JP2008247223A - Automobile cowl structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automobile cowl structure capable of improving flexibility of layout of a vertical wall element. <P>SOLUTION: In the automobile cowl structure wherein the vertical wall element 12 extending in a vehicular width direction is raised at a position lower than a hood 3 covering an engine room on a cowl top cover 1, a groove portion 8 upwardly opening and extending in the vehicular width direction is provided on the cowl top cover 1, and the vertical wall element 12 is fitted with the groove portion 8 to be mounted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile cowl structure.

  There is an automobile with a cowl top cover erected above the rear of the engine room. In this case, the rear end portion of the cowl top cover supports the windshield, and the front end portion is disposed below the hood that covers the engine room and functions as a part of the partition wall. In addition, an outside air introduction hole may be formed in the cowl top cover.

  Conventionally, a cowl top cover provided with a vertical wall extending in the vehicle width direction at the front end is known.

This vertical wall has the function of suppressing the entry of foreign objects, rainwater, snow, etc. into the engine room, and absorbing the impact when a downward load is applied to the hood during a vehicle collision. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-7965 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the vertical wall body is attached to the front end of the cowl top cover, the installation position of the vertical wall body is limited only to the front end of the cowl top cover. There was a risk that it would be difficult to respond to the design, and that the layout of parts around the cowl top cover might be affected.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile cowl structure that can improve the degree of freedom of layout of a vertical wall body.

  In the invention according to claim 1, in the cowl structure of an automobile in which a vertical wall body extending in the vehicle width direction is erected at a position below the hood covering the engine room on the cowl top cover, the cowl top The cover is provided with a groove portion that opens upward and extends in the vehicle width direction, and the vertical wall body is fitted and attached to the groove portion.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a coupling mechanism for coupling the cowl top cover and the vertical wall body is provided in the groove.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a drain hole is formed in the bottom surface of the groove.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the vertical wall body has a flange-like support portion that comes into contact with a region of the upper surface of the cowl top cover that becomes an edge of the groove portion.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that a second coupling mechanism for coupling the support portion and the cowl top cover is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vertical wall body can be provided at a position other than the front end portion of the cowl top cover. Further, the vertical wall body can be prevented from shifting in the front-rear direction.

  According to invention of Claim 2, a vertical wall body can be couple | bonded with a cowl top cover, without impairing aesthetics. Moreover, it can suppress that a vertical wall body shifts | deviates to a vehicle width direction, or can suppress coming out of a groove | channel.

  According to invention of Claim 3, water can be circulated along a groove part and it can drain | drain efficiently, avoiding the flooding from a drain hole to other components.

  According to invention of Claim 4, it can suppress that a vertical wall body falls down.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the support strength of the vertical wall body by the cowl top cover can be further improved.

  (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cowl top cover according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the cowl top cover as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 3 is a view of the cowl top cover as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover (a sectional view taken along a vehicle front-rear direction and a vertical direction) showing the SA-SA section of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view different from FIG. 4 of the top cover, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view different from FIGS. 4 and 5 of the cowl top cover.

  The cowl top cover 1 is a substantially band-shaped member extending in the vehicle width direction between the windshield 2 and the hood 3 that covers the engine room E. The cowl top cover 1 is formed of a resin material having relatively high rigidity (for example, ABS resin, modified PPO resin, etc.).

  The cowl top cover 1 is formed with a mesh-like air introduction hole 4. The air introduction hole 4 is used as an air introduction hole when, for example, outside air is introduced into the vehicle via an air conditioner (not shown).

  A holding piece 5 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is provided on the rear surface side of the rear end portion of the cowl top cover 1, and between the rear end portion of the cowl top cover 1 and the holding piece 5. The lower end edge of the windshield 2 is clamped.

  On the other hand, a shielding wall 6 that extends obliquely upward and forward is formed at the front end portion of the cowl top cover 1, and a sealing member 7 that seals between the lower surface of the hood 3 is provided at the upper end of the shielding wall 6. It has been.

  A groove portion 8 having a predetermined depth that extends upward and extends in the vehicle width direction is formed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the cowl top cover 1. Further, a pedestal portion 9 extending along the vehicle width direction is formed immediately before the groove portion 8, and has a stepped shape higher on the front side (that is, on the pedestal portion 9 side) than the rear side of the groove portion 8.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a plurality of locking holes 10 and drain holes 11 are formed on the bottom surface of the groove 8. The locking hole 10 is formed at the center in the front-rear direction of the bottom surface, and the drainage hole 11 is formed at a position adjacent to the corner of the front end of the bottom surface.

  A vertical wall 12 extending along the vehicle width direction is fitted and attached to the groove 8. The vertical wall body 12 is formed of a resin material (for example, vinyl chloride, various elastomer resins, etc.) having a rigidity lower than that of the cowl top cover 1.

  A plurality of small ribs 14 having a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the groove 8 is formed at predetermined intervals along the vehicle width direction in the base 13 inserted into the groove 8 at the lower end of the vertical wall body 12. Of the small ribs 14, those arranged corresponding to the locking holes 10 of the groove portion 8 are formed slightly thicker than the other small ribs 14, and a pin-shaped locking portion 15 is formed at the lower end thereof. Projecting downward. The locking portion 15 is fitted into the locking hole 10, and the locking portion 15 and the locking hole 10 constitute a coupling mechanism.

  A vertical wall portion 17 extending in the vehicle width direction at a substantially constant height is formed above the base portion 13. A plurality of ribs 19 that are substantially perpendicular to the vertical wall portion 17 and extend in a substantially vertical direction are formed on the vertical wall portion 17 at a predetermined interval.

  Further, the vertical wall body 12 has a flange-like support portion 16 that comes into contact with a region to be an edge of the groove portion 8 on the upper surface of the cowl top cover 1. In the present embodiment, the support portion 16 is formed so as to protrude in a plate shape from the upper portion of the base portion 13 toward the front, and the rib 19 has a substantially L-shaped corner composed of the support portion 16 and the vertical wall portion 17. It is provided to fill the part.

  The vertical wall body 12 is attached to the cowl top cover 1 by the base portion 13 being inserted into the groove portion 8 and the locking portion 15 being inserted into the locking hole 10. In such a configuration, the groove portion 8 has a function of suppressing the vertical wall body 12 from shifting in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, and the locking hole 10 is shifted in the front-rear direction, the vehicle width direction, and the vertical direction of the vertical wall body 12. Responsible for the suppression function.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the cowl top cover 1 is provided with the groove portion 8 that opens upward and extends in the vehicle width direction, and the vertical wall body 12 is fitted and attached to the groove portion 8. The vertical wall body 12 can also be provided at a position other than the front end portion. Therefore, since the degree of freedom of the layout of the vertical wall body 12 is increased, it is possible to easily cope with the appearance design of the automobile, and the influence on the component layout around the cowl top cover 1 can be reduced. Further, the groove portion 8 can suppress the vertical wall body 12 from shifting in the front-rear direction.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the vertical wall body 12 is arranged on the rear side of the front end portion of the cowl top cover 1, and the distance from the front end portion to the vertical wall body 12 can be increased. Even when foreign matter such as dead leaves or snow is pushed by the wiper arm or the like, there is an advantage that they are less likely to enter the engine room E from the front end of the cowl top cover 1.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the seal between the engine room E and the rear space (near the upper part of the cowl top cover 1) is provided by a seal member 7 provided in front of the vertical wall body 12 and separately from the vertical wall body 12. Therefore, even when the vertical wall body 12 is pushed by a foreign object, there is an advantage that it can be more reliably sealed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the locking portion 15 and the locking hole 10 are provided in the groove portion 8 as a coupling mechanism for coupling the cowl top cover 1 and the vertical wall body 12, the aesthetic appearance is improved. The vertical wall 12 can be locked to the cowl top cover 1 without damage. Moreover, it can suppress that the vertical wall body 12 slip | deviates to a vehicle width direction, or slips out of a groove | channel.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the drain hole 11 is formed in the bottom face of the groove part 8, water, such as rain water, is distribute | circulated along the groove part 8, and the flooding from the drain hole 11 to other parts etc. is avoided. While being able to drain efficiently.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the vertical wall body 12 is formed of a resin having a rigidity lower than that of the cowl top cover 1 and the upper end portion 18 thereof is located below the hood 3. When a downward load is applied to 3, the vertical wall body 12 can be deformed and the collision energy applied to the hood 3 can be absorbed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the pedestal portion 9 is formed in a stepped shape so as to be higher than the rear side of the vertical wall body 12, a large amount of water such as rain water or car wash water is dammed by the pedestal portion 9. Can be stopped.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the vertical wall body 12 has the flange-shaped support portion 16 that comes into contact with the region serving as the edge of the groove portion 8 on the upper surface of the cowl top cover 1. The support strength of 12 can be further improved.

  (Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a second embodiment. The automobile cowl structure according to this embodiment includes the same components as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, a locking hole 20 is formed in the base portion 9, a locking portion 23 is formed in the support portion 22 of the vertical wall body 21 corresponding to the locking hole 20, and the locking portion 23 is the locking hole. 20 is inserted. That is, in the present embodiment, the locking portion 23 and the locking hole 20 correspond to a second coupling mechanism. And the attachment strength of the vertical wall body 21 is improved by the engaging force of these latching | locking part 23 and the latching hole 20. FIG.

  In addition, this configuration has an advantage that the vertical wall body 21 is less likely to fall backward. That is, even if the vertical wall body 21 tends to fall backward due to wind pressure or the like during traveling, the vertical wall body 21 is less likely to fall backward because the locking portion 23 is engaged with the locking hole 20. . In addition, since the second coupling mechanism is not visible from the outside, the appearance is suppressed from deteriorating.

  (Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cowl top cover according to a third embodiment, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line SB-SB in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line SC-SC in FIG. . Note that the cowl structure of the automobile according to this embodiment also includes the same components as those in the above embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the pedestal portion 25 formed adjacent to the front side of the groove portion 8 of the cowl top cover 24 and the support portion 27 of the vertical wall body 26 abutted on the pedestal portion 25 are arranged in the vehicle width direction. A concavo-convex shape 28 that repeats up and down is formed. And the latching | locking part 29 formed in the support part 27 is inserted by the latching hole 30 formed in the base part 25. As shown in FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the locking portion 29 and the locking hole 30 correspond to a second coupling mechanism.

  In this embodiment, the coupling mechanism having the locking portion 15 and the locking hole 10 and the second coupling mechanism having the locking portion 29 and the locking hole 30 are alternately arranged along the vehicle width direction. The joints are efficiently distributed in the vehicle width direction.

  According to the present embodiment, the concave and convex shape 28 that repeats up and down is formed in the support portion 27 along the vehicle width direction via the inclined portion 28a, so that the rigidity of the support portion 27 in the front-rear direction is improved. Therefore, the vertical wall body 26 becomes more difficult to fall forward.

  (Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 10 of a cowl top cover according to a fourth embodiment. The automobile cowl structure according to the present embodiment includes the same components as those of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  Also in the present embodiment, the support portion 27 is formed with the uneven shape 28 similar to that in the third embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, a slit 34 that extends in the vehicle width direction is formed in the support portion 27, and a protruding wall 36 that is fitted into the slit 34 is formed in the cowl top cover 35. That is, in the present embodiment, the protruding wall 36 and the slit 34 correspond to the second coupling mechanism.

  According to the present embodiment, the lifting force of the support portion 27 is suppressed by the engagement force of the second coupling mechanism having the protruding wall 36 and the slit 34, and thus the vertical wall body 33 is difficult to fall backward. .

  (Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a fifth embodiment. The automobile cowl structure according to the present embodiment includes the same components as those of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the cowl top cover 37 according to the present embodiment, a connecting piece 39 is formed below the shielding wall 38, and the connecting piece 39 and the upper end of the cowl top front 40 are bound by a binder 41 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Are combined. The automobile cowl structure according to this embodiment includes the same components as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  Further, locking holes 44 and 45 are formed in the support portion 43 and the cowl top cover 37 of the vertical wall body 42, respectively, and the support portion 43 and the cowl are separated by a separate clip body 46 penetrating the both locking holes 44 and 45. A top cover 37 is coupled. That is, in this embodiment, the locking holes 44 and 45 and the clip body 46 correspond to the second coupling mechanism.

  Also in this embodiment, the vertical wall body 42 is unlikely to fall backward by the second coupling mechanism.

  FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a modification of the fifth embodiment. In this example, a clip body 50 having a wider portion in contact with the support portion 49 as compared with FIG. 12 is used. According to such a configuration, the bending of the support portion 49 can be suppressed, and the vertical wall body 47 is more unlikely to fall backward. In addition, the latching | locking part 51 of the clip body 50 is inserted by the latching holes 52 and 53, and the front-end | tip part of the latching | locking part 51 is crushed by heat caulking etc. after that.

  FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to another modification of the fifth embodiment. As in this example, a clip body 56 having a locking portion 57 with a slit fitted into the locking holes 54 and 55 may be used.

  (Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a sixth embodiment. The automobile cowl structure according to the present embodiment includes the same components as those of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the shielding wall 59 is separated from the cowl top cover 58 and is a part of a separate seal panel 60. A rear end 61 serving as a rear end of the seal panel 60 is coupled to the front end of the cowl top cover 58. In the present embodiment, the front end portion 62 of the cowl top cover 58 is coupled to the upper end of the cowl top front 40 by a binder 41 having a U-shaped cross section.

  In this embodiment, a clip body 65 having the same shape as that of the fifth embodiment is formed at the rear end portion of the shielding wall 59 (seal panel 60). The clip body 65 allows the cowl top cover 58 and the vertical wall to be formed. The support part 67 of the part 63 is coupled. That is, the locking part 66 of the clip body 65 is inserted into the locking holes 68 and 69, and then the tip part of the locking part 66 is crushed by heat caulking or the like.

  (Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a seventh embodiment. The automobile cowl structure according to the present embodiment includes the same components as those of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the same constituent elements are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the resin-made sealing panel 75 with high rigidity and the resin-made vertical wall body 76 with low rigidity are the ends of the rear end portion 77 of the sealing panel 75 and the support portion 78 of the vertical wall body 76. It is formed simultaneously by two-color molding so that the edges abut each other.

  Here, the longitudinal width of the support portion 78 in the vertical wall body 76 is made shorter than the length of the lower side of the rib 79, and a part of the rib 79 is integrated with the rear end portion 77, so that the connection strength is improved. ing.

  And the latching | locking part 80 provided in the seal panel 75 is inserted by the latching hole 81 formed in the cowl top cover 74, and the 2nd coupling mechanism is comprised by these. Also in this example, the distal end portion of the locking portion 80 is crushed by heat caulking or the like.

  According to the present embodiment, the cowl top cover 74, the seal panel 75, and the vertical wall body 76 can be integrated by the second coupling mechanism, so that the number of components used for coupling these components can be reduced. In addition, the workability can be improved.

  FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cowl top cover according to a modification of the seventh embodiment. In this example, the vertical wall body 85 and the seal panel 84 are integrally formed by two-color molding, but a locking portion 89 of the second coupling mechanism is provided in the vertical wall body 85. With this configuration, the same effect as that of the embodiment of FIG. 16 can be obtained.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, it is possible to omit the shielding wall 6 formed in front of the vertical wall body 12 by providing a seal portion that contacts the lower surface of the hood 3 at the upper end of the vertical wall body 12 in the first embodiment or the like. . In addition, various forms are conceivable as the coupling mechanism and the second coupling mechanism, and the engaging portion and the locking hole that form the coupling mechanism in each of the above embodiments may be arranged on members opposite to each other. .

It is a perspective view of the cowl top cover concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the fragmentary perspective view which looked at the cowl top cover concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from the front side. It is the partial exploded perspective view which looked at the cowl top cover concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from the front side. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view in the cross section which follows a vehicle front-back direction and an up-down direction) of the cowl top cover concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the SA-SA cross section of FIG. FIG. 6 is another longitudinal sectional view of the cowl top cover according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is another longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a cowl top cover concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is SB-SB sectional drawing of FIG. It is SC-SC sectional drawing of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 10 of the cowl top cover concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning the modification of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning another modification of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cowl top cover concerning the modification of 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

E Engine room 1,24,35,37,58,74 Cowl top cover 3 Hood 8 Groove 10 Locking hole 11 Drain hole 12, 21, 26, 33, 42, 47, 63, 76, 85 Vertical wall 15 Stop part 16, 22, 27, 43, 49, 67, 78, 87 Support part 20, 30, 44, 45, 52, 53, 54, 55, 68, 69, 81 Lock hole 23, 29, 46, 51 , 57, 66, 80, 89 Locking part 46, 50, 65 Clip body 6, 38, 59 Shielding wall

Claims (5)

In the cowl structure of an automobile in which a vertical wall body extending in the vehicle width direction is erected at a position below the hood that covers the engine room on the cowl top cover,
An automobile cowl structure, wherein a groove portion that opens upward and extends in the vehicle width direction is provided in the cowl top cover, and the vertical wall body is fitted to the groove portion and attached.   The automobile cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein a coupling mechanism for coupling the cowl top cover and the vertical wall body is provided in the groove.   The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a drain hole is formed in a bottom surface of the groove portion.   The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vertical wall body has a flange-shaped support portion that comes into contact with a region serving as an edge of the groove portion on the upper surface of the cowl top cover. Cowl structure.   5. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 4, wherein a second coupling mechanism for coupling the support portion and the cowl top cover is provided.

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