Front wall cross beam structure

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cowl cross member structure including: a cowl portion disposed in a driver seat section in a width direction of a vehicle, the cowl portion including a cowl upper portion and a cowl lower portion; and a crash pad portion disposed in a structure extending from the cowl portion and disposed between a central dashboard section and a passenger seat section of the vehicle, the crash pad portion including a glove box accommodating space, the glove box accommodating space opens toward an interior of the vehicle on a front surface thereof exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cowl cross structure, and more particularly, to a cowl cross structure capable of achieving weight reduction. Background Art

[0002] Generally, in a vehicle, a cowl cross member is installed in a width direction of the vehicle to prevent the vehicle body from being twisted or bent in forward and rearward directions and leftward and rightward directions by increasing the strength or rigidity of the vehicle body.

[0003] The cowl cross member is installed at a boundary portion between an engine room of a vehicle and the interior of a vehicle body, is provided as a frame structure not exposed to the interior, and is used to guide and support cockpit electrical components such as a steering system, an air conditioning system, and airbags.

[0004] Figure 1 is a view showing a conventional cowl cross member structure.

[0005] The conventional dash cross member structure is composed of a circular tubular dash cross member extending in the width direction of the vehicle body, a dash box mounted on the dash cross member to support the steering system, and side mounting brackets fixing both ends of the dash cross member to the vehicle body.

[0006] Since the conventional cowl cross member structure has a full-type structure in which a cowl cross member bar formed of a steel material is connected to a driver seat and a passenger seat, there are problems of high cost and excessive weight, which reduces fuel efficiency of a vehicle and degrades marketability.

[0007] Therefore, these problems need to be addressed. Summary of the invention

[0008] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] In general, a cowl cross beam structure is provided herein, which includes: a cowl portion, which is arranged in a driver's seat section in the width direction of the vehicle, the cowl portion including a cowl upper portion and a cowl lower portion; and a crash pad portion, which is arranged in a structure extending from the cowl portion and is arranged between a central instrument panel section and a passenger seat section of the vehicle, the crash pad portion including a glove box accommodating space, and the glove box accommodating space is open toward the interior of the vehicle on its front surface exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0010] The cowl cross member structure may include a pipe having one end in a length direction coupled and fixed to the cowl portion, and the pipe may be coupled to the crash pad portion in a fixed state to support the crash pad portion.

[0011] The front lower portion may include an insertion hole, the tube is configured to be inserted into the insertion hole, and the front lower portion also includes a contact rib formed in a protruding structure within the insertion hole and configured to contact a surface of the tube inserted into the insertion hole.

[0012] The crash pad portion may include a coupling groove defined therein, the tube being configured to be fitted and coupled to the coupling groove in the length direction.

[0013] The front upper portion and the front lower portion may be configured to be connected to each other, the front upper portion having a bolt hole defined therein for a bolt to pass through and a slit hole defined therein extending from the bolt hole, and the slit hole extending in a direction different from a length direction of the front upper portion.

[0014] The crash pad portion may be provided independently of the cowl portion and configured to be coupled to the cowl portion.

[0015] The crash pad portion may be continuously connected to the cowl lower portion and configured to form an integral structure with the cowl portion.

[0016] The cowl cross member structure may include a reinforcing bracket including a first end configured to be fixed to the cowl lower portion and a second end configured to be fixed to the crash pad portion, and the reinforcing bracket may be configured to minimize cracks occurring between the cowl portion and the crash pad portion.

[0017] The reinforcing bracket may include: a protrusion, which protrudes forward from the front surface of the bumper part; a first extension portion and a second extension portion extending from the left and right sides of the protrusion, the first extension portion being positioned on the front surface of the lower part of the front circumference, and the second extension portion being positioned on the front surface of the bumper part; a first bent portion, the first bent portion being bent from the first extension portion and positioned on the inner surface of the lower part of the front circumference; and a second bent portion, the second bent portion being bent from the second extension portion and positioned on the upper surface of the bumper part, and the reinforcing bracket may be configured to be elastically deformed by the protrusion in a state where the first bent portion, the second bent portion and the second extension portion are fastened to the lower part of the front circumference and the bumper part by a fixing tool at each of the first bent portion, the second bent portion and the second extension portion.

[0018] The reinforcing bracket may include: a first body, which is assembled and fixed to the upper edge of the anti-collision pad part, and the first body includes a structure protruding rearward from the rear surface of the anti-collision pad part; and a second body, which is fastened to the first body and the outer surface of the lower part of the front cover by the fixing tool, and the second body may include a sliding hole defined therein, the sliding hole being formed in a portion placed on the first body and overlapping with the first body, wherein the fixing tool is configured to slide along the sliding hole in a state of being fastened to the first body in the sliding hole.

[0019] In general terms, a method is provided herein, the method comprising the steps of: forming a front cowl portion, the front cowl portion being configured to be attached to an instrument panel of a vehicle, the front cowl portion being formed to include a front cowl upper portion and a front cowl lower portion; forming a crash pad portion, the crash pad portion including a structure extending in a width direction of the vehicle and a side mounting bracket to be fastened to the vehicle; and inserting a contact rib into an insertion hole defined in the front cowl lower portion.

[0020] The method may include the following steps: combining the upper front panel portion and the lower front panel portion by inserting a bolt into a bolt hole defined as an elongated slit in the upper front panel portion, and when impacted by the bolt, when the bolt is tightened to the upper front panel portion, the lower front panel portion moves together with the bolt in the direction of the bolt hole to reduce deformation caused by the impact on the instrument panel.

[0021] The method may include providing a tube having a first end coupled to the cowl lower portion and a second end coupled to the side mounting bracket.

[0022] The method may further include the following steps: forming an insertion hole in the lower portion of the front enclosure; forming a contact rib extending from an inner surface of the insertion hole; and inserting the tube into the insertion hole, wherein the contact rib is configured to absorb vibration of the tube when the tube is inserted into the insertion hole.

[0023] The method may include the steps of: forming a coupling groove in an upper surface of the crash pad part along a length direction of the crash pad part; and inserting the pipe into the coupling groove.

[0024] The step of forming the front enclosure portion may include the following steps: disposing the front enclosure portion so as not to be exposed to the interior of the vehicle, and the step of forming the crash pad portion may include the following steps: forming a glove box accommodating space opening toward the interior of the vehicle; and forming a crash pad lower portion including a front side portion exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0025] The method may include the step of attaching a reinforcement bracket to the cowl lower portion at a first bracket end and to the crash pad portion at a second bracket end.

[0026] The method may further include the following steps: forming the reinforcing bracket, the step of forming the reinforcing bracket including the following steps: forming a protrusion protruding in a first direction; forming a first extension portion extending from a first side of the protrusion, the first extension portion being positioned on the front surface of the lower portion of the front circumference; and forming a second extension portion extending from a second side of the protrusion, the second extension portion being positioned on the front surface of the crash pad portion, the reinforcing bracket being configured such that upon impact, the protrusion is elastically deformed to absorb the impact, thereby preventing cracks from being formed between the lower portion of the front circumference and the crash pad portion.

[0027] The step of forming the reinforcing bracket may include the following steps: forming a first bent portion bent from the first extension, the first bent portion being positioned on the inner surface of the lower portion of the front enclosure; and forming a second bent portion bent from the second extension, the second bent portion being positioned on the upper surface of the upper edge of the anti-collision pad portion.

[0028] The method may include the steps of: fixing the first bent portion to an inner surface of the cowl lower portion by a fixing tool; and fixing the second bent portion and the second extension portion to the crash pad portion by the fixing tool. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a view showing a conventional cowl cross member structure;

[0030] Figure 2 is a view schematically showing a cowl cross member structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 3 It is schematically shown Figure 2 A view of the construction of the front cross member structure;

[0032] Figure 4 is a view schematically showing a connection structure of a front cirque upper portion and a front cirque lower portion constituting a front cirque portion;

[0033] Figure 5 is a view schematically showing a state in which the upper cowl portion and the lower cowl portion are connected by bolt connection;

[0034] Figure 6 is a view schematically showing a state in which a pipe is inserted into and coupled to an insertion hole of a cowl lower portion;

[0035] Figure 7is a view schematically showing a state in which a pipe coupled to a coupling groove of a crash pad portion is riveted;

[0036] Figure 8 is a view schematically showing a cowl cross member structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Fig. 9 It is schematically shown Figure 8 A view of the construction of the front cross member structure;

[0038] Fig.10 is a view schematically showing a modified example of a reinforcing bracket;

[0039] Fig.11 is a view schematically showing a state in which a reinforcement bracket according to another embodiment is mounted on a front wall portion and a crash pad portion;

[0040] Fig.12 yes Fig.11 an enlarged view of the reinforcing bracket; and

[0041] Fig.13 It is schematically shown Fig.11 A view of the construction of the reinforcement bracket.

[0042] Throughout the drawings and detailed description, unless otherwise described or provided, the same or similar drawing reference numerals may be understood to refer to the same or similar elements, features, and structures. The drawings may not be drawn to scale, and the relative sizes, proportions, and depictions of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following detailed description is provided to help the reader fully understand the methods, devices and / or systems described herein. However, after understanding the disclosure of the present application, various changes, modifications and equivalents of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein will be apparent. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example and is not limited to those set forth herein, but may be changed as will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application, except that the operations must occur in a specific order.

[0044] The features described herein may be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Instead, the examples described herein are merely intended to illustrate some of the many possible ways to implement the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein, which will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.

[0045] The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for achieving these advantages and features will become clear with reference to the embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but will be implemented in various forms. The embodiments of the present disclosure are provided in order to fully disclose the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art can fully understand the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure will only be limited by the scope of the attached claims. At the same time, the terms used in this specification are used to explain the embodiments, rather than to limit the present disclosure.

[0046] Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used herein to describe components. Each of these terms is not used to define the nature, order, or sequence of the corresponding components, but is only used to distinguish the corresponding components from other components. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component.

[0047] Throughout the specification, when a component is described as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another component, it may be directly “connected to” or “coupled to” the other component, or one or more other components may be present in between. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there may be no other elements intervening therebetween.

[0048] In the description of the embodiments, when any one element is described as being formed above or below another element, such description includes a case where the two elements are formed in direct contact with each other and a case where the two elements are in indirect contact with each other with one or more other elements interposed between the two elements. In addition, when one element is described as being formed above or below another element, such description may include a case where one element is formed on the upper side or the lower side relative to the other element.

[0049] The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprises" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0050] Figures 2 to 7 A cowl cross member structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0051] 1. Referring to the accompanying drawings, a front cowl beam structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a front cowl portion 100 and a crash pad portion 200, wherein the front cowl portion 100 is arranged in a driver seat section in a width direction of the vehicle, and the crash pad portion 200 is arranged in a central instrument panel section and a passenger seat section of the vehicle.

[0052] In this embodiment, the cowl portion 100 and the crash pad portion 200 may be provided independently of each other. In addition, the crash pad portion 200 may be configured to be coupled to the cowl portion 100 .

[0053] The front part 100 may be made of a metal material. For example, the front part 100 may be formed by die-casting magnesium. In addition, the crash pad part 200 may be made of a plastic material. For example, the crash pad part 200 may be formed by injection molding plastic mixed with glass fiber (GF and LGF) such as polypropylene (PP), polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 66 (PA66), etc.

[0054] The cowl portion 100 provided in the driver's seat section may be fastened to an instrument panel (not shown) such that the cowl portion is not exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0055] The cowl portion 100 may include a cowl upper portion 110 and a cowl lower portion 120 .

[0056] The cowl upper portion 110 may have a structure extending in the width direction of the vehicle, and may be provided with a side mounting bracket 130, one end of which is fastened to the vehicle body at the driver's seat side. The side mounting bracket 130 may be integrally formed with the cowl upper portion 110 by die casting.

[0057] The cowl lower portion 120 has a structure extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle, and may be coupled to the other end of the cowl upper portion 110. The cowl lower portion 120 may extend downward from the cowl upper portion 110 to form a central support bracket.

[0058] The cowl upper portion 110 and the cowl lower portion 120 may be coupled to each other by bolt connection.

[0059] The cowl upper portion 110 may be provided with a bolt hole 111 through which the bolt B passes. The bolt hole 111 is generally formed as an elongated slit and may extend in a direction different from the length direction of the cowl upper portion 110. In this embodiment, the bolt hole 111 may extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0060] The structure of the bolt hole 111 is configured to absorb some deformation of the instrument panel in the event of a vehicle collision. That is, when an impact is applied in a state where the bolt B is fastened to the bolt hole 111, the lower cowl 120 moves in the extending direction of the bolt hole 111 together with the bolt B, and the impact is eliminated, which allows the deformation of the instrument panel to be absorbed.

[0061] As will be described below, such impact cancellation and absorption of the amount of deformation of the instrument panel enables reduction in deformation of the crash pad portion 200 .

[0062] The crash pad portion 200 is provided in a structure extending from the cowl portion 100 and may be provided in a center instrument panel section and a passenger seat section.

[0063] The crash pad portion 200 is formed by an injection product separated from the front enclosure portion 100, and one end of the crash pad portion 200 is coupled to the other ends of the front enclosure upper portion 110 and the front enclosure lower portion 120 using a fixing tool F. In this embodiment, the fixing tool F may include but is not limited to screws, fixing pins, rivets, etc.

[0064] The crash pad portion 200 may have a structure extending in the width direction of the vehicle and may be provided with a side mounting bracket 230, the other end of which is fastened to the vehicle body at the passenger seat side. The side mounting bracket 230 made of a metal material may be provided in the crash pad portion 200 by insert injection molding.

[0065] In addition, the crash pad portion 200 may have a glove box receiving space 210 opened toward the interior of the vehicle on a front surface thereof exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0066] The crash pad portion 200 may be configured to constitute a crash pad lower portion whose front side is exposed to the interior of the vehicle, unlike the cowl portion 100 which is hidden by the instrument panel and not exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the cowl cross member structure may further include a tube 300 , one end of which in the length direction is coupled and fixed to the cowl portion 100 .

[0068] The tube 300 may be coupled to the crash pad portion 200 in a fixed state and configured to support the crash pad portion 200 .

[0069] The tube 300 is formed in the form of a long tube having a hollow shape, and may be provided in a central instrument panel section and a passenger seat section of a vehicle together with the crash pad portion 200 .

[0070] The tube 300 may be made of plastic or aluminum containing fiberglass.

[0071] The tube 300 may have one end coupled to the cowl lower 120 at the cowl portion 100 and the other end disposed to contact the side mounting bracket 230 .

[0072] The cowl lower portion 120 may have an insertion hole 121 into which one end of the tube 300 is inserted.

[0073] The contact rib 122 may be formed in the insertion hole 121 in a protruding structure. A plurality of the contact ribs 122 may be provided at intervals along the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 121, and may be configured to contact the surface of the tube 300 inserted into the insertion hole 121. Therefore, the tube 300 inserted into the insertion hole 121 of the cowl lower portion 120 may be restricted from shaking by contacting the contact rib 122, and may be slidably moved in the insertion direction in a state of contacting the contact rib 122.

[0074] In addition, the crash pad portion 200 may have a coupling groove 220 into which the tube 300 is fitted and coupled in a length direction.

[0075] The coupling groove 220 is provided in a structure extending from an upper surface of the crash pad portion 200 in a length direction of the crash pad portion 200 , and the tube 300 is seated in the coupling groove 220 to be coupled to the crash pad portion 200 .

[0076] In this embodiment, the tube 300 may be securely fastened by riveting with a rivet R that integrally passes through the crash pad portion 200 and the tube 300 in a state of being seated in the coupling groove 220. To this end, each of the tube 300 and the crash pad portion 200 may be provided with fastening holes 310 and 221 through which the rivet R passes.

[0077] As described above, the front panel cross beam structure according to the present embodiment has a half-type structure, which is composed of a front panel part 100 and an anti-collision pad part 200, the front panel part 100 is made of a metal material and is arranged in the driver's seat section, and the anti-collision pad part 200 is made of a plastic material and is arranged in the central instrument panel section and the passenger seat section, and has the advantages of reducing the overall weight and reducing the cost compared with the conventional full-type structure.

[0078] Furthermore, by injection molding only the crash pad portion 200 and fastening the crash pad portion 200 to the cowl portion 100 , accordingly even when the width and design structure of the vehicle are different for each vehicle, there is an advantage of increasing the degree of freedom in design.

[0079] See also Figures 8 to 10 , a front panel cross beam structure of another embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0080] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The figure schematically shows a front wall cross beam structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 Modifications of the reinforcing bracket are schematically shown.

[0081] 1. Referring to the drawings, the cowl beam structure may include a cowl portion 400 disposed in a driver seat section in a width direction of a vehicle and a crash pad portion 500 disposed in a center instrument panel section and a passenger seat section of the vehicle.

[0082] In the present embodiment, the crash pad portion 500 may be configured to form an integral structure with the front enclosure portion 400 by being continuously connected to the front enclosure lower portion 420. That is, unlike the embodiment in which the front enclosure portion 100 and the crash pad portion 200 are provided independently of each other, Figure 2 The present embodiment is different from the previous embodiment in that the front enclosure portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 are integrally provided.

[0083] In detail, the cowl portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 may be integrally formed by injection molding plastic such as polypropylene (PP), polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 66 (PA66), etc. In this case, glass fiber (GF and LGF) may be mixed into the plastic.

[0084] The cowl portion 400 includes a cowl upper portion 410 and a cowl lower portion 420 , and the cowl upper portion 410 and the cowl lower portion 420 may have an integrally connected structure.

[0085] The cowl upper portion 410 may be provided with a side mounting bracket 430, one end of which is fastened to the vehicle body at the driver's seat side. In addition, the cowl lower portion 420 may extend downward from the end of the cowl upper portion 410 to constitute a central supporting bracket.

[0086] The crash pad portion 500 may have one end extending from the cowl lower portion 420 in the width direction of the vehicle, and may be provided with a side mounting bracket 530 whose other end is fastened to the vehicle body at the passenger seat side.

[0087] In addition, the crash pad portion 500 may have a glove box accommodating space 510 opened toward the interior of the vehicle at a front side thereof exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0088] The side mounting brackets 430 and 530 made of a metal material may be respectively provided in the cowl portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 by insert molding.

[0089] In the cowl cross member structure according to the present embodiment, depending on the materials and connection structure of the cowl portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500, cracks may occur in the area where the cowl portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 are connected due to impact applied in the event of a collision accident.

[0090] The reinforcing bracket 600 may be provided with a structure in which one end of the reinforcing bracket 600 is fixed to the front lower portion 420 and the other end thereof is fixed to the crash pad portion 500 , and the reinforcing bracket 600 may be configured to minimize cracks occurring between the front lower portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 .

[0091] As shown in the figure, the reinforcement bracket 600 may include: a protrusion 610, which protrudes forward from the front surface of the anti-collision pad part 500; a first extension portion 620 and a second extension portion 630 extending from the left and right sides of the protrusion 610, wherein the first extension portion 620 is positioned on the front surface of the front lower portion 420, and the second extension portion 630 is positioned on the front surface of the anti-collision pad part 500; a first bent portion 640, which is bent from the first extension portion 620 and positioned on the inner surface of the front lower portion 420; and a second bent portion 650, which is bent from the second extension portion 630 and positioned on the upper surface of the upper edge 520 of the anti-collision pad part 500.

[0092] In this embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 600 may be formed by cutting and bending a metal material plate.

[0093] In the reinforcing bracket 600 , the first bent portion 640 is fastened and fixed to the inner surface of the cowl lower 420 by the fixing tool F, and the second bent portion 650 and the second extension 630 are fastened and fixed to the crash pad portion 500 by the fixing tool F.

[0094] In addition, the reinforcement bracket 600 may be configured to be elastically deformed by the protrusion 610 in a state of being fastened to the cowl lower 420 and the crash pad portion 500 by the fixing tool F at each of the first bent portion 640 , the second bent portion 650 , and the second extension 630 .

[0095] In detail, the protrusion 610 of the reinforcing bracket 600 may be positioned at a portion where the front lower portion 420 and the crash pad portion 500 are connected. In addition, when an impact is applied by a vehicle collision in a state where the left and right sides are respectively fixed to the front lower portion 420 and the crash pad portion 500 with respect to the protrusion 610, the protrusion 610 elastically deforms and absorbs the impact. That is, the protrusion 610 will absorb the impact by bending and stretching. Therefore, the rupture between the front lower portion 420 and the crash pad portion 500 can be prevented or minimized.

[0096] In the present embodiment, the protrusion 610 is illustrated as protruding in an arc shape, but is not limited thereto.

[0097] Reference Fig.10, the protrusion 610 may also have a structure folded into a spring shape, so that the protrusion 610 can be stretched in the length direction to absorb the impact. In addition, the protrusion 610 may have a variety of elastically deformable shapes.

[0098] Figures 11 to 13 Another embodiment of a reinforcement bracket is shown.

[0099] As shown in the figure, the reinforcing bracket 700 may include a first body 710 and a second body 720, the first body 710 being assembled and fixed to the upper edge 520 of the anti-collision pad portion 500, and having a structure protruding rearward from the rear surface of the anti-collision pad portion 500, and the second body 720 being fastened to the outer surface of the front lower portion 420 and each of the first bodies 710 by a fixing tool F.

[0100] The first body 710 may be composed of a base 711 disposed at the rear surface of the upper edge and a pair of wings 712 and 713 extending from the upper and lower ends of the base 711 and disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the upper edge 520, and may have a "C"-shaped structure as a whole.

[0101] The first body 710 may be fixed by a fixing tool F that passes through the pair of wings 712 and 713 and is fastened to each of the upper and lower surfaces of the upper edge 520 .

[0102] The second body 720 is composed of a fixing portion 721 that contacts the outer surface of the front lower portion 420 and a guide portion 722 that is bent from the fixing portion 721 and is provided parallel to the rear surface of the upper edge 520, and may have a The guide portion 722 is provided in a structure placed on and overlapped with the base 711 , and a sliding hole 722 a may be formed in the guide portion 722 along a length direction.

[0103] The first body 710 and the second body 720 may be made of a metal material.

[0104] The fixing portion 721 may be fastened and fixed to the outer surface of the cowl lower portion 420 by the fixing tool F, and the guide portion 722 may be fastened and fixed to the base 711 of the first body 710 by the fixing tool F. That is, the second body 720 may be coupled to the cowl lower portion 420 and the first body 710. In this case, the fixing tool F is fastened to the first body 710 through the sliding hole 722a.

[0105] The reinforcing bracket 700 according to the present embodiment may be configured to slide along the sliding hole 722 a in a state in which a fixing tool F fastening the first body 710 and the second body 720 is fastened to the first body 710 at the sliding hole 722 a .

[0106] In detail, the first body 710 of the reinforcing bracket 700 is fixed to the upper edge 520 of the crash pad portion 500, the second body 720 is fixed to the front lower portion 420, and the first body 710 and the second body 720 can be connected to each other by fastening with a fixing tool F. In addition, when the vehicle collision applies an impact, the fixing tool F connecting the first body 710 and the second body 720 moves along the sliding hole 722a to absorb the impact. That is, the front lower portion 420 and the crash pad portion 500 can be deformed and absorb the impact to prevent or minimize the rupture between the front lower portion 420 and the crash pad portion 500.

[0107] As described above, the cowl beam structure according to the present embodiment has the effects of reducing the overall weight and reducing the cost by injection-molding the cowl portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 as an integral piece with a plastic material.

[0108] In addition, since the reinforcing brackets 600 and 700 are disposed between the front enclosure portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 and absorb external impacts through the elastically deformed reinforcing brackets 600 and 700, cracks in the area where the front enclosure portion 400 and the crash pad portion 500 are connected can be minimized and rigidity can be increased.

[0109] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cowl cross member structure capable of reducing the weight of the cowl cross member while preventing passengers from being injured in a collision accident.

[0110] The various embodiments of the present disclosure do not list all available combinations but are used to describe representative aspects of the present disclosure, and the description of the various embodiments may be applied independently or may be applied by a combination of two or more.

[0111] A number of embodiments have been described above. However, it should be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are combined in a different manner and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents, suitable results may be achieved. Therefore, other implementations are within the scope of the appended claims.

[0112] Although the present disclosure includes specific examples, after understanding the disclosure of the present application, it is apparent that various changes in form and detail can be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described here are considered to be descriptive only and not for limiting purposes. The description of the features or aspects in each example is considered to be applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. If the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are combined in different ways and / or replaced or supplemented with other components or their equivalents, suitable results can be achieved. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the detailed description, but by the claims and their equivalents, and all changes within the scope of the claims and their equivalents should be interpreted as included in the present disclosure.

[0113] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0114] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0092256, filed on July 17, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Claims

1. A front wall cross beam structure, comprising: a cowl portion provided in a driver's seat section in a width direction of the vehicle, the cowl portion including a cowl upper portion and a cowl lower portion; and a crash pad portion disposed in a structure extending from the cowl portion and disposed between a central instrument panel section and a passenger seat section of the vehicle, The crash pad portion includes a glove box accommodating space defined therein, the glove box accommodating space being open toward the interior of the vehicle on a front surface thereof exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

2. The dash cross member structure according to claim 1, further comprising a tube, one end of the tube in the length direction of which is coupled and fixed to the dash portion, in, The pipe is coupled to the crash pad portion in a fixed state to support the crash pad portion.

3. The dash cross member structure according to claim 2, wherein: The cowl lower portion includes an insertion hole therein, the tube being configured to be inserted into the insertion hole, and The cowl lower portion further includes a contact rib formed in a protruding structure within the insertion hole and configured to contact a surface of the tube inserted into the insertion hole.

4. The dash cross member structure according to claim 2, wherein: The crash pad portion has a coupling groove defined therein, and the tube is configured to be fitted and coupled to the coupling groove in the length direction.

5. The dash cross member structure according to claim 1, wherein: The upper cowl portion and the lower cowl portion are configured to be coupled to each other. The front upper portion includes: a bolt hole defined in the front upper portion, through which a bolt passes; and a slit hole defined in the front upper portion, from which the slit hole extends, and The slit hole extends in a direction different from a length direction of the front upper portion.

6. The dash cross member structure according to claim 1, wherein: The crash pad portion is provided independently from the cowl portion and is configured to be coupled to the cowl portion.

7. The dash cross member structure according to claim 1, wherein: The crash pad portion is continuously connected to the cowl lower portion and is configured to form an integral structure with the cowl portion.

8. The dash cross member structure according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing bracket, the reinforcing bracket including a first end configured to be fixed to the dash lower portion and a second end configured to be fixed to the crash pad portion, in, The reinforcement bracket is configured to minimize cracks occurring between the cowl portion and the crash pad portion.

9. The dash cross member structure according to claim 8, wherein: The reinforcing bracket comprises: a protrusion protruding forward from a front surface of the crash pad portion; a first extension and a second extension extending from left and right sides of the protrusion, the first extension being positioned on a front surface of the cowl lower portion and the second extension being positioned on a front surface of the crash pad portion; a first bent portion bent from the first extension and positioned on an inner surface of the cowl lower portion; and a second bent portion bent from the second extension and positioned on an upper surface of the crash pad portion, and wherein the reinforcement bracket is configured to be elastically deformed by the protrusion in a state of being fastened to the cowl lower portion and the crash pad portion by a fixing tool at each of the first bent portion, the second bent portion, and the second extension portion.

10. The dash cross member structure according to claim 9, wherein: The reinforcing bracket comprises: a first body assembled and fixed to an upper edge of the crash pad portion, the first body including a structure protruding rearward from a rear surface of the crash pad portion; and a second body, the second body being fastened to the first body and the outer surface of the lower part of the front enclosure by the fixing tool, and wherein the second body includes a sliding hole defined therein, the sliding hole being formed in a portion disposed on and overlapping the first body, wherein the fixing tool is configured to slide along the sliding hole while being fastened to the first body in the sliding hole.

Images