Air duct structure of instrument panel and vehicle including the same

Abstract

The present application discloses an air duct structure of an instrument panel, which relates to the technical field of vehicle instruments. The air duct includes a first duct and a second duct. The first duct is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel, and a first air inlet of the first duct is connected to the main air duct; the second duct is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel, and a second air inlet of the second duct is connected to a first air outlet of the first duct; a second air outlet of the second duct faces the air outlet of the instrument panel. In the air duct structure provided by the present application, the connection between the first duct and the second duct is close to being perpendicular, thereby reducing the installation space occupied by the air duct inside the instrument panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicle instrument, and particularly relates to an air duct structure of an instrument panel and a vehicle including the air duct structure. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of intelligent driving technology, more and more parts need to be arranged inside the vehicle instrument panel, and the AR-HUD (Augmented Reality-Head Up Display) system will also be more and more applied to the vehicle instrument panel. At the same time, the shape of the instrument panel tends to be flattened, resulting in less and less available installation space inside the instrument panel. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the installation space occupied by the pipes inside the instrument panel to meet the space layout requirements of the AR-HUD system or other components.

[0003] In the related art, the side defrosting and defogging air ducts inside the instrument panel are mostly integrally formed structures. In order to ensure that the air blown by the vehicle air conditioner can smoothly reach the side defrosting and defogging air outlets of the instrument panel, the side defrosting and defogging air ducts need to maintain a small bending curvature to reduce wind resistance.

[0004] In the process of implementing the present application, the inventors found that the related art has at least the following problems: the bending structure of the side defrosting and defogging air ducts occupies a large space, making it difficult for the available installation space inside the instrument panel to meet the space layout requirements of the AR-HUD system or other components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an air duct structure of an instrument panel and a vehicle including the air duct structure, which reduces the installation space occupied by the air ducts inside the instrument panel. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide an air duct structure of an instrument panel. The air duct structure includes an air duct, and the air duct includes a first duct and a second duct. Among them,

[0007] The first duct is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel, and a first air inlet of the first duct is connected to the main air duct;

[0008] The second duct is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel, and a second air inlet of the second duct is connected to a first air outlet of the first duct;

[0009] A second air outlet of the second duct faces the air outlet of the instrument panel.

[0010] In one implementation manner of the embodiments of the present application, a blower is arranged between the first air outlet of the first duct and the second air inlet of the second duct;

[0011] The third air inlet of the blower is connected to the first air outlet of the first duct, and the third air outlet of the blower is connected to the second air inlet of the second duct.

[0012] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, a joint is provided outside the third air inlet of the blower, and the first air outlet of the first duct is provided outside the joint;

[0013] A first seal is provided between the first air outlet of the first duct and the joint.

[0014] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the second air inlet of the second duct is provided outside the third air outlet of the blower;

[0015] A second seal is provided between the second air inlet of the second duct and the third air outlet of the blower.

[0016] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the opening directions of the third air inlet and the third air outlet of the blower are perpendicular to each other;

[0017] One end of the blower opposite to the third air inlet is a closed end.

[0018] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the diameter of the first air outlet of the first duct is not greater than the diameter of the first air inlet.

[0019] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the diameter of the second air outlet of the second duct is greater than the diameter of the second air inlet;

[0020] The end face of the second duct at the second air outlet is provided as an inclined plane.

[0021] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the main air duct is connected to the air outlet of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner;

[0022] The blower is configured to be synchronized with the on / off state of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner.

[0023] In one implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the duct structure includes two sets of the ducts symmetrically arranged in the instrument panel.

[0024] The embodiment of the present application further provides a vehicle, and the vehicle is provided with the duct structure of the above-mentioned instrument panel.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the embodiment of the present application at least include:

[0026] The air duct structure of the instrument panel provided by the embodiment of the present application, compared with the air duct structure of the traditional instrument panel, the air duct is segmented, wherein the first duct is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel, and the second duct is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel, so that the connection between the first duct and the second duct is close to vertical, thereby reducing the installation space occupied by the air duct inside the instrument panel. Description of the Drawings

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic bottom view structure diagram of an air duct structure of an instrument panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic bottom view structure diagram of an air duct structure of a traditional instrument panel;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic isometric structure diagram of an air duct structure of an instrument panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a third air inlet of a blower provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a third air outlet of a blower provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a schematic isometric structure diagram of a blower provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 It is a schematic isometric structure diagram of another blower provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] The reference numerals respectively represent:

[0036] 1, instrument panel; 2, first duct; 21, first air inlet; 22, first air outlet; 3, second duct; 31, second air inlet; 32, second air outlet; 4, blower; 41, third air inlet; 42, third air outlet; 43, hub; 44, blade; 5, main air duct; 6, joint; 7, first seal; 8, second seal. Detailed Embodiments

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] An embodiment of this application provides an air duct structure for an instrument panel. As Figure 1 and 3 shown, the air duct includes a first duct 2 and a second duct 3. The first duct 2 is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel 1, and a first air inlet 21 of the first duct 2 is connected to the main air duct 5. The second duct 3 is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel 1, and a second air inlet 31 of the second duct 3 is connected to a first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2. A second air outlet 32 of the second duct 3 faces the air outlet of the instrument panel 1 (not shown in the figure). In the embodiment of this application, the upper edge of the instrument panel 1 is close to the windshield, and the side edge of the instrument panel 1 is close to the side door glass of the vehicle. After the air blown by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner reaches the first duct 2 and the second duct 3 through the main air duct 5, it is blown out from the air outlet of the instrument panel 1 to defrost and demist the side door glass of the vehicle.

[0039] For a traditional air duct structure of an instrument panel, as Figure 2 shown, the air duct adopts an integrally formed structure. To ensure that the air blown by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner can smoothly reach the air outlet of the instrument panel 1, the air duct needs to maintain a small bending curvature to reduce wind resistance, and the cross-sectional areas of all parts of the air duct are basically the same.

[0040] Compared with the traditional air duct structure of the instrument panel, the air duct structure of the instrument panel provided by the embodiment of this application is arranged in sections. The first duct is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel, and the second duct is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel, so that the connection between the first duct and the second duct is close to perpendicular, thereby reducing the installation space occupied by the air duct inside the instrument panel.

[0041] In the embodiment of this application, the connection between the first duct 2 and the second duct 3 is close to perpendicular, so it is easy to generate eddy currents at the connection, making the air blown by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner unable to smoothly reach the second duct 3. Therefore, as Figure 1 and 3 shown, a fan 4 can be arranged between the first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2 and the second air inlet 31 of the second duct 3. After the air blown by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner enters the first duct 2 through the main air duct 5, the fan 4 introduces the air into a third air inlet 41 of the fan 4, and blows it through a third air outlet 42 of the fan 4 and the second duct 3 towards the air outlet of the instrument panel 1.

[0042] To minimize the installation space occupied by the air duct, the fan 4 can be installed in the transition area where the upper edge and the side edge of the instrument panel are connected. As Figure 1As shown, a chamfer is provided at the connection between the upper edge and the side edge of the instrument panel, and the blower is disposed within the fan-shaped area corresponding to the chamfer. In some embodiments of the present application, a boss may be provided at the transition area inside the instrument panel, and the blower may be fixedly disposed on the boss by bolts.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3 and 6 shown, the opening directions of the third air inlet 41 and the third air outlet 42 of the blower 4 may be perpendicular to each other. Exemplarily, the blower 4 may be in the shape of a whistle, the third air inlet 41 may be a circular opening, and the third air outlet 42 may be a square opening. The third air inlet 41 of the blower 4 is connected to the first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2, and the third air outlet 42 of the blower 4 is connected to the second air inlet 31 of the second duct 3, so that the opening directions of the first air outlet 22 and the second air inlet 31 are perpendicular to each other. That is, the connection between the first duct 2 and the second duct 3 is nearly perpendicular.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 7 shown, one end of the blower 4 opposite to the third air inlet 41 may be a closed end to prevent the generation of air flow outside the air duct, thereby affecting other components installed inside the instrument panel.

[0045] As Figure 5 or 6 shown, a hub 43 and blades 44 may be provided inside the blower 4, and the blades 44 are evenly distributed on the hub 43. The hub 43 may be provided in a cylindrical shape, the center line of the hub 43 coincides with the center line of the third air inlet 41, and the diameter of the hub 43 is smaller than the diameter of the third air inlet 41. The position of the highest point of the blade 44 may be higher than the lower end of the third air outlet 42. That is, the distance between the highest point of the blade 44 and the upper end of the third air outlet 42 is less than the height of the third air outlet 42.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 4 shown, a joint 6 may be provided outside the third air inlet 41 of the blower 4, and the joint 6 may be fixedly connected to the blower 4 by screws. The main body of the joint 6 may be cylindrical, and a flange (not shown in the figure) may be provided at one end of the joint 6 connected to the blower 4, and the flange is disposed radially along the joint 6. The joint 6 is fixedly connected to the blower 4 through the flange to increase the connection strength between the joint 6 and the blower 4.

[0047] The first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2 may be provided outside the joint 6. A first seal 7 may be provided between the first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2 and the joint 6 to reduce air volume loss. The first seal 7 may be a sealing ring or a sealing strip.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3As shown, the first air inlet 21 of the first duct 2 can be a square opening, while the first air outlet 22 can be a circular opening. In this way, a blower can be added at the connection between the first duct 2 and the second duct 3 without changing the original structure of the main air duct 5. And since the blower 4 can introduce the blowing air in the first duct 2 into the second duct 3, the diameter of the first air outlet 22 of the first duct 2 can be set to be not greater than the diameter of the first air inlet 21 to meet the wind force requirement of the blower 4.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, as Figure 5 shown, the second air inlet 31 of the second duct 3 can be arranged outside the third air outlet 42 of the blower 4. A second seal 8 can be arranged between the second air inlet 31 of the second duct 3 and the third air outlet 42 of the blower 4 to reduce the air volume loss. The second seal 8 can be an O-ring or a sealing strip. In other embodiments of the present application, the blower and the first duct, and the blower and the second duct can be fixedly connected by screws and sealed with a seal. Taking the connection between the blower and the first duct as an example, the screws can sequentially pass through the first duct, the seal and the joint to fixedly connect the blower and the first duct.

[0050] In the air duct structure of the instrument panel provided by the present application, the blower 4 is used to introduce the blowing air in the first duct 2 into the second duct 3. Compared with the traditional air duct structure of the instrument panel, the wind force at the air outlet of the instrument panel is greater. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the second duct 3 can be in a trumpet shape, that is, the diameter of the second air outlet 32 of the second duct 3 can be larger than the diameter of the second air inlet 31 to reduce the wind force at the second air outlet 32 of the second duct 3 and expand the area of defogging and defrosting the side door glass. In the embodiment of the present application, the end face of the second duct 3 at the second air outlet 32 can also be set as an inclined plane to further expand the area of defogging and defrosting. As Figure 3 shown, in the second duct 3, the length of the side wall connected to the lower end of the third air outlet 42 of the blower 4 can be greater than the length of the side wall connected to the upper end of the third air outlet 42.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present application, the air duct structure can include two groups of air ducts symmetrically arranged in the instrument panel 1, which are respectively used for defrosting and defogging the side door glasses on both sides. To make the wind forces at the second air outlets 32 of the second ducts 3 arranged on both sides of the instrument panel the same, the vehicle-mounted air conditioner can be arranged on the center line of the instrument panel. The main air duct 5 is connected to the air outlet of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner and communicates with the first air inlets 21 of the first ducts 2 on both sides of the instrument panel to split the blowing air at the air outlet of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner into the air ducts on both sides of the instrument panel. In other embodiments of the present application, only one group or more than two groups of air ducts can be arranged in the instrument panel, and the shapes of the multiple groups of air ducts are not the same.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the blower 4 can be configured such that its on-off state is synchronized with the on-off state of the vehicle air conditioner. By associating the control of the blower 4 with the control of the vehicle air conditioner, when the vehicle air conditioner is started, the blower is also started; when the vehicle air conditioner is turned off, the blower is also turned off. In some embodiments of the present application, the on-off of the blower can be controlled by a relay. A defogging and defrosting control button for the vehicle air conditioner is provided on the central console of the vehicle, and the relay controlling the on-off of the blower is connected to the circuit controlled by the defogging and defrosting control button. Thus, when the defogging and defrosting control button is turned on and the vehicle air conditioner blows air to perform the defogging and defrosting function, the blower starts to operate.

[0053] In other embodiments of the present application, the control circuit of the blower can be connected to the body control module, and the blower operates according to the control signal of the body control module. The body control module is signal-connected to the vehicle air conditioner. After the defogging and defrosting control button of the vehicle air conditioner is turned on, the body control module obtains the first turn-on signal of the vehicle air conditioner. According to this first turn-on signal, the body control module sends a second turn-on signal to the blower, thereby controlling the blower to start operating. After the defogging and defrosting control button of the vehicle air conditioner is turned off, the body control module obtains the first turn-off signal of the vehicle air conditioner. According to this first turn-off signal, the body control module sends a second turn-off signal to the blower, thereby controlling the blower to stop operating.

[0054] The embodiments of the present application further provide a vehicle, which is provided with the above-mentioned air duct structure of the instrument panel.

[0055] Compared with the traditional air duct structure of the instrument panel, in the air duct structure of the instrument panel provided by the embodiments of the present application, the air duct is divided into sections. The first duct is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel, and the second duct is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel, so that the connection between the first duct and the second duct is close to perpendicular, thereby reducing the installation space occupied by the air duct inside the instrument panel.

[0056] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An air duct structure of an instrument panel, characterized in that, The air duct structure includes an air duct, and the air duct includes a first duct (2) and a second duct (3), where the first duct (2) is arranged along the upper edge of the instrument panel (1), and a first air inlet (21) of the first duct (2) is connected to the main air duct (5); the caliber of a first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2) is not greater than that of the first air inlet (21); where, the upper edge of the instrument panel (1) is close to the windshield, and the side edge of the instrument panel (1) is close to the side door glass of the vehicle; the second duct (3) is arranged along the side edge of the instrument panel (1), and a second air inlet (31) of the second duct (3) is connected to the first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2); the caliber of a second air outlet (32) of the second duct (3) is greater than that of the second air inlet (31); the end face of the second duct (3) at the second air outlet (32) is set as an inclined plane; the second air outlet (32) of the second duct (3) faces the air outlet of the instrument panel (1) to defrost and defog the side door glass of the vehicle; a blower (4) is arranged between the first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2) and the second air inlet (31) of the second duct (3). The connection part of the upper edge and the side edge of the instrument panel (1) is close to being perpendicular and is provided with a chamfer. The blower (4) is arranged in the fan-shaped area corresponding to the chamfer. There is a boss at the transition area where the upper edge and the side edge of the instrument panel are connected. The blower is fixed on the boss by bolts; inside the blower (4), there are a hub and blades. The blades are evenly distributed on the hub, and the position of the highest point of the blades is higher than the lower end of a third air outlet (42) of the blower (4).

2. The air duct structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, a third air inlet (41) of the blower (4) is connected to the first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2), and a third air outlet (42) of the blower (4) is connected to the second air inlet (31) of the second duct (3).

3. The air duct structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, a joint (6) is arranged outside the third air inlet (41) of the blower (4), and the first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2) is arranged outside the joint (6); a first seal (7) is arranged between the first air outlet (22) of the first duct (2) and the joint (6).

4. The air duct structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, the second air inlet (31) of the second duct (3) is arranged outside the third air outlet (42) of the blower (4); a second seal (8) is arranged between the second air inlet (31) of the second duct (3) and the third air outlet (42) of the blower (4).

5. The air duct structure according to claim 2, wherein the opening direction of the third air inlet (41) of the blower (4) and the opening direction of the third air outlet (42) are perpendicular to each other; one end of the blower (4) opposite to the third air inlet (41) is a closed end.

6. The air duct structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, the main air duct (5) is connected to the air outlet of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner; the blower (4) is configured such that its opening and closing state is synchronized with the opening and closing state of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner.

7. The air duct structure according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The air duct structure includes two groups of such air ducts symmetrically arranged in the instrument panel (1).

8. A vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle is provided with an air duct structure of the instrument panel as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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