JP2010006316A - Impact force absorbing structure of cowl louver for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an impact force absorbing structure of a cowl louver for a vehicle capable of enhancing an absorbing function of an impact force when mounting a shielding plate of the cowl louver to a vehicle body side member. <P>SOLUTION: The shielding plate 7 is constituted of an upper side member 7a formed integrally with a cowl body 6 and a lower side member 16 arranged to be offset from the upper side member 7a in the vehicle width direction and mounted to the vehicle body side member 8. The lower side member 16 has a vertical wall 16a extending in a substantially vertical direction, an inclined wall 16b extending obliquely downward in the vehicle width direction continuously to the vertical wall 16a and opposed to a lower end 7e of the upper side member 7a to abut thereon, and a brittle part 16c formed to be extended in the substantially longitudinal direction in the middle of the vertical direction of the vertical wall 16a. When a load F exceeding a prescribed value from the above is inputted into the cowl body 6, the lower side member 16 is deformed in the vehicle width direction by making the brittle part 16c as a starting point, and thereby the upper side member 7a falls from the lower side member 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an impact force absorbing structure for a vehicular cowl louver having a cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction and a shielding plate provided to shield an end of the cowl body in the vehicle width direction.

  Generally, a cowl louver of an automobile covers a cowl panel to which a wiper device or the like is attached from above, and has a cowl body formed with an introduction port for introducing traveling wind into a vehicle interior, and an end portion in the vehicle width direction of the cowl body. And a shielding plate that shields hot air in the engine room from entering and flowing into the introduction port (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in recent automobiles, a windshield having a large area in the vehicle width direction may be used. When such a wide windshield is employed, the wiper device is disposed at the outer end in the vehicle width direction, and the shielding plate of the cowl louver is attached to the upper surface of the cowl side member having a closed cross-sectional structure.
JP-A-6-1264

  By the way, in the structure in which the shielding plate of the cowl louver is attached to the upper surface of the cowl side member as in the conventional case, when the collision object falls from above at the time of the vehicle collision, the shielding plate bottoms out on the cowl side member. Since the load cannot be sufficiently absorbed, there is a concern about the influence on the collision object.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and provides an impact force absorbing structure for a vehicle cowl louver that can enhance an impact force absorbing function when a cowl louver shielding plate is attached to a vehicle body side member. It is an issue.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle having a cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction and a shielding plate provided so as to shield an end of the cowl body in the vehicle width direction, and the shielding plate is attached to a vehicle body side member. An impact force absorbing structure for a cowl louver for an automobile, wherein the shielding plate is disposed integrally with the upper body member, and is offset from the upper body member in the vehicle width direction. A lower wall member attached to the lower wall member, the lower member extending vertically downward in the vehicle width direction following the vertical wall portion, and extending downward obliquely in the vehicle width direction. A slanted wall portion that opposes the portion of the vertical wall portion, and a weakened portion that is formed to extend substantially in the front-rear direction at a middle portion in the vertical direction of the vertical wall portion. The upper member is fragile with the lower member. By deforming in the vehicle width direction starting from the section it is characterized by being detached from the lower side member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the impact-absorbing structure for a vehicle cowl louver according to the first aspect, the lower member is disposed so as to be located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the upper member, and a lower end portion of the upper member Is connected to the inclined wall portion of the lower member via a seal member.

  According to the shock absorbing structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the shielding plate is disposed on the cowl body integrally with the upper member, and is offset from the upper member in the vehicle width direction and attached to the vehicle body side member. A lower wall member, the lower wall member extending in the vehicle width direction obliquely downward following the vertical wall portion and the vertical wall portion, and an inclined wall portion facing the lower end portion of the upper member; Since the vertical wall portion has a fragile portion formed so as to extend substantially in the front-rear direction, when a load from above is input to the cowl body, the upper member falls off from the lower member, and the shielding plate When attaching to a vehicle body side member having high rigidity, the impact force absorbing function can be enhanced, and the influence on the collision object can be suppressed. That is, when a load is applied from above, the upper member pushes down the inclined wall portion of the lower member, and the lower member is deformed so as to fall in the vehicle width direction starting from the fragile portion, so that the upper member becomes the lower member. It will leave and move downward.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the lower member is arranged so as to be positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction from the upper member. Therefore, when the load is applied, the lower member is deformed outward in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, even when an in-vehicle component such as a wiper device is disposed in the vicinity of the inner side of the lower member, no interference is caused and the downward drop of the upper member can be reliably induced.

  In addition, since the lower end portion of the upper member is connected to the inclined wall portion via the seal member, a ridge extending in the front-rear direction is formed between the upper member and the lower member, and rainwater and washing water enter the cowl louver. It is possible to prevent the wiper link and the like from getting wet.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 8 are views for explaining an impact force absorbing structure of a cowl louver for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cowl louver, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of the cowl louver. FIG. 4 is a sectional front view of the shielding plate of the cowl louver, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are sectional views of the shielding plate (sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 8, VI-VI sectional view, VII-VII sectional view), FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the lower member of the shielding plate.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a cowl panel that defines an engine compartment A and a compartment B of an automobile. The cowl panel 1 has a generally cross-sectional hat shape that opens upward, extends in the vehicle width direction, and is coupled to left and right vehicle body side members (not shown).

  A lower edge 3 a of the windshield 3 is attached to the rear upper edge 1 a of the cowl panel 1. The windshield 3 is formed to be wide so that both end portions wrap around the vehicle rear side.

  A hood 4 that opens and closes the upper end opening of the engine compartment A is disposed on the front side of the cowl panel 1. The hood 4 is supported by a hinge (not shown) disposed at the left and right ends of the cowl panel 1 so as to be opened and closed.

  In the cowl panel 1, a wiper device 2 for wiping rainwater and the like adhering to the windshield 3 is disposed. The wiper device 2 is disposed at the left end in the vehicle width direction of the cowl panel 1 when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and is connected to a link member 2a driven by a motor unit (not shown) and the link member 3a. A pivot shaft 2b is provided for swinging a wiper blade (not shown) in sliding contact with the windshield 3 to the left and right.

  The pivot shaft 2b is rotatably supported by a pivot holder 2c, and the pivot holder 2c is attached to a square cylindrical cowl side member 8 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction (see FIG. 6).

  The cowl side member 8 has a structure in which the outer side panel 8a and the inner side panel 8b are joined to each other by welding the flange portions 8c and 8c so as to form a closed cross section. The flange portion 8c protrudes inward from the inner upper edge of the cowl side member 8, and the mounting portion 2e of the pivot holder 2c is bolted and fixed to the flange portion 8c with an elastic member 2d interposed therebetween.

  By disposing the pivot shaft 2b at the outer end portion in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to wipe rain water up to the outer end portion of the windshield 3 that is formed wide.

  A resin cowl louver 5 is disposed on the cowl panel 1. The cowl louver 5 includes a cowl body 6 extending in the vehicle width direction, and a shielding wall 7 that is disposed at the left and right ends of the cowl body 6 and shields between the cowl body 6 and the cowl panel 1 in the vehicle width direction. Have

  The cowl body 6 includes an upper wall portion 6a extending in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the cowl panel 1 from above, a vertical wall portion 6b extending downward from a front edge of the upper wall portion 6a, and the vertical wall portion 6b. A bottom wall portion 6c extending forward from the lower edge, a front wall portion 6d extending obliquely upward from the front edge of the bottom wall portion 6c, and a seal flange portion 6e protruding forward from the upper edge of the front wall portion 6d. And have.

  When viewed from the front of the vehicle, a maintenance opening 6g is formed at the left end of the cowl body 6 by cutting out the front wall 6d. A lid member 12 is detachably attached to the maintenance opening 6g. By removing the lid member 12, maintenance of in-vehicle components such as a battery and a master cylinder (not shown) disposed in the engine room A can be performed from the maintenance opening 6 g.

  The rear edge portion 6a 'of the upper wall portion 6a is disposed so as to cover the lower edge portion 3a of the windshield 3. The seal flange portion 6e is fitted with a seal member 9 with which the hood 4 comes into pressure contact when fully closed. The seal member 9 seals between the hood 4 and the cowl louver 5.

  A portion surrounded by the vertical wall portion 6b, the bottom wall portion 6c, and the front wall portion 6d is a drainage groove 6f that discharges rainwater and car wash water entering between the hood 4 and the cowl louver 5 to the outside in the vehicle width direction. It has become.

  The bottom surface of the bottom wall portion 6c is fixed to the front flange portion 1b of the cowl panel 1 with a seal member 10 interposed therebetween.

  The upper wall 6a and the vertical wall 6b of the cowl main body 6 are formed with outside air introduction openings 6h and 6h for introducing running wind into the passenger compartment B. The outside air inlet 6h communicates with an air suction hole (not shown) formed in the cowl panel 1.

  A pivot hole 6i is formed in the left end portion of the upper wall portion 6a of the cowl body 6, and the pivot holder 2c is disposed so as to be inserted through the pivot hole 6i.

  The shielding wall 7 is disposed on the cowl side member (vehicle body side member) 8 with an upper member 7a formed integrally with the cowl body 6 and offset with respect to the upper member 7a. And a lower member 16.

  The upper member 7a extends downward from the upper wall 6a of the cowl body 6 so as to shield the space between the cowl body 6 and the cowl panel 1 in the vehicle width direction. Thus, hot air from the engine compartment A is blocked from entering the cowl panel 1.

  In the upper member 7a, a stepped portion 7b is formed on the outside in a stepped shape. The stepped portion 7b is formed with a plurality of mounting holes 7c for mounting the hinge covers 15 and 15 covering the hinges, and the left and right hinge covers 15 cover the shielding wall 7 from above. ing.

  The lower member 16 extends in the up-down direction to a vertical wall portion 16a, and extends obliquely downward inward in the vehicle width direction following the vertical wall portion 16a, and is opposed to the lower end portion 7e of the upper member 7a. It has the inclined wall part 16b and the weak part 16c formed in the up-down direction middle part of the said vertical wall part 16a so that it may extend in the front-back direction, and has the following structures in detail.

  The vertical wall portion 16a is offset from the stepped portion 7b of the upper member 7a by a in the vehicle width direction outside, and the offset amount a is set to zero or more.

  The inclined wall portion 16b is formed following the upper edge of the longitudinal center portion of the vertical wall portion 16a. The inclination angle θ of the inclined wall portion 16b is set to form an acute angle, and specifically, is set to about 60 degrees.

  A flange portion 16d is bent at the lower edge of the vertical wall portion 16a so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction. The flange portion 16 d is fixed to the upper surface of the outer side panel 8 a of the cowl side member 8 by a pair of front and rear clip members 17, 17. A mounting portion 2e of the pivot holder 2c is located in the vehicle width direction inner side vicinity of the vertical wall portion 16a (see FIG. 6).

  A seal member 18 is attached to the lower end portion of the inclined portion 16b, and the lower end portion 7e of the upper member 7a is connected to the seal member 18 (see FIGS. 4, 6, and 8). The seal member 18 is disposed so as to surround substantially the entire peripheral edge of the lower member 16 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8).

  The rear end portion of the vertical wall portion 16a extends downwardly inward in the vehicle width direction following the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 16a and then extends substantially horizontally along the upper wall portion 6a of the cowl body 6. A rear inclined wall portion 16e extending in the direction is formed. Thereafter, the inclined wall portion 16e is formed integrally with the inclined wall portion 16b so as to form a continuous surface, and is connected to the upper wall portion 16a via the seal member 18 (see FIGS. 5 and 8).

  Further, a front inclined wall portion 16f is formed at the front portion of the vertical wall portion 16a. The front inclined wall portion 16f extends inclined inward in the vehicle width direction. The front inclined wall portion 16f is formed at the lower end portion of the vertical wall portion 16a at a position separated from the inclined wall portion 16b, and the lower end portion 7e of the upper member 7a is connected via the seal member 18. (See FIGS. 7 and 8).

  As a result, a flange 19 is formed between the upper member 7a and the lower member 16 so that the front side is lower than the rear side, and the flange 19 enters from between the hinge cover 15 and the cowl body 6. The rainwater etc. which were done are drained forward.

  The fragile portion 16c is formed by forming a stepped bent portion 16g in the middle in the vertical direction of the vertical wall portion 16a and making the bent portion 16g thin.

  When a collision object falls onto the cowl body 6 from above due to a vehicle frontal collision and a load F exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the cowl body 6, the upper member 7 a pushes down the inclined wall portion 16 b of the lower member 16. Then, the lower member 16 is deformed so as to fall outward in the vehicle width direction starting from the fragile portion 16c, whereby the upper member 7a is dropped from the inclined wall portion 16b of the lower member 16 and moves downward (see FIG. 4). ).

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the shielding plate 7 is disposed on the cowl main body 6 integrally with the upper member 7a, and is offset from the upper member 7a on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The lower member 16 is attached to the upper surface, and the lower member 16 includes a vertical wall portion 16a extending upward from the upper surface of the cowl side member 8, and the vehicle width following the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 16a. Since it has an inclined wall portion 16b that extends obliquely downward in the direction and faces the lower end portion 7e of the upper member 7a, and a fragile portion 16c that is formed on the vertical wall portion 16a so as to extend substantially in the front-rear direction. As described above, when the load F from above is input to the cowl body 6, the upper member 7 a drops from the lower member 16 and moves downward, and the shielding plate 7 is attached to the highly rigid cowl side member 8. Of Can enhance the absorption function of the force can thus suppress the influence of the impacted object.

  In the present embodiment, the lower member 16 is offset so as to be positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction from the upper member 7a. Therefore, when the load F is applied, the lower member 16 falls to the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, it does not interfere with the pivot holder 2c of the wiper device 2 disposed in the vicinity of the inner side of the lower member 16, and the upper member 7a can be surely induced to drop downward.

  Further, since the lower end portion 7e of the upper member 7a is connected to the inclined wall portion 16b via the seal member 18, the upper member 7a and the lower member 16 can form a flange 19 extending in the front-rear direction, and can be used for rainwater and washing. It is possible to prevent water from entering the cowl louver 5 and getting wet on the wiper link or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the fragile portion 16c is formed by the thin bent portion 16ga. However, the fragile portion of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed by a notch or a slit, for example. A plurality may be provided in the vertical direction of the part.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the lower member 16 was offset to the vehicle width direction outer side with respect to the upper member 7a, this invention positions a lower member on the vehicle width direction inner side with respect to an upper member, and inclines The wall portion may be inclined obliquely downwardly outward in the vehicle width direction. In such a case, the lower member is deformed so as to fall inward in the vehicle width direction.

It is a perspective view of the cowl louver for vehicles by one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing (II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 1) of the said cowl louver. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cowl louver (a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1). It is a cross-sectional front view of the shielding plate of the cowl louver. It is sectional drawing (VV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 8) of the said shielding board. It is sectional drawing (VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 8) of the said shielding board. It is sectional drawing (VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 8) of the said shielding board. It is a perspective view of the lower member of the shielding plate.

Explanation of symbols

5 cowl louver 6 cowl body 7 shielding plate 7a upper member 7e lower end 8 cowl side member (vehicle body side member)
16 Lower member 16a Vertical wall portion 16b Inclined wall portion 16c Weak portion 18 Seal member F Load

Claims (2)

An impact force absorbing structure for a vehicle cowl louver having a cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction and a shielding plate provided to shield an end of the cowl body in the vehicle width direction, and the shielding plate being attached to a vehicle body side member Because
An upper member formed integrally with the cowl body, and the shielding plate;
It is arranged to be offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the upper member, and includes a lower member attached to the vehicle body side member,
The lower member includes a vertical wall portion extending substantially in the vertical direction, an inclined wall portion extending obliquely downward in the vehicle width direction following the vertical wall portion and facing the lower end portion of the upper member, A fragile portion formed so as to extend substantially in the front-rear direction in the vertical middle portion of the vertical wall portion,
When a load exceeding a predetermined value is input to the cowl body from above, the upper member drops off from the lower member as the lower member deforms in the vehicle width direction starting from the weakened portion. The impact force absorbing structure of the cowl louver for vehicles. The impact force absorbing structure for a vehicle cowl louver according to claim 1,
The lower member is disposed so as to be positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction from the upper member,
A lower end portion of the upper member is connected to an inclined wall portion of the lower member through a seal member, and the impact force absorbing structure for a vehicle cowl louver is characterized in that:

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