JPH1068320A - Tank mounting structure in engine room - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the degree of freedom of shaping of a tank and the degree of freedom of a layout in relation with peripheral functional parts and to provide the heat protection function of an engine mount. SOLUTION: A tank 20 comprises a lower part 21 securely nipped between the stays 27 and 27 of a bracket 26 fixed on a side member 2; and an upper part 22 formed in a manner to overhang longitudinally of the lower part 21 and cover a position above an engine mount 4 located in a rear. Through the overhang of the upper part 22, a volume is ensured and through the decrease of the frontward occupying area of the tank 20, the degree of freedom of a layout with a peripheral function part is increased. Further, through the overhang of the upper part 22, hot air flowing around a position above the engine mount 4 is cut off and a hot air cut-off function is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a tank such as a radiator reservoir tank or a washer tank mounted in an engine room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 3 and 4 show a mounting structure of a conventional radiator reservoir tank.
The hood ridge panel 2 that separates the side portions of the hood ridge panel 2 is joined to the lower edge of the hood ridge panel 1 via a closing plate 3 and constitutes a front-rear skeletal portion of the vehicle body front portion. Are arranged substantially flush with the shelf 1a of the hood ridge panel 1.

[0003] An engine mount 4 is joined to the upper surface of the side member 2, and an engine unit 5 is supported by the engine mount 4 in a vibration-proof manner.

A radiator reservoir tank 6 is mounted on the upper surface of the side member 2 in the vicinity of the front side of the engine mount 4. The reservoir tank 6 is formed in a rectangular shape. An outer tank fixing bracket is fixed in a protruding manner, and a recess (not shown) provided in the tank seat portion is inserted into and engaged with the protruding bracket, or disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-21439. And Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-106959.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a relay unit as a vehicle-side electric component mounted and fixed on the shelf 1a via a bracket (not shown), and a harness 8 is drawn out from the front of the radiator reservoir tank 6 to the front of the engine unit 5. The harness 10 of the alternator 9 as an electric component disposed in front of the engine unit 5 and the connector 8a,
Connection is made via 10a.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a shelf 1a in front of the relay unit 7.
And a washer inlet 12 for replenishing a washer tank (not shown) mounted on the lower side of the shelf 1a with a washer fluid, and a bracket 12 (not shown) on the upper surface of the side member 2 behind the engine mount 4. A power steering reservoir tank 13 mounted on the power steering tank 13 is a power steering pipe connected to the power steering reservoir tank 12.

[0007]

The mounting height of the radiator reservoir tank 6 is regulated by an engine hood (not shown), and functional components such as a relay unit 7 are mounted on the shelf 1a of the hood ridge panel 1. Relationship
In order to secure a required volume of the radiator reservoir tank 6, the radiator reservoir tank 6 has to be long in the front-rear direction in order to avoid interference with other functional components such as the relay unit 7 mounted on the side. There is no degree of freedom in modeling the tank 6 itself, and the degree of freedom in layout with peripheral functional components is limited to a small degree.

In addition, since the engine mount 4 is disposed close to the rear of the radiator reservoir tank 6, when the radiator reservoir tank 6 is formed to be long in the front-rear direction, a head lamp (not shown) disposed in front of the radiator reservoir tank 6 is provided. Can not secure sufficient clearance, and the space for replacing the headlamp becomes narrower.

Further, the hot air that passes through a radiator (not shown) and hits the exhaust manifold 5a and the alternator 9 on the front side of the engine unit 5 and circulates upward from the side is directed to the upper side of the engine mount 4. It is necessary to thermally protect the engine mount 4 with a heat shield plate (not shown), which not only makes the layout of parts in the engine rooms E and R more difficult but also disadvantageous in cost.

In addition to the above-mentioned problem due to the arrangement of the radiator reservoir tank 6, when the engine unit 5 is mounted, a so-called body drop that suspends the vehicle body from above the engine unit 5 is performed. Since the connector 8a of the relay-side harness 8 is connected to the connector 10a of the alternator-side harness 10 between the alternator 9 and a functional component at the front end of the engine room such as a radiator or a cooling fan unit (not shown). It is necessary to secure a required working space, and the front overhang of the vehicle body tends to increase.

Therefore, the present invention can increase the degree of freedom in the layout with the peripheral functional parts as well as the degree of freedom in the formation of the tank, and furthermore, the heat protection function of the engine mount disposed on the rear side of the tank. It is intended to provide a tank mounting structure in an engine room that can also exert the above.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a structure in which a tank is mounted on an upper surface of a side member joined to a hood ridge panel via a bracket, the tank is connected to a lower portion and the lower portion. An upper part is formed so as to extend at least in the front-rear direction and covers the upper side of the engine mount disposed on the rear side of the tank on the upper surface of the side member. Further, the lower portion of the tank is sandwiched in the front-rear direction by these stays, and the tank is fastened and fixed to the stays.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a locating hole is formed in the bracket according to the first aspect, and a locating pin which is inserted into and engaged with the locating hole is formed on the bottom surface of the lower portion of the tank. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the bracket receiving piece inclined toward the center of the engine room is bent and formed on the upper end of the stay according to the first and second aspects, and the bracket is provided on the front and rear side upper portions of the tank. A tank-side bracket that is inclined in accordance with the inclination of the receiving piece is protruded, and the tank-side bracket is overlapped on the bracket receiving piece of the stay and fastened and fixed by fastening means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the lower portion of the tank according to the first to third aspects is provided with a hose connector for connecting a liquid guide hose to a portion covered by the upper portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the bracket according to the first to fourth aspects is formed such that the bracket is offset downward and bent.
It is characterized in that a plurality of rear seats are provided, and the seats are fastened and fixed by straddling a buffer bead provided on the side member via these seats.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the bracket according to the fifth aspect is characterized in that an intermediate portion between the front and rear seats is provided with an easy bending portion for promoting bending in the front-rear direction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the bracket according to any one of the first to sixth aspects includes a bracket for fixing a harness of a vehicle-body-side electric component connected to a harness of an engine-side electric component disposed on a front side of the engine unit. It is characterized by having.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the upper portion of the tank is formed so as to protrude in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower portion. The required tank volume can be ensured and the degree of freedom in shaping the tank itself can be increased, and of course, the working space behind the headlamps provided at the front end of the engine room is restricted by the engine mount behind the tank. Therefore, it is possible to secure a sufficient layout without any trouble, and it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in layout with peripheral functional components.

Further, since the upper part of the tank covers the upper part of the engine mount disposed behind the tank, the upper part cuts off the hot air in the engine room which goes over the engine mount. Demonstrate
The engine mount can be thermally protected without using a dedicated heat shield.

Further, since the lower portion of the tank is fastened and fixed to the stay while the lower portion of the tank is sandwiched between the stays of the bracket in the front-rear direction, the mounting stability and the mounting rigidity of the tank can be increased, and the lower portion of the tank can be mounted when the tank is mounted. By inserting the portion between the pair of front and rear stays, the tank can be positioned in the front-rear direction, and the stay can serve as a guide for assembling the lower portion to the bracket, thereby improving the mounting workability.

According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, since the positioning of the tank in the vehicle width direction can be performed by engagement of the locating pin and the locating hole, the workability of mounting the tank can be further improved. The support rigidity of the tank can be further increased.

According to the third aspect, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, the bracket receiving piece at the upper end of the stay and the tank-side bracket are inclined at the same angle toward the engine room center side. The bracket receiving piece and the tank-side bracket can be fastened diagonally from above the engine room, which is a free space in the work, and the fastening workability can be improved.

When the lower portion of the tank is inserted between a pair of front and rear stays, the sliding operation of the bracket receiving piece inclined toward the center of the engine room and the tank-side bracket causes the vehicle of the tank to slide. Positioning in the width direction can be performed reliably, and mounting workability can be further improved.

According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, the appearance of the tank can be improved because the liquid guide hose connection portion of the tank is covered with the upper portion of the tank.

According to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects, the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side member so as to straddle the buffer bead portion of the side member in the front-rear direction. When the side member is crushed and deformed in the front-rear direction at the time of collision, the crush-inducing action of the buffer bead portion is not hindered by the bracket, and the crushing deformation of the side member can be performed smoothly and the buffering action is slightly reduced. It doesn't hurt.

According to the sixth aspect, in addition to the effect of the fifth aspect, when the front and rear side crush deformation of the side member is induced by the cushioning bead portion at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the bracket also has the easy bending portion. Since the side member is bent in the front-rear direction as a starting point, the side member can be more smoothly deformed in the front-rear direction.

According to the present invention, when the engine unit is mounted, the vehicle body is dropped onto the engine unit, and then the harness on the vehicle body side electrical component side fixed to the bracket is fixed to the front side of the engine unit. The connection between the engine-side electric parts and the harness can be performed on the side of the engine room where the tank is installed, so there is a clearance between the radiator and other functional parts mounted on the front end of the engine room and the engine-side electric parts. And the front overhang of the vehicle body can be reduced.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine room ER
Side member 2 joined via a closing plate 3 to the lower edge of the hood ridge panel 1 separating the sides of the hood ridge panel 1
Is arranged so that the upper surface thereof is aligned substantially flush with the shelf 1a formed stepwise on the hood ridge panel 1, and an engine mount 4 is joined and arranged on the upper surface of the side member 2, and The mount 4 supports the engine unit 5 in a vibration-proof manner.

On the upper surface of the side member 2, a resin-made radiator reservoir tank 20 as a tank is mounted and fixed close to the front side of the engine mount 4.

The radiator reservoir tank 20 has a lower portion 21 having a reduced volume by reducing the size in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction, and extending from the lower portion 21 in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction following the lower portion 21. An upper portion 22 having a large volume is formed, and a rear portion of the upper portion 21 is formed so as to protrude rearward to form a large eave so as to cover an upper portion of the engine mount 4.

A hose connector 23 is integrally formed with a lower portion of the lower portion 21 which is covered with a front-side protruding portion of the upper portion 22. A liquid guide hose (not shown) is connected to the hose connector 23. In addition, a tank-side bracket 25 fixed to a stay 27 to be described later is integrally formed on the upper part of the front and rear walls of the lower part 21 near the side wall on the engine room center side of the lower part 21.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a bracket which is fastened and fixed to the upper surface of the side member 2 and fixes the radiator reservoir tank 20. The bracket 26 is a pair of front and rear stays 27 for holding the lower portion 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20 in the front and rear direction. Has been erected.

In this embodiment, the stay 27 is bent at both front and rear ends of a stay base 28, and the stay base 28 is fixed to the bracket 26 by spot welding.

At the upper ends of the stays 27, a bracket receiving piece 29 inclined at an appropriate angle toward the engine room center side is bent and formed, and a weld nut (not shown) is provided on the lower surface thereof.

A tank-side bracket 25 integrally formed on the front and rear walls of the lower portion 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20.
Is formed at the same angle as the bracket receiving piece 29 toward the center of the engine room, the tank-side bracket 25 is overlapped on the bracket receiving piece 29, and the bolt 31 is inserted into the bolt insertion holes 25a and 29a. Then, the radiator reservoir tank 20 is fixed to the stay 27 by being screwed and fastened to the weld nut.

The stay base 28 and the bracket 26
The locating hole 32 is formed by vertically penetrating the overlapping portion of the radiator reservoir tank 20. On the bottom surface of the lower portion 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20, a locating pin 33 is protrudingly provided. The radiator reservoir tank 20 can be positioned by the engagement.

The bracket 26 is provided with a plurality of seat portions 34 before and after being bent and formed by offsetting downward, and straddles a buffer bead portion 35 provided on the side member 2 via these seat portions 34. It is fastened and fixed by bolts and nuts 36.

The front and rear seats 3 of the bracket 26 are provided.
A bead portion 37 is formed in an intermediate portion between the brackets 4 and 34, specifically, in a portion near the front end portion of the stay base 28, as an easy bending portion for promoting the bending of the bracket 26 in the front-rear direction.

Further, on the front edge of the bracket 26 and on the side edge on the engine room center side, the harness 8 of the relay unit 7 as a vehicle-body-side electric component mounted and fixed on the shelf 1a via a bracket (not shown). Fixed bracket 3
8, 39 are integrally formed.

The fixing bracket 39 is formed by bending upward, and the harness 8 has an intermediate portion at the fixing bracket 3.
The connector 10a of the harness 10 of the alternator 9 as an engine-side electric component disposed in front of the engine unit 5 is fixed to the connector 10a of the terminal 8 by fixing the connector 8a of the terminal to the fixing bracket 39. The connector is connected to the connector 8a attached to the fixing bracket 39 at the side of the room ER.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the upper portion 22 of the radiator reservoir tank 20 is formed so as to protrude from the lower portion 21 in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction. Even if the length is shortened, a required tank volume can be secured by the overhang forming of the upper portion 22, so that the degree of freedom in shaping the radiator reservoir tank 20 itself can be increased, and of course, the front ends of the engine rooms E and R can be increased. A work space behind the head lamp (not shown) arranged on the side can be sufficiently secured without being restricted by the engine mount 4 behind the radiator reservoir tank, and the degree of freedom in layout with peripheral functional parts can be increased. .

Further, the rear portion of the upper portion 22 protrudes greatly rearwardly like an eaves and covers the upper part of the engine mount 4, so that it passes through a radiator (not shown) and the exhaust manifold 5a on the front side of the engine unit 5, and It is possible to prevent hot air that blows onto the alternator 9 and circulates above the engine mount 4 on the side by the eave-like projection at the rear of the upper portion 22 to prevent the engine mount 4 from being exposed to heat. Since the engine mount 4 can be thermally protected without using a dedicated heat shield plate, the number of parts can be reduced and the layout of parts in the engine room E / R can be easily performed, and the cost can be advantageously obtained. Can be.

Further, since the radiator reservoir tank 20 is fastened and fixed to the stays 27, 27 while the lower portion 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20 is sandwiched in the front-rear direction by the stays 27, 27 of the bracket 26, the radiator reservoir tank is fixed. The mounting stability and mounting rigidity of the mounting 20 can be improved.

In addition, when the radiator reservoir tank 20 is mounted, the lower portion 21 is inserted between the stays 27, 27 to perform positioning in the front-rear direction, and the stays 27, 27 are assembled with the lower portion 21 with respect to the bracket 26. Since it becomes a mounting guide, mounting workability can be improved.

In particular, in this embodiment, the bracket 2
6 and a locate pin 33 protruding from the bottom of the lower portion 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20.
The positioning of the radiator reservoir tank 20 in the vehicle width direction can be performed by the engagement of the radiator reservoir tank 20 and the mounting workability can be further improved, and the support rigidity of the radiator reservoir tank 20 can be further increased.

The radiator reservoir tank 2 described above
0 and the stays 27, 27 are fastened to the bracket receiving pieces 29, 29 at the upper end of the stay formed to be inclined toward the engine room center side, and the tank-side brackets 25, 25.
And are fastened diagonally from above the engine rooms E and R, which are free spaces in operation, so that the fastening workability can be improved.

In addition, when the lower part 21 of the radiator reservoir tank 20 is inserted and assembled between the stays 27, 27, the slide receiving guide action between the bracket receiving pieces 29, 29 and the tank side brackets 25, 25 is used. Since the positioning of the radiator reservoir tank 20 in the vehicle width direction can be reliably performed, the mounting workability can be further improved.

Further, the liquid guide hose of the radiator reservoir tank 20 is provided with a hose connector 23 provided at a lower portion of a front wall of a lower portion 21 covered by a projecting portion on the front side of an upper portion 22.
The power steering piping of the reservoir tank 12 mounted and fixed on the upper surface of the side member 2 behind the engine mount 4 via a bracket (not shown) 13 can be arranged so as to be covered by a portion protruding toward the shelf 1a on the side of the upper portion 22, so that the appearance can be improved.

On the other hand, apart from such an effect on the layout of the radiator reservoir tank 20, the bracket 26
Is connected to the upper surface of the side member 2 so as to straddle the buffer bead 35 of the side member 2 in the front-rear direction, and the bracket 26 itself is also folded in the middle part of the front and rear seats 34, 34 in the front-rear direction. Bead part 3 as an easy bending part to promote music
7, when the side member 2 is crushed and deformed in the front-rear direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the shock absorbing bead portion 35
Of the side member 2 is smoothly bent in the front-rear direction with the bead portion 37 as a starting point. In addition, the buffering action is not impaired in any way.

Further, when the engine unit 5 is mounted, the vehicle body is dropped on the engine unit 5, and then the connector 8a of the harness 8 on the relay unit 7 side fixed to the fixing brackets 38, 39 of the bracket 26.
And the connector 10a at the end of the harness 10 on the alternator 9 side disposed in front of the engine unit 5 can be connected on the side of the edge rooms ER where the radiator reservoir tank 20 is mounted. R
The clearance between the alternator 9 and a functional component such as a radiator (not shown) mounted at the front end of the vehicle can be reduced, and the front overhang of the vehicle body can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the radiator reservoir tank is exemplified as the tank. However, the present invention can be applied to the attachment of a washer tank or another tank.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the tank and the bracket according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional structure.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the conventional structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hood ridge panel 2 Side member 4 Engine mount 5 Engine unit 7 Body side electric parts 8 Body side electric parts harness 9 Engine side electric parts 10 Engine side electric parts harness 20 Tank 21 Lower part 22 Upper part 24 Hose connector 25 Tank Side bracket 26 Bracket 27 Stay 29 Bracket receiving piece 32 Locate hole 33 Locate pin 34 Seat 35 Buffer bead 37 Easy bending 38, 39 Harness fixing bracket

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A structure in which a tank is mounted on an upper surface of a side member joined to a hood ridge panel via a bracket, wherein the tank is formed so as to extend at least in the front-rear direction so as to be continuous with the lower part. And an upper portion that covers the upper part of the engine mount arranged on the rear side of the tank on the side member upper surface, while a pair of front and rear stays are erected on the bracket, and the lower portion of the tank is moved in the front-rear direction by these stays. A tank mounting structure in an engine room, wherein the tank is clamped and fixed to the stay. 2. A tank mounting structure in an engine room according to claim 1, wherein a locating hole is formed in the bracket, and a locating pin that is inserted into and engaged with the locating hole is formed on the bottom surface of the lower portion of the tank. . 3. A bracket receiving piece, which is inclined toward the center of the engine room, is bent at the upper end of the stay, and a tank-side bracket, which is inclined in accordance with the inclination of the bracket receiving piece, projects from the upper front and rear sides of the tank. 3. The tank mounting structure in an engine room according to claim 1, wherein said tank-side bracket is overlapped on a bracket receiving piece of a stay and fastened and fixed by fastening means. 4. The engine room according to claim 1, wherein a hose connector for connecting a liquid guide hose to a portion covered by the upper portion is provided in the lower portion of the tank. Tank mounting structure. 5. A bracket comprising a plurality of front and rear seats which are bent downward and offset downward, and are fastened and fixed across a buffer bead provided on a side member via these seats. The tank mounting structure in an engine room according to claim 1. 6. The tank mounting structure in an engine room according to claim 5, wherein the bracket is provided with an easy-bending portion for facilitating bending in the front-rear direction at an intermediate portion between the front and rear seats. 7. The bracket according to claim 1, wherein the bracket includes a bracket for fixing a harness of a vehicle-side electric component connected to a harness of an engine-side electric component disposed on a front side of the engine unit. The tank mounting structure in the engine room described in the above.