JP4390042B2 - Body structure around the cowl top - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure around a cowl top, and more specifically, an extension of a hood ridge formed as a part of a vehicle body in a vehicle engine room to extend to the rear of the vehicle. Concerning the bond structure.

  In a vehicle, a strut type front suspension is generally used as a suspension device for a front wheel which is a steered wheel. In order to support the strut type front suspension, strut towers are formed in a tower shape integrally with a pair of left and right hood ridges as part of the vehicle body on both sides of the engine room of the vehicle. Is supported at the top of the strut tower.

  On the other hand, a dash panel is arranged behind the engine room so as to be sandwiched between the rear ends of the pair of left and right hood ridges, and the upper part of the dash panel is along the upper edge of the dash panel. The cowl top is connected. The rear ends of the pair of left and right hood ridges are connected to the pair of left and right side bodies via the cowl top, respectively. As a result, the input from the front wheels is distributed and transmitted to the side body and the cowl top via the strut type front suspension, the strut tower, and the hood ridge.

  Recently, emphasis has been placed on improving the styling of vehicles. Especially in sedan and hardtop passenger cars, open top cowl tops that open upwards are widely used so that wiper motors and wiper links can be easily installed. Tend to. However, the cowl top having an open cross section has a problem that the rigidity of the opening is low, and the input from the front wheels cannot be sufficiently transmitted to the side body or the cowl top.

For this reason, an extension is interposed between the front wall and the rear wall of the cowl top as an extension member of the hood ridge. In addition, since the position is convenient, generally, the extension is provided with a mounting seat surface of the hood hinge.
In this case, an extension joining method is generally a method in which members are installed and joined from above (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-198855 (brace 30 in FIG. 2)

By the way, as described above, since it is desirable for the extension to transmit the input from the front wheel not only to the side body but also to the cowl top, the structure provided with the extension is required to have sufficient rigidity and strength. The
However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a structure in which members are simply installed and joined from above, the vertical input from the front wheel acts as a peeling force on the joining point, and the member (extension) There is a problem that it is relatively easy to peel off.

In addition, considering that the extension forms the mounting seat surface of the hood hinge, it is required that the extension does not wobble when a vertical force is applied by opening and closing the hood. In the structure that is simply joined, there is a problem that the member (extension) is easily bent in the vertical direction and is easily wobbled.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide sufficient rigidity and strength to input from the front wheels even in a vehicle having a cowl top having an open cross section. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body structure around the cowl top that can be efficiently dispersed and transmitted to the side body and the cowl top.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to claim 1 has a cross section that extends along the upper edge of the dash panel as a part of the vehicle body constituting the engine room of the vehicle and opens upward. has linked both sides, rear wall and the cowl top Roi panel have a vertical surface extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the hood ridge disposed on either side as part of the vehicle body which constitutes the engine room The upper end of each cowl top lower panel is joined to the front wall of the cowl top lower panel, and the rear end is joined to the upright surface of the cowl top lower panel. An extension and a cowl top upper pad extending along the rear wall on the front side of the rear wall of the cowl top lower panel and forming a closed cross-sectional structure with the rear wall And a le, the extension is characterized in that it is joined to the cowl top upper panel and said through portion through said cowl top upper panel.

Further, in the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to claim 2, before Symbol extension has a side surface of at least the upper surface and the vehicle center side in the cross section L-shaped, and sides of these upper and the vehicle center side Is joined to the cowl top upper panel.

According to the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to the first aspect of the present invention, the front end of the cowl top having an open cross section opened upward, that is, on the extension of the upper part of the hood ridge, has a front end that is connected to the upper part of the hood ridge. An extension which is joined to the wall and whose rear end is joined to the rear wall is disposed, and the extension penetrates the cowl top upper panel forming a closed cross-sectional structure and the cowl top upper panel at the penetration part. As well as an upright surface formed on the rear wall of the cowl top lower panel, so that the extension is well regulated by the cowl top upper panel and has an open cross section. Even if the cowl top is made, sufficient rigidity and strength can be secured at both the left and right ends of the cowl top. Further, it is possible to receive the input from the wheel substantially vertically on the upright surface through the extension.

As a result, even when input from the front wheels is transmitted to the extension via the hood ridge, the extension can be prevented from being deformed due to bending or the like, and the force to be deformed can be further increased. Ru can be favorably transmitted to the cowl top through. In addition, the extension can be prevented from being peeled off by the input from the wheel, and the cowl top having an open cross section can be prevented from being crushed, and the input from the wheel can be efficiently distributed to the side body and the cowl top. Can be transmitted.

Further, even when provided with the mounting seat surface of the hood hinge to the extension, deflection in the vertical direction of the extension associated with the opening and closing of the hood, Ru can be satisfactorily prevented wobble by the cowl top upper panel.

Also, according to the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to claim 2, extension, since the side surface of the upper surface and the vehicle center side in the L-shaped cross section is joined to the cowl top upper panel, an L-shaped cross section The extension of this type is easily deformed so that it can be opened outward by the input from the wheel, but the force to open outward can be transmitted well to the cowl top upper panel while preventing such outward opening. The input from the wheels can also be efficiently distributed and transmitted to the side body and the cowl top while improving the rigidity and reducing the weight of the member by making it L-shaped in cross section.

Embodiments of a vehicle body structure around a cowl top according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle body structure around a right side portion including a vehicle body structure around a cowl top according to the present invention is shown in a perspective view in the engine room of a passenger car. The vehicle body structure will be described. Note that the vehicle body structure around the left side (not shown) is symmetrical with the vehicle body structure around the right side across the vehicle center.

Around the engine room, the pair of front side members 1 and 1 are connected by a dash cross member 2 and a front cross member (not shown), and the lower portions of the pair of hood ridges 4 and 4 are connected to the front side members 1 and 1, respectively. Has been.
A pair of strut towers 6, 6 that support a strut type front suspension (not shown) for suspending a front wheel that is a steered wheel are formed integrally or separately on the hood ridges 4, 4. Specifically, here, the hood ridges 4 and 4 are made up of hood ridge fronts 4a and 4a, hood ridge uppers 4b and 4b, and hood ridge rears 4c and 4c, and the strut towers 6 and 6 are integrated with the hood ridge rears 4c and 4c. It is configured. As a result, the strut type front suspension is supported by being fixed to the strut bases 6a, 6a provided at the tops of the strut towers 6, 6 with fasteners.

  The lower part of the dash panel 8 is connected to the dash cross member 2, and both ends of the dash panel 8 are the rear ends of the hood ridges 4, 4, that is, the hood ridge rear 4 c, 4 c and the front ends of the pair of side bodies 10, 10. Are connected to each. A cowl top 12 is connected to the upper portion of the dash panel 8 along the upper edge of the dash panel 8.

  The cowl top 12 has a cowl top inner 15 connected to the rear wall 14b on the rear side of the rear wall 14b of the cowl top lower 14 that opens upward in a cross-sectional “hat shape” so as to form a closed cross section. A cowl top upper 16 is connected to the front side of the wall 14b so as to form a closed cross section with the rear wall 14b. That is, the cowl top 12 is configured as a so-called combine deck type cowl top having an open cross section and a closed cross section. The left and right ends of the cowl top 12 are connected to upper portions of the hood ridges 4 and 4, that is, hood ridge uppers 4 b and 4 b via extensions 18 and 18.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the details of the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to the present invention showing only the hood ridge upper 4 b, the hood ridge rear 4 c integrated with the strut tower 6, the cowl top 12, and the extension 18 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a state where the cowl top 12 is removed from the cowl top 12 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2, and will be described below with reference to FIGS. In addition, * mark in a figure shows a welding point.

The extensions 18 and 18 forming the main body in the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to the present invention are disposed at the left and right ends of the cowl top lower 14 so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and as shown in FIG. And the rear end is connected to the rear wall 14b.
As shown in FIG. 4, the extension 18 is configured to have an L-shaped cross section and have an upper surface 18 a and a side surface 18 b on the vehicle center side by press molding. That is, the extension 18 has an L-shaped cross section to improve rigidity and reduce weight. At the front end of the extension 18, a flange 18c is formed extending horizontally from the upper surface 18a, and a flange 18d is formed extending vertically to the side surface 18b so as to be continuous with the flange 18c. At the end, a flange 18e is formed extending perpendicularly to the upper surface 18a, and a flange 18f is formed extending perpendicularly to the side surface 18b. Further, a flange 18g is formed on the side surface 18b so as to extend along the edge of the side surface 18b so as to be continuous with the flange 18d and the flange 18f.

  More specifically, the extensions 18, 18 are joined to a flange 14 c integrally formed on the upper portion of the front wall 14 a and the flange 18 d is joined to the front wall 14 a so that the front end of the extension 18, 18 is the cowl top lower 14. The rear end is connected to the rear wall 14b of the cowl top lower 14 by joining the flange 18e and the flange 18f to the rear wall 14b.

More specifically, the rear wall 14b of the cowl top lower 14 is inclined rearward as a whole, but the rear wall 14b has an upper surface 18a, that is, a vehicle front-rear position at a position corresponding to the flange 18e and the flange 18f. A pair of left and right upright surfaces 14d, 14d perpendicular to the direction are formed, and the flange 18e and the flange 18f are joined to the upright surface 14d.
Further, at the front end of the extension 18, the flange 18c is also joined to the rear end of the hood ridge upper 4b, and the rear end of the hood ridge upper 4b is also joined to the side surface 18b.

A gusset 20 is interposed between the side wall 6 b of the strut tower 6 and the front wall 14 a of the cowl top lower 14. The gusset 20 has high rigidity, and can transmit the input transmitted from the front wheel to the strut tower 6 through the strut type front suspension to the cowl top lower 14 well.
Further, each upper surface 18a of the extensions 18, 18 constitutes a mounting seat surface of a hood hinge (not shown) that supports a hood (not shown) so as to be opened and closed, and the upper surface 18a is for attaching the hood hinge. Bolt holes 19 are formed.

2 and 5, when the cowl top upper 16 is placed on the cowl top lower 14, the extensions 18, 18 pass through both left and right ends of the cowl top upper 16, The cowl top upper 16 is joined at the penetration portion.
Specifically, a notch 17 is formed at both left and right ends of the cowl top upper 16, and a flange 16a is formed at the peripheral edge of the notch 17 along the upper surface 18a of the extension 18 in the front direction of the vehicle. A flange 16b is formed extending along the extension. The extensions 18 and 18 pass through the notch 17, and the upper surface 18a is joined to the flange 16a. The side surface 18b is joined to the flange 16b and joined to the cowl top upper 16.

  That is, the cowl top 12 forms a closed cross-sectional structure with the cowl top lower 14 and the cowl top upper 16 as described above, but the extension 18 penetrates into the closed cross-sectional structure and the cowl at the rear end. In addition to being joined to the top lower 14, it is also joined to the cowl top upper 16 at a position away from the rear end. That is, the extension 18 is well regulated by the cowl top upper 16 because the upper surface 18a and the side surface 18b are in contact with and joined to the flange 16a and the flange 16b of the cowl top upper 16.

  As described above, when the extensions 18, 18 extend through the cowl top upper 16 and are regulated by the cowl top upper 16 at the left and right ends of the cowl top lower 14, Sufficient rigidity and strength are ensured at both ends. As a result, when the vehicle is traveling, input from the front wheels is transmitted from the strut towers 6 and 6 to the extensions 18 and 18 via the gussets 20 and 20 or the hood ridge upper 4b and 4b and the front wall 14a of the cowl top lower 14. Even so, the input is well transmitted to the side bodies 10 and 10 without causing deformation such as bending of the extensions 18 and 18.

  Specifically, since the extensions 18 and 18 are L-shaped in cross section, the rigidity is improved and the weight is reduced. On the other hand, when the extension 18 receives input from the front wheel, the upper surface 18a and the side surfaces are pressed by pressing. 18b, the deformation of the extension 18 due to the input from the front wheel is sufficiently suppressed by the cowl top upper 16, and the input from the front wheel is good via the extension 18. Is transmitted to.

On the other hand, when the upper surface 18a and the side surface 18b try to open outward by the input from the front wheel in this way, a force is generated in the direction of opening outward, and such force is generated by the cowl top upper 16. Thus, it is transmitted well to the cowl top 12 having a closed cross section.
In other words, the cowl top lower 14 is penetrated by the cowl top upper 16 at both the left and right ends, and the extensions 18 and 18 are disposed so as to be regulated by the cowl top upper 16, so that the input from the front wheels is received from the side body 10. , 10 and the cowl top 12 can be efficiently distributed and transmitted.

  Further, the rear ends of the upper surface 18a and the side surface 18b of the extension 18 are joined substantially perpendicularly to an upright surface 14d formed on the rear wall 14b of the cowl top lower 14 via a flange 18e and a flange 18f. Since the flange 16a and the flange 16b are coupled to the upper surface 18a and the side surface 18b of the extension 18, the extension 18 is not peeled off by input in the vertical and horizontal directions from the front wheel, and the cowl has an open cross section. The input from the front wheel can be reliably transmitted to the side bodies 10 and 10 via the rear wall 14b without the top 12 being crushed.

Further, when the extension 18 is regulated by the cowl top upper 16 as described above, even if a vertical force acts on the hood hinge attached to the upper surface 18a of the extension 18 as the hood is opened and closed, the extension 18 is not moved. Bending or wobbling in the vertical direction is well prevented.
Although the description of the embodiment of the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to the present invention has been completed, the embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the extension 18 has an L-shaped cross section and has an upper surface 18a and a side surface 18b on the vehicle center side. However, the extension 18 does not necessarily have an L-shaped cross section. Even so, the present invention can be applied satisfactorily.
In the above embodiment, the extension 18 passes through the notch 17 formed in the cowl top upper 16, but a hole is formed in the cowl top upper 16, and the extension 18 passes through the hole. It may be configured.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle body structure of the right side part periphery including the vehicle body structure around the cowl top which concerns on this invention among engine room surroundings. It is a detailed view of the vehicle body structure around the cowl top according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view of a state where a cowl top upper is removed from the cowl top of FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

4 Hood Ridge 4b Hood Ridge Upper 6 Strut Tower 12 Cowl Top 14 Cowl Top Lower 14a Front Wall 14b Rear Wall 14d Upright Surface 16 Cowl Top Upper 16a, 16b Flange 17 Notch 18 Extension 18a Upper Surface 18b Side

Claims (2)

As a part of the vehicle body that constitutes the engine room of the vehicle, it extends along the upper edge of the dash panel, has a cross section that opens upward, connects both sides, and the rear wall extends uprightly in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the cowl top the lower panel to have a surface,
The upper part of the hood ridge disposed on both sides as a part of the vehicle body constituting the engine room is provided to extend rearward of the vehicle, and the front end is joined to the front wall of the cowl top lower panel together with the upper part of the hood ridge. An extension having a rear end joined to the upright surface of the cowl top lower panel;
A cowl top upper panel extending along the rear wall on the front side of the rear wall of the cowl top lower panel and forming a closed cross-sectional structure with the rear wall;
The vehicle body structure around the cowl top, wherein the extension penetrates the cowl top upper panel and is joined to the cowl top upper panel at the penetration portion. The extension has an L-shaped cross section and has an upper surface and a side surface on the vehicle center side, and the upper surface and the side surface on the vehicle center side are joined to the cowl top upper panel. body structure around the cowl top according to claim 1 Symbol placement.

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