JPH0534308Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a body structure of a cowl box portion of an automobile.

(Prior Art) In the body structure of the cowl box portion of a conventional automobile, generally, as shown in FIG.
At the front of the passenger compartment 1, a cowl box 4 formed with a generally box-shaped cross section by a cowl outer panel 2 and a cowl inner panel 3, which are approximately L-shaped, is installed horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. A flange 5a formed at the upper end edge of a dash panel 5 that partitions the passenger compartment 1 and the engine room 9 is joined to a front joining flange 4a between the cowl outer panel 2 and the cowl inner panel 3. The lower edge 6a of the windshield glass 6 is connected to the cowl outer panel 2 at the upper rear corner of the cowl box 4.
and cowl inner panel 3 and rear joint flange 4b
Also, one end 7a of the steering support bracket 7 is joined to the rear surface of the cowl box 4. 8 is the steering wheel, 1
0 is the engine.

However, with this conventional structure, when the engine 10 moves backward and collides with the dash panel 5 during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the dash panel 5 also moves backward and deforms, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. . Therefore, this deformation directly affects the windshield glass 6 and the steering support bracket 7 via the cowl box 4. Therefore, there is a risk that the windshield glass 6 may be damaged or the steering wheel 8 may move rearward (towards the passenger).

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, a reinforcing member 11 having a honeycomb structure is fixed to the back surface of the dash panel 5, that is, the surface facing the engine room 9 (see Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 185186/1986). , as shown in FIG.
44871), or, as shown in FIG. 8, a cross member 13 is provided to connect the steering support bracket 7 and the front pillar (not shown), and a stay member (not shown) is provided.
The periphery of the cowl box is reinforced to prevent deformation of the cowl box, such as one that reinforces the cross member 13 (see Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-190678), thereby preventing damage to the windshield glass 6. Some reinforcing structures have been proposed that solve the above-mentioned conventional problems.

(Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention) However, the above-mentioned structure for reinforcing the cowl box periphery requires a special reinforcing member, which increases the number of parts. There are problems in that not only the structure becomes complicated, but also the assembly work is difficult and the weight increases.

(Purpose of the present invention) Therefore, the present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional method. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body structure of a cowl box portion that can prevent damage to the windshield glass.

(Means for Achieving the Object) For this purpose, in the present invention, the vehicle body structure of the cowl box portion is divided into a rear end of the top panel and an upper end of the rear panel that form the rear upper corner of the substantially box-shaped cowl box. A flange portion projecting rearward is formed, both flange portions are joined to form a rear joint flange, and a flange formed at the upper edge of the dash panel is joined to the rear joint flange. be.

(Function) With the above structure, when the engine moves rearward and collides with the dash panel during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the dash panel is deformed as shown in FIG. 3. However, since the upper edge of the dash panel is joined to the rear joining flange formed at the rear upper corner of the cowl box, compared to the conventional one in which the upper end edge is joined to the front lower corner of the cowl box. Since the dash panel is as long as the height l of the cowl box, the amount of deformation during a frontal collision of the vehicle is large, and therefore the amount of collision energy absorbed is also large. Therefore, the influence of deformation of the dash panel on the cowl box is reduced. Therefore, since the deformation is limited to almost only the dash panel, the windshield glass will not be damaged.

(Example) The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrative example.

A cowl box 21 is installed horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body A at the front of the passenger compartment a of the vehicle body A. The cowl box 21 includes a cowl outer panel 22 which is approximately L-shaped and partially forms the top panel of the cowl box 21, and a cowl which is approximately L-shaped and partially forms the rear panel of the cowl box 21. The cowl outer panel 22 and the cowl inner panel 23 are formed by being combined with the inner panel 23 into a substantially box-shaped cross section, and extend forward at the lower front side.
A front joint flange 21a is formed by spot welding and a rear upper corner.
Cowl outer panel 22 extends rearward.
A rear joint flange 21b is formed by joining the cowl inner panel 23 and the cowl inner panel 23 by spot welding.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a dash panel that partitions the cabin a and the engine compartment b, and a rearwardly bent flange 24a formed at the upper edge of the dash panel 24 is formed at the rear upper corner of the cowl box 21. It is joined to the rear joint flange 21b by spot welding.

The dash panel 24 is connected to the cowl box 2.
1 , and its lower edge is joined to the front edge of the floor panel 25 .

Therefore, compared to the conventional structure in which the upper edge of the dash panel is joined to the lower front corner of the cowl box, the dash panel can be set longer by the height l of the cowl box. Therefore, when a vehicle is involved in a frontal collision, the dash panel is deformed significantly due to rearward movement of the engine and absorbs a large amount of collision energy. Therefore, the cowl box is less affected and deformation hardly occurs.

26 is a windshield glass, and the lower edge 26a of the windshield glass 26 is attached to a mounting groove 27 formed on the front side of the upper surface of the cowl box 21 with an adhesive 28. 29 is dam rubber, and 30 is molding.

Therefore, the lower edge 26a of the wind seal glass 26 is the same as the upper edge 24a of the dash panel 24.
Since it is attached to the upper surface of the cowl box forward of the rear joining flange 21b to which the dash panel 24 is joined, deformation of the dash panel 24 is less likely to affect the windshield glass 26, so that damage to the windshield glass can be prevented.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a steering support bracket that supports the steering column 32, and one end 31a of the steering support bracket 31 has a screw or the like on the upper surface in front of the rear joint bracket 21b formed at the rear upper corner of the cowl box 21. It is fixed by. A steering column 32 is supported on the other end 31b of the steering support bracket 31 via a joining member 33. A steering shaft 35 for pivotally fixing a steering wheel 34 is rotatably fitted into the steering column 32. 36 is a through hole of the steering shaft 35 formed in the dash panel 24, and 37 is a grommet attached to the through hole 36.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the one end 31a of the steering support bracket 31 is fixed to the upper surface in front of the rear joint flange 21b formed at the rear upper corner of the cowl box 21, the dash panel 24 Since the deformation does not extend to the steering support bracket 31, backward movement of the steering wheel 34 can be prevented.

Reference numeral 38 denotes an engine disposed in the engine room b, and 39 denotes a hood that covers the engine room b.

(Effects of the present invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the rear end of the top panel forming the upper rear corner of the substantially box-shaped cowl box has a flange portion projecting rearward at the top end of the rear panel. The structure is such that both flanges are joined to form a rear joint flange, and a flange formed at the upper edge of the dash panel is joined to the rear joint flange, compared to the conventional structure. Since the dash panel can be lengthened by the height l of the cowl box, the amount of deformation of the dash panel can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to increase the energy absorption in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle.
The effect on the cowl box is reduced, and deformation of the cowl box can be prevented. Therefore, damage to the windshield glass due to this can be prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, since no special reinforcing members are required, the structure around the cowl box can be simplified, and the assembly work can be easily performed. be.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the vehicle showing the vehicle body structure of the cowl box part according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the same as the above when the dash panel is deformed. , Fig. 4 is a side view of the vehicle body showing the mounting position of the cowl box, Fig. 5 is a side view of the vehicle showing the structure of the conventional cowl box portion, and Figs. 6 to 8 are views of the area around the conventional cowl box. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the reinforcing structure. A is the vehicle body, a is the passenger room, b is the engine room, 2
1 is the cowl box, 21b is the rear joint flange, 24 is the dash panel, 26 is the windshield glass, and 31 is the steering support bracket.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A cowl box formed in a substantially box-shaped cross section is installed horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body in the front part of the passenger compartment, and the upper edge of the dash panel is attached to the cowl box,
Further, in the vehicle body structure of the cowl box portion of an automobile in which the lower edge of the windshield glass is attached forward of the rear joint flange of the cowl box and the engine is disposed in front of the dash panel, the substantially box-shaped cowl box A rearwardly protruding flange portion is formed at the rear end of the top panel and the top end of the rear panel that form the rear upper corner, and the two flange portions are joined to form a rear joint flange. A vehicle body structure of a cowl box portion of an automobile, characterized in that a flange formed on an upper edge of the dash panel is joined.