External active air flap for vehicle engine room

Abstract

External active air damper for a vehicle engine room with: a rigid flap (10) fixedly attached to a front side of a vehicle and protruding in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the rigid flap (10) functioning as a grille; a propeller shaft (20) arranged inside and along the rigid flap (10) in a left-right direction of the vehicle; and a movable flap (30) arranged on an upper surface of the rigid flap (10), a rear end of which is connected to the articulated shaft (20), wherein the movable flap (30) rotates about the propeller shaft (20) to open and close an opening of the external active air flap by a pressure of external air flowing into the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room, and more particularly to an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room in which a rigid damper functioning as a radiator grille and a movable damper for controlling external air inflow are separately formed. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a vehicle engine room there are driving components such as an engine and various heat exchangers such as an intercooler, an evaporator and a condenser.

[0003] Heat exchange medium flows mainly within the heat exchangers described above, wherein the heat exchange medium in the heat exchangers and air outside the heat exchangers exchange heat with each other, thereby cooling or radiating, and for stable operation of the various heat exchangers in the vehicle engine room, the external air in the engine room must be sufficiently provided.

[0004] However, when a vehicle moves at high speed, a large amount of external air flows in quickly, causing air resistance to become extremely large, resulting in an increase in fuel consumption.

[0005] To solve this problem, an active air damper was developed which increases an opening angle at low speed, thereby increasing the inflow amount of air, and decreases the opening angle at high speed, thereby reducing the inflow amount of air and improving fuel consumption.

[0006] In the prior art, there are a built-in air damper (cover duct type) which controls opening and closing of a damper by a damper driver arranged behind a duct surrounding a grille, and an external air damper (integrated grille type) which directly controls opening and closing by using the grille as a damper.

[0007] The built-in active air damper described above has greater design freedom and is subject to fewer requirements constraints on the damper driver compared to the external active air damper, which has improved aerodynamic performance compared to the built-in active air damper.

[0008] However, the external active air flap is designed in such a way that the grille acts as a flap that controls the inflow of external air, so a large torque is required to forcefully open and close the flap under high speed conditions, and a larger capacity motor must be used for the larger torque, thus increasing the cost.

[0009] The above description is provided merely to assist in understanding the background of the present invention and should not be interpreted as falling within the prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

[0010] US 2014 / 0 005 897 A1 also discloses an external active air damper for a vehicle engine compartment. The active air damper has pivotable flaps. The pivotable flaps are configured to pivot about a shaft extending in the width direction of the vehicle body. The pivotable flaps pivot synchronously with each other to switch between an open state (open position) and a closed state (closed position). DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] One aspect of the present invention provides an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room, in which a rigid damper functioning as a grille and a movable damper controlling an inflow of external air are separately provided, such that the movable damper rotates on the rigid damper by a pressure of external air flowing into a vehicle, thereby removing the need for a motor for opening and closing a movable damper and thus reducing cost and weight.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention provides an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room, in which the movable damper is rigidly opened when the inflow of external air into the engine room is required at a high vehicle speed, thereby preventing damage to vehicle components in the engine room due to high temperature.

[0013] According to the present invention, an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room includes a rigid damper fixedly mounted on a front side of a vehicle and protruding in a front-to-back direction of the vehicle, functioning as a grille. A propeller shaft is arranged inside and along the rigid damper in a left-to-right direction of the vehicle. A movable damper is arranged on an upper surface of the rigid damper, with a rear end thereof connected to the propeller shaft. The movable damper rotates around the propeller shaft to open and close an opening of the external active air damper by pressure from external air flowing into the vehicle.

[0014] A plurality of rigid flaps may be provided spaced apart in an up-down direction of the vehicle. Each of the rigid flaps has a movable flap disposed thereon.

[0015] The rigid door may have a rear end which is curved and bent toward the front of the vehicle, in which a door insertion recess is formed from the left to the right side of the rigid door between the propeller shaft and a curved portion of the rigid door and opened forward.

[0016] The external active air damper may further comprise a damper driver connected to the hinged shaft for inserting and retracting the hinged shaft and the movable damper into the damper insertion recess by moving the hinged shaft and the movable damper along the upper surface of the rigid damper.

[0017] The flap driver may include a shaft engagement member to which one end of the propeller shaft is rotationally connected. A rack is integrally connected to the shaft engagement member, with both ends thereof disposed on an upper surface of the shaft engagement member in the left-right direction of the vehicle. A pinion gear is meshed with the rack. A drive motor is connected to the pinion gear to transmit power. A controller is configured to control the operation of the drive motor.

[0018] The movable flap can rotate about the hinged shaft only when the movable flap is pulled out of the flap insertion recess and is fixedly arranged within the flap insertion recess when the movable flap is inserted into the flap insertion recess. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a view showing an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room according to the present invention, in which the movable damper is opened. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view showing an external active air damper according to the present invention in which the movable damper is closed. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view showing an external active air damper according to the present invention in which the movable damper is inserted into a damper insertion recess. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 5.

[0020] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not to scale and are a simplified representation of various features of the present invention as disclosed herein, such as particular dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, which will be determined in part by the particular intended application and environment of use.

[0021] In the figures, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and described below.

[0023] It should be noted that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms, when used herein, refer to motor vehicles in general, such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from sources other than oil). Herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more power sources, for example, a vehicle powered by both gasoline and electricity.

[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used herein, indicate the presence of the listed features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of the linked listed elements.

[0025] Hereinafter, an external active air damper for a vehicle engine room according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] An external active air damper for a vehicle engine compartment according to the present invention comprises, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a rigid door 10 functioning as a grille is fixedly mounted on a front side of a vehicle and protrudes in a front-to-back direction of the vehicle. A propeller shaft 20 is arranged inside and along the rigid door 10 in a left-to-right direction of the vehicle. A movable door 30 is arranged on an upper side of the rigid door 10, with a rear end thereof connected to the propeller shaft. The movable door 30 rotates around the propeller shaft 20 to open and close an opening of the external active air door by a pressure of external air flowing into the vehicle.

[0027] The vehicle body has a length in a left-right direction of the vehicle body that is longer than that in a front-back direction of the vehicle body. The movable door 30 has the same length as that of the rigid door 10 in the left-right direction, but has a shorter length than that of the rigid door 10 in the front-back direction.

[0028] A plurality of rigid flaps 10 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction, each rigid flap 10 having a movable flap 30 mounted thereon.

[0029] The rigid door 10 has a rear end which is curved and bent toward the front of the vehicle, in which a door insertion recess 11 is formed along the rigid door from the left to the right side of the vehicle between the propeller shaft 20 and a curved portion of the rigid door 10 and opened forward.

[0030] The flap insertion recess 11 may have an angle which is more inclined downward as it goes further rearward in order to easily move the hinge shaft 20 and the movable flap 30 rearward and insert them into the flap insertion recess 11 by operating a flap driver as will be described later.

[0031] The present invention further includes a flap driver 40 which is connected to the hinged shaft 20 and is operated to insert and withdraw the hinged shaft 20 and the movable flap 30 into and out of the flap insertion recess 11 by moving the hinged shaft 20 and the movable flap 30 along an upper side of the rigid flap 10.

[0032] The flap driver 40 includes a shaft engagement member 41 with which one end of the propeller shaft 20 is rotationally engaged. A rack 42 is integrally combined with the shaft engagement member 41, with both ends thereof disposed on an upper surface of the shaft engagement member in the left-right direction of the vehicle. A pinion 43 is meshed with the rack 42, and a drive motor 44 is connected to the pinion 43 for transmitting power. A controller 45 is configured to control the operation of the drive motor 44.

[0033] The shaft engagement element 41 may comprise a connecting link or a rod, such as a bar.

[0034] In addition, both ends of the propeller shaft 20 are respectively engaged with the shaft engagement member 41 to rotate axially.

[0035] The controller 45 controls the operation of the drive motor 44 by transmitting a signal from an engine and various heat exchangers, such as a cooler, an intercooler, an evaporator, or a condenser, mounted in an engine room.

[0036] The movable flap 30 can rotate with the hinge shaft 20 as a center only when the movable flap 30 is pulled out from the flap insertion recess 11, and is unable to rotate when the movable flap 30 is inserted into the flap insertion recess 11 due to the restriction of the flap insertion recess 11.

[0037] The operation of the embodiment of the present inventive concept will be described below.

[0038] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a state where a vehicle is moving at a low speed and the movable door 30 is pulled out from the door insertion recess 11.

[0039] At the low speed, the movable damper 30 is in firm contact with the rigid damper 10, so that the opening between each rigid damper 10 remains open therebetween to open the external active air damper, since a pressure of the external air flowing into the engine room is not high, whereby the external air flows into the engine room through an opened passage of the rigid damper 10, so as to efficiently cool the engine and the heat exchangers.

[0040] Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show a state where the vehicle is moving at a high speed.

[0041] At the high speed, the front end of the movable flap 30 rotates with the hinged shaft 20 as a center by a pressure of an external air, thereby reducing or closing the opened passage of the rigid flap 10 because the pressure of the external air flowing in the engine room is high.

[0042] This can improve fuel consumption and noise levels by reducing the flow rate of air into the engine room.

[0043] Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 show an emergency condition that occurs at high speed.

[0044] As described above, the movable flap 30 rotates at high speed by the air pressure, thereby reducing or closing the open passage of the rigid flap 10, in which state, major components of the vehicle may be damaged if the engine or the heat exchangers mounted in the engine room are overheated to increase a temperature.

[0045] Accordingly, at high speed, sensors detect this condition and send a signal to the controller 45, wherein the controller 45 drives the drive motor 44 based on the received signal when components of the vehicle mounted in the engine room become overheated.

[0046] Then, the rack 42 and the shaft engagement member 41 move rearward due to the rotation of the pinion 43, and the propeller shaft 20 engaged with the shaft engagement member 41 and the movable door 30 move rearward so as to be inserted into the door insertion recess 11 formed on the rigid door 10.

[0047] When the movable flap 30 is inserted into the flap insertion recess 11 as described above, the movable flap 30 comes into close contact with the rigid flap 10 through the flap insertion recess 11, so that the rigid flap 10 is unable to rotate even if the pressure of the air is transmitted to the movable flap 30 at the high speed, thereby increasing the amount of external air flowing into the engine room through the opened passage of the rigid flap 10 at the low speed, thereby efficiently cooling the engine and the heat exchangers and preventing failure due to heat.

[0048] Then, the propeller shaft 20 and the movable flap 30 are pulled out from the flap insertion recess 11 by the flap driver 40 when the overheated machine and heat exchanger are cooled by the external air to return to a normal temperature, thereby returning to an initial state which is in Fig. 2, in preparation for the next operation.

[0049] As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which the movable door 30 can rotate around the rigid door 10 by the pressure of the air at the high speed so as to be able to open and close the rigid door 10, thereby removing the operation of a motor for opening and closing the movable door 30 and saving the cost and weight.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the movable door 30 is inserted into the door insertion recess 11 formed on the rigid door 10 so as to be fixed when inflow of external air into the engine room at high speed is required, thereby maintaining the passage of the rigid door 10 open and preventing damage to vehicle components in the engine room due to high heat.

[0051] According to the external active air damper of the present invention, the movable damper can rotate around the fixed damper by the pressure of the air at the high speed to open and close the fixed damper, thereby eliminating the use of a motor for performing the opening and closing of the movable damper and reducing the cost and weight.

[0052] Furthermore, the present invention has an effect that in a situation where the inflow of external air into the engine room at high speed is required, the movable door is inserted into the door insertion recess formed on the rigid door so that it is fixed, thereby maintaining the passage of the rigid door open and preventing damage to vehicle components in the engine room due to high heat.

Claims

[1] External active air damper for a vehicle engine room with: a rigid flap (10) fixedly attached to a front of a vehicle and protruding in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the rigid flap (10) functioning as a grille; a propeller shaft (20) arranged inside and along the rigid flap (10) in a left-right direction of the vehicle; and a movable flap (30) arranged on an upper surface of the rigid flap (10), a rear end of which is connected to the articulated shaft (20), wherein the movable flap (30) rotates about the propeller shaft (20) to open and close an opening of the external active air flap by a pressure of external air flowing into the vehicle. [2] External active air flap according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of rigid flaps (10) are provided spaced apart from each other in an up-down direction of the vehicle, each rigid flap (10) having a movable flap (30) arranged thereon. [3] External active air flap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear end of the rigid flap (10) is curved and bent toward the front of the vehicle, in which a flap insertion recess (11) forms a space between the hinge shaft (20) and a curved portion of the rigid flap (10) along the rigid flap (10) from the left side to the right side of the vehicle and opens forward. [4] External active air damper according to claim 3, further comprising: a flap driver (40) connected to the hinged shaft (20) for inserting and withdrawing the hinged shaft (20) and the movable flap (30) into and from the flap insertion recess (11) by moving the hinged shaft (20) and the movable flap (30) along the upper surface of the rigid flap (10). [5] External active air damper according to claim 4, wherein the damper driver (40) comprises: a shaft engagement element (41) to which one end of the propeller shaft (20) is rotationally connected; a rack (42) integrally united with the shaft engagement member (41), both ends of which are arranged on an upper surface of the shaft engagement member (41) in the left-right direction of the vehicle; a pinion (43) which is toothed with the rack (42); a drive motor (44) which is connected to the pinion (43) and transmits energy; and a controller (45) configured to control operation of the drive motor (44). [6] External active air damper according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the movable flap (30) rotates about the hinged shaft (20) only when the movable flap (30) is pulled out of the flap insertion recess (11), and is fixedly arranged within the flap insertion recess (11) when the movable flap (30) is inserted into the flap insertion recess (11). [7] External active air damper according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the shaft engagement element (41) is a rod or a connecting member. [8] External active air damper according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein both ends of the propeller shaft (20) are respectively engaged with the shaft engagement member (41) to rotate axially.

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