JP4762059B2 - Cowl louver mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a cowl louver provided along a lower edge of a front window of an automobile.

  A cowl top is installed on the lower edge of the front window of the automobile in the vehicle width direction, and a cowl louver made of synthetic resin is installed on the cowl top so as to cover the cowl top (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). ). Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a connection structure between the left and right end portions of the cowl louver in the vehicle width direction and the lower end of the window molding along the side edge of the windshield.

  4 to 6 show typical examples of the structure around the cowl louver. The cowl louver 4A has an approximately U-shaped cross section that opens upward, and an open cowl top that also has an approximately U-shaped cross section that opens upward. 3 is installed so as to cover the opening. 4A is a closed cowl top that supports the lower edge of the windshield 1 that closes the front window, and 9 is a dash panel at the front end of the passenger compartment.

  The cowl louver 4A has both left and right ends of the bottom wall 41 mounted on the upper surface of the rear part of the apron upper member 5 that forms the upper edges of the left and right side walls of the engine room. A flat plate-like mounting portion 46 extends horizontally from the upper end of the vertical wall-like end wall 45 at both ends of the cowl louver 4A in the vehicle outward direction. On the other hand, an upper end flange portion 61 of the fender panel 6 is placed and fixed on the upper surface of the apron upper member 5 via a bracket 60. The mounting portion 46 is overlapped and fixed to the upper end flange portion 61. The clip 80 is passed through concentric mounting holes 47 formed in the mounting portion 46 and the upper end flange portion 61, respectively.

The rear end portion of the engine hood 2 is located above the cowl louver 4A, and the rear end portion of the engine hood 2 is connected to the upper rear end portion of the apron upper member 5 by a hinge arm 21. The base end of the hinge arm 21 is supported by a hinge shaft 20 of a hinge bracket provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the apron upper member 5 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The hinge arm 21 extends forward from the base end, the tip is located above the bottom wall 41 of the cowl louver 4A, and is fastened to the rear end of the engine hood 2. The upper edge of the front wall 42 of the cowl louver 4 </ b> A is in contact with the lower surface of the rear end portion of the engine hood 2 via the seal member 70.
JP 2003-127661 A JP 2003-267263 A

  By the way, when the vehicle and the pedestrian collide, the pedestrian falls on the engine hood 2 and the shoulder or the head hits the rear end of the engine hood 2 and a collision load (white arrow F in FIG. 6) acts. The rear end of the engine hood 2 is displaced downward, and the impact is absorbed in the process. However, when the collision load is large, the engine hood 2 hits the front wall 42 of the cowl louver 4A through the seal member 70, and when the hinge arm 21 hits the bottom wall 41 of the cowl louver 4A, the cowl louver 4A Since both ends of 41 are mounted on the left and right apron upper members 5 and the mounting portion 46 is fixed to the upper end flange portion 61 of the left and right fender panels 6, the engine hood 2 does not descend any further Therefore, the shock is not absorbed.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, when a collision load is applied to the rear end portion of the engine hood from above, the cowl louver and the rear end portion of the engine hood are displaced downward in accordance with the magnitude of the collision load to absorb the impact. An object of the present invention is to provide a cowl louver mounting structure that minimizes the obstacle of a pedestrian who has fallen down.

  The present invention is a synthetic resin cowl louver that extends in the vehicle width direction along the lower edge of the windshield of a vehicle body and is provided to cover the cowl top at a position below the rear end of the engine hood. In the vehicle cowl louver mounting structure in which the left and right ends are coupled to the rear portions of the left and right apron upper members extending along the upper edge of the engine room side wall, the length dimension of the cowl louver in the vehicle width direction is determined by the both left and right aprons. A cowl louver is formed between the rear portions of both apron upper members, with a size smaller than the distance between the rear portions of the upper members. The cowl louver is provided with a plate-like mounting portion that protrudes from the left and right ends of the cowl louver. The mounting portion is superimposed on the upper surface of the apron upper member, and is engaged with mounting holes provided on the upper surface of the mounting portion and the apron upper member. A fixing member is passed through to attach the mounting portion to the upper surface of the apron upper member. A notch groove is formed in the mounting portion from the mounting hole to the outer edge of the mounting portion, and when a collision load is applied to the cowl louver from above via the engine hood, the mounting portion is separated from the apron upper member. The cowl louver is detached and moved downward (Claim 1). When a collision load is applied to the cowl louver via the engine hood, a force pulling them to the inside of the vehicle acts on the mounting parts at both ends, so that the locking member comes out of the notch groove and the mounting part is the apron upper member Leave. The cowl louver moves downward between the left and right apron upper members together with the engine hood, and the shock is absorbed in this process.

Further, according to the present invention, the attachment portion of the cowl louver having the same structure as that of the first aspect of the present invention is overlapped with the upper end flange portion of the fender panel supported by the apron upper member, and the attachment portion and the attachment hole provided in the upper end flange portion are related. 2. A notch groove extending from the mounting hole to the outer edge of the mounting portion is formed in the mounting portion, and the mounting portion is joined to the upper surface of the upper end flange portion by penetrating a stop member. As in the invention, the cowl louver is moved downward with respect to the collision load applied to the cowl louver (claim 2).
The cowl louver is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross-section with an open top. The mounting part provided with the mounting hole and the notch groove is projected from the upper edge of the vertical wall-shaped end wall at both ends of the cowl louver toward the outside of the vehicle. The mounting portion, allowed to bind with the locking member in the upper flange portion of the fender panel which is supported fixed to the apron upper member via a bracket erected on the upper surface of the apron upper member (claim 3).
The upper ends of the engine hood and the fender panel are provided at a position higher than the apron upper, which is suitable for mounting the cowl louver of the vehicle, and the cowl louver can be detached from the upper end of the fender panel by a collision load from above.

A rear end portion of the engine hood is rotatably supported by the vehicle body via a hinge arm, the hinge arm is located above the cowl louver, and a collision load is applied to the bottom wall of the cowl louver from above via the hinge arm. When added, the attachment portion is detached from the coupling portion on the vehicle body side, and the cowl louver is moved downward (claim 4 ). The cowl louver can be detached from the vehicle body when the hinge arm collides with the cowl louver.

As the locking member, a synthetic resin clip having a head portion, a shaft portion, and a shaft end locking claw portion is used, and the groove width of the notch groove of the mounting portion is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft portion. Slightly larger (claim 5 ). A synthetic resin clip may be suitably used as the locking member.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described. The structure around the cowl louver is substantially the same as the conventional structure. As shown in FIG. 4, a closed cowl top 3A having a closed cross section between the left and right front pillars P is provided at the lower edge of the front window of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction. The lower edge of the windshield 1 is fixed to and supported by the upper surface of the closed cowl top 3A. On the front side of the closed cowl top 3A, there is provided an open cowl top 3 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens upward at a lower position. Both ends of the opening cowl top 3 are connected to the inner surfaces of the rear parts of the left and right apron upper members 5 at the upper edges of the left and right side walls of the engine room, and are installed between the rear parts of the two apron upper members 5 in the vehicle width direction. is there. A cowl louver 4 made of synthetic resin is installed on the upper part of the open cowl top 3 so as to cover the opening. The cowl louver 4 covers the upper part of the open cowl top 3 and covers the lower edge of the windshield 1 with a rear edge 431 extending upward.

  A rear portion of the engine hood 2 is disposed above the cowl louver 4. The engine hood 2 is hinged to the rear end of the upper surface of the apron upper member 5 via a hinge arm 21, and the upper part of the engine room is installed to be openable and closable. The hinge arm 21 is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft 20 of a hinge bracket provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the apron upper member 5 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction. The hinge arm 21 extends forward from the proximal end, and has a distal end within the cowl louver 4. It is provided at a position directly above the side end of the bottom wall 41 of the first wall. The front end of the hinge arm 21 is coupled to the lower surface of the rear end portion of the engine hood 2.

  On the upper surface of the apron upper member 5, an upper end flange portion 61 of the fender panel 6 constituting the outer surface of the engine room of the vehicle body is coupled via a bracket 60 having a hat-shaped cross section. The lower edge of the open cowl top 3 is joined to the front edge of the upper edge of the dash panel 9 having a vertical wall shape that partitions the engine room and the vehicle compartment. Below the opening cowl top 3, an air conditioning unit 90 is provided on the passenger compartment surface of the dash panel 9 at a position in front of the passenger seat in the passenger compartment, and the lower surface of the opening cowl top 3 penetrates into the cowl top 3. An air intake 91 of the air conditioning unit 90 that protrudes and takes in air is provided.

  The details of the cowl louver and its mounting structure according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The cowl louver 4 has a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens upward at a bottom wall 41, a front wall 42 that bends from its front and rear edges and rises upward, and a rear wall 43. The front wall 42 is formed with a flange portion 44 that is bent from the upper edge and protrudes forward, and the flange portion 44 is provided with a rubber seal material 70 on the upper surface thereof. In the sealing material 70, a hollow seal portion 72 is integrally formed on an upper portion of a base end portion 71 that is fixedly overlapped with the flange portion 44, and the seal portion 72 contacts the lower surface of the rear end portion of the engine hood 2. It is like that.

  The rear wall 43 is formed with a rear edge portion 431 which is bent from the upper edge and protrudes rearward to cover the lower edge of the windshield 1.

  The length of the bottom wall 41 extending in the vehicle width direction is set to be slightly smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces of the left and right apron upper members 5. At the end of the bottom wall 41 in the vehicle width direction, a vertical wall-like end wall 45 that is bent and rises from the end edge is provided. The end wall 45 is connected so that the front edge thereof intersects the side edge of the front wall 42 at a substantially right angle. A notch is formed in the rear part of the end wall 45 between the rear wall 43 and the tip of the hinge arm 21 is guided into the cowl louver 4 from the upper surface side of the apron upper member 5 through the notch. The hinge arm 21 extends from the proximal end to the distal end in a gentle Z shape with the distal end being displaced toward the inside of the vehicle. The bent portion in the middle of the arm passes through the notch and the distal end of the arm is disposed in the cowl louver 4. It is.

  The end wall 45 of the cowl louver 4 is formed with a flat mounting portion 46 that is bent from the upper edge thereof and protrudes to the outside of the vehicle. An attachment hole 47 that penetrates a clip 80 that is a locking member described later is formed at the center of the attachment portion 46. The mounting portion 46 is formed with a notch groove 48 extending from the mounting hole 47 to the vehicle outer side and reaching the outer edge of the mounting portion 46.

  The clip 80 is made of a synthetic resin, and is tapered toward a lower portion having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 82 at a lower end of the shaft portion 82 and a shaft portion 82 projecting downward from the center 81 of the disc. The substantially conical locking claw part 83 is comprised. The attachment hole 47 of the attachment portion 46 corresponding to the clip 80 has a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the engagement claw portion 83 of the clip 80 so that the engagement claw portion 83 can be press-fitted. On the other hand, the notch groove 48 is formed so that the groove width is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 82 of the clip 80.

  The cowl louver 4 has mounting portions 46 at both ends fixed to the upper end of the fender panel 6 and is disposed between the rear portions of the left and right apron upper members 5. Note that the mounting structures at the left and right ends of the cowl louver 4 are the same, and one mounting structure is shown in FIGS. The apron upper member 5 has a closed cross-sectional structure with the inner panel 5a and the outer panel 5b. The fender panel 6 is provided with a flat plate-like upper end flange portion 61 which is bent from the upper end of the general portion constituting the outer plate of the vehicle body and bent downward at the lower edge of the turned-up portion so as to protrude substantially horizontally. . The fender panel 6 is fastened with a screw member (not shown) with the upper end flange portion 61 superimposed on the upper surface of a bracket 60 erected on the upper surface of the apron upper member 5.

  The cowl louver 4 has a lower end portion of an end wall 45 opposed to an upper portion of the inner surface of the apron upper member 5 formed of the inner panel 5a in the vehicle width direction, and is brought into contact with a seal member 74 therebetween. Further, the front edge of the lower surface of the bottom wall 41 is opened and overlapped with the upper edge of the front wall of the cowl top 3 to cover the upper opening of the cowl top 3 (see FIG. 3). Then, the mounting portion 46 protruding outward is overlapped with the upper end flange portion 61 of the fender panel 6 from above, and the clip 80 is mounted on the mounting hole 47 of the mounting portion 46 and the mounting hole of the upper end flange portion 61 concentric with the mounting hole 46 from above. The locking claw 83 is press-fitted and locked, and the mounting portion 46 is coupled to the upper end flange portion 61.

  A pedestrian's shoulder or head collides with the rear end of the engine hood 2 from above, and a large collision load (white arrow F in FIG. 2) acts. When the top end of the front wall 42 of the cowl louver 4 hits the upper edge of the cowl louver 4 and the tip of the hinge arm 21 hits the bottom wall 41 of the cowl louver 4 and a collision load is applied to the cowl louver 4, Pulled inward (arrow G in FIG. 2), the shaft portion 82 of the clip 80 passes through the notch groove 48 and comes out of the mounting hole 47, and the mounting portion 46 is detached from the upper end flange portion 61 of the fender panel 6. 3, the bottom wall 41 of the cowl louver 4 is opened by the hinge arm 21 and pushed down into the cowl top 3, and the front wall 42 falls into the cowl top 3 so as to be pulled by the hinge arm 21, Since the engine hood 2 does not bottom out as in the prior art and is deformed downward integrally with the cowl louver 4, the impact can be absorbed and reduced in this process to reduce pedestrian damage.

  The cowl louver 4 is closed between the both ends thereof and the inner surface of the apron upper member 5 with the sealing material 74, but the sealing material 74 is omitted so that both ends are close to each other so as to substantially contact the inner surface of the apron upper member 5. It may be. However, there is an air intake 91 of the air conditioning unit 90 inside the open cowl top 3, and if air or the like enters from the gap between the cowl louver 4 and the apron upper member 5 and enters the cowl top 3, the air conditioning unit 90 may inhale. Therefore, it is desirable to close the gap between the cowl louver 4 and the apron upper member 5 with the sealing material 74.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the attachment portion 46 of the cowl louver 4 is coupled to the upper end flange portion 61 of the fender panel 6, but similar effects can be obtained by coupling directly to the upper surface of the apron upper 5.

It is a principal part perspective view which shows the outline of the attachment structure of the cowl louver of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation of the cowl louver by the collision load in the position which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation of the cowl louver by the collision load in the position which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the outline of the structure around the cowl louver of a motor vehicle. It is a principal part perspective view of the attachment structure of the conventional cowl louver corresponding to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional cowl louver mounting structure corresponding to FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

1 Windshield 2 Engine Hood 21 Hinge Arm 3 Opening Cowl Top (Cowl Top)
4 Cowl louver 41 Bottom wall 45 End wall 46 Mounting part 47 Mounting hole 48 Notch groove 5 Apron upper member 6 Fender panel 60 Bracket 61 Upper flange part
80 clips (locking members)
81 Head 82 Shaft 83 Locking claw

Claims (5)

A synthetic resin cowl louver that extends in the vehicle width direction along the lower edge of the windshield of the vehicle body and covers the cowl top at a position below the rear end of the engine hood. In the mounting structure of the cowl louver of the vehicle coupled to the rear part of the left and right apron upper members extending along the upper edge of the side wall of the engine room,
The length of the cowl louver in the vehicle width direction is formed to be smaller than the distance between the rear parts of the left and right apron upper members, and the cowl louver is arranged between the rear parts of both apron upper members,
The cowl louver is provided with a plate-like mounting portion that protrudes from the left and right ends of the cowl louver. The mounting portion is superimposed on the upper surface of the apron upper member, and is engaged with mounting holes provided on the upper surface of the mounting portion and the apron upper member. Through the stop member so that the mounting part is coupled to the upper surface of the apron upper member;
A notch groove is formed in the mounting portion from the mounting hole to the outer edge of the mounting portion, and when a collision load is applied to the cowl louver from above via the engine hood, the mounting portion is separated from the apron upper member. A structure for mounting a cowl louver of a vehicle that is disengaged to move the cowl louver downward. A synthetic resin cowl louver that extends in the vehicle width direction along the lower edge of the windshield of the vehicle body and covers the cowl top at a position below the rear end of the engine hood. In the mounting structure of the cowl louver of the vehicle coupled to the rear part of the left and right apron upper members extending along the upper edge of the side wall of the engine room,
The length of the cowl louver in the vehicle width direction is formed to be smaller than the distance between the rear parts of the left and right apron upper members, and the cowl louver is arranged between the rear parts of both apron upper members,
The cowl louver is provided with a plate-like mounting portion that protrudes from the left and right ends of the cowl louver, and the mounting portion is overlapped with the upper end flange portion of the fender panel supported by the apron upper member. The fixing member is passed through the mounting hole provided in the mounting hole so that the mounting portion is coupled to the upper surface of the upper end flange portion,
A notch groove is formed in the mounting portion from the mounting hole to the outer edge of the mounting portion, and when a collision load is applied to the cowl louver from above via the engine hood, the mounting portion is separated from the upper end flange portion. A structure for mounting a cowl louver of a vehicle that is disengaged to move the cowl louver downward. The cowl louver is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section with an open top,
The mounting portion provided with the mounting hole and the notch groove is protruded from the upper edge of the vertical wall-shaped end wall at both ends of the cowl louver toward the outside of the vehicle,
3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the attachment portion is coupled to the upper end flange portion of the fender panel supported and fixed to the apron upper member via a bracket standing on the upper surface of the apron upper member by the locking member. Cowl louver mounting structure. A rear end portion of the engine hood is rotatably supported by the vehicle body via a hinge arm, the hinge arm is located above the cowl louver, and a collision load is applied to the bottom wall of the cowl louver from above via the hinge arm. 4. A structure for mounting a cowl louver for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when added, the mounting part is disengaged from the coupling part with the vehicle body side to move the cowl louver downward . As the locking member, a synthetic resin clip having a head, a shaft portion, and a shaft end locking claw portion is used, and whether the groove width of the notch groove of the mounting portion is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft portion. The vehicle cowl louver mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the structure is slightly larger.