Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To improve the rigidity of the support structure of a brake fluid container more than conventional one.SOLUTION: A reservoir tank 80 is disposed below a cowl louver 10 in an engine compartment 95 and stores a brake fluid. The cowl-louver 10 includes a main surface portion 20, a gutter body portion 30, a service hole 50 which is a cutout portion, a gutter extension portion 60, and a pair of holding pieces 64A and 64B. The main surface portion 20 extends forward from the rear end of the cowl louver 10. The gutter body 30 is connected to the front end of the main surface portion 20 and extends in a vehicle width direction. The service hole 50 has a U-shape in a plan view, is provided above an inlet 84 of the reservoir tank 80 and is formed over the main surface portion 20 and the gutter body portion 30. The gutter extension portion 60 is provided along the peripheral edge of the service hole 50 and is connected to the gutter body portion 30. The pair of holding pieces 64A and 64B protrude from an inner peripheral sidewall 63 of the gutter extension portion 60 so as to face each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Disclosed herein is a vehicle front structure including a cowl louver and a reservoir tank for storing brake fluid. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle's braking mechanism is installed throughout the passenger compartment and engine compartment. Specifically, a brake pedal is located at the front end of the passenger compartment. Furthermore, a brake booster that amplifies the brake pedal force and a master cylinder that generates hydraulic pressure by driving the brake booster are installed at the rear end of the engine compartment. Additionally, a reservoir tank that stores brake fluid, a hydraulic oil, is installed above the master cylinder.

[0003] Additionally, cowl louvers extend forward like eaves from the dash panel separating the engine compartment from the passenger compartment. The cowl louvers are plate-shaped members whose rear ends are connected to the lower edge of the windshield glass. A gutter extends across the width of the vehicle in front of the cowl louvers to catch rainwater that runs down from the windshield glass.

[0004] Due to the positional relationship between the brake mechanism and the cowl louvers as described above, the reservoir tank filler port for pouring brake fluid may be located below the cowl panel. In such cases, the reservoir tank filler port is positioned so that it is blocked by the cowl panel when the engine hood is opened.

[0005] To allow brake fluid to be poured into the reservoir tank, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cowl panel with a cutout above the reservoir tank filler port. This cutout opening is also called a service hole. The service hole is closed with a lid except when pouring brake fluid.

[0006] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, a holding mechanism for holding a brake fluid container is provided around the service hole. Specifically, a pair of support arms extend forward from the rear end of the service hole. Protrusions for supporting the container are provided on the opposing surfaces of the front ends of the pair of support arms. The support arms have a cantilever structure with the rear end of the service hole as a fixed end. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4568199 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, when a pair of support arms extend from the rear end of the service hole in a cantilevered manner, if the fixed ends of the support arms are damaged, it may become difficult to support the brake fluid container. Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle front structure that can improve the rigidity of the support structure for the brake fluid container compared to conventional structures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle interior front structure disclosed in this specification includes a cowl louver and a reservoir tank. The cowl louver has a rear end connected to the lower end of the windshield glass and extends to overhang above the engine compartment. The reservoir tank is located below the cowl louver in the engine compartment and stores brake fluid. The cowl louver includes a main surface portion, a gutter main body portion, a cutout portion, a gutter extension portion, and a pair of retaining pieces. The main surface portion extends forward from the rear end of the cowl louver. The gutter main body portion is connected to the front end of the main surface portion and extends in the vehicle width direction. The cutout portion is U-shaped in plan view, is provided above the filler port of the reservoir tank, and extends across the main surface portion and the gutter main body portion. The gutter extension portion is provided along the periphery of the cutout portion and is connected to the gutter main body portion. The pair of retaining pieces overhang oppositely from the inner peripheral side wall of the gutter extension portion.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the gutter extension provided along the periphery of the cutout is used as the arm of the brake fluid container support means. The gutter extension is supported linearly along the periphery of the cutout, and further, a pair of retaining pieces protrude from its inner peripheral side wall, making it possible to improve the rigidity of the support structure for the brake fluid container compared to conventional methods.

[0011] In the above configuration, the pair of holding pieces may be provided with extension pieces that are thinner than the holding pieces and extend from one holding piece toward the other holding piece.

[0012] The cowl louvers are long and have the same width as the windshield glass, making it difficult to control the dimensions of the retaining pieces. In such cases, providing a thin extension piece ensures that the brake fluid container can be held securely.

[0013] In the above configuration, the pair of extension pieces may have a longer protruding length than the pair of holding pieces.

[0014] According to the above configuration, the brake fluid container can be held reliably. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the vehicle interior front structure disclosed in this specification, the rigidity of the support structure for the brake fluid container can be improved compared to the conventional structure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle interior front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view illustrating the vehicle interior front structure according to the present embodiment when a cover body is removed from a cowl louver. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view illustrating the vehicle interior front structure according to the present embodiment when the cover body is removed from the cowl louver. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the brake fluid container is set in the service hole. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating another example of the vehicle interior front structure according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] 1 to 6, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is indicated by an axis represented by the symbol FR, the transverse direction of the vehicle is indicated by an axis represented by the symbol RW, and the vertical direction is indicated by an axis represented by the symbol UP.

[0018] The symbol FR stands for Front, and the forward direction of the longitudinal axis FR is the positive direction. The symbol RW stands for Right Width, and the right-hand width direction of the width axis RW is the positive direction. The height axis UP is the positive direction of the upward direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the FR axis, RW axis, and UP axis are perpendicular to one another. Hereinafter, the vehicle interior front structure according to this embodiment will be described appropriately based on these three axes.

[0019] <Outline of the front compartment structure> 1 shows an example of a vehicle interior front structure according to this embodiment. The vehicle interior front structure includes a cowl louver 10 and a reservoir tank 80.

[0020] The reservoir tank 80 is part of the vehicle's braking system. In addition to the reservoir tank 80, the braking system includes a brake pedal (not shown), a brake booster 90, a master cylinder 92, and brake lines 94.

[0021] The brake pedal is provided at the front end of the passenger compartment. The reservoir tank 80, brake booster 90, master cylinder 92, and brake line 94 are provided at the rear end of the engine compartment 95.

[0022] The passenger compartment and the engine compartment 95 are separated by a dash panel 96. In other words, the dash panel 96 functions as the rear wall of the engine compartment 95 and the front wall of the passenger compartment. The dash panel 96 is installed between the brake pedal and the reservoir tank 80, the brake booster 90, the master cylinder 92, and the brake lines 94.

[0023] The force applied to the brake pedal is amplified by a brake booster 90. When the brake booster 90 is driven, hydraulic pressure is generated in a master cylinder 92. This hydraulic pressure is transmitted to each brake line 94. For example, four brake lines 94 are provided for the front and rear wheels.

[0024] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a reservoir tank 80 is disposed above a master cylinder 92. The reservoir tank 80 stores brake fluid, which is a hydraulic fluid. A filler port 84 is provided on the top surface of the reservoir tank 80. The filler port 84 is closed by a tank cap 82 except when the brake fluid is being filled.

[0025] As will be described later, the filler port 84 of the reservoir tank 80 is covered by the cowl louvers 10 above it. A service hole 50, which is a cutout portion, is formed in the cowl louvers 10 above the filler port 84. By removing the cover 40 shown in FIG. 1, the filler port 84 can be accessed through the service hole 50.

[0026] <Cowl louver structure> 1, the rear end of the cowl louvers 10 is connected to the lower end of the windshield glass 100. The cowl louvers 10 extend from their rear end in a substantially horizontal plane (RW-FR plane), and their front ends extend forward of the dash panel 96. In other words, the cowl louvers 10 extend so as to overhang the engine compartment 95 in a canopy-like manner. The cowl louvers 10 are made of a resin material such as ABS resin or polypropylene.

[0027] The cowl louver 10 includes a main surface portion 20, a gutter main body portion 30, a service hole 50 (see FIG. 2) which is a cutout portion, a gutter extension portion 60, and a pair of retaining pieces 64A, 64B. The main surface portion 20 is a plate-shaped portion that extends forward from the rear end of the cowl louver 10. The main surface portion 20 is formed with an air intake grille 21 which is an intake port for outside air used to condition the interior of the vehicle. A wiper blade 102 and a wiper arm 104 are seated at the rear end of the main surface portion 20.

[0028] The rear end of the gutter main body 30 is connected to the front end of the main surface portion 20. The gutter main body 30 is a rain gutter extending in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, from a design standpoint, the gutter main body 30, which is the front end of the cowl louver 10, extends in an arc shape along the vehicle width direction.

[0029] The gutter main body 30 receives rainwater that flows down from the windshield glass 100, thereby preventing water from entering the engine compartment 95. Referring to Figure 2, the gutter main body 30 includes a front wall 34 and a rear wall 36 that are upright walls, and a bottom wall 32 that connects the lower ends of both walls.

[0030] A flange 35 extending forward is provided at the lower end of the front wall 34. For example, a plurality of flanges 35 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction. An engagement hole 35A is drilled in the flange 35 in its thickness direction. This engagement hole 35A and an engagement hole in a flange of a cowl panel (not shown) are aligned with each other, and the two are fastened together with fastening members such as clips and bolts.

[0031] A cowl seal 38 is attached to the upper end of the front wall 34. The cowl seal 38 is attached across the entire width of the front wall 34. The cowl seal 38 is a sealing member made of a resin material, and abuts against an inner panel of an engine hood (not shown).

[0032] The cowl seal 38 has a groove formed therein so that it can be inserted into, for example, the front wall 34. When filling the reservoir tank, as will be described later, the cowl seal 38 is removed from the lid 40, and then the lid 40 is removed from the cowl louvers 10.

[0033] 2 and 3, the cowl louver 10 has a service hole 50, which is a cutout portion, formed across the main surface portion 20 and the gutter main body portion 30. The service hole 50 is provided above the fill port 84 of the reservoir tank 80, and is formed in a U-shape in plan view, with its front end being open.

[0034] The service hole 50 is closed by the lid 40 (see FIG. 1) except when pouring brake fluid into the reservoir tank 80. The front end of the lid 40 is provided with an engagement claw 22 that engages with an engagement hole 65 provided in the gutter extension 60 (see FIG. 2). The rear end of the lid 40 is provided with an engagement claw (not shown) that engages with an engagement hole 53 provided in the rear wall 54 of the service hole 50.

[0035] 2 and 3, the cowl louver 10 is formed with a gutter extension 60 along the periphery of the service hole 50. The gutter extension 60 is plane It has a horseshoe shape when viewed from the outside, and its front end is connected to the gutter main body 30.

[0036] Here, the gutter portion 42 (see FIG. 1) of the lid 40 is connected to the gutter main body 30. That is, the top surfaces of the bottom wall 32 (see FIG. 2) of the gutter main body 30 and the gutter bottom wall 42A (see FIG. 1) of the lid 40 are at the same height, in other words, flush with each other. Therefore, the bottom wall 61 of the gutter extension 60 covered by the lid 40 is located at a lower position than the gutter main body 30.

[0037] 2 and 3, the gutter extension 60 has an outer peripheral sidewall 62, an inner peripheral sidewall 63, and a bottom wall 61 connecting the lower ends of both walls, and has a U-shaped cross section. The outer peripheral sidewall 62 is connected to the main surface portion 20 and the gutter main body portion 30. In other words, the outer peripheral edge of the gutter extension 60 is linearly supported by the main surface portion 20 and the gutter main body portion 30. For example, the gutter extension 60, the gutter main body portion 30, and the main surface portion 20 are integrally molded with retaining pieces 64A and 64B, which will be described later.

[0038] Connecting the gutter extension 60 to the gutter main body 30 prevents rainwater that has accumulated in the gutter main body 30 from dripping into the engine compartment. In addition, when pouring brake fluid, the gutter extension 60 can catch any brake fluid that spills from the brake fluid container 110 (see FIG. 5).

[0039] Additionally, an engagement hole 65 is drilled in the bottom wall 61 of the gutter extension 60 in its thickness direction. In order to prevent liquid (rainwater or brake fluid) that has flowed into the gutter extension 60 from leaking through the engagement hole 65 into the engine compartment, an inclined portion 66 may be provided behind the engagement hole 65. The inclined portion 66 is provided across the groove width of the gutter extension 60, that is, across the inner circumferential side wall 63 and the outer circumferential side wall 62. The inclined portion 66 raises the bottom surface of the gutter extension 60, thereby preventing liquid that has accumulated in the gutter extension 60 from flowing into the engagement hole 65.

[0040] 3, the inner peripheral side wall 63 of the gutter extension 60 includes, for example, from its rear portion in this order, a curved portion 63A, inclined portions 63B, 63B, and straight portions 63C, 63C. The radius of curvature of the curved portion 63A is determined to be equal to or greater than the radius of the brake fluid container 110 (see FIG. 5), for example. Generally, genuine brake fluid is specified by the vehicle manufacturer, and the radius of curvature of the curved portion 63A is determined based on the diameter R1 of the genuine container.

[0041] The rear ends of the inclined portions 63B, 63B are connected to both ends of the curved portion 63A in the vehicle width direction. The inclined portions 63B, 63B extend forward so as to be spaced apart from each other (i.e., diverging toward the end). The straight portions 63C, 63C are connected to the front ends of the inclined portions 63B, 63B. The straight portions 63C, 63C extend forward and parallel to each other.

[0042] 2 and 3, the layout is such that the curved portion 63A of the inner peripheral side wall 63 of the gutter extension 60 covers part of the filler port 84 of the reservoir tank 80 in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 5, when filling the brake fluid, the brake fluid container 110 is held in a tilted state toward the front of the vehicle. The position of the curved portion 63A relative to the filler port 84 is determined based on this tilt angle.

[0043] Furthermore, holding pieces 64A, 64B protrude from the inner peripheral side wall 63 of the gutter extension portion 60 so as to face each other, i.e., from one holding piece 64A, 64B toward the other holding piece 64B, 64A. For example, both holding pieces 64A, 64B protrude inward from the linear portions 63C, 63C of the inner peripheral side wall 63.

[0044] Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3. For example, the holding pieces 64A and 64B may have asymmetric shapes, and for example, the holding piece 64A is determined so that its protruding width is longer than that of the holding piece 64B.

[0045] Furthermore, the separation distance L1 between the side ends 64A1, 64B1 at which the protruding width of the retaining pieces 64A and 64B is greatest is set to be slightly shorter than the diameter R1 of the brake fluid container 110 illustrated in Fig. 5. For example, the separation distance L1 is set to a value that is 90% or more and less than 100% of the diameter R1 of the brake fluid container 110.

[0046] Also, referring to Figure 3, the distance L2 between the bottom of the curved portion 63A of the inner side wall 63, i.e., the rearmost point, and the side ends 64A1, 64B1 of the retaining pieces 64A, 64B is determined based on the diameter R1 of the brake fluid container 110 and the inclination angle during the filling operation.

[0047] 5, for example, the brake fluid container 110 is tilted relative to the fill port 84 (or relative to the height axis UP) during the pouring operation. For this reason, if the brake fluid container 110 is a cylinder, the long axis of the cross section of the obliquely cut cylinder based on the tilt angle during the pouring operation may be defined as the separation distance L2.

[0048] When pouring fluid into the reservoir tank 80, the worker removes the cover 40 (see FIG. 1) from the cowl louver 10. Then, the worker inserts his or her hand through the service hole 50 (see FIG. 2) and removes the tank cap 82. Then, the worker removes the cap from the brake fluid container 110 and inserts the container's spout into the fill port 84 of the reservoir tank 80.

[0049] In this state, when the worker pushes the brake fluid container 110 into the service hole 50, the retaining pieces 64A, 64B are elastically deformed outward. When the brake fluid container 110 abuts against the curved portion 63A (see FIG. 3) of the inner peripheral side wall 63 of the gutter extension 60, the brake fluid container 110 is clamped by the elastic force of the retaining pieces 64A, 64B.

[0050] Here, when the brake fluid container 110 is placed upright, it becomes difficult for the air inside the reservoir tank 80 to escape, so the brake fluid container 110 is supported in an inclined state by the holding pieces 64A, 64B and the curved portion 63A.

[0051] Because the brake fluid container 110 is clamped between the holding pieces 64A, 64B and further linearly supported by the curved portion 63A, the worker does not need to hold the brake fluid container 110. For example, when replacing the brake fluid, it is necessary to operate the brake pedal to drain the old brake fluid. With the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment, there is no need for a worker to hold the brake fluid container 110, and for example, the brake fluid can be replaced by a single worker.

[0052] <Another example of a holding piece> Another example of the front structure of the vehicle according to this embodiment is shown in Figure 6. In this example, extension pieces 68A and 68B are provided in addition to holding pieces 64A and 64B.

[0053] The cowl louver 10 is a long object that extends across the entire width of the windshield glass 100, and when the cowl louver 10 is manufactured by resin molding, taking into account shrinkage that occurs during molding, it becomes difficult to control the dimension of the separation distance L1 (see Figure 4) between the retaining pieces 64A, 64B.

[0054] Therefore, extension pieces 68A, 68B are provided on cowl louver 10 as members that assist holding pieces 64A, 64B in clamping brake fluid container 110. For example, extension pieces 68A, 68B are integrally molded with holding pieces 64A, 64B, gutter extension portion 60, gutter main body portion 30, and main surface portion 20.

[0055] The extension pieces 68A, 68B are provided, for example, below the retaining pieces 64A, 64B, and extend from the straight portions 63C, 63C of the inner peripheral side wall 63 of the gutter extension portion 60 so as to face each other, that is, from one extension piece 68A, 68B toward the other extension piece 68B, 68A. The extension pieces 68A, 68B are formed thinner than the retaining pieces 64A, 64B, making them more flexible. The extension piece 68A is formed to have a longer extension length than the retaining piece 64A, and the extension piece 68B is formed to have a longer extension length than the retaining piece 64B. In other words, the extension pieces 68A, 68B protrude further from the retaining pieces 64A, 64B.

[0056] By making the extension pieces 68A, 68B thin pieces that are easy to bend, even if the separation distance between them is smaller than the design value (in other words, if the protruding length is longer than the design value), interference with insertion of the brake fluid container 110 into the service hole 50 is suppressed. Furthermore, by making the protruding length of the extension pieces 68A, 68B longer than that of the holding pieces 64A, 64B, it is possible to securely clamp the brake fluid container 110. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 cowl louver, 20 main surface portion, 30 gutter body portion, 40 lid body, 50 service hole (cutout portion), 60 gutter extension portion, 61 bottom wall of gutter extension portion, 62 outer peripheral side wall of gutter extension portion, 63 inner peripheral side wall of gutter extension portion, 63A curved portion of gutter extension portion, 63B inclined portion of gutter extension portion, 63C straight portion of gutter extension portion, 64A, 64B retaining pieces, 64A1, 64B1 side ends of retaining pieces, 68A, 68B extension pieces, 80 reservoir tank, 82 tank cap, 84 filler port, 95 engine compartment, 100 windshield glass, 110 brake fluid container.

Claims

1. a cowl louver whose rear end is connected to the lower end of the windshield glass and which extends so as to overhang the engine compartment; a reservoir tank disposed below the cowl louver in the engine compartment and configured to store brake fluid; A vehicle front structure comprising: The cowl louver is a main surface portion extending forward from the rear end; a gutter main body portion connected to a front end of the main surface portion and extending in the vehicle width direction; a cutout portion having a U-shape in a plan view, the cutout portion being provided above an inlet of the reservoir tank and extending across the main surface portion and the gutter main body portion; a gutter extension portion that is provided along the periphery of the notch portion, is connected to the gutter main body portion, and has a horseshoe shape with an open front end in a plan view; a pair of retaining pieces formed in a vehicle front-rear direction central portion of the gutter extension portion, protruding from an inner peripheral side wall of the gutter extension portion in opposing relation to each other and sandwiching a brake fluid container; Equipped with Vehicle front structure.

2. A cowl louver whose rear end is connected to the lower end of the windshield glass and which extends over the engine compartment; a reservoir tank disposed below the cowl louver in the engine compartment and configured to store brake fluid; A vehicle front structure comprising: The cowl louver is a main surface portion extending forward from the rear end; a gutter main body portion connected to a front end of the main surface portion and extending in the vehicle width direction; a cutout portion having a U-shape in a plan view, the cutout portion being provided above an inlet of the reservoir tank and extending across the main surface portion and the gutter main body portion; a gutter extension portion provided along a periphery of the notch portion and connected to the gutter main body portion; a pair of holding pieces extending oppositely from an inner peripheral side wall of the gutter extension portion; Equipped with A vehicle front structure, wherein the pair of retaining pieces are provided with extension pieces that are thinner than the retaining pieces and extend from one of the retaining pieces toward the other retaining piece.

3. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, The vehicle front structure, wherein the pair of extension pieces have a longer protruding length than the pair of holding pieces.

4. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 1, A vehicle front structure, wherein the extension width of one of the retaining pieces is longer than the extension width of the other of the retaining pieces.

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