Vehicle cowl structure

Abstract

To sufficiently separate liquid and air.SOLUTION: A gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 of a cowl structure 10 includes: a lower blocking part 22 extending to an upper side from an air-bag device 30; an upper blocking part 24 extending to a lower side from a cowl top panel 14; and an air suck-out port 26 formed on the cowl top panel 14. The upper blocking part 24 is arranged on a left side (on a side of an exhaust port 12G) with respect to the lower blocking part 22. The air suck-out port 26 is arranged on a left side with respect to the upper blocking part 24. Accordingly, air and liquid introduced into a cowl duct part 16 can be gradually separated by the lower blocking part 22 and the upper blocking part 24. Since air in a left side space of the upper blocking part 24 is sucked out of the cowl duct part 16 by the air suck-out port 26, an airflow AR can be guided to the side of the exhaust port 12G after the separation of air and liquid in the airflow AR by the lower blocking part 22 and the upper blocking part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In a vehicle cowl structure, when outside air is introduced into the cowl, the air is separated from liquids such as rainwater contained in the outside air and the separated air is sent to the air conditioning unit. For example, in the cowl structure described in Patent Document 1 below, a cowl duct is provided inside the cowl, and the cowl duct divides the inside of the cowl. The cowl duct has a hole for sending air to the air conditioning unit and a rib formed around the hole. As a result, when outside air is introduced into the cowl, the rib of the cowl duct separates the air from liquids such as rainwater contained in the outside air. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-125995 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, the installation of wiper units, airbags, and the like within the cowl has tended to narrow the air passage within the cowl. This has resulted in a relatively high flow rate of outside air within the cowl, making it difficult to effectively separate the liquid contained in the outside air from the air. For this reason, it is desirable for the cowl structure to have a structure that can effectively separate the liquid from the air.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cowl structure for a vehicle that can effectively separate liquid and air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One or more embodiments of the present invention include a cowl body that extends in the vehicle width direction on the vehicle front side of a lower end of a windshield glass and is formed in a concave shape that is open upward when viewed in the longitudinal direction; a cowl panel that extends in the vehicle width direction on the vehicle upper side of the cowl body and closes the upper opening of the cowl body and has an outside air inlet at one end in the vehicle width direction for introducing outside air into the cowl body; an exhaust port that is formed at the other end in the vehicle width direction of the cowl body and exhausts air inside the cowl body to the vehicle compartment side; and a cowl panel that is disposed between the outside air inlet and the exhaust port and that a gas-liquid separation mechanism that separates air and liquid inside the cowl body, the gas-liquid separation mechanism including: a lower blocking portion that is provided on a bottom wall of the cowl body or on a mounted component housed in the cowl body and extends from the bottom wall or the mounted component toward the upper side of the vehicle; an upper blocking portion that is provided on the cowl panel and is positioned on the other side of the lower blocking portion in the vehicle width direction and extends from the cowl panel toward the lower side of the vehicle; and an air suction portion that is provided on the cowl panel and is positioned on the other side of the upper blocking portion in the vehicle width direction and sucks out air from inside the cowl body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] One or more embodiments of the present invention provide good separation of liquid and air. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view seen from above, schematically showing a portion of the front part of a vehicle to which a vehicle cowl structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the cowl structure of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view (an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2) schematically showing the inside of the cowl structure of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the left side. [Figure 4]4 is a cross-sectional view (enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2) showing a schematic view of the inside of the left part of the cowl structure of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the front side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle cowl structure 10 according to this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as the cowl structure 10) will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrow UP shown as appropriate in the drawings indicates the upper side of the vehicle (automobile) V to which the cowl structure 10 is applied, the arrow FR indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the arrow RH indicates the right side of the vehicle (one side in the vehicle width direction). In the following description, when the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions are used, they refer to the up-down direction of the vehicle, the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction of the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

[0010] (Overall structure) As shown in FIG. 1, the cowl structure 10 is provided in front of the lower end (front end) of a windshield glass 40 of the vehicle V, and is disposed below the rear end of a hood 42 of the vehicle V. The cowl structure 10 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape extending in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and the interior of the cowl structure 10 is configured as a cowl duct portion 16 (see FIG. 3). The cowl structure 10 also includes an outside air inlet 14C for introducing outside air into the cowl duct portion 16, and an exhaust port 12G (see FIG. 4) for exhausting the air introduced into the cowl duct portion 16 toward the vehicle interior. One end of an air conditioning duct 44 of the vehicle V is connected to the exhaust port 12G, and air exhausted from the exhaust port 12G into the air conditioning duct 44 is supplied into the vehicle interior from an air outlet 44A that forms the other end of the air conditioning duct 44. An air conditioning unit 46 is provided in the middle of the air conditioning duct 44, and when the blower fan 46A of the air conditioning unit 46 is operated, an air flow AR is generated in the cowl duct portion 16, flowing from the outside air inlet 14C to the exhaust outlet 12G.

[0011] (Regarding cowl structure 10) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cowl structure 10 includes a cowl main body 12, a cowl top panel 14 serving as a cowl panel, and a gas-liquid separation mechanism 20. As shown in FIG.

[0012] (Regarding the cowl body 12) The cowl body 12 is made of a metal plate. The cowl body 12 extends in the vehicle width direction, and both longitudinal ends of the cowl body 12 are joined to apron members (not shown) that constitute frame members of the vehicle V. As shown in FIG. 3 , the cowl body 12 is formed in a concave shape that is open upward when viewed in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the cowl body 12 includes a bottom wall 12A, a front wall 12B extending upward from the front end of the bottom wall 12A, and a rear wall 12C extending upward from the rear end of the bottom wall 12A. A step portion 12D is formed in the middle of the bottom wall 12A in the fore-aft direction, and the front portion of the bottom wall 12A is positioned higher than the rear portion of the bottom wall 12A.

[0013] A flange 12E bent forward is formed at the upper end of the front wall 12B of the cowl body 12. A flange 12F bent diagonally upward and rearward is formed at the upper end of the rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12, and the flange 12F is located below the lower end (front end) of the windshield glass 40. The rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12 is connected to a dash panel (not shown) that separates the engine compartment from the passenger compartment of the vehicle V. An exhaust port 12G (see FIG. 4) is formed through the rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12 at the left end, and one end of an air conditioning duct 44 is connected to the exhaust port 12G.

[0014] An airbag device 30 and a part of a wiper unit 32 are housed as mounted components inside the cowl body 12. The airbag device 30 is disposed above the front part of the bottom wall 12A and is fixed to the cowl body 12. The wiper unit 32 is housed within the rear part of the cowl body 12 and is fixed to the cowl body 12.

[0015] (Regarding cowl top panel 14) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the cowl top panel 14 is made of a resin material. The cowl top panel 14 is formed in a generally elongated plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and when viewed in the longitudinal direction, its intermediate portion in the fore-aft direction is curved in a generally arc-like shape that is convex upward (see FIG. 3). A flange 14A that protrudes forward is formed at the front end of the cowl top panel 14. The flange 14A is disposed above a flange 12E of the cowl main body 12 and is fixed to the flange 12E with a fastening member such as a clip. A panel connecting portion 14B is formed at the rear end of the cowl top panel 14. When viewed in the longitudinal direction of the cowl top panel 14, the panel connecting portion 14B is formed in a generally U-shape that opens obliquely upward and rearward. The lower end of the windshield glass 40 is inserted into the panel connecting portion 14B, and the panel connecting portion 14B is fixed to a flange 12F of the cowl main body 12 with a fastening member such as a clip. As a result, the upper opening of the cowl main body 12 is closed by the cowl top panel 14. The interior of the cowl structure 10, which is partitioned by the cowl main body 12 and the cowl top panel 14, is configured as a cowl duct portion 16.

[0016] A plurality of outside air inlets 14C are formed through the right end of the cowl top panel 14. The outside air inlets 14C are formed as generally elongated holes with their longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-rear direction and are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the left-to-right direction. This allows the inside and outside of the cowl duct portion 16 to communicate with each other through the outside air inlets 14C.

[0017] (Regarding the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20) The gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is provided in the cowl duct portion 16, and when outside air is introduced into the cowl duct portion 16, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 separates liquid such as rainwater contained in the outside air from the air. The cowl structure 10 employs a plurality of gas-liquid separation mechanisms 20 (five in this embodiment), and the five gas-liquid separation mechanisms 20 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction in the cowl duct portion 16 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). Specifically, the five gas-liquid separation mechanisms 20 are arranged between the outside air inlet 14C and the exhaust port 12G in the vehicle width direction.

[0018] The gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 includes a lower blocking portion 22, an upper blocking portion 24, and a pair of front and rear air suction ports 26 serving as air suction portions.

[0019] The lower blocking portion 22 is formed in a generally plate-like shape with its thickness extending in the left-right direction. The lower blocking portion 22 is provided on the upper wall of the airbag case that forms the outer shell of the airbag device 30, and extends upward from the airbag device 30. The lower blocking portion 22 is composed of blocking plates 22A and 22B that are divided into two in the front-rear direction, and the joint between the blocking plates 22A and 22B coincides with the tear-open position of the airbag case. The front end of the lower blocking portion 22 is located adjacent to the rear side of the front wall 12B of the cowl main body 12, and the rear end of the lower blocking portion 22 is located adjacent to the front side of the rear wall 12C of the cowl main body 12.

[0020] The upper blocking portion 24 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape with the plate thickness direction in the left-right direction and the longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The upper blocking portion 24 is provided on the lower surface of the cowl top panel 14 and extends downward from the cowl top panel 14. The longitudinal dimension of the upper blocking portion 24 is generally the same as the longitudinal dimension of the lower blocking portion 22. The upper blocking portion 24 is disposed to the left of the lower blocking portion 22 (i.e., on the exhaust port 12G side) and above the lower blocking portion 22. In addition, in the vertical direction, the position of the lower end of the upper blocking portion 24 is set lower than the position of the upper end of the lower blocking portion 22. In other words, when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the cowl main body 12, the lower end of the upper blocking portion 24 and the upper end of the lower blocking portion 22 are set to overlap each other.

[0021] The air intake outlet 26 is configured as a hole formed in the cowl top panel 14. The air intake outlet 26 is disposed to the left of the upper blocking portion 24 (i.e., on the exhaust port 12G side). More specifically, a distance L1 between the upper blocking portion 24 and the air intake outlet 26 in the left-right direction is set to be shorter than a distance L2 between the lower blocking portion 22 and the upper blocking portion 24 (see FIG. 4). The air intake outlets 26 are also formed in the front and rear portions of the cowl top panel 14. That is, the air intake outlets 26 are formed in front of and rear of the top of the cowl top panel 14. The air intake outlet 26 is configured as a hole that sucks air from a space in the cowl duct portion 16 on the left side of the upper blocking portion 24 to the outside of the cowl duct portion 16. Specifically, when the vehicle V is moving, the wind flows rearward along the top surface of the cowl top panel 14, creating a negative pressure in the space above the cowl top panel 14, and this negative pressure causes air in the space to the left of the upper blocking portion 24 to be sucked out of the cowl duct portion 16 through the air intake port 26.

[0022] In addition, a drain port (not shown) is formed in the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12, so that liquid that falls onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12 is drained from the drain port to the outside of the cowl body 12.

[0023] (Action and effect) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0024] In the cowl structure 10 configured as described above, the outside air inlet 14C is formed at the right end of the cowl top panel 14, and the exhaust outlet 12G is formed at the left end of the cowl main body 12. When the air conditioning device 46 of the vehicle V is turned on, the blower fan 46A of the air conditioning device 46 is activated, and the air in the cowl duct portion 16 is drawn by the blower fan 46A through the exhaust outlet 12G toward the air conditioning duct 44. As a result, outside air (air) is introduced into the cowl duct portion 16 from the outside air inlet 14C, and an airflow AR is generated in the cowl duct portion 16, flowing from the outside air inlet 14C toward the exhaust outlet 12G.

[0025] Here, water (liquid) such as rainwater may enter cowl duct portion 16 from outside air inlet 14C together with air. At this time, liquid water with relatively large particles falls onto bottom wall 12A of cowl main body 12 and is drained from the drainage port of cowl main body 12. On the other hand, for example, mist-like water with relatively small particles does not fall onto bottom wall 12A of cowl main body 12, but flows together with air to the left inside cowl duct portion 16 as airflow AR.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4 , the airflow AR strikes the right side surface of the lower blocking portion 22 of the first gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 from the right. As a result, atomized water contained in the airflow AR adheres to the lower blocking portion 22, and the air and water are separated at the lower blocking portion 22. As the airflow AR repeatedly strikes the lower blocking portion 22, the water adhering to the lower blocking portion 22 breaks into droplets and falls from the lower blocking portion 22 onto the airbag device 30 or the bottom wall 12A of the cowl main body 12. Furthermore, the liquid that falls onto the airbag device 30 trickles down the outer periphery of the airbag device 30 and falls onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl main body 12. Furthermore, as the airflow AR strikes the lower blocking portion 22, the direction of the airflow AR is changed diagonally upward to the left, and the airflow AR flows toward the upper blocking portion 24. As a result, the airflow AR, from which the water has been removed at the lower blocking portion 22, flows toward the upper blocking portion 24.

[0027] Then, the air flow AR flowing toward the upper shielding portion 24 hits the right side surface of the upper shielding portion 24. As a result, atomized water contained in the air flow AR adheres to the upper shielding portion 24, and the air and water are separated in the upper shielding portion 24. In other words, the air and water remaining in the air flow AR that has passed through the lower shielding portion 22 are separated by the upper shielding portion 24. As the air flow AR repeatedly hits the upper shielding portion 24, the water adhering to the upper shielding portion 24 turns into droplets and falls from the upper shielding portion 24 onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl main body 12.

[0028] Furthermore, when the vehicle V is traveling, the traveling wind flows rearward along the upper surface of the cowl top panel 14. As a result, the space above the cowl top panel 14 becomes negative pressure, and this negative pressure causes air in the space to the left of the upper shielding portion 24 to be sucked out of the cowl duct portion 16 through the air intake port 26 (see arrow A in FIG. 4 ). Therefore, the airflow AR does not stagnate in the space below the upper shielding portion 24, but flows smoothly from below the upper shielding portion 24 to the left. In other words, the airflow AR flows toward the lower shielding portion 22 in the second gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 from the right, and hits the right side surface of this lower shielding portion 22. Note that while the vehicle V is traveling, as described above, the space above the cowl top panel 14 becomes negative pressure and air is sucked out of the cowl duct portion 16 through the air intake port 26, so that the air intake port 26 functions as a so-called one-way valve. This prevents water such as rainwater from entering the cowl duct portion 16 through the air intake port 26.

[0029] The airflow AR that has passed through the first gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 from the right then passes through the second to fifth gas-liquid separation mechanisms 20 from the right, in this order. At this time, as described above, the lower blocking portion 22 and the upper blocking portion 24 of each gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 separate the water remaining in the airflow AR from the air. That is, each time the airflow AR passes through a gas-liquid separation mechanism 20, the amount of water remaining in the airflow AR is reduced, and dry air flows toward the exhaust port 12G. The dry air from which the water has been separated then flows from the exhaust port 12G to the air conditioning duct 44 and is supplied to the vehicle interior.

[0030] As described above, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 of the cowl structure 10 is configured to include the lower blocking portion 22 extending upward from the airbag device 30, the upper blocking portion 24 extending downward from the cowl top panel 14, and a pair of front and rear air intake ports 26 formed in the cowl top panel 14. The upper blocking portion 24 is disposed on the left side of the lower blocking portion 22 (on the exhaust port 12G side and downstream of the air flow AR), and the air intake port 26 is disposed on the left side of the upper blocking portion 24. As a result, the air flow AR introduced into the cowl duct portion 16 from the outside air inlet 14C hits the lower blocking portion 22 and the upper blocking portion 24, and the air and liquid in the air flow AR can be separated in stages by the lower blocking portion 22 and the upper blocking portion 24.

[0031] Furthermore, the air intake port 26 draws air from the space in the cowl duct 16 to the left of the upper shielding portion 24 to the outside of the cowl duct 16, allowing the airflow AR to flow smoothly from below the upper shielding portion 24 to the left (toward the exhaust port 12G). That is, the lower shielding portion 22 and the upper shielding portion 24 function to block the flow of the airflow AR within the cowl duct 16, so there is a possibility that the airflow AR will stagnate after colliding with the lower shielding portion 22 and the upper shielding portion 24. In response to this, by drawing air downstream of the upper shielding portion 24 to the outside of the cowl duct 16 by the air intake port 26, it is possible to suppress the stagnation of the airflow AR that hits the upper shielding portion 24, and allow the airflow AR to flow smoothly toward the exhaust port 12G. That is, after the air and liquid in the airflow AR are separated by the lower blocking portion 22 and the upper blocking portion 24, the airflow AR can be guided toward the exhaust port 12G by the air intake port 26. As described above, according to the cowl structure 10 of this embodiment, the air and liquid in the cowl duct portion 16 can be separated satisfactorily.

[0032] Moreover, the cowl structure 10 has a plurality of gas-liquid separation mechanisms 20, which are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. As a result, each time the airflow AR flowing through the cowl duct portion 16 passes through a gas-liquid separation mechanism 20, the air and liquid in the airflow AR are separated. Therefore, the air and liquid introduced into the cowl duct portion 16 from the outside air inlet 14C can be effectively separated.

[0033] The cowl top panel 14 is formed as a long plate extending in the vehicle width direction, and when viewed in the longitudinal direction, the intermediate portion in the fore-aft direction is curved in an arc shape that convexes upward. That is, the cowl top panel 14 has no corners at the front or rear end, and is formed in a smooth curve when viewed in the longitudinal direction. This prevents, for example, turbulence of the airflow AR flowing from the lower blocking portion 22 toward the upper blocking portion 24 even when the airflow AR hits the cowl top panel 14. That is, the generation of turbulence in the space to the right of the upper blocking portion 24 can be suppressed. Therefore, the airflow AR flowing through the cowl duct portion 16 can be smoothly directed toward the exhaust port 12G.

[0034] Furthermore, the lower blocking portion 22 is positioned so that the upper end of the lower blocking portion 22 overlaps with the lower end of the upper blocking portion 24 in the vertical direction. That is, when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the cowl body 12, the upper end of the lower blocking portion 22 overlaps with the lower end of the upper blocking portion 24. This allows the airflow AR that hits the lower blocking portion 22 and flows from the lower blocking portion 22 to the left to hit the upper blocking portion 24 well.

[0035] Furthermore, the distance L1 between the upper shielding portion 24 and the air intake port 26 in the left-right direction is set to be shorter than the distance L2 between the lower shielding portion 22 and the upper shielding portion 24. This allows the air near the left side of the upper shielding portion 24 to be sucked out of the cowl duct portion 16 by the air intake port 26. Therefore, compared to a case in which the distance L1 between the upper shielding portion 24 and the air intake port 26 is set to be longer than the distance L2 between the lower shielding portion 22 and the upper shielding portion 24, the air flow AR that has passed through the upper shielding portion 24 can be more effectively guided toward the exhaust port 12G.

[0036] In this embodiment, the lower blocking portion 22 is provided on the airbag case of the airbag device 30, but if the airbag device 30 is not mounted on the cowl main body 12, the lower blocking portion 22 may also be provided on the bottom wall 12A of the cowl main body 12.

[0037] In this embodiment, the lower blocking portion 22 is formed in a plate shape with its thickness extending in the left-right direction. That is, the right side surface of the lower blocking portion 22 is formed along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. Alternatively, the right side surface of the lower blocking portion 22 may be formed so as to be slightly inclined leftward as it extends upward when viewed from the front. This allows the airflow AR that strikes the lower blocking portion 22 to flow smoothly toward the upper blocking portion 24.

[0038] Furthermore, in the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 of the present embodiment, a pair of front and rear air intake ports 26 are formed in the cowl top panel 14, but the air intake port 26 formed in the front portion of the cowl top panel 14 may be omitted. That is, because the cowl top panel 14 is curved in an arc shape that convexes upward at the middle portion in the fore-and-aft direction when viewed in the longitudinal direction, even with a configuration in which the air intake port 26 is provided only at the rear portion of the cowl top panel 14, air within the cowl duct portion 16 can be sufficiently sucked out from the air intake port 26 when the vehicle V is traveling. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 Vehicle cowl structure 12 Cowl body 12G exhaust port 14 Cowl top panel (cowl panel) 14C Fresh air intake 20 Gas-liquid separation mechanism 22 Lower blocking section 24 Upper blocking section 26 Air intake port (air discharge section) 30 Airbag device (installed part) 40 Windshield Glass

Claims

1. a cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction at a vehicle front side of a lower end of the windshield glass and formed in a concave shape that is open upward when viewed in the longitudinal direction; a cowl panel extending in a vehicle width direction above the cowl body, closing an upper opening of the cowl body, and having an outside air inlet at one end portion in the vehicle width direction for introducing outside air into the cowl body; an exhaust port formed at the other end of the cowl body in the vehicle width direction, for exhausting air inside the cowl body to a vehicle compartment; an air-liquid separation mechanism disposed between the outside air inlet and the exhaust port, which separates air and liquid inside the cowl body; Equipped with The gas-liquid separation mechanism is a lower blocking portion provided on a bottom wall of the cowl body or on a mounting component housed in the cowl body, the lower blocking portion extending from the bottom wall or the mounting component toward an upper side of the vehicle; an upper blocking portion provided on the cowl panel, arranged on the other side of the lower blocking portion in the vehicle width direction, and extending from the cowl panel toward the lower side of the vehicle; an air suction portion provided on the cowl panel and disposed on the other side of the upper blocking portion in the vehicle width direction, the air suction portion sucking out air from within the cowl body; A cowl structure for a vehicle comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein the cowl panel has a longitudinally intermediate portion that is curved in an arc shape that is convex upward toward the vehicle.

3. 3. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 2, wherein the air intake section is disposed at a rear portion of the cowl panel.

4. 4. A vehicle cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the lower blocking portion and the lower end of the upper blocking portion are positioned so as to overlap in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

5. 5. The vehicle cowl structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the gas-liquid separation mechanisms are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction.

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