JP2007137367A - Vehicle body front part structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle body front part structure capable of enhancing freedom of design while maintaining other required performances. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle body front part structure 10 is provided with a dash panel 12 for partitioning a cabin C and an engine room E; a cowl assembly 14 laid between front pillars 22 positioned above the dash panel 12 and at both sides in a vehicle width direction; and a pair of cowl upper panels 28 for connecting the dash panel 12 and the cowl assembly 14 at both ends in the vehicle width direction respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure provided with a dash panel, a cowl panel, and a front pillar.

In order to protect the collision object (obstacle) that collided with the lower part of the front windshield glass, the support structure (the structure of the cowl part) under the front windshield glass to secure the shock absorbing stroke of the obstacle is considered. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-38160 A

  However, in the cowl portion, it is difficult to achieve both the required performance such as the protection performance of the collision object and the degree of freedom in design (design selection), and there is room for improvement in this respect.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle body front structure capable of improving design flexibility while maintaining other required performance in consideration of the above facts.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle body front structure according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a dash panel that partitions a vehicle compartment and a space located in front of the vehicle compartment, and both sides in the vehicle width direction above the dash panel. And a connecting member that connects the dash panel and the cowl member at both ends in the vehicle width direction.

  In the vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, since the cowl member and the dash panel are connected via the connecting member at least at the end portion in the vehicle width direction, the dimensional shape of the connecting member depends on the arrangement and shape of the cowl member. Can be set. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the cowl member with respect to the dash panel is improved, and restrictions on the shape and arrangement of the front pillar that the cowl member spans are reduced.

  Thus, in the vehicle body front part structure according to the first aspect, the degree of freedom in design can be improved while maintaining other required performance. Thereby, for example, it becomes possible to form vehicles having various designs while using a common dash panel (chassis) and maintaining other required performance.

  The vehicle body front part structure according to a second aspect of the invention is the vehicle body front part structure according to the first aspect, wherein the connecting members are separated in the vehicle width direction and provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction. .

  In the vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2, since the pair of connecting members separated in the vehicle width direction are located only at both ends in the vehicle width direction, in other words, the end in the vehicle width direction where the cowl member is coupled to the front pillar. Since the connecting member is disposed only in the portion, the degree of freedom in design can be effectively improved with a small amount of material (connecting member).

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle body front portion structure according to the second aspect, wherein the cowl member has a portion extending between the front pillars or the pair of connecting members in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. It is considered as a standing wall along.

  In the vehicle body front portion structure according to the third aspect, since the standing wall portion is provided in the cowl portion, the required rigidity (particularly, the rigidity in the gravity direction) of the cowl portion can be ensured. Thereby, for example, it is not necessary to rely on the closed cross-section portion to ensure the rigidity of the cowl portion, and the required shock absorbing performance is maintained.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle body front portion structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cowl member has the standing wall portion at the both ends in the vehicle width direction. The pillar joint portion joined to the pillar and the connecting member joint portion joined to the connecting member are provided, and the pillar joint portion and the connecting member joint portion are directed in different directions.

  In the vehicle body front part structure according to claim 4, the pillar joint portion and the connecting member joint portion of the cowl member are directed in different directions. In other words, the vehicle body fixing portion at the end portion in the vehicle width direction of the cowl portion is three-dimensional. Since it has a structure (shape), it is easy to ensure the rigidity of the cowl portion while maintaining other required performance. For example, it is easy to design to improve the attachment rigidity of the cowl part and the support rigidity of other parts by the cowl part while reducing the wall thickness of the standing wall part to improve the impact absorbing performance and weight. Particularly, by providing the pillar joint portion and the connecting member joint portion on the standing wall portion of claim 3, it is easy to improve the rigidity of the cowl member.

  As described above, the vehicle body front structure according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the degree of freedom in design can be improved while maintaining other required performance.

  A vehicle body front structure 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that arrow FR, arrow UP, arrow RH, and arrow LH, which are appropriately shown in each figure, respectively indicate the forward direction (traveling direction), the upward direction, the right direction, and the left direction of the vehicle to which the vehicle body front structure 10 is applied. In the following description, when the top, bottom, front, back, left, and right are simply indicated, they correspond to the directions of the arrows.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the vehicle body front structure 10 is partially separated vertically. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the vehicle body front structure 10 as viewed from the passenger compartment side (rear). FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section taken along line 3-3 in FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the vehicle body front structure 10 includes a dash panel 12. The dash panel 12 is formed in a plate shape that extends in the vehicle body vertical direction and the vehicle width direction as a whole, and is a partition member that partitions the compartment C from the engine compartment E located in front of the compartment C. Yes. The lower portion of the dash panel 12 is coupled to a front side member (not shown) that is a vehicle body skeleton, and a lower rear end thereof is joined to a front end of a floor panel supported from below by a rear portion of the front side member.

  A cowl assembly 14 serving as a cowl member is disposed above the dash panel 12. The cowl assembly 14 includes a cowl outer panel 16 and a cowl inner panel 18 that extend over substantially the entire length in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right hood hinge mounting portions 20 that are integrally provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction, respectively. Is the main component. The cowl inner panel 18 is formed in a plate shape mainly extending in the vehicle body vertical direction and the vehicle width direction, and corresponds to a standing wall portion in the present invention. The pair of left and right hood hinge mounting portions 20 are projected forward from the cowl inner panel 18.

  Moreover, the vehicle body front part structure includes a pair of left and right front pillars 22 which are vehicle body standing frame members located at both ends in the vehicle width direction. The side outer panel 24 constituting the front pillar 22 is bridged by the dash panel 12 and the cowl assembly 14 in the vehicle width direction. As shown only in the right side of the vehicle body in FIG. 2, the pillar joining piece 12 </ b> A formed at the outer edge in the vehicle width direction of the dash panel 12 is spot welded at the front edge portion of the side outer panel 24 below the cowl assembly 14 installation site. Etc. are joined. The left side of the vehicle body is configured symmetrically with the right side portion shown in FIG.

  The joining of the side outer panel 24 and the cowl assembly 14 will be described later. Further, the front pillar uppers 22A located above the cowl assemblies 14 in the left and right front pillars 22 are inclined rearward and their upper ends are connected to roof side rails (not shown). It supports the direction end.

  FIG. 1 shows a state where the cowl assembly 14 is separated from the dash panel 12 and the left and right front pillars 22, in other words, a state before the cowl assembly 14 is assembled. As shown in FIG. 1, dash upper panels 28 as connecting members for connecting the cowl assembly 14 to the dash panel 12 are provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction at the upper end of the dash panel 12.

  The pair of left and right dash upper panels 28 are separate from the dash panel 12, and are joined to the dash panel 12 by joining means such as spot welding or fastening. Since the left and right dash upper panels 28 are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line in the vehicle width direction, only one (single) dash upper panel 28 will be described below.

  The dash upper panel 28 includes a connecting portion 30 for connecting the cowl assembly 14 and a cowl front support portion 32 that extends forward from the lower edge of the connecting portion 30 and supports a cowl front 36 described later. Is formed. The connection portion 30 is inclined so that the lower side is substantially horizontal in the vehicle width direction and the upper side is higher in the vehicle width direction outside than the inside in the front view, and the outer side in the vehicle width direction is the front pillar 22. The main surface portion 30A is formed in a substantially triangular shape along the (upper and lower sides of the vehicle body).

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the main surface portion 30 </ b> A is inclined forward, and the dash joint piece 30 </ b> B protruding from the lower side to the front lower side over the entire length (the total length in the vehicle width direction) It is joined (fixed) by spot welding or the like on the upper joining side 12B projecting upward from the upper edge of 12. The cowl front support portion 32 extends forward in succession to the dash joint piece 30B.

  Further, a cowl joint side 30C projects rearward and upward over the entire length from the inclined upper side of the main surface portion 30A of the connecting portion 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the pillar joining piece 30 </ b> D extending outward in the vehicle width direction of the main surface portion 30 </ b> A is joined to the front surface 24 </ b> A of the side outer panel 24.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a cowl joint surface 24 </ b> B that is an inclined surface extending forward and rearward of the vehicle body in a plan view and facing forward and upward is disposed above the joint portion of the side outer panel 24 with the pillar joint piece 30 </ b> D. Is formed. The front lower edge of the cowl joint surface 24B substantially coincides with the upper end position of the pillar joint piece 30D. On the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the front lower edge of the cowl joint surface 24B, a cowl joint side 30C extending in the vehicle width direction is positioned so as to form a “<” shape in plan view with the cowl joint surface 24B. The cowl joint surface 24B and the cowl joint side 30C are three-dimensionally arranged along different surfaces (not along the same plane).

  Further, between the left and right upper joint sides 12B at the upper edge of the dash panel 12, a cowl joint piece 12C is formed continuously to the left and right upper joint sides 12B. The cowl joint piece 12C projects rearward and upward from the upper edge of the dash panel 12 in the same manner as the upper joint side 12B.

  On the other hand, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, the cowl inner panel 18 constituting the cowl assembly 14 includes a pillar joint portion 18A joined to the cowl joint surface 24B of the side outer panel 24, and a dash upper panel 28 (connecting portion 30). An upper panel joining portion 18B joined to the cowl joining side 30C and a dash joining piece 18C joined to the cowl joining piece 12C of the dash panel 12 are formed. The pillar joint portion 18A and the upper panel joint portion 18B are formed on the rear surface side hatched in FIG. Although not shown, the left side of the cowl inner panel 18 is configured in the same manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cowl inner panel 18 constituting the cowl assembly 14 includes a pillar joint 18 </ b> A on the cowl joint surface 24 </ b> B of the side outer panel 24 and an upper panel joint 18 </ b> B on the cowl of the dash upper panel 28. A dash joint piece 18C is joined to the cowl joint piece 12C of the dash panel 12 by spot welding or the like on the joint side 30C.

  Thereby, the cowl inner panel 18 is directly joined to the dash panel 12 at the center in the vehicle width direction, and is connected to the dash panel 12 via the dash upper panel 28 at both ends in the vehicle width direction. Further, the cowl inner panel 18 is directly joined to the side outer panel 24 at the upper portion thereof, and is connected to the side outer panel 24 via the dash upper panel 28 from the central portion in the vertical direction to the lower portion.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, since the connecting portion 30 of the dash upper panel 28 is inclined forward as described above, the lower end (cowl) of the cowl inner panel 18 with respect to the dash panel 12 (dash joining piece 30B). The joint side 30C) is located forward. In other words, the lower end of the cowl inner panel 18 is located in front of the reference line Lb indicating the front-rear position of the dash panel 12.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cowl joint surface 24B of the side outer panel 24 is tilted rearward and the upper end is positioned rearward of the lower end, and the cowl assembly 14 can be assembled by being lowered vertically from above. It can be done. In this embodiment, the upper edge 24C of the cowl joint surface 24B, that is, the base end of the front pillar upper 22A is located in front of the reference line Lb, that is, the dash panel 12.

  FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of the vehicle body front portion structure 10 in the middle portion in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 3, the cowl outer panel 16 has a rear end 16A joined to an upper flange 18D protruding rearward and upward from the upper edge of the cowl inner panel 18, and is in the vicinity of the free end. The front windshield glass 26 is a glass support portion 16B in which the front lower end portion 26A is fixed by adhesion or the like. Accordingly, the cowl assembly 14 functions to support the front lower end portion 26A of the front windshield glass 26 from below.

  In the vehicle body front structure 10, the front end side of the cowl outer panel 16 is a free end, so that when the collision body collides from above in the vicinity of the front lower end portion 26 </ b> A of the front windshield glass 26, The cowl outer panel 16 and the cowl inner panel 18 are deformed so as to be close to each other while stroking downward to absorb the impact. Although not described in detail, the shape of the cowl assembly 14 is designed so that the intermediate film of the front windshield glass 26 does not expand and contract during the above-described shock absorbing process.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the cowl assembly 14 connects the vicinity of the glass support 16B of the cowl outer panel 16 and the upper part of the dash joint piece 18C of the cowl inner panel 18 in the vehicle width direction. A brace 34 that partially forms a closed cross-section is provided. A plurality of braces 34 (three in this embodiment) are provided at substantially equal intervals in the vehicle width direction.

  Each brace 34 is configured to suppress vibration at a frequency that causes a booming sound of the front windshield glass 26. Each brace 34 is formed with one or a plurality of bent portions (folds) 34A in the middle portion in the vertical direction, and when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied, such as when a collision object collides as described above. Is bent at the plurality of bent portions 34 </ b> A and does not hinder shock absorption due to deformation of the cowl assembly 14. The presence / absence of the braces 34, the number of installations, the arrangement, and the like are determined according to the vibration characteristics of the front windshield glass 26 support system.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a cowl front 36 is attached to the cowl assembly 14, and a cowl box (air box) B for taking air into the passenger compartment C is formed at the upper rear end of the engine room E. Yes. The upper opening of the cowl box B is closed by a cowl louver 38 having an air intake (not shown), and the front end of the cowl louver 38 (the cowl front 36) is an engine hood that closes the engine room E via the weather strip 40. The rear end of 42 is supported.

  The engine hood 42 is rotated around an axis along the vehicle width direction by a pair of left and right hood hinges (not shown) respectively attached to a pair of left and right hood hinge mounting portions 20 integrated with the cowl assembly 14. The engine room E is opened and closed by this rotation. An automobile in which the vehicle body front structure 10 in which the hood hinge mounting portions 20 are integrated with the cowl assembly 14 that bridges the left and right front pillars 22 in the vehicle width direction is applied has high assembly accuracy of the engine hood 42. The engine hood 42 and the front fender and the like are configured to obtain a good design with a constant parting interval.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle body front structure 10 having the above-described configuration, the dash upper panel 28 that connects the cowl assembly 14 to the dash panel 12 is provided. Therefore, a cowl assembly is used by using a platform (underbody) that is common to the lower side of the dash panel 12. The degree of freedom of design (design) can be enhanced while maintaining the protection performance of the collision body required for the body 14 and the rigidity as the cowl assembly 14.

  Specifically, since the dash upper panel 28 is a separate member from the dash panel 12, a platform below the dash panel 12 can be shared, and various shapes can be formed by setting the shape of the dash upper panel 28. The cowl assembly 14 can be assembled. Further, since the shape and arrangement of the cowl assembly 14 can be changed depending on the shape of the dash upper panel 28, the left and right front pillars 22, in particular, the base ends of the front pillar upper 22A can be set at arbitrary positions, and the platform can be set. The degree of freedom of vehicle body design is greatly increased while making common use.

  For example, in a configuration in which both ends in the vehicle width direction of the cowl assembly 14 are directly joined to the dash panel 12 as in the vehicle width direction center shown in FIG. 5, in order to enable the cowl assembly 14 to be assembled from above, Like the cowl portion 90 as a comparative example shown in FIG. 6, the upper edge 24 </ b> C on the front surface 24 </ b> A of the side outer panel 24 must be arranged behind the dash panel 12 (reference line Lb) at both ends in the vehicle width direction. Restrictions arise. For this reason, only the design in which the front pillar upper 22A is arranged behind the dash panel 12 can be taken, and the degree of freedom in design selection is low.

  On the other hand, in the vehicle body front structure 10 provided with the dash upper panel 28 (connecting portion 30), a configuration in which the base end of the front pillar upper 22A is disposed in front of the dash panel 12 as shown in FIG. Further, the position of the base end of the front pillar upper 22A with respect to the dash panel 12 (reference line Lb) can be adjusted by the angle, length, etc. of the connecting portion 30 and is rearward of the dash panel 12 as in the comparative example. The structure arrange | positioned in can also be taken.

  Further, in the vehicle body front structure 10, the cowl assembly 14 includes the cowl inner panel 18 as a standing wall portion, so that both the protection performance of the collision body and the securing of rigidity as the cowl assembly 14 are achieved. For example, in another comparative example shown in FIG. 7, the cowl portion 100 includes a cowl outer 102, a cowl inner 104, and a dash upper panel 106 extending upward from the dash panel 12, thereby forming a required rigidity. Is secured. With the configuration of the cowl portion 100, it is difficult to ensure the protection performance of the collision object. On the other hand, in order to ensure the protection performance of the collision body, it is difficult to ensure the required rigidity when the standing wall portion 102A of the cowl outer 102 is removed. In the cowl portion 100, the platform including the dash panel 12 cannot be made common, and the cowl portion 100 excluding the dash upper panel 106 cannot be assembled from above as a cowl assembly.

  On the other hand, the vehicle body front structure 10 includes the cowl inner panel 18 as a standing wall portion that extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and spans the left and right front pillars 22 to ensure the protection performance of the collision body as described above. In addition, a configuration that ensures the required rigidity was realized. In particular, since both ends of the cowl inner panel 18 in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the vehicle body in three dimensions with the pillar joint 18A and the upper panel joint 18B facing different directions, it is easy to ensure rigidity as the cowl assembly 14. Become. This facilitates, for example, a design that improves the mounting rigidity of the cowl assembly 14 and the supporting rigidity of the hood hinge mounting portion 20 while reducing the thickness of the cowl inner panel 18 to improve the impact absorption performance and the weight.

  Further, in the vehicle body front structure 10, the dash upper panel 28 for connecting the dash panel 12 and the cowl assembly 14 is separated to the left and right and provided only at both ends in the vehicle width direction. Can be increased. In addition, when the thickness and shape of the dash upper panel 28 are adjusted, a structure that secures and improves other required performances such as the protection performance of the collision body and the mounting rigidity of the cowl assembly 14 is minimized. The optimum plate thickness and shape of the dash upper panel 28 can be set while limiting. For this reason, securing / improvement of other required performance can be realized with minimum cost and mass.

  As described above, in the vehicle body front part structure 10 according to the present embodiment, the degree of freedom in design can be improved while maintaining other required performance.

  In the above embodiment, the dash upper panel 28 has the cowl front support portion 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the dash upper panel 28 includes only the connecting portion 30. Also good.

1 is a perspective view showing a partially separated vehicle body front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle body front part structure concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the back side. It is a sectional side view which shows typically the cross section which follows the 3-3 line of FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of the vehicle body front part structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view in the vehicle width direction center of the vehicle body front part structure concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the comparative example with respect to embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the other comparative example with respect to embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Car body front structure 12 Dash panel 14 Cowl assembly (Cowl member)
18 cowl inner panel (standing wall)
18B Upper panel joint (connecting member joint)
18A Pillar joint 22 Front pillar 28 Dash upper panel (connecting member)
C Vehicle compartment E Engine room (space in front of vehicle compartment)

Claims (4)

A dash panel that partitions the compartment and a space located in front of the compartment;
A cowl member spanning between front pillars located on both sides in the vehicle width direction above the dash panel;
A connecting member that connects the dash panel and the cowl member at both ends in the vehicle width direction;
Body front structure with   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is separated in the vehicle width direction and provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction.   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2, wherein the cowl member has a standing wall portion extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body at a portion extending between the front pillars or between the pair of connecting members.   The cowl member has a pillar joint portion in which the standing wall portion is joined to the front pillar at both ends in the vehicle width direction and a connecting member joint portion joined to the connecting member, and the pillar joint portion and the connecting member joint The vehicle body front part structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the portion is directed in a different direction.

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