JP6671815B2 - Vehicle cowl brace - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl brace for a vehicle such as an automobile.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cowl brace of a conventional vehicle and a configuration in the vicinity thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, a pipe-shaped steering support member 101 extending along the vehicle width direction is provided on the front upper portion in the vehicle interior of the vehicle, and the steering support member 101 is mounted in the vehicle width direction. Both left and right ends are attached to the side of the vehicle body via end connection brackets 102. The steering support member 101 is disposed inside an instrument panel (not shown), supports the instrument panel, and supports a steering column, a steering wheel, and the like (not shown) on the driver's seat side.

  In order to secure rigidity for supporting these steering shafts and the like, the steering support member 101 is configured to be attached to the cowl 103 located forward in the vehicle length direction. Therefore, a cowl brace 104 separate from the steering support member 101 is provided between the steering support member 101 and the cowl 103. In the drawings, the cowl brace 104 and the cowl 103 are shown separated from each other for the sake of explanation.

  The cowl brace 104 is arranged such that a first reinforcement 105, which is a component located above in the vehicle height direction, and a second reinforcement 106, which is a component located below in the vehicle height direction, overlap when viewed in the vehicle height direction. It is constituted by doing. The first reinforcement 105 extends along the vehicle length direction in order to increase the support rigidity and vibration suppression performance of the steering support member 101, and the second reinforcement 106 has a shorter overall length than the first reinforcement 105. Having.

  The second reinforcement 106 is fixed to the first reinforcement 105 by welding at fixing points P1 and P2. The fixed point P1 is provided near the connection between the steering support member 101 and the first reinforcement 105, and the fixed point P2 is provided near the connection between the cowl 103 and the first reinforcement 105. ing. This allows the cowl brace 104 to deform in a Z-shape when receiving a collision load from the front of the vehicle. The lower rear end of the second reinforcement 106 is fixed to the upper portion of the support piece 105c extending forward from the rear end portion 105b of the first reinforcement 105 in the vehicle length direction by welding at a central position. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-218121 A

  The present inventor has found that the cowl brace of a vehicle according to the above-described conventional technique has the following problems. That is, when the steering support member supports the steering wheel and the steering column via the cowl brace, the cowl brace may be distorted due to a downward stress in the vehicle height caused by the load on the steering wheel and the steering column. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a cowl brace of a vehicle having improved rigidity against stress in a direction along the vehicle height.

In order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the present invention is a cowl brace fixed to a steering support member of a vehicle, the cowl brace upper being located directly below the cowl brace upper in a vehicle height direction. A cowl brace lower partly forming a closed cross section with the cowl brace upper, and extending along at least one surface of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle. A bead whose both ends do not reach both ends along the vehicle width direction of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower is formed, and the bead is provided in at least one of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower. Stiffness in the vehicle length direction is smaller than other parts Parts are provided, a cowl brace vehicle.

Further, as another aspect of the present invention, at least one of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower is provided with a fragile portion having a rigidity in a vehicle length direction smaller than other portions, and the bead is It may be formed corresponding to the position of the fragile portion.

  The present invention as described above has an effect that it is possible to improve rigidity against stress in a direction along the vehicle height direction.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration near a cowl brace of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) Plan view showing a configuration of a cowl brace of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. (B) Side view showing a configuration of a cowl brace of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) Cross-sectional view of main part aa of FIG. 2 (b) (b) Cross-sectional view of main part bb of FIG. 2 (b) (A) Cross-sectional view of main part AA of FIG. 2 (a) (b) Cross-sectional view showing configuration of main part of cowl brace of vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration near a cowl brace of a conventional vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration near a cowl brace of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a cowl brace 10 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment is configured by welding a cowl brace upper 11 located above the vehicle height direction and a cowl brace lower 12 located immediately below the cowl brace upper 11. By joining. The cowl brace 10 is joined to the front surface 50a of the cowl 50 located forward in the vehicle length direction at the tip end 10a, and is joined to the steering support member 20 and the U-shaped bracket 30 described later rearward in the vehicle length direction.

  The steering support member 20 is a so-called pillar-to-pillar member that extends along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and is bridged between a pair of pillars of the vehicle. It is arranged inside and supports the instrument panel, and also supports a steering column and a steering wheel (not shown) on the driver's seat side.

  The U-shaped bracket 30 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section extending rearward in the vehicle length direction, and is joined to the steering support member 20 by means of welding or the like at the front side in the vehicle length direction. It is a member for reinforcing the torsional rigidity of the member 20 and the cowl brace upper. Furthermore, a brace member 40 extending in the vehicle height direction and fixed to a vehicle floor (not shown) is further joined to the U-shaped bracket 30 and the steering support member 20.

  Next, the configuration of the cowl brace 10 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a plan view of FIG. 2A and a side view of FIG. 2B. As shown in each drawing, the cowl brace upper 11, which is the upper structure of the cowl brace 10, has a planar shape that is curved in a convex shape in the vehicle height direction and the tip gradually narrows along the front in the vehicle length direction. A substantially U-shaped member having a cross section having a flat surface portion 11a and a pair of side wall portions 11b bent downward in the vehicle length direction substantially perpendicular to the flat surface portion 11a, to which a steering bracket (not shown) is fixed. And a fixing portion 10b for performing the fixing.

  Next, a cowl brace lower 12, which is a lower structure of the cowl brace 10, is curved in a convex direction in the vehicle height direction, and has a flat surface portion 12a and a flat surface portion 12a having substantially the same flat shape as the flat surface portion 11a of the cowl brace upper 11. A substantially U-shaped member having a cross-sectional shape having a pair of side walls 12b that are bent substantially perpendicularly to the portion 12a in the vehicle length direction, and has a fixing portion 10c for fixing a steering bracket (not shown). .

  The flat portion 12a of the cowl brace lower 12 has a dimension wider than the flat portion 11a of the cowl brace upper 11 by the thickness of the material, and a portion of the side wall portion 12b extends greatly in the vehicle height direction near other portions. The fixing portions p1 and p2 are formed to be joined to the side wall portion 11b of the cowl brace upper 11 by welding or the like. Further, in the cowl brace upper 11 and the cowl brace lower 12, openings such as the opening 11x for reducing the weight are appropriately provided in the plane portions 11a and 12a.

  Also, the side wall portions 11b and 12b of the cowl brace upper 11 and the cowl brace lower 12 have a pair of cutouts 11b1, 11b2 and 11b3 and a pair of cutouts whose edges have a smaller height than other portions at predetermined intervals. Notches 12b1 and 12b2 are formed.

  As a result, the cowl brace 10 forms closed cross sections at the fixing portions p1 and p2 as shown in FIG. 3A, which is an aa cross-sectional view of FIG. Is formed. Further, in the cowl brace 10, as shown in FIG. 3B, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 2B, the locations where the pair of cutouts 11b1 to 11b3 and 12b1 and 12b2 are formed are different from each other. It is a fragile part having a lower rigidity than the part. As a result, the cowl brace 10 is easily deformed at the fragile portion when receiving a collision load from the front of the vehicle, and a desired Z-shape or other desired shape along the vehicle length direction for reducing the influence on the cabin side. Deformation is obtained.

  Further, a bead 11y is formed on the flat portion 11a of the cowl brace upper 11, at a position where the pair of cutouts 11b1 is formed in a side view. The bead 11y extends along the vehicle width direction, and has a substantially U-shaped concave groove G and an inverted shape thereof shown in FIG. 4A, which is an aa cross-sectional view of FIG. 2B. It is a portion formed as a ridge C protruding toward the cowl brace lower 12. The bead 11y is preferably formed to have a length such that both ends do not reach the side wall 11b.

  In the above configuration, the cowl brace 10 corresponds to the cowl brace of the present invention, the cowl brace upper 11 corresponds to the cowl brace upper of the present invention, and the cowl brace lower 12 corresponds to the cowl brace lower of the present invention. The bead 11y corresponds to the bead of the present invention, and the notch 11b1 corresponds to the fragile portion of the present invention.

  The cowl brace 10 of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration has a bead 11y formed on the flat surface 11a of the cowl brace upper 11, as shown in FIG. The rigidity on the plane is improved. That is, when the cowl brace 10 supports the steering column via a steering bracket (not shown) joined to the fixed portions 10b and 10c, the downward stress due to the load on the steering wheel and the steering column is reduced by the cowl brace. This appears as a distortion that dents the flat portion 11a of the upper 11 from the center.

  On the other hand, by forming the bead 11y, the plane portion 11a has improved surface rigidity, and thus, it is possible to suppress the generation of distortion against the stress based on the load on the steering wheel and the steering column.

  Furthermore, the cowl brace 10 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment has the following configuration by matching the formation position of the bead 11y on the flat surface 11a of the cowl brace upper 11 with the formation position of the notch 11b1 in the vehicle length direction. It works. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, since the cross section of the bead 11y along the vehicle width direction is substantially U-shaped, the bead 11y extends along the vehicle height direction orthogonal to the plane of the flat portion 11a. While having rigidity in stress, it acts as a fragile portion against stress along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, when the cowl brace 10 receives a collision load from the front of the vehicle, the notch 11b1 and the bead 11y work together as a fragile portion formed over the entire circumference of the cowl brace upper 11, and have a Z-shape or the like. It is possible to improve the easiness of deformation for reducing the influence on the vehicle compartment side.

  As described above, according to the cowl brace 10 of the vehicle of the embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to improve rigidity against stress in a direction along the vehicle height direction.

  However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above description, the bead 11y of the cowl brace 10 has a concave groove G having a substantially U-shaped cross section shown in FIG. 4 (a) and a ridge protruding toward the cowl brace lower 12 as an inverted shape thereof. 4B, it is formed as a convex ridge C having an inverted U-shaped cross section and a concave groove G retreating from the cowl brace lower 12 as an inverted shape thereof as shown in FIG. 4B. It may be something. The cross-sectional shape of the bead 11y may be substantially V-shaped, substantially U-shaped, or any other shape. Further, the cowl brace upper 11 may be formed not by a change in the shape of the wall but by a change in the thickness of the wall.

  Further, in the above description, the bead 11y of the cowl brace 10 is provided on the flat portion 11a of the cowl brace upper 11, but may be provided on the flat portion 12a of the cowl brace lower 12.

  In short, the bead of the present invention may be any as long as it extends along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and both ends do not reach both ends of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower along the vehicle width direction. However, the present invention is not limited by the specific configuration.

As described above, the present invention relates to a cowl brace fixed to a steering support member of a vehicle, the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace upper being located immediately below the cowl brace upper in the vehicle height direction. A cowl brace lower forming a closed cross-section at a portion thereof, the cowl brace extending on the surface of at least one of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and both ends thereof being the cowl brace. A bead that does not reach both ends along the vehicle width direction of the upper and the cowl brace lower is formed , and at least one of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower is in a cross-sectional view including the bead, small fragile portion rigidity than the other portion is provided in the vehicle length direction As long the other specific purposes, applications, but is not limited by the configuration.

  Therefore, the present invention may be embodied as various changes to the above-described embodiment, including those described above, without departing from the scope of the invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention as described above has an effect that it is possible to improve rigidity against stress in a direction along the vehicle height direction, and is useful in application to vehicles such as automobiles.

Reference Signs List 10 cowl brace 10a tip 10b, 10c fixing part 11 cowl brace upper 11a, 12a plane part 11b, 12b side wall part 11b1 to 11b3, 12b1, 12b2 notch 11x opening 11y bead 12 cowl brace lower 20 steering support member 30 U-shaped Bracket 40 Brace member 50 Cowling 50a Front surface C Convex stripe G Groove

Claims (1)

A cowl brace fixed to a steering support member of a vehicle,
With a cowl brace upper,
A cowl brace lower that is located directly below the cowl brace upper in the vehicle height direction and forms a partially closed cross section with the cowl brace upper,
At least one of the surfaces of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower extends along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and both ends thereof extend along the vehicle width direction of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower. Bead that has not been reached ,
At least one of the cowl brace upper and the cowl brace lower is provided with a fragile portion having a rigidity in the vehicle length direction smaller than other portions in a cross-sectional view including the bead,
The cowl brace of the vehicle.

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