Instrument panel mounting structure

Abstract

To facilitate mounting and to enhance soundproof effect.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure includes an instrument panel 20, a framework member 14 located in front of the instrument panel 20 and having a flange portion 14c protruding rearward, a connecting member 30 provided on the instrument panel 20 and connected to the flange portion 14c, and a soundproof member 18 provided on a rear side of the framework member 14 and disposed below the flange portion 14c, wherein the connecting member 30 has an extension portion 36 extending toward an upper end portion of the soundproof member 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a structure for attaching an instrument panel to a frame member of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] An instrument panel with meters and other instruments is installed at the front of the vehicle's interior. A front compartment that houses the engine, motor, etc. is installed at the front of the interior, and a cowl panel is arranged as a framework member that separates the front compartment from the interior. The front side of the instrument panel is attached to the cowl panel located at the front.

[0003] It is known that a connecting member called a cowl clip is used to fasten the cowl panel and the instrument panel. A flange portion is provided on the top of the cowl panel that extends toward the instrument panel, and a cowl clip is provided at a position corresponding to the flange portion on the front of the instrument panel. The rear end of the flange portion is inserted and fixed into the cowl clip to secure the instrument panel to the cowl panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-117673 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to fasten the cowl clip of the instrument panel to the flange of the cowl panel, the flange must be inserted into the cowl clip, so alignment of the two is important.

[0006] In addition, soundproofing material is often provided on the cowl panel to prevent noise from the front compartment from being transmitted into the vehicle interior. In order to fasten the flange and the cowl clip, the soundproofing material is often removed around the fastening point of the cowl panel and the cowl clip, which reduces the soundproofing effect in that area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The instrument panel mounting structure of the present disclosure includes an instrument panel, a skeletal member located in front of the instrument panel and having a flange portion protruding rearward, a connecting member provided on the instrument panel and connecting to the flange portion, and soundproofing material provided on the rear side of the skeletal member and positioned below the flange portion, and the connecting member has an extension portion extending toward the upper end of the soundproofing material.

[0008] The connecting member may be configured to clamp and fix the flange portion from above and below.

[0009] The tip of the extension may be in contact with the soundproofing material.

[0010] The extension portion may include a first extension portion extending diagonally downward and forward, and a second extension portion extending downward at a tip end of the first extension portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The instrument panel mounting structure according to the present disclosure is easy to mount and can enhance soundproofing effects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an instrument panel mounting structure; [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configuration of a cowl clip, in which (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a vertical cross-sectional view. [Figure 3]1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the operation of attaching an instrument panel to a cowl panel, where (A) shows the state during attachment and (B) shows the state after attachment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a portion where no cowl clip is present. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and configurations formed by selectively combining multiple examples are also included in the present disclosure.

[0014] "Overall structure" FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an instrument panel mounting structure according to the present disclosure.

[0015] The front of the vehicle is a front compartment 10 that houses the engine, motor, etc., and the rear is a passenger compartment 12 that houses the passengers.

[0016] A cowl panel 14 (14a, 14b) is provided on the rear side of the front compartment 10 as a partition between the front compartment 10 and the passenger compartment 12. Here, the cowl panel 14 constitutes a frame member of the vehicle. Note that a dash panel (particularly the lower partition) also serves as a partition member between the front compartment 10 and the passenger compartment 12, and in this specification, this will also be referred to as the cowl panel 14. In this example, the cowl panel 14 is made of metal such as steel plate, but it can also be made of resin or other materials.

[0017] The cowl panel 14 includes an upper cowl panel 14a extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and a lower cowl panel 14b extending in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle. The upper cowl panel 14a is disposed below the windshield 16, with its rear end extending toward the passenger compartment. The lower cowl panel 14b has an upper end extending rearward and, after joining with the rear end of the upper cowl panel 14a, forms a flange portion 14c. The flange portion 14c extends horizontally with a constant width at the top of the cowl panel 14, for example. The flange portion 14c has a constant width in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and expands in the vehicle width direction. The flange portion 14c may be formed by extending the upper cowl panel 14a or the lower cowl panel 14b, or by joining both. The flange portion 14c may also be formed intermittently in the vehicle width direction to correspond to the position of a cowl clip 30, which will be described later.

[0018] A soundproofing material 18 is disposed on the passenger compartment side of the cowl panel 14. The soundproofing material 18 is configured with multiple layers, with a material such as felt or urethane on the panel side and a material such as rubber on the passenger compartment side. Note that it may also be configured as a single layer of felt or urethane, or a three-layer configuration, such as felt + rubber + felt. The soundproofing material 18 reduces the intrusion of noise from the engine or the like in the front compartment 10 into the passenger compartment 12. The soundproofing material 18 includes a lower soundproofing material 18b disposed on the passenger compartment 12 side of the lower cowl panel 14b, and an upper soundproofing material 18a disposed on the passenger compartment 12 side of the upper cowl panel 14a. Note that the soundproofing material 18 may be configured as a single plate-shaped material as a whole, with a portion corresponding to a cowl clip 30, described below, cut out.

[0019] An instrument panel 20 is disposed on the passenger compartment side of the soundproofing material 18. The instrument panel 20 is a panel on which various meters and the like are attached. Therefore, the front side corresponding to the cowl panel 14 is the rear side of the meters and the like. Cowl clips 30 are provided at predetermined portions of the instrument panel 20. For example, a plurality of cowl clips 30 are provided at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction on the upper part of the instrument panel 20.

[0020] The cowl clip 30 includes a main body 34 and a horizontal slit 32 extending from the front side to the rear side of the main body 34. The flange portion 14c of the cowl panel 14 is inserted into this slit 32. The cowl clip 30 clamps and fixes the inserted flange portion 14c from above and below.

[0021] "Cowl clip configuration" 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the configuration of the cowl clip 30, where (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a vertical cross-sectional view. The cowl clip 30 is referred to as a connecting member.

[0022] The cowl clip 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped main body 34. A horizontal slit 32 is formed from the front to the rear of the main body 34, dividing the front portion into an upper main body 34a and a lower main body 34b. The rear portion of the main body 34 does not have the slit 32 and is formed as an integrated base portion 34c. In other words, the slit 32 is formed partway from the front of the main body 34. The base portion 34c is attached to the instrument panel 20.

[0023] An extension 36 extending diagonally downward and forward is formed at the front end of the lower body 34b. The extension 36 is a plate-like slope that extends entirely from the front end of the lower body 34b.

[0024] The lower front tip of extension 36 is bent downward to form abutment portion 38. Extension 36 and abutment portion 38 are rectangular plate members, and abutment portion 38 is a relatively small member. Extension 36 will be referred to as the first extension portion, and abutment portion 38 will be referred to as the second extension portion.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1 , the contact portion 38 contacts the upper end of the lower sound-insulating material 18b. In the illustrated example, a notch 42 corresponding to the contact portion 38 is provided in the rear upper end of the lower sound-insulating material 18b, and the contact portion 38 is accommodated in the notch 42. Here, as described above, the lower sound-insulating material 18b is made of a relatively soft, elastically deformable material such as felt or urethane. Therefore, the contact portion 38 may contact and press against the rear upper end of the lower sound-insulating material 18b, causing the lower sound-insulating material 18b to bend and accommodate the contact portion 38. When the lower sound-insulating material 18b is bent, the surface pressure increases, causing the contact portion 38 and the lower sound-insulating material 18b to come into close contact with each other, effectively preventing sound leakage from the boundary. In this case, when the contact portion 38 is not pressed against the lower sound-insulating material 18b, the notch 42 is absent, as indicated by the dotted line in the left diagram of FIG. 3 . Even when the notch 42 is provided, it is preferable to deform the upper end of the lower soundproofing material 18b by pressing the contact portion 38 against it.

[0026] Furthermore, the flange portion 14c is inserted into the slit 32. The upper body 34a and the lower body 34b, which are located on both the top and bottom sides of the slit 32, may be provided with ribs or the like that protrude into the slit 32 to fix the flange portion 14c.

[0027] 2(A) and 2(B), the lower main body 34b has a rectangular parallelepiped hollow portion 40 that is open at the front, and an opening 40a that extends in the front-to-rear direction is formed on the top surface of the lower main body 34b. If ribs that protrude toward the slit 32 are provided on both sides of the opening 40a of the lower main body 34b, the ribs can move toward the hollow portion 40, and the flange portion 14c can be easily sandwiched by the spring force.

[0028] The cowl clip 30 may have any configuration as long as it can clamp and secure the flange portion 14c. In this embodiment, the hollow portion 40 is provided, but the lower body 34b may have a spring force. Also, the cowl clip 30 is usually made of resin.

[0029] Slide function 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the operation of attaching the instrument panel 20 to the cowl panel, with (A) showing the state during attachment and (B) showing the state after attachment.

[0030] The left figure shows the state in which the instrument panel 20 is in the middle of being attached, with the instrument panel 20 positioned rearward of the flange portion 14c. The instrument panel 20 is also positioned offset upward relative to the cowl panel 14, with the tip of the flange portion 14c abutting against the extension portion 36 of the cowl clip 30.

[0031] That is, if the instrument panel 20 is shifted upward when being attached to the cowl panel 14, when the instrument panel 20 is brought closer to the cowl panel 14 (moved forward) as indicated by arrow A, the flange portion 14c comes into contact with the extension portion 36 of the cowl clip 30, as shown in the left diagram. By supporting the instrument panel 20 so that it can move up and down when the instrument panel 20 is moved further forward, the instrument panel 20 moves diagonally downward as indicated by arrow B in the diagram. That is, when the instrument panel 20 moves forward with the tip of the flange portion 14c in contact with the extension portion 36, the instrument panel 20 moves so that the tip of the flange portion 14c moves on the slope of the extension portion 36.

[0032] Then, guided by the slope of the extension 36, the tip of the flange 14c enters the slit 32 of the cowl clip 30.

[0033] As a result, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 3, the instrument panel 20 is properly positioned, and the flange portion 14c is clamped and fixed by the cowl clip 30.

[0034] "Soundproofing performance" Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a portion where cowl clip 30 is not present. Upper sound-insulating material 18a and lower sound-insulating material 18b are connected so as to cover the tip of the joint portion between upper cowl panel 14a and lower cowl panel 14b. As shown in Fig. 1, in the vertical cross section of sound-insulating material 18 where cowl clip 30 is present, upper sound-insulating material 18a and lower sound-insulating material 18b are separated, but in the vertical cross section where cowl clip 30 is not present, upper sound-insulating material 18a and lower sound-insulating material 18b are continuous.

[0035] That is, in this embodiment, an opening is provided in a portion of the soundproofing material 18 that corresponds to the cowl clip 30. For example, the opening can be formed by hollowing out a portion of the integral soundproofing material 18. The flange portion 14c then protrudes rearward from this opening and is clamped and fixed by the cowl clip 30.

[0036] By making the size of the opening correspond to the size of the cowl clip 30, it is possible to prevent sound from inside the front compartment 10 from leaking to the passenger compartment 12 through this opening.

[0037] In particular, in this embodiment, the extension 36 is provided, and the contact portion 38 at the tip of the extension 36 contacts the upper end of the lower soundproofing material 18b, thereby enhancing the soundproofing effect.

[0038] That is, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the extension 36 functions as a sound insulating wall against noise reaching the passenger compartment 12 from the front compartment 10.

[0039] In particular, the tip of the extension 36 is bent to form the abutment 38. The soundproofing effect is enhanced by accommodating this abutment 38 in a notch 42 provided at the upper end of the lower soundproofing material 18b, or by pressing the abutment 38 against the upper end of the lower soundproofing material 18b to deform and fix the upper end of the lower soundproofing material. The part of the notch 42 that abuts against the abutment 38 has a smooth surface, and by abutting flatly against the abutment 38, the soundproofing effect can be enhanced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10 front compartment, 12 passenger compartment, 14 cowl panel (framework member), 14c flange portion, 16 windshield, 18 soundproofing material, 20 instrument panel, 30 cowl clip (connecting member), 32 slit, 34 main body, 36 extension portion, 38 abutment portion, 40 cavity portion, 42 notch.

Claims

1. The instrument panel and a frame member located in front of the instrument panel and having a flange portion protruding rearward; a connecting member provided on the instrument panel and connected to the flange portion; a soundproofing material provided on the rear side of the frame member and positioned below the flange portion; Including, The connecting member has an extension extending toward the upper end of the soundproofing material. Instrument panel mounting structure.

2. 2. The instrument panel mounting structure according to claim 1, The connecting member clamps and fixes the flange portion from above and below. Instrument panel mounting structure.

3. 3. The instrument panel mounting structure according to claim 2, The tip of the extension portion abuts against the soundproofing material. Instrument panel mounting structure.

4. 4. The instrument panel mounting structure according to claim 3, The extension portion includes a first extension portion extending diagonally downward and forward, and a second extension portion extending downward at a tip end side of the first extension portion. Instrument panel mounting structure.

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