JPH1053161A - Cowl box structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent penetration of water to the air intake of a cowl box, to simplify structure, and to reduce weight. SOLUTION: A drain groove 7 in the direction of a car width is formed in the front end part on the lower side of the fixing part of the window panel 5 of the upper wall of a cowl box 1. The drain groove 7 formed in a working area extending from the containing position of a wiper arm 12 to a wiping position Y and a part not lapped in a plane view having a front wall extending upward has groove depth deeper than that of a groove formed in other general part. Further, since an air intake 8 formed in the bottom 3A of a dash upper panel 3 is set in a region in the direction of a car width corresponding to the part, where the groove depth is increased, of the drain groove 7, in a part corresponding to a region where the air intake 8 is formed, water penetrating through a contact part between the window shield panel 5 and the cowl cover 6 is reliably captured by the deep groove part of the drain groove 7 and water does not flow over. Thereby, flow down and penetration of water to the air intake 8 are prevented from occurring without using a water shield plate and structure is simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile cowl box structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 5 and 6 show a cowl box structure of a conventional automobile. A cowl box 1 includes a cowl top panel 2, a dash upper panel 3, a cowl front panel 4, and a cowl side panel (not shown). It consists of.

A cowl top panel 2 serving as an upper wall of the cowl box 1 has a mountain-shaped cowl top panel upper 2A and a closed section having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section joined to the lower surface of the cowl top panel upper 2A. The cowl top panel lower 2B is formed.

A lower portion of the windshield panel 5 is adhered and fixed on the front inclined wall surface of the cowl top panel upper 2A, and from a lower portion of the windshield panel 5 to an upper end of the cowl front panel 4. A cowl cover 6 is provided so as to cover the lower side of the windshield panel 5 and the front end of the cowl top panel 2.

At the lower front end of the cowl top panel upper 2A where the windshield panel 5 is fixed, these windshield panel 5 and cowl cover 6 are attached.
A drain groove 7 for catching water entering from a gap between the abutment portion and the contact portion is formed over the vehicle width direction.

An air intake 8 is provided near the rear of the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 as a bottom wall of the cowl box 1, and a drain for drainage is provided at the front of the bottom 3A in the vehicle width direction. Groove 9 is formed.

At the front side of the air intake 8, a water shield plate 10 is joined and arranged over substantially the entire area in the vehicle width direction from the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 to the lower surface of the drain groove 7.
The water blocking plate 10 has a plurality of intake holes 11 formed in the vehicle width direction.

[0008]

In the above conventional structure,
The drain groove 7 at the front end of the cowl top panel upper 2A is
The bending height of the front wall 7a of the drainage groove 7 is restricted in relation to peripheral components such as the cowl cover 6, the wiper arm 12, and the hood 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), so that the groove depth can be reduced as a whole. I have no choice.

Therefore, as a countermeasure for overflow of water from the drain groove 7 having a shallow depth, the water impervious plate 10 is provided over substantially the entire area in the vehicle width direction as described above. When the water overflows and flows down along the front surface of the water shield plate 10, the flow rate of the intake air sucked from the intake hole 11 by the blower (not shown) is high in the portion of the air inlet hole 11 provided in the water shield plate 10. For,
There is a possibility that overflow water flowing along the front wall of the water shield plate 10 may be sucked into the air intake 8 from the intake hole 11 together with the intake air.

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a cowl box structure of an automobile which can surely prevent water from entering an air intake, and has a simple structure and a light weight.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a lower portion of a windshield panel fixed to an upper wall of a cowl box and a cowl cover provided to cover a lower portion of the windshield panel. In the structure in which a drain groove for catching water entering from a gap between the windshield panel and the windshield panel fixing portion of the upper wall of the cowl box is formed in the vehicle width direction, the wiper arm is moved from the storage position to the wiping position. The drain groove is formed at a portion that does not overlap in plan view with the working region extending over the front wall of the drain groove so as to be deeper than the groove depth of other general portions, and is formed on the bottom wall portion of the cowl box. The air intake provided is set in a vehicle width direction region corresponding to a portion where the depth of the drainage groove is increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the drain portion of the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a general drain portion is provided with a downward drainage flange for guiding overflowing water toward the bottom of the cowl box.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the air intake according to the first and second aspects has a vehicle width in a plan view from a continuous portion of a portion where the depth of the drainage groove is increased and another general portion. It is characterized by being formed so as to be appropriately separated in the direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the air intake forming portion according to the first to third aspects, a water shield plate is disposed near the front side from the bottom wall of the cowl box to the lower surface of the drain groove. It is characterized by doing.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a drain groove is formed at a portion which is not overlapped in plan view with a working region from a storage position of a wiper arm to a wiping position, and a front wall thereof is extended upward to provide another general purpose. Because it is formed deeper than the groove depth of the part, and the air intake provided on the bottom wall of the cowl box is set in the vehicle width direction area corresponding to the part where the groove depth of this drain groove is deepened, In the portion corresponding to the formation region of the air intake, water that has entered from the contact portion between the windshield panel and the cowl cover can be reliably captured by the deep groove portion of the drainage groove, and the water overflows. Since there is no water, it is possible to prevent water from flowing down and entering the lower air intake.

Therefore, the water shield plate which is conventionally provided over substantially the entire region in the vehicle width direction and is indispensable for preventing water droplets from being sucked from the air intake can be reduced in size or eliminated. It can be simplified and provided not only in terms of cost but also in terms of weight,
The intake efficiency of the air intake can also be increased.

According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, a downward draining flange for guiding the overflow water to the bottom portion of the cowl box is provided at a general portion of the drainage groove. Even if water overflows from the general part of the drainage ditch, the drainage flange allows the overflowing water to drop neatly onto the bottom of the cowl box, so that the water runs down the upper wall of the cowl box and moves upward to the air intake. It is possible to prevent water from entering the air intake more reliably without going.

According to the third aspect, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, the air intake is viewed from a plan view from a continuous portion of a portion where the depth of the drainage groove is increased and another general portion. Even if water overflows from the continuous portion of the drainage groove, it is possible to thoroughly prevent the overflow water from flowing over the air intake even if the water overflows from the continuous portion of the drainage groove.

According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, in addition to the effect of the first to third aspects, a water-impervious plate is provided near the front side of the air intake portion from the bottom wall portion of the cowl box to the lower surface of the drain groove. The arrangement prevents the water overflowing from the general part of the drainage from entering the air intake.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as in the above-mentioned conventional configuration.

In FIGS. 1-4, the cowl box 1 comprises a cowl top panel 2, a dash upper panel 3, a cowl front panel 4, and a cowl side panel (not shown).

A cowl top panel 2 serving as an upper wall of the cowl box 1 has a mountain-shaped cowl top panel upper 2A and a closed section having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section joined to the lower surface of the cowl top panel upper 2A. The cowl top panel lower 2B is formed.

A windshield panel 5 is adhered and fixed on the front inclined wall surface of the cowl top panel upper 2A. The windshield panel 5 extends from the lower side of the windshield panel 5 to the upper end of the cowl front panel 4. Lower part of windshield panel 5 and cowl top panel 2
The cowl cover 6 is disposed so as to cover the front end of the cowl.

The windshield panel 5 and the cowl cover 6 are attached to the lower front end of the cowl top panel upper 2A where the windshield panel 5 is fixed.
A drain groove 7 for catching water entering from a gap between the abutment portion and the contact portion is formed over the vehicle width direction.

An air intake 8 is provided near the rear of the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 as the bottom wall of the cowl box 1, and a drain for drainage is provided at the front of the bottom 3A in the vehicle width direction. Groove 9 is formed.

The basic structure is the same as that of the conventional structure, except that the drain groove 7 is formed at a portion which does not overlap in plan view with an operation area from the storage position X of the wiper arm 12 to the wiping position Y. The front wall 7a extends upward, is formed as a rising portion 7b having a large height, is formed to be deeper than the groove depth of the other general portion of the drainage groove 7, and is formed at the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3. The air intake 8 provided near the rear portion is set in a vehicle width direction region corresponding to a portion where the depth of the drain groove 7 is increased.

A portion corresponding to the rising portion 7b of the cowl cover 6 is bulged upward to form a bulged portion 6A.

In this embodiment, the front end of the cowl top panel lower 2B is bent downward at the general portion of the drainage groove 7 so that overflow water is directed to the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 and dripped. The draining flange 14 facing downward is formed as shown in FIG.
As shown by the chain line, the drainage groove 7 may be bent downward at the end of the front wall 7a.

The air intake 8 is provided with a drain 7
When viewed in plan from the connecting portion 7c of the portion where the depth of the groove is deepened and the other general portion of the drain groove 7, it is formed in the vehicle width direction with an appropriate offset amount shown by L in FIG. is there.

Further, near the front side of the portion where the air intake 8 is formed, the impermeable plate 10 is attached to the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 in a range slightly wider than the area where the air intake is formed.
From the lower surface of the drain groove 7.

According to the structure of the above-described embodiment, the drain groove 7 extends upward from the storage area X to the wiping position Y of the wiper arm 12 at a portion that does not overlap in plan view and the front wall 7a thereof. The drain portion 7 is formed deeper than the groove depth of the other general portion, and the rear portion of the bottom portion 3A of the dash upper panel 3 is located closer to the rear of the dash upper panel 3 in the vehicle width direction region corresponding to the portion where the groove depth of the drain groove 7 is increased. Since the air intake 8 provided in the air intake 8 is set, water entering from the contact portion between the windshield panel 5 and the cowl cover 6 is drained from the drain groove 7 in a portion corresponding to the area where the air intake 8 is formed. The water can be reliably caught in the deep groove portion and the water does not overflow, so that it is possible to prevent the water from flowing down and entering the lower air intake 8.

In the present embodiment, a downward draining flange 14 for guiding overflow water to the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 is provided at a general portion of the drain groove 7, so that the drain groove 7 is provided. Even if water overflows from the general portion of the above, the drainage flange 14 allows the overflow water to be systematically dropped onto the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3, and the water flows over the lower surface of the cowl top panel lower 2B above the air intake 8. The water does not propagate to the side, so that water can be more reliably prevented from entering the air intake 8.

Further, the air intake 8 is formed so as to be spaced apart by an offset amount L in the vehicle width direction in a plan view from a continuous portion 7b of a portion where the depth of the drain groove 7 is increased and another general portion. Therefore, even if water overflows from the continuous portion 7b of the drain groove 7, it is possible to thoroughly prevent the overflow water from flowing over the air intake 8.

In addition, in the vicinity of the front side of the portion where the air intake 8 is formed, the water impervious plate 10 is attached to the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 in a range slightly wider than the area where the air intake 8 is formed.
Since it is disposed over the lower surface of the drain groove 7, the infiltration of the water overflowing from the general portion of the drain groove 7 into the air intake 8 can be more thoroughly prevented.

On the other hand, the rising portion 7b of the above-described drain groove 7
The cowl cover 6 is bulged upward at a portion corresponding to the above, so that the rising portion 7b is allowed to extend. However, the bulging portion 6A comes off the operating area of the wiper arm 12. Therefore, there is no interference with the wiper arm 12, and therefore, the height of the wiper arm 12 can be increased with the formation of the bulging portion 6 </ b> A, or the height of the wiper arm 12 can be changed. Accordingly, there is no need to increase the ground height of the hood 13, so that there is no need to change the modeling of the entire vehicle front part.

In the above-described embodiment, as the most preferable example, the water impervious plate 10 is provided near the front side of the air intake 8 from the bottom 3A of the dash upper panel 3 to the drain groove 7 in a wider range than the area where the air intake 8 is formed. Is shown over the lower surface of the lower cowl top panel lower 2B, but as apparent from the above description, the water shield plate 1
Since the initial purpose can be achieved even if the size of the cowl box is further reduced or abolished, the structure of the cowl box can be simplified, and the cowl box can be advantageously provided not only in cost but also in weight. Also, the suction efficiency of the air intake 8 can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary plan view showing a relationship between the windshield panel and a wiper arm according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional structure.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 cowl box 5 windshield panel 6 cowl cover 7 drainage groove 7a front wall 7b continuous portion 8 air intake 14 drainage flange

Claims (4)

[Claims] An apparatus for catching water entering from a gap between a lower portion of a windshield panel fixed to an upper wall of a cowl box and a cowl cover provided to cover a lower portion of the windshield panel. In a structure in which a drain groove is formed in a vehicle width direction at a lower front end portion of a windshield panel fixing portion of the cowl box upper wall, a portion which does not overlap with an operation area from a storage position of a wiper arm to a wiping position in a plan view. The drain groove is formed so that its front wall is extended upward to be deeper than the groove depth of the other general portion, and the air intake provided on the bottom wall portion of the cowl box is formed with the groove depth of this drain groove. The cowl box structure of an automobile, wherein the cowl box structure is set in a vehicle width direction area corresponding to a deepened portion. 2. The cowl box structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a downward drain flange for guiding the overflow water to the bottom of the cowl box is provided at a general portion of the drain groove. 3. The air intake is formed so as to be appropriately separated in the vehicle width direction from a continuous portion of a portion where the depth of the drainage groove is increased and another general portion in plan view. Item 4. An automobile cowl box structure according to any one of Items 1 and 2. 4. The air intake forming portion, wherein a water impervious plate is disposed near the front side thereof from the bottom wall of the cowl box to the lower surface of the drain groove. 4. The cowl box structure of the vehicle according to 4.