JP4760740B2 - Automotive front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more certainly guide the access motion of a tool to an optical axis adjusting part of a head lamp unit in simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This front part structure of an automobile constituted so that the optical axis adjusting part 29 to adjust an optical axis of the head lamp unit 3 is arranged below a fender panel 1 and adjusting operation for the optical axis adjusting part 29 is carried out through a tool T from the side of an engine room is constituted by arranging a sub tank 17 as a part for a vehicle having prescribed width in the vehicle width direction at a specific portion in the engine room separated to the inside in the vehicle width direction against the head lamp unit 3 and so that the access motion of the tool T to the optical axis adjusting part is guided by a guide part 43 for the tool including a part of an inclined surface part 41 by making a region to an outer end in the vehicle width direction out of an outer wall surface of the sub tank 17 the inclined surface part 41 along a track of the tool T approaching the optical axis adjusting part 29. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  According to the present invention, an optical axis adjustment unit for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit is disposed below a fender panel extending along a side part of the engine room, and an adjustment operation for the optical axis adjustment unit. The present invention relates to a front structure of an automobile configured to be performed via a tool from the engine room side.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, in a vehicle in which an inverter is attached to an engine room via a bracket, an optical axis adjustment unit for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit is provided inside the engine room. In addition, an opening is provided in the bracket for mounting the inverter so that an adjustment tool (for example, a driver) is accessible to the optical axis adjustment unit.

According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the tool is brought close to the optical axis adjustment unit through an opening provided in the bracket even under a situation where the optical axis adjustment unit is hidden under the bracket or the like. Therefore, there is an advantage that the optical axis of the headlamp can be easily adjusted.
JP 2004-231115 A

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since an opening is provided in a thin plate-like bracket that is generally formed by pressing or the like, and the tool is accessed to the optical axis adjustment unit through this opening, this tool is used. It may be difficult to reliably approach the optical axis adjusting unit. That is, when the opening is provided at a position a certain distance away from the installation portion of the optical axis adjustment unit, the tool is inserted into the opening and the optical axis adjustment unit is approached. Sometimes, the orientation of the tool is not determined with sufficient accuracy due to the gap between the inner wall surface of the opening and the tool, and the tip of the tool may not be able to reliably reach the optical axis adjustment. there were.

  Of course, for example, by increasing the thickness of the bracket of the portion where the opening is provided, and by making the inner wall surface of the opening provided so as to penetrate the thick plate portion along the track of the tool, Although it is possible to configure the tool so that it can be reliably guided to the optical axis adjustment section, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the thick plate section considerably, which increases the weight of the bracket and increases the cost. Result.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and is a front structure of an automobile that can more reliably guide the access operation of the tool to the optical axis adjustment section of the headlamp unit with a simple configuration. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, an optical axis adjustment unit for adjusting the optical axis of a headlamp unit is disposed below a fender panel extending along a side part of an engine room. In addition, the vehicle front structure is configured such that the adjustment operation with respect to the optical axis adjustment unit is performed from the engine room side through a tool, and the engine room is spaced inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the headlamp unit. A vehicle part having a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction is disposed at a specific portion of the vehicle part, and a region near the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the outer wall surface of the vehicle part is the optical axis adjustment unit. An inclined surface portion along the trajectory of the tool that approaches the tool, and a tool guide portion including a part of the inclined surface portion is configured to guide the access operation of the tool with respect to the optical axis adjusting portion. Is characterized in that the (claim 1).

  According to the present invention, a region of the outer wall surface of the vehicle component having a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction is defined as an inclined surface portion along the track of the tool approaching the optical axis adjusting portion, and a part of the inclined surface portion. Unlike the conventional configuration in which an opening for a tool is provided in a plate-like bracket as in the prior art, the tool guide part including the tool guides the access operation of the tool. The track can be maintained in a more stable track along the inclined surface portion, and the tool can be secured so that the tip of the tool can reliably reach the optical axis adjusting portion that is arranged so as to hide below the fender panel. I can guide you. Moreover, since the access operation of the tool is guided with a simple configuration using the inclined surface portion formed on the outer wall surface of the sub tank, it is possible to effectively avoid problems such as an increase in component weight and cost increase. However, there is an advantage that the optical axis adjustment of the headlamp unit can be facilitated.

  The tool guide part is a part of the inclined surface part of the vehicle component and has a bottom wall part having a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and projects upward from the front and rear end parts of the bottom wall part. It is preferable to have a pair of front and rear vertical wall portions that restrict movement in the vehicle body longitudinal direction.

  According to this configuration, by restricting the movement of the tool in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body by the vertical wall portion of the tool guide portion, the access operation of the tool with respect to the optical axis adjustment portion can be guided with more accurate accuracy. There is an advantage that the workability of the optical axis adjustment for the headlamp unit can be improved more effectively.

  In this case, the tool guide portion has an upper wall portion that connects the upper ends of the pair of vertical wall portions, and the movement of the tool to the outside in the vehicle width direction is regulated by the upper wall portion. More preferably, it is configured as (Claim 3).

  In this way, the movement of the tool to the outside in the vehicle width direction can be restricted by the upper wall portion of the tool guide portion, and the access operation of the tool with respect to the optical axis adjustment portion can be guided with higher accuracy. There is an advantage that you can.

  When the vehicle component is made of resin, the tool guide portion is preferably formed integrally with the resin vehicle component (claim 4).

  In this way, since the vehicle component and the tool guide portion can be formed simultaneously by integral molding of the resin, an increase in cost due to the additional installation of the tool guide portion can be minimized. There is an advantage.

  Moreover, in the said structure, the space | interval of a pair of front-and-back vertical wall part of the said guide part for tools, or the space | interval of the said bottom wall part and an upper wall part is set larger predetermined amount than the axial diameter of the said tool. At the same time, it is preferable that the optical axis adjusting portion is provided with a leading-in lead-in portion extending in the direction of the installation portion of the tool guide portion.

  In this way, even if a certain amount of deviation occurs in the positional relationship between the tool guide portion and the optical axis adjustment portion due to assembly errors of the vehicle parts, the optical axis adjustment portion The tip of the tool can be reliably reached.

  As described above, according to the front structure of the automobile of the present invention, the access operation of the tool with respect to the optical axis adjustment section of the headlamp unit can be more reliably guided with a simple configuration.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment of a front structure of an automobile according to the present invention. The front structure of the vehicle includes a pair of fender panels 1 and 1 that form the left and right outer plate surfaces of the front body (front body), and a bumper face 2 that forms the outer plate surface of the front end of the vehicle body, It has a pair of left and right headlamp units 3, 3 disposed in front of the fender panels 1, 1. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 denotes a hood hood, and 5 denotes a front grill.

  The fender panel 1 is installed so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body along the side part of the engine room, and is formed at the front part thereof so as to be shaped along the upper side part of the headlamp unit 3. It has a part 1a. A shroud support member 7 is disposed below (on the back side of) the extended portion 1a as shown mainly in FIG. 3 (the fender panel 1 is removed in FIG. 3). The front end portion of the extending portion 1a is fixed to the front end portion of the member 7 by means such as bolt fastening.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a shroud panel 11 for supporting a heat exchanger (not shown) made of a radiator or the like is installed at the front end of the engine room. The shroud support member 7 supports the upper side of the shroud panel 11, and the upper portion of the headlamp unit 3 from the front end portion of the apron upper member 13 as a strength member extending along the side portion of the engine room. It is installed so as to extend to the front side of the vehicle body through the rear, and its front end is fixed to the upper side of the shroud panel 11 by means such as bolt fastening. 2 and 3, reference numeral 15 denotes a front suspension tower to which the upper end portion of the front suspension is attached.

  In the engine room in the vicinity of the shroud support member 7, a sub tank 17 for temporarily storing cooling water used for the heat exchanger (not shown) is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the head lamp unit 3. They are arranged in a separated state. The sub-tank 17 has attachment side portions 18 and 19 at the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof, and these attachment side portions 18 and 19 are used for bolt fastening or the like to the shroud support member 7 and the front suspension tower 15. By being fixed by the means, the two members 7 and 15 are attached in a state of bridging in the engine room. Note that pipes 20 and 21 extending from the heat exchanger are respectively connected to predetermined portions of the outer wall portion of the sub tank 17, and between the sub tank 17 and the heat exchanger via the pipes 20 and 21. Cooling water circulates in

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the sub tank 17 has an upper and lower divided structure including an upper case 39 and a lower case 40, and has a storage space for storing the cooling water therein. . The upper case 39 and the lower case 40 are constituted by an integrally molded product made of resin.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the upper case 39 of the sub-tank 17 is inclined in the region of the outer wall surface near the outer end in the vehicle width direction so that the height decreases toward the outer end side. A surface portion 41 is provided. The inclined surface portion 41 extends obliquely downward toward an installation portion of an optical axis adjusting portion 29 described later provided for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit 3, and extends from the engine room side to the optical axis adjusting portion 29. It is formed along the trajectory of the approaching tool T (driver in the illustrated example). The upper case 39 is provided with a tunnel-shaped tool guide portion 43 including a predetermined wall portion (details will be described later) including a part of the inclined surface portion 41, and the optical axis adjusting portion. By inserting the shaft portion Ta of the tool T approaching 29 into the tool guide portion 43, the access operation of the tool T to the optical axis adjusting portion 29 is guided.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the headlamp unit 3 includes a headlamp housing 22 having a U-shaped cross-sectional view that opens to the front side of the vehicle body, and a glass or transparent resin attached to the front side of the headlamp housing 22. And an outer lens 23 made of metal. Inside the headlamp housing 22, a light emitting bulb 24 made of a halogen bulb or an HID bulb and a reflector 25 surrounding the light emitting bulb 24 are disposed, and light from the light emitting bulb 24 is transmitted to the headlamp housing 22. The light is irradiated forward through the opening 26 while being reflected by the inner wall surface of the reflector 25. The reflector 25 is supported in a swingable manner inside the headlamp housing 23 via a pivot mechanism (not shown).

  As described above, the optical axis of the headlamp unit 3 configured as described above is adjusted by the optical axis adjustment unit 29. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 and 8, the optical axis adjusting portion 29 protrudes rearward from the rear wall portion of the headlamp housing 22 and is positioned below the fender panel 1 and the shroud support member 7. The tool T is operated by the tool T extending from the sub tank 17 side in the engine room. Then, the optical axis adjustment unit 29 swings and displaces the reflector 25 of the headlamp unit 3 according to the operation by the tool T, thereby changing the optical axis of the headlamp unit 3 up and down or left and right. It is configured.

  Specifically, the optical axis adjustment unit 29 includes a gear mechanism including a first bevel gear 31 that is rotationally driven by the tool T, a second bevel gear 32 that is meshed with the first bevel gear 31, and the like. It has a gear case 33 that houses the mechanism, and a rotating shaft 35 that is fixed to the central portion of the second bevel gear 32 and rotates integrally therewith. In FIG. 7, the first bevel gear 31 is omitted. The rotating shaft 35 extends through the rear wall portion of the headlamp housing 22 to the inside thereof, and the reflector 25 is connected to the reflector 25 via a push rod (not shown) that is driven back and forth in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 35. It is comprised so that a specific site | part may be pushed and pulled. Then, when the reflector 25 is driven through the push rod in this way, the reflector 25 is oscillated and displaced so that the direction of the opening 26 changes vertically or horizontally.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the tool guide portion 43 provided in the upper case 39 of the sub tank 17 is a part of the inclined surface portion 41 formed in the upper case 39. A bottom wall portion 45 having a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a pair of front and rear vertical wall portions 46 and 46 projecting upward from front and rear end portions of the bottom wall portion 45, and a pair of the vertical wall portions 46 and 46 And the upper wall portion 47 connecting the upper end portions of the upper and lower ends of the tunnel T. The shaft portion Ta of the tool T is inserted into the space surrounded by the wall portions 45 to 47. Yes. Such a tool guide portion 43 is formed integrally with the upper case 39 made of a resin molded product.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tool guide portion 43 has a pair of extending portions 46 a and 46 a formed so as to extend the vertical wall portions 46 and 46. The pair of extending portions 46a, 46a are formed in a C-shaped flared shape in a top view and extend inward in the vehicle width direction, and are formed in a space surrounded by the wall portions 45-47. The tool T is configured to play a role.

  The tool T is inserted into the tool guide portion 43 as described above, so that the optical axis adjusting portion 29 is accessed while passing along a fixed path along the inclined surface portion 41. Guided. Specifically, the tool T inserted into the tool guide portion 43 is restricted by the pair of vertical wall portions 46 and 46 from moving in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion Ta, and the shaft portion Ta The movement toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction is regulated by the upper wall portion 47, so that it is guided toward the optical axis adjustment portion 29 so as to pass through a certain track.

  However, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the pair of vertical wall portions 46, 46 in the tool guide portion 43, and the distance between the bottom wall portion 45 and the upper wall portion 47 are the same as those of the tool T. A predetermined amount is set larger than the shaft diameter of the shaft portion Ta, and a certain amount of gap is formed between each of the wall portions 45 to 47 and the shaft portion Ta. Therefore, the tool T can move to some extent in the radial direction even when the shaft portion Ta is inserted into the space surrounded by the wall portions 45 to 47.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the gear case 33 of the optical axis adjustment unit 29 is provided with a leading guide portion 52 that extends toward the installation portion of the tool guide portion 43. . Specifically, the guide portion 52 has a hole communicating with the inside of the gear case 33, and is configured by a funnel-shaped member formed so that the diameter of the hole increases toward the tip side. ing. The lead-in portion 52 having such a structure is arranged such that the tip end portion of the shaft portion Ta is positioned in the gear case 33 with respect to the tool T that approaches the tool T in a radial direction while passing through the tool guide portion 43. The first bevel gear 31 is guided into the installation portion of the first bevel gear 31.

  The optical axis adjustment unit 29 for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit 3 as described above is disposed below the fender panel 1 extending along the side part of the engine room, and the optical axis adjustment unit. 29, in a front structure of an automobile configured to be adjusted via the tool T from the engine room side, in a specific part in the engine room that is spaced inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the headlamp unit 3, A sub-tank 17 having a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction is disposed, and a track of the tool T approaching the optical axis adjustment unit 29 in an area near the outer end in the vehicle width direction on the outer wall surface of the sub-tank 17. The access operation of the tool T to the optical axis adjustment unit 29 is guided by the tool guide portion 43 including a part of the inclined surface portion 41. According to the arrangement embodiments, there is an advantage that more reliably guide the access operation of the tool T with respect to the optical axis adjustment unit 29 with a simple structure.

  That is, according to the above-described embodiment, a region of the outer wall surface of the upper case 39 of the sub tank 17 having a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction is formed on the inclined surface portion along the track of the tool T approaching the optical axis adjustment unit 29. 41, and the tool guide portion 43 including a part of the inclined surface portion 41 is configured to guide the access operation of the tool T, so that the plate-like bracket has a tool opening as in the conventional case. Unlike the configuration in which the tool T is merely provided, the track of the tool T can be maintained in a more stable track along the inclined surface portion 41, and the optical axis adjusting unit is arranged so as to be hidden below the fender panel 1. The tool T can be guided so that the tip end of the tool T reaches the center 29 with certainty. In addition, since the access operation of the tool T is guided with a simple configuration using the inclined surface portion 41 formed on the outer wall surface of the sub-tank 17, problems such as an increase in component weight and cost increase occur. There is an advantage that the optical axis adjustment of the headlamp unit 3 can be facilitated while being effectively avoided.

  In particular, as in the above-described embodiment, the tool guide portion 43 includes a bottom wall portion 45 that is a part of the inclined surface portion 41 of the upper case 39 and has a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the bottom wall portion. 45 is configured to have a pair of front and rear vertical wall portions 46 and 46 protruding upward from the rear end portion of the vehicle, and the vertical wall portions 46 and 46 restrict the movement of the tool T in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. In this case, the access operation of the tool T to the optical axis adjustment unit 29 can be guided with more accurate accuracy, and the workability of the optical axis adjustment to the headlamp unit 3 can be improved more effectively. There is an advantage.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the tool guide portion 43 is provided with the upper wall portion 47 that connects the upper end portions of the pair of front and rear vertical wall portions 46, 46. Therefore, the tool T moves outward in the vehicle width direction. This can be regulated by the upper wall portion 47, and the access operation of the tool T with respect to the optical axis adjusting portion 29 can be guided with higher accuracy.

  Further, when the upper case 39 of the sub tank 17 is formed of a resin member and the tool guide portion 43 is formed integrally with the resin upper case 39 as in the above embodiment, these upper cases 39 and the tool guide portion 43 can be formed simultaneously by integral molding of resin, so that an increase in cost due to the additional installation of the tool guide portion 43 can be minimized.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the space | interval of a pair of front-and-back vertical wall parts 46 and 46 of the said guide part 43 for tools, and the space | interval of the bottom wall part 45 and the upper wall part 47 are made into the shaft part Ta in the said tool T. The sub-tank 17 has an assembly error because it is set to a predetermined amount larger than the shaft diameter, and the optical axis adjustment unit 29 is provided with a tip-in guiding portion 52 extending toward the installation portion of the tool guide portion 43. Even when a certain amount of deviation occurs in the positional relationship between the tool guide portion 43 and the optical axis adjustment portion 29 due to the above, the wall portions 45 to 47 of the tool guide portion 43 and the tool T The above-described tool T that can absorb the positional deviation as described above by using the radial gap of the tool and approaches the tool T with a certain error range while passing through the tool guide portion 43 in this way. of The end, while guiding by the guiding portion 52 can reliably reach the optical axis adjustment portion 29.

  That is, since the relative positional relationship between the assembly position of the sub tank 17 provided with the tool guide portion 43 and the installation portion of the optical axis adjustment unit 29 may be shifted to some extent due to the assembly error of the sub tank 17 or the like. When the interval between the vertical wall portions 46, 46 of the tool guide portion 43 and the interval between the bottom wall portion 45 and the upper wall portion 47 are set to be substantially the same as the shaft diameter of the shaft portion Ta, the tool T The trajectory can hardly be corrected in the radial direction, and the tip of the tool T cannot reach the optical axis adjusting unit 29 depending on the magnitude of the assembly error. On the other hand, when the gap between the wall portions of the tool guide portion 43 is larger than the shaft diameter of the shaft portion Ta by a predetermined amount as described above, a certain amount of gap is generated between them. Since the tool T can be brought closer to the optical axis adjusting unit 29 while correcting the trajectory of the tool T to some extent in the radial direction, the tip end portion of the tool T can be obtained even in the situation where there is a positional deviation as described above. Can reach the optical axis adjusting unit 29 without any problem.

  Moreover, in this case, since the guiding portion 52 for guiding the tip portion of the tool T is provided in the optical axis adjusting portion 29, the final positioning of the tool T is performed in the immediate vicinity of the optical axis adjusting portion 29. As described above, the tip end portion of the tool T approaching with a certain error range in the radial direction while passing through the tool guide portion 43 is surely reached the optical axis adjusting portion 29 while being guided by the guiding portion 52. Can be made.

  In the above embodiment, the tool guide portion 43 is provided in the sub-tank 17 for the heat exchanger. However, the tool guide portion 43 is a vehicle disposed in the engine room near the headlamp unit 3. As long as it is a part for use, it is not limited to such a sub tank 17 but can be provided for various parts. For example, when the washer tank for storing the washer liquid for cleaning the windshield is disposed at the same location as the sub tank 17, the tool guide portion 43 may be provided in the washer tank.

1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a vehicle to which a front structure of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the front part structure of the said motor vehicle. It is a top view which expands and shows the principal part in the front part structure of the said motor vehicle, and is a figure which shows the state which removed the fender panel in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the IV-IV line of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the headlamp unit and the sub tank from the back side. It is a perspective view of a sub tank. It is sectional drawing along the VII-VII line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VIII-VIII line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Fender panel 3 Head lamp unit 17 Sub tank (vehicle parts)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 29 Optical axis adjustment part 41 Inclined surface part 43 Tool guide part 45 Bottom wall part 46 Vertical wall part 47 Upper wall part 52 Guide part T Tool

Claims (5)

An optical axis adjustment unit for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit is disposed below the fender panel extending along the side of the engine room, and the adjustment operation for the optical axis adjustment unit is performed on the engine room side. A front structure of an automobile configured to be performed through a tool,
A vehicle part having a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction is disposed at a specific portion in the engine room that is spaced inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the headlamp unit.
An area near the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the outer wall surface of the vehicle component is an inclined surface portion along the track of the tool approaching the optical axis adjusting portion, and the tool includes a part of the inclined surface portion. A front structure of an automobile, characterized in that an access operation of a tool with respect to the optical axis adjustment section is guided by a guide section for use. The front structure of an automobile according to claim 1,
The tool guide portion is a part of the inclined surface portion of the vehicle component and has a bottom wall portion having a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and projects upward from the front and rear end portions of the bottom wall portion. A front structure of an automobile having a pair of front and rear vertical wall portions for restricting movement in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The front structure of an automobile according to claim 2,
The tool guide portion has an upper wall portion that connects upper end portions of the pair of vertical wall portions, and the upper wall portion is configured to restrict movement of the tool to the outside in the vehicle width direction. A front structure of an automobile characterized by that. The front structure of an automobile according to claim 2 or 3,
A vehicle front structure, wherein the vehicle component is made of resin, and the tool guide portion is formed integrally with the resin vehicle component. In the front part structure of the car given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 2-4,
The distance between the pair of front and rear vertical wall portions of the tool guide portion or the interval between the bottom wall portion and the upper wall portion is set to be a predetermined amount larger than the shaft diameter of the tool, and the optical axis adjustment portion A front structure of an automobile, characterized in that it is provided with a leading-in lead-in part extending toward the installation part of the tool guide part.

Images