Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure which can easily secure rigidity required for vibration suppression while achieving pedestrian protection.SOLUTION: A vehicle front part 1 having a vehicle front structure includes a cowl part 4, a cowl top garnish 5, a reinforcement member 6, and a support member 7. The support member 7 has a fixed part 71 fixed to the reinforcement member 6, a connection part 72 connected to the cowl top garnish 5, and an extension part 73. The extension part 73 has a lower extension piece 73a continuously extending to the vehicle upper part from one end in a vehicle longitudinal direction in the fixed part 71, and an upper extension piece 73b continuously extending from the other end in the vehicle longitudinal direction in the connection part 72 so as to extend the connection part 72, and is bent in the vehicle longitudinal direction in a connection part 73c between the lower extension piece 73a and the upper extension piece 73b. A width of the vehicle width direction in the upper extension piece 73b is set so as to be narrower than the with in the vehicle width direction in the lower extension piece 73a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure having a cowl portion and a cowl top garnish. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, in a vehicle front structure, a cowl portion has an opening portion that opens toward the upper side of the vehicle and is disposed along the lower portion of the windshield, and the opening portion of the cowl portion is covered by a cowl top garnish. A wiper drive portion that includes a motor, links, and the like for driving a wiper that wipes the windshield is disposed in the cowl portion. In the conventional vehicle front structure, for example, from the viewpoint of protecting pedestrians, etc., it has been proposed to improve pedestrian protection performance by providing a structure for absorbing an impact when an impact load is applied from above to the cowl top garnish, etc.

[0003] As an example of the vehicle front structure, the structure described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the structure described in Patent Document 1, a support pin protruding forward from a motor of a wiper drive unit is inserted into a support hole of a mounting bracket attached to a front wall of the cowl, thereby supporting the motor. When an impact load is applied to the cowl louver serving as a cowl top garnish, the motor is directly pushed downward through the cowl louver by the impact load. At this time, the rising portion of the lower edge of the support hole in the mounting bracket buckles and deforms, and the support pin falls off the mounting bracket, causing the motor to fall off. As a result, the impact is mitigated, and pedestrian protection performance is improved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-189258 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the structure described in Patent Document 1 requires a structure that reliably drops the motor's support pin from the mounting bracket attached to the front wall of the cowl (i.e., the cowl) in response to the impact load in order to reduce the impact. Since the structure described in Patent Document 1 is premised on the support pin being dropped, the support rigidity (mounting rigidity) of the motor is reduced by this drop-off structure. As a result, the motor is more likely to vibrate during normal driving. In other words, in the structure described in Patent Document 1, the support rigidity (mounting rigidity) of the parts is reduced due to the structure for reducing the impact, and there is a high possibility that increased vibration will occur.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can easily ensure the rigidity required for vibration suppression while protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle front structure including a cowl portion having an opening that opens upward toward the vehicle and that is disposed along a lower portion of a windshield, and a cowl top garnish that covers the opening. The vehicle front structure includes a reinforcing member that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle within the cowl portion and reinforces the cowl portion, and a support member that supports the cowl top garnish from below, the support member having a fixing portion fixed to the reinforcing member, a connecting portion that is connected to the cowl top garnish, and an extending portion that extends from the fixing portion to the connecting portion. The extending portion has a lower extending piece that continues from one end of the fixing portion in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and extends upward toward the vehicle, and an upper extending piece that continues from the other end of the connecting portion in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and extends so as to extend the connecting portion, and is bent in the front-rear direction of the vehicle at a connecting portion between the lower extending piece and the upper extending piece. The width of the upper extending piece in the vehicle width direction is set to be narrower than the width of the lower extending piece in the vehicle width direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] In the vehicle front structure according to one aspect of the present invention, the cowl portion is reinforced by a reinforcing member extending in the vehicle front-rear direction within the cowl portion, and the cowl top garnish covering the opening of the cowl portion is supported from below by a support member having a fixing portion fixed to the reinforcing member, a connecting portion connected to the cowl top garnish, and an extending portion extending from the fixing portion to the connecting portion. This ensures that the cowl top garnish, which is a member elongated in the vehicle width direction, is supported from below by the support member. In addition, the extending portion of the support member has a lower extending piece that continues from one end of the fixing portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and extends upward of the vehicle, and an upper extending piece that continues from the other end of the connecting portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and extends to extend the connecting portion, and is bent in the vehicle front-rear direction at the connecting portion between the lower extending piece and the upper extending piece, so that the support member is formed, as a whole, in a generally flattened S-shape or a generally flattened Z-shape when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, when an impact load is applied to the cowl top garnish from above, the extended portion of the support member further bends and deforms, absorbing part of the impact energy and reducing the impact on pedestrians, thereby protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision.

[0009] Since the width of the upper extension piece in the vehicle width direction is set narrower than the width of the lower extension piece in the vehicle width direction, the strength of the portion of the extension part on the upper extension piece side is lower than the strength of the portion of the extension part on the lower extension piece side. As a result, when an impact load is applied to the cowl top garnish, the portion of the support member including the upper extension piece can be mainly deformed. Therefore, in the extension part of the support member, the main deformation part and the high rigidity part that is difficult to deform are divided into upper and lower parts, and the distance between the main deformation part and the high rigidity part and the distance between the main deformation part and the reinforcing member are sufficiently secured. As a result, the deformation part is prevented from hitting the high rigidity part or the reinforcing member, etc., and further deformation of the deformation part is prevented from being suppressed (so-called bottoming out), and the deformation amount of the deformation part is sufficiently secured, and thus the impact energy is effectively absorbed and the pedestrian protection performance is effectively improved. In addition, since the structure absorbs a part of the impact energy by deforming the extension part of the support member at the time of a collision, the support rigidity required for vibration suppression of the cowl top garnish can be easily secured during normal driving. Furthermore, with regard to the wiper drive unit including the wiper motor that may be disposed within the cowl portion, by simply adopting a structure in which it is held in place using reinforcing members or the like, the support rigidity required to suppress vibration of the wiper parts during normal driving can be easily ensured.

[0010] In this way, it is possible to provide a vehicle front structure that can easily ensure the rigidity required for vibration suppression while protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle front portion to which a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, viewed obliquely from above the front side of the vehicle. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 4 is a partial enlarged view of a main portion including a reinforcing member and a support member within a cowl portion at a front part of the vehicle, as viewed from above the vehicle. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the front part of the vehicle. [Diagram 5] 4 is a front view of the reinforcing member and the support member as viewed from the front of the vehicle. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a side view of the reinforcing member and the support member as viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. FIG. [Figure 7] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 4 show a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow O direction indicates the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, and the arrow U direction indicates the upper side of the vehicle in the vehicle vertical direction. In addition, in Fig. 4, a wiper 8 and a pivot shaft 92, which will be described later, have been removed.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle front portion 1, which is provided with an engine room E that is opened and closed by a front hood (not shown) that is rotatable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a passenger compartment R is provided behind the engine room E. The engine room E and the passenger compartment R are separated by a dash panel 2. The dash panel 2 extends across the entire engine room E in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, a windshield 3 is disposed along the upper end of the dash panel 2.

[0014] The vehicle front portion 1 of this embodiment includes a cowl portion 4, a cowl top garnish 5, a reinforcing member 6, and a supporting member 7. For example, the cowl portion 4, the reinforcing member 6, and the supporting member 7 are made of a metal thin plate material, and the cowl top garnish 5 is made of a resin member.

[0015] The cowl portion 4 has an opening 4a that opens toward the top of the vehicle and is disposed along the lower portion of the windshield 3. The cowl portion 4 has a generally concave cross section (in other words, a groove cross-sectional structure) that opens toward the top of the vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, a portion of the cowl portion 4 is formed using a portion of the dash panel 2. Specifically, the cowl portion 4 is formed by a windshield support portion 41 that is made up of a portion that includes the upper end portion of the dash panel 2, and a cowl top 42 that is disposed in front of the windshield support portion 41.

[0016] In detail, the windshield support part 41 has a support wall 41a formed along the lower part of the surface of the windshield 3 facing the passenger compartment R, and a bulging part 41b formed to be continuous with the lower end of the support wall 41a and bulge toward the passenger compartment R. The lower end part of the support wall 41a extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle and protrudes downward from the lower end of the windshield 3. The lower end part of the bulging part 41b is formed as a front-down inclined part 41b1 that inclines so as to move away from the opening 4a toward the front of the vehicle. The remaining part of the dash panel 2 is formed to extend generally toward the lower part of the vehicle so as to be continuous with the lower end of the inclined part 41b1. The cowl top 42 has, for example, a bottom wall part 42a forming the bottom wall of the cowl part 4, and an inclined part 42b that is generally upwardly inclined from the front end of the bottom wall part 42a. The front edge portion 42c of the cowl portion 4 (in other words, the upper end portion of the inclined portion 42b of the cowl top 42) is located lower on the vehicle than the lower end of the support wall 41a of the windshield support portion 41, and forms the opening edge of the opening 4a of the cowl portion 4 on the front side of the vehicle.

[0017] A wiper drive unit 9 (see FIG. 3, etc.) for driving a pair of left and right wipers 8, 8 that wipe the windshield 3 is disposed in the cowl portion 4. The wiper drive unit 9 is configured as a unit that is long in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and wiper fixing parts 9a that form each end of the wiper drive unit 9 in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the vehicle body side part in the cowl portion 4 via bolts 10. The wiper drive unit 9 is disposed closer to the driver's seat in the vehicle width direction, and the end opposite the driver's seat is located approximately near the center in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a part including the end of the wiper drive unit 9 opposite the driver's seat is shown. In this embodiment, the wiper fixing part 9a on the opposite side of the driver's seat of the wiper drive unit 9 is located in an area opposite the driver's seat in the vehicle width direction beyond the center line X (center) of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

[0018] The wiper drive unit 9 in the cowl portion 4 has a rod-shaped stay 91 extending in the vehicle width direction, an electric motor (not shown) as a drive source fixed to the center of the stay 91, pivot shafts 92 provided at both ends of the stay 91 for rotating the corresponding wipers 8, and a link mechanism 93 for transmitting the power of the electric motor to the corresponding pivot shaft 92. Note that Fig. 3 shows the end of the stay 91 on the opposite side to the driver's seat, the pivot shaft 92 on the opposite side to the driver's seat, and a part of the link mechanism 93 on the opposite side to the driver's seat.

[0019] The cowl top garnish 5 is a member that covers the opening 4a of the cowl portion 4. In this embodiment, the cowl top garnish 5 has an upper wall portion 51 that extends along the lower portion of the windshield 3 and generally forward, and a front wall portion 52 that extends from the front end of the upper wall portion 51 to the front edge portion 42c of the cowl top 42.

[0020] Specifically, a receiving portion 51a (see FIG. 2) that receives the lower end of the windshield 3 is formed at the rear edge of the upper wall portion 51, and recesses 51b (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4) that are recessed to allow the rotational movement of the wiper 8 are formed at the central portion and the driver's seat side portion of the upper wall portion 51 in the vehicle width direction. The recesses 51b form a roughly triangular pyramid-shaped region that allows the rotational movement of the wiper 8, and protrude downward from the vehicle. The front wall portion 52 is inclined so as to be roughly parallel to the inclined portion 42b of the cowl top 42 of the cowl portion 4. And, mounting holes (not shown) are opened at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the vehicle width direction at the lower end of the front wall portion 52 of the cowl top garnish 5. Then, a resin mounting fixture 53 (see Figure 4) is inserted into each mounting hole, inserted into a hole (not shown) opened in the front edge portion 42c of the cowl portion 4, and engaged with the cowl portion 4, thereby attaching the cowl top garnish 5 to the front edge portion 42c of the cowl portion 4.

[0021] The cowl top garnish 5 has an axle hole 51c (see FIG. 4) through which the pivot axle 92 is inserted. More specifically, the wall surface of each recess 51b on the windshield 3 side is inclined so as to be generally parallel to the windshield 3, and the axle hole 51c is opened near the top (bottom) of the recess 51b in this wall surface. The tip of the pivot axle 92 protrudes above the vehicle from the upper wall 51 of the cowl top garnish 5 through the axle hole 51c, and the base end of the wiper 8 is attached to this tip.

[0022] In this embodiment, a water receiving portion 94 formed to surround the pivot shaft portion 92 is provided below the shaft hole 51c. The water receiving portion 94 is made of, for example, a resin member, and is molded integrally with a base end portion of a resin pivot holder 95 provided around the pivot shaft portion 92 to hold the pivot shaft portion 92. The water receiving portion 94 is configured to receive rainwater or the like that has entered the cowl portion 4 through a gap between the shaft hole 51c of the cowl top garnish 5 and the pivot shaft portion 92, and to allow the received water to fall toward a predetermined position in the cowl portion 4 below the pivot shaft portion 92.

[0023] Specifically, the water receiving portion 94 is formed in a curved shape as a whole around the base of the pivot holder 95 so as to cover the end of the stay 91 and a part of the link mechanism 93 from above. The water receiving portion 94 has an upper receiving portion 94a above the base end of the pivot shaft portion 92 and a lower receiving portion 94b below the base end. Water blocking walls 94c are formed on the upper edge and both edges in the vehicle front-rear direction of the water receiving portion 94 so as to protrude upward, and the lower edge of the water receiving portion 94 is open downward. This prevents rainwater or the like that has entered through the shaft hole 51c of the cowl top garnish 5 from getting on the members of the wiper drive portion 9.

[0024] The reinforcing member 6 is a member that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle within the cowl portion 4 and reinforces the cowl portion 4. The reinforcing member 6 is installed, for example, in the vicinity of approximately the center in the vehicle width direction within the cowl portion 4 between the windshield support portion 41 (the portion on the lower end side of the support wall 41a) and the cowl top 42 (the bottom wall portion 42a) (in other words, between the portion on the upper end side of the dash panel 2 and the cowl top 42) in the vicinity of the center line X in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the reinforcing member 6 is located in an area near the center line X in the vehicle width direction and on the opposite side to the driver's seat.

[0025] The reinforcing member 6 has a reinforcing body portion 61 disposed in an inclined position so as to approach the cowl top garnish 5 toward the rear of the vehicle, and to which a fixing portion 71 of the support member 7, which will be described later, is fixed. The rear end of the reinforcing body portion 61 is joined to the support wall 41a, and the front end of the reinforcing body portion 61 is joined to the bottom wall portion 42a. A wiper fixing portion 9a of the wiper drive unit 9 on the side opposite the driver's seat is fixed to the rear end side (upper end side) of the reinforcing member 6 via a bolt 10. Although not shown, the wiper fixing portion 9a of the wiper drive unit 9 on the driver's seat side is fixed to a side panel of the cowl portion 4 via a bolt 10. This ensures that the wiper drive unit 9 including the electric motor is supported by the cowl portion 4. In this way, the support rigidity required for suppressing vibration of the wiper drive unit 9 during normal driving is easily ensured by simply adopting a structure in which the wiper drive unit 9 is held by the reinforcing member 6 or a part of the cowl portion 4 (the side panel).

[0026] Fig. 5 is a front view of the reinforcing member 6 and the supporting member 7 as viewed from the front of the vehicle, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the reinforcing member 6 and the supporting member 7 as viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 4. In Figs. 5 and 6, members in the vehicle front portion 1 other than the reinforcing member 6 and the supporting member 7 are omitted from the illustration.

[0027] 5 and 6, the support member 7 has a fixing portion 71 fixed to the reinforcing member 6, a connecting portion 72 connected to the cowl top garnish 5, and an extending portion 73 extending from the fixing portion 71 to the connecting portion 72, and is a member that supports the cowl top garnish 5 from below. As a result, the cowl top garnish 5, which is a member that is long in the vehicle width direction, is reliably supported by the support member 7 from below.

[0028] The support member 7 is joined to the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of the reinforcing member 6 (reinforcing body portion 61) and extends upward from the center. The support member 7 is made of a metal thin plate, and the fixing portion 71, the connecting portion 72, and the extending portion 73 are integrally formed by press molding or the like.

[0029] The fixing portion 71 constitutes a portion of the support member 7 that is fixed to the reinforcing member 6. Here, the fixing portion 71 is fixed to the reinforcing member 6 by being joined to the reinforcing member 6 by spot welding or the like.

[0030] The connecting portion 72 constitutes a portion of the support member 7 that is connected to the cowl top garnish 5. Specifically, the support member 7 (i.e., the connecting portion 72) is connected to the back surface (lower surface) of a portion of the cowl top garnish 5 that corresponds to the center in the vehicle width direction of the recess 51b on the center line X side. The metal connecting portion 72 and the resin cowl top garnish 5 are connected to each other by a connector 54 (see Figs. 2 and 4) made of a resin clip. As shown in Fig. 7, the connector 54 has a disk-shaped head 54a, a rod-shaped clip shaft 54b protruding from the back surface of the head 54a, and a connecting claw 54c for connection (locking) that is provided at the tip side of the clip shaft 54b and formed into a tapered shape so as to be elastically deformable.

[0031] As described above, the extension portion 73 is a portion that extends from the fixed portion 71 to the connecting portion 72. The shapes of each portion of the support member 7 (the fixed portion 71, the connecting portion 72, and the extension portion 73) will be described in detail later.

[0032] The cowl top garnish 5 has a connecting tool hole 51d (see FIG. 7) through which a connecting tool 54 for connecting to the connecting part 72 of the support member 7 is inserted. Specifically, the connecting tool hole 51d is opened in the wall part on the windshield 3 side of the recess 51b on the center line X side. A seat surface part 51e protruding downward is formed in the part surrounding the connecting tool hole 51d in the cowl top garnish 5. The connecting part 72 abuts against this seat surface part 51e, so that the center part in the longitudinal direction of the cowl top garnish 5 is supported from below. More specifically, in terms of the positional relationship in the vehicle width direction, the connecting tool hole 51d is disposed between the pivot shaft part 92 on the center line X side and the reinforcing body part 61 of the reinforcing member 6 (in other words, between the shaft part hole 51c on the opposite side to the driver's seat and the end part of the wiper fixing part 9a on the opposite side to the driver's seat). The connecting portion 72 of the support member 7 also has an insertion hole 72a through which the connecting tool 54 is inserted. With the connecting tool 54 inserted into the connecting tool hole 51d of the cowl top garnish 5 inserted into the insertion hole 72a of the connecting portion 72 of the support member 7, the connecting claw portion 54c of the connecting tool 54 is engaged with the connecting portion 72, thereby connecting (fastening) the cowl top garnish 5 and the support member 7.

[0033] Next, the shape of each part of the support member 7 will be described in detail.

[0034] The fixing portion 71 of the support member 7 is, for example, formed in a generally trapezoidal shape in a plan view and disposed with the trapezoidal base facing the rear of the vehicle. Specifically, the fixing portion 71 is joined to the reinforcing member 6 with one of its trapezoidal oblique sides parallel to the vehicle width direction.

[0035] The connecting portion 72 has a flat surface that abuts against the back surface (specifically, the seat surface portion 51e) of the inclined wall surface portion on the windshield 3 side of the recess 51b of the cowl top garnish 5, and is connected to the cowl top garnish 5 via the connector 54 with the flat surface abutting against the back surface of the wall surface. The flat surface of the connecting portion 72 extends parallel to the upper surface of the reinforcing body portion 61 of the reinforcing member 6. The connecting portion 72 (the flat surface) is in a forward-downward position when abutting against the cowl top garnish 5. Specifically, the connecting portion 72 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the running surface (horizontal plane) of the vehicle, and its upper surface faces forward of the vehicle. The seat surface portion 51e of the cowl top garnish 5 and the reinforcing body portion 61 of the reinforcing member 6 are also inclined like the connecting portion 72.

[0036] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 72 has flange portions 72b (hereinafter referred to as first reinforcing flange portions 72b) that protrude downward from both edges of the connecting portion 72 in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the connecting portion 72 is formed as a portion having high rigidity by bending downward both edges of the flat plate portion that forms the flat surface.

[0037] The extension portion 73 has a lower extension piece 73a that extends upward from one end of the fixing portion 71 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and an upper extension piece 73b that extends upward from the other end of the connecting portion 72 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and is bent in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction at a connection portion 73c between the lower extension piece 73a and the upper extension piece 73b.

[0038] In this embodiment, the extension portion 73 extends from the rear end of the fixing portion 71 in the vehicle front-rear direction to the front end of the connecting portion 72 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Specifically, the lower extension piece 73a extends generally upward from the rear end (trapezoidal base portion) of the fixing portion 71, and the upper extension piece 73b extends generally parallel to the connecting portion 72 from the front end of the connecting portion 72. The extension portion 73 is bent, for example, so that its upper end portion is bent toward the rear of the vehicle. That is, in this embodiment, the extension portion 73 is bent from the connecting portion 73c as a starting point so that the upper extension piece 73b faces the rear of the vehicle. The lower extension piece 73a and the upper extension piece 73b are smoothly curved at the connecting portion 73c side. The support member 7 is formed in a generally flattened S-shape (in other words, a generally flattened Z-shape) as a whole when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction.

[0039] The width of the upper extension piece 73b in the vehicle width direction is set to be narrower than the width of the lower extension piece 73a in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, in a front view of the extension portion 73 seen from the front of the vehicle, the lower extension piece 73a is formed in a trapezoidal shape that is wider toward the bottom, and the upper extension piece 73b has a width narrower than that of the lower extension piece 73a and is formed in a roughly rectangular shape. In other words, the strength of the portion of the extension portion 73 on the upper extension piece 73b side is set to be lower than the strength of the portion of the extension portion 73 on the lower extension piece 73a side.

[0040] In this embodiment, the extension portion 73 of the support member 7 extends obliquely so as to be inclined to one side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, as shown in Fig. 5, in a front view seen from the front of the vehicle, the extension portion 73 extends obliquely so that a center line X1 passing through the center in the width direction of the extension portion 73 moves away from a center line X2 passing through the center in the width direction of the reinforcing member 6 (reinforcing main body portion 61) toward the driver's seat side (the side of the center line X of the vehicle in this embodiment, the left side in Fig. 5) as the center line X1 moves upward in a front view seen from the front of the vehicle.

[0041] In this embodiment, a reinforcing flange portion 73d (hereinafter referred to as a second reinforcing flange portion 73d) protruding downward from the vehicle is formed on one edge portion of the extension portion 73 in the vehicle width direction. The second reinforcing flange portion 73d is provided, for example, on the edge portion (the one edge portion) of the extension portion 73 on the opposite side to the driver's seat in the vehicle width direction, and is not provided on the edge portion (the other edge portion) of the extension portion 73 on the driver's seat side in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the strength of the portion of the extension portion 73 on the second reinforcing flange portion 73d side becomes higher than the strength of the portion of the extension portion 73 on the opposite side to the second reinforcing flange portion 73d, and a difference in strength of the extension portion 73 in the width direction occurs. Specifically, the second reinforcing flange portion 73d is formed over the entire edge portion on the right end side of the extension portion 73 in FIG. 5, and is not formed on the edge portion on the left end side of the extension portion 73. The second reinforcing flange portion 73d is inclined obliquely with respect to the center line X2 of the reinforcing member 6 (reinforcing main body portion 61) similar to the center line X1 of the extension portion 73. In a front view seen from the front of the vehicle, the left end edge of the lower extension piece 73a extends generally parallel to the center line X2 of the reinforcing member 6, and the left end edge of the upper extension piece 73b extends generally parallel to the second reinforcing flange portion 73d (in other words, inclined with respect to the center line X2).

[0042] In this embodiment, the one edge of the lower extension piece 73a extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61, and the other edge of the lower extension piece 73a in the vehicle width direction extends in a direction forming an acute angle with the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61. That is, in a side view in the vehicle width direction, the one edge of the lower extension piece 73a where the second reinforcing flange portion 73d is formed extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61. The other edge of the lower extension piece 73a where the second reinforcing flange portion 73d is not formed is formed so as to be inclined at an acute angle with respect to the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61, and specifically, it extends at an inclination angle of approximately 45° with respect to a surface including a surface of the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61 facing the connecting portion 72 (in other words, an angle substantially perpendicular to the running surface of the vehicle). This causes the difference in the strength of the extension portion 73 in the width direction to be noticeable. In other words, when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, the angle formed between the other edge of the lower extension piece 73a and the upper surface of the reinforcement main body portion 61 is smaller than the angle formed between the one edge of the lower extension piece 73a and the upper surface of the reinforcement main body portion 61.

[0043] 5, in the present embodiment, a plurality of beads (a first bead portion 75a, a second bead portion 75b, and a third bead portion 75c) are formed in the extension portion 73, extending in the longitudinal direction of the extension portion 73. Each of the beads (75a to 75c) is formed by, for example, press molding so as to protrude upward from the vehicle.

[0044] The first bead portion 75a is formed in the center of the extension portion 73 in the vehicle width direction, and extends from the lower end of the extension portion 73 to a predetermined position in the upper extension piece 73b. The upper extension piece 73b is divided into a flat portion having a surface that is continuous with and parallel to the flat surface of the connecting portion 72, and a curved portion on the connection portion 73c side, and the upper end of the first bead portion 75a is located, for example, at the boundary between the flat portion and the curved portion in the upper extension piece 73b.

[0045] The second bead portion 75b is formed on the one edge side (i.e., the second reinforcing flange portion 73d side) of the extension portion 73, and extends from the lower end of the extension portion 73 to a predetermined position on the upper extension piece 73b. The upper end of the second bead portion 75b is located, for example, at the curved portion of the upper extension piece 73b. In the figure, the length in the longitudinal direction of the second bead portion 75b (second bead length) is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the first bead portion 75a (first bead length), but the second bead length may be equal to the first bead length (i.e., the first bead length ≧ the second bead length).

[0046] The third bead portion 75c is formed on the other edge side of the extension portion 73 (i.e., the side opposite to the second reinforcing flange portion 73d) and extends from the lower end of the extension portion 73 to a predetermined position just before the connection portion 73c. ​​The upper end of the third bead portion 75c is located, for example, in the vicinity of the connection portion 73c. ​​In other words, the length of the third bead portion 75c in the longitudinal direction (third bead length) is shorter than the length of the second bead portion 75b in the longitudinal direction (the second bead length). Therefore, a magnitude relationship of the first bead length≧the second bead length>the first bead length is established.

[0047] The number of beads formed in the portion of the extending portion 73 below the connecting portion 73c is greater than the number of beads formed in the portion of the extending portion 73 above the connecting portion 73c.

[0048] The first reinforcing flange portion 72b on the other edge side in the vehicle width direction of the connecting portion 72 (i.e., the side opposite to the second reinforcing flange portion 73d) extends linearly in parallel to the vehicle front-rear direction in the vehicle front-rear direction. The first reinforcing flange portion 72b on the one edge side in the vehicle width direction of the connecting portion 72 (i.e., the second reinforcing flange portion 73d side) extends continuously with the second reinforcing flange portion 73d and is inclined obliquely with respect to the center line X2 of the reinforcing member 6.

[0049] The first reinforcing flange portion 72b on the other edge side protrudes outward from the other edge portion of the extension portion 73 in the vehicle width direction (i.e., the left edge portion of the extension portion 73 in FIG. 5) and is formed so as to be discontinued at the boundary position with the extension portion 73. In other words, the first reinforcing flange portion 72b on the other edge side is not continuous with the upper extension piece 73b of the extension portion 73. The end portion (lower end portion / end portion toward the front of the vehicle) of the first reinforcing flange portion 72b on the other edge side on the extension portion 73 side is formed as a corner portion 72b1 that protrudes outward (to the left in FIG. 5) from the other edge portion of the extension portion 73 in the vehicle width direction.

[0050] Next, the pedestrian protection performance of the vehicle front part 1 to which the vehicle front structure of this embodiment is applied will be described by taking as an example a case where an impact load is applied from above to the cowl top garnish 5. Note that the impact load acts on the cowl top garnish 5 and the support member 7 as a load that presses the cowl top garnish 5 and the support member 7 obliquely downward (at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the vertical direction) from the front of the vehicle, as shown by the outlined arrow F in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6.

[0051] When an impact load is applied to the cowl top garnish 5, the extension 73 of the support member 7 is deformed so as to bend starting from the connection portion 73c, thereby absorbing a part of the impact energy. As a result, the impact on pedestrians is reduced, and pedestrians are protected in the event of a collision. Specifically, since the width of the upper extension piece 73b in the vehicle width direction is set narrower than the width of the lower extension piece 73a in the vehicle width direction, when an impact load is applied to the cowl top garnish, the portion of the support member 7 including the upper extension piece 73b can be mainly deformed (displaced so as to bend downward).

[0052] 6, when the connecting portion 72 of the support member 7 receives an impact load, the connecting portion 72 itself having high rigidity does not deform, but the connecting portion 72 mainly moves in a direction approaching the upper surface of the reinforcing body portion 61, and the upper extension piece 73b deforms so as to bend downward starting from the connection portion 73c. ​​At this time, the portion of the support member 7 extending from the connecting portion 72 to the upper extension piece 73b is largely deformed into a downwardly convex V-shape as a whole, and the upper half of the support member 7 is largely deformed into a Z-shape, but the high rigidity portion of the support member 7 below the connection portion 73c is not largely deformed. In other words, in the extension portion 73 of the support member 7, the main deformed portion and the high rigidity portion which is difficult to deform are divided into upper and lower portions, and the distance between the main deformed portion and the high rigidity portion and the distance between the main deformed portion and the reinforcing member 6 are sufficiently secured. As a result, the deformed portion is prevented from hitting a high-rigidity portion or the reinforcing member 6, etc., thereby preventing further deformation of the deformed portion from being suppressed (so-called bottoming out), and the amount of deformation of the deformed portion is sufficiently secured, thereby effectively absorbing impact energy and effectively improving pedestrian protection performance.

[0053] In addition, since this structure absorbs part of the impact energy by deforming the extension portion 73 of the support member 7 during a collision, the support rigidity required to suppress vibration of the cowl top garnish 5 can be easily ensured during normal driving. For the wiper drive portion 9 including the electric motor for the wipers disposed within the cowl portion 4, simply by adopting a structure in which the wiper drive portion 9 is held by the reinforcing member 6 and the side panel of the cowl portion 4, the support rigidity required to suppress vibration of the wiper drive portion 9 can be easily ensured during normal driving.

[0054] As described above, the vehicle front portion 1 equipped with the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment can easily ensure the rigidity required for vibration suppression while protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision.

[0055] In this embodiment, the second reinforcing flange portion 73d is formed only on one edge portion of the extension portion 73 in the vehicle width direction. In other words, a difference is provided in the strength of the extension portion 73 in the width direction. This makes the extension portion 73 more likely to deform when an impact load is applied, so that the impact energy can be absorbed reliably. During normal driving, the support rigidity required for vibration suppression can be easily ensured in the portion of the extension portion 73 on the side of the second reinforcing flange portion 73d.

[0056] In this embodiment, the one edge of the lower extension piece 73a extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61, and the other edge of the lower extension piece 73a extends in a direction forming an acute angle with the upper surface of the reinforcing body 61. This makes it possible to significantly provide the difference in strength of the extension part 73 in the width direction, and makes it possible to more reliably absorb impact energy.

[0057] In this embodiment, in the extension portion 73, the length of the third bead portion 75c in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the second bead portion 75b in the longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to more significantly provide the difference in the strength of the extension portion 73 in the width direction, and to more effectively absorb impact energy. In addition, since the number of beads in the lower end portion of the extension portion 73 is greater than the number of beads in the upper end portion of the extension portion 73, when an impact load is applied, deformation of the lower end portion of the extension portion 73 is effectively suppressed, and the upper end portion of the extension portion 73 can mainly deform. As a result, the upper half of the support member 7 is deformed in a generally Z-shape, which more reliably prevents the deformed portion from bottoming out and reliably ensures a sufficient amount of deformation.

[0058] In this embodiment, a first reinforcing flange portion 72b is formed on the edge portions on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the connecting portion 72. That is, in the extension portion 73, a second reinforcing flange portion 73d is formed only on one side in the vehicle width direction, but in the connecting portion 72, the first reinforcing flange portion 72b is formed on both sides. This suppresses deformation of the connecting portion 72 itself and promotes deformation of the extension portion 73 when an impact load is applied. Therefore, when an impact load is applied, the connection between the cowl top garnish 5 and the connecting portion 72 is prevented from being released, the cowl top garnish 5 is prevented from falling off, and the extension portion 73 is reliably deformed.

[0059] Although it is preferable that the reinforcing flange portions (72c, 73d) are formed in the connecting portion 72 and the extending portion 73, these reinforcing flange portions (72c, 73d) may not be formed. Also, the beads (75a, 75b, 75c) may not be formed. The extending portion 73 may be formed so as to extend from the front end portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the fixing portion 71 to the rear end portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the connecting portion 72.

[0060] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 3…Windshield, 4…Cowling part, 4a...opening, 5…Cowl top garnish, 6...Reinforcing member, 61...reinforcement body part, 7...support member, 71...Fixed part, 72...Connection part, 72b...first reinforcing flange portion (flange portion), 73...extension part, 73a...lower stretched piece, 73b...upper stretched piece, 73c…connection part, 73d...Second reinforcing flange portion (flange portion), 75a…first bead section, 75b…Second bead section, 75c…Third bead section

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure including: a cowl portion having an opening portion opening toward the upper side of a vehicle and disposed along a lower portion of a windshield; and a cowl top garnish covering the opening portion, A reinforcing member extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle within the cowl portion and reinforcing the cowl portion; a support member that supports the cowl top garnish from below, the support member having a fixing portion fixed to the reinforcing member, a connecting portion connected to the cowl top garnish, and an extension portion extending from the fixing portion to the connecting portion; Including, the extension portion has a lower extension piece that is continuous with one end of the fixing portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and extends upward of the vehicle, and an upper extension piece that is continuous with the other end of the connecting portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and extends so as to extend the connecting portion, and is bent in the vehicle front-rear direction at a connection portion between the lower extension piece and the upper extension piece, The width of the upper extension piece in the vehicle width direction is set to be narrower than the width of the lower extension piece in the vehicle width direction, A flange portion protruding downward from the vehicle is formed on one edge of the extension portion in the vehicle width direction, the reinforcing member has a reinforcing body portion disposed in an inclined position so as to approach the cowl top garnish toward the rear of the vehicle, and to which the fixing portion is fixed, The one edge of the lower extension piece extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to an upper surface of the reinforcing body portion, A vehicle front structure, characterized in that the other edge portion in the vehicle width direction of the lower extension piece extends in a direction that forms an acute angle with respect to an upper surface of the reinforcing body portion.

2. a first bead portion is formed in a center portion of the extension portion in a vehicle width direction, the first bead portion extending from a lower end of the extension portion to a predetermined position in the upper extension piece, a second bead portion is formed on the portion of the extension portion on the one edge side, the second bead portion extending from a lower end of the extension portion to a predetermined position on the upper extension piece, The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that a third bead portion is formed in the portion of the extension portion on the other edge side, the third bead portion extending from the lower end of the extension portion to a predetermined position just before the connection portion.

3. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion has flange portions protruding downwardly from both edges of the connecting portion in the vehicle width direction.

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