JP2024059003A - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle front structure capable of reducing injury value to a colliding object and providing a high level of protection to the colliding object in the event of a collision accident. [Solution] A vehicle front (1) includes a cowl top outer panel (8) disposed between a hood (2) and a windshield (4), a cowl upper panel (6) to which a wiper device (7) is fixed, and a cowl top panel (12) disposed between them and joined to the lower end of the windshield (4). The cowl top panel (12) extends forward from the lower end of the windshield (4) to the front of the vehicle, passes between the cowl top outer panel (8) and the cowl upper panel (6), and is joined to a front portion of a rear portion (8C) of the cowl top outer panel (8), and includes a first deformation inducing portion (12C) extending in the vehicle width direction at a portion located midway in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The first deformation inducing portion (12C) has a cross section with a concave shape that is concave in a direction away from the rear portion (8C) of the cowl top outer panel (8). [Selected Figure] FIG. 2

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

As an example of a conventional vehicle front structure, Patent Document 1 discloses a cowl louver that is disposed between the front cowl and hood of a vehicle and includes upper and lower louvers. This cowl louver has an engagement structure that holds the upper and lower louvers apart by engagement between a first engagement member having an engagement notch and a second engagement member having an engagement protrusion. This engagement structure makes it possible to reduce the injury value inflicted on an object when the object collides with the cowl louver.

JP 2016-101818 A

In the conventional vehicle front structure described above, the wiper device for wiping the windshield, which is located on the rear side of the cowl louvers (hereinafter referred to as the "cowl top"), may be installed inside the front cowl, the opening of which is covered by the cowl top. In this case, if the vehicle front structure is designed so that the windshield is tilted backward relatively little and stands vertically, the structure tends to result in the connection between the arm head and arm body of the wiper device being exposed above the hood (bonnet) and cowl top. If a vehicle having a wiper device in this state collides with an object in front of the vehicle while traveling, there is a possibility that the object (collision body) will hit the vicinity of the connection of the wiper device.

Near the connection point between the arm head and the arm body of the wiper device, there is an edge portion that faces the windshield and a protrusion that corresponds to the connecting shaft, and these have a relatively sharp shape. Therefore, if a colliding object comes into contact with the edge portion or protrusion of the arm body in the event of a collision accident, the injury value of the colliding object may increase.

In vehicles with a vertical windshield design as described above, in order to reduce the injury value of a colliding object and provide a high level of protection for the colliding object, it is important to realize a structure that can absorb the impact input from the colliding object near the connecting portion of the wiper device on the vehicle body side. It is also desirable to provide an injury reduction structure on the wiper device side in addition to absorbing the impact on the vehicle body side. The conventional vehicle front structure described above does not take into consideration the absorption of impact or reduction of injury that may occur due to the connecting portion of the wiper device being exposed above the hood and cowl top in the event of a collision accident, and there is room for improvement.

The present invention was made with the above points in mind, and aims to provide a vehicle front structure that can reduce the injury level to a colliding object and provide a high level of protection to the colliding object in the event of a collision accident.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle front structure comprising: a cowl top outer panel disposed between a hood and a windshield provided at the front of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction; a cowl upper panel disposed below the cowl top outer panel with a gap therebetween and to which a wiper device for wiping the windshield is fixed; and a cowl top panel disposed between the cowl top outer panel and the cowl upper panel and joined to the lower end of the windshield, the connection portion connecting the arm head and arm body of the wiper device being disposed above the cowl top outer panel. In this vehicle front structure, the cowl top outer panel has a front portion located forward of the connection portion of the wiper device and a rear portion located rearward of the connection portion of the wiper device. The cowl top panel extends from the lower end of the windshield toward the front of the vehicle, passes between the cowl top outer panel and the cowl upper panel, and is joined to the front portion of the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel, and includes a first deformation inducing portion extending in the vehicle width direction at a portion located in the middle in the vehicle front-rear direction. The first deformation inducing portion has a cross section with a concave shape that is concave in a direction away from the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel.

When a collision occurs, the vehicle front structure of the present invention allows the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel to deform downward toward the vehicle, while at the same time the cowl top panel deforms starting from the first deformation-inducing portion, thereby reducing the injury value to the colliding body and providing a high level of protection to the colliding body.

1 is a perspective view of a front portion of a vehicle to which a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed obliquely from above and in front of the vehicle. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the front part of the vehicle taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the upper rear side of the front cowl in FIG. 2. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel and the vicinity of the seal material in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the front wiper in the embodiment. 4 is an enlarged view of the right front wiper in the embodiment, as viewed from the side of the vehicle. FIG. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 6. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6. 7 is an enlarged top view of the connecting portion between the arm head and the arm body in FIG. 6, viewed from above the vehicle. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle front part to which a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from an upper front side of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective view of the vehicle front part cut along line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of the upper rear side of the front cowl in Fig. 2. In each of the drawings described below, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow U direction indicates the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, and the arrow R direction and the arrow L direction indicate the right and left when the front of the vehicle is viewed from inside the vehicle cabin.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a power unit room P is provided in the front portion 1 of the vehicle to which the structure according to this embodiment is applied, and is opened and closed by a hood (bonnet) 2 that can be rotated in the vertical direction of the vehicle. A dash panel 3 is provided on the vehicle rear side of this power unit room P. The dash panel 3 is provided across the entire width of the power unit room P in the vehicle width direction, and has high rigidity.

In addition, in the vehicle front portion 1 of this embodiment, a front cowl 5 is provided that is located between the rear end of the hood 2 and the lower end of the windshield 4 and extends in the vehicle width direction (FIG. 2). This front cowl 5 includes the dash panel 3 and the cowl upper panel 6 that face each other in the vehicle front-rear direction and extend in the vehicle width direction. The front cowl 5 has a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens toward the upper side of the vehicle by joining the vertical middle part of the dash panel 3 and the front lower end 6A of the cowl upper panel 6. Various on-board parts are arranged inside the front cowl 5, such as the drive unit 7A of the wiper device 7 that wipes the outer side of the vehicle compartment of the windshield 4. A cowl top outer panel 8 is provided at the opening of the front cowl 5.

The drive unit 7A of the wiper device 7 generates a drive force by a motor section (not shown) for operating a pair of left and right front wipers 7B (Fig. 1) arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction in front of the lower end of the windshield 4. The drive force is transmitted to each front wiper 7B via a link section 7C and a pivot shaft 7D (Fig. 2) connected to the motor section. The drive unit 7A is fixed to the cowl upper panel 6 via a wiper bracket 7E.

Each front wiper 7B includes, for example, an arm head 71 and a long arm body 72 connected to the arm head 71 (Fig. 1). A wiper blade 73 for wiping the front glass 4 is held at the longitudinal tip of the arm body 72 (the end opposite the arm head 71). The arm head 71 is attached to a pivot shaft 7D, and the drive unit 7A and the front wiper 7B are linked via the pivot shaft 7D. Details of the front wiper 7B will be described later.

The cowl top outer panel 8 is formed of a metal plate or a resin material, and is disposed between the rear end of the hood 2 and the lower end of the windshield 4, and extends in the vehicle width direction (Fig. 1). In other words, the cowl top outer panel 8 is provided so as to cover the opening of the front cowl 5 along the vehicle width direction. In the middle of the cowl top outer panel 8 in the vehicle front-rear direction, wiper mounting openings 8A are formed near positions corresponding to the pivot shafts 7D, which penetrate in the vehicle up-down direction (Figs. 1 and 2). The arm heads 71 of the front wipers 7B are inserted into the wiper mounting openings 8A from the vehicle upper side of the cowl top outer panel 8, and the arm heads 71 are attached to the pivot shafts 7D disposed on the vehicle lower side of the cowl top outer panel 8. A cowl top outer cap 9 is provided in the gap between each wiper mounting opening 8A and each arm head 71.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the cowl top outer panel 8 has a front portion 8B located forward of the connection between the arm head 71 and the arm body 72 of each front wiper 7B, and a rear portion 8C located rearward of the connection. A front flange portion 8D extending downward is provided at the front end portion of the front portion 8B of the cowl top outer panel 8 (Fig. 2). The front flange portion 8D is joined to a cowl top cover 10 disposed below the cowl top outer panel 8. The front lower portion of the cowl top cover 10 is fixed to the upper end portion of the dash panel 3. The rear end portion of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 abuts against the lower end portion of the windshield 4 on the outer side of the vehicle interior via an elastically deformable seal material 11 (Figs. 2 and 3).

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective sectional view of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 and the sealing material 11 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a rear flange portion 8E extending downwardly of the vehicle is provided at the rear end portion of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8. In this embodiment, the rear flange portion 8E corresponds to the "flange portion" of the present invention. The seal material 11 extends in the vehicle width direction across the entire width of the windshield 4. A recess 11A recessed downwardly of the vehicle is formed on the upper surface of the seal material 11. A protrusion 11B protruding toward the windshield 4 is provided on the lower surface of the seal material 11 at a position corresponding to the lower rear side of the recess 11A. The rear flange portion 8E of the cowl top outer panel 8 is inserted inside the recess 11A of the seal material 11. As a result, the seal material 11 is configured to fix the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 at a predetermined position, and the rear end portion 11C and the protrusion 11B of the seal material 11 are configured to abut against the lower end portion of the windshield 4 on the outer side of the vehicle compartment.

The rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 slopes gently downward from the upper end of the rear flange portion 8E toward the front of the vehicle, then bends downward and extends downward, and then bends toward the front of the vehicle and extends generally horizontally (Figs. 2 and 3). The cowl top panel 12 is disposed below the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, which has a cross-sectional shape bent in multiple places.

The cowl top panel 12 extends in the vehicle width direction, and its rear portion 12A in the vehicle front-rear direction is joined to the interior side of the lower end of the windshield 4 using a sealer 13. The cowl top panel 12 extends from the lower end of the windshield 4 to the front of the vehicle, passing between the cowl top outer panel 8 and the cowl upper panel 6, and its tip portion (front end portion in the vehicle front-rear direction) 12B is joined to the front portion of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 (Figure 3). In other words, the cowl top panel 12 is fixed so as to connect between the front portion of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 and the lower end of the windshield 4.

A first deformation inducing portion 12C extending in the vehicle width direction is provided in a portion of the cowl top panel 12 located in the middle in the vehicle front-rear direction (FIGS. 2 and 3). The first deformation inducing portion 12C has a cross section with a concave shape that is concave in a direction away from the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the cowl top panel 12 extends from the joint with the lower end of the windshield 4 at an incline downward toward the front of the vehicle, and then bends upward toward the vehicle at a position facing the center of the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The portion beyond the bent portion extends at an incline upward toward the front of the vehicle, and then curves gently and extends generally horizontally (FIG. 3). In the cowl top panel 12 having such a generally V-shaped cross section, the vicinity of the bent portion forms the first deformation inducing portion 12C. The rear portion of the cowl top cover 10 is disposed in the space formed between the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 and the cowl top panel 12.

The rear upper end 6B of the cowl upper panel 6 is joined to the lower end of the windshield 4, overlapping with the rear portion 12A of the cowl top panel 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3). That is, the rear upper end 6B of the cowl upper panel 6 and the rear portion 12A of the cowl top panel 12 are fixed in two layers to the interior side of the lower end of the windshield 4 using a sealer 13. A second deformation-inducing portion 6C extending in the vehicle width direction is provided in the portion of the cowl upper panel 6 that extends downward from the lower end of the windshield 4. The second deformation-inducing portion 6C has a cross section with a convex shape that is convex toward the rear of the vehicle.

Specifically, the cowl upper panel 6 in this embodiment extends from the joint with the rear portion 12A (lower end of the windshield 4) of the cowl top panel 12 at an incline toward the rear of the vehicle as it moves downward, then bends toward the lower side of the vehicle and extends in a generally vertical direction, then bends toward the front of the vehicle and extends in a generally horizontal direction as it moves downward (FIGS. 2 and 3). Furthermore, the cowl upper panel 6 extends at an incline toward the front of the vehicle as it moves downward, then bends toward the lower side of the vehicle and extends in a generally vertical direction, then bends toward the front of the vehicle and extends in a generally horizontal direction (FIG. 2). In the cowl upper panel 6 having such a cross-sectional shape, the portion located between the upper inclined portion and the lower inclined portion is the second deformation inducing portion 6C. In this embodiment, a pedal bracket 14 for attaching a pedal is joined to the surface of the cowl upper panel 6 facing the inside of the vehicle compartment. When such a pedal bracket 14 is provided, the second deformation inducing portion 6 is preferably formed at a position on the vehicle lower than the joint between the cowl upper panel 6 and the rear portion 12A of the cowl top panel 12 (the lower end of the windshield 4), and higher than the joint between the cowl upper panel 6 and the pedal bracket 14.

Here, the front wiper 7B will be described in detail.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the front wiper 7B. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the right front wiper 7B as seen from the side (right side) of the vehicle. Note that since the left and right front wipers 7B arranged side by side in front of the lower end of the windshield 4 basically have the same structure, the right front wiper 7B will be described in detail below, and the description of the left front wiper 7B will be omitted.

As described above, the front wiper 7B includes an arm head 71 and a long arm body 72 connected to the arm head 71, and the wiper blade 73 is held at the longitudinal tip of the arm body 72. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the arm head 71 is a member disposed on the base end side of the front wiper 7B. The arm head 71 has a substantially cylindrical base 71A and an arm 71B that extends from the base 71A at an angle toward the arm body 72. A substantially cylindrical pivot shaft hole 71C that penetrates the base 71A in the axial direction is formed. The pivot shaft 7D (Figs. 1 and 2) of the drive unit 7A is attached to the pivot shaft hole 71C. The base end of the arm body 72 is rotatably connected to the tip portion (the end portion opposite the base 71A) of the arm 71B.

The arm body 72 includes, for example, a retainer 721 and an arm piece 722 (Figs. 5 and 6). The retainer 721 has a top wall portion 721A extending in one direction, and a pair of side wall portions 721B, 721C extending from both short sides of the top wall portion 721A toward the windshield 4 (Fig. 6). In other words, the retainer 721 is made up of the top wall portion 721A and the pair of side wall portions 721B, 721C, and has a generally U-shaped cross section with an opening on the side facing the windshield 4.

The top wall portion 721A is configured so that its outer surface opposite the windshield 4 forms part of the design surface of the front wiper 7B. In the case of a vehicle design in which the windshield 4 is tilted backwards relatively little and stands vertically (in the direction of the arrow U in FIG. 6), the outer surface of the top wall portion 721A is positioned so that it faces generally forward of the vehicle when the front wiper 7B is attached to a predetermined position on the front part 1 of the vehicle (FIG. 6).

The pair of side walls 721B, 721C are arranged generally spaced apart in the vertical direction of the vehicle when the front wiper 7B is attached to a predetermined position on the front part 1 of the vehicle, and when the front wiper 7B is not in use and the wiping operation of the front wiper 7B on the windshield 4 is stopped (hereinafter referred to as the "wiping stopped state") (Figure 6). In the following description, in the wiping stopped state, the pair of side walls 721B, 721C that is arranged on the upper side of the vehicle is referred to as the "upper wall 721B" and the one that is arranged on the lower side of the vehicle is referred to as the "lower wall 721C".

The upper wall portion 721B and the lower wall portion 721C are disposed on both sides of the short side of the arm portion 71B of the arm head 71 near the base end on the arm head 71 side, and are connected to the arm portion 71B so as to be rotatable about the connecting shaft 74 (FIG. 6). The end of the top wall portion 721A of the retainer 721 on the arm head 71 side is located away from the respective ends of the upper wall portion 721B and the lower wall portion 721C on the arm head 71 side toward the wiper blade 73 (FIG. 5).

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the front wiper 7B taken along a line (line BB in FIG. 6) that crosses the connection between the arm head 71 and the arm body 72 (retainer 721).
7, the connecting shaft 74 provided at the connecting portion between the arm head 71 and the retainer 721 is configured using, for example, a shaft member having a head 74A. The shaft portion 74B of the connecting shaft 74 is inserted through a shaft hole in the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721, between the side walls of the arm portion 71B of the arm head 71, and through a shaft hole in the lower wall portion 721C of the retainer 721. A shaft slip-out prevention portion 74C is provided at the tip of the shaft portion 74B. The upper wall portion 721B and the lower wall portion 721C of the retainer 721 are rotatably supported by the connecting shaft 74 relative to the arm portion 71B of the arm head 71.

The head 74A of the connecting shaft 74 protrudes from the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721 toward the top of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74 corresponds to the "protrusion" of the present invention. The protrusion amount A1 of the head 74A (protrusion) of the connecting shaft 74 is represented by the height from the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721 to the top surface of the head 74A.

A convex portion 721D that protrudes toward the top of the vehicle is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721, separate from the head portion 74A of the connecting shaft 74 (FIGS. 5 and 6). The lower surface of the lower wall portion 721C of the retainer 721 does not have a shape corresponding to the convex portion 721D. The convex portion 721D formed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B is located at a position higher than the lower end of the outer surface of the passenger compartment of the windshield 4 in the case of a vehicle design in which the rearward inclination of the windshield 4 is relatively small and the windshield 4 stands vertically (see the broken line in FIG. 3). In this case, the convex portion 721D is provided in a range in which the distance L in the vehicle front-rear direction from the lower end of the outer surface of the windshield 4 to the lower end of the outer surface of the passenger compartment is about 80 mm. By providing the convex portion 721D at such a position, it becomes possible to reduce the injury value to the colliding body in the event of a collision accident, as will be described in detail later.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the front wiper 7B taken along a line (line CC in FIG. 6) that crosses the convex portion 721D.
As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the convex portion 721D extends along an edge portion 721E of the upper wall portion 721B that faces the windshield 4, and is disposed on the windshield 4 side of the center of the upper wall portion 721B in the short side direction. The center line CL shown by a dashed line in Figures 6 to 8 represents a straight line passing through the center of the upper wall portion 721B in the short side direction.

In this embodiment, the edge portion 721E of the upper wall portion 721B facing the windshield 4 has a relatively sharp shape (for example, a shape with a radius R of the rounded corner smaller than 2.5 mm) near the base end on the arm head 71 side (FIGS. 6 to 8), so a convex portion 721D is formed near the base end on the arm head 71 side on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B. Note that the edge portion 721E located closer to the wiper blade 73 than the base end is bent inward (toward the lower wall portion 721C) by extending the end, so that the impact body H described below is unlikely to come into contact with the sharp edge (FIGS. 5 and 6), and therefore no convex portion 721D is formed.

9 is an enlarged top view of the vicinity of the connection portion between the arm head and the arm body in FIG. 6, as viewed from above the vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 9, the convex portion 721D in this embodiment has an elliptical shape extending along an edge portion 721E facing the windshield 4 in a top view. However, the shape of the convex portion 721D is not limited to an elliptical shape. A portion of the periphery of the convex portion 721D located on the windshield 4 side is arranged so as to be close to the edge portion 721E of the upper wall portion 721B. In addition, a portion of the periphery of the convex portion 721D located on the top wall portion 721A side is arranged on the windshield 4 side from the center line CL. Furthermore, in a front view of the upper wall portion 721B seen from the front of the vehicle, at least a part of the convex portion 721D is arranged at a position overlapping with the head portion 74A (protruding portion) of the connecting shaft 74 (see the dashed line shown in FIG. 9).

The cross section of the convex portion 721D arranged as described above has an arc shape that protrudes toward the top of the vehicle (FIGS. 7 and 8). The protruding amount A2 of the convex portion 721D is expressed as the height from the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B to the upper end of the convex portion 721D (FIG. 8). The protruding amount A2 of the convex portion 721D is set to be equal to or greater than the protruding amount A1 of the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74 (A1≦A2). In addition, at the portion where the convex portion 721D and the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74 overlap in a front view (FIG. 7), the corners located on the longitudinal side of the convex portion 721D are rounded, and the height of the convex portion 721D corresponds to the portion where the height of the convex portion 721D gradually decreases, so that the convex portion 721D is lower than the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74.

A return spring 75 is disposed in the space surrounded by the top wall portion 721A, the upper wall portion 721B, and the lower wall portion 721C of the retainer 721 (FIGS. 6 to 8). The base end of the return spring 75 is connected to the arm head 71, and the tip end is connected to the retainer 721. The spring force of the return spring 75 biases the retainer 721 to rotate toward the windshield 4 relative to the arm head 71.

An arm piece 722 is fixed to the longitudinal end of the retainer 721 (FIGS. 5 and 6). The arm piece 722 extends in one direction continuously from the end of the retainer 721. The end of the arm piece 722 is provided with an attachment portion 722A for attaching the wiper blade 73.

The wiper blade 73 is attached to the mounting portion 722A of the arm piece 722 and is held at the tip of the arm body 72. The wiper blade 73 wipes the exterior surface (wiped surface) of the windshield 4 as the arm head 71 and the arm body 72 rotate in conjunction with the drive unit 7A.

Next, the operation of the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment will be described in detail.
In the vehicle front part 1 having the above-mentioned structure, due to the windshield 4 being designed to stand vertically, the connecting portion between the arm head 71 and the arm body 72 in the left and right front wipers 7B of the wiper device 7 is exposed above the hood 2 or the cowl top outer panel 8. If a vehicle having the front wipers 7B in such a state collides with an object in front of the vehicle while traveling, the object (colliding object) may strike the front wiper 7B near the connecting portion from above the vehicle, causing serious damage to the colliding object. The symbol H shown in Figures 1 to 4 represents a typical example of the colliding object that comes into contact with the front wiper 7B near the connecting portion.

In this embodiment, a first deformation inducing portion 12C is formed on the cowl top panel 12 and a second deformation inducing portion 6C is formed on the cowl upper panel 6 as a structure for absorbing the impact input near the above-mentioned connecting portion of the front wiper 7B on the vehicle body side. In addition, a convex portion 721D is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721 as a structure for reducing the injury to the colliding object H on the front wiper 7B side. With these structures, the vehicle front portion 1 according to this embodiment makes it possible to reduce the injury value to the colliding object H in the event of a collision accident and to protect the colliding object H at a high level. Below, the state in which the colliding object H hits the front wiper 7B in the event of a collision accident will be specifically described with reference to the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3.

When a collision occurs, there is a possibility that the impacting object H will strike the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, which is located between the windshield 4 and the vicinity of the base end of the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B that is in a stopped wiping state, from above the vehicle. At this time, since the vicinity of the base end of the retainer 721 is exposed to the upper side of the cowl top outer panel 8, there is an increased possibility that the impacting object H will strike not only the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, but also the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721.

In such a situation when a collision accident occurs, the cowl louver engagement structure of the above-mentioned conventional technology can absorb the impact directly input to the cowl louver corresponding to the cowl top outer panel 8 in this embodiment, but it is difficult to absorb the impact input to the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B exposed on the upper side of the cowl top outer panel 8. In addition, the conventional technology does not have an injury reduction structure on the front wiper side such as the convex portion 721D in this embodiment. Therefore, the impacting object H comes into contact with the edge portion 721E on the windshield 4 side of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B, and when the impacting object H comes into contact with the edge portion 721E having a relatively sharp shape near the base end, the injury value for the impacting object H increases.

Meanwhile, in the structure of the vehicle front portion 1 according to this embodiment, as described above, the first deformation inducing portion 12C is formed in the cowl top panel 12, and the second deformation inducing portion 6C is formed in the cowl upper panel 6. When a collision accident occurs, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 3, when an impacting body H strikes the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 from above the vehicle, the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 is deformed downwards of the vehicle, utilizing the space secured below the vehicle of the rear portion 8C.

The front end 12B of the cowl top panel 12 is joined to the front part of the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, and the rear part 12A of the cowl top panel 12 is joined to the rear end part of the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 via the sealant 11, the windshield 4, and the sealer 13. Therefore, at the same time as the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 is deformed downward, the cowl top panel 12 deforms so that the front and rear parts approach each other starting from the first deformation inducing part 12C, as shown by the white arrow and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3. In other words, when a collision occurs, the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 and the cowl top panel 12 are deformed to encase the impact body H. This makes it possible to effectively absorb the impact input to the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8.

In addition, in the structure of the vehicle front part 1 according to this embodiment, a convex part 721D is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall part 721B of the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B. This allows the impact object H to come into contact with the convex part 721D before the relatively sharp edge part 721E of the upper wall part 721B of the retainer 721 (Figure 3), thereby reducing the injury value of the impact object H.

At this time, the impact input to the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B is transmitted to the drive unit 7A of the wiper device 7 via the arm head 71 and the pivot shaft 7D. The drive unit 7A is fixed to the cowl upper panel 6 via the wiper bracket 7E, and the rear upper end 6B of the cowl upper panel 6 is joined to the lower end of the windshield 4 by overlapping with the rear part 12A of the cowl top panel 12. When the impact input to the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B is transmitted to the cowl top panel 12 via the above-mentioned parts, the impact can also be absorbed by the deformation starting from the first deformation-inducing part 12C of the cowl top panel 12 described above. Therefore, according to the vehicle front part 1 of this embodiment, when a collision accident occurs, the injury value for the colliding object H can be reduced and the colliding object H can be protected at a high level.

In addition, in the structure of the vehicle front portion 1 according to this embodiment, in addition to the first deformation inducing portion 12C of the cowl top panel 12, a second deformation inducing portion 6C is formed in the cowl upper panel 6. When an impact input to the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 described above or an impact input to the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B is transmitted to the cowl upper panel 6 via each portion, a force in the vertical direction of the vehicle acts on the portion of the cowl upper panel 6 that extends from the lower end of the windshield 4 downwardly of the vehicle. In response to such a vertical force, the cowl upper panel 6 deforms (crushes) starting from the second deformation inducing portion 6C, making it possible to more effectively absorb the impact.

Furthermore, since the second deformation inducing portion 6C has a cross section with a convex shape that is convex toward the rear side of the vehicle, in the event of a collision accident, the cowl upper panel 6 that has been deformed starting from the second deformation inducing portion 6C can be prevented from coming into contact with the cowl top panel 12 that has been deformed starting from the first deformation inducing portion 12C. This makes it possible to fully exert the deformation effect of the cowl upper panel 6 by the second deformation inducing portion 6C. Therefore, the injury value to the colliding object H can be further reduced, and the colliding object H can be protected at a higher level.

In addition, in the structure of the vehicle front part 1 according to this embodiment, the convex part 721D formed on the upper surface of the upper wall part 721B of the retainer 721 extends along the sharp edge part 721E of the upper wall part 721B and is positioned closer to the windshield 4 than the center line CL of the upper wall part 721B, so that the impacting object H is sure to come into contact with the convex part 721D before the sharp edge part 721E, effectively reducing the injury value of the impacting object H.

Furthermore, the convex portion 721D is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 721B, which can increase the rigidity of the retainer 721. In addition, at least a part of the convex portion 721D is arranged at a position overlapping the head 74A (protruding portion) of the connecting shaft 74 when viewed from the front of the vehicle, so that the impact body H comes into contact with the convex portion 721D before the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74. This makes it possible to further effectively reduce the injury value of the impact body H, and also to improve the rigidity of the periphery of the connecting shaft 74, which is likely to be loaded when the front wiper 7B performs a wiping operation. In particular, if the protruding amount A2 of the convex portion 721D is set to be equal to or greater than the protruding amount A1 of the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74 (A1≦A2), the impact body H will reliably come into contact with the convex portion 721D before the head 74A of the connecting shaft 74.

In addition, in the structure of the vehicle front part 1 according to this embodiment, the rear flange portion 8E of the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 is inserted into the recess 11A of the sealant 11, and the rear end portion 11C and the protrusion 11B of the sealant 11 are configured to abut against the passenger compartment outer surface of the windshield 4. As a result, when the colliding object H hits the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, the sealant 11 elastically deforms, absorbing the impact input to the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, thereby more effectively reducing the injury value of the colliding object H.

Furthermore, the gap between the windshield 4 and the rear part 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8, which may occur due to manufacturing variations, is suppressed by the seal material 11, so that the amount of rainwater that flows down the outer side of the windshield 4 to the cowl top panel 12 during rainy weather can be minimized. Rainwater that flows into the cowl top panel 12 is usually discharged from the side of the cowl top panel 12 in the vehicle width direction, but if the amount of rainwater that flows in exceeds the discharge amount, problems such as rainwater flowing out in front of the cowl top panel 12 and getting on the motor part of the wiper device 7 can occur. According to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of such problems. In addition, since the seal material 11 abuts on the outer side of the windshield 4 at two points, the rear end part 11C and the protrusion part 11B, it is also possible to reliably prevent rattling of the cowl top outer panel 8.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first deformation inducing portion 12C of the cowl top panel 12 and the second deformation inducing portion 6C of the cowl upper panel 6 are provided, but even if the second deformation inducing portion 6C of the cowl upper panel 6 is omitted and only the first deformation inducing portion 12C of the cowl top panel 12 is provided, it is possible to absorb the impact input to the rear portion 8C of the cowl top outer panel 8 and the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B and reduce the injury value for the colliding body H.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the edge portion 721E of the upper wall portion 721B of the retainer 721 of the front wiper 7B facing the windshield 4 has a relatively sharp shape near the base end on the arm head 71 side, and the convex portion 721D is formed along the sharp edge portion 721E. However, if the edge portion 721E of the upper wall portion 721B has a relatively sharp shape not only near the base end but also over a wide area on the wiper blade 73 side, it is preferable to extend the convex portion 721D toward the wiper blade 73 and form it along the sharp edge portion 721E.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Front of vehicle 2: Hood 3: Dash panel 4: Windshield 5: Front cowl 6: Cowl upper panel 6B: Rear upper end 6C: Second deformation inducing portion 7: Wiper device 7A: Drive unit 7B: Front wiper 71: Arm head 72: Arm body 721: Retainer 721A: Top wall portion 721B: Side wall portion (upper wall portion)
721C...Side wall portion (lower wall portion)
721D: Convex portion 721E: Edge portion 722: Arm piece 73: Wiper blade 74: Connecting shaft 74A: Head portion (protruding portion)
8...Cowl top outer panel 8A...Wiper mounting hole 8B...Front portion 8C...Rear portion 8D...Front flange portion 8E...Rear flange portion (flange portion)
Description of the Related Art 9: cowl top outer cap 10: cowl top cover 11: sealant 11A: recess 11B: protrusion 11C: rear end 12: cowl top panel 12A: rear 12B: front end 12C: first deformation inducing portion 13: sealer 14: pedal bracket CL: center line H: collision body

Claims (4)

a cowl top outer panel disposed between a hood and a windshield provided at a front portion of the vehicle and extending in a vehicle width direction;
a cowl upper panel disposed below the cowl top outer panel with a gap therebetween, the cowl upper panel having a wiper device fixed thereto for wiping the windshield;
a cowl top panel disposed between the cowl top outer panel and the cowl upper panel and joined to a lower end of the windshield,
A vehicle front structure, in which a connecting portion that connects an arm head and an arm body of the wiper device is disposed above the vehicle with respect to the cowl top outer panel,
the cowl top outer panel has a front portion located forward of the connection portion of the wiper device and a rear portion located rearward of the connection portion of the wiper device,
the cowl top panel extends from a lower end of the windshield toward the front of the vehicle, passes between the cowl top outer panel and the cowl upper panel, and is joined to a front portion of the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel, and includes a first deformation inducing portion extending in a vehicle width direction at a portion located in the middle in the vehicle front-rear direction,
The vehicle front structure, wherein the first deformation inducing portion has a cross section having a concave shape that is concave in a direction away from the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel. The cowl upper panel is joined to a lower end of the windshield while overlapping the cowl top panel, and includes a second deformation inducing portion extending in a vehicle width direction at a portion extending from the lower end of the windshield toward the vehicle bottom,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the second deformation inducing portion has a cross section that is convex toward the rear of the vehicle. The arm body of the wiper device has a top wall portion extending in one direction and a pair of side wall portions extending from both sides of the top wall portion in the short direction toward the windshield side, and is rotatably connected to the arm head around a connecting shaft, and when the wiper device is in a wiping stopped state, a convex portion protruding toward the top of the vehicle is formed on an upper surface of an upper wall portion of the pair of side walls that is located on the upper side of the vehicle, and a protrusion protruding toward the top of the vehicle is provided on the upper surface of the upper wall portion at a position corresponding to the connecting shaft,
the convex portion extends along an edge portion of the upper wall portion facing the windshield, and is disposed closer to the windshield than a center in a lateral direction of the upper wall portion,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the convex portion is disposed at a position overlapping with the protruding portion in a front view of the vehicle. a rear end portion of the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel abuts against a cabin outer surface of the windshield via an elastically deformable seal material, and a flange portion is provided on the rear portion and extends from the rear end portion toward a vehicle lower side,
2. The vehicle front structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that the sealing material has a recess provided on an upper surface of the sealing material and recessed toward the vehicle below, and a protrusion positioned below the recess and protruding toward the windshield, the flange portion being inserted into the inside of the recess to fix the rear portion of the cowl top outer panel, and the rear end of the sealing material and the protrusion are configured to abut against the passenger compartment outer surface of the windshield.

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