JP5472225B2 - Car cowl grill structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl grille structure for an automobile excellent in pedestrian protection performance.

  The cowl grille structure of an automobile will be described. A dash panel that divides the engine room and the vehicle compartment is provided over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction, and the upper part of the dash panel, the cowl upper panel, and the cowl are arranged on the front side of the upper part of the dash panel. A cowl comprising a lower panel is provided over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction, and a cowl front panel extending forward is provided at the front end of the cowl lower panel. A cowl grill is provided on the upper side of the cowl front panel. The cowl grill is provided over the lower side between the front windshield and the bonnet, and the rear edge of the cowl grill is pressed against the front edge of the front windshield. The front edge of the cowl grille is fixedly supported by the front edge of the cowl front panel, and a seal rubber is provided above the front edge of the cowl grille, and this seal rubber is pressed against the lower surface of the bonnet. Intrusion of rainwater, etc. is prevented. In addition, rainwater that flows onto the cowl grill by flowing down the windshield, etc. is introduced into the cowl from the cowl grille and discharged to the outside through drain holes provided on both sides of the cowl. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  By the way, air conditioning air is introduced into the cowl from the grille of the cowl grille, but in order to prevent the suction of water into the air conditioner as much as possible, a drainage basin is placed on the vertical wall of the cowl panel below the cowl grille. A structure that is fixedly provided so that water that has entered the cowl from the grill portion or the like is efficiently discharged through a drainage basin has been proposed and put to practical use (for example, see Patent Document 2). .

  On the other hand, in order to enhance the protection performance against pedestrians, the cowl grille extending in the vehicle width direction includes an upper part of the cowl grille extending from the upper front edge part of the front window to the lower part of the rear edge part of the bonnet, and the front edge part of the upper cowl grille. A shock absorbing structure in which a cowl grill front portion extending downward from the front and a weak portion against a load from above is formed on the cowl grill front portion has been proposed and put into practical use (for example, Patent Document 3). reference.). In this shock absorbing structure, when a pedestrian gets on the hood at the time of a collision and the hood is deformed downward and a downward load is applied to the front of the cowl grill, the front of the cowl grill is centered on the weak part. By being broken or deformed, the deformation of the bonnet is promoted and the impact from the bonnet is alleviated, so that the pedestrian protection performance is enhanced.

JP 2009-149165 A JP 2007-326385 A JP 2004-262290 A

  By the way, in order to improve the pedestrian protection performance, it is also conceivable to form the cowl grill thin. However, if the cowl grill is configured to be thin like this, when the operator pushes the cowl grill from the engine room side with his hand and pushes it into a predetermined position above the cowl, the cowl grill is deformed and the cowl grill is deformed. There is a problem that the assembly of the grill is lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cowl grill structure of an automobile that can improve pedestrian protection performance and is excellent in assembling to a vehicle body.

The cowl grille structure for an automobile according to the present invention is provided from the front edge of the front window to the lower part of the rear edge of the bonnet, and a cowl grill provided over the entire width in the vehicle width direction, and a lower part of the rear part of the cowl grill. A cowl grille structure for an automobile having a drainage tub fixed in the vehicle width direction and having a mountain-shaped cross section with a top portion extending in the vehicle width direction at a position directly below the rear edge of the bonnet of the cowl grille. A raised portion is provided, a reinforcing arm that extends forward along the lower surface of the raised portion of the cowl grill is provided on the drainage basin , and a connecting tool that connects the front portion of the reinforcing arm to the slope on the front side of the raised portion of the cowl grill is provided. A weak portion that weakens the connection strength between the reinforcement arm and the cowl grill by the connector against the downward movement of the cowl grille relative to the reinforcement arm is formed. , In a state of fixing the gutter to the cowl grille, in which the Kauguriru the gutter was no possible assembled to the vehicle body.

  In this cowl grille structure, the drainage gutter is fixed to the lower side of the rear part of the cowl grille, and the strength rigidity of the rear part of the cowl grille is increased, so that the assembly strength of the cowl grille with respect to the vehicle body is sufficiently secured and the cowl grille By reducing the wall thickness as much as possible, the deformation of the front part of the cowl grille can be promoted, and when the pedestrian gets on the bonnet at the time of a collision and the bonnet deforms downward, the deformation of the front part of the cowl grille is promoted. The impact on the pedestrian can be reduced and the pedestrian protection performance can be improved. In addition, since the reinforcing arm extending forward from the drainage basin is provided and the front portion of the reinforcing arm is fixed to the cowl grill, the strength rigidity of the front portion of the cowl grill at the position where the reinforcing arm is provided, particularly in the front-rear direction. Since the strength and rigidity can be increased, the cowl grill is made as thin as possible to ensure sufficient pedestrian protection, while the operator holds the cowl grille by hand and pushes it backwards so that the cowl grille When assembling, the cowl grill can be prevented from being bent or deformed, and the assembly of the cowl grill to the vehicle body can be improved. In addition, since the weak part is formed so that the connection strength between the reinforcing arm and the cowl grill by the connecting tool is weakened, the front part of the cowl grill with respect to the reinforcing arm is also interposed through the weak part even at the position where the reinforcing arm is provided. The downward relative movement can be promoted, and the downward deformation of the front portion of the cowl grill at the time of a collision with the pedestrian can be promoted to improve the pedestrian protection performance.

  Here, it is a preferred embodiment that a plurality of the reinforcing arms are provided on the drainage basin at intervals in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, by forming a reinforcing arm corresponding to the cowl grille holding position by the operator, the cowl grille can be prevented from being deformed when the cowl grille is assembled, and the cowl grille can be assembled to the vehicle body. It can be improved.

  The cowl grill is provided with a ridge having a mountain-shaped cross section whose top portion extends in the vehicle width direction, and the reinforcing arm is connected to a slope on the front side of the ridge, and a mounting hole for a connector in the reinforcing arm is used as the weak portion. It is also a preferred embodiment to form at least one of a slit extending forward from the slit and a slit extending rearward from the attachment hole of the connector on the front slope. At the time of a collision with a pedestrian, the bonnet moves downward, the ridge is pushed downward on the lower surface of the bonnet, and the ridge of the mountain-shaped cross section is deformed in a flat cross-sectional shape, and the front part of the cowl grille Moves forward relative to the reinforcing arm. In the present invention, the weak part consisting of the reinforcing arm and the slit formed on the front slope makes it easy for the coupling tool to move along the weak part consisting of the slit, thus facilitating relative movement between the front part of the cowl grille and the reinforcing arm. Thus, by providing the reinforcing arm, it is possible to prevent the downward deformation of the front portion of the cowl grille.

  The cowl grill can be divided into a plurality of cowl grill divided bodies that can be connected in the middle of the vehicle width direction, and the drainage can be provided on the lower side of the cowl grill divided body. In this way, by forming the cowl grill separately, it is possible to improve the moldability of the cowl grill and improve the transportability and storage of the cowl grill.

  According to the cowl grille structure of the automobile according to the present invention, the drainage gutter is fixed to the lower side of the rear part of the cowl grille, and the strength rigidity of the rear part of the cowl grille is increased. The cowl grill can be thinned as much as possible to promote deformation of the front part of the cowl grill while securing the front, and when the pedestrian gets on the bonnet and the bonnet is deformed downward in the event of a collision, the front part of the cowl grill By promoting the deformation of the pedestrian, the impact on the pedestrian can be reduced and the pedestrian protection performance can be improved. In addition, since the reinforcing arm extending forward from the drainage basin is provided and the front portion of the reinforcing arm is fixed to the cowl grill, the strength rigidity of the front portion of the cowl grill at the position where the reinforcing arm is provided, particularly in the front-rear direction. Since the strength and rigidity can be increased, the cowl grill is made as thin as possible to ensure sufficient pedestrian protection, while the operator holds the cowl grille by hand and pushes it backwards so that the cowl grille When assembling, the cowl grill can be prevented from being bent or deformed, and the assembly of the cowl grill to the vehicle body can be improved. In addition, since the weak part is formed so that the connection strength between the reinforcing arm and the cowl grill by the connecting tool is weakened, the front part of the cowl grill with respect to the reinforcing arm is also interposed through the weak part even at the position where the reinforcing arm is provided. The downward relative movement can be promoted, and the downward deformation of the front portion of the cowl grill at the time of a collision with the pedestrian can be promoted to improve the pedestrian protection performance.

Longitudinal section of the cowl grill and the surrounding vehicle body Top view of cowl grill Bottom view of cowl grill Bottom view of cowl grille with drainage basin removed Perspective view of connecting part of drainage Disassembled perspective view of the drainage connection Operational illustration of cowl grill at the time of collision

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, description will be made by defining front / rear / left / right with reference to front / rear / left / right of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body structure in the vicinity of the cowl grill 20 will be described. A dash panel 13 that partitions the engine room 12 and the vehicle compartment 11 is provided on the front side of the vehicle compartment 11 over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction. On the front side of the upper portion of the dash panel 13, a cowl 16 having a closed cross-sectional shape including the upper portion of the dash panel 13, the cowl upper panel 14, and the cowl lower panel 15 is provided over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction. The edge is fixedly installed on the cowl upper panel 14. A cowl front panel 18 extending forward is provided at the front end of the cowl lower panel 15. Above the cowl front panel 18 (cross member), the front edge of the front windshield 17 is below the rear edge of the bonnet 19. A cowl grille 20 extending over is disposed, and a drainage basin 40 is detachably attached to the lower side of the cowl grille 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the cowl grill 20 includes a cowl grill upper portion 21 extending in the vehicle width direction from the upper side of the front edge portion of the front windshield 17 to the lower side of the rear edge portion of the bonnet 19, and the cowl grill upper portion 21. And a front cowl grille front portion 22 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens toward the front. The cowl grill 20 is divided into two cowl grill divided bodies 20L and 20R that can be connected at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction. Both cowl grill divided bodies 20L and 20R are integrally molded products made of synthetic resin. It is configured. However, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the cowl grille 20 that is divided into two parts. However, the present invention can be applied to a cowl grille that is not divided and divided into three or more parts. The present invention can also be applied to a cowl grill constructed.

  A raised portion 23 having a mountain-shaped cross section extending in the vehicle width direction is formed at the front-rear central portion of the cowl grill upper portion 21, and the raised portion 23 is inverted between a front inclined wall 23 a that is lowered forward and a rear inclined wall 23 b that is lowered rearward. It is formed in a V shape, and the top of the raised portion 23 is disposed slightly in front of the rear edge of the bonnet 19. A guide inclined portion 24 disposed along the upper side of the front windshield 17 is formed in the rear portion of the cowl grill upper portion 21, and a rear groove extending in the vehicle width direction by the rear inclined wall 23 b of the raised portion 23 and the guide inclined portion 24. Rainwater or the like flowing down along the front windshield 17 flows into the rear groove 25 and is prevented from moving toward the engine room 12 by the raised portion 23, and is formed at the bottom of the rear groove 25. It is introduced into the drainage basin 40 through the provided drainage hole 26, introduced into the cowl 16 from an appropriate position of the drainage basin 40, and discharged from both ends of the cowl 16 to the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front and rear inclined walls 23 a and 23 b are formed with a plurality of grill portions 27 formed with a plurality of through holes, through which the cowl 16 is provided for the air conditioner. Outside air is introduced. A part of the rainwater is introduced into the cowl 16 through the grill portion 27 and discharged from both ends of the cowl 16 to the outside. However, most of the rainwater passes through the drainage basin 40 as described above and enters the cowl 16. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent rainwater and the like from entering the air conditioner.

  The cowl grill front portion 22 includes a slanted front wall portion 28 that is connected to the front edge portion of the cowl grill upper portion 21, and an upper support portion 29 that extends substantially horizontally forward from the upper end portion of the front wall portion 28. From the lower support portion 30 extending substantially horizontally forward from the lower end portion of the front wall portion 28, it is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross-section that opens forward, and is provided over the entire width in the vehicle width direction. The front groove portion 31 is formed in the vehicle width direction by the upper portion of the front wall portion 28 and the front inclined wall 23a of the raised portion 23, and the rainwater and the like flowing over the raised portion 23 and flowing into the front groove portion 31 It is introduced into the cowl 16 from both ends of 31.

  A seal member 33 is attached to the upper surface of the upper support portion 29, and a bonnet reinforcement 34 attached to the back side of the bonnet 19 is pressed against the seal member 33 in a state where the bonnet 19 is closed. It is configured so that rainwater and the like can be prevented from entering the inside. The lower support portion 30 is fixed on the cowl front panel 18, and when the cowl grill 20 is assembled, the operator pushes the cowl grill 20 from the engine room 12 side to the cowl 16 side while supporting the cowl grill 20 by hand. The rear edge portion 21 is placed on the front edge portion of the front windshield 17, and the lower support portion 30 is placed on the cowl front panel 18 so that the cowl grill 20 is assembled to the vehicle body.

Left and right drainage basins 40L, 40R extending in the vehicle width direction are provided below the rear portions of the left and right cowl grille divided bodies 20L, 20R, and the left drainage basin 40L is a main body portion having a U-shaped cross section extending in the left-right direction. and 41L, and two reinforcing arms 42L extending forward along the cowl grille top 21 of the cowl grille divided bodies 20L formed at a mutually distance in the main body portion 41L, a synthetic resin integrally molded product The right drainage basin 40R is forwardly moved along a cowl grill upper part 21 of a cowl grill divided body 20R formed with a U-shaped main body part 41R extending in the left-right direction and a space between the main body part 41R. It has three reinforcing arms 42R that extend, and is composed of an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin.

Left and right cowl grille divided body 20L, gutter 40L of the right and left with respect to 20R, will be described structure for mounting 40R, 3 single mount which projects cowl grille upper 21 side to the main body portion 41 R of the right side of the gutter 40 R 43 are formed at intervals, and an attachment hole 44 to the cowl grill upper part 21 is provided on the upper surface of each attachment base 43. With mounting holes 45 are formed to the reinforcing arm 42 to R cowl grille top 21, the weak portion 46 consisting of a slit extending forwardly from the mounting hole 45 is formed. Four attachment portions 47 along the cowl grille top 21 in the main body portion 41 L of the left side of the gutter 40 L are formed at intervals from each other, mounting holes on the cowl grille top 21 in each mounting portion 47 44 is provided. With mounting holes 45 are formed in the cowl grille top 21 in each of the reinforcing arm 42 L, the weak portion 46 consisting of a slit extending forwardly from the mounting hole 45 is formed.

  On the bottom surface side of the cowl grill upper portion 21, a mounting portion 50 including a cylindrical tube portion 50 a and four fins 50 b having the same height as the tube portion 50 a is formed so as to correspond to the mounting holes 44 and 45. The connecting tool 53 for fixing the drainage basin 40 is constituted by a stepped screw having a shaft part 53 a having a length substantially the same as the plate thickness of the drainage basin 40, and the mounting holes 44 and 45 are formed from the shaft part 53 a of the connection tool 53. Is formed by a fool hole having a larger diameter and smaller diameter than the head 53b of the connector 53, and the connection tool 53 is inserted into the mounting holes 44 and 45 so that the connector 53 is fastened to the cylindrical portion 50a. The peripheral edge portions of the attachment holes 44 and 45 are held between the head portion 53b of the tool 53 and the fins 50b so that the drainage basin 40 is attached to the cowl grill 20. The drainage basin 40 is positioned with respect to the cowl grill 20 by fitting a positioning pin 55 formed in the cowl grille 20 into a positioning hole 54 formed in the drainage basin 40, and the mounting holes 44 and 45 are used as fool holes. Thus, the variation in the molding accuracy of the cowl grill 20 and the drainage basin 40 can be absorbed.

  The main body portions 41L and 41R are fixed to the base portion of the rear inclined wall 23b of the raised portion 23 or the front portion of the guide inclined portion 24, and the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R are fixed to the front portion side of the front inclined wall 23a of the raised portion 23. As shown in FIG. 7, when a downward load is applied to the bonnet 19 due to a collision, the raised portion 23 having a chevron-shaped cross section is deformed into a flat cross-sectional shape, and the cylindrical portion 50a has a reinforcing arm 42L, It is configured to be able to move forward relative to 42R.

  In this cowl grille structure, the drainage basin 40 is fixed to the lower side of the rear part of the cowl grille 20 and the strength and rigidity of the rear part of the cowl grille 20 are increased, so that the assembly strength of the cowl grille 20 with respect to the vehicle body is sufficiently secured. On the other hand, the cowl grill 20 can be made as thin as possible to promote the deformation of the front part 22 of the cowl grill. When a pedestrian gets on the hood 19 and the hood 19 is deformed downward at the time of a collision, the cowl grill 20 By promoting the deformation of the front portion 22, the impact on the pedestrian can be reduced and the pedestrian protection performance can be improved. Moreover, since the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R extending forward from the drainage basin 40 are provided and the front portions of the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R are fixed to the cowl grill 20, the cowl grill at the position where the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R are provided. Since the strength rigidity of the front portion 22, particularly the strength of the rearward direction, can be increased, the cowl grill 20 is configured to be as thin as possible so that the worker can mount the cowl grill 20 to the vehicle body while ensuring sufficient pedestrian protection performance. Therefore, when the cowl grill 20 is held by hand and pushed backward, the cowl grill 20 can be prevented from being bent or deformed, and the cowl grill 20 can be easily assembled to the vehicle body.

Further, when the cowl grill front portion 22 is deformed downward at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, the reinforcing arms 42L, 42L, 42R, 42R, 42R Since the weak part 46 is formed in 42R, the downward deformation | transformation of the cowl grill front part 22 can be accelerated | stimulated, and pedestrian protection performance can be improved. Specifically, by providing the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R to the drainage basin 40 as described above, the strength and rigidity of the cowl grill front portion 22 can be increased. 7 is fixed to the base of the rear inclined wall 23b, and the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R of the drainage basin 40 are fixed to the front side of the front inclined wall 23a of the raised portion 23 of the cowl grill upper portion 21, as shown in FIG. Thus, a downward load acts on the bonnet 19, and the upper support portion 29 of the cowl grill front portion 22 is pushed downward, and as shown by an arrow A, the front wall of the cowl grill front portion 22. When the front portion of the cowl grill upper portion 21 is pulled to the front side as indicated by the arrow B when the portion 28 falls to the front side, the raised portion 23 having the mountain-shaped cross section tends to be deformed into a flat cross-sectional shape. 50 is the reinforcement arm 2L, move to forward relative 42R. Thus, the mounting portion 50 is provided with the reinforcing arm 4.
By moving relatively forward with respect to 2L and 42R, the connector 53 moves forward relative to the reinforcing arms 42L and 42R along the weak portion 46 formed of a slit, and the connector 53 is reinforced with the reinforcing arm 42L. , 42R can be removed relatively easily, and the downward deformation of the cowl grill front portion 22 is promoted, so that it is possible to prevent a decrease in pedestrian protection performance due to the provision of the reinforcing arms 42L, 42R.

  In the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 50a and the fin 50b are formed on the cowl grille 20 side, and the attachment hole 45 and the weak part 46 including the slit are formed on the drainage basin 40 side. However, the attachment hole is formed on the cowl grille 20 side. It is also possible to form a weak part composed of a slit and to form a spacer part and a fin on the drainage basin 40 side. However, in this case, when a downward load is applied to the upper part of the cowl grille, the slit is formed rearward from the mounting hole so that the upper part of the cowl grille can move forward relative to the drainage basin. Will do.

  Although the slit is formed as the weak portion 46, the reinforcing arm 42L, so that the cowl grill upper portion can move relatively forward with respect to the drainage basin 40 when a downward load is applied to the cowl grill upper portion. Any configuration can be adopted as long as the connection between 42R and the upper portion of the cowl grille can be released. For example, a weak portion including a perforation or a thin portion can be formed at the slit forming position.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the configuration can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

11 Car compartment 12 Engine room 13 Dash panel 14 Cowl upper panel 15 Cowl lower panel 16 Cowl 17 Front windshield 18 Cowl front panel 19 Bonnet 20 Cowl grill 20L Cowl grill divided body 20R Cowl grill divided body 21 Cowl grill upper part 22 Cowl grill front part 23 Bumped portion 23a Front inclined wall 23b Rear inclined wall 24 Guide inclined portion 25 Rear groove portion 26 Drain hole 27 Grill portion 28 Front wall portion 29 Upper support portion 30 Lower support portion 31 Front groove portion 33 Seal member 34 Bonnet reinforcement 40 Drainage basin 40L Drainage basin 40R Drainage basin 41L Main body 41R Main body 42L Reinforcement arm 42R Reinforcement arm 43 Mounting base 44 Attachment hole 45 Attachment hole 46 Weak part 47 Attachment part 50 Attachment part 50a Tube part 50b Fin 3 connector 53a shaft portion 53b head 54 positioning hole 55 positioning pin

Claims (4)

A cowl grill provided over the entire width in the vehicle width direction from the front edge portion of the front winder to the lower portion of the rear edge of the bonnet, and drainage extending in the vehicle width direction fixed to the lower side of the rear portion of the cowl grille. A cowl grill structure of an automobile having a ridge,
In the cowl grill, at the position directly below the rear edge of the bonnet, a ridge with a mountain-shaped cross section whose top extends in the vehicle width direction,
The drainage basin is provided with a reinforcing arm extending forward along the lower surface of the raised portion of the cowl grille,
A connecting tool for connecting the front portion of the reinforcing arm to the slope on the front side of the raised portion of the cowl grill;
Forming a weakened portion that weakens the coupling strength between the reinforcing arm and the cowl grill by the coupling tool relative to the downward movement of the cowl grille relative to the reinforcing arm ;
With the drainage basin fixed to the cowl grille, the cowl grill and the drainage basin can be assembled to the vehicle body.
A cowl grille structure for an automobile.   2. The cowl grille structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the reinforcing arms are provided on the drainage basin at intervals in the vehicle width direction.   The cowl grill is provided with a ridge having a mountain-shaped cross section whose top portion extends in the vehicle width direction, and the reinforcing arm is connected to a slope on the front side of the ridge, and a mounting hole for a connector in the reinforcing arm is used as the weak portion. The automobile cowl grille structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of a slit extending forward from a slit and a slit extending rearward from an attachment hole of a connector on the front slope is formed. The said cowl grill is divided | segmented into the several cowl grill division body which can be connected in the middle part of a vehicle width direction, The said drainage tub was provided in the lower side of the cowl grill division body, respectively. The automobile cowl grill structure described.

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