JP2014104883A - Cowl portion structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cowl portion structure of an automobile, the structure enabling prevention of the transformation and vibration of cowl side panels by an external force without causing an increase in the body weight and costs.SOLUTION: A bottom wall part's lower surface 3c of a cowl panel 3 is joined to the upper wall surface 4d of a spring support member 4. A water discharge port 3g opened forward is provided in the cowl panel 3's front wall part 3a at a position facing the joint part 4e where the bottom wall part 3c and the spring support member are joined. At the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4, a water guiding part 4f connected to the water discharge port 3g is formed extending in the longitudinal direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl structure of an automobile provided with a drain port for discharging water flowing into the cowl panel to the outside of the vehicle.

  For example, in a small car with limited front and rear dimensions of the engine room, the spring support member is bridged between the left and right cowl side panels and the cowl inner panel connected to the left and right cowl side panels. There is.

  Moreover, in the cowl part of a motor vehicle, a drain outlet for discharging rainwater flowing into the cowl panel and water at the time of car wash to the outside of the vehicle may be formed in the cowl side panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-126149

  By the way, in the conventional cowl part structure, the drainage port formed in the cowl side panel tends to become a break point against external force. For this reason, the cowl side panel may buckle and deform due to input at the time of a vehicle collision, or the cowl side panel may vibrate due to input transmitted from the road surface via the spring support member, and these inputs can be absorbed efficiently. Countermeasures are requested.

  In order to prevent the deformation and vibration of the cowl side panel due to such an external force, for example, it is conceivable to arrange a reinforcing member between the cowl side panel and the cowl inner panel to couple them together. Then, the problem that a vehicle body weight and cost will raise arises.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and can prevent a cowl side panel from being deformed or vibrated by an external force without causing an increase in vehicle body weight and cost. It is an issue to provide.

  The present invention includes a cowl side panel disposed at an outer end portion in the vehicle width direction, and an end portion in the vehicle width direction coupled to the cowl side panel and opened upward having a front, a rear wall portion, and a bottom wall portion. A cowl structure of an automobile comprising a cowl panel having a generally U-shaped cross section and a spring support member coupled to the cowl panel and the cowl side panel. The bottom surface of the cowl panel is coupled to the bottom wall portion, and a drain port opening forward is formed in a portion of the front wall portion of the cowl panel that is desired for the spring support member coupling portion of the bottom wall portion. The upper wall is characterized in that a water guide portion connected to the drain port is formed to extend in the front-rear direction.

  According to the cowl structure according to the present invention, the bottom surface of the bottom wall portion of the cowl panel is coupled to the upper wall surface of the spring support member, and the front wall portion of the cowl panel is opened forward to a desired portion of the spring support member coupling portion. A drainage port was formed, and a water guide portion connected to the drainage port was formed on the upper wall of the spring support member so as to extend in the front-rear direction.

  With the above-described configuration, rainwater flowing into the cowl panel and water at the time of car washing are discharged from the drain outlet of the front wall portion into the engine room communicating with the outside of the vehicle through the water guiding portion.

  As described above, since the drain outlet is formed in the front wall portion of the cowl panel, it is not necessary to form an opening in the cowl side panel, and the break of the cowl side panel can be eliminated. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the cowl side panel from being deformed or vibrated by an input at the time of a vehicle collision or an input from a spring support member, and it is possible to efficiently absorb collision energy and road surface vibration.

  In the present invention, since the opening of the cowl side panel can be made unnecessary, it is not necessary to newly provide a reinforcing member, and an increase in vehicle weight and cost can be avoided. Further, when a reinforcing member is provided, the thickness and size of the reinforcing member can be minimized, and the weight and cost of the vehicle body can be reduced.

  In the present invention, since the drainage port is formed in the spring support member coupling portion of the front wall portion of the cowl panel, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the rigidity of the cowl panel due to the opening formed in the front wall portion. .

It is a side view of the cowl part of the car by Example 1 of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the cowl part. It is a perspective view of the cowl part. It is sectional drawing of the said cowl part. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the cowl part of the said Example.

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

  1 to 4 are views for explaining a cowl structure of an automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a cowl portion that defines an engine compartment A and a compartment B of an automobile.

  The cowl portion 1 is disposed at the left and right outer end portions in the vehicle width direction and has a closed cross-sectional structure extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and a vehicle width coupled to the left and right cowl side panels 2. A cowl inner panel 3 extending in the direction, a spring support member 4 connected to the cowl inner panel 3 and the left and right cowl side panels 2, and a rear side of the left and right spring support members 4 And a dash panel 5 disposed on the surface.

  The rear end 2a of the left and right cowl side panels 2 is coupled to a front pillar 8 extending in the vehicle vertical direction, and the front end 2b is coupled to a side member 9 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction via a load transmission member 10. Has been.

  The spring support member 4 includes a generally circular upper support portion 4a in which a support hole 4c for supporting an upper end portion of a shock absorber connected to a front wheel (not shown) is formed, and a lower portion following the upper support portion 4a. And a lower support portion 4b that extends.

  An outer portion of the upper support portion 4 a is coupled to the lower side portion 2 c of the cowl side panel 2, and a lower end portion of the lower support portion 4 b is coupled to the side member 9.

  The cowl inner panel 3 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section that is open upward and has a front wall portion 3a, a rear wall portion 3b, and a bottom wall portion 3c that connects the front and rear wall portions 3a, 3b.

  The front wall portion 2a has an upright portion 3d extending upright and obliquely upward from the bottom wall portion 3c, and an extension portion 3e extending forward after the upright portion 3d, and a front flange 3f of the extension portion 3e. Thus, a hood (not shown) is supported via a seal member. The rear wall 3b is formed to be substantially vertical.

  As shown in FIG. 3, reinforcing plates 12 made of sheet metal are disposed at both ends of the cowl inner panel 3. The reinforcing plate 12 includes a main body portion 12a formed so as to cover the front and rear wall portions 3a and 3b of the cowl inner panel 3, and a front and rear flange portion 12b and an outer flange formed by bending the main body portion 12a. Part 12c.

  The front and rear flange portions 12b are joined to the front wall portion 3a and the rear wall portion 3b of the cowl inner panel 3 by welding, respectively, and the outer flange portion 12c is joined to the cowl side panel 2 by welding. Yes. This prevents deformation of the cowl inner panel 3 due to opening.

  At the rear end of the upper wall 4d of the upper support portion 4a of the spring support member 4, a coupling portion 4e is formed in a stepped shape. A front portion of the bottom wall portion 3c of the cowl inner panel 3 is disposed in the coupling portion 4e. An upper flange 5a of the dash panel 5 is inserted between the bottom wall portion 3c and the coupling portion 4e. The coupling portion 4e, the upper flange 5a, and the bottom wall portion 3c are integrally coupled by welding in an overlapped state.

  A drainage port 3g that opens forward is formed in the standing portion 3d of the front wall portion 3a of the cowl inner panel 3. The drain port 3g is formed at a desired position in the coupling portion 4e of the spring support member 4.

  A water guide portion 4f connected to the drain port 3g is formed on the outer side of the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4 so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction.

  The water guide portion 4f is formed by denting the outer portion of the upper wall 4d over its entire length, and is inclined slightly forward and downward so as to be lower in the front side.

  The rear edge of the water guide portion 4f communicates with the lower edge of the drain port 3g of the bottom wall portion 3c, and the front edge extends to the front edge of the upper support portion 4a.

  As a result, rainwater and washing water flowing into the cowl inner panel 3 flows from the drain port 3g of the front wall portion 3a through the water guiding portion 4f and is discharged into the engine chamber A communicating with the outside of the vehicle.

  According to the present embodiment, the bottom wall portion 3c of the cowl inner panel 3 is coupled to the coupling portion 4e formed on the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4, and the coupling portion of the front wall portion 3a of the cowl inner panel 3 is coupled. A drainage port 3g opening forward is formed at a position desired by 4e, and a water guide portion 4f connected to the drainage port 3g is formed on the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4 so as to extend in the front-rear direction.

  Since the drainage port 3g is formed in the front wall portion 3a of the cowl inner panel 3 in this way, it is not necessary to form an opening in the cowl side panel 2, and the cut point of the cowl side panel 2 can be eliminated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cowl side panel 2 from buckling and vibrating due to the input at the time of vehicle collision or the input from the spring support member 4 transmitted through the shock absorber. Can be absorbed efficiently.

  In addition, since the rainwater or the like is drained into the engine compartment A, the rainwater or the like can be reliably flowed to the target drainage position in the engine compartment A.

  Further, since the water guide portion 4f is formed on the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, the input from the shock absorber can be distributed front and rear through the water guide portion 4f and transmitted. The rigidity of the support member itself can be increased, and the steering stability can be improved.

  In this embodiment, since the opening of the cowl side panel 2 can be made unnecessary, the thickness and size of the reinforcing plate 12 provided on the cowl inner panel 3 can be minimized, and the conventional plate thickness can be reduced. The weight and cost of the vehicle body can be reduced compared to the case where a large reinforcing member having a large size is provided.

  In this embodiment, since the drainage port 3g is formed at a position corresponding to the coupling portion 4e of the front wall portion 3a of the cowl inner panel 3, the rigidity of the cowl inner panel 3 is reduced due to the opening formed in the front wall portion 3a. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, in the said Example, although the water guide part 4f was formed by denting the upper wall 4d of the spring support member 4, as shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. The convex bead 4g connected to the inner edge may be formed, and the water guiding portion 4f may be formed by the convex bead 4g and the inner wall surface 2e of the cowl side panel 2. Even in this case, substantially the same effect as in the above embodiment. Is obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the upper flange 5a of the dash panel 5 is disposed between the coupling portion 4e of the spring support member 4 and the bottom wall portion 3c of the cowl inner panel 3 has been described. The dash panel 5 'extends upward along the rear wall 3b of the cowl inner panel 3 and the extension 5a' is coupled to the rear wall 3b, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Applicable. Thus, since the drain outlet was formed in the front wall part of the cowl inner panel, it can be applied to any structure regardless of the joining position of the dash panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cowl part 2 Cowl side panel 3 Cowl inner panel 3a Front wall part 3b Rear wall part 3c Bottom wall part 3g Drain port 4 Spring support member 4d Upper wall 4e Connection part 4f Water guide part

Claims (1)

A cowl side panel disposed at the outer end in the vehicle width direction, and a generally U-shaped cross-section open to the top having a front wall, a rear wall portion, and a bottom wall portion, with the vehicle width direction end portion coupled to the cowl side panel. In a cowl structure of an automobile comprising a cowl panel having a shape and a spring support member coupled to the cowl panel and the cowl side panel,
The lower wall surface of the cowl panel is coupled to the upper wall surface of the spring support member,
A drain port opening forward is formed in a portion of the front wall portion of the cowl panel that is desired for the spring support member coupling portion of the bottom wall portion,
A cowl part structure for an automobile, wherein a water guide portion connected to the drain port is formed on an upper wall of the spring support member so as to extend in the front-rear direction.

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