JP2008265483A - Cowl structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an open cowl of an automobile formed with a gutter having excellent drainage performance. <P>SOLUTION: In the cowl 1 of an automobile in an open shape for opening upward, the bottom wall part 11 is formed with the gutter 14 for guiding water entering into the cowl 1 obliquely downward toward the right and left ends of the cowl 1. Each end of the gutter 14 is mounted with a cavity 10 penetrating the bottom wall part 11. The lower portion of each cavity 10 is provided with a drainage guiding member 5 for extending the gutter 14 toward the end of the cowl 1 and deepening the depth of the gutter 14 toward the end. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl structure of an automobile, and more particularly to a cowl structure provided with a drainage channel for draining water that has entered the cowl.

Conventionally, the cowl installed in the vehicle width direction between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members of the engine room of an automobile has rain water infiltrated therein, so that the intruded water is drained from the left and right terminals of the cowl into the apron upper member. In addition, water is drained from the apron upper member to the outside of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In particular, in an open cowl that is provided along the front edge of the cowl upper at the lower edge of the front window opening and opens upward, rainwater or the like enters and must be drained.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cowl upper 2 installed in the vehicle width direction along the upper edge of the dash panel 6 that partitions the engine room E and the passenger compartment is positioned at both the left and right end positions and the center of the front edge. The opening cowl 9 is bolted at the positions of the mounting portions 21, 21, 22, 22 provided at the left and right side positions. W in FIG. 5 is a front window opening.

The opening cowl 9 includes a bottom wall portion 91, a front wall portion 92 and a rear wall portion 93 that stand up from the front and rear edges thereof, and has an opening shape upward. The bottom wall portion 91 is formed with a drain groove 94 having a concave cross section formed one step lower than the bottom wall portion 91. The drainage groove 94 is formed deeper in order toward the left and right terminals so that the central portion in the length direction of the opening cowl 9 is shallow and water flows toward both the left and right terminals.
In this case, in the open cowl 9 pressed from a metal plate, it is difficult to process the depth of the drainage groove 94 to the end, so that the left and right ends of the bottom wall portion 91 and the rear wall portion 93 are difficult to process. Are not formed (FIG. 5). Then, the drainage groove 94 allows the terminal 941 on the outside of the vehicle to continue from above the drainage groove 41 of the cowl side panels 4 and 4 installed on the inner side of the rear end of the left and right apron upper members 3 and 3.

  Since the opening cowl 9 has no terminals of the bottom wall 91 and the rear wall part 93 at both the left and right ends, it cannot be said that the strength and rigidity against torsion is sufficient. The reinforcing plates 8 and 8 are fixed. Further, attachment portions 81 and 81 corresponding to the attachment portions 21 and 21 are formed on the reinforcing plates 8 and 8.

The opening cowl 9 spans between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3 and 3 of the engine room E, and the mounting portions 95 and 95 of the rear wall portion 93 and the mounting portions 81 and 81 of the reinforcing plates 8 and 8 are connected to the cowl upper. 2 are attached to the mounting portions 21, 21, 22, 22 of the front edge by bolting. Rainwater or the like that has entered the opening cowl 9 is drained from both ends 941 and 941 of the drainage groove 94 into the two apron upper members 3 and 3 via the left and right cowl side panels 4 and 4.
Reference numeral 7 in FIGS. 5 and 7 denotes a suspension tower.
JP 2003-104238 A

However, in the conventional open cowl 9, thick reinforcing plates 8 and 8 must be provided at both left and right ends, and the weight is heavy. Further, there is a possibility that the mounting accuracy of the reinforcing plates 8 and 8 to the open cowl 9 may vary, and the reinforcing plates 8 and 8 are provided with the mounting portions 81 and 81 with the cowl upper 2. When the mounting accuracy varies, there arises a problem that the mounting accuracy of the entire opening cowl 1 on the vehicle body side cannot be ensured.
Therefore, the present invention provides an automobile cowl structure that can hardly be increased in weight, can easily form a drainage groove having good drainage properties up to the end of the open cowl, and can be accurately attached to the vehicle body side. It was made as an issue to achieve.

The present invention is a cowl installed in the vehicle width direction between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members of an engine room of an automobile, and has an open shape that opens upward, and the bottom wall portion is formed into the cowl. In the cowl of an automobile having a drainage groove that guides the invading water obliquely downward toward the left and right end sides of the cowl, and drains the drainage from the end of the drainage groove to the outside of the cowl, the bottom wall portion includes the drainage groove. A drainage guide member for extending the drainage groove obliquely downward toward the terminal is fixed to a lower portion of the hole.
A drain hole is formed at the end of the drainage groove of the cowl, and a drainage guide member made of a member different from the cowl is provided below it, thereby extending the end of the drainage groove. Can be deep towards the terminal. Unlike the conventional structure, the bottom wall portion and the rear wall portion of the cowl are not cut out, and thus a reinforcing member is not required, so that the strength and rigidity of the cowl against twisting can be ensured. Since the drainage guide member does not require strength and rigidity, it may be a thin plate.

The drainage groove has a substantially concave shape in cross section, the drainage guide member has a reverse hat shape in cross section, the depth is formed deeply from one end to the other end, and the one end is the drainage It connects with a groove | channel, and the upper edge of the side wall of both sides is fixed to the said perforation hole periphery of the lower surface of the said bottom wall part (Claim 2).
The drainage guide member has a simple structure and can be easily molded.

The drainage guide member connects the other end to a drainage groove of a cowl side panel installed inside the rear end of the apron upper member.
The drainage is drained from the drainage guide member to the apron upper member side through the cowl side panel.

The cowl is installed in front of a cowl upper that forms the lower edge of the front window opening, and a rear wall portion is bolted and fixed to the front edge of the cowl upper at a plurality of locations.
In the end of the cowl, since the rear wall portion is not cut out, the rear wall portion can be bolted directly to the cowl upper without using a reinforcing member made of another member as in the conventional structure.

  An embodiment of an opening cowl to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral structure of the opening cowl 1 of the automobile has a cowl upper 2 in the vehicle width direction on the upper edge of the dash panel 6 that partitions the engine room E and the passenger compartment. The left and right front pillars P are coupled to the lower part of the P. The cowl upper 2 has a closed cross-sectional structure or a substantially U-shaped cross section with an opening at the front and has an upper wall portion, and the upper wall portion constitutes the lower edge of the front window opening W.

  The left and right side walls 7 and 7 of the engine room E are provided with suspension towers 70 and 70 at front and rear intermediate positions, and left and right apron upper members in the front and rear direction along the upper edges of the side walls 7 and 7 and the upper ends of the suspension towers 70 and 70. 3 and 3 are provided. The apron upper members 3 and 3 have a closed cross-sectional structure, and the rear end is coupled to a position lower than the coupling portion with the cowl upper 2 below the front pillars P and P. The apron upper members 3 and 3 are tapered toward the front of the engine room E.

  At the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3, 3, the cowl side panels 4 projecting between the suspension towers 70, 70 and the side ends of the dash panel 6 at a position lower than the cowl upper 2 at the inner side of the vehicle. 4 is installed. The cowl side panels 4, 4 have side edges on the outside of the vehicle connected to the inside of the apron upper members 3, 3, and front and rear edges are connected to the suspension towers 70, 70 and the dash panel 6.

  The left and right cowl side panels 4, 4 are formed in a substantially concave groove shape that protrudes into the apron upper members 3, 3 through the inner wall surface of the apron upper members 3, 3 obliquely downward from the inside of the vehicle. The drainage groove 41 is formed.

  On the upper surfaces of the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3, 3, raised brackets 30, 30 to which an unillustrated engine hood is hinged at a higher position are installed. A position between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3, 3 provided with the cowl side panels 4, 4 and the raised brackets 30, 30 is one step lower than the cowl upper 2 along the bottom wall front edge 20 of the cowl upper 3. An open cowl 1 that opens upward is installed on the top. A plurality of mounting portions 21, 21, 22, 22 having screw holes for bolting the opening cowl 1 on the left and right end positions on the bottom wall front edge 20 of the cowl upper 3 and on both the left and right sides near the center in the vehicle width direction, respectively. Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the opening cowl 1 includes a bottom wall portion 11, a front wall portion 12 and a rear wall portion 13 which are bent from the front edge and the rear edge and rise upward, and the bottom wall portion 11, The length dimension of the front wall portion 12 and the rear wall portion 13 in the vehicle width direction matches the distance between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3 and 3. The front wall portion 12 is formed in a stepped shape with a stepped portion in the middle between the upper and lower sides, and a front edge flange portion that bends and projects forward is formed at the upper edge. Attachment portions 17 having bolt through holes are formed on both left and right ends of the front edge flange.

  The rear wall 13 of the opening cowl 1 has a plurality of attachment parts 15, 15, 16, respectively provided with bolt through holes at positions corresponding to the attachment parts 21, 21, 22, 22 of the front edge 20 of the cowl upper 2. 16 is formed.

  The opening cowl 1 has a bilaterally symmetric structure and will be described below with a focus on the structure on the right side in FIG. The bottom wall 11 of the opening cowl 1 is formed with a drainage groove 14 that is formed in a substantially concave groove shape one step lower from an intermediate portion near the center in the vehicle width direction to an end portion on the vehicle outer side. The drainage groove 14 is formed in an inclined shape whose depth increases gradually and gradually becomes deeper from the middle part of the cowl 1 toward the terminal on the vehicle outer side.

At the end of the bottom wall portion 11 on the vehicle exterior side, a hole 10 that penetrates the bottom wall portion 11 up and down is formed at a position corresponding to the end of the drainage groove 14. The hole 10 is rectangular and is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction, and the front-rear width is formed to be slightly larger than the groove width of the drainage groove 14.
The end of the bottom wall portion 11 positioned on the vehicle outer side than the punch hole 10 is substantially the same as the height near the center of the bottom wall portion 11.

  A drainage guide member 5 that extends the drainage groove 14 from the lower side to the vehicle outer side and obliquely downward is fixed to the hole 10. The drainage guide member 5 is a press-processed product made of a thin metal plate, and includes a drainage groove 51 having a concave groove shape that extends the drainage groove 14 to the outside of the vehicle. The drainage groove 51 is formed at a depth corresponding to the terminal of the drainage groove 14 of the cowl 1 that opens at the inner side of the vehicle, and has an inclined shape that is larger than the inclination of the drainage groove 14 of the cowl 1 that opens toward the terminal of the outer side of the vehicle. It is deeply formed.

  The drainage guide member 5 has a front edge flange 52 bent from the front edge of the drainage groove 51 and protruding forward, bent from the rear edge of the drainage groove 51 and protruded rearward, and further opened to the rear wall 13 of the open cowl 1. Correspondingly, a rear edge flange 53 that rises like a staircase is provided (FIG. 3).

  The drainage guide member 5 is arranged so as to cover the hole 10 from below the opening cowl 1, and the terminal on the inner side of the drainage groove 51 is slightly wrapped on the terminal of the drainage groove 14 of the cowl 1, and the front edge flange 52 is The drain guide member 5 is welded by superimposing and welding the rear edge flange 53 to the rear of the hole 10 in the bottom wall portion 11 and the rear surface of the rear wall portion 13. Thus, the end of the drainage groove 14 of the opening cowl 1 is extended outward and obliquely downward.

  The opening cowl 1 is arranged from above between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members 3, 3 and between the raised brackets 30, 30, and on the outside of the drainage grooves 51, 51 of the left and right drainage guide members 5, 5. The terminals are connected to the drainage grooves 41 and 41 of the left and right cowl side panels 4 and 4 from above, and in this state, the left and right ends of the rear wall portion 13 and the attachment portions 15, 15, 16 and 16 on both sides are connected to the cowl upper. 2, the mounting portions 17, 17 at the left and right ends of the front edge flange of the front wall portion 12 are mounted on the suspension towers 70, 70 of the left and right raised brackets 30, 30. It is fixed on the top of the front end that is bent to the top by bolting.

  Rainwater or the like that has entered the opening cowl 1 flows from the drainage groove 14 of the opening cowl 1 through the drain hole 10 to the cowl side panel 4 by the guide of the drainage guide member 5, and reaches the apron upper member 3. The water flowing into the apron upper member 3 is discharged from the front end opening of the apron upper member 3 or a drain port formed in the lower surface of the apron upper member 3 (not shown) to the lower front wheel house.

  According to the present embodiment, the hole 10 is provided at the end of the drainage groove 14 of the opening cowl 1, and the drainage guide member 5 made of a thin metal plate different from the cowl 1 is assembled to the hole 10 to assemble the drainage groove 14. Since the terminal is extended obliquely downward, the terminal of the drainage groove 51 can be formed deeply without forming the bottom wall part and the rear wall part in the notch shape as in the conventional structure, and the cowl 1 side The end of the drainage grooves 14 and 51 and the drainage groove 41 of the cowl side panel 4 can be suitably connected, and the drainage is good.

  Further, since the left and right ends of the bottom wall portion 11 and the rear wall portion 13 remain in the opening cowl 1 of this embodiment, sufficient strength and rigidity against torsion can be secured, and a reinforcing plate made of a thick metal plate is provided as in the prior art. There is no need to reduce the weight. The drainage guide member 5 does not require strength and can be a thin plate.

  Further, since the end of the rear wall portion 13 is left without being cut out, the mounting portion 15 of the terminal is not provided on the reinforcing plate made of another member as in the prior art, but all the mounting portions 15, 15 are provided on the rear wall portion 13. , 16 and 16 can be formed at accurate positions, and the mounting cowl 1 can be bolted to the cowl upper 2 side to attach the open cowl 1 to the vehicle body side with high mounting accuracy.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which attaches the open cowl of this invention, and this to a vehicle body. It is sectional drawing which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. 1 in the state which attached the said opening cowl to the vehicle body. It is sectional drawing in the position which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the position which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional open cowl and a state in which it is attached to a vehicle body, corresponding to FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI line of FIG. 5 in the state which attached the conventional opening cowl to the vehicle body. It is sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII line of FIG. 5 similarly to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Opening cowl (Cowl)
10 Drainage hole 11 Bottom wall part 13 Rear wall part 14 Drainage groove 15, 16 Mounting part (bolt tightening position)
2 Cowl upper 3 Apron upper member 4 Cowl side panel 41 Drainage groove 5 Drainage guide member 52 Front edge flange (upper edge)
53 Rear edge flange (upper edge)
E Engine room W Front window opening

Claims (4)

A cowl erected in the vehicle width direction between the rear ends of the left and right apron upper members of the engine room of the automobile,
The bottom wall is provided with a drainage groove that guides water that has entered the cowl obliquely downward toward the left and right end sides of the cowl. In a car cowl that drains outside,
In the bottom wall portion, a drain hole is provided at a terminal position of the drainage groove, and a drainage guide member for extending the drainage groove obliquely downward toward the end of the cowl is fixed to a lower part of the drainage hole. Characteristic car cowl structure. The drainage groove has a substantially concave cross section,
The drainage guide member has an inverted hat shape in cross section, the depth is deeply formed from one end to the other end, and the one end is connected to the drainage groove to 2. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein an edge is fixed to the periphery of the hole in the lower surface of the bottom wall portion.   3. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 2, wherein the drainage guide member has the other end connected to a drainage groove of a cowl side panel installed inside the rear end of the apron upper member.   4. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the cowl is installed in front of a cowl upper that forms a lower edge of a front window opening, and a rear wall portion is bolted and fixed to the front edge of the cowl upper at a plurality of locations.