Vehicle cowl structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicular cowl structure which can prevent ingress of rain water etc. into a passenger compartment side in an efficient manner.SOLUTION: A cowl top panel 106 of a vehicular cowl structure 100 has a panel side outside air inlet 110 at an outer side relative to a center as seen in a vehicle width direction. A cowl top garnish 108 has a garnish side outside air introduction port 112 in front of the panel side outside air inlet 110 in a vehicle. The vehicular cowl structure 100 further includes: a shield member 114 disposed between the cowl top panel 106 and the cow top garnish 108. The shield member 114 has: a plane part 118 extending along an area, which ranges from a position in front of the panel side outside air inlet 110 in the vehicle to the inner side as seen in the vehicle width direction, of the cowl top garnish 108; and a recessed part 120 formed over an area, which ranges from a position in front of the panel side outside air inlet 110 in the vehicle to the outer side as seen in the vehicle width direction, recessed deeper than the plane part 118, and being open at the vehicle front side. A bottom part 134 of the recessed part 120 inclines to the vehicle front lower side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In a typical vehicle, a cowl top panel is installed along the lower edge of the windshield so as to span the left and right A-pillars. The cowl top panel is also used as a mounting location for wipers, and is installed with the front side of the vehicle covered by a cowl top garnish or the like. For example, in the cowl portion structure of Patent Document 1, as shown in Fig. 3 and the like, the front side of the vehicle of the cowl panel 1 is covered by a cowl louver 3, which is a member similar to the above-mentioned cowl top garnish.

[0003] The cowl top panel and cowl top garnish are also members that receive rainwater, etc., flowing down from the windshield. Here, in Patent Document 1, as shown in Fig. 3 and other figures, a cover member 9 is provided to prevent rainwater, washing water, etc. from entering when outside air flows from the outside air intake A of the cowl louver 3 to the air introduction port 1d of the cowl panel 1. The cover member 9 is capable of receiving the water that has entered from the outside air intake A of the cowl louver 3 in the air inflow recess 9e. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-049791 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, the cover member 9 is only provided with an air inlet recess 9e as an angular depression, which may cause the water flow to become unstable, leaving room for improvement in terms of smooth drainage.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a vehicle cowl structure capable of efficiently preventing the intrusion of rainwater and the like into the passenger compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of a vehicle cowl structure according to the present invention is a vehicle cowl structure including a cowl top panel disposed along a lower edge of a windshield of a vehicle, and a cowl top garnish disposed in front of the vehicle of the cowl top panel, the cowl top panel having a panel-side outside air intake formed at a location outside the center in the vehicle width direction and penetrating the cowl top panel to take in outside air into the vehicle compartment, and the cowl top garnish being formed at least in front of the panel-side outside air intake and the cowl top garnish and a garnish-side outside air inlet that penetrates through the cowl top panel and leads outside air to the panel-side outside air inlet, and the vehicle cowl structure further includes a shielding member arranged between the cowl top panel and the cowl top garnish, the shielding member having a flat portion extending along a range of the cowl top garnish from the front of the vehicle of the panel-side outside air inlet to the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a concave portion formed from the front of the vehicle of the panel-side outside air inlet to the outside in the vehicle width direction, recessed further than the flat portion and open to the front of the vehicle, and the bottom of the concave portion is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle cowl structure that can efficiently prevent rainwater and the like from entering the vehicle interior. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the state of the shielding member in FIG. 1(b) when installed. [Diagram 3] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the shielding member in FIG. 2 from various directions. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of the vehicle cowl structure of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a view showing the shielding member in FIG. 3(a) from the front of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A vehicle cowl structure according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a cowl top panel disposed along a lower edge of a windshield of a vehicle, and a cowl top garnish disposed in front of the vehicle of the cowl top panel. The cowl top panel has a panel-side outside air intake formed at a location outside the center in the vehicle width direction and penetrating the cowl top panel to take in outside air into the vehicle compartment. The cowl top garnish is formed at least in front of the panel-side outside air intake and penetrating the cowl top garnish to take in outside air into the vehicle compartment. The vehicle cowl structure further includes a shielding member arranged between the cowl top panel and the cowl top garnish, the shielding member having a flat portion extending along a range from the vehicle front of the panel side outside air intake to the vehicle width inner side of the cowl top garnish, and a concave portion formed from the vehicle front of the panel side outside air intake to the vehicle width outer side, recessed further than the flat portion and open to the front of the vehicle, and the bottom of the concave portion is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle.

[0011] The shielding member of the above configuration has a flat portion formed on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a concave portion formed on the outside in the vehicle width direction. With this shielding member, outside air flowing toward the panel-side outside air intake can be received from the flat portion to the concave portion, and water contained in the outside air can be collected in the concave portion and drained. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to efficiently prevent water from entering the panel-side outside air intake.

[0012] The above-mentioned shielding member further has an attachment region formed in the vehicle width direction on the vehicle rear side of the flat portion and the concave portion and is attached to the cowl top garnish, the flat portion extends from the attachment region at an incline downward toward the front of the vehicle, the concave portion includes an upper step portion that inclines from the attachment region downward toward the front of the vehicle at a greater gradient than the flat portion, and the bottom of the concave portion curves from the upper step portion and extends downward toward the front of the vehicle at a smaller gradient than the upper step portion, and the concave portion is formed outward in the vehicle width direction than the garnish side outside air inlet port.

[0013] According to the shielding member having the above-described configuration, water that has entered through the garnish-side outside air inlet is efficiently received, collected in the concave portion and drained away, thereby preventing water from entering the panel-side outside air intake.

[0014] The shielding member further has a plurality of vertical ribs arranged in the vehicle width direction on the inside of the concave portion and extending in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and the distance between the vertical rib at the vehicle width end of the plurality of vertical ribs and the vehicle width side wall of the concave portion is larger than the distance between the plurality of vertical ribs themselves.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the water that flows into the recessed portion is dispersed by the vertical ribs, which prevents the water from accumulating locally and prevents the water from flowing out of the path. In addition, by widening the spacing between the vertical ribs toward the outside, that is, by setting a wide space on the edge side of the recessed portion into which the water tends to flow, the water is prevented from overflowing from the recessed portion and can be efficiently drained.

[0016] The shielding member further has an edge rib formed continuously from the front edge of the planar portion to the front edge of the concave portion, and a plurality of cutouts formed by cutting out the points where the edge rib intersects with the vertical rib, at least one of which is provided in the area between the vertical rib at the vehicle width direction end and the side wall and in the area between the plurality of vertical ribs.

[0017] The above-mentioned structure clarifies the drainage path and efficiently prevents water from entering the panel-side outside air intake. In addition, by providing a notch at the intersection of the vertical rib and the edge rib, it is possible to promote appropriate deformation and absorb shock when an external load is applied to the shielding member. EXAMPLES

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a vehicle cowl structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1 and all other drawings of the present application, the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right in the vehicle width direction are indicated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward), and the vehicle up-down direction is indicated by arrows U (Upward) and D (Downward).

[0020] Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view of a vehicle cowl structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle cowl structure 100 includes a cowl top garnish 108. The cowl top garnish 108 is a member mainly made of resin, and is disposed below the windshield 102 and in front of a cowl top panel 106 (see Fig. 1(b)) described below.

[0021] Fig. 1(b) is a view of Fig. 1(a) with the cowl top garnish 108 removed. The cowl top panel 106 is disposed above a dash panel 104 (see Fig. 4) that separates the passenger compartment from a power unit mounting room in front of it, along the lower edge of the vehicle windshield 102.

[0022] The cowl top panel 106 has a panel-side outside air intake 110 at a location outside the center in the vehicle width direction. The panel-side outside air intake 110 is formed by penetrating the cowl top panel 106 and is used to take in outside air into the vehicle interior.

[0023] The cowl top garnish 108 described above has a garnish-side outside air inlet 112 that guides outside air to the panel-side outside air inlet 110. The garnish-side outside air inlet 112 is configured with a plurality of slits that penetrate the cowl top garnish 108 lined up in the vehicle width direction, and is formed so that at least a portion of it is located in front of and above the panel-side outside air inlet 110.

[0024] In the vehicle cowl structure 100, in order to prevent rainwater and the like from entering the vehicle interior through the cowl top panel 106, a shielding member 114 is provided between the cowl top garnish 108 and the cowl top panel 106. The shielding member 114 is also called a cowl drip extension, and is disposed so as to be located at least in front of and above the panel-side outside air intake 110.

[0025] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the state of the shielding member 114 of Fig. 1(b) when installed, viewed from above. The shielding member 114 has, as its main parts, a flat part 118 and a concave part 120. The flat part 118 is a planar part formed on the inner side of the shielding member 114 in the vehicle width direction, and serves as a awning for the cowl top panel 106 below. The concave part 120 is formed on the outer side of the shielding member 114 in the vehicle width direction, is recessed below the flat part 118, is open toward the front of the vehicle, and is used as a drainage path for rainwater, etc.

[0026] The shielding member 114 is attached to the inside of the cowl top garnish 108 (see FIG. 1(b)) using clips, fasteners, or the like, and is disposed, together with the cowl top garnish 108, in front of and above the cowl top panel 106. This results in the flat portion 118 extending along a range of the cowl top garnish 108 from the front of the vehicle to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the panel-side outside air intake 110. Also, the concave portion 120 is formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the flat portion 118, spanning from the front of the vehicle to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the panel-side outside air intake 110.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the shielding member 114 of Fig. 2 from various directions. Fig. 3(a) shows the shielding member 114 alone from the same direction as Fig. 2. The shielding member 114 has an attachment region 116 across the vehicle width direction on the vehicle rear side of the flat surface portion 118 and the concave portion 120. The attachment region 116 is an area that is attached to the cowl top garnish 108, and is provided with a plurality of attachment holes 122 for use with clips, fasteners, or the like. Similar attachment holes 124 are also provided in the flat surface portion 118.

[0028] Fig. 3(b) is an AA cross-sectional view of the flat portion 118 of the shielding member 114 in Fig. 3(a). The flat portion 118 extends from the mounting region 116 at an incline downward toward the front side of the vehicle, and is capable of diverting water that has entered through the garnish-side outside air inlet 112 of the upper cowl top garnish 108 (see Fig. 1(b)). An upwardly bent edge rib 128 is formed on a front edge 126 of the flat portion 118.

[0029] Fig. 3(c) is a BB cross-sectional view of the concave portion 120 of the shielding member 114 of Fig. 3(a). The concave portion 120 also extends obliquely downward toward the front of the vehicle from the mounting region 116. In detail, the concave portion 120 includes an upper step portion 130, a curved portion 132, and a bottom portion 134.

[0030] The upper step portion 130 is inclined from the attachment region 116 downward toward the front of the vehicle at a gradient greater than that of the flat portion 118 (see FIG. 3(b)). The curved portion 132 is curved toward the front of the vehicle from the upper step portion 130 to the bottom portion 134, and serves to smoothly guide water that flows down from the upper step portion 130 to the bottom portion 134. The bottom portion 134 extends downward toward the front of the vehicle at a gradient approximately the same as that of the flat portion 118 but smaller than that of the upper step portion 130.

[0031] The leading edge 136 of the base 134 is also formed with an edge rib 128. 136 is located below the vehicle's lower edge 126 of the flat portion 118 (see FIG. 3(b)).

[0032] Fig. 4 is a CC cross-sectional view of the vehicle cowl structure 100 of Fig. 1(a). This CC cross-section is a cross-section cut along a line extending in the vehicle front-rear direction to the garnish-side outside air inlet 112 of the cowl top garnish 108 and the panel-side outside air intake 110 of the cowl top panel 106. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the concave portion 120 is formed so as to reach the outer side in the vehicle width direction beyond the panel-side outside air intake 110 and the garnish-side outside air inlet 112.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, water W2 flowing down from the garnish-side outside air inlet 112 of the cowl top garnish 108 is received by the shielding member 114 below. As described above, the shielding member 114 is configured such that a flat portion 118 (see Fig. 2) is formed on the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a concave portion 120 is formed on the outside in the vehicle width direction. The shielding member 114 receives the outside air W1 flowing toward the panel-side outside air intake 110 from the flat portion 118 to the concave portion 120, and can collect water W2 contained in the outside air W1 in the concave portion 120 and drain it.

[0034] In this embodiment, the water W2 that has entered through the cowl top garnish 108 can be diverted by the shielding member 114 in a path toward the front of the vehicle, i.e., away from the cowl top panel 106. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently prevent the water W2 from entering the panel-side outside air intake 110.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a view showing the shielding member 114 of Fig. 3(a) from the front of the vehicle. Fig. 5(a) is a view showing the shielding member 114 of Fig. 2 as seen from the front of the vehicle. The shielding member 114 is further provided with a plurality of vertical ribs 138a-138c in the vehicle width direction on the inside of the recessed portion 120. The vertical ribs 138a-138c are ribs that are erected like a wall on the bottom 134 of the recessed portion 120 and extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a total of three vertical ribs are provided parallel to the side walls 140a, 140b of the recessed portion 120.

[0036] Fig. 5(b) is an enlarged view of the concave portion 120 in Fig. 5(a). The vertical ribs 138a, etc. are formed to a height such that the upper ends 142 reach the upper stage portion 130 of the concave portion 120, and the upper ends 142 extend at an incline downward toward the front of the vehicle.

[0037] Here, the shielding member 114 is configured such that the flat portion 118 (see FIG. 5(a)) is slightly inclined toward the concave portion 120. In addition, the corners between the flat portion 118 and the concave portion 120 are rounded off, and the concave portion 120 is recessed while being rounded from the surrounding areas such as the flat portion 118. This makes it easier for water to collect from the flat portion 118 etc. in the concave portion 120. In response to this, the multiple vertical ribs 138a to 138c disperse the water that has flowed into the concave portion 120, suppressing the water from accumulating locally within the concave portion 120 and preventing the water from flowing out of the path.

[0038] In this embodiment, the vertical ribs 138a to 138c are arranged at unequal intervals. In particular, the intervals E1 and E4 between the vertical ribs 138a and 138c at the vehicle width direction ends and the side walls 140a and 140b of the recessed portion 120 are set to be larger than the interval E2 between the vertical ribs 138a and 138b and the interval E3 between the vertical ribs 138b and 138c. More specifically, the intervals are set to be larger in the order of E1, E4, E3, and E2 (E1>E4>E3>E2).

[0039] In the shielding member 114, the intervals E1 to E4 between the vertical ribs are wider toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, that is, the intervals E1, E4, which are the spaces on the ends of the concave portion 120 into which water tends to flow from the periphery, are set wide, thereby preventing water from overflowing from the concave portion 120 and enabling water to be efficiently drained. Also, by setting the intervals E2, E3 on the central side narrow, it is possible to improve the rigidity of the central side of the concave portion 120 and improve resistance to vibrations and water pressure during driving.

[0040] In the shielding member 114, an edge rib 128 is continuously formed from a front edge 126 of the flat portion 118 to a front edge 136 of the recessed portion 120. This edge rib 128 is provided with cutouts 144a-144d by cutting out the portions where it intersects with the vertical ribs 138a-138c and the portions where it intersects with the side wall 140b. The cutouts 144a-144d are used as drainage paths from the recessed portion 120 and to allow the recessed portion 120 to deform appropriately.

[0041] At least one of the cutouts 144a to 144d is provided in the edge rib 128 at each interval from E1 to E4, i.e., in the range between the vertical ribs 138a, 138c at the vehicle width direction end and the side walls 140a, 140b, respectively, and in the range between the vertical ribs 138a to 138c. In particular, the cutouts 144a to 144d are formed at the lowest points in each of the intervals from E1 to E4, and at the points where water that flows down from the flat portion 118 and the upper stage portion 130 of the recessed portion 120 gathers.

[0042] The cutouts 144a-144d provide a clear drainage path, which allows water to be drained away from the cowl top panel 106 (see FIG. 4), and thus efficiently prevents water from entering the panel-side outside air intake 110. Furthermore, the cutouts 144a-144d are provided at the intersections of the vertical ribs 138a-138c and the edge rib 128, which promote appropriate deformation when an external load is applied to the shielding member 114, thereby making it possible to absorb impact. For example, when a pedestrian comes into contact with the front hood of the vehicle, the shielding member 114 is able to deform appropriately, which can be useful for absorbing impact.

[0043] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The present invention can be used in a vehicle cowl structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100...vehicle cowl structure, 102...windshield, 104...dash panel, 106...cowl top panel, 108...cowl top garnish, 110...panel side outside air intake, 112...garnish side outside air intake, 114...shielding member, 116...mounting area, 118...flat portion, 120...concave portion, 122...mounting hole, 124...mounting hole, 126...front edge, 128...edge rib, 130...upper stage portion, 132...curved portion, 134...bottom portion, 136...front edge, 138a-138c...vertical ribs, 140a, 140b...side wall, 142...upper end, 144a-144d...notch portion, E1-E4...spacing, W1...outside air, W2...water

Claims

1. A vehicle cowl structure including a cowl top panel disposed along a lower edge of a windshield of a vehicle, and a cowl top garnish disposed in front of the cowl top panel, the cowl top panel has a panel-side outside air intake formed at a location outside the center in the vehicle width direction, penetrating the cowl top panel and taking in outside air into the vehicle compartment, the cowl top garnish has a garnish side outside air inlet formed at least in front of the panel side outside air inlet, penetrating the cowl top garnish and introducing outside air to the panel side outside air inlet, The vehicle cowl structure further includes a shielding member disposed between the cowl top panel and the cowl top garnish, The shielding member is a flat surface portion of the cowl top garnish extending along a range from a front side of the panel side outside air intake to an inner side in a vehicle width direction; a concave portion formed from a front of the panel-side outside air intake to an outer side in a vehicle width direction, the concave portion being recessed from the flat portion and having an open front side of the vehicle, The bottom of the recessed portion is inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle, The vehicle cowl structure is characterized in that the shielding member further has a plurality of vertical ribs provided in the vehicle width direction on the inside of the recessed portion and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction.

2. The shielding member further has an attachment region formed on the vehicle rear side of the flat portion and the recessed portion across the vehicle width direction and attached to the cowl top garnish, The planar portion extends obliquely downward toward the front side of the vehicle from the mounting area, the recessed portion includes an upper step portion that is inclined from the mounting area downward toward the vehicle front at a gradient greater than that of the flat portion, a bottom portion of the recessed portion extends from the upper stage portion toward a front lower side of the vehicle while curving at a gradient smaller than that of the upper stage portion, 2. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portion is formed to extend outward in a vehicle width direction beyond the garnish-side outside air inlet port.

3. A vehicle cowl structure as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between a vertical rib at an end of the plurality of vertical ribs in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle width direction side wall of the concave-shaped portion is greater than the distance between the plurality of vertical ribs themselves.

4. The shielding member further comprises: an edge rib formed continuously from a front edge of the planar portion to a front edge of the concave portion; 4. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of cutouts formed by cutting out the portions of the edge ribs where the edge ribs intersect with the vertical ribs, at least one of which is provided in the area between the vertical rib at the vehicle width direction end and the side wall and in the area between the plurality of vertical ribs.

Images