Vehicle front structure

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of appropriately coping with a large gap between a radiator and a vehicle body-side member. A vehicle front structure includes: a radiator; the framework component is positioned below the radiator; and a sheet that is attached to the heat sink and the skeleton member and blocks a gap between the heat sink and the skeleton member, the upper portion of the sheet being fastened to the front side of the heat sink, and the lower portion of the sheet being fastened to the rear side of the skeleton member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle including a radiator. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles have radiators that exchange heat with the outside air in order to cool their heat-generating components such as engines and motors. The radiators are typically located at the front of the vehicle to receive airflow from the front of the vehicle.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a sealing component that uses a sponge to fill the gap between the radiator and a radiator support for mounting the radiator to the vehicle body. This structure prevents hot air from flowing back towards the front of the radiator after it has passed through, thus improving cooling efficiency.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-012599 Summary of the Invention Here, in Patent Document 1, the focus is on the relatively small gap between the radiator and the radiator support.

[0005] The gap between the radiator and the components on the side of the vehicle body is sometimes quite large. In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to properly handle this situation.

[0006] Furthermore, using sponges can lead to various problems. For example, sponges can sometimes deteriorate due to absorbing water or break under water pressure. Additionally, water or sand absorbed by the sponge may rub off the cationic coating of surrounding metal parts, making them more prone to rust. Moreover, because sponges are used to fill gaps and are compressed, they may lose elasticity over time, resulting in decreased sealing performance. Furthermore, the compressed use of sponges creates significant reaction forces during assembly, sometimes hindering workability.

[0007] The vehicle front structure involved in this invention includes: a radiator; a frame component located below the radiator; and a sheet installed on the radiator and the frame component, blocking the gap between the radiator and the frame component, wherein the upper part of the sheet is fastened to the front side of the radiator and the lower part of the sheet is fastened to the rear side of the frame component.

[0008] Preferably, the sheet is made of rubber.

[0009] Preferably, the upper part of the sheet is fastened to the front side of the heat sink by a plurality of fastening parts, and the lower part of the sheet is fastened to the rear side of the frame component by a plurality of fastening parts spaced apart.

[0010] The sheet material has a flexible portion because its length is longer than the distance between the fastening portion to the heat sink and the fastening portion to the frame member, and preferably the deformation of the flexible portion can accommodate the relative movement of the heat sink and the frame member.

[0011] Invention Effects According to the vehicle front structure of the present invention, by using a sheet material, the space between the radiator and the frame components can be effectively blocked. Furthermore, it can withstand relative movement between the radiator and the frame components, or water pressure from the front. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 (A) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the front structure of the vehicle, and (B) is a view taken from the front of the vehicle.

[0013] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the action when water pressure is applied. (A) represents a comparative example, and (B) represents the implementation method.

[0014] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a comparative example of using sponge, where the gap between the radiator and the crossbeam is wide. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and configurations selectively combined from multiple examples are also included in the present invention.

[0016] "Structure of the Implementation Method" Figure 1 The diagram shows the front structure of the vehicle. (A) is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and (B) is a view viewed from the front of the vehicle. The radiator 10 is located behind the front grille of the vehicle and is roughly rectangular when viewed from the front-rear direction. It has cooling water passages inside and multiple holes are formed to allow airflow in the front-rear direction.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the thickness of the heat sink 10 in the front-to-back cross-section is not large. Figure 1 The image shows only the lower part of the radiator 10. The lower end of the radiator 10 is supported by a lower frame material 12. This lower frame material 12 is the lower part of the frame material surrounding the perimeter of the radiator 10.

[0018] A radiator component 14 is provided in front of the lower frame material 12. This radiator component 14 is a plate-shaped component with an L-shaped longitudinal cross-section, having a vertical portion and a front-rear portion extending from the lower end of the front end. For example, the upper end of the vertical portion is fixed to the radiator component 14. The radiator component 14 can be extended to correspond to the lateral width of the radiator 10, or two or more components can be provided with a smaller lateral width and spaced at a predetermined distance laterally.

[0019] Below the radiator component 14, there is a crossbeam 16 extending laterally at a predetermined distance. The crossbeam 16 is a hollow, four-cornered frame-shaped profile in longitudinal section and is a skeletal component of the vehicle. The left and right ends of the crossbeam 16 are fixed to, for example, a side longitudinal beam, which is a skeletal component that extends along the left and right direction of the vehicle and at both ends along the front and rear direction of the vehicle.

[0020] A component 18 is mounted on the lower side of the crossbeam 16. This component 18 is a plate-shaped component with a narrow lateral width, comprising an upper portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a rear portion extending diagonally downward from the upper portion. In this example, two component 18s are arranged at a predetermined lateral distance, but there can also be three or more.

[0021] Furthermore, a sheet 20 extending from the upper front to the lower rear is provided between the radiator component 14 and the component 18. The sheet 20 is rectangular when viewed from the front, with its upper portion mounted to the front surface of the radiator component 14 and its lower portion mounted to the rear surface of the component 18. In this example, the upper portion of the sheet 20 is mounted to the radiator component 14 using two resin clips 22, and the lower portion of the sheet 20 is mounted to the component 18 using two resin clips 24. Alternatively, there may be three or more resin clips 22 and 24.

[0022] Furthermore, the sheet 20 can be fastened to the heat sink component 14 and component 18 by means of bolts, nuts, adhesives, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the sheet 20 is longer than the distance between the mounting portion of the heat sink component 14 and the mounting portion of the component 18, and the length has a margin. Therefore, the sheet 20 has a flexural portion 20a in its middle section. Additionally, Figure 1 (B) is a view from the front of the vehicle. The flexure 20a is not actually visible, but it is schematically shown.

[0024] Furthermore, the sheet 20 is preferably made of a material with excellent water resistance, chemical resistance, and elasticity. In this embodiment, a rubber sheet is used. The rubber can be synthetic rubber or natural rubber, but rubber with high chemical resistance and a certain degree of elasticity is preferred. Moreover, it is not limited to rubber; other resins can also be used to make the sheet.

[0025] In this vehicle front structure, outside air enters the radiator 10 from the front and passes through it. The heated air, after heat exchange, flows rearward, but due to the presence of components at the rear, a counter-current flow towards the front is created, as shown in the figure. In this embodiment, the sheet 20 blocks the space between the radiator 10 and the crossbeam 16, thus preventing the counter-current heated air (hot air) from reaching the front of the radiator 10 and circulating there, i.e., preventing it from detouring forward.

[0026] Furthermore, as sheet material 20, by using resin sheets such as rubber sheets, deterioration caused by water can be prevented.

[0027] exist Figure 1 In the diagram, dashed lines indicate the rearward movement of the crossbeam 16 and component 18. This movement can be accommodated by the deformation of the sheet 20, primarily the flexural portion 20a. That is, since the sheet 20 has a length allowance, the flexural portion 20a can deform based on this allowance, preventing damage to the sheet 20 caused by the relative movement between the radiator 10 and the crossbeam 16, which serves as the frame component. Even large movements that cannot be absorbed by the allowance can be accommodated by the elongation of the sheet 20.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sheet 20 is individually fastened to the component 18 at spaced-apart fastening points. Therefore, a small gap can be formed between the sheet 20 and the component 18 among the multiple fastening points. Thus, water can leak downwards through this gap, and leakage can occur when water pressure is applied to the sheet 20 from the front.

[0029] In particular, in this embodiment, the upper end of the sheet 20 is fixed to the front surface of the radiator component 14, and the lower end of the sheet 20 is fixed to the rear surface of the component 18. Therefore, when water pressure is applied from the front, a rearward force is applied to the lower end of the sheet 20. As a result, the lower end of the sheet 20 moves away from the rear surface of the component 18, forming a gap there, which allows water pressure to leak out.

[0030] The radiator 10 is located behind the front grille. When the vehicle is in motion, water sometimes splashes in from the front, and in this case, the sheet 20 is subjected to the impact of water pressure. With the configuration of this embodiment, as described above, the application of water pressure can be effectively countered. Furthermore, during driving, the vehicle is sometimes subjected to a set wind pressure, and sometimes to a large wind pressure. This structure can also handle large wind pressure.

[0031] Methods for releasing water pressure Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the action when water pressure is applied. (A) represents a comparative example, and (B) represents the implementation method.

[0032] exist Figure 2 In (A), component 18 consists of an upper part and a front part extending downwards from the upper part, and the lower end of sheet 20 is fixed to the front surface of the front part of component 18. In this case, when water pressure is applied to sheet 20 from the front, the lower end of sheet 20 is pressed against component 18 by the water pressure. Therefore, the water pressure can only be released from the front surface of sheet 20 to the periphery, and sheet 20 essentially bears all of the water pressure.

[0033] On the other hand, according to the configuration of this embodiment, as described above, the lower end of the sheet 20 is subjected to water pressure and is subjected to a force in the direction of separation from the component 18. Therefore, in the unfastened portion between the fastening parts fastened by the resin clamp 24, a gap is formed between the lower end of the sheet 20 and the component 18, and the water pressure can be released from the gap.

[0034] "Comparative example" Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a comparative example of using sponge when the gap between the radiator 10 and the crossbeam 16 is wide. When the distance between the lower frame material 12 of the radiator 10 and the crossbeam 16 is large, sponge 30 alone cannot fill the space between them. Therefore, it is considered to install a resin component 32 and use it to close the space. In this case, the problem with using sponge 30 still exists, and the following disadvantages also arise.

[0035] For example, a resin mold is required to manufacture the resin part 32, which increases costs. The cost of the resin mold becomes a significant issue, especially when the production volume of the resin part 32 is low. Furthermore, water and air pressure are applied to the resin part 32, which may cause it to break due to impact.

[0036] "Effects of the implementation method" By arranging the sheet 20 between the radiator 10 and the crossbeam 16, it is possible to effectively prevent the high-temperature air after passing through the radiator 10 from flowing around to the front of the radiator 10.

[0037] The excess length of the sheet 20 can accommodate the relative movement of the heat sink 10 and the crossbeam 16.

[0038] Furthermore, by fixing the lower end of the sheet 20 to a plurality of resin clips 24 on the rear side of the crossbeam 16, even under the condition of being subjected to a large impact by water pressure, the impact caused by water pressure can be released through the gaps of the fixed spacing of the resin clips 24.

[0039] Symbol Explanation 10-Radiator, 12-Lower frame material, 14-Radiator component, 16-Crossbeam, 18-Component, 20-Sheet, 20a-Flexible section, 22, 24-Resin clips.

Claims

1. A front structure for a vehicle, characterized in that, include: heat sink; A frame component located below the heat sink; and A sheet material is installed on the heat sink and the frame component, and blocks the gap between the heat sink and the frame component. The upper part of the sheet is fastened to the front side of the heat sink, and the lower part of the sheet is fastened to the rear side of the frame component.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sheet is made of rubber.

3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper part of the sheet is fastened to the front side of the heat sink by multiple fasteners, and the lower part of the sheet is fastened to the rear side of the frame component by multiple fasteners spaced apart.

4. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The sheet material has a flexible portion because its length is longer than the distance between the fastening portion to the heat sink and the fastening portion to the frame component, and the deformation of the flexible portion can accommodate the relative movement of the heat sink and the frame component.

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