

  As shown well in FIG. 4, the lid 20 is made of the same hard synthetic resin material as the cowl louver body 10, and the upper part 20a and the vertical wall 20b inclined to the front side of the vehicle (left side as viewed in FIG. 4) It is integrally injection molded. At the lower end of the vertical wall 20b, a bracket portion 21 projecting forward of the vehicle body is formed in the vehicle width direction. The bracket portion 21 is molded by injection molding, and a clip hole 40a for fitting the clip 40 into the bracket portion 21 is formed in this molding process. A hole is formed in advance in the attachment portion of the seal member 30 to be attached to the lid 20 so as to correspond to the arrangement position of the clip hole 40a of the lid 20, and the clip 40 is fitted into this hole and the clip hole 40a. The seal member 30 and the bracket part 21 are fitted. An opening K is formed below the fitting position of the lid 20 in the cowl louver body 10.

  When the cowl louver 1 according to this embodiment is applied to an automobile in which the brake fluid tank BT is disposed below the opening K as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the lid 20 is removed. Maintenance work of the brake fluid tank BT can be easily performed in the state shown in FIG. More specifically, there is an effect that the brake fluid can be replaced or replenished very easily. Further, when applied to an automobile in which a battery is disposed below the opening K, there is an effect that battery liquid replacement and replenishment work can be performed very easily. Note that the upper surface of the seal member 30 is pressed by the engine hood EF to ensure the airtightness between the cowl louver 1 and the engine room. That is, since the seal member 30 is disposed at a position where it overlaps the engine hood EF and the lid 20 (bracket portion 21), the cowl louver 1 and the engine room are installed even when the lid 20 is attached to the cowl louver body 20. And airtightness can be secured.

  FIG. 5 is a side view partially showing a state in which the hollow portion 32 and the claw portion 50 are coupled to each other in FIG. 3. The claw portion 50 protrudes from the upper surface of the bracket portion 11 on which the outer end portion 30a is disposed, and is formed toward the center of the cowl louver body 10 in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the claw portion 50 includes a protruding portion 50a extending from the front surface portion of the outer end portion 30a from the surface of the left portion portion as viewed in FIG. 5, and a bent shape formed from the protruding portion 50a. It is comprised from the intermediate part 50b extended toward the center direction, and the front-end | tip part 50c in which the front-end | tip part inclines upwards. The cowl louver main body 10 and the seal member 30 can be more reliably fitted by inserting and coupling the hollow portion 32 to the claw portion 50 and abutting against the lower surface of the intermediate portion 50b. In addition, since the fitting means between the cowl louver body 10 and the seal member 30 is constituted by the hollow portion 32 and the claw portion 50, the structure of the fitting means becomes extremely simple, and the fitting of both is made easier. Can do.

Next, a method for using the cowl louver 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the lid 20 is attached to the cowl louver main body 10. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the left lid 20 as viewed in FIG. 7 is removed from the cowl louver main body 10. The state shown in FIG. 6 is a so-called normal use state, and the state shown in FIG. 7 is a state where maintenance work in the engine room is possible. 6 and 7, the two lids 20 are provided in the vehicle width direction. However, one lid may be provided depending on the vehicle type and the arrangement configuration of the engine room.

As shown in FIG. 6, in a normal use state, the cowl louver main body 10 and the seal member 30 are fitted by inserting and coupling the hollow portion 32 to the claw portion 50. In order to change the normal use state of FIG. 6 into a state in which maintenance work in the engine room can be performed in FIG. 7, the operator holds the periphery of the left outer end 30a as seen in FIGS. It becomes possible by removing the lid body 20 in accordance with the operation of pulling out the portion 30a from the claw portion 50. On the other hand, in order to finish the maintenance work with the lid 20 removed and to put it into a normal use state, it is possible to attach the lid 20 along with the operation of fitting the outer end portion 30a into the claw portion 50. . Note that, in a normal use state, the seal member 30 is disposed at a position where the engine hood EF and the lid 20 overlap with each other, so that the airtightness between the cowl louver 1 and the engine room is ensured.
As described above, according to the cowl louver 1 according to the present embodiment, even if the lid 20 is attached to the cowl louver main body 10, the airtightness between the cowl louver 1 and the engine room ER can be sufficiently secured. Moreover, as the cowl louver body 10 and the seal member 30 are relatively attached and detached, the attaching / detaching operation of the lid 20 can be performed very easily.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms.
For example, in the said embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the whole sealing member 30 is formed in hollow shape, and the structure which formed the nail | claw part 50 toward the vehicle width direction center direction of the cowl louver main body 10 from the predetermined location of the bracket part 11 is shown. However, it is not limited to this configuration. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the end portion of the seal member 30 may be closed, the other portion may be formed in a hollow shape, and the claw portion 50 may be formed toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the cowl louver body 10. Then, the hole 30b is formed at a predetermined position on the lower surface of the outer end 30a, and the claw 50 is inserted and coupled to the hole 30b using the elastically deformable configuration of the seal member 30, whereby the cowl louver body 10 and It is good also as a structure which can remove | desorb relatively with the outer end part 30a.
Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the protruding portion 50a of the claw portion 50 is configured to extend from the upper surface of the bracket portion where the outer end portion 30a is disposed, but may be configured as follows. That is, the claw portion 50 is in contact with the surface of the bracket portion 11 and extends from a protruding portion 50a formed by hanging from a part of the surface portion in contact with the protruding portion 50a. And a clip portion 51 that can be fitted into the bracket portion 11 extends below the contact portion of the projection portion 50a. It is good also as an installed structure. In this case, the claw portion 50 constitutes a part of the cowl louver main body 10 in a form fitted in the clip hole 40 a of the bracket portion 11, and the claw portion 50 can be easily formed when the cowl louver main body 10 is processed.

It is a perspective view showing a car to which a cowl louver according to the present embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the state from which the cover body was removed from the cowl louver main body. It is a perspective view which shows the state in which the cover body was attached to the cowl louver main body. It is sectional drawing of the cowl louver cut along the AA line in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view partially showing a state where a hollow portion and a claw portion are coupled in FIG. 3. It is a schematic plan view which shows the state with which the cover body was attached to the cowl louver main body. It is a schematic plan view which shows the state by which the cover body was removed from the cowl louver main body. It is the side view which showed the other structural example of the sealing member and the nail | claw part. It is the side view which showed the other structural example of the nail | claw part. It is the model top view which showed the structure of the conventional cowl louver. It is the model top view which showed the structure which was the structure of the conventional cowl louver, and divided | segmented the sealing member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cowl louver 10 Cowl louver main body 11, 21 Bracket part 20 Cover body 30 Seal member 30a Outer end part 32 Hollow part 40 Clip 50 Claw part BT Brake fluid tank ER Engine room EF Engine hood FR Front glass K Opening part M Automobile

Claims (2)

A cowl louver body disposed in the vicinity of the lower part of the windshield of the automobile disposed at the front position of the engine room that is opened and closed by the engine hood, and a cover that is formed at a predetermined position of the cowl louver body and covers an opening that communicates with the engine room And a seal member for ensuring airtightness between the cowl louver body and the engine hood where the lid is located is formed in an elongated shape, and the elongated seal member is A cowl louver arranged across the lid and attached to the lid and the cowl louver body,
Between the end portion of the elongated seal member disposed across the lid body and having a shorter length removed from the lid body, and the cowl louver body on which the end portion is disposed, by one operation. A cowl louver characterized in that a fitting means for relatively detaching both of them is provided, and the lid body can be attached and detached along with the attachment / detachment by the fitting means. The cowl louver according to claim 1,
The fitting means includes a claw portion formed to protrude from the upper surface of the cowl louver main body where the shorter end portion is disposed, and a hollow portion formed at the end portion of the seal member, The cowl louver is characterized in that the cowl louver main body and the sealing member are fitted together by coupling the claw portion and the hollow portion.

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