JP4826958B2 - Car cowl box structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl box structure for an automobile, and more particularly to a cowl box structure capable of reliably preventing water leakage to an engine and ensuring a clearance around the engine.

  In recent vehicles, there is a vehicle in which the position of the windshield glass is pushed forward in order to enlarge the interior space of the vehicle. In this case, the front lower edge of the windshield glass is positioned in front of the dash lower, that is, on the engine room. For this reason, a cowl box provided at the lower front edge of the windshield glass for taking outside air into the vehicle is arranged above the engine. Rainwater, etc. also enters the cowl box through the ventilation holes provided to take outside air into the cowl box, so it is necessary to prevent water from entering the engine room located below the cowl box. is there.

In such a cowl box, there is one in which a member serving as a drainage groove is provided below the front lower edge of the windshield glass and above the engine (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-6-270662

  However, the conventional cowl box has a structure that leans forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to match the shape of the front of the vehicle from the standpoint of storage in the engine room. Since it is tilted forward, water is collected in the cowl box forward, ie above the engine. In addition, a phenomenon such as leakage due to poor sealing of the cowl box or overflow of water from the groove due to braking of the vehicle occurs, causing a problem that water leaks onto the engine. Another problem is that the clearance around the engine is small and engine maintenance is difficult because the groove is deep enough to prevent the water that has entered the cowl box from overflowing into the engine room. was there.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cowl box capable of reliably preventing water leakage from the cowl box to the engine and ensuring clearance around the engine. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a cowl box structure for an automobile according to the present invention includes a dashboard upper (7) that extends in the vehicle width direction and protrudes into the engine room, and is fixed to a front edge portion of the dashboard upper. The dashboard upper (9) extending in the vehicle width direction from the fixed portion to the dashboard upper and extending forward of the vehicle, and joined to the front edge of the dashboard upper, the dashboard upper A dashboard top lip that tilts backward in the vehicle longitudinal direction and descends from the center to both side edges in the vehicle width direction. At least one drainage groove (14, 15) extending in the vehicle width direction.

  Further, it is preferable that a plurality of the drain grooves are formed, and the depth of the drain grooves located on the rear side of the vehicle is deeper.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said dashboard appendix has the flange part (17) which stood up over the vehicle width direction in the rear-end part in the vehicle front-back direction of this dashboard appendix.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said flange part has the standing length from the said dashboard upper part in the front site | part of the external air intake hole to the vehicle interior space provided in the said dashboard upper part from the other site | part.

  The dashboard upper preferably has at least one drainage groove extending in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the dashboard upper.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the front edge portion of the cowl top is provided with a liquid-tight seal member, and is liquid-tightly joined to the front edge portion of the dashboard appad via the liquid-tight seal member (26).

  With the configuration described above, the water that has entered the cowl box is guided to the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction and the side end side in the vehicle width direction along the inclination of the dashboard appli The risk of water leakage is reduced. In addition, since the dashboard applique is tilted rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction, a space can be formed on the front side below the cowl box, and a clearance with the engine can be ensured. Thereby, workability, such as engine repair and adjustment, is improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automobile to which a cowl box according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a dashboard append according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the cowl top according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 1 includes a windshield glass 2 and an engine hood 3, and a lower end edge on the front side of the windshield glass 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction and an upper end edge on the rear side of the engine hood 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction. A cowl box 4 extending in the vehicle width direction. Hereinafter, the front side and the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are simply referred to as the front side and the rear side, or front and rear. A wiper device 5 for the windshield glass 2 is provided with the base end fixed to the lower end of the windshield glass.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the dashboard lower 6 that partitions the vehicle compartment space and the engine room stands up in a substantially vertical direction and extends in the vehicle width direction. A dashboard upper 7 that extends in the vehicle width direction and projects forward is provided on the upper portion of the dashboard lower 6. Further, a windshield glass support 8 for fixing and supporting the windshield glass 2 extending forward from the dashboard lower 6 is provided on the upper portion of the dashboard lower 6. The rear edge of the dashboard upper 9 is fixed to the front edge of the dashboard upper 7, extends forward from the fixed portion with the dashboard upper, and extends in the vehicle width direction. Yes. Further, a cowl top 10 is provided between the front side edge portion of the dashboard upper lid 9 and the lower end portion of the windshield glass.

  The windshield glass support 8 has a generally upward convex cross-sectional shape, stands up above the upper end of the dashboard lower 6, extends forward, and is parallel to the windshield glass 2 at the tip. The inclined portion 11 is provided so as to extend forward and downward. The windshield glass 2 is supported by the lower end portion of the windshield glass 2 coming into contact with the inclined portion 11 of the windshield glass support 8 via the vibration isolator 12. The anti-vibration material 12 may be anti-vibration rubber (dam rubber), for example. The lower end of the windshield glass 2 is fixed to the windshield glass support 8 with an adhesive 13.

  The dashboard upper 7 and the dashboard upper 9 are provided so as to be inclined rearward at a predetermined angle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. That is, the dashboard upper 7 and the dashboard upper 9 have a water gradient so that water flows backward. The rearward tilt angle of the dashboard upper 7 and the dashboard upper pad 9 may be the same or may have a unique angle. In the present embodiment, three drainage grooves are provided in the dashboard upper 7 and the dashboard upper 9. The drainage grooves are first, second and third drainage grooves from the front side, the first drainage groove 14 and the second drainage groove 15 are provided in the dashboard upper pad 9, and the third drainage groove 16 is provided in the dashboard upper 7. Yes. These three drain grooves are formed so that those provided on the rear side are deeper. In another embodiment, the dashboard upper 7 and the dashboard upper 9 may each be provided with one or more drainage grooves, and the total of the drainage grooves may be 3 or more.

  FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the dashboard appendix 9. In FIG. 3, the front of the vehicle is in the direction of arrow a. The dashboard appendix 9 has a shape extending in the vehicle width direction. The dashboard appendix 9 may be formed by bending a steel plate by press molding, or a resin material may be formed by injection molding.

  In the present embodiment, the first drainage groove 14 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from two starting points separated at the center in the vehicle width direction. The second drainage groove 15 extends in the vehicle width direction. In another embodiment, the first drainage groove 14 may be connected at the central portion similarly to the second drainage groove 15. In order to increase the rigidity of the dashboard appendix 9, a plurality of beads 35 that are continuous in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided between the first drainage groove 14 and the second drainage groove 15 at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the dashboard appendix 9 has an upwardly convex shape having a central portion in the vehicle width direction as a vertex and a downward gradient toward both end portions. That is, it has a water gradient so that water flows from the center portion to the side end portion in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the dashboard appendix 9 has a flange portion 17 that rises upward at the rear side edge portion. Three bolt through holes 18 are formed in the flange portion 17. The flange portion 17 includes a portion 19 having a short standing length from the base portion and a long portion 20 having a length H. The portion 20 having a long standing length of the flange portion 17 is provided in front of a position where the outside air intake hole 21 into the vehicle is provided.

  The dashboard upper 9 is fixed to the vicinity of the front end portion of the dashboard upper 7 by, for example, an engagement portion 22 attached by welding and bolt fastening. The engaging portion 22 includes three bolt through holes (not shown). Bolts 23 are inserted into the bolt through holes of the engaging portion 22 and the bolt through holes 18 of the dashboard apparel 9 and fixed by nuts 24. The dashboard upper 9 and the dashboard upper 7 are fixed.

  The cowl top 10 is formed by, for example, injection molding a resinous material. As shown in FIG. 5, the cowl top 10 has a shape extending in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the cowl top 10 has a clip portion 25 that can be engaged with the front side edge portion of the dashboard upper pad 9 at the front side edge portion. The clip portion 25 is provided continuously in the vehicle width direction at the front edge of the cowl top 10 so as to be engaged over the entire vehicle width direction of the front edge of the dashboard appendix 9. Further, the clip portion 25 is engaged with the dashboard appendage 9 via a sealing material 26 made of rubber, for example. As a result, a liquid-tight seal is formed at the joint between the cowl top 10 and the dashboard appendix 9.

  The cowl top 10 has a protrusion 27 that protrudes forward and upward from the back surface of the engaging portion of the clip portion 25. The protrusion 27 extends in the vehicle width direction, engages with a weather strip 28 attached to the engine hood 3, and forms a liquid-tight seal with the engine hood.

  The cowl top 10 extends upward from the upper end portion of the clip portion 25, and when reaching the same height as the vehicle body outer surface side of the engine hood 3, it extends upward and forms a surface 29. The surface 29 is substantially flush with the vehicle body outer surface side of the engine hood 3. Thereafter, the cowl top 10 extends from the rear edge of the surface 29 downward to the rear side to form the surface 30. A vent hole 31 for taking outside air into the cowl box is provided continuously on the surface 30 in the center in the vehicle width direction. The cowl top 10 extends from the rear side edge of the surface 30 upward and rearward substantially in parallel with the windshield glass 2 to form a surface 32. The rear edge of the surface 32, that is, the rear edge 33 of the cowl top 10 is in contact with the windshield glass 2. The rear edge 33 of the cowl top 10 is in close contact with the windshield glass 2 to form a seal. Further, a hole 34 is formed in the surface 32 in order to attach the base of the wiper device 5 to the windshield glass 2.

  With the configuration described above, the water that has entered the cowl box after passing through the vent hole 31 falls directly on the dashboard appendix 9 or the surface of the cowl top 10 on the inner side of the vehicle. After flowing along, it falls onto the dashboard apparel 9 from the joint between the surface 30 and the surface 32. Since the dashboard appendix 9 is tilted rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, water flows backward. At this time, the bead 35 provided on the dashboard appendix 9 functions as a drainage groove that regulates the flow path of the water to flow backward. The water that has flowed backward on the dashboard upper lid 9 is collected by the second drainage groove 15.

  Further, since the dashboard appendix 9 is inclined so as to descend from the center portion to both side edges in the vehicle width direction, as shown in FIG. It flows in the direction shown. And it discharges | emits from the both-sides edge part of the back side of the dashboard apparel 9 to the outer side of the dashboard apparel 9. FIG.

  When the amount of water entering the cowl box is large and the water does not catch up and the water passes over the second drainage groove 15, the water is prevented from flowing backward by the flange portion 17. In particular, since the flange portion 17 has a higher standing height of the flange in front of the position where the outside air intake hole 21 is provided, it is possible to prevent water from entering the outside air intake hole 21 due to scattering or the like. it can. Further, even if the water moves to the rear side beyond the flange portion 17, the water is prevented from flowing into the outside air intake hole 21 because it is collected in the third drainage groove 16. it can. Since the third drainage groove 16 is formed deeper than the second drainage groove 15, even when water overflows from the second drainage groove 15, it is possible to reliably prevent water from flowing backward. Can do.

  If the amount of water entering the cowl box is large and the drainage does not catch up and the water flows forward, or if the water flows forward due to inertial force due to the stoppage of the vehicle, the water will be drained first. It is collected by the groove 14 and prevented from flowing forward. At this time, the water flows in the direction of the dashed arrow shown in FIG. Even if water passes forward through the first drainage groove 14, the front edge of the dashboard upper pad 9 is liquid-tightly sealed by the clip portion 25 of the cowl top 10. It is possible to prevent water from leaking from the front edge of the lid. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the engine located below the dashboard appad from getting wet with water. The first drainage groove 14 is installed such that the position of water entering the cowl box 4 is between the first drainage groove 14 and the second drainage groove 15, and the dashboard applique is tilted backward. For this reason, since the capacity of the groove may be smaller than that of the second drainage groove 15, the groove is set shallower than the second drainage groove 15.

  Further, in the cowl box structure according to the present embodiment, a wide space is formed between the cowl top 10 and the dashboard upper pad 9, and the cowl top 10 is made of a resin material. When being input to the cowl box, the cowl top 10 can bend and absorb the shock, so that the reaction force applied by the cowl box to the load can be reduced. Further, since the dashboard appendix 9 has a generally flat plate shape, when the load from the outside of the vehicle is input to the cowl box, the front edge portion of the dashboard appendix 9 is bent downward to absorb the impact. Thus, the reaction force applied by the cowl box to the load can be reduced. This reduces the damage given to the collision partner at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, and contributes to an improvement in pedestrian protection performance as a vehicle body.

  Further, since the dashboard upper 9 is bolted to the dashboard upper 7, it can be removed. For this reason, the space around the engine can be ensured by removing the dashboard applique during engine maintenance or the like.

  Although the description of the specific embodiment is finished as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified. For example, the specific shapes of the above-described dashboard upper, cowl top, and dashboard upper are exemplary, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing an automobile to which a cowl box according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is sectional drawing seen along the arrow II-II line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the dashboard appendix which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen along the arrow IV-IV line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the cowl top which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Windshield glass 3 Engine hood 4 Cowl box 6 Dashboard lower 7 Dashboard upper 8 Windshield glass support 9 Dashboard upper 10 Cowl top 14 First drainage groove 15 Second drainage groove 16 Third drainage groove 17 Flange 21 Vent 25 Clip part

Claims (5)

A cowl box structure provided to extend in the vehicle width direction between the lower end edge on the front side of the windshield glass and the upper end edge on the rear side of the engine hood,
A dashboard upper that extends in the vehicle width direction and protrudes into the engine compartment;
It has a flat plate shape and is fixed to the front edge portion of the dashboard upper at the rear edge portion, and extends in the vehicle width direction from the fixed portion with the dashboard upper portion, and extends forward of the vehicle. A dashboard applid provided to be able to flex downward;
The front edge portion is joined to the front edge portion of the dashboard applique, and the rear edge abuts the lower end portion of the windshield glass, and has a cowl top positioned above the dashboard appadid. And
The dashboard upper lid, inclined backward in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and inclined so as to fall to each side from the central portion in the vehicle width direction, on the upper surface, the first drainage groove extending in the vehicle width direction, wherein A second drainage groove disposed on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the first drainage groove, extending in the vehicle width direction and deeper than the first drainage groove, and the first drainage groove and the second drainage groove. A plurality of beads provided at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction between the first drainage groove and the second drainage groove so as to be continuous in the vehicle longitudinal direction;
The cowl box structure of an automobile, wherein the plurality of beads form a drainage groove that regulates a flow path of water backward . The dashboard applique has a flange portion that rises upward in the vehicle width direction at a rear end portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the dashboard applique, and is provided at the front end portion of the dashboard upper portion in the flange. 2. The cowl box structure for an automobile according to claim 1 , wherein the cowl box structure is fastened to the engaged portion. Said flange portion, said at the front portion of the outside air intake hole to car space provided in the dashboard upper, claim 2, characterized in that a large upright length from the dashboard upper lid than other portions The car cowl box structure described in 1. The dashboard upper is provided to tilt rearward at the same angle as the dashboard upper in the vehicle front-rear direction, and has a water gradient so that water flows backward, and the upper side of the dashboard upper 4. The cowl box structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein at least one drainage groove extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the surface. Front edge of the cowl top has a liquid-tight sealing member, according to claim 1 to 4, characterized in that via the liquid-tight sealing member bonded to the liquid-tight and the front edge of the dashboard upper lid A car cowl box structure according to any one of the above.

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