Vehicle instrument panel structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle instrument panel structure which inhibits increase of costs, achieves improvement of assemblability, and prevents water droplets from penetrating into electronic devices.SOLUTION: A vehicle instrument panel structure 1 includes an instrument panel 2 to which a first electronic device 3 and an air conditioning duct 7 are attached. In the instrument panel 2, a first opening 4 to which the first electronic device 3 is attached and a duct opening 8 to which the air conditioning duct 7 is attached are formed. The instrument panel 2 has: an upper vertical wall 10 having the duct opening 8, a lower vertical wall 11 having the first opening 4, and a ceiling wall 12 connected to a lower end of the upper vertical wall 10 and an upper end of the lower vertical wall 11. The lower vertical wall 11 has a lateral guide part 30 extending in a vehicle width direction at an upper part of the first opening 4. The lateral guide part 30 gradually inclines downward in a direction to one end from the other end. The ceiling wall 12 gradually inclines downward in a direction to the one end from the other end and gradually inclines downward toward the lower vertical wall 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle instrument panel structure in which an opening for mounting an air conditioning duct (air conditioning duct) on a vehicle instrument panel and an opening for mounting electronic equipment arranged below the air conditioning duct are formed. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a housing for accommodating an electronic control unit that is placed in a console box provided between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. An electronic device such as an electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to include a circuit board, electronic components such as a CPU mounted on the circuit board, and a plurality of connectors that are provided on the circuit board and connected to cables, and the housing for accommodating the electronic control unit is provided with an opening for exposing the connectors.

[0003] An air conditioning duct that guides conditioned air from the air conditioning unit into the vehicle cabin may be positioned above the housing within the console box.In such cases, when condensation forms on the surface of the air conditioning duct, which becomes cold during cooling, the water droplets will drip onto the housing.If these water droplets enter the housing through openings and come into contact with circuit boards or electronic components, they may cause a short circuit and interfere with the operation of the electronic control unit.

[0004] In view of the above circumstances, the housing for accommodating an electronic control unit described in Patent Document 1 includes an upper surface in contact with the upper edge of the connector arrangement surface, a side surface in contact with the upper surface and the connector arrangement surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface and in contact with the side surface and the connector arrangement surface, a bulging portion formed by bulging upward from the upper surface and extending to the upper edge, and a step portion connecting the upper surface and the bulging portion, the step portion extending to the side surface and the side surface extending to the lower surface. As a result, water droplets that drip onto the upper surface of the housing are guided by the step portion on the upper surface toward the side surface of the housing and are guided downward from the side surface of the housing, thereby preventing the water droplets from entering the opening. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-161624 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In some cases, a large number of electronic devices such as ECUs are arranged on a vehicle instrument panel, and an air conditioning duct is arranged above the large number of electronic devices. However, with the solution using a housing for accommodating an electronic control unit described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to address each of the multiple electronic devices arranged on the vehicle instrument panel, which increases the cost of the housing for accommodating the electronic control unit. In addition, when assembling the housing for accommodating the electronic control unit thus addressed to the instrument panel, there are problems such as poor assembly ease due to the complex structure of the housing.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle instrument panel structure that can prevent water droplets caused by condensation from entering electronic equipment arranged below an air conditioning duct, while suppressing cost increases and improving assembly ease. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle instrument panel structure including an instrument panel extending in a vehicle width direction, the instrument panel having a first electronic device, a second electronic device, and an air conditioning duct, which is an air conditioning duct, which are housed in a housing, the air conditioning duct, the first electronic device, and the second electronic device being arranged in this order at a predetermined distance from above, the position of the air conditioning duct at least partially overlapping the positions of the first electronic device and the second electronic device in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction, and the instrument panel has a first opening to which the first electronic device is attached and a duct opening to which the air conditioning duct is attached. a duct opening is formed in the upper portion of the vehicle, and the instrument panel has an upper vertical wall having a duct opening, a lower vertical wall disposed below and forward of the upper vertical wall and having a first opening, and a ceiling wall extending in the fore-and-aft direction, connecting a lower end of the upper vertical wall and an upper end of the lower vertical wall, the lower vertical wall having a lateral guide portion that protrudes forward from the lower vertical wall and extends across an upper portion of the first opening in the vehicle width direction, the lateral guide portion inclines downward as it moves from the other end in the vehicle width direction to one end in the vehicle width direction, and a guide surface that is an upper surface of the ceiling wall inclines downward as it moves from the other end in the vehicle width direction to the one end in the vehicle width direction, and also inclines downward as it moves from the upper vertical wall to the lower vertical wall. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle instrument panel structure that can prevent water droplets from entering due to condensation toward electronic equipment arranged below an air conditioning duct, while suppressing cost increases and improving assembly ease. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle instrument panel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from an engine room side (front side). [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of a first opening of the instrument panel according to the present embodiment, as viewed from the front side. FIG. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which a first electronic device is attached to an instrument panel according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional side view of FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view of a first opening and an inclined wall of the instrument panel according to the present embodiment, as viewed from the front side. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is a front view of the vehicle instrument panel structure according to the present embodiment as viewed from the inside (rear side) of the vehicle compartment, and FIG. 2B is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing a portion of a main water path in the vehicle instrument panel structure according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing a main water path in the vehicle instrument panel structure according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 8] 1A is a perspective view showing a part of a sub-water passage in a vehicle instrument panel structure according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A as viewed from the side. [Figure 9] 4 is a diagram showing a sub-water path in the vehicle instrument panel structure according to the embodiment; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the vehicle instrument panel structure 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the engine room side of the instrument panel 2 of the vehicle instrument panel structure 1 is referred to as the front side, the interior side of the vehicle compartment of the instrument panel 2 is referred to as the rear side, the engine room side of the instrument panel 2 is referred to as the front side, the interior side of the vehicle compartment of the instrument panel 2 is referred to as the rear side, and the right side when the instrument panel 2 is viewed from the interior side of the vehicle compartment is referred to as the right side, and the left side is referred to as the left side.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle instrument panel structure 1 according to this embodiment as viewed from the engine room side (front side), showing a central portion of the vehicle instrument panel structure 1. The vehicle instrument panel structure 1 includes an instrument panel 2 extending in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 1, the left side of the instrument panel 2 is the driver's seat side, and the right side is the passenger seat side. The instrument panel 2 has a first opening 4 for mounting a first electronic device 3, a second opening 6 for mounting a second electronic device 5, and a duct opening 8 for mounting an air conditioning duct 7 for air conditioning. The second opening 6 and the duct opening 8 are disposed in the center in the vehicle width direction, and the first opening 4 is disposed on the right side (left side in FIG. 1) which is one end side closer to the center in the vehicle width direction. That is, the first opening 4 is disposed on the right side (left side in FIG. 1) which is one end side in the vehicle width direction than the second opening 6 and the duct opening 8 in the vehicle width direction. In addition, in the vehicle width direction, the position of the duct opening 8 is arranged so as to at least partially overlap the positions of the first opening 4 and the second opening 6. In the vertical direction, the first opening 4, the second opening 6, and the duct opening 8 are arranged from above in the order of the duct opening 8, the first opening 4, and the second opening 6, with a predetermined interval between them. In a state in which the first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4, the second electronic device 5 is attached to the second opening 6, and the air conditioning duct 7 is attached to the duct opening 8, the first electronic device 3, the second electronic device 5, and the air conditioning duct 7 are attached to the instrument panel 2 so that the position of the air conditioning duct 7 at least partially overlaps the positions of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5 in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction. The shapes of the first opening 4, the second opening 6, and the duct opening 8 are substantially rectangular with a horizontally long shape.

[0013] The instrument panel 2 has an upper vertical wall 10 having a duct opening 8, a lower vertical wall 11 having a first opening 4 and a second opening 6, and a ceiling wall 12 connecting the upper vertical wall 10 and the lower vertical wall. The lower vertical wall 11 is disposed below the upper vertical wall 10 and forward of the upper vertical wall 10. The ceiling wall 12 connects to the lower end of the upper vertical wall 10 and the upper end of the lower vertical wall and extends in the front-rear direction. The ceiling wall 12 has an upper surface (guiding surface) 13 facing upward.

[0014] The first electronic device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the first electronic device is attached to the instrument panel 2. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the first electronic device 3 is housed in a housing 18 having a connector arrangement surface 17 with an opening 16 to which a connector 15 is attached. When the first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4, the connector arrangement surface 17 becomes a front surface disposed forward. The housing 18 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an upper surface 19 in contact with the upper edge of the connector arrangement surface 17, side surfaces 20 on both sides in contact with the upper surface 19 and the connector arrangement surface 17, a lower surface 21 facing the upper surface 19 and in contact with the connector arrangement surface 17 and the side surfaces 20 on both sides, and a rear surface 22 facing the connector arrangement surface 17 and in contact with the upper surface 19, the side surfaces 20 on both sides, and the lower surface 21. The second electronic device 5 is also housed in a housing 28 having a connector arrangement surface 27 with an opening 26 to which a connector 25 is attached (see FIG. 1). When the second electronic device 5 is attached to the second opening 6, the connector arrangement surface 27 becomes the front surface that is disposed forward. The housings 18, 28 are made of resin and are waterproof. In this embodiment, the housings 18, 28 are made of resin, but may be made of aluminum or other material as long as they are waterproof.

[0015] Next, the structures of the lower vertical wall 11 and the ceiling wall 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower vertical wall 11 and the ceiling wall 12 as viewed from the engine room (front) side, showing a state in which the first electronic device 3 is not attached to the first opening 4. The lower vertical wall 11 has a lateral guide portion 30 that protrudes forward from the lower vertical wall 11 toward the engine room side and extends across the upper portion of the first opening 4 provided in the lower vertical wall 11 in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, the lateral guide portion 30 protrudes forward from an inner surface 11a that is the surface of the lower vertical wall 11 on the engine room side. The lateral guide portion 30 is inclined downward from the other end, which is the left end in the vehicle width direction (the right end in FIG. 2), toward one end, which is the right end in the vehicle width direction (the left end in FIG. 2).

[0016] The lower vertical wall 11 also has a first vertical guide portion 31 extending vertically along the right side (left side in FIG. 2) which is one end side of the first opening 4 provided in the lower vertical wall 11. The first vertical guide portion 31 protrudes forward, toward the engine room side, from the inner surface 11a which is the engine room side surface of the lower vertical wall 11. The upper end of the first vertical guide portion 31 is connected to the lower surface of the right end side of the lateral guide portion 30. The first vertical guide portion 31 is hat-shaped and convex toward one end side which is the right side (left side in FIG. 2) in the vehicle width direction. The hat-shaped first vertical guide portion 31 has a first guide piece 31a extending downward from the upper end, a second guide piece 31b extending from the lower end of the first guide piece 31a to the right side in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 2), a third guide piece 31c extending downward from the right end (left end in FIG. 2) of the second guide piece 31b, a fourth guide piece 31d extending leftward (right side in FIG. 2) from the lower end of the third guide piece 31c, and a fifth guide piece 31e extending downward from the left end (right end in FIG. 2) of the fourth guide piece 31d. The first vertical guide portion 31 is the vertical guide portion in the present invention.

[0017] The lower vertical wall 11 also has a second vertical guide portion 32 extending vertically along the left side (right side in FIG. 2) of the other end of the first opening 4 provided in the lower vertical wall 11. The second vertical guide portion 32 protrudes forward, toward the engine room side, from the inner surface 11a, which is the engine room side surface of the lower vertical wall 11. The upper end of the second vertical guide portion 32 is connected to the lower surface of the left end side (right end side in FIG. 2) of the lateral guide portion 30. The second vertical guide portion 32 is hat-shaped and convex toward the other end side, which is the left side in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 2). The hat-shaped second vertical guide portion 32 has a first guide piece 32a extending downward from the upper end, a second guide piece 32b extending from the lower end of the first guide piece 32a to the left side in the vehicle width direction (right side in Figure 2), a third guide piece 32c extending downward from the left end (right end in Figure 2) of the second guide piece 32b, a fourth guide piece 32d extending to the right (left side in Figure 2) from the lower end of the third guide piece 32c, and a fifth guide piece 32e extending downward from the right end (left end in Figure 2) of the fourth guide piece 32d.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, three sides formed by the upper side of the first opening 4 and the vertical sides of both sides are surrounded by a horizontal guide portion 30, a first vertical guide portion 31, and a second vertical guide portion 32. One end of the horizontal guide portion 30 is connected to the upper end of the first vertical guide portion 31, and the other end of the horizontal guide portion 30 is connected to the upper end of the second vertical guide portion 32, and the horizontal guide portion 30, the first vertical guide portion 31, and the second vertical guide portion 32 are continuous. An upper side surface 30a, which is the surface of the horizontal guide portion 30 opposite to the first opening 4 side, is not at an angle of 90 degrees to the inner surface 11a of the lower vertical wall 11, but is inclined downward from the inner surface 11a toward the front (see Fig. 3(b)).

[0019] The guide surface 13 of the ceiling wall 12 slopes downward from the left side (right side in FIG. 2), which is the other end side in the vehicle width direction, to the right side (left side in FIG. 2), which is one end side in the vehicle width direction, and also slopes downward from the upper vertical wall 10 to the lower vertical wall 11, as shown in FIG. 3(b). The ceiling wall 12 has a guide rib 14 that protrudes upward from the guide surface 13 and extends in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the guide rib 14 is connected to the upper vertical wall 10, and the front end of the guide rib 14 extends to the upper end of the lower vertical wall 11.

[0020] Next, with reference to Figs. 3(a) and (b), the mounting state of the first electronic device 3 to the first opening 4 will be described. The first electronic device 3 housed in the housing 18 is mounted to the first opening 4 by a bracket 40. The bracket 40 has a lower surface portion 41 for fixing the lower surface 21 of the housing 18, and vertical wall portions 42 erected upward from both ends of the lower surface portion 41 in the vehicle width direction. The bracket 40 has a rear wall portion (not shown) erected from the rear ends of the vertical wall portions 42 at both ends in a direction in which the tips are separated from each other, and the rear wall portion is fixed to the lower vertical wall 11 by a fastening metal fitting (not shown). As shown in Fig. 3(b), in a state in which the first electronic device 3 housed in the housing 18 is mounted to the first opening 4 via the bracket 40, the front side of the housing 18 is disposed closer to the engine room side (front side) than the first opening 4, and the rear side of the housing 18 is disposed closer to the inside of the vehicle compartment (rear side) than the first opening 4. In addition, in a state where the first electronic device 3 housed in the housing 18 is attached to the first opening 4 via the bracket 40, the upper surface 19 of the housing 18 is inclined downward from the front surface, which is the connector arrangement surface 17, toward the rear surface 22, and the upper surface 19 is inclined downward from the other end (the right end in FIG. 3(a)) toward one end (the left end in FIG. 3(a)) in the vehicle width direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3(b), in a state where the first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4 via the bracket 40, the lower surface portion 41 is inclined downward from the front to the rear, and the front end of the lower surface portion 41 is disposed forward of the front end of the lateral guide portion 30. In this embodiment, the first electronic device 3 is covered by the garnish 60 described later, and is not an equipment that appears on the design surface, which is the interior side surface of the instrument panel 2, and the inclination does not impair the design.

[0021] Next, the structure of the lower part of the instrument panel 2 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5(a). Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower part of the instrument panel 2 as viewed from the engine room side (front side), and Fig. 5(a) is a front view of the lower part of the instrument panel 2 as viewed from the inside of the vehicle compartment (rear side). As shown in Fig. 5(a), a column opening 51 for arranging a column cover 50 is formed at one end side in the vehicle width direction (left side in Fig. 4, right side in Fig. 5) of the instrument panel 2 on the driver's seat side. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the instrument panel 2 has an inclined wall 52 that is connected to the lower end of the lower vertical wall 11 and inclined forward from the upper end to the lower end, and a vertical side wall 53 that forms the vertical side of the other end side of the column opening 51 (right side of the column opening 51 in Fig. 4). As shown in Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), the instrument panel 2 has a rear guide wall 54 disposed between the lower vertical wall 11 and the inclined wall 52, and connected to the lower end of the lower vertical wall 11 and the upper end of the inclined wall 52. The rear guide wall 54 extends rearward from the lower end of the lower vertical wall 11 and connects to the upper end of the inclined wall 52 rearward of the first opening 4. The vertical side wall 53 stands forward from the lower vertical wall 11 and the inclined wall 52 and extends in the up-down direction. A first water passage 55 is formed in an inner corner formed by the vertical side wall 53 and the inclined wall 52. The first water passage 55 is formed in a concave shape by the vertical side wall 53 and the inclined wall 52. The upper end side of the first water passage 55 communicates with the lower end of the third guide piece 31c. The lower end of the first water passage 55 coincides with the lower end of the instrument panel 2. Here, the upper end side of the first water passage 55 communicating with the lower end of the third guide piece 31c does not necessarily mean that the upper end of the first water passage 55 and the lower end of the third guide piece 31c are directly connected, and as will be described in detail later, it is sufficient that the first water passage 55 is arranged so that water droplets that flow through the third guide piece 31c are guided to the upper end of the first water passage 55. In other words, it is sufficient that the upper end of the first water passage 55 is arranged at the same position as the first vertical guide portion 31 in the vehicle width direction, and is arranged below the first vertical guide portion 31.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 5(a), a garnish 60 is disposed behind the instrument panel 2 so as to cover the lower side of the first opening 4. The garnish 60 is disposed adjacent to the column opening 51 at the other end side (the left end side in FIG. 5(a)) of the column opening 51. The column cover 50 is disposed adjacent to the other end (the left end in FIG. 5(a)) of the garnish 60. The garnish 60 has a garnish main body 61 that covers the second opening 6, a garnish vertical side wall 62 that stands forward from the garnish main body 61 and extends in the up-down direction, and a garnish upper side wall 63 that stands forward from the garnish main body 61 and extends in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the garnish vertical side wall 62. The garnish main body 61 is disposed on the rear side of the inclined wall 52 so as to be spaced apart from the inclined wall 52 at a predetermined distance. The garnish 60 has a second water passage 64. The second water passage 64 is formed in a concave shape in an inner corner portion formed by the garnish main body portion 61 and the garnish vertical side wall 62, and extends in the vertical direction.

[0023] Next, the second water passage 64 will be described with reference to FIG. 5(b). FIG. 5(b) is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5(a), and shows a vertical cross section including the instrument panel 2, the garnish 60, and the first opening 4. In FIG. 5(b), the garnish vertical side wall 62 is omitted, but the concave second water passage 64 is disposed in the vertical direction in the inner corner formed by the garnish main body 61 and the garnish vertical side wall 62. The upper side of the second water passage 64 is disposed rearward of the inclined wall 52 of the instrument panel 2, and the lower side of the second water passage 64 is disposed rearward and below the inclined wall 52 of the instrument panel 2. The upper end side of the second water passage 64 extends to the rear end of the rear guide wall 54 of the instrument panel 2 and is connected to the first opening 4. Here, the upper end side of the second water passage 64 being connected to the first opening 4 does not require that the upper end of the first water passage 55 and the first opening 4 be directly connected; it is sufficient that the water droplets flowing through the first opening 4 are arranged to be guided to the upper end of the second water passage 64, as will be described in more detail below.

[0024] Next, the flow of condensation water generated on the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 will be described. Cool air generated by an air conditioning device (not shown) flows inside the air conditioning duct 7 and is blown out toward the inside of the vehicle cabin from an air outlet (not shown) provided at the duct opening 8. Therefore, condensation water is generated on the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 in summer and the like. The condensation water generated on the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 turns into droplets and falls downward. A first opening 4 and a second opening 6 are arranged below the duct opening 8 to which the air conditioning duct 7 is attached, and a first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4 and is housed in a housing 18 having a connector arrangement surface 17 with an opening for attaching a connector, and a second electronic device 5 is attached to the second opening 6 and is housed in a housing 28 having a connector arrangement surface 27 with an opening for attaching a connector. Therefore, in the conventional vehicle instrument panel structure, water droplets that fall downward from the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 enter through an opening provided in the connector arrangement surface 17 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and an opening provided in the connector arrangement surface 27 of the housing 28 of the second electronic device 5, causing a problem in that they interfere with the operation of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5. However, the vehicle instrument panel structure 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that it solves this problem while suppressing an increase in cost and improving ease of assembly.

[0025] First, referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the main water path, which is the main water path of water droplets that fall downward from the surface of the air-conditioning duct 7, will be described. In Figs. 6 and 7, the arrows shown by dashed lines indicate the flow of water droplets (hereinafter simply referred to as water). As shown in Fig. 6, the water that falls downward from the surface of the air-conditioning duct 7 falls first onto the guide surface 13. The guide surface 13 is inclined downward from the left side (right side in Fig. 6), which is the other end side in the vehicle width direction, to the right side (left side in Fig. 6), which is one end side in the vehicle width direction, and is also inclined downward from the upper vertical wall 10 to the lower vertical wall 11. Therefore, a part of the water flows toward the lateral guide portion 30 and is guided to the lateral guide portion 30. The remaining water flows toward the guide rib 14, and the remaining water that flows toward the guide rib 14 is guided from the guide rib 14 to the lateral guide portion 30. Therefore, the water that falls onto the guide surface 13 can be guided to the lateral guide portion 30 by the guide rib 14. In addition, the guide rib 14 provided on the ceiling wall 12 can increase the rigidity of the instrument panel 2.

[0026] Next, the water guided to the lateral guide portion 30 flows toward the first vertical guide portion 31 disposed at one end of the lateral guide portion 30 because the lateral guide portion 30 is inclined downward from the other end, which is the left end (the right end in FIG. 6) in the vehicle width direction, toward one end, which is the right end (the left end in FIG. 6) in the vehicle width direction. The water flowing toward the first vertical guide portion 31 flows through the first guide piece 31a, the second guide piece 31b, and the third guide piece 31c in this order, and flows downward from the lower end of the third guide piece 31c. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper end of the first water passage 55 formed in the inclined wall 52 is connected to the lower end of the third guide piece 31c, and the water flowing downward from the lower end of the third guide piece 31c is guided to the first water passage 55. The water guided to the first water passage 55 flows downward by the first water passage 55 and is discharged from the lower end of the first water passage 55 into the vehicle interior. That is, the water droplets that condense in the air conditioning duct 7 flow in the following order: the guide surface 13, the horizontal guide portion 30, the first vertical guide portion 31, and the first water passage 55. However, most of the water that falls downward from the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 evaporates before reaching the lower end of the first water passage 55, so only a small amount of water is discharged into the vehicle cabin.

[0027] In this way, according to the vehicle instrument panel structure 1 of this embodiment, water that falls downward from the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 is discharged without entering through the openings provided on the connector arrangement surface 17 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5, thereby preventing water from entering the openings provided on the connector arrangement surface 17 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5 while suppressing cost increases and improving assembly ease.

[0028] Next, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 8(a), FIG. 8(b), and FIG. 9, the sub-water path, which is a sub-water path for water droplets that have fallen downward from the surface of the air-conditioning duct 7, will be described. In FIG. 6, FIG. 8(a), FIG. 8(b), and FIG. 9, the arrows shown by dashed lines indicate the flow of water. As shown in FIG. 6, the water that has fallen downward from the surface of the air-conditioning duct 7 falls on the guide surface 13, as in the case of the main water path. The guide surface 13 is inclined downward from the left side (right side in FIG. 6), which is the other end side in the vehicle width direction, to the right side (left side in FIG. 6), which is one end side in the vehicle width direction, and is also inclined downward from the upper vertical wall 10 to the lower vertical wall 11. Therefore, part of the water flows toward the horizontal guide portion 30, and the remaining water flows toward the guide rib 14, and as a result, the water that has fallen on the guide surface 13 is guided to the horizontal guide portion 30.

[0029] Next, the water guided to the lateral guide portion 30 flows toward the first vertical guide portion 31 disposed at one end of the lateral guide portion 30 because the lateral guide portion 30 is inclined downward from the other end, which is the left end in the vehicle width direction (the right end in FIG. 6), toward one end, which is the right end in the vehicle width direction (the left end in FIG. 6). However, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the upper side surface 30a of the lateral guide portion 30 is inclined downward from the inner surface 11a of the lower vertical wall 11 toward the front. Therefore, the water guided to the lateral guide portion 30 falls on the way toward the first vertical guide portion 31, and falls onto the upper surface 19 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3. In a state where the first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4 via the bracket 40, the upper surface 19 is inclined downward from the front surface, which is the connector arrangement surface 17, toward the rear surface 22, as shown in Fig. 8(b), and the upper surface 19 is inclined downward from the other end in the vehicle width direction (the right end in Fig. 8(a)) toward one end (the left end in Fig. 8(a)). In addition, in a state where the first electronic device 3 is attached to the first opening 4 via the bracket 40, the lower surface portion 41 of the bracket 40 is inclined downward from the front to the rear, and the front end of the lower surface portion 41 is disposed forward of the front end of the lateral guide portion 30. Therefore, water that falls on the upper surface 19 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 flows toward the rear of the upper surface 19 through the first opening 4, and water that falls on the upper surface 19 from one end of the upper surface 19 in the vehicle width direction onto the lower surface portion 41 flows toward the rear through the first opening 4 and falls onto the rear guide wall 54 of the instrument panel 2.

[0030] Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the water that has flowed down onto the rear guide wall 54 flows downward from the rear end of the rear guide wall 54. Since the upper end side of the second water passage 64 formed in the garnish 60 extends to the rear end of the rear guide wall 54, the water that has flowed down from the rear end of the rear guide wall 54 is guided to the second water passage 64. The water that has been guided to the second water passage 64 flows downward by the second water passage 64 and is discharged from the lower end of the second water passage 64 into the vehicle interior. That is, since the upper end side of the second water passage 64 is connected to the first opening 4 via the rear guide wall 54, the water that has fallen downward while flowing through the lateral guide portion 30 passes through the first opening 4 via the upper surface 19 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and the lower surface portion 41 of the bracket 40, and is guided to the second water passage 64 by the rear guide wall 54. However, most of the water that falls downward from the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 evaporates before reaching the lower end of the second water passage 64, and therefore only a small amount of water is discharged into the vehicle cabin. That is, the water that condenses in the air conditioning duct 7 flows along the guide surface 13 and the lateral guide portion 30, falls midway along the lateral guide portion 30, flows along the upper surface 19 of the housing 18 or the lower surface portion 41 of the bracket 40, passes through the opening of the first opening portion 4, and flows in the following order through the rear guide wall 54 and the second water passage 64.

[0031] In this way, according to the vehicle instrument panel structure 1 of this embodiment, water that falls downward from the surface of the air conditioning duct 7 is discharged without entering through the openings provided on the connector arrangement surface 17 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5, thereby preventing water from entering the openings provided on the connector arrangement surface 17 of the housing 18 of the first electronic device 3 and the second electronic device 5 while suppressing cost increases and improving assembly ease.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first water passage 55 is formed in an inner corner formed by the vertical side wall 53 and the inclined wall 52, but is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the first water passage 55 may be formed in a concave shape on the front surface (the surface on the engine room side) of the inclined wall 52. Even in this case, the upper end side of the first water passage 55 needs to be formed so as to communicate with the lower end of the third guide piece 31c of the first vertical guide portion 31 extending vertically along the side portion on one end side of the first opening 4.

[0033] In this embodiment, the second water passage 64 is formed in an inner corner formed by the garnish main body 61 and the garnish vertical side wall 62, but is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the second water passage 64 may be formed in a concave shape on the front surface (the surface on the engine room side) of the garnish main body 61. Even in this case, the upper end side of the second water passage 64 needs to be formed so as to extend to the rear end of the rear guide wall 54 of the instrument panel 2 and communicate with the first opening 4.

[0034] Although the embodiment and its modified examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modified examples, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1...Vehicle instrument panel structure 2. Instrument panel 3...1st electronic device 4…First opening 5…Second electronic device 6…Second opening 7...Air conditioning duct 8…Duct opening 10…Upper vertical wall 11…Lower vertical wall 11a…Inner surface 12...Ceiling wall 13...Guidance surface 14...Guiding rib 15…Connector 16...Aperture 17…Connector placement surface 18…Housing 19…Top surface 20…Side 21…Bottom surface 22…Rear side 25…Connector 26…Aperture 27…Connector placement surface 28…Housing 30...Horizontal guide section 30a…Top side 31…First vertical guide section 31a…First guide piece 31b…Second guide piece 31c…Third guide piece 31d…4th guide piece 31e…5th guide piece 32…Second vertical guide section 32a…First guide piece 32b…Second guide piece 32c…Third guide piece 32d…4th guide piece 32e…5th guide piece 40…Bracket 41...Bottom part 42...Vertical wall part 50…Column cover 51…Column opening 52…Slanted wall 53...Vertical wall 54…Rear guide wall 55…1st waterway 60…Garnish 61…Garnish body 62…Garnish vertical wall 63…Garnish top wall 64…Second waterway

Claims

1. A vehicle instrument panel structure including an instrument panel extending in a vehicle width direction, the instrument panel having a first electronic device and a second electronic device housed in a housing, and an air conditioning duct, the air conditioning duct, the first electronic device, and the second electronic device are disposed in this order from above at a predetermined interval; a position of the air conditioning duct at least partially overlaps with a position of the first electronic device and a position of the second electronic device in a vehicle width direction and a vehicle front-rear direction; the instrument panel is formed with a first opening to which the first electronic device is attached and a duct opening to which the air conditioning duct is attached; The instrument panel includes: an upper vertical wall having the duct opening; a lower vertical wall disposed below and forward of the upper vertical wall and having the first opening; a ceiling wall that is connected to a lower end of the upper vertical wall and an upper end of the lower vertical wall and extends in the front-rear direction; having the lower vertical wall has a lateral guide portion that protrudes forward from the lower vertical wall and extends across an upper portion of the first opening in a vehicle width direction, The lateral guide portion is inclined downward from the other end in the vehicle width direction to the one end in the vehicle width direction, A vehicle instrument panel structure, characterized in that a guide surface which is an upper surface of the ceiling wall slopes downward from the other end in the vehicle width direction to one end in the vehicle width direction, and slopes downward from the upper vertical wall to the lower vertical wall.

2. The first opening is disposed closer to one end in a vehicle width direction than the duct opening, The ceiling wall has a guide rib that protrudes upward from the guide surface and extends in the front-rear direction, 2. The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 1, wherein the guide rib is arranged in a position in the vehicle width direction where the duct opening and the first opening do not overlap and where the guide rib overlaps with the lateral guide portion.

3. the housing has a connector arrangement surface having an opening for mounting a connector, the housing having a front surface disposed forward, an upper surface in contact with an upper edge of the front surface, a side surface in contact with the upper surface and the front surface, a lower surface facing the upper surface and in contact with the front surface and the side surface, and a rear surface facing the front surface and in contact with the upper surface, the side surface, and the lower surface; 2 . The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 1 , wherein the upper surface is inclined downward from the front surface to the rear surface when the first electronic device is attached to the first opening.

4. 4. The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 3, wherein the upper surface is inclined downward from the other end to the one end in a vehicle width direction when the first electronic device is attached to the first opening.

5. the first electronic device is attached to the first opening via a bracket, the bracket has a lower surface portion for fixing the lower surface of the housing of the first electronic device, and a vertical wall portion extending upward from one end of the lower surface portion in a vehicle width direction, 4. The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 3, wherein when the first electronic device is attached to the first opening via the bracket, the lower surface portion slopes downward from the front to the rear, and the front end of the lower surface portion is positioned forward of the front end of the lateral guide portion.

6. The lower vertical wall further includes a vertical guide portion that protrudes forward from the lower vertical wall, extends along a side portion of one end side of the first opening in the vehicle width direction in the up-down direction, and has an upper end connected to the lateral guide portion, the instrument panel has an inclined wall that is connected to a lower end of the lower vertical wall and inclined forward from an upper end to a lower end, The inclined wall has a first water channel formed in a concave shape from an upper end to a lower end on a front surface of the inclined wall, The upper end side of the first water passage is connected to the vertical guide portion, 2. The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 1, wherein water droplets condensed in the air conditioning duct flow in the order of the guide surface, the horizontal guide portion, the vertical guide portion, and the first water channel.

7. the instrument panel has an inclined wall that is connected to a lower end of the lower vertical wall and inclined forward from an upper end to a lower end, a garnish disposed behind the instrument panel along the inclined wall at a predetermined distance from the inclined wall, The garnish has a second water passage formed in a concave shape from the upper end to the lower end on the front surface of the garnish, The upper end side of the second water passage is connected to an opening of the first opening, 6. The vehicle instrument panel structure according to claim 5, characterized in that water droplets condensing in the air conditioning duct flow in the following order: the guide surface, the lateral guide portion, the upper surface of the housing or the lower surface of the bracket, the opening of the first opening, and the second water channel.

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