JP5846095B2 - Cowl structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl structure in a vehicle.

  A structure in which a wiper motor bracket for supporting a wiper motor is installed between a front wall and a rear wall at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the cowl inner panel has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-173448 A

  When a relatively heavy vehicle including a cowl inner panel having such a structure travels on a rough road (uneven road surface) and the front wheels move to the rebound side, a downward load is applied to the suspension tower. Then, a forward load (tensile force) is applied to the front wall of the cowl inner panel via the side member, and a relatively backward inertial force is generated in the wiper motor.

  That is, at this time, forces having opposite phases are input between the front wall of the cowl inner panel and the wiper motor bracket, and they are deformed in opposite directions. For this reason, a relatively high stress is generated in the joint portion between the front wall of the cowl inner panel and the wiper motor bracket, and the joint portion may be peeled and deformed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a cowl structure capable of suppressing the occurrence of peeling deformation at a joint portion between a cowl inner panel and a wiper motor bracket.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cowl structure according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a front wall and a rear wall that extend in the vehicle width direction and are opposed to each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A cowl inner panel, a front end portion coupled to a seating surface formed on the front wall by a plurality of coupling portions, a rear end portion coupled to the rear wall, and a wiper motor bracket supporting a wiper motor; And a bead portion formed between the plurality of coupling portions on the seating surface.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the bead portion is formed between the plurality of coupling portions on the seat surface of the front wall of the cowl inner panel. Accordingly, the rigidity of the seating surface is improved as compared with the seating surface in which the bead portion is not formed. Therefore, even if forces having opposite phases to each other are input between the front wall of the cowl inner panel and the wiper motor bracket, they are prevented from being deformed in opposite directions. That is, it is possible to suppress a relatively high stress from being generated at the coupling portion between the cowl inner panel and the wiper motor bracket.

  Further, the cowl structure according to claim 2 is the cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein the bead portion is formed from a vehicle body front side end portion to a vehicle body rear side end portion of the seating surface. It is characterized by.

  According to invention of Claim 2, the bead part is formed from the vehicle body front side edge part of the seat surface to the vehicle body rear side edge part. Therefore, the rigidity of the seat surface in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is improved as compared with a configuration in which the bead portion is not formed from the vehicle body front side end portion of the seat surface to the vehicle body rear side end portion.

  A cowl structure according to a third aspect is the cowl structure according to the first or second aspect, wherein the bead portion is a concave bead that is recessed downward of the vehicle body.

  According to invention of Claim 3, the bead part is made into the concave bead. Therefore, there is no possibility that the bead portion interferes with the wiper motor bracket.

  The cowl structure according to claim 4 is the cowl structure according to claim 3, wherein a seating surface of the front wall is formed in a convex shape protruding from the front wall to the vehicle body upper side, and the concave The bead is recessed more than the protruding height of the seating surface.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the concave bead as the bead portion is recessed more than the protruding height of the seat surface formed in a convex shape protruding from the front wall to the vehicle body upper side. Therefore, the section modulus of the concave bead as the bead portion is higher than that of the configuration in which the concave bead is not dented more than the protruding height of the seating surface formed in a convex shape protruding from the front wall to the vehicle body upper side. The rigidity is further improved.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of peeling deformation at the coupling portion between the cowl inner panel and the wiper motor bracket.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the rigidity of the vehicle body front-back direction of the seat surface formed in the front wall of a cowl inner panel can be improved.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, a freedom degree can be given to the shape of a wiper motor bracket.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the rigidity of the seat surface formed in the front wall of a cowl inner panel can further be improved.

It is a perspective view showing a part of vehicles provided with a cowl structure concerning this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the cowl structure which concerns on this embodiment. It is a rear view which shows the seat surface formed in the front wall of the cowl inner panel which comprises the cowl structure which concerns on this embodiment. It is side sectional drawing which shows before and after a deformation | transformation of the cowl inner panel and wiper motor bracket which comprise the cowl structure which concerns on this embodiment. It is side sectional drawing which shows before and after a deformation | transformation of the cowl inner panel and wiper motor bracket which comprise the cowl structure which concerns on a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, an arrow UP appropriately shown in each drawing is an upward direction of the vehicle body, an arrow FR is a forward direction of the vehicle body, and an arrow OUT is an outer side of the vehicle width direction. Further, in the following description, when using the up / down, front / rear, and left / right directions, the vertical direction of the vehicle body, the front / rear direction of the vehicle body direction, and the left / right direction of the vehicle body (vehicle width direction) are indicated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an engine compartment 14 for accommodating a power unit (not shown) including an engine and a transmission is formed in the front portion of the vehicle 12. The engine compartment 14 is formed on the vehicle body front side of the cabin 16, and a pair of left and right suspension towers 18 are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the engine compartment 14.

  A cowl 20 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided at the boundary between the engine compartment 14 and the cabin 16. The cowl 20 includes a cowl inner panel 22 and a cowl outer panel (not shown), and the cowl inner panel 22 is formed in a substantially hat shape in cross section that opens to the upper side of the vehicle body.

  Specifically, the cowl inner panel 22 includes a front wall 24 and a rear wall 26 that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a bottom wall 28 that integrally connects the lower ends of the front wall 24 and the rear wall 26. A front flange portion 24A integrally projecting from the upper end portion of the front wall 24 to the vehicle body front side, and a rear flange portion 26A integrally projecting from the upper end portion of the rear wall 26 to the vehicle body rear side (see FIG. 2). ) And.

  Further, a dash panel 30 is provided on the lower side of the cowl 20 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The dash panel 30 partitions the engine compartment 14 and the cabin 16. The upper end portion of the dash panel 30 is coupled to the lower end portion of the front wall 24 of the cowl 20.

  A wiper motor bracket 32 that supports a wiper motor (not shown) is installed between the front wall 24 and the rear wall 26 at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the cowl inner panel 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the wiper motor bracket 32 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape in which the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is the longitudinal direction.

  The rear end portion 36 of the wiper motor bracket is coupled to the rear wall 26 (rear flange portion 26A) at a plurality of locations (for example, two locations). More specifically, two locations separated in the vehicle width direction of the rear end portion 36 and two locations separated in the vehicle width direction of the rear flange portion 26A corresponding thereto are spot-welded and joined (spot hitting portion) 37 is indicated by “◯”).

  Further, the front end portion 34 of the wiper motor bracket 32 is coupled to a seat surface 42 (described later) formed on the front wall 24 at a plurality of locations (for example, two locations). Specifically, the two locations of the front end 34 that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction and the two corresponding locations of the seating surface 42 that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction are spot-welded and joined together (see ").

  In the following, a spot hitting portion between the seating surface 42 and the wiper motor bracket 32 (front end portion 34) is referred to as a connecting portion 38 (in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 described later, the spot hitting portion is indicated by “x”). ). The illustrated wiper motor bracket 32 is coupled by spot welding, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to be coupled by arc welding, bolts / nuts, rivets, or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an overhanging portion 40 that protrudes toward the rear side of the vehicle body is integrally bent at a substantially central portion of the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22 in the vehicle width direction. On the projecting portion 40, a seat surface 42 is formed integrally with a convex shape that protrudes upward in the vehicle body and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle width direction. Further, a concave bead 44 that is recessed toward the vehicle body lower side as a bead portion is integrally formed at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction between the coupling portions 38 on the seat surface 42.

  The concave bead 44 extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction from the front ridge line portion 46, which is the vehicle body front side end portion of the seating surface 42, to the rear ridge line portion 48, which is the vehicle body rear side end portion (the vehicle longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction). The depth is set to be equal to or higher than the protruding height of the seating surface 42 with respect to the overhanging portion 40. And this concave bead 44 is formed so that it may become a substantially circular arc shape by front view (back view).

  Next, the operation of the cowl structure 10 configured as described above will be described.

  When the vehicle 12 travels on a rough road (uneven road surface) and a front wheel (not shown) moves to the rebound side, a downward load is applied to the suspension tower 18. Then, a forward load (tensile force) is applied to the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22 through a side member (not shown), and a relatively backward inertial force is generated in the wiper motor.

  That is, at this time, forces having opposite phases are input between the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22 and the wiper motor bracket 32, and they are greatly deformed in opposite directions (see FIG. 5). Therefore, a relatively high stress is generated in the joint portion 38 between the seat surface 42 formed on the front wall 24 and the wiper motor bracket 32, and the joint portion 38 may be peeled and deformed.

  However, in the cowl inner panel 22 in the present embodiment, the seating surface 42 is integrally formed in a convex shape protruding upward on the vehicle body on the overhanging portion 40 that is integrally bent with the front wall 24. A concave bead 44 that is recessed toward the vehicle body lower side than the projecting height of the seating surface 42 with respect to the overhanging portion 40 is provided at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction between the coupling portions 38 on the seating surface 42. It is formed along the vehicle body front-rear direction from the ridge line portion 46 to the rear ridge line portion 48.

  Therefore, the section modulus can be increased and the rigidity (fatigue strength) of the seat surface 42 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body can be improved as compared with a configuration in which the concave bead 44 is not formed on the seat surface 42. . Moreover, since this concave bead 44 is formed in a substantially arc shape when viewed from the front, for example, compared to a concave bead (not shown) formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, it is applied from both sides in the vehicle width direction. Difficult to deform against compressive force.

  Therefore, even if forces having opposite phases to each other are input between the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22 and the wiper motor bracket 32 and these forces are deformed in the opposite directions, such a concave bead 44 is formed. The amount of deformation can be reduced (reduced) compared to the configuration not formed on the seating surface 42 (see FIG. 4).

  That is, according to the cowl structure 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a relatively high stress from being generated in the joint portion 38 between the seat surface 42 formed on the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22 and the wiper motor bracket 32. It is possible to suppress or prevent the peeling deformation from occurring in the coupling portion 38.

  Further, the bead portion formed on the seating surface 42 is not a convex bead protruding toward the upper side of the vehicle body but a concave bead 44 recessed toward the lower side of the vehicle body. Therefore, there is no possibility that the bead portion interferes with the front end portion 34 of the wiper motor bracket 32. Accordingly, the shape of the wiper motor bracket 32 can be given a degree of freedom.

  Further, according to the cowl structure 10 according to the present embodiment, it is only necessary to integrally form the concave bead 44 on the seating surface 42 of the front wall 24 of the cowl inner panel 22, thereby increasing the thickness of the cowl inner panel 22. There is no need to add a reinforcing member (not shown) to the cowl inner panel 22.

  Accordingly, it is possible to suppress or prevent a decrease in fuel consumption and a decrease in movement performance due to an increase in the mass of the vehicle 12, a further increase in vibration noise and a contradiction with the pedestrian protection performance. That is, according to the cowl structure 10 according to the present embodiment, the rigidity of the seating surface 42 can be stably secured, and the vehicle 12 can be reduced in weight and cost.

  The cowl structure 10 according to the present embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the cowl structure 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated one, and does not depart from the gist of the present invention. The design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the bead portion formed on the seat surface 42 is not limited to the concave bead 44, and may be a convex bead (not shown) as long as it does not interfere with the front end portion 34 of the wiper motor bracket 32. Good.

  Moreover, the coupling | bond part 38 of the seat surface 42 and the wiper motor bracket 32 is not limited to two places of illustration, You may be 3 or more places. Moreover, the concave bead 44 (bead part) is not limited to a structure in which only one concave bead 44 is formed between the coupling parts 38, and a plurality of concave beads 44 (bead part) may be formed. Further, the concave bead 44 is not limited to a configuration formed from the front ridge line portion 46 to the rear ridge line portion 48, and is not limited to a configuration recessed more than the protruding height of the seat surface 42.

10 cowl structure 22 cowl inner panel 24 front wall 26 rear wall 32 wiper motor bracket 34 front end portion 36 rear end portion 38 joint portion 42 seating surface 44 concave bead (bead portion)
46 Front ridge (front end of vehicle body)
48 Rear ridgeline (end of vehicle body rear side)

Claims (4)

A cowl inner panel that includes a front wall and a rear wall that extend in the vehicle width direction and are opposed to each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction;
A wiper motor bracket that supports a wiper motor, with a front end portion coupled to the seat surface formed on the front wall by a plurality of coupling portions and a rear end portion coupled to the rear wall,
A bead portion formed between the plurality of coupling portions on the seat surface;
With cowl structure.   The cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein the bead portion is formed from a vehicle body front side end portion to a vehicle body rear side end portion of the seat surface.   The cowl structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bead portion is a concave bead that is recessed toward the lower side of the vehicle body.   The seat surface of the front wall is formed in a convex shape protruding from the front wall to the vehicle body upper side, and the concave bead is recessed more than the projecting height of the seat surface. The described cowl structure.

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