JPH03253480A - Structure of front portion of car body and method for assembling car body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance workability in assembly of a car body by forming on the front face of a car body side member a portion recessed to the rear of a car body, in a position corresponding to the brake pedal bracket and the brake pedal of a cowl unit. CONSTITUTION:A brake pedal bracket 13 extending to the rear of a cowl unit U1 and a brake pedal 14 are both made to correspond to the recessed portion 31 of a car body side cowl member 5 and the cowl unit U1 is inserted into the front side of the cowl member 5 from above. The bottom wall portion of a unit side cowl member 11 is placed on the horizontal portion of a dash panel 4 and also the rear wall portion of the cowl member 11 is laid and disposed on the longitudinal wall portion of the car body side cowl member 5. In this case, even when the cowl unit U1 is lowered straight down, the brake pedal bracket 13 and the brake pedal 14 of the cowl unit U1 are passed through the recessed portion 31 of the car body side cowl member 5 and will not interfere with the cowl member 5 and so can easily be set in a predetermined position of the cowl unit U1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automobile body front structure and a vehicle body assembly method that unitize the vicinity of a dash panel that partitions an engine room and a vehicle interior.

(Prior Art) In recent years, in automobile manufacturing, attempts have been made to unitize each part of an automobile in order to facilitate assembly work on an assembly line and reduce the number of work stations.

For example, as described in European Patent Publication No. 81656, an instrument panel, an air conditioner, a steering device, a part of a dash panel, a brake pedal, a brake booster, etc. are integrated into a unit. It has been proposed that the device be inserted into the vehicle interior through a door opening on the side of the vehicle body and assembled to the dash panel from inside the vehicle interior.

Furthermore, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-206267, the cowl panel and dash panel are integrated into a unit, and the unit is inserted into the vehicle body from above through the front window opening at the front of the vehicle body. An assembly method has also been proposed.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the former case, the cowl panel remains on the vehicle body side, so the wiper device etc. attached to the cowl panel cannot be assembled into a unit. Workability is not improved sufficiently.

In addition, the steering shaft of the steering device and the brake booster are located on the engine room side through the opening in the dash panel, but since the position of the steering shaft of the steering device is originally fixed, the steering shaft The position of the brake booster located above the steering shaft is also necessarily determined at a position where it does not interfere with the steering shaft. If the position of the brake booster determined in this way overlaps the cowl panel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the brake booster will not interfere with the cowl panel when it is inserted through the opening in the dash panel. As such, it is necessary to move the unit body up and down, which may complicate the assembly work. Furthermore, in order to avoid such a case, there is a risk that restrictions will be placed on the relationship between the cowl position and the brake booster position in terms of vehicle body design.

On the other hand, in the latter case, the unit is inserted and assembled from the top of the vehicle body through the front window opening, so the sides of the instrument panel form the left and right edges of the front window opening. Due to the constraints imposed by the front pillar, the shape is cut off compared to the normal case, and the structure of the connection between the side part and the main body of the vehicle becomes complicated. In addition, a cowl member is included on the unit side to ensure rigidity in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, so even if the unit is attached to the vehicle body, it will not work as before.
Because the cowl member is not welded to the vehicle body, in the event of a frontal collision, the force supporting the collision force is weaker than in conventional non-unitized structures, and the entire unit moves into the rear passenger compartment. There is also a possibility that.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously proposed a device that can improve assembly workability without impairing the side shape or collision resistance of the instrument panel (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-3331).
No. 38). This proposal basically leaves the vehicle body side member (part of the conventional cowl box structure) with a closed cross-section structure extending in the vehicle width direction that connects the left and right front pillars of the vehicle body on the vehicle body side. A cowl unit, in which at least a brake booster, a brake pedal bracket, and a brake pedal are assembled to a cowl member, is inserted and arranged on the front side of this vehicle body side member from above, and an instrument panel, a steering device, and an air conditioning unit are also installed. The instrument panel unit having the above-mentioned instrument panel unit is inserted into the vehicle interior through a door opening of the vehicle body, and is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body side member having the closed cross-section structure.

However, in this proposal, when inserting the cowl unit into the front side of the vehicle body side member from above, the cowl unit is lowered straight to avoid interference between the brake pedal and brake pedal bracket of the cowl unit and the vehicle body side member. I can't.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to enable the cowl unit to be placed straight down from above on the front side while avoiding interference with vehicle body side members. The object of the present invention is to provide a front structure of an automobile body and a method of assembling the body, which can simplify the assembly work.

(Means for solving the problem) In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim (1)
As the front body structure of an automobile, a vehicle body side member having a closed cross-section structure extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed between the left and right front pillars of the vehicle body, and a cowl extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the front side of the vehicle body side member. It is assumed that a cowl unit in which at least a brake booster, a brake pedal bracket, and a brake pedal are assembled is disposed on the member. Further, a concave portion recessed toward the rear of the vehicle body compared to other portions is formed at a portion of the front surface of the vehicle body side member corresponding to the brake pedal bracket and the brake pedal of the cowl unit.

In addition to the structure of the invention described in claim (1), the invention as claimed in claim (2) provides a support surface that supports the lower edge of the front window at a portion of the vehicle body side member where the recess is formed in the cowl unit. The structure is such that it is formed on the vehicle body side member at other locations.

The invention as set forth in claim (3) provides a method for assembling an automobile body, including the steps of assembling at least a brake booster, a brake pedal bracket, and a brake pedal to a cowl member to form a cowl unit, and a brake pedal of the cowl unit. With the bracket and brake pedal aligned with the recess formed in the front of the vehicle body side member with a closed cross-section structure extending in the vehicle width direction between the left and right front pillars of the vehicle body, place the cowl unit on the front side of the vehicle body side member. The structure has a step of inserting and arranging it from above.

(Function) With the above configuration, in the invention described in claim (1), the portions of the front surface of the vehicle body side member corresponding to the brake pedal bracket and the brake pedal of the cowl unit are recessed toward the rear of the vehicle body compared to other portions. Since a recessed portion is formed, when inserting the cowl unit into the front side of the vehicle body side member from above, insert the cowl unit with the brake pedal bracket and brake pedal of the cowl unit aligned with the recessed portion of the vehicle body side member. By doing so, the cowl unit can be easily lowered and inserted directly to the JK without causing interference with the members.

In addition, in the invention described in claim (2), a support surface that supports the lower edge of the front window is formed on the cowl unit side at the location where the recessed portion of the vehicle body side member is formed, so that the support surface that supports the lower edge of the front window is formed on the front side of the vehicle body side member. Regardless of the fact that the recess is formed in the portion that supports the lower edge of the front window, the entire lower edge of the front window is supported by the vehicle body.

Furthermore, in the invention set forth in claim (3), the cowl unit is inserted into the front side of the vehicle body side member from above with the brake pedal bracket and brake pedal of the cowl unit aligned with the recessed portion of the vehicle body side member. By providing this, the cowl unit can be easily assembled while avoiding member interference.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1 to 5 show a front structure of an automobile body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body, and a vehicle body side cowl member 5 extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed on the upper part of a dash panel 4 that partitions an engine room 2 and a vehicle interior 3.

Both ends of the vehicle body side cowl member 5 are fixed to the left and right front pillars 6.6 of the vehicle body 1 to connect them. Note that a portion of the dash panel 4 is cut out to form an opening 4a. 7, 7 are left and right front fenders.

A cowl unit U1 is provided on the front side of the vehicle body side cowl member 5.
are arranged by being inserted from above, and an instrument panel unit U2 is arranged by being inserted into the vehicle compartment 3 from the door opening 1a of the vehicle body 1 on the rear side, and these units U, , U
, are all fixed to the vehicle body 1 with bolts and/or adhesive.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vehicle body side cowl member 5 has a closed cross-sectional structure in which an upper panel 8 and a lower panel 9 are joined. The upper panel 8 is formed integrally with the dash panel 4 or is constructed from a separate member, and includes a vertical wall portion 8a extending downward on the road, and an earthen wall portion 8b extending rearward from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 8a. and has. On the other hand, the lower panel 9 has a vertical wall portion 8a of the upper panel 8.
a lower flange portion 9a joined to the lower edge of the flange portion 9a; a bottom wall portion 9b extending rearward and upward from the flange portion 9a;
A vertical wall portion 9c extends upward from the rear edge of the bottom wall portion 9b, and an upper flange portion 9d extends rearward from the upper edge of the vertical wall portion 9c and is joined to the rear edge of the earthen wall portion 8b of the upper panel 8. have

The cowl unit U1 includes a unit-side cowl member 11 extending in the vehicle width direction, a wiper unit (not shown) installed on the right side of the vehicle body of the cowl member 11, a brake pedal bracket 13, a brake pedal 14, and a brake. It has a dash member 16 to which a booster 15 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cowl member 11 includes a front wall portion 11a that extends vertically at approximately the same position as the dash panel 4, and a front wall portion 11a that extends rearward from the lower edge of the front wall portion 11a that extends rearward from the lower edge of the dash panel 4. 4, and a rear wall portion 11c that extends upward from the rear edge of the bottom wall portion 11b and overlaps with the front side of the vertical wall portion 8a of the upper panel 8.
and has. Therefore, in the installed state, the unit side cowl member 11 is located on the front side of the vehicle body side cowl member 5,
Both cowl members 11 and 5 constitute a cowl box having a conventional structure.

Further, the dash member 16 has an upper end that is connected to the lower edge of the front wall portion 11a of the unit side cowl member 11 or the bottom wall portion 1 of the unit side cowl member 11.
1b is fixed at a position corresponding to the opening 4a of the dash panel 4 on the front edge of the cowl unit U1, and when the cowl unit U1 is attached to the vehicle body 1, the opening 4a of the dash panel 4 is closed and the part of the dash panel 4 is fixed. constitutes the department,
It is bonded to the peripheral edge of the opening 4a via a urethane adhesive 17. The dash member 16
A brake booster bag FT15 is attached facing the engine room 2, and a brake pedal 14 is supported on the vehicle interior 3 side via a brake pedal bracket 13.

The front wall portion 13a of the brake pedal bracket 13 is
Stud bolts 19 are opposed to the dash member 16 with a predetermined distance therebetween by spacer members 18 and 18 made of circular pipes, and project from the brake booster bag W15 through each of the spacer members 18 to the passenger compartment side. It is fixed by screwing and tightening a nut 20. Further, the upper wall portion 13b of the brake pedal bracket 13 is abutted against a bracket 21 fixed to the bottom wall portion 11b of the cowl member 11, and is fixed by fastening bolts 22 and nuts 23. The upper end of a brake pedal 14 is rotatably supported on the brake pedal bracket 13 via a support shaft 24, and an operating rod 15a of a brake booster 15 is connected to the brake pedal 14. A brake booster 15 is activated by depressing (rotating) the pedal 14.

On the front side of the vehicle body side cowl member 5, the above-mentioned cowl unit U is provided.
Brake pedal bracket 13 extending to the rear of the vehicle body 1
A fourth portion 31 is formed at a portion corresponding to the brake pedal 14 and is recessed toward the rear of the vehicle body compared to other portions. On the other hand, the unit-side cowl member 11 has a portion corresponding to the recess 31 of the cowl member 5, that is, the brake pedal 14 and the brake booster bag! 15 etc. are attached via the dash member 16, the bottom wall portion 11b is formed to extend longer toward the rear of the vehicle body than in other portions, and the rear wall portion 1
The lower edge of the glass support plate 32 is fixed to the upper edge of 1c.

The glass support plate 32 is formed to bulge out to the front from the joint with the rear wall 11c, and the lower edge of the front windshield 33 is attached to the tip of the bulge using a urethane adhesive 34.
It has a support surface 32a that is firmly fixed and supported. The upper edge of the support plate 32 is superimposed above the earthen wall part 8b of the upper panel 8 of the vehicle body side cowl member 5, and the bolt 3 is connected to a nut 35 fixed to the inner surface of the earthen wall part 8b.
It is fixed by screwing and fastening 6. The lower edge of the front windshield 33 is located at a support formed between the vertical wall portion 8a and the upper wall portion 8b of the upper panel 8 of the cowl member 5, except where the recessed portion 31 of the cowl member 5 on the vehicle body side is formed. It is firmly supported on the surface 8C via a urethane adhesive 34, and the support surface 8C is continuous with the support surface 32a of the glass support plate 32. Incidentally, on the support surface 8C of the cowl member 5, the flange portion lid formed at the upper edge of the rear wall portion 11C of the unit side cowl member 11 is overlapped, and the adhesive 3 is applied to the overlapping portion of both.
4 is applied to form a seal between both cowl members 5 and 11.

On the other hand, the instrument panel unit U includes an instrument panel 41, a steering device 42, and an air conditioning unit 43 (see FIG. 1). Above instrument panel 4
An instrument panel member 44 made of a circular tube extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the front side of the instrument panel 1, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, mounting brackets 45 are provided at both ends of the instrument panel member 44.
is permanently installed. On the other hand, on the vehicle body 1 side, a closed cross-sectional structure extending in the vehicle body vertical direction is formed by joining a side frame outer 46 and a hinge pillar inner 47 to the lower side of the front pillar 6 at the door opening 1a, and the hinge pillar inner A hollow instrument panel bracket 48 that protrudes into the vehicle interior is fixed to 47 . Four nuts are fixed to the inner surface of the instrument panel bracket 48, and the mounting bracket 45 of the instrument panel member 44 is fastened and fixed to the nuts 49 of the instrument panel bracket 48 by bolts 50.

In addition, in Fig. 4, 51 is the instrument panel unit U! The instrument panel side 52, which is attached to the side of the instrument panel unit U after it is fastened and fixed to the vehicle body 1, is a side demister. Further, the steering shaft 61 of the steering device 42 is supported by the instrument panel member 44 via a bracket (not shown), and a mounting bracket 63 is provided at the lower end of the steering shaft 61, and the bracket 63 is attached to the dash. It is fixed to panel 4.

Next, a method for assembling an automobile body, in particular, each of the above units U.
l, U! and the vehicle body 1 of the front windshield 33
We will explain how to assemble it.

Units tr+ and tr2 to be assembled are prepared in advance. That is, the cowl unit U1 fixes the glass support plate 32 and assembles the wiper unit to the cowl member 11, and also attaches the brake pedal bracket 13, the brake pedal 14, and the brake booster via the dash member 16. It is constructed by assembling the device 15. Further, the instrument panel unit U2 includes an instrument panel 41 . The steering device 42 and the air conditioning unit 43 are assembled to each other.

First, with the brake pedal bracket 13 and the brake pedal 14 extending rearward of the cowl unit U1 aligned with the recess 31 of the cowl member 5 on the vehicle body side, the cowl unit Ul is placed above the front side of the cowl member 5. Insert it from the bottom wall part 1 of the unit side cowl member 11.
1b is placed on the horizontal portion 4b of the dash panel 4, and the rear wall portion 11c of the cowl member 11 is placed so as to overlap the vertical wall portion 8a of the vehicle body side cowl member 5 (upper panel 8). At this time, even if the cowl unit U1 is lowered straight down, the brake pedal bracket 13 and the brake pedal 14 of the cowl unit U1 pass through the recess 31 of the cowl member 5 on the vehicle body side and do not interfere with the cowl member 5. The cowl unit (U) can be easily assembled into a predetermined position.

Next, the cowl member 11 is assembled into a cowl unit U+.
is fastened and fixed to the vehicle body 1 with bolts (not shown). Further, the upper edge of the glass support plate 32 on the cowl member 11 side is fixed to the earthen wall portion 8b of the cowl member 5 overlapping with the upper edge by fastening bolts 36.

Next, insert the instrument panel unit U2 into the vehicle interior 3 through the door opening 1a of the vehicle body 1, place it behind the vehicle body side cowl member 5, and fasten the mounting bracket 45 on the instrument panel unit U2 side with the bolts 50 and 50. It is fastened and fixed to the instrument panel bracket 48 on the vehicle body 1 side.

Thereafter, the front windshield 33 is attached to the window opening of the vehicle body 1. In this installation, an adhesive 34 is applied to the support surface 8c of the vehicle body side cowl member 5 and the support surface 32a of the glass support plate 32, and the lower edge of the front windshield 33 is fixed via the adhesive 34. .

In this case, the lower edge of the front windshield 33 is supported by the vehicle main body 1 at all parts in its length direction, regardless of the fact that the recess 31 is formed in the vehicle body side cowl member 5, and the lower edge of the front windshield 33 is Sufficient support strength for the window glass 33 can be ensured.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes various other modifications.

For example, in the above embodiment, the cowl unit U1 disposed on the front side of the vehicle body side cowl member 5 and the vehicle body side cowl member 5
Although the vehicle body front structure of an automobile has been described as having each instrument panel unit U disposed on the rear side, the present invention also includes a cowl unit U1 disposed on the front side of the vehicle body side cowl member 5.
Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to the front structure of an automobile body having only one.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the vehicle body front structure and vehicle body assembly method of the present invention, the concave portion formed in the front surface of the vehicle body side member can avoid interference with the brake pedal, etc. on the cowl unit side. Since the cowl unit can be placed straight down from above on the front side of the vehicle body side member, it is possible to improve the assembling workability.

In particular, according to the invention set forth in claim 2, the entire lower edge of the front window can be supported on the vehicle body side, regardless of the fact that the recessed portion is formed on the front surface of the vehicle body side member. It also has the effect of ensuring sufficient support strength.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the vehicle body, cowl unit, and instrument panel unit, and FIGS.
4 is an exploded perspective view showing the installation structure of the instrument panel unit to the vehicle body, and FIG.
It is a sectional view taken along line 8-A in the figure. Ul...Cowl unit...Vehicle main body 5...Vehicle side cowl member (vehicle side member) 6...Front pillar 8c, 32a...Support surface 11...Unit side cowl member 13... Brake pedal bracket 14...Brake pedal 15...Brake booster 31...Recess trip 3 Flash penalty 2 Figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A vehicle body side member having a closed cross-section structure extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed between the left and right front pillars of the vehicle body, and a vehicle body side member having a closed cross section structure extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed on the front side of the vehicle body side member. In the vehicle body front structure of an automobile in which a cowl unit including at least a brake booster, a brake pedal bracket, and a brake pedal are assembled to a cowl member is arranged, the brake pedal bracket of the cowl unit is disposed on the front of the vehicle body side member. and a front body structure of an automobile, characterized in that a part corresponding to a brake pedal is formed with a concave part that is recessed toward the rear of the vehicle body compared to other parts. (2) The support surface for supporting the lower edge of the front window is formed on the cowl unit side at a location where the recess of the vehicle body side member is formed, and on the vehicle body side member at other locations. Automobile front body structure. (3) A step of assembling at least a brake booster, a brake pedal bracket, and a brake pedal to the cowl member to form a cowl unit, and a step of assembling the brake pedal bracket and brake pedal of the cowl unit between the left and right front pillars of the vehicle body. and inserting the cowl unit from above into the front side of the vehicle body side member in a state corresponding to a recess formed in the front surface of the vehicle body side member having a closed cross-section structure extending in the vehicle width direction. Characteristic car body assembly method.