JPH09221067A - Vehicle cowl structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cowl structure of a vehicle suitable as a structure of a cowl interposed between spring supports for left and right front wheels and a vehicle compartment, and provides high rigidity between the spring support and the upper body. The purpose is to do. SOLUTION: Front apron members 12 and 14 are welded to an upper body. The front side members 16 and 17 are welded to the underbody. Front side members 16, 17 and front apron members 12, 14
Spring supports 32, 34 integrated with The cowl reinforcement 40 is fixed between the front pillars 20 and 22. Highly rigid cowl plates 44 and 46 and brackets 48 and 50 are arranged between the spring supports 32 and 34 and the cowl reinforcement 40 together with the cowl 36.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle cowl structure, and more particularly to a vehicle cowl structure suitable as a cowl structure interposed between spring supports of left and right front wheels and a passenger compartment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle body structure including a front side member and a front apron member has been known. The front side member is a member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction inside the left and right wheels inside the engine room, and is connected to the side sill and the floor under member at the rear end portion. The side sills are members that give strength to the floor of the passenger compartment, and extend under the left and right doors in the front-rear direction. The floor undermember is a member that similarly gives strength to the floor of the passenger compartment, and extends further inside the side sill in the front-rear direction.

The floor side member is configured to absorb the energy by being appropriately deformed when the energy is input to the front of the vehicle. On the other hand, the front apron member is a non-strength member extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right fender portions. When energy is input to the front of the vehicle, the front apron member deforms without significantly contributing to energy absorption.

When energy is input from the front of the vehicle having the above-mentioned vehicle body structure, the front side members are appropriately deformed to absorb the energy.
At this time, the front side members exert appropriate rigidity,
Moreover, the side sill and the floor under member exhibit high rigidity, so that excessive deformation of the engine room and the vehicle interior is prevented. Therefore, according to the conventional vehicle body structure described above, when the energy from the front of the vehicle is input, the energy can be appropriately absorbed and the deformation of the vehicle interior can be suppressed.

When the energy input to the vehicle is large, the front side member may be largely deformed. In order to minimize the deformation of the passenger compartment against such a large energy input, not only the strength of the side sill and the floor under-member but also the strength of the front pillars are effectively used, and the energy of the entire passenger compartment is efficiently increased. It is effective to catch the problem.

When energy is input from the front of the vehicle, in order to transmit the energy to the front pillar, it is necessary to extend a strength member having high rigidity on the front side of the front pillar with respect to the vehicle. However, when the front apron member is made of a highly rigid strength member, the front side member is less likely to be deformed, and it is difficult to obtain a desired energy absorption capacity. Therefore, high energy absorption capacity and high vehicle interior rigidity cannot both be achieved by simply increasing the rigidity of the front apron member.

As a member connected to or disposed in the vicinity of the front pillar, a cowl provided so as to extend between the left and right front pillars has been conventionally known.
Automotive Technology Cases No. 95452 (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Intellectual Property Subcommittee: issued May 9, 1995) has a cowl opening near the left and right front pillars, that is,
A cowl structure that is closed by brackets in the vicinity of both ends thereof is disclosed. With this cowl structure, high strength can be imparted to both ends of the cowl.

In the vehicle, spring supports for supporting the left and right front wheel suspensions are fixed to the left and right front side members, respectively. These spring supports may be displaced to the rear side of the vehicle, that is, to the cowl side when energy is input to the front side of the vehicle and the front side member is largely deformed as a result. When high strength is given to both ends of the cowl,
When the spring support is displaced until it comes into contact with the cowl, the energy input to the front of the vehicle is then transmitted to the left and right front pillars via the cowl. Under such a situation, the energy input to the front side members can be distributed not only to the side sills and floor under members but also to the left and right front pillars.

[0009]

However, the cowl structure disclosed in the above publication is not designed on the assumption that the energy input from the front of the vehicle is transmitted to the front pillar. Therefore, the energy input to the vehicle may not be properly transmitted to the cowl depending on how the front side member is deformed.

Further, according to the cowl structure described above, the energy input to the front side member is transmitted only to the underbody until the spring support contacts the cowl. During this time, inertia acts on the upper body to relatively displace forward with respect to the underbody. Therefore, in the above cowl structure, when energy acts on the front of the vehicle, a non-strength member extending between the upper body and the underbody, for example, a dash panel that separates the engine room and the vehicle interior from each other. Large deformation may occur.

As described above, the cowl structure disclosed in the above publication always transmits a part of the energy to the front pillar when the energy exceeding a predetermined value is input to the vehicle, and the vehicle interior is always In terms of appropriately suppressing the deformation of the, the effect was not yet sufficiently exerted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a vehicle for solving the above problems is provided by interposing a strength member having high rigidity between the spring support and the cowl reinforcement. The purpose is to provide a cowl structure.

[0013]

The above object is to provide a cowl extending between left and right front pillars, a spring support fixed to a side member connected to an underbody and left and right apron members, and a vehicle. And a high-rigidity member arranged close to the upper body of the vehicle, the vehicle cowling structure including a high-rigidity auxiliary member extending between the spring support and the high-rigidity member. Achieved by

In the present invention, a part of the energy input to the vehicle is transmitted to the left and right side members. The energy transmitted to the side member is transmitted to the underbody and the spring support. Also,
The force transmitted to the spring support is transmitted to the high-rigidity member via the high-rigidity auxiliary member, and is further transmitted to the upper body. Since the high-rigidity auxiliary member and the high-rigidity member have high rigidity, the relative displacement of the upper body toward the front of the vehicle due to inertia after the energy is input is suppressed to be small. Moreover, since a part of the energy input to the vehicle is always transmitted to the upper body, reliable energy distribution can be achieved.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS.
A cowl structure for a vehicle, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a cowl structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing the vehicle as viewed from the arrow II shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows II shown in FIG.
I shows an enlarged view of the vehicle cowl structure as seen from the arrow. Further, FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view obtained when the vehicle is cut along the line IV-IV shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 10 is shown with the right side in the drawings as the front. The vehicle 10 includes front apron members 12 and 14 and front side members 16 and 17 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The front apron members 12 and 14 extend along the fenders of the left and right front wheels of the vehicle 10, and are welded to the upper body of the vehicle body near the left and right front pillars 20 and 22, respectively. The front apron members 12 and 14 are non-strength members that easily deform when energy is applied to the front of the vehicle 10.

The front side members 16 and 17 are strength members extending in the front-rear direction inside the left and right front wheels. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, sub-frames 18 and 19 are welded to the front side members 16 and 17 to reinforce their strength. The sub-frames 18, 19 are welded to the front side members 16, 17 at their front and rear ends.

The front side members 16 and 17 and the subframes 18 and 19 are members for receiving the energy when the energy acts on the front of the vehicle 10 and preventing excessive deformation of the engine room. Therefore, these members are provided with appropriate strength that is preferable in preventing excessive deformation of the engine room and realizing an appropriate energy absorbing function.

The front side members 16 and 17 are also
Are welded to these underbodies so that the energy input to them is transmitted to the floor undermembers 24, 26 and the left and right side sills 28, 30. The side sills 28 and 30 are strength members that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction at portions corresponding to the lower portions of the left and right doors. In addition, the floor under members 24 and 26 are the side sill 2
It is a strength member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction further inside 8 and 30.

The floor under-members 24 and 26 and the side sills 28 and 30 are members for suppressing deformation of the passenger compartment when energy acts on the front of the vehicle 10.
Therefore, the floor undermembers 24, 26 and the side sills 28, 30 are provided with sufficiently high strength.

The vehicle 10 is provided with spring supports 32, 34 to which suspensions for supporting the left and right front wheels are fixed. The spring supports 32 and 34 are integrated with the front side members 16 and 17 in the lower part, and are integrated with the front apron members 12 and 14 in the upper part. The left and right front wheel suspensions are mounted on the vehicle 10 by fixing the upper ends of shock absorbers, which are components of the suspension, to the upper end surfaces of the spring supports 32 and 34.

The vehicle 10 has spring supports 32, 3
A cowl 36 is provided on the rear side of the No. 4. Cowl 36
Is a member arranged in the engine room so as to extend between the left and right front pillars 20 and 22. In the present embodiment, the cowl 36 has an upper end that is an open end, and accommodates a wiper motor and the like therein.

The vehicle 10 is also below the cowl 36,
A dash panel 38 for separating the engine compartment and the vehicle compartment is provided, and the cowl 3 is provided behind the cowl 36.
The cowl reinforcement 40 for reinforcing the strength of No. 6 is provided. The cowl reinforcement 40 extends between the left and right front pillars 20 and 22, and
It is fixed to the upper body at the base of 0,22. A cowl top 42 that supports the lower end portion of the windshield glass is disposed above the cowl reinforcement 40.

Between the spring supports 32 and 34 and the cowl reinforcement 40 described above, the cowl plates 44 and 46 and the brackets 48 and 5 having high rigidity are provided.
0 is provided. The cowl structure of the vehicle of this embodiment is
The cowl plates 44 and 46 and the bracket 4
It is characterized by having 8,50.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cowl plate 44 is
It is formed in a concavo-convex shape having a plurality of horizontal surfaces 44a and vertical surfaces 44b whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle longitudinal direction. Since the cowl plate 44 has such an uneven shape, it has a high yield strength against a compressive load in the vehicle front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cowl plate 44 has a front end portion and a rear end portion, that is, a portion facing the bracket 48 and the cowl reinforcement 4.
Flange portions 44c and 44d are provided at a portion facing 0. On the other hand, in the cowl reinforce 40 and the bracket 48, in the portion facing the cowl plate 44,
Flange portions 40a and 48a are formed, respectively.

The bracket 48 has a spring support 3
2 is assembled so as to be hooked at a corner formed between the upper end surface and the side wall. The bracket 48 and the cowl plate 44 are fastened together with the cowl 36 by bolts 52. According to the above structure, when the spring support 32 is pressed rearward of the vehicle, the pressing force is efficiently transmitted to the cowl reinforce 40 via the bracket 48, the cowl plate 44, and the cowl 36. It

The cowl plate 46 and the bracket 50 disposed on the right side of the vehicle are the same in shape and function as the cowl plate 44 and the bracket 48 described above except that they are symmetrical in shape. , The description is omitted.

The effects achieved by the vehicle cowl structure of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a side view of a main part of a vehicle 60 having a cowl structure, which is compared with the cowl structure of the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The vehicle 60 is provided with front apron members 12, 14, front side members 16, 17 and sub-frames 18, 19 as in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment. On the other hand, the vehicle 60 is different from the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment in that the cowl plates 44 and 46 and the bracket 4 are provided.
Not equipped with 8,50.

As shown in FIG. 5, when a load is applied between an obstacle 62 installed in front of the vehicle 60 and the vehicle 60, a compressive load is applied to the front apron members 12, 14 and the front side members 16, 17. Works. For such a compressive load, the front apron members 12, 14
The energy input to the vehicle is
It is mainly received by the front side members 16 and 17 and the subframes 18 and 19.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of deformation of the vehicle body 60 when the load input from the obstacle 62 is continued. Further, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the deformation of the vehicle body 60 when the load input from the obstacle 62 is continued. As described above, the cowl plates 44, 46 and the brackets 48, 50 are not mounted on the vehicle 60. Therefore, in the vehicle 60, the spring supports 32 and 34 may be allowed to deform toward the vehicle rear side relatively easily.

According to the above structure, the energy input to the vehicle 60 is absorbed by the deformation of the front side members 16 and 17 on the vehicle front side appropriately. Further, the vehicle rear side of the front side members 16 and 17, the subframes 18 and 19, the floor undermembers 24 and 26, and the side sills 28 and 30 exhibit high rigidity, so that the deformation of the engine room and the vehicle interior is appropriately suppressed. It

By the way, as in the vehicle 60, the energy input to the vehicle is mainly due to the front side members 16 and 17.
To floor under members 24, 26 and side sill 2
In the vehicle body structure that is transmitted to only 8 and 30, most of the input energy is transmitted to the underbody side, and the proportion of energy that is transmitted to the front pillars 20 and 22 side having high rigidity is small. In order to minimize the deformation of the passenger compartment when a large amount of energy is input to the vehicle 60, it is desirable that the input energy be appropriately distributed to both the underbody and the upper body. In this sense, the structure of the vehicle 60 is not necessarily the optimum structure for suppressing the deformation of the vehicle interior.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the deformation that occurs in the vehicle 10 having the cowl structure of this embodiment when energy is input from the obstacle 62. Also, FIG.
The figure which showed in plan view the deformation which arises in the vehicle body 10 when energy is input from the obstacle 62 is shown.

A front apron member 12 of the vehicle 10,
14 can be easily deformed on the front side of the spring supports 32 and 34. Therefore, when energy is input from the front of the vehicle 10, the front apron members 12, 14 and the front side members 16, 17 on the front side of the spring supports 32, 34 are the same as in the case of the vehicle 60 shown in FIG. Transforms into. Therefore, the vehicle 10 can also obtain the same excellent energy absorption capability as the vehicle 60. In the process in which the front apron members 12 and 14 are deformed on the vehicle front side portion as described above, most of the input energy is received by the front side members 16 and 17.
Therefore, in this process, the front pillars 20, 22 are
The energy input to is suppressed small.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the spring supports 32, 34 of the front apron members 12, 14 are shown.
Of the front side of the vehicle and the front side members 16 and 1
When the input of energy is further continued after a large deformation occurs in the front side portions of the spring supports 32 and 34 of 7, the energy input to the front side members 12 and 14 is transmitted to the spring supports 32 and 34. To be done. As a result, a large compressive stress may occur between the spring supports 32 and 34 and the upper body.

In the cowl structure of this embodiment, not only the front apron members 12, 14 and the cowl 36 but also the cowl plates 44, 46 and the bracket 48 having high strength are provided between the spring supports 32, 34 and the upper body. 50 are provided. For this reason,
In the vehicle 10, sufficient strength is ensured between the spring supports 32, 34 and the upper body so as to withstand the above compressive stress.

By the way, the energy input to the cowl plates 44 and 46 and the brackets 48 and 50 in the vehicle 10 is transmitted to the cowl reinforcement 40 as described above. The energy input to the cowl reinforcement 40 is transmitted to the front pillars 20 and 22 from both ends thereof. Therefore, according to the cowl structure of this embodiment,
After the front apron members 12, 14 and the front side members 16, 17 are deformed as much as possible, the energy further input to the vehicle 10 is transmitted to the upper body as well as the underbody.

As described above, according to the cowl structure of this embodiment, the energy input to the vehicle 10 can be dispersed into the underbody and the upper body. When the energy is dispersed, the strength of the upper body is effectively utilized in addition to the strength of the underbody, so that the deformation of the vehicle interior can be suppressed to a small level. In this respect, the cowl structure of the present embodiment has an excellent effect in suppressing the deformation of the vehicle interior with respect to a large energy input.

Further, in the structure in which the relative displacement between the spring supports 32 and 34 and the upper body is allowed as in the vehicle 60 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the inertial force is large when a large amount of energy acts on the vehicle. As a result, the upper body may be relatively displaced forward of the vehicle. If the upper body is relatively displaced toward the front side of the vehicle, the non-strength member such as the dash panel 38 may be locally deformed due to the displacement. On the other hand, according to the cowl structure of the present embodiment, such deformation of the dash panel 38 and the like can be reliably prevented. In this respect, the cowl structure of this embodiment also has an excellent effect in suppressing local deformation of the passenger compartment.

In the cowl structure of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, between the flange portion 44d of the cowl plate 44 and the cowl 36, and between the cowl 36 and the flange portion 40a of the cowl reinforcement 40. In each, an appropriate gap is formed. These gaps are
After energy is input to the front of the vehicle 10, the spring supports 32 and 34 are slightly deformed to the rear side of the vehicle and disappear.

While the vehicle 10 is traveling, the cowl plate 4
4, the traveling vibration is input to the cowl 36 and the cowl reinforcement 40. If the flange portion 44d of the cowl plate 44, the cowl 36, and the flange portion 40a of the cowl reinforce 40 are in contact with each other from the beginning, the contact and separation of these contact portions are repeated with respect to the input of traveling vibration, and Sliding occurs. Separation, contact, and sliding of the contact portions cause abnormal noise in the vehicle 10. On the other hand, if the proper gaps are secured between the cowl plate 44 and the cowl 36 and between the cowl 36 and the cowl reinforcement 40 as in the cowl structure of the present embodiment, the abnormal noise is generated. Can be prevented. In this respect, the cowl structure of the present embodiment also has an excellent effect in preventing abnormal noise while the vehicle 10 is traveling.

Next, the effect obtained when the cowl structure of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle having a deceleration sensor such as an airbag system will be described. In recent years, an airbag has been widely used to restrain the posture of a vehicle occupant when a deceleration exceeding a predetermined value acts on the vehicle. Such an airbag system uses a deceleration sensor that is turned on when a deceleration exceeding a predetermined value acts on the vehicle. The deceleration sensor used in the airbag system does not turn on for deceleration that can occur in normal driving conditions, and quickly turns on for deceleration that cannot occur in normal driving conditions. Required to be.

In order to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements imposed on the deceleration sensor, it is desirable that the vehicle has a characteristic that it is easy to generate a large deceleration in response to an energy input from the outside. According to the cowl structure of this embodiment, as described above,
Energy input to the vehicle 10 is received by both the underbody and the upper body. In this case, since the deformation of the vehicle interior is suppressed as compared with the case where the energy is received only by the underbody, a large deceleration is likely to occur in the vehicle interior. In this respect, the cowl structure of the present embodiment has an effect that high deceleration sensing performance can be imparted to the deceleration sensor arranged in the vehicle compartment.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the cowl reinforcement 40 is used as the high rigidity member, and
Cowl plates 44, 46 and brackets 48, 50
Corresponds to the high rigidity auxiliary member described above. The high-rigidity member is not limited to the cowl reinforcement 40, and the high-rigidity member may be formed by a cowl whose upper end is a closed end, for example. Further, the high-rigidity auxiliary member does not necessarily have to be the left and right spring supports 32, 34.
The cowl plates 44 and 46 and the brackets 48 and 50 may be provided only on one of the left and right sides.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, the energy for deforming the spring support toward the vehicle rear side is reliably transmitted to the upper body without allowing the spring support to be largely deformed. can do. Therefore, according to the vehicle cowl structure of the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the strength of the upper body and efficiently suppress the deformation of the vehicle interior.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cowl structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is viewed in the direction of arrow III shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view obtained when the cowl structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is cut along the line IV-IV shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a cowl structure, which is contrasted with a cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which energy is input from the front to a vehicle equipped with a cowl structure, which is compared with the cowl structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which energy is input from the front to a vehicle equipped with a cowl structure, which is compared with the cowl structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which energy is input from the front to a vehicle equipped with a cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which energy is input from the front to a vehicle equipped with a cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Vehicle 12,14 Front apron member 16,17 Front side member 18,19 Subframe 20,22 Front pillar 24,26 Floor under member 28,30 Side sill 32,34 Spring support 36 Cowl 38 Dash panel 40 Cowl Lean hose 42 Cowl Top 44,46 Cowl plate 48,50 Bracket

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cowl extending between the left and right front pillars, a spring support fixed to the side members connected to the underbody and the left and right apron members, and a height arranged near the upper body of the vehicle. A cowl structure for a vehicle including a rigid member, comprising a high-rigidity auxiliary member extending between the spring support and the high-rigidity member.