JP2016094107A - Vehicular cowl structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular cowl structure that can strike a balance between securing the support rigidity of a bonnet seal in a normal state and securing the cushioning performance at the occurrence of collision with a collision object.SOLUTION: The vehicular cowl structure includes a cowl grille 32 including a vertical wall 32A extending upward from a cowl panel 24 and supporting the bonnet seal 33. The cowl grille 32 has a cross section formed in a substantially S shape in a vehicle side view. One of an upper part and a lower part of the substantially S shape has a fragile part 32 L that is fragile relative to the other in a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl structure for an automobile having a vertical wall extending upward from a cowl panel and having a cowl grill for supporting a bonnet seal.

Conventionally, a cowl grill that divides the engine room and the cowl part has been provided at the front part of the cowl. This cowl grille extends upward, and a bonnet seal that seals between the hood and the upper extending part is provided. It is configured to be supported.
When the collision object (pedestrian) collides with the bonnet, the cowl grill is configured with a fold or the cowl grill is separated so as not to inhibit the collision load absorption deformation of the bonnet.

On the other hand, if the cowl grill is placed close enough to cause heat damage, such as the exhaust pipe in the engine room or the turbine of the turbocharger, and the cowl grill, the front cowl grill and the rear cowl grill are arranged. In some cases, the front cowl grill is formed of a heat-resistant fiber reinforced plastic (so-called FRP), and the rear cowl grill is formed of a resin such as polypropylene (so-called PP).
The above-mentioned fiber reinforced plastic is excellent in heat resistance and rigidity, so that the thermal expansion is small and the supporting rigidity of the bonnet seal can be easily secured. On the other hand, since the rigidity is high, the shock absorbing deformation of the bonnet is easily hindered. There were difficulties.
Therefore, conventionally, it has been demanded to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal at the normal time and the buffer performance at the time of collision of the collision object.

  By the way, in Patent Document 1, an upper slope part inclined in a low shape before and after a front height and a lower slope part inclined in a front and rear high shape are made into a “<” shape cross section in a vehicle side view, and Ribs are formed integrally on the front side of both slopes, including the corners of the "<"-shaped bent parts of both slopes, and a groove with a notch structure is formed on the back of the corners of the bends. A cowl grill is disclosed.

  However, in the conventional structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the ribs are integrally formed on the front sides of the upper slope portion and the lower slope portion, the strength of the cowl grill becomes excessive, and the bending Since the ribs are also present at the corners of the part, there is a concern that the ribs in the part may remain crushed when the cowl grill is deformed, and there is room for improvement in terms of shock absorbing performance when the collision object collides.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that an upper cowl box having an open cowl structure is covered with an upper cowl grille, a front cowl box front part is covered with a front cowl grille, and a heat shield for preventing thermal damage is provided at the front part of the front cowl grille. What provided the board is disclosed.

  However, in the conventional structure disclosed in Patent Document 2, in addition to the upper cowl grille and the front cowl grille, a heat shield is required, and a total of three parts are required.

  In the conventional structure disclosed in Patent Document 2, if the front cowl grill is formed of fiber reinforced plastic, the above-described heat shield plate can be omitted, but in this case, the strength of the front cowl grill becomes excessive.

  Therefore, in order to set the strength of the front cowl grille to an appropriate value, the front wall portion of the front cowl grille that is inclined to the front high and low low is provided further forward than the inclination disclosed in the publication [FIG. 3]. In this case, the width of the cowl grille in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is increased, and not only the layout is deteriorated, but also the front cowl grille is attached to the cowl panel (in detail, There was a problem that the working space for the fasteners attached to the (cowl front panel) was reduced.

JP 2013-91423 A Japanese Patent No. 5472226

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cowl structure for an automobile capable of ensuring both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal in a normal state and the buffering performance at the time of collision of a collision object.

  An automobile cowl structure according to the present invention is an automobile cowl structure having a vertical wall extending upward from a cowl panel and provided with a cowl grill that supports a bonnet seal. It is formed in an S-shape, and one of the upper and lower portions of the substantially S-shape is provided with a fragile portion that is fragile in the vertical direction with respect to the other.

  According to the above configuration, since the weakened portion is only one of the upper and lower portions in the substantially S-shaped upper and lower portions, excessive weakening and excessive rigidity improvement in the entire cowl grill can be suppressed, It is possible to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal at normal times and the buffer performance at the time of collision of the collision object.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the upper and lower portions of the cowl grill as the fragile side has no rib along at least one bent portion, and the other of the upper and lower portions as the non-fragile side is bent. A rib along the portion is provided.

According to the above configuration, since the rib on the other side of the non-fragile side is provided along the bent portion, the support rigidity of the bonnet seal can be secured by the rib, and the bent portion on one side of the fragile side can be secured. Since there are no ribs along, it is possible to prevent crushing of the bent portion.
That is, it is possible to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal and the prevention of the remaining collapse of the bent portion.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the upper and lower portions of the cowl grill as the fragile side is provided with a columnar portion having a folding promoting shape apart from the bent portion.

According to the above configuration, since the columnar portion having the folding promotion shape separated from the bent portion is provided on one side as the fragile side, the following effects are obtained.
In other words, while the folding-promoting columnar portion is not broken, the reaction force can be increased by the columnar portion, so that the support rigidity of the bonnet seal can be improved.

In addition, when a collision object collides with the bonnet, the columnar portion is bent due to the fold-promoting shape, and its rigidity is lowered at a stretch, so that the deformation of the bonnet is not hindered. The performance can be secured.
That is, it is possible to achieve both improvement of the support rigidity of the bonnet seal at the normal time and reduction of rigidity at the time of bonnet deformation at the time of collision of the collision object.

  In addition, for pedestrian protection, the initial pulse-like high reaction force is allowed in the collision test, so that consistency can be achieved even when the columnar part is folded in a fold-promoting shape between the allowable reaction forces. It is preferable.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a bent portion having an acute angle formed between an upper side and an intermediate side is formed as the fragile portion in the upper portion of the cowl grill, and the lower portion of the cowl grill has the above-mentioned An attachment space having a vertical dimension and a depth dimension is formed as a work space to be attached to the cowl panel at the lower part of the intermediate side.

  According to the above configuration, the bending portion set at an acute angle at the upper part of the cowl grille can ensure weakening of the cowl grille, and the cowl grille can be secured by using a fastening member such as a fastener depending on the mounting space at the lower part of the cowl grille. A work space can be secured when the grill is attached to the cowl panel.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal at the normal time and the buffer performance at the time of collision of the collision object.

The perspective view of the front part of the motor vehicle provided with the cowl structure of this invention 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the front part of the bonnet of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the cowl grille of FIG. Schematic side view showing the deformation state of the colliding object at the beginning of the collision Schematic side view showing the bending deformation state of the columnar part Schematic side view showing the deformation state of the collision object at the end of the collision

  A cowl grille that has a vertical wall that extends upward from the cowl panel and supports the bonnet seal for the purpose of ensuring both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal during normal operation and the buffering performance when a collision object collides. The cowl grill has a substantially S-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and one of the upper and lower portions of the substantially S-shaped is weak in the vertical direction with respect to the other. Realized with a configuration that includes a vulnerable part.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows a cowl structure of an automobile, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front portion of the automobile equipped with the cowl structure.

In FIG. 1, the bonnet 10 which covers the upper direction of the engine room 1 (refer FIG. 2) so that opening and closing is possible is provided.
The front of the engine room 1 is covered with a front bumper face 2, and the left and right sides of the engine room 1 are covered with left and right front fenders 3 and 3.

Behind the bonnet 10 described above, the engine room 1 and the vehicle compartment 11 (see FIG. 2) extend obliquely rearward and upward from a cowl portion 4 on the upper part of the dash lower panel 12 (see FIG. 2) that partitions the vehicle in the front-rear direction. A front window glass 5 as a front window member is provided on the left and right ends of the front window glass 5 and supported by front pillars 6 and 6. The upper end of the front window glass 5 is attached to the roof panel 7. It is supported by a front header that is bonded and fixed to the lower surface of the front end portion and extends in the vehicle width direction.
In FIG. 1, 8 is a front door provided with a side window glass 8a, and 9 is a front wheel.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG. 2, a dash lower panel 12 (dash panel) that partitions the engine room 1 and the vehicle compartment 11 in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided. A dash upper panel 13 is joined and fixed to the upper part of the dash lower panel 12, and a cowl front panel 14 is joined and fixed so as to extend from the lower front end of the dash upper panel 13 to the front of the vehicle. The cowl front reinforcement 15 is joined and fixed to the front lower part to form the cowl portion 4 having an open cowl structure.
A closed section 16 extending in the vehicle width direction is formed between the above-described cowl front panel 14 and the cowl front reinforcement 15, thereby improving the cowl rigidity.
As shown in FIG. 2, a rear cowl grill 31 is provided above the cowl portion 4, and a front cowl grill 32 is provided in front of the cowl portion 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described bonnet 10 includes, for example, an iron plate bonnet outer panel 17 and an aluminum or aluminum alloy bonnet inner panel 18, and the rear part of the bonnet 10 has a pair of left and right bonnets. It is pivotally supported by a vehicle body (specifically, a cowl side panel) via a hinge (not shown).
The bonnet outer panel 17 and the bonnet inner panel 18 are integrated by a hemming portion where the front side portion, the left and right side portions, and the rear side portion are hemmed.

3 is an enlarged side view of the front part of the bonnet of FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a striker reinforcement 19 is attached to the upper surface of the bonnet inner panel 18 in the front vehicle width direction. The striker 21 is attached so that the striker reinforcement 19 and the bonnet inner panel 18 are sandwiched between the striker base plate 20 and the striker 21.
The striker 21 is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the center of the bonnet inner panel 18 in the front vehicle width direction, and the striker 21 is configured to be engageable with a latch on the vehicle body side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bonnet stiffener 22 as a reinforcing member is provided on the upper surface of the bonnet inner panel 18 at the center in the front vehicle width direction so as to be spaced upward from the striker reinforcement 19 described above. It is erected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described bonnet inner panel 18 is formed in a concavo-convex shape, and the top surface of the convex portion and the bottom surface of the bonnet outer panel 17 are bonded and fixed with an adhesive 23.
Further, the top surface of the stiffener adjacent to the lower surface of the bonnet outer panel 17 of the bonnet stiffener 22 and the lower surface of the bonnet outer panel 17 are bonded and fixed with an adhesive (not shown).

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the cowl grille portion of FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cowl grille of this embodiment is a rear cowl grille covering the space 4A of the cowl portion 4 above. 31 and a front cowl grill 32 that covers the front of the space portion 4A of the cowl portion 4.
Here, the above-mentioned rear cowl grill 31 is formed of polypropylene (so-called PP), while the front cowl grille 32 is formed of fiber-reinforced plastic (so-called FRP) excellent in heat resistance and rigidity.

  As the fiber reinforced plastic, glass fiber reinforced plastic, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, boron fiber reinforced plastic, aramid fiber reinforced plastic, or fiber reinforced plastic using metal or vegetable fiber can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a seal attachment portion 31a extending horizontally and in the vehicle width direction is integrally formed at the front end portion of the rear cowl grill 31, and the bonnet 10 is formed on the upper surface of the seal attachment portion 31a. More specifically, a bonnet seal 33 that seals between the hood inner panel 18 and the rear cowl grill 31 is attached between the hood and the cowl grill. The bonnet seal 33 is made of rubber and has a hollow structure.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the front end portion 14a of the above-described cowl front panel 14 and the upper end portion 15a of the cowl front reinforcement 15 are joined and fixed by spot welding means or the like while being superposed vertically. The junction 24 is formed.
The front cowl grill 32 described above has a vertical wall 32A extending upward from the joint 24 as a cowl panel, and the bonnet seal 33 is provided via the cylindrical mounting portion 34 and the seal mounting portion 31a of the rear cowl grill 31. A cowl grill to support.

As shown in FIG. 4, the front cowl grill 32 described above has a substantially S-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle.
That is, the front cowl grille 32 is positioned on the upper side and extends substantially horizontally in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the front side low rear height upper side part 32C extending obliquely forward and downward from the bent portion b1 of the front end of the mounting seat 32B. And a front side portion 32D having a short vertical dimension extending downward from the bent portion b2 at the lower end of the upper piece portion 32C, and an intermediate side having a front high rear low shape extending obliquely rearward and downward from the bent portion b3 at the lower end of the front side portion 32D. Part 32E, a rear side part 32F extending downward from the bent part b4 at the rear end of the intermediate side part 32E, a lateral side part 32G extending substantially horizontally from the bent part b5 at the lower end of the rear side part 32F, A vertical side portion 32H extending downward from the bent portion b6 at the front end of the horizontal side portion 32G, a lower side portion 32I extending substantially horizontally forward from the bent portion b7 at the lower end of the vertical side portion 32H, and obliquely rearward from the above-described bent portion b5 Extending downward An id piece 32J and an upright piece 32K that stands up at a position spaced forward from the front end of the seal mounting portion 31a in the middle in the front-rear direction of the mounting seat 32B. The vehicle is configured to have a substantially S-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

Here, the above-described cylindrical mounting portion 34 is integrally formed at a plurality of locations on the upper surface of the mounting seat 32B, and the seal mounting portion 31a of the rear cowl grill 31 is cylindrical using a mounting member such as a screw 35. It is attached to the attachment portion 34.
The bonnet seal 33 is fixed to the seal mounting portion 31a of the rear cowl grill 31 so as to be offset from the screw 35.
Further, the above-mentioned standing piece 32K located on the upper side is an intrusion prevention piece for preventing rainwater and the like from entering the engine room 1, and the above-mentioned guide piece 32J located on the lower side is used for preventing rainwater and the like from entering the engine. It is a guide piece that guides diagonally backward and downward away from the room 1.

  The above-described front cowl grille 32 has a substantially S-shaped cross section shown in FIG. 4 and extends in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of lower side portions 32I are used as a cowl panel by using fasteners 36. It is attached to the upper surface of the joint 24.

  Moreover, in the front cowl grille 32 shown in FIG. 4, one of the substantially S-shaped upper part (the part above the line BB in FIG. 4) and the lower part (the part below the line BB in FIG. 4) ( The upper portion in this embodiment has a weak portion 32L that is weak in the vertical direction with respect to the other (lower portion in this embodiment).

  The front cowl grill 32 is formed by forming the fragile portion 32L only on one of the upper and lower sides (upper portion in this embodiment) in the substantially S-shaped upper and lower portions of the front cowl grill 32 formed of fiber reinforced plastic. By suppressing excessive weakening and excessive rigidity improvement as a whole, it is possible to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 in the normal state and the buffer performance at the time of collision of the collision object with the bonnet 10. It is configured.

In the front cowl grill 32, a specific structure in which the upper part is the fragile side and the lower part is the non-fragile side is configured as follows.
That is, ribs are not provided along the bent portions b1, b2, b3 in the upper portion as the fragile side, and ribs are provided along the bent portions b4, b5, b6, b7 in the lower portion as the non-fragile side. 37 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rib 37 includes a lower surface of the intermediate side 32E of the front cowl grille 32, a front surface of the rear side 32F, an upper surface of the horizontal side 32G, a front surface of the vertical side 32H, and an upper surface of the lower side 32I. In FIG. 4, the bent portions b4 to b7 are included and protruded integrally from the side portions 32E, 32F, 32G, 32H, and 32I.
By providing the rib 37 along the bent portions b4 to b7 at the lower portion as the non-fragile side, the rib 37 can secure the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33, while the bent portion has an upper portion at the upper portion as the fragile side. By not forming the ribs along b1, b2, and b3, the bent portions b1 to b3 are prevented from remaining uncrushed.

That is, it is configured to achieve both of supporting rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 and prevention of remaining crushing of the bent portions (particularly, the bent portions b2 and b3).
A plurality of the ribs 37 described above are provided at equal intervals or unequal intervals (that is, arbitrary intervals) in the vehicle width direction.

Further, in the above-described front cowl grill 32, an upper side portion 32C and an intermediate side portion 32E are connected in an arc shape in the vertical direction to the upper portion as the weak side of the upper portion and the lower portion, and the bent portions b2, b3, The spaced apart columnar portions 38 are integrally formed, and a notch 39 is formed at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the columnar portion 38, and the columnar portion 38 is formed into a folding promoting shape by the notch 39.
And while the columnar part 38 which has the above-mentioned folding promotion shape does not generate | occur | produce, it is comprised so that the reaction force may be raised by the said columnar part 38 and the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 may be aimed at.

Further, when the colliding object collides with the bonnet 10, the columnar portion 38 is bent by the folding promotion shape, and its rigidity is reduced at a stretch, so that the deformation of the bonnet 10 is not hindered. It is configured to ensure the shock absorbing performance by reducing the rigidity.
That is, it is configured so as to achieve both improvement of the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 at the normal time and reduction of rigidity at the time of bonnet deformation at the time of collision of the collision object.

  In addition, with regard to pedestrian protection, the initial pulse-like high reaction force is allowed in the collision test, so that consistency can be achieved even when the columnar portion 38 is folded in a fold-promoting shape between the allowable reaction forces. Is.

Here, the above-described columnar portion 38 is configured to be separated from the bent portions b2 and b3, thereby preventing the collapsed portions from being generated in the bent portions b2 and b3 and the columnar portion 38. If the columnar part is not separated from the bent part, when the upper part of the front cowl grill 32 is deformed at the time of collision of the colliding object, the remaining crushing part is held by the remaining part of the bent part and the columnar part. And the smooth crash of the upper part of the front cowl grill 32 is hindered.
Similarly to the ribs 37, a plurality of the columnar portions 38 described above are provided at equal intervals or unequal intervals (that is, arbitrary intervals) in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the lower end of the columnar portion 38 and the upper front end 37a of the rib 37 are formed so as to coincide with each other in the vertical direction or overlap in the vertical direction. Thus, a structure in which a load biased by the bonnet seal 33 is easily transmitted from the columnar portion 38 to the rib 37 and the lower part thereof is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a corner portion β where an extension line downward of the upper side portion 2C and an extension line forward of the intermediate side portion 32E are originally formed is formed. Without providing the corner portion β, the bent portions b2 and b3 are connected in the vertical direction at the front side portion 32D, and the corner portion β is eliminated, thereby preventing the occurrence of crushing and improving the crash performance. It is configured as follows.
Further, no rib is provided between the upper front end 37a of the rib 37 and the bent part b3 in the intermediate side part 32E, and both the parts 37 and b3 are separated, thereby weakening the upper part of the front cowl grill 32. Is secured.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a crash space 40 is provided at the top of the front cowl grill 32 with a mounting seat 32 </ b> B, an upper side portion 32 </ b> C, a front side portion 32 </ b> D, and an intermediate side portion 32 </ b> E. The lower side of the front cowl grill 32 is surrounded by a middle side 32E, a rear side 32F, a horizontal side 32G, a vertical side 32H, and a lower side 32I, and the front side of the vehicle is open. A mounting space 41 is formed.

  Further, as shown in the figure, an angle (α1 + α2) formed by the upper side portion 32C and the intermediate side portion 32E is set to an acute angle (70 ° to 75 ° in this embodiment) at the upper portion of the front cowl grill 32. While the bent portions b2 and b3 are formed, the lower portion of the front cowl grill 32 has a vertical dimension larger than that of the crash space 40 as a work space to be attached to the cowl panel at the lower portion of the intermediate side portion 32E. And the attachment space 41 which becomes large in both depth dimensions is formed.

  The bent portions b2 and b3 set at an acute angle above the front cowl grill 32, in other words, the opening angle of the upper side portion 32C and the intermediate side portion 32E (α1 + α2 = acute angle) reduces the weakness of the front cowl grill 32. In addition, the operator presses the attachment member such as the fastener 36 downward with a finger by the relatively wide attachment space 41 below the front cowl grill 32, so that the lower side portion 32I of the front cowl grill 32 is joined to the joint 24. When attaching to the mounting space 41, it is configured to secure the working space so that the operator's fingers sufficiently enter the mounting space 41.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper part of the front cowl grille 32 is formed to be fragile with respect to the lower part, and the above-mentioned intermediate side part 32E is more acute with respect to the virtual horizontal line HOR than the inclination angle α1 of the upper side part 32C. (Α2 = θ) (where α2 <α1). That is, the angle α2 of the intermediate side portion 32E with respect to the virtual horizontal line HOR is set to an angle close to horizontal (α2 = 13 ° to 15 ° in this embodiment).

  The majority of the intermediate side portion 32E above the front cowl grill 32 is reinforced by the rib 37. However, since the angle α2 of the intermediate side portion 32E is nearly horizontal, the load from above the bonnet 10 is The intermediate side portion 32E can be deformed to some extent, and the upper side portion 32C is inclined in a front-rear, rear-high state, whereas the intermediate side portion 32E is inclined in the opposite front-high-rear low state. Thus, the upper side portion 32C is configured to be deformed further downward than its lower end.

  In addition, by making the angle α2 of the intermediate side 32E close to horizontal, the intermediate side 32E can be easily folded when a collision object collides with the bonnet 10, while the height of the rear side 32F is sufficiently secured. Thus, the mounting space 41 is configured to be enlarged.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the deformation state of the collision object in the initial stage of collision, FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the deformation state of the columnar part, and FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing the deformation state of the collision object at the end of the collision. .

  When a collision experiment impactor 50 as a collision object collides with the bonnet 10 having the cowl structure having the above-described configuration, first, the bonnet outer panel 17 and the bonnet inner panel 18 are moved from the normal state shown in FIG. While being depressed downward to absorb the collision energy, the fragile portion 32L of the front cowl grill 32 is deformed downward.

  Next, by the further downward deformation of the fragile portion 32L, the promotion-shaped columnar portion 38 is broken at the notch 39 as shown in FIG. 6, and the reaction force (rigidity) of the columnar portion 38 is rapidly reduced.

  Next, as the reaction force of the columnar portion 38 is reduced, the bonnet 10 is further deformed downward, and the upper part of the front cowl grill 32 is buckled and deformed from the state shown in FIG. The front part of the intermediate side part 32 </ b> E is bent downward and deformed so that the attachment space 41 opened by the lower part of the front cowl grille 32 is closed.

  In this way, the bonnet 10 in the normal state shown in FIG. 2 is largely deformed downward as shown in FIG. 7 through the states shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, thereby reliably absorbing the collision energy.

  Thus, the automobile cowl structure of the above embodiment has the vertical wall 32A extending upward from the cowl panel (see the joint 24 between the cowl front panel 14 and the cowl front reinforcement 15), and the bonnet seal 33 is provided. A cowl structure of an automobile provided with a cowl grill (see front cowl grill 32) for supporting, wherein the cowl grill (see front cowl grill 32) has a substantially S-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle. One of the upper part and the lower part of the character shape (upper part in this embodiment) is provided with a weak part 32L that is weak in the vertical direction with respect to the other (lower part in this example) (see FIG. 4).

  According to this configuration, the weakened portion 32L is formed in only one of the upper and lower portions (only the upper portion in this embodiment) in the substantially S-shaped upper portion and lower portion, and therefore the cowl grill (front cowl grill 32) as a whole. Therefore, it is possible to suppress both the weakening of the bonnet seal and the excessive improvement in rigidity, and to ensure both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 in the normal state and the buffer performance when the collision object collides with the bonnet 10.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the upper part and the lower part of the cowl grill (see the front cowl grill 32) (the upper part in this embodiment) is a rib extending along at least one bent part b2, b3. The other of the upper and lower portions as the non-fragile side (the lower portion in this embodiment) is provided with ribs 37 along the bent portions b4 to b7 (see FIG. 4).

According to this configuration, since the rib 37 is provided along the bent portions b4 to b7 on the other side (see the lower part) on the non-fragile side, the rib 37 can ensure the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33, Since there is no rib along the bent parts b2 and b3 on one of the fragile sides (see the upper part), it is possible to prevent crushing of the bent part.
That is, it is possible to achieve both the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 and the prevention of the remaining crush of the bent portions b2 and b3.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the upper part and the lower part of the cowl grill (see the front cowl grille 32) as the fragile side (see the upper part) is separated from the bent parts b2 and b3 and has a folding promoting shape. The columnar portion 38 is provided (see FIG. 4).

According to this configuration, since the columnar portion 38 having a folding promotion shape separated from the bent portions b2 and b3 is provided on one side (see the upper part) as the fragile side, the following effects are obtained.
That is, while the folding-promoting columnar portion 38 is not broken, the columnar portion 38 can increase the reaction force, so that the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 can be improved.

In addition, when the colliding object collides with the bonnet 10, the columnar portion 38 is bent due to the folding promotion shape, and its rigidity is lowered at a stretch, so that the deformation of the bonnet 10 is not hindered. Thus, it is possible to ensure the buffer performance.
That is, it is possible to achieve both improvement in the support rigidity of the bonnet seal 33 in the normal state and reduction in rigidity when the bonnet 10 is deformed when the collision object collides with the bonnet 10.

  In addition, with regard to pedestrian protection, the initial pulse-like high reaction force is allowed in the collision test. Therefore, consistency can be obtained even when the columnar portion 38 is folded in a fold-promoting shape between the allowable reaction forces. It is preferable.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, an angle (α1 + α2) formed by an upper side (upper side portion 32C) and an intermediate side (intermediate side portion 32E) as the fragile portion is formed above the cowl grille (see the front cowl grille 32). Bending portions b2 and b3 having an acute angle are formed, and a work space for attaching to the cowl panel at the lower portion of the intermediate side (intermediate side portion 32E) is provided below the cowl grill (front cowl grill 32). An attachment space 41 having a vertical dimension and a depth dimension is formed (see FIG. 4).

  According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure weakening of the cowl grill (front cowl grill 32) by the bent portions b2 and b3 set at acute angles on the upper part of the cowl grill (front cowl grill 32). The mounting space 41 at the lower part of the (front cowl grille 32) can secure a working space when the cowl grille (front cowl grille 32) is attached to the cowl panel (see the joining portion 24) using a mounting member such as a fastener 36. it can.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The cowl grill of the present invention corresponds to the front cowl grill 32 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The vulnerable side corresponds to the top of the front cowl grille 32,
The non-fragile part corresponds to the lower part of the front cowl grille 32,
The cowl panel corresponds to a joint portion 24 in which the front end portion 14a of the cowl front panel 14 and the upper end portion 15a of the cowl front reinforcement 15 are joined.
The upper side corresponds to the upper side 32C,
The intermediate side corresponds to the intermediate side 32E,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the upper part of the front cowl grill 32 is the weak side and the lower part is the non-fragile side, but the opposite configuration, that is, the lower part of the front cowl grill 32 is the weak side and the upper part is non-fragile. You may employ | adopt the structure made into the weak side.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a cowl structure of an automobile having a vertical wall extending upward from a cowl panel and including a cowl grill that supports a bonnet seal.

24 ... Joint (Cowl panel)
32 ... Front cowl grill (Cowl grill)
33 ... Bonnet seal 32A ... Vertical wall 32C ... Upper side part 32E ... Intermediate side part 32L ... Fragile part 37 ... Rib 38 ... Columnar part 41 ... Installation space b1-b7 ... Bending part

Claims (4)

A cowl structure of an automobile having a vertical wall extending upward from a cowl panel and having a cowl grill that supports a bonnet seal,
The cowl grill has a substantially S-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle.
An automobile cowl structure in which one of the substantially S-shaped upper part and lower part is provided with a fragile part that is weak in the vertical direction with respect to the other. One of the upper and lower portions of the cowl grill as the fragile side has no rib along at least one bent portion,
2. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the other of the upper part and the lower part as the non-fragile side is provided with a rib along the bent part. 3. The cowl structure for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a columnar portion having a shape that promotes folding is provided on one of the upper and lower portions of the cowl grill as the weak side. On the upper part of the cowl grille, a bent part is formed in which the angle formed by the upper side and the intermediate side is set as an acute angle as the fragile part,
The lower part of the said cowl grille WHEREIN: The attachment space which has an up-down dimension and a depth dimension as a work space attached to the said cowl panel in the lower part of the said intermediate side was formed. Car cowl structure.

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