AIR INTAKE EQUIPPED WITH A DEFLECTOR FOR AN AUTOMOBILE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT

Description

[0001] [The technical context of the present invention is that of managing water running off a motor vehicle, and more particularly at the air intakes that can be found on such a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to an air intake for a motor vehicle air conditioning unit.

[0002] In the state of the art, the use of air collectors placed on a motor vehicle is known in order to capture fresh air from outside the motor vehicle, by suction due to the movement of the motor vehicle and / or the air around the vehicle. The fresh air thus sucked in is then used to promote heat exchanges, such as for example to cool certain organs or certain electrical devices of the motor vehicle, or to be used by refrigeration systems of the passenger compartment of said motor vehicle.

[0003] More specifically, document FR2895354A1 is known, which describes a cowl assembly for a motor vehicle, the cowl assembly comprising an air collector and a cowl grille. The cowl assembly is located between a rear portion of the hood and a front portion of the windshield, and it allows air to be captured to ventilate the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. The disadvantage of this cowl assembly is that, due to its position proximal to the windshield, water can run off by gravity from the windshield into the air collector of the cowl assembly, which is not desired.

[0004] Document US2017136849 describes a vehicle having an air intake on a canopy arranged to reduce the risk of water entering the air intake.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to propose a new air intake in order to address at least largely the above problems and to further lead to other advantages.

[0006] Another aim of the invention is to prevent water from seeping by gravity into the air inlet.

[0007] Another aim of the invention is to optimize the capture of air from outside the motor vehicle.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention, at least one of the aforementioned objectives is achieved with an air intake for a motor vehicle air conditioning unit, the air intake being located between a front transverse edge of a windshield of the motor vehicle and a rear transverse edge of a hood of said motor vehicle, the air intake comprising (i) a foil grille extending across the air intake, and (ii) a deflector configured to prevent the runoff of a liquid from the windshield onto the foil grille. The deflector of the air intake comprises a cap which extends from a rear edge of the foil grille located on the side of the front transverse edge of the windshield of the motor vehicle and directly above the foil grille.In other words, the cap extends transversely relative to the windshield of the motor vehicle, and it is located in an intermediate position between the front transverse edge of the windshield and the air intake grille of the air intake according to the first aspect of the invention, in particular its rear edge. Furthermore, the cap forming the deflector overhangs the air intake grille, and the deflector of the air intake comprises a frame peripheral to the air intake grille, the cap of said deflector being connected to said peripheral frame by means of partitions peripheral to said air intake grille.

[0009] Thus, the deflector is configured to prevent the liquid - water or a mixture of water and windshield washer fluid for example - running down the windshield of the motor vehicle from falling by gravity into the air intake: the deflector forms an obstacle to the flow of water between the windshield and the windshield grille of the air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

[0010] This advantageous configuration thus makes it possible to prevent water from infiltrating by gravity into the air inlet intake, optimizing the operation of the air inlet intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. It also makes it easier to mount the deflector on the air grille.

[0011] The air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention advantageously comprises at least one of the improvements below, the technical characteristics forming these improvements being able to be taken alone or in combination: in a longitudinal direction of the air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the deflector cap preferably extends between the rear edge of the air intake grille and a front edge of said air intake grille, the front edge being located on the side of the rear transverse edge of the hood of the motor vehicle. In other words, the deflector cap longitudinally covers the air intake grille at least between its rear edge and its front edge. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to prevent water running over the deflector cap from falling by gravity through the air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and at its longitudinal edges;in a transverse direction of the air inlet in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the deflector cap preferably extends between two lateral edges of the foil grille. In other words, the deflector cap transversely covers the foil grille at least between its two lateral edges. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to prevent water running off the deflector cap from falling by gravity through the air inlet in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and at its lateral edges; the deflector cap is advantageously flat in order to facilitate its manufacture and to better control the running of water on the deflector. In other words, a first face of the cap located directly above the foil grille and directly opposite said foil grille is flat;and / or a second face of the cap is flat, said second face being located directly above the foil grille and opposite said foil grille relative to the first face of the cap. Advantageously, the deflector cap is of constant thickness; when the deflector cap is flat, it is advantageously inclined relative to the foil grille, so that there is an angle of inclination strictly greater than 0° between the foil grille and said cap; preferably, the cap is flat and it is inclined relative to the foil grille, so that there is an angle of inclination strictly greater than 0° between the foil grille and said cap, relative to the rear edge of the foil grille;the cap is inclined relative to the foil grille, such that a distance between a rear edge of the cap and said foil grille is less than a distance separating a front edge of said cap from said foil grille. In other words, in a longitudinal direction of the air inlet intake, taken between the front edge and the rear edge of said air inlet intake, the cap is inclined such that it is located at a shorter distance from the foil grille at its rear edge than at its front edge;the shape of the peripheral frame of the deflector advantageously corresponds to a homothetic transformation of a shape of the sheet grille, the transformation being of the type of a homothetic expansion of the shape of said sheet grille. In other words, the shape of the peripheral frame of the deflector is analogous to the shape of the sheet grille, and the overall dimensions of the peripheral frame are slightly greater than those of the sheet grille. This advantageous configuration thus makes it possible to make the peripheral frame cooperate with the sheet grille by means of an external coupling, said sheet grille being housed inside the peripheral frame. This advantageous configuration also makes it easier to assemble the deflector on the sheet grille;preferably, the peripheral frame is formed by a closed contour, the closed contour forming a peripheral contour to the sheet grille. Alternatively, the peripheral frame is formed by an open contour, the open contour comprising one or more segments peripheral to only a part of the sheet grille, the peripheral contours being distant from each other; at least a part of the peripheral partitions comprises a ventilation opening which passes right through said corresponding peripheral partition. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to optimize an air flow entering the air inlet according to the first aspect of the invention, the air being able to circulate more easily towards the sheet grille through the ventilation opening(s) of the deflector;the air intake deflector according to the first aspect of the invention comprises: a ventilation opening formed at a rear peripheral partition of the deflector, said rear peripheral partition being located near the front transverse edge of the windshield of the motor vehicle; and / or at least one ventilation opening formed at a front peripheral partition of the deflector, said front peripheral partition being located near the rear transverse edge of the hood of the motor vehicle; and / or a ventilation opening formed on at least one of the lateral peripheral partitions of the deflector, the lateral peripheral partitions connecting the front and rear peripheral partitions of the deflector on either side of the windshield grille;the air inlet deflector according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a collecting device for preventing water dripping on the cap from falling through the ventilation opening(s) formed on the peripheral partition(s) of said deflector. Additionally, this advantageous configuration makes it possible to guide the water dripping on the cap towards the peripheral frame of the deflector, thus preventing water from infiltrating through the ventilation opening(s) towards the protective grille;according to a first embodiment, the collecting device takes the form of at least one peripheral rib at the ventilation opening(s), each peripheral rib extending in projection relative to the corresponding peripheral partition of the deflector and on which the ventilation opening is formed. Advantageously, in the first embodiment, a front edge of the cap, located substantially in line with the front edge of the foil grille, comprises a peripheral rib which extends transversely between two lateral edges of the deflector. According to a second embodiment alternative to the first embodiment, the collecting device takes the form of at least one peripheral groove at the ventilation opening(s), each peripheral groove extending in a hollow relative to the corresponding peripheral partition of the deflector and on which the ventilation opening is formed;according to a first embodiment variant, the deflector according to the first aspect of the invention is detachably attached to the foil grille of the air intake intake according to the first aspect of the invention. According to a second embodiment variant, alternative or complementary to the first embodiment variant, the deflector according to the first aspect of the invention is detachably attached to a frame structure of the motor vehicle and on which the air intake intake is also detachably attached; in one or other of its embodiment variants, the deflector according to the first aspect of the invention is detachably attached by snap-fastening or by fixing screws;advantageously, the deflector comprises six snap-on devices collaborating with complementary devices located on the wallet grille and / or the deflector comprises at least two fixing lugs for securely and detachably fixing said deflector to a structure of the motor vehicle. This advantageous configuration makes it possible, on the one hand, to facilitate the positioning of the deflector on the windscreen grille, by means of the snap-on devices and, on the other hand, to secure the fixing of the deflector on the windscreen grille by allowing temporary fixing of said deflector to the structure of the motor vehicle; the deflector of the air intake intake according to the first aspect of the invention is formed from a plastic material. Advantageously, the deflector is manufactured by molding. ;

[0012] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a motor vehicle comprising a windshield, a hood and an air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention or according to any of its improvements, said air intake being located between a front transverse edge of the windshield and a rear transverse edge of the hood in order to recover rainwater running off said windshield.

[0013] Various embodiments of the invention are provided, incorporating, in all their possible combinations, the various optional features set out herein.

[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several examples of embodiment given for informational and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached schematic drawings on the other hand, in which: [ Fig.1 ] illustrates a rear profile perspective view of a windshield and hood area of ​​a motor vehicle in which the air intake according to the first aspect of the invention is located; [ Fig.2 ] illustrates a front profile perspective view of the area shown in the FIGURE 1 , in which the hood has been omitted in order to reveal the air intake in accordance with the first aspect of the invention in its context of integration on the motor vehicle; [ Fig.3 ] illustrates a perspective view of a deflector of the air inlet intake according to the first aspect of the invention, the deflector being associated with a foil grille of said air inlet intake; [ Fig.4 ] illustrates a perspective view of a deflector of the air inlet intake according to the first aspect of the invention, the deflector being associated with a foil grille of said air inlet intake.

[0015] Of course, the features, variants and different embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other, in various combinations, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be imagined comprising only a selection of features described below in isolation from the other features described, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0016] In particular, all the variants and embodiments described can be combined with each other if there is no technical obstacle to this combination.

[0017] In the figures, elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

[0018] In reference to the FIGURES 1 et 2 , a front portion of a motor vehicle 1 is shown in accordance with the second aspect of the invention. More particularly, the motor vehicle 1 is shown at an area between a front transverse edge 31 of a windshield 3 and a rear transverse edge 21 of a hood 2, close to a front wing 4 of the motor vehicle 1. At this area, when a liquid - rainwater for example or a mixture of water and windshield washer fluid - is present on the windshield 3, a portion can flow by gravity towards the front transverse edge 31, the front transverse edge 31 being located below said windshield 3. Once it reaches the front transverse edge 31, the liquid flows towards the hood 2 and downwards to be evacuated.

[0019] Between the front transverse edge 31 of the windshield 3 and the rear transverse edge 21 of the hood 2, the motor vehicle 1 comprises a cowl grille 5 which closes the part of the hood 2 located near the windshield 3. The cowl grille 5 is perforated and the liquid flowing from the windshield 3 and arriving on the cowl grille 5 passes through it by gravity to flow onto the parts located below.

[0020] As visible on the FIGURE 2 , the motor vehicle 1 comprises an air intake 10 according to the first aspect of the invention in order to be able to capture the air outside the motor vehicle 1 and to be able to use it to cool various elements of said motor vehicle, or to be used in an air conditioning unit (not shown) to ventilate and / or cool a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle 1. The air intake 10 is located just below the cowl grille 5, so that the liquid passing through the cowl grille is likely to infiltrate into said air intake 10, which is not desired.

[0021] In order to cleverly solve this technical problem, the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a foil grille 11 extending laterally across the air inlet 10, and a deflector 15 configured to prevent liquid from running off the foil grille 11.

[0022] An exemplary embodiment of the air inlet grille 10 according to the first aspect of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGURES 3 And 4 .

[0023] The foil grille 11 is planar and comprises a regular grille 111 forming a periodic network of orifices 112 whose dimensions are such that they prevent sheets from passing through while a flow of air can flow through said grille 111 of the foil grille 11.

[0024] At a zone peripheral to the grille 111, the foil grille 11 comprises a peripheral contour 113 which forms a closed ring around all of the orifices 112 of the grille 111. The peripheral contour 113 is devoid of orifices 112. On the other hand, the peripheral contour 113 of the foil grille 11 comprises first detachable fixing devices 114 of the foil grille 11 on a structure of the motor vehicle 1, and / or second detachable fixing devices 115 of the deflector 15 on the foil grille 11.

[0025] In the example embodiment illustrated on the FIGURES 3 And 4 , the first 114 and / or second 115 detachable fixing devices are of the snap-on device type.

[0026] Advantageously, the deflector 15 comprises six detachable fastening devices 115 of the snap-on type and collaborating with complementary devices located on the wallet grille 11; and the deflector 15 comprises two fastening tabs 157 for securely and detachably fastening said deflector 15 to a structure of the motor vehicle 1.

[0027] The protective grille 11 is advantageously made of a plastic material and obtained by molding.

[0028] The deflector 15 of the air intake 10 according to the first aspect of the invention is configured to mate with the windshield grille 11 in order to prevent liquid dripping from the front transverse edge 31 of the windshield 3 from reaching said windshield grille 11. For this purpose, the deflector 15 advantageously extends around and above the windshield grille 11, as will be described in the following paragraphs.

[0029] The deflector 15 of the air intake 10 according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a cap 151 which extends from a rear edge of the windshield grille 11 - located on the side of the front transverse edge 31 of the windshield 3 (not visible on the FIGURES 3 And 4 ) and directly above the windshield grille. Thus, the cap 151 of the deflector 15 is located in an intermediate position between the front transverse edge 31 of the windshield 3 and the windshield grille 11 and overhangs the windshield grille 11 between its two lateral edges 116a, 116b.

[0030] Additionally, the cap 151 of the deflector 15 also extends between a rear edge 117a and a front edge 117b of the windshield grille 11. Thus, the cap 151 of the deflector 15 is located in an intermediate position between the front transverse edge 31 of the windshield 3 and the windshield grille 11 and overhangs the windshield grille 11 between its rear edges 117a and front 117b.

[0031] Subsequently, and as visible in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cap 151 of the deflector 15 has a surface such that it completely covers the foil grille 11 between its lateral edges 116a, 116b, front 117b and rear 117a. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to prevent the liquid dripping onto the cap 151 of the deflector 15 from the cowl grille 5 from falling by gravity through the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0032] The cap 151 of the deflector 15 advantageously forms a flat surface in order to facilitate its manufacture and to better control the runoff of the liquid on the deflector 15. The cap 151 further comprises a peripheral chamfer 152 on at least part of the edges 153a, 153b, 154a of the cap 151, and in particular on the lateral edges 153a, 153b and rear 154a of said cap 151.

[0033] In order to better control the flow of the liquid over the cap 151, the cap 151 is advantageously inclined relative to the foil grid 11, such that there is an angle of inclination strictly greater than 0° between the foil grid 11 and said cap 151. More particularly, the cap 151 is advantageously inclined around the rear edge 117a of the foil grid 11, such that a distance between a rear edge 154a of the cap 151 and the rear edge 117a of the foil grid 11 is less than a distance separating a front edge 154b of said cap and the front edge 117b of said foil grid 11.

[0034] In order to facilitate the mounting of the deflector 15 on the sheet grille 11, the deflector 15 of the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a peripheral frame 155 to the sheet grille 11. For this purpose, a shape of the peripheral frame 155 of the deflector 15 advantageously corresponds to a homothetic transformation of a shape of the sheet grille 11 and / or of its peripheral contour 113. The homothetic transformation is advantageously of the type of a homothetic expansion of the shape of the sheet grille 11 and / or of its peripheral contour 113 in order to allow a coupling of complementary shapes. Thus, when the deflector 15 and the foil grille 11 are fixed together in order to form the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention, the foil grille 11 is housed inside the peripheral frame 155 of the deflector 15.

[0035] In the example embodiment illustrated on the FIGURES 3 And 4 , the peripheral frame 155 is formed by a closed contour all around the sheet grid 11.

[0036] When the deflector 15 and the foil grille 11 are assembled on the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention, the peripheral frame 155 of the deflector 15 is configured to be located in or substantially in the same plane as the foil grille 11.

[0037] The peripheral frame 155 of the deflector 15 is located at a distance from the cap 151 of said deflector 15. The cap 151 of the deflector 15 is connected to the peripheral frame 155 of said deflector 15 by means of peripheral partitions 156a, 156b, 156c, 156d. The peripheral partitions 156a-156d are located around the protective grille 11, and in particular on the periphery of the peripheral contour 113 of said protective grille 11.

[0038] In order to optimize an air flow entering the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention, at least a portion of the peripheral partitions 156a-156d comprises a ventilation opening 158 which passes right through said corresponding peripheral partition 156a-156d. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to facilitate a circulation of an air flow towards the foil grille 11 through the ventilation opening(s) 158 of the deflector 15. In particular, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the FIGURES 3 And 4 , the deflector 15 comprises: a ventilation opening 158 formed at the rear peripheral partition 156a of the deflector 15; and / or at least one ventilation opening 158 formed at the front peripheral partition 156b of the deflector 15, and preferably two ventilation openings 158 separated by a central pillar; and / or a ventilation opening 158 formed on each of the lateral peripheral partitions 156c of the deflector 15.

[0039] Advantageously, in order to prevent the flow of the liquid dripping onto the cap 151 of the deflector 15 through the ventilation openings 158, the deflector 15 of the air inlet 10 according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a collecting device 16. The collecting device 16 thus makes it possible to guide the liquid dripping onto the cap 151 towards the peripheral frame 155 of the deflector 15 rather than towards the foil grille 11.

[0040] In the example embodiment illustrated on the FIGURES 3 And 4 , the collecting device 16 takes the form of a peripheral rib 161 at the ventilation openings 158, each peripheral rib 161 extending projecting relative to the corresponding peripheral partition 156a-156c of the deflector 15 and on which the ventilation opening 158 is formed.

[0041] More particularly, the front edge 154b of the cap 151 comprises a peripheral rib 161 which extends transversely between two lateral edges 153a, 153b of the cap 151 of the deflector 15. Furthermore, each ventilation opening 158 is advantageously bordered at least in part by such a peripheral rib 161, at least at a proximal edge of the corresponding ventilation opening 158 relative to the cap 151 of the deflector 15, and / or at a lateral edge of the corresponding ventilation opening 158. In particular, the deflector 15 comprises two peripheral ribs 161 which connect the cap 151 to the peripheral frame 155 of said deflector 15 and which are located on either side of the two ventilation openings 158 of the front peripheral partition 156b of said deflector 15.These two peripheral ribs 161 extend vertically between the cap 151 and the peripheral frame 155; and they extend projecting relative to the front peripheral partition 156b of the deflector 15, in order to prevent a flow of liquid from the cap 151 towards the front peripheral partition 156b via the lateral sides of said deflector 15.

[0042] In summary, the invention relates to an air intake 10 located between a front transverse edge 31 of a windshield 3 of a motor vehicle 1 and a rear transverse edge 21 of a hood 2 of said motor vehicle 1. The air intake 10 according to the invention comprises a foil grille 11 and a deflector 15 configured to prevent liquid from flowing through the foil grille 11. For this purpose, the deflector 15 comprises a cap 151 which overhangs the entire surface of the foil grille 11.

[0043] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle 1 comprising a windshield 3, a hood 2 and an air intake 10 according to the invention.

[0044] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims. In particular, the different characteristics, forms, variants and embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations to the extent that they are not incompatible or exclusive of each other, and while remaining within the scope defined by the claims. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. Air inlet outlet (10) for a motor vehicle air conditioning unit (1), the air intake outlet (10) being located between a front (31) transverse edge of a windscreen (3) of the motor vehicle (1) and a rear (21) transverse edge of a hood (2) of the said motor vehicle (1), the outlet of the vehicle air inlet (10) comprising: - a flashing grid (11) extending across the intake of air (10); and - a deflector (15) configured to prevent a liquid from crashing from the windscreen (3) on the flashing grid (11), the deflector (15) consisting of a cap (151) that extends from a rear edge (117a) of the flashing grid (11) on the side of the front transverse edge (31) the windscreen (3) of the motor vehicle (1) and the flashing grid (11), characterized in that the deflector (15) includes a peripheral frame (155) at the screen grid (11), the cap (151) of the said deflector (15) being connected to that peripheral frame (155) through peripheral bulkheads (156a, 156b, 156c) to the said timestamp (11).

2. Air inlet outlet (10) according to the previous claim, in which the cap (151) is flat and inclined to the flashing grid (11), so that there is a tilt angle strictly greater than 0° between the flashing grid (11) and the flashing grid (151), respectively on the rear edge (117a) of the flashing grid (11).

3. Air intake (10) according to one of the previous claims, in which the deflector (15) includes: - a ventilation opening (158) formed at a rear peripheral bulkhead (156a) of the deflector (15), the rear peripheral bulkhead (156a) being located close to the front transverse edge (31) of the windscreen (3) of the motor vehicle (1); and / or - at least one ventilation opening (158) formed at a front peripheral bulkhead (156b) of the deflector (15), the front peripheral bulkhead (156b) being located close to the rear transverse edge (21) of the hood (2) of the motor vehicle (1); and / or - a ventilation opening (158) formed on at least one of the lateral peripheral partitions (156c) of the deflector (15), the lateral peripheral partitions (156c) connecting the front (156b) and rear (156a) peripherals of the deflector (15) on both sides of the flashing grid city (11).

4. Air inlet outlet (10) according to the previous claim, in which the deflector (15) includes a manifold device (16) to prevent water flowing on the cap (151) from falling through the ventilation opening(s) (158) formed on the peripheral partition(s) (156a-156c) said deflector (15).

5. Air inlet outlet (10) according to the previous claim, in which the manifold device (16) takes the form of at least one peripheral rib (161) at the vent opening(s) (158), with each peripheral rib (161) extending in relation to the peripheral bulkhead (156a-156c) corresponding to the deflector (15) and on which the ventilation opening (158) is formed.

6. Air inlet outlet (10) according to the previous claim, in which a front edge (154b) of the cap (151), located substantially above the front edge (117b) of the screen grid (11), includes a peripheral rib (161) that extends across two edges side (153a, 153b) of the deflector (15).

7. Air inlet outlet (10) according to any of the previous claims, in which the deflector (15) includes six locking devices working with complementary devices located on the wallet grid and / or the deflector (15) includes at least two fixing legs to secure the deflector securely and detachable (15) on a vehicle structure automobile (1).

8. Motor vehicle (1) comprising a windshield (3), a hood (2) and an air inlet outlet (10) according to any of the preceding claims, the said air inlet outlet (10) being located between a front (31) transverse edge of the windscreen (3) and a rear (21) transverse edge of the hood (2) to recover the rainwater flowing from the said windscreen (3).