Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure capable of improving sealing performance between a front pillar and a cowl without decreasing the rigidity and strength of the front pillar.SOLUTION: A cowl side bent portion 16 covered with a seal panel 25 seals a clearance between a pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bent portion 16, a clearance between the pillar inner panel 13 and the seal panel 25, and a clearance between the cowl side bent portion 16 and the seal panel 25, by means of foaming sealers W1, W2, W3. At an end of the seal panel 25 in a vehicle vertical direction, the foaming sealer W2 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the seal panel 25 and the foaming sealer W3 between the cowl side bent portion 16 and the seal panel 25 are continuously connected to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure, and more particularly to a seal structure between a front pillar and a cowl. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle front structure has a front pillar extending in the vehicle vertical direction at the side of the vehicle, and a cowl extending in the vehicle width direction. The seal structure between the front pillar and the cowl is a double seal structure consisting of a foam sealer that is sealed in a welding process in which the front pillar and the cowl are welded, and a paint sealer that is sealed in a painting process. The vehicle front structure further has a gusset provided at the rear of the cowl in the vehicle longitudinal direction so as to hide a lower portion of the cowl.

[0003] Here, when sealing the front pillar and the cowl with a paint sealer, the portions hidden by the gusset cannot be sealed with the paint sealer because the application nozzle of the paint sealer cannot approach them.

[0004] To solve the above problems, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle front structure in which a pillar inner panel constituting the inside of a front pillar is divided into a rear inner panel and a front inner panel, and a cowl is sandwiched between the front inner panel and the rear inner panel. In this vehicle front structure, the seal structure between the front pillar and the cowl is a double seal structure in which a foam sealer is used to seal between the rear inner panel and the cowl, and between the front inner panel and the cowl. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-107905 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the vehicle front structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the pillar inner panel is divided into front and rear parts, which reduces the rigidity and strength of the front pillar.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can improve the sealing performance between the front pillar and the cowl without reducing the rigidity and strength of the front pillar. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle front structure according to the present invention includes a front pillar having a closed cross section formed by a pillar outer panel arranged on the outside in the vehicle width direction and a pillar inner panel arranged on the inside in the vehicle width direction, the front pillar extending in the vehicle up-down direction at the side of the vehicle, a cowl extending in the vehicle width direction and having a cowl-side bent portion whose end on the outside in the vehicle width direction is bent towards the rear in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction and which is overlapped and welded to the inside in the vehicle width direction of the pillar inner panel, a gusset provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the pillar inner panel and behind the cowl in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction so as to hide a lower part of the cowl, and a seal panel provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction at the cowl-side bent portion where the gusset is provided so as to cover the pillar inner panel and the cowl-side bent portion. and the cowl-side bend portion not covered with the seal panel is sealed between the pillar inner panel and the cowl-side bend portion with a foam sealer, and is sealed from the inside in the vehicle width direction from the cowl-side bend portion to the adjacent pillar inner panel with a painted sealer, and the cowl-side bend portion covered with the seal panel is sealed between the pillar inner panel and the cowl-side bend portion, between the pillar inner panel and the seal panel, and between the cowl-side bend portion and the seal panel with a foam sealer, and at the upper and lower ends of the seal panel, the foam sealer between the pillar inner panel and the seal panel and the foam sealer between the cowl-side bend portion and the seal panel are continuously connected. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the vehicle front structure of the present invention, a double seal structure between the front pillar and the cowl can be realized without dividing the pillar inner panel, thereby improving the seal between the front pillar and the cowl without reducing the rigidity and strength of the front pillar. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 with the gusset removed. [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a seal structure along the AA cross section of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a seal structure along the cross section BB in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a seal structure at an end of a seal panel in the vehicle vertical direction. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the following description, specific shapes, materials, directions, values, etc. are merely examples for the purpose of easily understanding the present invention, and can be appropriately changed according to the application, purpose, specifications, etc.

[0012] "Vehicle front structure" A vehicle front structure 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] The vehicle front structure 10 has a seal structure 30 that seals between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl 14, which will be described later. The seal structure 30 of the vehicle front structure 10 makes it possible to realize a double seal structure between the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 without dividing the pillar inner panel 13, which will be described in detail later. This makes it possible to improve the sealability between the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 without reducing the rigidity and strength of the front pillar 11.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle front structure 10 has a front pillar 11 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle at the side of the vehicle, a cowl 14 extending in the vehicle width direction, a gusset 18 provided behind the cowl 14 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction so as to hide the lower part of the cowl 14, and a seal panel 25 provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 in the portion where the gusset 18 is provided.

[0015] The front pillar 11 is a support member that supports a roof (not shown) at the front of the vehicle. The front pillar 11 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle at the side of the vehicle. The front pillar 11 has a closed cross section formed by a pillar outer panel 12 disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and a pillar inner panel 13 disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0016] The cowl 14 is an outer plate member extending in the vehicle width direction between a bonnet (not shown) and a front window (not shown). The cowl 14 has a cowl main body 15 extending in the vehicle width direction, and a cowl-side bent portion 16 formed by bending an outer end of the cowl main body 15 in the vehicle width direction toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction. The cowl-side bent portion 16 is overlapped and welded to the inner side of the pillar inner panel 13 in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] The gusset 18 is a reinforcing member for the cowl 14 and the instrument panel (not shown). The gusset 18 is provided behind the cowl 14 in the vehicle front-rear direction and on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the pillar inner panel 13. The gusset 18 has a cowl reinforcement 19, an instrument panel gusset 20, and a gusset extension 21, which will be described later.

[0018] The cowl reinforcement 19 is a reinforcing member for the cowl 14. The cowl reinforcement 19 is provided rearward of the cowl main body 15 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and together with the cowl main body 15 forms a closed cross section.

[0019] The instrument panel gusset 20 is a reinforcing member for the instrument panel. The instrument panel gusset 20 is provided on the inner side of the pillar inner panel 13 in the vehicle width direction, and together with the pillar inner panel 13, forms a closed cross section.

[0020] The gusset extension 21 is a reinforcing member that connects the cowl reinforcement 19 and the instrument panel gusset 20. A seal panel 25 is provided on the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl-side bent portion 16 hidden by the gusset extension 21.

[0021] The seal panel 25 is a member that constitutes the seal structure 30 that seals between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl 14. The seal panel 25 is provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl-side bent portion 16. The seal panel 25 is also provided in a portion hidden by the gusset extension 21. The seal panel 25 further extends in the vehicle up-down direction.

[0022] Here, it is necessary to seal the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 to prevent water from entering from the engine compartment toward the vehicle interior. Therefore, hereinafter, a seal structure 30 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl-side bent portion 16 will be described.

[0023] The seal structure 30 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl-side bent portion 16 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the seal structure 30 includes a first seal structure 31 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bend 16 that is not covered by the seal panel 25 and the gusset extension 21, a second seal structure 32 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bend 16 that is covered by the seal panel 25 and the gusset extension 21, and a third seal structure 33 at the vehicle vertical end of the seal panel 25.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the first seal structure 31 is formed by sealing between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bend 16 with a foam sealer W1, and also by sealing the cowl side bend 16 and the area from the cowl side bend 16 to the adjacent pillar inner panel 13 from the inside in the vehicle width direction with a painted sealer T.

[0026] The foam sealer W1 is applied in a welding process in which the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bent portion 16 are welded together. The foam sealer W1 applied in the welding process foams due to heat from a painting process or the like, thereby sealing the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bent portion 16. Foam sealers W2 and W3, which will be described later, are also sealed in a similar process.

[0027] The paint sealer T is applied in a painting process and then cured in a baking process. For example, a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive is used as the paint sealer T, and any known sealant may be used as long as it exhibits functions such as waterproofing, dustproofing, and rustproofing.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the second seal structure 32 is formed such that the space between the pillar inner panel 13 and the cowl side bent portion 16 is sealed with a foam sealer W1, the space between the pillar inner panel 13 and the seal panel 25 is sealed with a foam sealer W2, and the space between the cowl side bent portion 16 and the seal panel 25 is sealed with a foam sealer W3.

[0029] According to the second seal structure 32, although it is not possible to seal with the paint sealer T because the application nozzle of the paint sealer cannot get close due to it being hidden by the gusset extension 21, a double seal structure can be realized by the seal panel 25 and the foam sealers W1 to W3.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, in the third seal structure 33, at the vehicle vertical end of the seal panel 25, the foam sealer W2 between the pillar inner panel 13 and the seal panel 25 and the foam sealer W3 between the cowl side bend portion 16 and the seal panel 25 are continuously connected.

[0031] According to the third seal structure 33, by connecting the foam sealer W2 and the foam sealer W3 at the vehicle vertical end of the seal panel 25, the sealing performance of the boundary between the first seal structure 31 and the second seal structure 32 can be improved.

[0032] Conventionally, when sealing the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 with a paint sealer, the portion hidden by the gusset 18 could not be sealed with the paint sealer because the application nozzle of the paint sealer could not approach the portion.

[0033] To solve the above problem, in the conventional vehicle front structure, the pillar inner panel 13 constituting the inside of the front pillar 11 is divided into a front inner panel and a rear inner panel, and a cowl 14 is sandwiched between the front inner panel and the rear inner panel. However, in this vehicle front structure, the pillar inner panel 13 is divided into front and rear parts, which reduces the rigidity and strength of the front pillar 11.

[0034] However, in the vehicle front structure 10 of the present embodiment, a double seal structure between the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 can be realized without dividing the pillar inner panel 13. This makes it possible to improve the sealability between the front pillar 11 and the cowl 14 without reducing the rigidity and strength of the front pillar 11.

[0035] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the matters described in the claims of this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 vehicle front structure, 11 front pillar, 12 pillar outer panel, 13 pillar inner panel, 14 cowl, 15 cowl main body, 16 cowl side bend, 18 gusset, 19 cowl reinforcement, 20 instrument panel gusset, 21 gusset extension, 25 seal panel, 30 seal structure, 31 first seal structure, 32 second seal structure, 33 third seal structure, T paint sealer, W1 foam sealer, W2 foam sealer, W3 foam sealer

Claims

[Claim 1] a front pillar extending in a vehicle up-down direction at a side portion of the vehicle, the front pillar having a closed cross section formed by a pillar outer panel disposed on an outer side in a vehicle width direction and a pillar inner panel disposed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction; a cowl extending in a vehicle width direction, the end portion on an outer side in the vehicle width direction being bent toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction and having a cowl-side bent portion overlapping and welded to an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the pillar inner panel; A gusset is provided on the inside of the pillar inner panel in the vehicle width direction and at the rear of the cowl in the vehicle front-rear direction so as to hide a lower portion of the cowl; a seal panel provided on an inner side in a vehicle width direction so as to cover the pillar inner panel and the cowl side bent portion at a portion where the gusset is provided; Equipped with The cowl-side bent portion that is not covered by the seal panel is sealed between the pillar inner panel and the cowl-side bent portion with a foam sealer, and the cowl-side bent portion and the area from the cowl-side bent portion to the adjacent pillar inner panel are sealed from the inside in the vehicle width direction with a paint sealer, the cowl-side bent portion covered with the seal panel is sealed with a foam sealer between the pillar inner panel and the cowl-side bent portion, between the pillar inner panel and the seal panel, and between the cowl-side bent portion and the seal panel; At the vehicle vertical direction end of the seal panel, a foam sealer between the pillar inner panel and the seal panel and a foam sealer between the cowl side bent portion and the seal panel are continuously connected. Vehicle front structure.

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