Dash panel

Abstract

A dash panel (1) comprises: a dash lower panel (1L); a dash upper panel (1U) joined to the dash lower panel (1L); and a sealing material (5). The sealing material (5) is applied to the cabin inner surface (6) of the dash panel (1) along a boundary line (4) between the dash lower panel (1L) and the dash upper panel (1U). The cabin inner surface (6L) of the dash lower panel (1L) and the cabin inner surface (6U) of the dash upper panel (1U) form an angle of less than 180 degrees on the boundary line (4).

Description

Dash panel

[0001] The present invention relates to a dash panel that forms a front wall portion of a vehicle compartment.

[0002] A dash panel is a panel that separates the passenger compartment from an engine room or motor room located at the front of the vehicle. In vehicles with a drive source such as an internal combustion engine mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the dash panel may separate the passenger compartment from a luggage room located at the front of the vehicle. The dash panel forms the front wall of the passenger compartment as part of the vehicle body and is typically formed from steel plate that forms the vehicle body. Patent Document 1 discloses a dash panel whose upper portion is formed by a dash upper panel and whose lower portion is formed by a dash lower panel.

[0003] JP 2013-159156 A

[0004] To improve the waterproofness and airtightness of the vehicle interior, a sealant is applied to the joint between the lower edge of the dash upper panel and the upper edge of the dash lower panel. Specifically, the sealant is applied along the boundary line between the dash upper panel and the dash lower panel that appears on the interior side of the dash panel. However, when an operator applies the sealant from inside the vehicle interior, it is difficult to move the nozzle tip of a seal gun along the boundary line while keeping it accurately aligned with the boundary line.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a dash panel that can improve the workability of applying a sealant.

[0006] A dash panel according to one aspect of the present invention includes a dash lower panel, a dash upper panel joined to the dash lower panel, and a sealant. The sealant is applied to the interior side of the dash panel along the boundary between the dash lower panel and the dash upper panel. The interior side of the dash lower panel and the interior side of the dash upper panel form an angle of less than 180 degrees at the boundary.

[0007] According to the dash panel, the workability of applying the sealant can be improved.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dash panel according to an embodiment as viewed from inside the vehicle cabin. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the dash panel shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dash panel according to an embodiment as viewed from the motor compartment side. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the dash panel shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the dash panel according to an embodiment as viewed from inside the vehicle cabin. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the angle formed by the interior side surface of the dash lower panel and the interior side surface of the dash upper panel at the boundary line between the dash lower panel and the dash upper panel.

[0009] A dash panel according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same functions as those already described will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again. In each drawing, FR and RR indicate the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, respectively, LH and RH indicate the left and right in the vehicle width direction, and UP and DN indicate the top and bottom, respectively. In the following description, the left and right in the vehicle width direction and the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction will be simply referred to as the "left side," "right side," "front," and "rear," respectively.

[0010] The dash panel 1 shown in Figures 1 to 6 forms the front wall of the vehicle interior. The vehicle equipped with the dash panel 1 of this embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and the dash panel 1 functions as a partition wall separating the motor room located at the front of the vehicle from the vehicle interior. The dash panel 1 includes a dash lower panel 1L that forms its lower portion and a dash upper panel 1U that forms its upper portion. Both the dash lower panel 1L and the dash upper panel 1U are press-formed products made of steel plate. A flange 2 extending forward is formed at the upper edge of the dash lower panel 1L. Meanwhile, the lower edge of the dash upper panel 1U extends forward almost horizontally to form a horizontal portion 3.

[0011] The flange 2 of the dash lower panel 1L is spot-welded to the underside of the horizontal portion 3 of the dash upper panel 1U. Therefore, in cross sections perpendicular to the vehicle width direction shown in Figures 7 and 8, the joint between the dash lower panel 1L and the dash upper panel 1U is T-shaped. On the interior side surface 6 of the dash panel 1, the boundary line 4 between the dash upper panel 1U and the dash lower panel 1L extends continuously from the left end to the right end of the dash panel 1.

[0012] A sealant 5 is applied to the interior side surface 6 of the dash panel 1 along a boundary line 4 between the dash lower panel 1L and the dash upper panel 1U. More specifically, the sealant 5 is applied on the boundary line 4. The interior side surface 6L of the dash lower panel 1L and the interior side surface 6U of the dash upper panel 1U form a 90-degree angle at the boundary line 4.

[0013] The vehicle according to this embodiment is a left-hand drive vehicle, and the area of ​​dash panel 1 on the left side in front of the driver's seat is composed of a vertical wall 7 extending in the up-down direction. A through-hole 7a for a steering shaft and a mounting hole 7b for an electric brake booster unit are formed in vertical wall 7 below boundary line 4. As shown in Figure 7, even in vertical wall 7, an interior side surface 6L of dash lower panel 1L and an interior side surface 6U of dash upper panel 1U form a 90-degree angle at boundary line 4.

[0014] A housing section 9 is formed in the dash panel 1 in an area to the right of the vertical wall 7, bulging forward and housing an air conditioning unit 8 therein. The housing section 9 is formed in the center of the dash panel 1 in the vehicle width direction and in the area in front of the passenger seat. As shown in FIG. 8 , the dash lower panel 1L forms a front panel 9f of the housing section 9, and the dash upper panel 1U forms a top panel 9u of the housing section 9. That is, the top panel 9u of the housing section 9 is formed by the horizontal portion 3 of the dash upper panel 1U. The front panel 9f of the housing section 9 is formed with an insertion hole 9a through which a refrigerant pipe is inserted that connects the air conditioning unit 8 housed in the housing section 9 to a condenser (not shown) mounted in the front of the vehicle.

[0015] 8, in the housing portion 9 of the dash panel 1, the interior side surface 6L of the dash lower panel 1L and the interior side surface 6U of the dash upper panel 1U also form a 90-degree angle at the boundary line 4. The area of ​​the dash lower panel 1L below the housing portion 9 does not bulge forward, but is formed as a surface that continues smoothly from the vertical wall 7 in the vehicle width direction.

[0016] As shown in Figure 8, the front portion of the air conditioning unit 8 is housed in the housing 9, and the rear portion protrudes from the housing 9 into the passenger compartment. More specifically, the air conditioning unit 8 protrudes into the passenger compartment beyond the imaginary reference plane PP of the dash panel 1. The imaginary reference plane PP is a plane obtained by smoothly connecting the rightward extension of the passenger compartment side surface 6 of the vertical wall 7, i.e., the passenger compartment side surface of the vertical wall 7, with a plane obtained by folding the same symmetrically about the center plane in the vehicle width direction. The rear portion of the air conditioning unit 8 is housed inside an instrument panel (not shown) mounted on the passenger compartment side of the dash panel 1.

[0017] The effects of the dash panel 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0018] (1) The dash panel 1 comprises a dash lower panel 1L that forms the lower part of the dash panel 1, and a dash upper panel 1U that is joined to the dash lower panel 1L to form the upper part of the dash panel 1. A sealant 5 is applied to the interior side surface 6 of the dash panel 1 along a boundary line 4 between the dash lower panel 1L and the dash upper panel 1U. The interior side surface 6L of the dash lower panel 1L and the interior side surface 6U of the dash upper panel 1U form a 90-degree angle at the boundary line 4.

[0019] That is, in dash panel 1, a valley, groove, or recessed line having on its side interior side surface 6L and interior side surface 6U near boundary line 4 is formed along boundary line 4. Therefore, when applying sealant 5, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the nozzle tip of seal gun 11 is guided by interior side surfaces 6U and 6L and aligned over boundary line 4. Even when the nozzle tip of seal gun 11 is moved along boundary line 4, the nozzle tip is guided by the side surfaces of the valley, groove, or recessed line, so the nozzle tip can remain aligned over boundary line 4.

[0020] In addition, dash panels are generally located at approximately the same position as the lower edge of the front windshield in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and are recessed from the interior of the vehicle cabin. Therefore, even when a steering member to which a steering column is attached is not attached to the vehicle body, it is not easy to apply a sealant to the interior side of the dash panel with a seal gun from the interior of the vehicle cabin. As described above, the dash panel 1 according to this embodiment makes it easy to align the nozzle tip of the seal gun 11 with the boundary line 4 and to move the nozzle tip along the boundary line 4 while maintaining the alignment. Therefore, the dash panel 1 improves the workability of applying the sealant to the boundary line 4.

[0021] (2) The dash panel 1 has a housing 9 that bulges forward to house the air conditioning unit 8. The dash upper panel 1U forms the top panel 9u of the housing 9, and the dash lower panel 1L forms the front panel 9f of the housing 9. The sealant 5 is applied along the boundary line 4 between the top panel 9u and the front panel 9f. By having the dash panel 1 bulge forward to provide the housing 9, the amount of rearward protrusion of the air conditioning unit 8 can be reduced, expanding the interior space and improving comfort within the vehicle. In particular, the space near the instrument panel can be expanded, thereby increasing the legroom for front seat passengers, for example.

[0022] Furthermore, although the boundary line 4 in the storage portion 9 is located further back from the interior of the vehicle compartment, according to the dash panel 1 of this embodiment, the valleys, grooves, or recesses are formed along the boundary line 4 in the storage portion 9 as well. This makes it easy to align the nozzle tip of the seal gun 11 with the boundary line 4 and to move the nozzle tip along the boundary line 4 while maintaining the alignment. Therefore, according to the dash panel 1, the workability of applying the sealant to the boundary line 4 in the storage portion 9 can be improved.

[0023] (3) The area of ​​the dash panel 1 in front of the driver's seat is composed of a vertical wall 7 that does not have a storage compartment 9. Even in this vertical wall 7, the interior side surface 6L of the dash lower panel 1L and the interior side surface 6U of the dash upper panel 1U form a 90-degree angle at the boundary line 4. That is, the boundary line 4 is formed continuously from the left end to the right end of the dash panel 1, and the valleys, grooves, or recesses are also formed continuously from the left end to the right end of the dash panel 1 along the boundary line 4. This allows the sealant 5 to be applied to the boundary line 4 from the left end to the right end in one go, further improving the workability of applying the sealant to the boundary line 4.

[0024] The angle formed by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at the boundary line 4 is the size of the angle formed toward the interior of the vehicle by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at a position away from the boundary line 4 by a distance equal to the nozzle tip outer diameter D (see FIG. 8 ) of the seal gun 11. For example, when the nozzle tip outer diameter D of the seal gun 11 is D1, the angle formed by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at the boundary line 4 is angle α1 formed by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at a position away from the boundary line 4 by the distance D1, as shown in FIG. 9 . Furthermore, when the nozzle tip outer diameter D is D2 (D2 > D1), the angle formed by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at the boundary line 4 is angle α2 formed by the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U at a position away from the boundary line 4 by the distance D2.

[0025] The nozzle tip outer diameter D is generally 6 mm to 60 mm. In dash panel 1 according to this embodiment, interior side surfaces 6L and 6U, which are located within a range of 3 mm to 30 mm from boundary line 4, form a 90-degree angle.

[0026] The above-described embodiments are merely examples described to facilitate understanding of the invention. The technical scope of the invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above-described embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0027] For example, in the above embodiment, the interior side surface 6L and the interior side surface 6U form an angle of 90 degrees at the boundary line 4, but the size of this angle is not limited to 90 degrees. It is sufficient that the valley, groove, or recessed streak is formed along the boundary line 4, and therefore the angle may be less than 180 degrees. However, if the angle is too small, the orientation and movement direction of the nozzle tip of the seal gun 11 when aligning the nozzle tip with the boundary line 4 will be restricted. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle be 60 degrees or more. Furthermore, to more reliably obtain the nozzle tip guide function of the side surfaces of the valley, groove, or recessed streak (i.e., the interior side surfaces 6L, 6U), it is preferable that the angle be 135 degrees or less.

[0028] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dash panel, 1L Dash lower panel, 1U Dash upper panel, 4 Boundary line, 5 Sealant, 6 (of dash panel 6) Inner compartment side surface, 6L (of dash lower panel 6L) Inner compartment side surface, 6U (of dash upper panel 6U) Inner compartment side surface, 7 Vertical wall, 8 Air conditioning unit, 9 Storage section, 9f Front panel, 9u Top panel

Claims

1. A dash panel forming a front wall portion of a passenger compartment, comprising: a dash lower panel forming a lower portion of the dash panel; a dash upper panel joined to the dash lower panel to form an upper portion of the dash panel; and a sealing material applied along a boundary line between the dash lower panel and the dash upper panel on an inner side surface of the dash panel in the passenger compartment, wherein an angle formed by the inner side surface of the dash lower panel in the passenger compartment and the inner side surface of the dash upper panel in the passenger compartment at the boundary line is less than 180 degrees.

2. The dash panel according to claim 1, wherein a housing portion is formed in the dash panel to bulge forward and house an air conditioning unit therein, the dash upper panel forms an upper surface panel of the housing portion, the dash lower panel forms a front surface panel of the housing portion, and the sealing material is applied along a boundary line between the upper surface panel and the front surface panel.

3. The dash panel according to claim 2, wherein a region in front of the driver's seat of the dash panel is composed of a vertical wall extending along the vertical direction without the housing portion formed therein, and in the vertical wall, an angle formed by the inner side surface of the dash lower panel in the passenger compartment and the inner side surface of the dash upper panel in the passenger compartment at the boundary line is less than 180 degrees.

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