JP2023140986A - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve rigidity around a vehicle body front surface, particularly a cowl panel.SOLUTION: A cowl panel 50 which extends along a right and left direction and a cowl reinforcement 58 which extends in the right and left direction along the cowl panel 50 and is connected to a rear section of the cowl panel 50 are provided on a vehicle body front surface. Left side and right side functional component storage sections 68, 70 are arranged on cab floors 22 on left and right sides in a front section of a cab 16. A brace 88 is provided to connect a left side storage section side face panel 72 of the left side functional component storage section 68 to the cowl reinforcement 58. A brace 90 is provided to connect a right side storage section side face panel 80 of the right side functional component storage section 70 to the cowl reinforcement 58.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure, and particularly to a structure related to improving vehicle body rigidity.

Cited Document 1 shows a vehicle (10) in which a driver's cab is provided at the front end of the vehicle. Front upper reinforcement is applied to a structure composed of an upper edge of a front panel (29) that defines the front of the driver's cab, and a cowl panel (30) connected to the upper edge of the front panel (29). The structure for attaching the ment (32) is shown. The front upper reinforcement (32) is separated from the front pillar (46). On the other hand, the front upper reinforcement (32) is coupled to a component of the functional component storage section (60), for example, a curved reinforcement (66), at a position away from the end. Efforts have been made to improve the rigidity of the front of the vehicle. Note that the above member names and codes are used in Patent Document 1 below, and are not related to the member names and codes used in the description of the embodiments of the present application.

JP 2021-75088 Publication

When the front upper reinforcement and the functional parts storage section are disposed apart from each other, there is a problem in that there are insufficient connection points for the front upper reinforcement and the rigidity around the cowl panel is reduced.

The present invention provides a structure that improves the rigidity around the cowl panel.

The vehicle front structure according to the present invention includes a cowl panel that has a top plate and a rear plate and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and a cowl panel that extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle along the rear plate of the cowl panel and is coupled to the rear part of the cowl panel. Both ends of the front edge of the upper surface plate of the cowl panel are connected to left and right frame members, respectively, and both ends of the cowl reinforcement are separated from the frame members of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the vehicle includes front and rear panels that are erected on the floor of the driver's cabin and extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and braces that connect the cowl reinforcement and the front and rear panels.

By connecting the cowl reinforcement and the front and rear panels via braces, the rigidity of the vehicle body around the cowl panel is improved.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a driver's cab. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the front part of the vehicle body as seen from inside the driver's cabin. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the structure of the front part of the vehicle body, particularly the structure of the left side part, as seen from inside the driver's cabin. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the structure of the front part of the vehicle body, particularly the structure of the right side part, as seen from the driver's cabin.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, words expressing relative positions and directions, such as front, rear, left, right, top and bottom, refer to relative positions and directions with respect to the vehicle. In addition, in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle, the side closer to the center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is referred to as the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the side farther away from the center line is referred to as the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In each figure, the direction of arrow FR is forward, the direction of arrow UP is upward, and the direction of arrow LH is leftward.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of main parts of a vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. The vehicle 10 has a structure in which a vehicle body 14 is mounted on a ladder frame 12. The vehicle 10 is a so-called cab-over vehicle in which a driver's cab 16 and a motor compartment 18 below the driver's cab 16 are arranged at its front end. The prime mover room 18 accommodates a prime mover that drives the vehicle, such as an electric motor (not shown). A cabin 20 for passengers to board is arranged behind the driver's cab 16. The driver's cab floor 22 of the driver's cab 16 is located at a higher position than the cabin floor 24 of the passenger cabin 20. A windshield 26 is disposed in front of the driver's cab 16, and a dashboard 28 is disposed inside the driver's cab 16 along the lower edge of the windshield 26.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the general structure of the driver's cab 16. The vehicle body 14 mounted on the ladder frame 12 includes front side members 34 as frame members extending from left to right at the front of the vehicle body 14 in the front-rear direction. The front side member 34 supports the floor panel 36 of the driver's cabin floor 22 at its front portion, and its rear portion slopes downwardly toward the rear, and at its rear end, the front side member 34 supports the floor panel 36 of the driver's cabin floor 22. are combined. The skeletal structure includes a passenger cross member 40 that extends in the left-right direction along the leading edge of the passenger floor 24, and the passenger cross member 40 intersects and connects with the center side member 38. A plurality of columns 42 are arranged upright on the passenger compartment cross member 40 and arranged along the direction in which the passenger compartment cross member 40 extends. A partition plate may be attached to the support column 42 to form a partition wall that partitions the driver's cab 16 and the passenger compartment 20. The skeleton structure further includes a cab cross member 44 extending in the left-right direction along the rear edge of the cab floor 22, and the cab cross member 44 intersects and is coupled to the front side member 34. The pillar 42 and the driver's cab cross member 44 support a seat base 46 on which a driver seat 48 is placed and fixed.

A cowl panel 50 is provided inside the dashboard 28 and extends along the left-right direction. The cowl panel 50 has a top plate 52 arranged substantially horizontally, and a rear plate 54 arranged substantially vertically along the rear edge of the top plate 52. A lower edge of the rear plate 54 is coupled to a toe board 56. A cowl reinforcement 58 is arranged along the rear plate 54 of the cowl panel 50 and extends in the left-right direction, and the cowl reinforcement 58 is coupled to the rear part of the cowl panel 50.

3-5 are perspective views showing the structure of the front part of the vehicle body 14 as seen from inside the driver's cab 16. FIG. 3 is an overall view, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the left part, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the right part. It is a diagram. Front pillars 60 are arranged to extend in the vertical direction on the left and right sides of the front portion of the vehicle body 14, and both ends of the cowl panel 50 are connected to each other. More specifically, the left and right end portions of the front edge of the top plate 52 of the cowl panel 50 are coupled to the front pillar 60. A rear plate 54 is provided along the rear edge of the upper plate 52 of the cowl panel. not combined with Furthermore, side plates 62 are arranged at both left and right ends of the cowl panel 50 so as to close the inner space of the cowl panel 50 defined by the top plate 52 and the rear plate 54.

A cowl reinforcement 58 is coupled to the rear portion of the cowl panel 50. The cowl reinforcement 58 has a generally U-shaped shape, and an upper surface plate 64 corresponding to the upper horizontal stroke of the U-shape is coupled to the upper surface plate 52 of the cowl panel by a method such as welding. A flange 66a is provided on the lower surface plate 66 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the horizontal stroke on the lower side of the U-shape, and this flange 66a is connected to the rear surface plate 54 of the cowl panel 50 by a method such as welding. . The rear plate 54 of the cowl panel 50 and the cowl reinforcement 58 constitute a structure with a hollow cross section extending in the left-right direction.

At the left and right corners of the front portion of the driver's cab 16, box-shaped functional component housing portions 68 and 70 are provided. The one placed on the left side will be referred to as a left functional component storage section 68, and the one placed on the right side will be referred to as a right functional component storage section 70. The left functional component storage section 68 accommodates low-voltage equipment driven at low voltage, such as 12 volts or 24 volts, and related equipment. Examples of low-voltage devices include electronic control units (ECUs) for various devices, blowers for air conditioners, and auxiliary batteries that supply power to in-vehicle electrical devices. The right functional component storage section 70 accommodates high voltage equipment driven at high voltage and equipment related thereto. Examples of high-voltage devices include a charger for charging a vehicle drive battery, a DC-DC converter, an electric compressor for an air conditioner, and a PCT element heater.

The left-side functional parts storage section 68 includes a left-side storage section side panel 72, a left-side storage section rear panel 74, and a left-side storage section top panel 76, which are installed upright on the driver's cab floor 22, and these panels 72, 74, 76 It is formed into a box shape by the driver's cab floor 22, the vehicle body side panel 78 (see FIG. 4) of the vehicle body 14, and the front panel (toe board 56). The left housing section top panel 76 may be provided with a lid for accessing the inside of the left functional component housing section 68 . The left housing section side panel 72 is a front and rear panel that is erected on the driver's cab floor 22 and extends in the front-rear direction. The left housing section side panel 72 is joined at its front edge to the toe board 56 and at its rear edge to the left housing section rear panel 74 by a method such as welding. The left housing section rear panel 74 is a left and right panel that is erected on the driver's cab floor 22 and extends along the left and right direction. The left housing section rear panel 74 is coupled to the left housing section side panel 72 at the right edge and to the side structure of the vehicle body 14 (for example, a frame member such as a pillar) at the left edge by a method such as welding.

The right functional parts storage section 70 includes a right storage section side panel 80, a right storage section rear panel 82, and a right side storage section top panel 84, which are installed upright on the driver's cab floor 22, and these panels 80, 82, 84 It is formed into a box shape by the driver's cab floor 22, the vehicle body side panel 86 (see FIG. 5) of the vehicle body 14, and the front panel (toe board 56). The right housing section top panel 84 may be provided with a lid for accessing the inside of the right functional component housing section 70 . The right housing section side panel 80 is a front and rear panel that is erected on the driver's cab floor 22 and extends along the front and rear direction. The right housing section side panel 80 is joined at its front edge to the toe board 56 and at its rear edge to the right housing section rear panel 82 by a method such as welding. The right housing section rear panel 82 is a left and right panel that is erected on the driver's cab floor 22 and extends along the left and right direction. The right housing section rear panel 82 is coupled to the right housing section side panel 80 at its left side edge, and to the side structure of the vehicle body 14 (for example, a skeletal member such as a pillar) at its right side edge.

Although the cowl panel 50 is coupled to a cowl reinforcement 58, both left and right ends of the rear portion of the cowl panel 50 or both left and right ends of the cowl reinforcement 58 are coupled to a frame member of the vehicle body 14 such as a front pillar 60. Therefore, the vehicle body 14 around the cowl panel 50 tends to have low torsional rigidity. In the vehicle 10, the rigidity around the cowl panel 50 is improved by using the left and right functional component housing sections 68, 70. Specifically, the cowl reinforcement 58 and the left and right functional component housing sections 68 and 70, which are vertically separated, are connected by braces 88 and 90, respectively, to improve rigidity.

In relation to the left side functional parts housing section 68, the upper edge of the left side side panel 72 and the flange 66a at the lower edge of the cowl reinforcement 58 are coupled by a left side brace 88. The left side brace 88 extends generally in the vertical direction, and connects the left housing section side panel 72 and the cowl reinforcement 58, which are vertically separated, by a fastening member such as a bolt or a nut.

In relation to the right side functional parts housing section 70, the upper edge of the right side side panel 80 and the flange 66a at the lower edge of the cowl reinforcement 58 are connected by a right side brace 90. The right side brace 90 extends generally in the vertical direction and connects the right housing section side panel 80 and the cowl reinforcement 58, which are vertically separated from each other. The right side brace 90 is connected to the right housing section side panel 80 by a method such as welding, and is connected to the cowl reinforcement 58 using fastening parts such as bolts and nuts.

The cowl reinforcement 58 is coupled to the vehicle body 14 at two locations separated in the left-right direction by left and right braces 88 and 90. Further, the cowl reinforcement 58 may be coupled to the vehicle body 14 by only one of the left and right braces 88 and 90.

10 vehicle, 14 vehicle body, 16 driver's cab, 22 driver's cab floor, 50 cowl panel, 52 top plate of cowl panel, 54 rear plate of cowl panel, 56 toe board, 58 cowl reinforcement, 60 front pillar, 62 cowl panel Side plate, 64 Upper plate of cowl reinforcement, 66 Lower plate of cowl reinforcement, 68 Left side functional parts housing part, 70 Right side functional parts housing part, 72 Left side housing part side panel (front and rear panels), 74 Left side housing part Rear panel, 76 Left housing section top panel, 78, 86 Vehicle body side panel, 80 Right housing section side panel (front and rear panels), 82 Right housing section rear panel, 84 Right housing section top panel, 88 Left side brace, 90 Right side brace.

Claims (1)

A cowl panel having a top plate and a rear plate and extending along the left-right direction of the vehicle, wherein both ends of the front edge of the top plate are connected to left and right frame members, respectively;
a cowl reinforcement that extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle along the rear plate of the cowl panel and is coupled to a rear portion of the cowl panel, the cowl reinforcement having both ends separated from a frame member of the vehicle body;
Front and rear panels are installed on the floor of the driver's cabin and extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
a brace coupled to the cowl reinforcement and the front and rear panels;
Vehicle front structure with