JP2016117370A - Vehicle front part structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle front part structure which enables improvement of the rigidity of a strut tower without affecting the layout of the engine room and secures a discharge passage of rain water entering into a cowl box.SOLUTION: A vehicle front part structure 100 includes: a cowl front panel 112 attached to a dash panel 104, which defines an engine room 102, and extending to the vehicle front side; a dash side panel 110 extending from a side part of the dash panel to the vehicle front side; a cowl side panel 114 which extends to the vehicle front side above the dash side panel and forms a cowl box 106 enclosed by the dash panel and the cowl front panel with the dash panel and the cowl front panel; a strut tower 108 which supports a suspension below the cowl box and forms a drain passage 122 enclosed by the dash panel and the dash side panel with the dash panel and the dash side panel; and an extension panel 120 which extends from the strut tower to the cowl front panel and forms a passage 124 from the cowl box to the drain passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure including a dash panel that partitions a vehicle engine room from a vehicle compartment.

  A dash panel that partitions, for example, a passenger compartment and a space on the front side thereof (such as an engine room) is provided at the front of a vehicle such as an automobile. A cowl front panel extending to the front side of the vehicle is attached to the dash panel over the vehicle width direction. The dash panel defines a cowl box together with at least the cowl front panel. The cowl box is located on the vehicle front side of the dash panel and extends in the vehicle width direction.

  In a vehicle front structure having such a cowl box, a cylindrical strut tower may be located below the cowl box (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Since the strut tower supports the suspension of the front wheels of the vehicle on the top surface, the load tends to concentrate on the top surface, and it is necessary to increase the support rigidity.

  Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle front structure in which a strut tower and a cowl box are connected by a reinforcing member. In Patent Document 1, a reinforcing member is disposed outside the top surface of the strut tower in the vehicle width direction, and the reinforcing member is coupled to a cowl box to increase the rigidity of the strut tower.

  Patent Document 2 describes a vehicle front structure in which a closed cross-sectional structure is provided on the outer side of the strut tower in the vehicle width direction. In Patent Document 2, the closed cross-section structure is used to increase the rigidity of the strut tower, and the closed cross-section structure is used as a discharge path for discharging rainwater or the like entering the cowl box to the outside of the vehicle.

JP 2000-238663 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-278632

  Originally, in order to increase the rigidity of the strut tower, the top surface that supports the suspension is narrowed, so that the area that is deformed by the load is reduced, and then a closed cross-section structure is combined around the top surface. It is necessary to ensure rigidity.

  However, in recent years, in the vehicle front structure, it is required to narrow the engine room due to the increase in the number of parts accompanying the addition of functions and the tendency to widen the vehicle interior space. Under such demands, it is difficult to add a closed cross-sectional structure in a limited space of the engine room without affecting the outer shape of the vehicle and the layout of parts.

  For example, in the vehicle front structure described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to provide a reinforcing member and a closed cross-sectional structure, it is necessary to secure a sufficient space outside the strut tower in the vehicle width direction, and the component layout in the engine room Will reduce the degree of freedom. In Patent Document 1, when a load along the axial direction of the suspension strut is applied to the top surface of the strut tower, the load is concentrated on a reinforcing member coupled to the top surface. The load applied in the axial direction of the suspension strut is the load in the peeling direction of the reinforcing member. For this reason, the reinforcing member is required to have high bonding strength with respect to the top surface of the strut tower.

  In patent document 2, although the closed cross-section structure extended from the front pillar lower part is arrange | positioned along with the front-back direction of two places on the vehicle width direction outer side of a strut tower, the magnitude | size of the top surface of a strut tower is not changing. . In the normal vehicle front structure, the cowl side member forms a closed cross-sectional structure, is attached to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the strut tower, and extends forward of the vehicle.

  Therefore, in patent document 2, even if a closed cross-section structure is added, it cannot be expected to increase the rigidity of the strut tower as compared with a normal structure in which the cowl side member is disposed at that position. Furthermore, the additional closed cross-sectional structure increases the number of necessary members, making it difficult to reduce the weight of the vehicle body.

  In view of such problems, the present invention provides a vehicle front structure that can secure a discharge path for rainwater and the like that has entered the cowl box while increasing the rigidity of the strut tower without affecting the layout of components in the engine room. It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle front structure according to the present invention is a vehicle front structure including a dash panel that partitions a vehicle engine room from a vehicle compartment. A cowl front panel attached to the dash panel over the vehicle width direction and extending forward of the vehicle; a dash side panel extending forward from the side of the dash panel; and a cowl side panel extending forward of the vehicle above the dash side panel, A cowl side panel that forms a cowl box surrounded by a cowl side panel, a dash panel, and a cowl front panel, and a cylindrical strut tower that supports a suspension of a vehicle front wheel below the cowl box. And drainage surrounded by dash side panels Characterized in that it comprises a strut tower to form, the extension panel forming a path from the cowl box to the drainage path extending from the strut tower to the cowl front panel.

  Here, the strut tower is required to have high rigidity because the load is easily concentrated to support the suspension. In the above configuration, since the strut tower is connected to the cowl box via the extension panel, the load concentrated on the strut tower can be distributed to the periphery, and the rigidity of the strut tower can be increased.

  Further, the drainage channel is formed by being surrounded by the strut tower, the dash panel, and the dash side panel, and its position tends to be a dead space in the engine room. That is, since the drainage channel is formed using a dead space in the engine room, it is difficult to affect the layout of each part in the engine room.

  In the above configuration, since the extension panel forms a route from the cowl box to the drainage channel, the strut tower rigidity is increased without changing the layout of each part in a limited space in the engine room, while the cowl is raised. It is possible to secure a route for draining rainwater and the like that has entered the box.

  The drainage channel is triangular when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction, and includes a first side extending in the vehicle width direction formed by the dash panel, a second side formed by the dash side panel and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a vehicle formed by the strut tower. The extension panel may be coupled to the dash panel and the dash side panel and extend from the third side of the drainage channel to the cowl front panel.

  Thereby, the drainage channel has comprised the closed cross section of the triangle which consists of a 1st edge | side, a 2nd edge | side, and a 3rd edge | side. The extension panel is coupled to the third side formed by the strut tower among the respective sides of the drainage channel having a triangular closed cross section and extends to the upper cowl front panel to connect the strut tower and the cowl box. For this reason, the rigidity of the strut tower can be increased by the extension panel. Further, rainwater or the like that has entered the cowl box is guided from the cowl box into a triangular closed section formed by the drainage channel by the extension panel, and is discharged outside the vehicle without being scattered around. For this reason, the path | route which discharges rainwater etc. outside a vehicle can be ensured reliably.

  The extension panel extends from the third side of the drainage channel to the cowl front panel while curving toward the vehicle interior and the vehicle front side, and is coupled to the cowl side panel. The extension panel, dash panel, and cowl side panel are It is desirable to form an expanded triangle wider than the drainage channel when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction.

  Accordingly, the extension panel is curved toward the vehicle front side and the vehicle front side from the strut tower toward the cowl box. Therefore, in a state where the extension panel is coupled to the cowl front panel, the extension panel, the dash panel, and the cowl side panel form a triangle having a larger cross-sectional area than the triangular closed section formed by the drainage channel. Therefore, the rigidity of the route from the cowl box to the drainage channel can be increased.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle front part structure which can ensure the discharge path | routes, such as rain water which entered the cowl box, can be provided, improving the rigidity of a strut tower, without affecting the layout of the components in an engine room. .

It is a figure which shows the vehicle front part structure in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an A arrow view of the vehicle front portion structure of FIG. 1. It is a B arrow view of the vehicle front part structure of FIG. FIG. 2 is a C arrow view of the vehicle front structure in FIG. 1.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle front structure in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the vehicle front structure in FIG. In the following, arrows X and Y shown in the drawings respectively indicate the vehicle front side and the vehicle width direction outer side (vehicle right side). Each figure illustrates the structure on the right side of the vehicle front structure, but the left side of the vehicle also has the same structure.

  As shown in the figure, the vehicle front structure 100 includes, for example, a dash panel 104 that divides the engine room 102 from the vehicle compartment, a cowl box 106, and a cylindrical strut tower 108 positioned below the cowl box 106.

  The cowl box 106 is an area that is located on the vehicle front side of the dash panel 104 and extends in the vehicle width direction, and is surrounded by the dash panel 104, the dash side panel 110, the cowl front panel 112, and the cowl side panel 114, for example. Has been. The dash side panel 110 extends from the side portion 104a of the dash panel 104 to the front side of the vehicle.

  The cowl front panel 112 is attached to the dash panel 104 over the vehicle width direction and extends forward of the vehicle. The cowl front panel 112 is indicated by a virtual line in FIG. The cowl side panel 114 extends forward of the vehicle above the dash side panel 110 and is attached to the side portion 104a of the dash panel 104 and the side portion 112a of the cowl front panel 112.

  The strut tower 108 includes a suspension upper bracket 116 that is a top surface, and a curved fender apron panel 118 that forms a front surface and a side surface on the inside of the vehicle. The strut tower 108 supports the suspension of the front wheels of the vehicle with a suspension upper bracket 116.

  The vehicle front structure 100 further includes an extension panel 120. The extension panel 120 extends from the strut tower 108 to the cowl front panel 112. Here, since the strut tower 108 supports the suspension, the load is easily concentrated and high rigidity is required.

  In this embodiment, the strut tower 108 is connected to the cowl box 106 via the extension panel 120. Therefore, the load concentrated on the strut tower 108 is distributed to the periphery, and the rigidity of the strut tower 108 is increased.

  Further, the cowl box 106 is an area surrounded by the panels and is open at the top, so that rainwater or the like flows into the cowl box 106. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drainage channel 122 surrounded by the strut tower 108, the dash panel 104, and the dash side panel 110 is formed. Further, the extension panel 120 forms a path 124 from the cowl box 106 to the drainage path 122.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the vehicle front structure 100 in FIG. In the figure, the cowl front panel 112 is indicated by an imaginary line. 4 is a C arrow view of the vehicle front structure 100 of FIG.

  As shown by a dotted line D in the drawing, the drainage channel 122 has a triangular closed cross section having a first side 126, a second side 128, and a third side 130 when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction. The first side 126 is a side extending in the vehicle width direction formed by the dash panel 104. The second side 128 is a side extending in the vehicle front-rear direction formed by the dash side panel 110. The third side 130 is a side extending in an oblique direction of the vehicle formed by the strut tower 108.

  That is, the drainage channel 122 is formed by being surrounded by the strut tower 108, the dash panel 104, and the dash side panel 110, and its position tends to be a dead space in the engine room 102. That is, the drainage channel 122 is formed using a dead space in the engine room 102. For this reason, the drainage channel 122 hardly affects the layout of each part in the engine room 102.

  The extension panel 120 is coupled to the dash panel 104 on the rear side of the vehicle and is coupled to the dash side panel 110 on the outside of the vehicle. The extension panel 120 extends from the third side 130 of the drainage channel 122 toward the upper cowl front panel 112 while curving toward the vehicle interior and the vehicle front side, and is also coupled to the cowl side panel 114.

  Therefore, the extension panel 120, the dash panel 104, and the cowl side panel 114 form a triangle indicated by a dotted line E that is wider than the triangle of the drainage channel 122 as shown in FIG. Yes.

  The expanded triangle has a fourth side 132 in which the first side 126 extends to the vehicle interior side, a fifth side 134 in which the second side 128 extends to the vehicle front side, and a sixth side 136, and has a closed cross section. It is made. The sixth side 136 is a side extending in a vehicle oblique direction along a portion where the flange 138 on the vehicle interior side of the extension panel 120 is coupled to the cowl front panel 112.

  With the extension panel 120 coupled to the cowl front panel 112 in this way, the extension panel 120, the dash panel 104, and the cowl side panel 114 form a triangle having a larger cross-sectional area than the triangular closed section of the drainage channel 122. doing. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rigidity of the path 124 from the cowl box 106 to the drainage path 122 can be increased.

  In addition, rainwater or the like that has entered the cowl box 106 is first introduced from the cowl box 106 into the expanded triangular closed section indicated by the dotted line E, and then within the triangular closed section indicated by the dotted line D formed by the drainage channel 122. It passes through and is discharged outside the vehicle without splashing around.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the extension panel 120 forms the path 124 from the cowl box 106 to the drainage path 122. Therefore, it is possible to secure a path 124 for discharging rainwater and the like entering the cowl box 106 to the outside of the vehicle while improving the rigidity of the strut tower 108 without changing the layout of each part in a limited space in the engine room 102. .

  Further, in this embodiment, the drainage channel 122 is formed using the dead space in the engine room 102, and the route 124 from the cowl box 106 to the drainage channel 122 is simply configured by adding the extension panel 120. It is made. Therefore, a part for forming the drainage channel 122 is not necessary, and the additional part for forming the path 124 is only the extension panel 120, thereby suppressing an increase in the weight of the vehicle body.

  In the above embodiment, the shape of the closed cross section of the drainage channel 122 is a triangle, but is not limited to this, and if it is formed in a region surrounded by the strut tower 108, the dash panel 104, and the dash side panel 110, An appropriate polygon may be formed.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a vehicle front structure including a dash panel that partitions an engine room of a vehicle from a vehicle compartment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vehicle front structure, 102 ... Engine room, 104 ... Dash panel, 106 ... Cowl box, 108 ... Strut tower, 110 ... Dash side panel, 112 ... Cowl front panel, 114 ... Cowl side panel, 116 ... Suspension upper bracket 118 ... Fender apron panel, 120 ... Extension panel, 122 ... Drainage channel, 124 ... Path, 126 ... First side, 128 ... Second side, 130 ... Third side, 132 ... Fourth side, 134 ... Fifth side 136 ... 6th side

Claims (3)

In the vehicle front structure including a dash panel that partitions the vehicle engine room from the vehicle compartment,
The vehicle front structure further includes
A cowl front panel attached to the dash panel over the vehicle width direction and extending forward of the vehicle;
A dash side panel extending forward from the side of the dash panel;
A cowl side panel extending forward of the vehicle above the dash side panel, the cowl side panel forming a cowl box surrounded by the cowl side panel, the dash panel, and the cowl front panel;
A cylindrical strut tower that supports a suspension of a front wheel of a vehicle below the cowl box, and forms a drainage channel surrounded by the strut tower, the dash panel, and the dash side panel;
A vehicle front structure comprising: an extension panel extending from the strut tower to the cowl front panel and forming a path from the cowl box to the drainage channel. The drainage channel is a triangle when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction,
A first side extending in the vehicle width direction formed by the dash panel;
A second side extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction formed by the dash side panel;
A third side extending in an oblique direction of the vehicle formed by the strut tower,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the extension panel is coupled to the dash panel and the dash side panel, and extends from a third side of the drainage channel to the cowl front panel. The extension panel extends from the third side of the drainage channel to the cowl front panel while curving toward the vehicle inner side and the vehicle front side, and is coupled to the cowl side panel,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the extension panel, the dash panel, and the cowl side panel form an extended triangle that is wider than the drainage channel when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction.

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