Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure in which the number of components can be reduced when a wire harness is routed to a dash panel.SOLUTION: A dash panel 14 is formed of a resin and a clamp 20 is formed integrally with the dash panel 14 made of the resin. As a result, the number of components is reduced, so that the number of components can be reduced when a wire harness 22 is routed to the dash panel 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure. [Background technology]

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a bracket is fixed to a dash panel, and a harness cover is attached to which a wire harness is attached and detached via the bracket. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] WO2011 / 155238 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the structure described in Patent Document 1, a stud bolt is fixed to the dash panel, and the stud bolt is inserted into an insertion hole formed in a bracket and a nut is screwed onto the stud bolt, thereby fixing the bracket to the dash panel. In other words, with this prior art, when routing a wire harness in a dash panel, the number of parts is large, which increases the number of work steps.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can reduce the number of parts when routing a wire harness in a dash panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle front structure described in claim 1 includes a resin dash panel that separates a power unit room from a passenger compartment, and a clamp that is integrally formed with the dash panel and holds a wire harness that is routed through the dash panel.

[0007] The vehicle front structure described in claim 1 includes a dash panel and a clamp. The dash panel is made of resin and separates the power unit compartment from the passenger compartment. The clamp is formed integrally with the dash panel and holds the wire harness routed through the dash panel.

[0008] In this invention, the clamp is integrally formed with the resin dash panel (so-called integral molding), eliminating the need for auxiliary materials such as studs used to attach the clamp to the dash panel and reducing the number of parts.In addition, since the process of attaching the clamp to the dash panel is unnecessary, the number of work steps can be reduced, leading to cost reductions.

[0009] The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 is the vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the clamp stands up from the surface of the dash panel facing the passenger compartment and holds the wire harness together with the surface of the dash panel.

[0010] In the vehicle front structure described in claim 2, the clamp stands up from the surface of the dash panel facing the passenger compartment and holds the wire harness against the surface of the dash panel, allowing the wire harness to be routed along the surface of the dash panel.

[0011] The vehicle front structure described in claim 3 is the vehicle front structure described in claim 1, wherein the clamp includes a first claw portion that holds the wire harness between itself and the surface of the dash panel, and a second claw portion that is formed opposite the first claw portion and has a gap between itself and the first claw portion that allows the wire harness to pass through.

[0012] In the vehicle front structure described in claim 3, the clamp includes a first claw portion and a second claw portion, and the first claw portion holds the wire harness between the first claw portion and the surface of the dash panel. Meanwhile, the second claw portion is formed opposite the first claw portion, and a gap is provided between the first claw portion and the second claw portion to allow the wire harness to pass through.

[0013] That is, in the present invention, the wire harness is guided toward the first claw through the gap provided between the first claw and the second claw, and the wire harness is held between the first claw and the surface of the dash panel. In this way, in the present invention, when the wire harness is held by the clamp, it is only necessary to pass the wire harness through the gap formed by the first claw and the second claw, so that installation of the wire harness is easy and workability is good.

[0014] The vehicle front structure described in claim 4 is the vehicle front structure described in claim 3, wherein the second claw portion is formed to protrude further from the surface of the dash panel than the first claw portion, and the gap is formed between the second claw portion and the first claw portion due to elastic deformation of the second claw portion.

[0015] In the vehicle front structure described in claim 4, the second claw portion is formed to protrude further from the surface of the dash panel than the first claw portion. This makes the second claw portion more susceptible to elastic deformation than the first claw portion. The elastic deformation of the second claw portion forms a gap between the second claw portion and the first claw portion, allowing the wire harness to pass through.

[0016] Therefore, when the wire harness passes between the second claw portion and the first claw portion, the second claw portion returns to its original position, and the size of the gap formed between the second claw portion and the first claw portion, through which the wire harness can pass, is at least reduced, thereby preventing the wire harness from slipping out and the wire harness held by the first claw portion from easily coming off the clamp.

[0017] A vehicle front structure according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle front structure according to the third aspect, wherein a labyrinth structure is formed between the tip end of the first claw portion and the tip end of the second claw portion.

[0018] In the vehicle front structure described in claim 5, a labyrinth structure is formed between the tip of the first claw and the tip of the second claw, and the path of the wire harness is changed during the process of inserting and holding the wire harness. This makes it possible to prevent the wire harness held by the first claw from easily coming off even if the clamp bends due to aging or the like. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] As described above, the vehicle front structure according to the present invention can reduce the number of parts when routing a wire harness in a dash panel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] (A) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the dash panel and clamp showing the main parts of the vehicle front structure of the embodiment, and (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts to explain the function of the clamp. [Figure 2] 3A and 3B are enlarged cross-sectional views showing a clamp that constitutes a part of the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 5A and 5B are enlarged cross-sectional views of essential parts for explaining the function of a clamp that constitutes a part of the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A vehicle front structure according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The arrows FR and UP shown in each drawing indicate the forward and upward directions, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, when the terms "front-rear," "up-down," and "left-right" are used in the description, they refer to the front and rear directions in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the up and down directions in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the left and right directions when facing the front of the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

[0022] <Vehicle front structure configuration> First, the configuration of the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment will be described.

[0023] Fig. 1(A) shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a dash panel 14 provided in the front of a vehicle 12 to which a vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in Fig. 1(A), a power unit room 16 is provided in the front of the vehicle 12, and a passenger compartment 18 (cabin) is provided to the rear of the power unit room 16. The dash panel 14 is provided between the passenger compartment 18 and the power unit room 16. The dash panel 14 extends in the vehicle up-down and width directions with the thickness direction of the dash panel 14 being the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the passenger compartment 18 and the power unit room 16 are separated by the dash panel 14.

[0024] (clamp) Here, dash panel 14 is formed in a plate shape from resin, and a clamp 20 is formed on dash panel 14. In this embodiment, a wire harness 22 that electrically connects a motor (not shown) and a battery is routed along surface 14A of dash panel 14. Therefore, wire harness 22 is held by clamp 20.

[0025] For example, the clamp 20 is configured to include an upper claw piece (second claw portion) 24 and a lower claw piece (first claw portion) 26, and the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw piece 26 are arranged facing each other vertically.

[0026] The lower claw piece 26 is generally L-shaped and includes a lower leg piece 28 that protrudes from the surface 14A of the dash panel 14 toward the rear of the vehicle and has a generally rectangular cross section when cut along the vehicle vertical and width directions, and a lower claw portion 30 that protrudes upward from the tip of the lower leg piece 28. In addition, an inclined surface 32 is formed on the rear surface 30A of the lower claw portion 30, which slopes upward toward the surface 14A of the dash panel 14.

[0027] The extension of the lower leg piece 28 is approximately the same length as the outer diameter of the wire harness 22, allowing the wire harness 22 to be inserted between the surface 14A of the dash panel 14 and the lower claw portion 30. The extension of the lower claw portion 30 is formed, for example, to be larger than the outer diameter of the wire harness 22. This allows the wire harness 22 to be accommodated and held in the accommodation portion 34 formed by the surface 14A of the dash panel 14, the lower leg piece 28, and the lower claw portion 30.

[0028] In this way, by making the lower claw portion 30 protrude from the tip of the lower leg piece 28, the wire harness 22 is prevented from coming out by the lower claw portion 30 while it is housed in the housing portion 34. Note that it is not necessary to form the protruding amount of the lower claw portion 30 to be larger than the outer diameter dimension of the wire harness 22, as long as it is sufficient for the wire harness 22 to be able to be maintained housed in the housing portion 34.

[0029] On the other hand, upper claw piece 24 is generally inverted L-shaped and includes an upper leg piece 36 that faces lower leg piece 28, protrudes from surface 14A of dash panel 14 toward the rear of the vehicle, and has a generally rectangular cross section when cut along the vehicle vertical and width directions, and an upper claw portion 38 that protrudes downward from the tip of upper leg piece 36. In addition, an inclined surface 40 is formed on the front surface 38A of upper claw portion 38, which slopes downward in a direction away from surface 14A of dash panel 14.

[0030] In this embodiment, the upper leg piece 36 protrudes further toward the rear of the vehicle than the lower leg piece 28, and is longer than the lower leg piece 28. The upper claw portion 38 is formed rearward of the lower claw portion 30. In other words, the upper claw portion 38 and the lower claw portion 30 are formed in a state where they are offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. A gap 42 is provided between the inclined surface 40 of the upper claw portion 38 and the inclined surface 32 of the lower claw portion 30, and this gap 42 is formed to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the wire harness 22.

[0031] The clamp 20 is formed integrally with the resin dash panel 14, and the upper claw portion 38 is formed longer than the lower claw portion 30 and is easily elastically deformed. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1(B), elastically deforming the upper claw portion 38 widens the gap 42, allowing the wire harness 22 to pass through.

[0032] <Actions and effects of the vehicle front structure> Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment will be described.

[0033] 1(A), the front portion of a vehicle 12 to which the vehicle front structure is applied is configured to include a dash panel 14 and a clamp 20. The dash panel 14 is made of resin. The clamp 20 is formed integrally with the dash panel 14 (integrally molded), and holds a wire harness 22 routed in the dash panel 14.

[0034] For example, as a comparative example, when attaching a clamp 102 to a metallic dash panel 100, as shown in Fig. 4, first, a stud bolt 104 is welded to the dash panel 100. Then, the clamp 102 is inserted into the threaded portion 104A of the welded stud bolt 104, and the clamp 102 is attached to the dash panel 100 via the stud bolt 104.

[0035] In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1(A), dash panel 14 is molded from resin, so clamp 20 can be molded integrally with resin dash panel 14. As a result, in this embodiment, secondary materials such as stud bolt 104 used to attach clamp 102 to dash panel 100 shown in Fig. 4 in the comparative example are not required, and the number of parts can be reduced. In other words, in this embodiment, the number of parts can be reduced when routing wire harness 22 in dash panel 14.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since there is no need to attach the clamp 20 to the dash panel 14, the number of steps required can be reduced accordingly, which further reduces costs.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, the clamp 20 stands up from the surface 14A of the dash panel 14 and holds the wire harness 22 together with the surface 14A of the dash panel 14, so that the wire harness 22 can be routed along the surface 14A of the dash panel 14.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the clamp 20 is configured to include a lower claw piece 26 and an upper claw piece 24, and the lower claw piece 26 holds the wire harness 22 between itself and the surface 14A of the dash panel 14. Meanwhile, the upper claw piece 24 is formed opposite the lower claw piece 26, and a gap 42 is provided between the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw piece 26 to allow the wire harness 22 to pass through.

[0039] That is, in this embodiment, the wire harness 22 is guided toward the lower claw piece 26 through the gap 42 provided between the lower claw piece 26 and the upper claw piece 24, and the wire harness 22 is held between the lower claw piece 26 and the surface 14A of the dash panel 14. In this manner, in this embodiment, when the wire harness 22 is held by the clamp 20, the wire harness 22 is simply passed through the gap 42 formed between the lower claw piece 26 and the upper claw piece 24, which makes installation of the wire harness 22 easy and improves workability.

[0040] Further, in the present embodiment, the upper claw piece 24 is formed so as to project from the surface 14A of the dash panel 14 more than the lower claw piece 26. As a result, the upper claw piece 24 is more likely to elastically deform than the lower claw piece 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 1(B), a gap 42 through which the wire harness 22 can pass is formed between the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw piece 26 due to the elastic deformation of the upper claw piece 24.

[0041] Therefore, when the wire harness 22 passes between the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw piece 26, the upper claw piece 24 is restored, and the size of the gap 42 formed between the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw piece 26 and through which the wire harness 22 can pass is at least reduced. As a result, the wire harness 22 is prevented from coming off, and it becomes possible to prevent the wire harness 22 held by the lower claw piece 26 from easily coming off from the clamp 20.

[0042] Further, by forming the length (L2) of the upper claw piece 24 to be longer than the length (L1) of the lower claw piece 26 and making the upper claw piece 24 more likely to elastically deform, as shown in FIG. 2(B), it becomes possible to reduce the amount of protrusion (offset in the vehicle front-rear direction) (L3) by which the upper claw piece 24 protrudes more than the lower claw piece 26.

[0043] Further, by forming the upper claw portion 38 and the lower claw portion 30 in an offset state in the vehicle front-rear direction, the vertical dimension H (<H’) can be shortened as compared with the clamp 50 shown in FIG. 2(A) as a modified example.

[0044] Here, in FIG. 2(A), the upper claw piece (second claw portion) 52 and the lower claw piece (first claw portion) 54 are formed to have substantially the same length. By elastically deforming the upper claw piece 52 and the lower claw piece 54, a gap 60 is formed between the upper claw portion 56 of the upper claw piece 52 and the lower claw portion 58 of the lower claw piece 54, and the wire harness 22 (see FIG. 1(B)) can pass through. In the clamp 50, since the upper claw piece 52 and the lower claw piece 54 are formed to have substantially the same length, the dimension in the plate thickness direction of the dash panel 62 can be reduced.

[0045] On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3(A), the upper claw portion 38 of the upper claw piece 24 and the lower claw portion 30 of the lower claw piece 26 are formed in a state where they are offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a gap 42 is provided between the inclined surface 40 of the upper claw portion 38 and the inclined surface 32 of the lower claw portion 30, allowing the wire harness 22 to pass through this gap 42.

[0046] When the wire harness 22 passes through the gap 42, the wire harness 22 moves diagonally upward along the inclined surfaces 32, 40, and after passing through the gap 42, passes between the upper leg piece 36 of the upper claw piece 24 and the tip of the lower claw portion 30 of the lower claw piece 26 in a substantially horizontal direction. Then, when the wire harness 22 abuts against the surface 14A of the dash panel 14, the wire harness 22 moves downward and is accommodated in the accommodation portion 34.

[0047] That is, in this embodiment, the labyrinth structure 64 is configured by changing the path of the wire harness 22 in the clamp 20 during the process from when the wire harness 22 is inserted to when it is held.

[0048] In this way, by configuring the labyrinth structure 64 in the clamp 20 that holds the wire harness 22, even if the clamp 20 bends due to aging or the like, the upper claw piece 24 covers the lower claw piece 26 (wraps around the front and rear of the vehicle), making it possible to prevent the wire harness 22 held by the lower claw piece 54 from easily coming off.

[0049] In particular, in Figure 3(B), the upper claw piece 66 is formed to be longer than in Figure 3(A), and the amount of bending is greater than that of the upper claw piece 24, but the amount of overlap between the upper claw piece 66 and the lower claw piece 68 increases accordingly, making it more difficult for the wire harness 22 to come off.

[0050] In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the clamp 20 is provided with the upper claw 24 and the lower claw 26, but the upper claw 24 is not necessarily required.

[0051] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and one embodiment may be appropriately combined with various modified examples, and the present invention may of course be embodied in various forms as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0052] <Additional Notes> The following configurations may be appropriately combined to form the vehicle front structure according to the present invention.

[0053] (Configuration 1) The vehicle front structure is composed of a resin dash panel that separates the power unit room from the passenger compartment, and a clamp that is formed integrally with the dash panel and holds the wire harness that is routed through the dash panel.

[0054] (Configuration 2) The clamp stands upright from the surface of the dash panel facing the passenger compartment and holds the wire harness together with the surface of the dash panel.

[0055] (Configuration 3) The clamp includes a first claw portion that holds the wire harness between itself and the surface of the dash panel, and a second claw portion that is formed opposite the first claw portion and has a gap between itself and the first claw portion that allows the wire harness to pass through.

[0056] (Configuration 4) The second claw portion is formed to protrude further from the surface of the dash panel than the first claw portion, and the gap is formed between the second claw portion and the first claw portion due to elastic deformation of the second claw portion.

[0057] (Configuration 5) A labyrinth structure is formed between the tip of the first claw portion and the tip of the second claw portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10 Vehicle front structure 12 vehicles 14 Dash panel 14A surface 16 Power unit room 18 Cabin 20 Clamp 22 Wire harness 24 Upper claw piece (second claw part) 26 Lower claw piece (first claw part) 30 Lower claw (tip of first claw) 38 Upper claw (tip of second claw) 42 Gap 50 Clamp 52 Upper claw piece (second claw part) 54 Lower claw piece (first claw part) 56 Upper claw (tip of second claw) 58 Lower claw (tip of first claw) 60 Gap 62 Dash panel 64 Labyrinth Structure 66 Upper claw piece (second claw part) 68 Lower claw piece (first claw part)

Claims

1. A resin dash panel separates the power unit room from the passenger compartment, a clamp formed integrally with the dash panel and configured to hold a wire harness routed through the dash panel; A vehicle front structure comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the clamp stands upright from the surface of the dash panel facing the passenger compartment and holds the wire harness together with the surface of the dash panel.

3. The clamp is a first claw portion that holds the wire harness between itself and a surface of the dash panel; a second claw portion formed opposite to the first claw portion and having a gap between the first claw portion and the second claw portion, through which the wire harness can pass; The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, comprising:

4. 4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3, wherein the second claw portion is formed to protrude further from the surface of the dash panel than the first claw portion, and the gap is formed between the second claw portion and the first claw portion due to elastic deformation of the second claw portion.

5. 4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3, wherein a labyrinth structure is formed between the tip end of the first claw portion and the tip end of the second claw portion.

Images