Arrangement for directing cooling air in a motor vehicle

Abstract

Arrangement for guiding cooling air (11) in a motor vehicle (2), comprising a wheel housing (12) of the motor vehicle (2) formed by at least one wheel housing shell (8), comprising a first, front air guide duct (5), which is designed as a separately manufactured assembly part, comprising at least one radiator (4) arranged at the front of the vehicle of the wheel housing (12) and connected at the rear to the first, front air guide duct (5), wherein a second, rear air guide duct (6) is arranged between the radiator (4) and a cooling air outlet opening (7) associated with the radiator (4) in a front section of the wheel housing shell (8), which in turn guides an airflow of cooling air (11) from the radiator (4) into the wheel housing (12) and is integrally formed with the at least one wheel housing shell (8), wherein the second, rear air guide duct (6) has a stone chip guard (13) at its front free end,and wherein the stone impact protection (13) is integrally formed with the second, rear air guide channel (6).

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement for guiding cooling air in a motor vehicle according to the combination of features of claim 1 of the invention.DE 101 59 783 A1 discloses a cooling air duct for a motor vehicle which has, in the front chassis thereof, a central radiator through which a cooling air stream passes for recooling the cooling medium of an internal combustion engine and lateral auxiliary coolers likewise through which a cooling air stream passes. The respective additional cooler is arranged on the vehicle front side of a wheel arch formed by a wheel arch shell and within a cooling air guide housing connected to the vehicle body. In a vehicle front-side section of the wheel arch shell, recesses are assigned to the auxiliary cooler, which recesses ensure an air flow path through the auxiliary cooler into the wheel arch. Air guiding elements are arranged downstream of the recesses, which at the same time prevent dirt or dirty water from escaping from the wheel arch into the region of the cooler. A wheel arch shell is also known from DE 103 56 238 A1, on which a cooling air outlet opening having lamellae / gills is provided. Viewed in the direction of rotation of the wheel, a deflector is formed upstream of the cooling air outlet opening on the side of the wheel arch shell wall facing the wheel, by means of which deflector the particles which are directly remote from the wheel and slide along the wheel arch shell wall are guided laterally around the cooling air outlet opening. How the air is conducted to the cooling air outlet opening cannot be gathered from this publication. DE 10 2008 039 293 A1 describes a cooling device integrated into a wheel arch, which cooling device comprises a heat exchanger element. At least one region of a wall of the heat exchanger element is formed as an outer wall of a wheel arch cladding of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, a charge air cooler is provided, to which the relative wind flowing through the charge air cooler is fed via an intake hood. Downstream of the charge air cooler in the flow direction, the air flow is divided by a separating element, wherein a first part of the air exits into the environment through an air outlet opening in the wheel arch wall, whereas a second part of the air flow is directed into a flow channel of said cooling device. How the air guidance is embodied and effected in detail is silent about this publication. DE 102010 037 617 A1 discloses an air-guiding device in a nose part of a motor vehicle, which air-guiding device comprises an air-guiding duct and a cooler unit held therein. Downstream of the cooler unit, the air-guiding device opens into a wheel arch or a wheel arch shell of the motor vehicle. According to one embodiment of this air guiding device, at least a part of the air guiding channel is formed integrally with the wheel arch shell. The air outlet opening of the air guide duct is formed by a so-called wheel arch grid with air slats, which forms the front wheel arch wall or is inserted into the same. An air guiding device similar to this is also known from DE 10 2010 037 614 A1.It is the object of the invention to provide an alternative arrangement with respect to the prior art for guiding cooling air in a motor vehicle, which arrangement is cost-effective to produce and simple to mount.The object set is achieved with the features of claim 1, according to which an arrangement for guiding cooling air in a motor vehicle is provided, having a wheel arch of the motor vehicle formed by at least one wheel arch shell, having a first, front air guide duct, which is designed as a separately produced mounting part, having at least one cooler arranged on the vehicle front side of the wheel arch and connected on the rear side to the first, front air guide duct, wherein a second, rear air guide duct, which is connected tightly to the cooler, is arranged between the cooler and a cooling air outlet opening assigned to the cooler in a section of the wheel arch shell on the vehicle front side, said second, rear air guide duct in turn guiding an air flow of the cooling air from the cooler into the wheel arch and being formed integrally with the at least one wheel arch shell, wherein the second, rear air guide duct has a stone impact protection at its free end on the front side, and wherein the stone chip guard is formed integrally with the second, rear air duct.This has the advantage that, due to the one-piece construction of the wheel house shell, second, rear air guide duct and stone impact protection, a disadvantageous leakage is effectively avoided, which may be present in a separate second, rear air guide duct, which is constructed as an attachment part, between the air guide duct and the wheel house shell. As a result of the stone chip protection, any contamination and / or damage of the cooler is advantageously effectively avoided.The dependent claims describe preferred refinements or refinements of the invention.The stone impact protection is preferably formed by a grid or screen structure and / or by one or more deflector or air guiding elements. The at least one wheel house shell advantageously consists of a plastic or a fiber-reinforced plastic. Such a wheel arch shell can be produced together with the air duct and the stone impact protection as a one-piece component by a proven plastic injection molding method. The arrangement according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously in the region of a wheel arch for a vehicle front wheel.The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment schematically illustrated in the drawings. However, it is not limited to this, but covers all the embodiments defined by the patent claims. The following are shown: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front end of a motor vehicle, FIG. 2 shows the left-hand part of the body shell of the front end according to FIG. 1, with a first and a second radiator and an arrangement for guiding cooling air in the motor vehicle, FIG. 3 shows a front left wheel arch shell of the motor vehicle in a perspective individual view completed with said arrangement for guiding cooling air, FIG. 4 shows the front left wheel arch shell according to FIG. 3 in another perspective view, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line I--I of FIG. 3.In the front end 1 of the motor vehicle 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first cooler 3 is arranged, in particular for recooling the cooling medium of an internal combustion engine, not shown in the drawing, and at least on the left next to the first cooler 3 or on the right in the drawing plane, a second cooler 4 is arranged as an additional cooler 4, in particular as a charge air cooler 4.A first, front air duct 5 is assigned to the second radiator 4 on the front side of the motor vehicle 2, which duct is designed as a separately produced mounting part according to FIG. 2 and is shown in FIG. 2 on the one hand in the unmounted (continuous line guidance) and on the other hand in the mounted state (dashed line guidance). Such an air duct 5 is preferably made of a plastic or fiber-reinforced plastic and is fastened by means of, for example, mechanical fastening elements, such as fastening screws, to supporting components of the front end 1 and to the radiator 4 (not illustrated in the drawing).A second, rear air duct 6 adjoins the second cooler 4 on the rear side of the motor vehicle 2, which duct in turn opens into a cooling air outlet opening 7 of a vehicle front-side section of the adjacent wheel arch shell 8, accordingly of the front left wheel arch shell 8 of the motor vehicle 2 (FIGS. 3 to 5 ). The second air duct 6 is formed integrally with the wheel arch shell 8. The wheel arch shell 8 and accordingly also the mentioned air duct 6 preferably consists of a plastic or fiber-reinforced plastic and is further preferably produced by a plastic injection molding process.As can be seen in particular from FIG. 4, the second air duct 6 connects closely to the second cooler 4 on the cooler side in order to reduce disadvantageous cooling leaks to the greatest possible extent. In the present case, the second air duct 6 is connected tightly to a holding and fastening plate 9 of the second cooler 4. On the wheel arch shell side, the second air guide duct 6 completely encloses the cooling air outlet opening 7, so that cooling leaks are completely avoided here. The air flow of the cooling air 11 directed counter to the direction of travel 10 is conducted via the first, front air duct 5 and through the second cooler 4 and the second, rear air duct 6 to the cooling air outlet opening 7, where it exits into the wheel arch 12 formed by the wheel arch shell 8 and accordingly into the environment (FIG. 5 ).As can also be seen from FIG. 5, the second air duct 6 has at its free end on the front side a so-called stone impact protection 13 which prevents particles, such as stones, dirt, water and the like, which are picked up and accelerated by the vehicle front wheel, not shown in the drawing, from being conveyed more towards the second cooler 4 and damage and / or contaminate the same. The stone impact protection 13 is formed integrally with the second air duct 6 and accordingly also integrally with the wheel arch shell 8. In the present case, the stone impact protection 13 is formed by a grid or screen structure. Alternatively or also in combination with the aforementioned grid or screen structure, the stone impact protection 13 can also be formed by one or more deflector or air guiding elements arranged on the wheel house side on the wheel house shell 8 and adjacent to the cooling air outlet opening 7, or can additionally include such deflector or air guiding elements (not illustrated in the drawing). The grid or screen structure mentioned can be formed easily and economically during the plastic injection molding process by means of a segment slide of the casting tool known per se (not shown in the drawing).List of reference characters1 Front end 2 Motor vehicle 3 First cooler 4 Second cooler 5 First air guide duct 6 Second air guide duct 7 Cooling air outlet opening 8 Wheel arch shell 9 Holding and fastening plate 10 Direction of travel 11 Cooling air 12 Wheel arch 13 Stone impact protection

Claims

Arrangement for guiding cooling air (11) in a motor vehicle (2), having a wheel arch (12) of the motor vehicle (2) formed by at least one wheel arch shell (8), having a first, front air guide duct (5) which is designed as a separately produced mounting part, having at least one cooler (4) arranged on the vehicle front side of the wheel arch (12) and connected on the rear side to the first, front air guide duct (5), wherein a second, rear air guide duct (6) connected close to the cooler (4) is arranged between the cooler (4) and a cooling air outlet opening (7) assigned to the cooler (4) in a vehicle front-side section of the wheel arch shell (8), which second air guide duct, for its part, guides an air flow of the cooling air (11) from the cooler (4) into the wheel arch (12) and is designed integrally with the at least one wheel arch shell (8), wherein the second air guide duct, Rear air duct (6) has a stone impact protection (13) at its free end on the front side, and wherein the stone impact protection (13) is formed integrally with the second, rear air duct (6).Arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stone impact protection (13) is formed by a grid or screen structure and / or by one or more deflector or air-guiding elements.Arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wheel arch (12) is a wheel arch (12) for a front wheel of a vehicle.Arrangement according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the at least one wheel arch shell (8) consists of a plastic or a fibre-reinforced plastic.

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