Title of Invention	"A MOTOR VEHICLE COWL LOUVER STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVING THE ENERGY ABSORBING EFFECT BETWEEN COWL LOUVER AND A HOOD"
Abstract	In a motor vehicle cowl louver structure, a sealing member is supported by a resin-made hood sealing mounting device that has a predetermined rigidity, and seals the gap between the hood sealing mounting device and a hood. If a load acts on the hood from above so that a load is transmitted to the hood sealing mounting device via the sealing member, ribs formed in the hood sealing mounting device break at portions thereof that are located rearward relative to a vehicle, thereby absorbing energy. At the time of the breakage of the ribs, a forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device bends downward together with a flange of a cowl front, thereby reducing the interference between the ribs and the hood and further improving the energy absorbing effect.

Title of Invention

"A MOTOR VEHICLE COWL LOUVER STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVING THE ENERGY ABSORBING EFFECT BETWEEN COWL LOUVER AND A HOOD"

Abstract

In a motor vehicle cowl louver structure, a sealing member is supported by a resin-made hood sealing mounting device that has a predetermined rigidity, and seals the gap between the hood sealing mounting device and a hood. If a load acts on the hood from above so that a load is transmitted to the hood sealing mounting device via the sealing member, ribs formed in the hood sealing mounting device break at portions thereof that are located rearward relative to a vehicle, thereby absorbing energy. At the time of the breakage of the ribs, a forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device bends downward together with a flange of a cowl front, thereby reducing the interference between the ribs and the hood and further improving the energy absorbing effect.

Full Text	This invention relates to a motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood. BACKGROUND Japanese Patent Application laid open No. HEI 7-223556 discloses a motor vehicle cowl louver structure in which a sealing member for sealing a vehicle body is mounted forward of a cowl louver. The said cowl louver structure is shown in fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings. In said structure, the forward lower surface 100A of a cowl louver 100 has an engaging claw 100B that is formed together with the cowl louver 100. The forward wall upper portion 102A of a cowl 102 has an engaging hole 104 for receiving therein the engaging claw 100B. The forward portion of the cowl louver 100 is fixed to the front wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102 by the engaging claw 100B, with an elastic hood sealing 106 clamped between the forward lower surface 100A of the cowl louver 100 and the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102. The elastic hood sealing 106 touches a hood 105. In this structure, however, since the hood sealing 106 is mounted on and supported by the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102, a load on the hood 105 from above will easily deform the hood sealing 106 elastically downward so that the hood 105 will interfere with the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102. Therefore, the energy absorbing effect of the structure is limited. It is therefore, the object of this invention to obviate the aforesaid drawback by improving the energy absorbing effect while securing effective sealing between a cowl louver and a hood of the structure. To achieve the said objective, this invention provides a motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood which comprises: a sealing member for sealing a gap between a cowl louver and a hood, said sealing member is mounted on a hood sealing mounting device made of resin, of pre-determined rigidity, provided at a forward portion of the cowl louver to provide an effective sealing between the cowl louver and the hood. If a load is applied to the hood from above, the load is transmitted to the hood sealing mounting device via the sealing member. If the load onto the hood sealing mounting device exceeds a predetermined value, the resin-made hood sealing mounting device plastically deforms and thereby effectively absorbs the energy. The hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver may be provided as a single unit to reduce the number of components parts required, the cost of the motor vehicle cowl structure and also improving the productivity. The said hood sealing mounting device is fixed to a flange formed in a forward portion of the cowl and has a recessed cross-sectional shape defined partially by a front wall portion and a rear wall portion of the hood sealing mounting device, said front wall portion and the rear wall portion are inter-connected by ribs spaced from one another by a predetermined interval in a transverse direction relative to the vehicle body. Each of said ribs break more readily at the rear portion than at any other portion thereof. With this construction, the ribs extending in the recess of the hood sealing mounting device provide the hood sealing mounting device with a predetermined rigidity that is needed to secure effective sealing between the cowl louver and the hood. The ribs are designed to break more readily at their rearward portions than at their forward portions. Therefore, at the time of deformation of the hood sealing mounting device, the rearward portions of ribs break and the forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device, including the forward portions of the ribs, together with the forward flange of the cowl plastically deforms, thereby reducing the interference between the ribs and the hood. Consequently, the motor vehicle cowl structure of this invention is able to more effectively absorb energy if a load is applied to the hood from above. The flange in the forward portion of the cowl may extend in the fore-aft direction relative to the vehicle so that if a load is applied to the hood from above, the flange of the forward portion of the cowl bends downward, thereby absorbing energy. The thickness of said ribs at the rear portion is less than the thickness of said ribs at the forward portion so that the ribs break readily at the rearward portion than in the forward portion. Furthermore, the breaking strength and hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device can easily be adjusted either by changing the thickness of the ribs or number of ribs. This invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a motor vehicle cowl structure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the motor vehicle cowl structure according to the embodiment; Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the motor vehicle cowl structure according to the embodiment, illustrating a deformed state thereof; Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of a motor vehicle cowl structure according to a modification of the embodiment; and Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of a conventional motor vehicle cowl structure. In the drawings, arrow FR indicates a forward direction relative to a vehicle body, and arrow IN indicates a transversely inward direction relative to the vehicle body, and arrow UP indicates an upward direction relative to the vehicle body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle cowl louver structure of the invention will now be described with reference to figures 1 through 4. In this embodiment, a hood insulator 12 is disposed on a lower surface 10A of a hood 10 of a vehicle body as shown in Fig. 1. The hood insulator 12 has a sectional shape of an inverted hat with its opening facing upward. A forward flange 12A formed forward of the opening of the hood insulator 12 is welded to the lower surface 10A of the hood 10. A rearward flange 12B formed rearward of the opening of the hood insulator 12 is fixed to a rearward edge portion 10B of the hood 10 by a hemming process. A cowl 16 extending transversely relative to the vehicle body is substantially made up of a front cowl part 18, an inner cowl part 20 and an outer cowl part 22. The inner cowl part 20 has a flange 2OB that extends forward from a lower end of a vertical wall portion 20A of the inner cowl part 20. The flange 20B is welded to a front edge portion 22B of a lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22. The outer cowl part 22 has a flange 22D that extends rearward from an upper end of a vertical wall portion 22C of the outer cowl part 22. The flange 22D is welded to a rear edge portion 20D of an upper wall portion 20C of the inner cowl part 20. Therefore, the inner cowl part 20 and the outer cowl part 22 form a closed part 24 that transversely extends and has a closed sectional shape. The front edge portion 22B of the lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22 is welded to a flange 26A of a dash panel 26 that extends forward from an upper end of the dash panel 26. An upper edge portion 28A of a dash panel reinforcement 28 is welded to a rearward end portion 22E of the lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22. A rear edge portion 18B of a lower wall portion 18A of the front cowl part 18 is fixed to the flange 20B of the inner cowl part 20, with a sealing 31 disposed there-between. A flange 18D extends forward from an upper end of vertical wall portion 18C of the front cowl part 18. A hood sealing mounting device 32, provided in a forward portion of a cowl louver 30, is disposed on the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18. The hood sealing mounting device 32 and the flange 18D are connected to each other by clips 33 that are aligned transversely at predetermined intervals. The hood sealing mounting device 32 is formed from a resin together with the cowl louver 30. A rear end portion of the cowl louver 30 has a clamp portion 30A that clamps and thereby connects to a lower edge portion 36A of a windshield 36. As shown in Fig. 3, the hood sealing mounting device 32 has a recessed cross-sectional shape defined partially by a front wall portion 32A and a rear wall portion 32B of the hood sealing mounting device 32. The front wall portion 32A and the rear wall portion 32B are interconnected by ribs 40 that are spaced from one another by predetermined intervals in the transverse direction relative to the vehicle body. As shown in Fig. 2, the wall thickness T of each rib 40 gradually decreases with progress from a forward portion 40A thereof toward a rearward portion 4OB thereof so that each rib 40 has a trapezoidal sectional shape on a horizontal plane. Therefore, each rib 40 is more likely to break at an end portion of the rearward portion 4OB than at any other portion of the rib 40. As shown in Fig. 1, the front wall portion 32A of the hood sealing mounting device 32 is inclined upward. The sealing member 42 is disposed on a front end portion of the front wall portion 32A to seal the gap between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12. The sealing member 42 is formed from a rubber. The leg portion 42A of the sealing 42 has an attachment groove 44 whereby the sealing 42 is connected to the front wall portion 32A of the hood sealing mounting device 32. The head portion 42B of the sealing member 42 is tubular shaped extending transversely relative to the vehicle body and tightly contacts a lower surface of the hood insulator 12, thereby supporting the hood 10 from below. In Fig. 1, an instrument panel 48 is shown. The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In a normal state, the sealing member 42, sealing the gap between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12, is supported by the resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32, which is fixed to the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18 and is provided with a predetermined rigidity by the ribs 40, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the head portion 42B of the sealing member 42 tightly contacts the hood insulator 12 with a predetermined force, thereby providing effective sealing between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12. If a load is applied to the hood 10 in a substantially vertically downward direction (as indicated by arrow A in Fig. 4), the hood insulator 12 in turn applies the said load onto the hood sealing mounting device 32, via the sealing member 42. If the load onto the hood sealing mounting device 32 exceeds a predetermined value, the resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32 plastically deforms as shown in Fig. 4. Since the wall thickness T of each rib 40 of the hood sealing mounting device 32 gradually decreases in the direction from the forward portion 40A to the rearward portion 40B, an end portion of the rearward portion 40B is most likely to break in each rib 40. Therefore, at the time of plastic deformation of the hood sealing mounting device 32, ribs 40 break at their rearward portions 40B, thereby absorbing energy. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device 32 including forward portion 40A of the ribs 40 of the broken site bends downward (as indicated by arrow B in Fig. 4) together with the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18. Therefore, the embodiment reduces the interference between the hood 10 and the ribs 40 and further improves the energy absorbing effect. Since the hood sealing mounting device 32 and the cowl louver 30 are provided as a single unit, the number of component parts required is reduced. Therefore, the embodiment improves productivity and reduces the costs. Furthermore, the wall thickness of the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40 is reduced so that the rib 40 will break readily at the rearward portion 40B. Therefore, the embodiment achieves both a simple structure and a productivity improvement. The breaking strength and hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device 32 can easily be adjusted by changing the wall thickness of the ribs 40 or the number of ribs 40. While the present invention has been described with reference to what is presently considered to be a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment or constructions but may be modified or changed in various manners within the scope of the invention. For example, although in the foregoing embodiment, the hood sealing mounting device 32 and the cowl louver 30 are consolidated, it is also possible to separately provide a hood sealing mounting device 32 and a cowl louver 30 as shown in Fig. 5. In a modified structure shown in Fig. 5, a resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32 is connected to a separate cowl louver 30 formed from a resin, a metal or the like, by using connecting members 52, such as clips or the like. In this modification, if the hood sealing mounting device 32 breaks, it is possible to replace the hood sealing mounting device 32 alone. Since there is no need to replace the cowl louver 30 in the aforementioned case, the repair cost can be reduced. Although in the foregoing embodiment, the ribs 40 are designed to break readily at their rearward portions 40B by reducing the thickness of the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40, the design of the ribs 40 for easy breakage at their rearward portions 4OB is not limited to the design according to the embodiment. It is also possible to form a weak portion in the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40 by forming perforations, holes, slits or the like so that the ribs break readily at their weak portions. We Claim : 1. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood comprising : - a sealing member (42) for sealing a gap between a cowl louver (30) and a hood (10) - said sealing member is mounted on a hood sealing mounting device (32) made of resin, of pre-determined rigidity, provided at a forward portion of the cowl louver to provide an effective sealing between the cowl louver and the hood. 2 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver are provided as a single unit 3 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sealing member is made from rubber. 4. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver are provided separately and are joined by a connecting member (52). 5. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hood sealing mounting device is fixed to a flange formed in a forward portion of the cowl. 6. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 5 wherein the flange in the forward portion of the cowl extends in the fore-aft direction relative to the vehicle so that if a load is applied to the hood from above, the flange of the forward portion of the cowl bends downward, thereby absorbing energy. 7 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hood sealing mounting device has a recessed cross-sectional shape defined partially by a front wall portion and a rear wall portion of the hood sealing mounting device, said front wall portion and the rear wall portion are inter-connected by ribs spaced from one another at a pre-determined interval in a transverse direction relative to the vehicle body to provide pre-determined rigidity to the hood sealing mounting device. 8 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the thickness of said ribs at the rear portion is less than the thickness of the said ribs at the forward portion so that the said ribs break more readily at the rear portion than any other portion thereof. 9. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the breaking strength and the hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device is adjusted by changing the thickness of the ribs or the number of ribs. 10 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein a weak portion in the rearward portion of each rib is provided by forming perforation or slits so that the ribs break readily at their weak portion. 11. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and hood of the said structure substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Full Text

This invention relates to a motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood.
BACKGROUND
Japanese Patent Application laid open No. HEI 7-223556 discloses a motor vehicle cowl louver structure in which a sealing member for sealing a vehicle body is mounted forward of a cowl louver. The said cowl louver structure is shown in fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings. In said structure, the forward lower surface 100A of a cowl louver 100 has an engaging claw 100B that is formed together with the cowl louver 100. The forward wall upper portion 102A of a cowl 102 has an engaging hole 104 for receiving therein the engaging claw 100B. The forward portion of the cowl louver 100 is fixed to the front wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102 by the engaging claw 100B, with an elastic hood sealing 106 clamped between the forward lower surface 100A of the cowl louver 100 and the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102. The elastic hood sealing 106 touches a hood 105.
In this structure, however, since the hood sealing 106 is mounted on and supported by the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102, a load on the hood 105 from above will easily deform the hood sealing 106 elastically downward so that the hood 105 will interfere with the forward wall upper portion 102A of the cowl 102. Therefore, the energy absorbing effect of the structure is limited.
It is therefore, the object of this invention to obviate the aforesaid drawback by improving the energy absorbing effect while securing effective sealing between a cowl louver and a hood of the structure.

To achieve the said objective, this invention provides a motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood which comprises:
a sealing member for sealing a gap between a cowl louver and a hood,
said sealing member is mounted on a hood sealing mounting device made of resin, of pre-determined rigidity, provided at a forward portion of the cowl louver to provide an effective sealing between the cowl louver and the hood.
If a load is applied to the hood from above, the load is transmitted to the hood sealing mounting device via the sealing member. If the load onto the hood sealing mounting device exceeds a predetermined value, the resin-made hood sealing mounting device plastically deforms and thereby effectively absorbs the energy.
The hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver may be provided as a single unit to reduce the number of components parts required, the cost of the motor vehicle cowl structure and also improving the productivity.
The said hood sealing mounting device is fixed to a flange formed in a forward portion of the cowl and has a recessed cross-sectional shape defined partially by a front wall portion and a rear wall portion of the hood sealing mounting device, said front wall portion and the rear wall portion are inter-connected by ribs spaced from one another by a predetermined interval in a transverse direction relative to the vehicle body. Each of said ribs break more readily at the rear portion than at any other portion thereof.

With this construction, the ribs extending in the recess of the hood sealing mounting device provide the hood sealing mounting device with a predetermined rigidity that is needed to secure effective sealing between the cowl louver and the hood. The ribs are designed to break more readily at their rearward portions than at their forward portions. Therefore, at the time of deformation of the hood sealing mounting device, the rearward portions of ribs break and the forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device, including the forward portions of the ribs, together with the forward flange of the cowl plastically deforms, thereby reducing the interference between the ribs and the hood. Consequently, the motor vehicle cowl structure of this invention is able to more effectively absorb energy if a load is applied to the hood from above.
The flange in the forward portion of the cowl may extend in the fore-aft direction relative to the vehicle so that if a load is applied to the hood from above, the flange of the forward portion of the cowl bends downward, thereby absorbing energy.
The thickness of said ribs at the rear portion is less than the thickness of said ribs at the forward portion so that the ribs break readily at the rearward portion than in the forward portion. Furthermore, the breaking strength and hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device can easily be adjusted either by changing the thickness of the ribs or number of ribs.
This invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a motor vehicle cowl structure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the motor vehicle cowl structure according to the embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the motor vehicle cowl structure according to the embodiment, illustrating a deformed state thereof;
Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of a motor vehicle cowl structure according to a modification of the embodiment; and
Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of a conventional motor vehicle cowl structure.
In the drawings, arrow FR indicates a forward direction relative to a vehicle body, and arrow IN indicates a transversely inward direction relative to the vehicle body, and arrow UP indicates an upward direction relative to the vehicle body.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle cowl louver structure of the invention will now be described with reference to figures 1 through 4. In this embodiment, a hood insulator 12 is disposed on a lower surface 10A of a hood 10 of a vehicle body as shown in Fig. 1. The hood insulator 12 has a sectional shape of an inverted hat with its opening facing upward. A forward flange 12A formed forward of the opening of the hood insulator 12 is welded to the lower surface 10A of the hood 10. A rearward flange 12B formed rearward of the opening of the hood insulator 12 is fixed to a rearward edge portion 10B of the hood 10 by a hemming process.
A cowl 16 extending transversely relative to the vehicle body is substantially made up of a front cowl part 18, an inner cowl part 20 and an outer cowl part 22. The inner cowl part 20 has a flange 2OB that extends forward from a lower end of a vertical

wall portion 20A of the inner cowl part 20. The flange 20B is welded to a front edge portion 22B of a lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22. The outer cowl part 22 has a flange 22D that extends rearward from an upper end of a vertical wall portion 22C of the outer cowl part 22. The flange 22D is welded to a rear edge portion 20D of an upper wall portion 20C of the inner cowl part 20. Therefore, the inner cowl part 20 and the outer cowl part 22 form a closed part 24 that transversely extends and has a closed sectional shape.
The front edge portion 22B of the lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22 is welded to a flange 26A of a dash panel 26 that extends forward from an upper end of the dash panel 26. An upper edge portion 28A of a dash panel reinforcement 28 is welded to a rearward end portion 22E of the lower wall portion 22A of the outer cowl part 22.
A rear edge portion 18B of a lower wall portion 18A of the front cowl part 18 is fixed to the flange 20B of the inner cowl part 20, with a sealing 31 disposed there-between. A flange 18D extends forward from an upper end of vertical wall portion 18C of the front cowl part 18.
A hood sealing mounting device 32, provided in a forward portion of a cowl louver 30, is disposed on the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18. The hood sealing mounting device 32 and the flange 18D are connected to each other by clips 33 that are aligned transversely at predetermined intervals. The hood sealing mounting device 32 is formed from a resin together with the cowl louver 30. A rear end portion of the cowl louver 30 has a clamp portion 30A that clamps and thereby connects to a lower edge portion 36A of a windshield 36.
As shown in Fig. 3, the hood sealing mounting device 32 has a recessed cross-sectional shape defined partially by a front wall portion 32A and a rear wall portion 32B of the hood sealing

mounting device 32. The front wall portion 32A and the rear wall portion 32B are interconnected by ribs 40 that are spaced from one another by predetermined intervals in the transverse direction relative to the vehicle body.
As shown in Fig. 2, the wall thickness T of each rib 40 gradually decreases with progress from a forward portion 40A thereof toward a rearward portion 4OB thereof so that each rib 40 has a trapezoidal sectional shape on a horizontal plane. Therefore, each rib 40 is more likely to break at an end portion of the rearward portion 4OB than at any other portion of the rib 40.
As shown in Fig. 1, the front wall portion 32A of the hood sealing mounting device 32 is inclined upward. The sealing member 42 is disposed on a front end portion of the front wall portion 32A to seal the gap between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12. The sealing member 42 is formed from a rubber. The leg portion 42A of the sealing 42 has an attachment groove 44 whereby the sealing 42 is connected to the front wall portion 32A of the hood sealing mounting device 32. The head portion 42B of the sealing member 42 is tubular shaped extending transversely relative to the vehicle body and tightly contacts a lower surface of the hood insulator 12, thereby supporting the hood 10 from below.
In Fig. 1, an instrument panel 48 is shown.
The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
In a normal state, the sealing member 42, sealing the gap between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12, is supported by the resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32, which is fixed to the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18 and is provided with a predetermined rigidity by the ribs 40, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the head portion 42B of the sealing

member 42 tightly contacts the hood insulator 12 with a predetermined force, thereby providing effective sealing between the cowl louver 30 and the hood insulator 12.
If a load is applied to the hood 10 in a substantially vertically downward direction (as indicated by arrow A in Fig. 4), the hood insulator 12 in turn applies the said load onto the hood sealing mounting device 32, via the sealing member 42. If the load onto the hood sealing mounting device 32 exceeds a predetermined value, the resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32 plastically deforms as shown in Fig. 4. Since the wall thickness T of each rib 40 of the hood sealing mounting device 32 gradually decreases in the direction from the forward portion 40A to the rearward portion 40B, an end portion of the rearward portion 40B is most likely to break in each rib 40. Therefore, at the time of plastic deformation of the hood sealing mounting device 32, ribs 40 break at their rearward portions 40B, thereby absorbing energy.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, a forward portion of the hood sealing mounting device 32 including forward portion 40A of the ribs 40 of the broken site bends downward (as indicated by arrow B in Fig. 4) together with the flange 18D of the front cowl part 18. Therefore, the embodiment reduces the interference between the hood 10 and the ribs 40 and further improves the energy absorbing effect.
Since the hood sealing mounting device 32 and the cowl louver 30 are provided as a single unit, the number of component parts required is reduced. Therefore, the embodiment improves productivity and reduces the costs.
Furthermore, the wall thickness of the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40 is reduced so that the rib 40 will break readily at the rearward portion 40B. Therefore, the embodiment achieves both a simple structure and a productivity improvement. The

breaking strength and hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device 32 can easily be adjusted by changing the wall thickness of the ribs 40 or the number of ribs 40.
While the present invention has been described with reference to what is presently considered to be a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment or constructions but may be modified or changed in various manners within the scope of the invention. For example, although in the foregoing embodiment, the hood sealing mounting device 32 and the cowl louver 30 are consolidated, it is also possible to separately provide a hood sealing mounting device 32 and a cowl louver 30 as shown in Fig. 5. In a modified structure shown in Fig. 5, a resin-made hood sealing mounting device 32 is connected to a separate cowl louver 30 formed from a resin, a metal or the like, by using connecting members 52, such as clips or the like. In this modification, if the hood sealing mounting device 32 breaks, it is possible to replace the hood sealing mounting device 32 alone. Since there is no need to replace the cowl louver 30 in the aforementioned case, the repair cost can be reduced.
Although in the foregoing embodiment, the ribs 40 are designed to break readily at their rearward portions 40B by reducing the thickness of the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40, the design of the ribs 40 for easy breakage at their rearward portions 4OB is not limited to the design according to the embodiment. It is also possible to form a weak portion in the rearward portion 40B of each rib 40 by forming perforations, holes, slits or the like so that the ribs break readily at their weak portions.

We Claim :
1. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and a hood comprising :
- a sealing member (42) for sealing a gap between a cowl louver (30)
and a hood (10)
- said sealing member is mounted on a hood sealing mounting
device (32) made of resin, of pre-determined rigidity, provided at a
forward portion of the cowl louver to provide an effective sealing
between the cowl louver and the hood.

2 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
said hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver are provided as
a single unit
3 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said sealing member is made from rubber.

4. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
said hood sealing mounting device and the cowl louver are provided
separately and are joined by a connecting member (52).
5. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said hood sealing mounting device is fixed to a flange formed in a
forward portion of the cowl.
6. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 5 wherein the
flange in the forward portion of the cowl extends in the fore-aft direction
relative to the vehicle so that if a load is applied to the hood from
above, the flange of the forward portion of the cowl bends downward,
thereby absorbing energy.

7 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said hood sealing mounting device has a recessed cross-sectional
shape defined partially by a front wall portion and a rear wall portion of
the hood sealing mounting device, said front wall portion and the rear
wall portion are inter-connected by ribs spaced from one another at a
pre-determined interval in a transverse direction relative to the vehicle
body to provide pre-determined rigidity to the hood sealing mounting
device.
8 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the
thickness of said ribs at the rear portion is less than the thickness of
the said ribs at the forward portion so that the said ribs break more
readily at the rear portion than any other portion thereof.

9. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the breaking strength and the hood supporting rigidity of the hood sealing mounting device is adjusted by changing the thickness of the ribs or the number of ribs.
10 A motor vehicle cowl louver structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein a weak portion in the rearward portion of each rib is provided by forming perforation or slits so that the ribs break readily at their weak portion.
11. A motor vehicle cowl louver structure for improving the energy absorbing effect between a cowl louver and hood of the said structure substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 to 5 of the
accompanying drawings.

Documents:

3558-del-1998-abstract.pdf

3558-del-1998-claims.pdf

3558-del-1998-correspondence-others.pdf

3558-del-1998-correspondence-po.pdf

3558-del-1998-description (complete).pdf

3558-del-1998-drawings.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-1.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-19.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-2.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-3.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-4.pdf

3558-del-1998-form-6.pdf

3558-del-1998-gpa.pdf

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Patent Number

232165

Indian Patent Application Number

3558/DEL/1998

PG Journal Number

13/2009

Publication Date

27-Mar-2009

Grant Date

15-Mar-2009

Date of Filing

26-Nov-1998

Name of Patentee

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Applicant Address

1, TOYOTA-CHO, TOYOTA-SHI, AICHI-KEN, 471-8571, JAPAN.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	HIDEKI ITO	C/O TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA OF 1, TOYOTA -CHO,TOYOTA-SHI, AICHI-KEN, 471-8571, JAPAN
2	TORU OKAMOTO	C/O TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA OF 1, TOYOTA -CHO,TOYOTA-SHI, AICHI-KEN, 471-8571, JAPAN

PCT International Classification Number

B60G 7/02

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	HEI 09-334498	1997-12-04	Japan