Outdoor air intake structure for vehicle

Abstract

To solve the problem in conventional electric vehicles that the interior of a chamber at a vehicle front part easily reaches high temperatures, therefore the chamber interior is difficult to use as a storage space.SOLUTION: In an outdoor air intake structure 10 for a vehicle, an outdoor air introduced from an outdoor air intake port 17 at a vehicle front part is supplied to an underfloor space 23 where an in-vehicle battery 41 is stored, via a first air channel 25 and a second air channel 26. Further, within a chamber 13, a front trunk 14 is disposed, and the first air channel 25 and the second air channel 26 are arranged thereabove. This structure enables a rational layout within the chamber 13 to be arranged with the front trunk 14, the first air channel 25 and the second air channel 26. As a result thereof, a temperature rise inside the front trunk 14 due to solar radiation or the like is prevented. Further, cargoes inside the front trunk 14 are prevented from being damaged due to high heat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an outside air intake structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A conventional cooling structure for a battery for an electric vehicle is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] The electric vehicle includes front wheels, rear wheels, and a vehicle body. The vehicle body includes frame members including a pair of side frames, and a front cross member and a rear cross member connected to the side frames. A battery box is supported in a suspended state between the front and rear wheels by the side frames.

[0004] The battery box includes a box body that houses a plurality of batteries for driving an electric vehicle. An intake passage member is formed on the vehicle front side of the box body for drawing cooling air into the box body. The intake passage member is open at its upper end side, and an opening is formed for drawing the cooling air into the box body. A hole portion is formed on the vehicle rear side of the box body for discharging the cooling air. A cooling fan is disposed within the hole portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-193376 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the battery box, a cooling fan is operated to cool the battery stored in the box body. The cooling air is sucked into the box body through the opening of the suction passage member. The sucked cooling air flows through the box body and is discharged to the outside of the box body through the hole.

[0007] On the other hand, in electric vehicles, the power unit is replaced by a motor instead of an engine, and the size of the power unit is reduced, which makes it possible to use the compartment at the front of the vehicle body as a storage space. However, since the compartment is located directly under the front hood, there is a problem that the temperature inside the compartment becomes high due to the effects of sunlight, etc., and there is a risk of damage to luggage stored in the compartment. In addition, in order to use a part of the compartment as a battery cooling air passage for supplying cool air to the battery box, a rational layout is desired in relation to the storage space.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and relates to an outside air intake structure for a vehicle that uses the interior of the front part of the vehicle body as a storage space and a battery cooling air duct with a rational layout, while preventing the temperature of the storage space from rising due to sunlight, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is an outside air intake structure for a vehicle that supplies outside air to an on-board battery stored in the underfloor space of the vehicle body, and is characterized in that it comprises an outside air intake arranged in the front of the vehicle body, a front trunk arranged within the interior of the body, an opening and closing lid section that can be opened and closed to cover the upper opening of the front trunk, a first air passage that communicates with the outside air intake and is formed between the front hood of the vehicle body and the opening and closing lid section, and a second air passage that communicates with both the first air passage and the underfloor space and is formed behind the front trunk, and the outside air introduced from the outside air intake is blown into the underfloor space via the first air passage and the second air passage. Effect of the Invention

[0010] In an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention, outside air introduced from an outside air intake port at the front of the vehicle body is supplied to an underfloor space in which an on-board battery is stored via first and second air ducts serving as battery cooling air ducts. A compartment at the front of the vehicle body is used as a storage space, and the first and second air ducts are arranged above the storage space. With this structure, the battery cooling air duct and the storage space are arranged in a rational layout within the compartment, and the outside air flowing through the battery cooling air duct prevents a temperature rise in the storage space due to solar radiation, etc., and prevents damage to luggage in the storage space due to high heat. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle having an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle having an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3A] 1 is a top view illustrating an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3B] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle having an outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an outside air intake structure 10 for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, when describing this embodiment, the same reference numbers are used for the same members as a rule, and repeated explanations will be omitted. In addition, the front-rear direction of the paper indicates the overall length direction of the vehicle 11, the left-right direction of the paper indicates the width direction of the vehicle 11, and the up-down direction of the paper indicates the height direction of the vehicle 11.

[0013] 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views for explaining a vehicle 11 in which the vehicle outside air intake structure 10 of this embodiment is disposed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the vehicle outside air intake structure 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 3A is a top view for explaining the first air passage 25 of the vehicle outside air intake structure 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view for explaining the first air passage 25 of the vehicle outside air intake structure 10 of this embodiment, showing a cross section in the direction of line AA shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the underfloor space 23 of the vehicle 11 in which the vehicle outside air intake structure 10 of this embodiment is disposed. For convenience of explanation, the structure of the vehicle body 12 is illustrated typically in FIGS. 1A to 2.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 11 may be, for example, a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

[0015] If the vehicle 11 is, for example, a BEV, engine parts are not required, and a front trunk 14 is provided in the interior 13, which is a front storage space at the front of the vehicle body 12. The front trunk 14 is a storage space mainly for storing luggage. The front trunk 14 includes a main body 14A in which the storage space is formed, and an opening / closing lid 14C that can be opened and closed to freely close an upper opening 14B of the main body 14A.

[0016] A front bumper 15, a front grille 16, and an outside air intake 17 are formed in the front part of the vehicle body 12. The outside air intake 17 is, for example, an opening for introducing outside air into the interior 13 when the vehicle 11 is running. The front grille 16 is located above the front bumper 15 and is attached to the area of ​​the vehicle body 12 where the outside air intake 17 is formed.

[0017] A front hood 18 that freely closes and opens the upper opening 13A of the interior 13 is attached to the front of the vehicle body 12 at the top of the interior 13 of the vehicle body 12. As shown in Fig. 1B, the front hood 18 and the opening / closing lid part 14C of the front trunk 14 are attached to the vehicle body 12 as separate bodies. With this structure, the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing lid part 14C is performed separately from the front hood 18, without being linked to the opening and closing operation of the front hood 18.

[0018] A radiator 19 and a blower fan 20 are disposed in the interior 13 of the vehicle body 12, behind the outside air intake 17. Outside air introduced into the interior 13 from the outside air intake 17 passes through the radiator 19 and the blower fan 20, and is then blown into an outside air introduction duct 24, which will be described later. When the outside air introduction duct 24, which will be described later, is formed to be continuous with the outside air intake 17, the radiator 19 and the blower fan 20 may be disposed in the outside air introduction duct 24.

[0019] In addition, the blower fan 20 is disposed near the radiator 19 and operates when the vehicle 11 is stopped or traveling at a low speed to introduce outside air into the compartment 13 from the outside air intake 17 .

[0020] 1A and 3, in this embodiment, an outside air intake structure 10 for a vehicle is formed in the front part of the vehicle body 12. The outside air intake structure 10 for a vehicle mainly includes an outside air intake 17 and an outside air blowing duct 21 that communicates with the outside air intake 17 and blows the outside air introduced from the outside air intake 17 into the underfloor space 23. In other words, the outside air blowing duct 21 is, for example, an air passage for blowing the outside air introduced from the outside air intake 17 into the underfloor space 23 below the floor panel 22 of the vehicle body 12.

[0021] The outside air blowing air duct 21 has, for example, an outside air introduction air duct 24, a first air duct 25 communicating with the outside air introduction air duct 24, and a second air duct 26 communicating with both the first air duct 25 and the underfloor space 23.

[0022] The outside air introduction duct 24 is formed by extrusion molding using, for example, a multi-layered synthetic resin plate. The outside air introduction duct 24 is attached to the vehicle body 12 in front of the front trunk 14. The outside air introduction duct 24 is an air passage for blowing the outside air introduced into the interior 13 from the outside air intake 17 to the first air passage 25.

[0023] In this embodiment, the outside air refers to the air that is present outside the vehicle 11, and refers to, for example, the running wind that is introduced into the interior 13 from the outside air intake 17 while the vehicle 11 is running, or the wind that is drawn into the interior 13 from the outside air intake 17 when the blower fan 20 is operating while the vehicle 11 is stopped or running at a low speed.

[0024] The first air passage 25 is formed, for example, by using the opening / closing lid part 14C of the front trunk 14 and the front hood 18, and is formed between the opening / closing lid part 14C and the front hood 18. Although details will be described later, when the opening / closing lid part 14C is fully closed relative to the main body part 14A of the front trunk 14, the front hood 18 is fully closed relative to the interior 13 of the vehicle body 12, thereby forming the first air passage 25. On the other hand, when the front hood 18 opens relative to the interior 13 of the vehicle body 12, the first air passage 25 is opened and temporarily disappears.

[0025] The second air passage 26 is formed by extrusion molding using, for example, a multi-layered synthetic resin plate. The second air passage 26 is attached to the vehicle body 12 behind the front trunk 14. As shown in the figure, the second air passage 26 is disposed extending in the height direction of the vehicle body 12, and connects the first air passage 25 located above the front trunk 14 with the underfloor space 23 located below the front trunk 14.

[0026] With this structure, the outside air flowing through the first air passage 25 flows between the opening / closing lid 14C of the front trunk 14 and the front hood 18. The outside air flowing through the first air passage 25 exchanges heat with the opening / closing lid 14C, preventing the inside of the front trunk 14 from overheating. In addition, an air layer is formed between the opening / closing lid 14C and the front hood 18 by the first air passage 25, so that heat generated by direct sunlight hitting the front hood 18 is less likely to be transferred to the front trunk 14.

[0027] As a result, in front trunk 14, heat transferred from front hood 18 and from motors and the like arranged around front trunk 14 is dissipated by the outside air flowing through first air duct 25. This prevents the temperature in the interior space of front trunk 14 from rising, and prevents luggage stored in front trunk 14 from being damaged by high heat.

[0028] In addition, since the outside air blown into the underfloor space 23 is introduced from the outside air intake 17 above the front bumper 15, water is less likely to enter the interior 13 or the outside air blowing duct 21 from the outside air intake 17 when, for example, driving in the rain or driving on a flooded road. Since the outside air blown into the underfloor space 23 is less likely to contain water, the vehicle battery stored in the underfloor space 23 is prevented from being damaged, such as being shorted out. In addition, the second air passage 26 is provided with a water drain hole 26A in a corner portion upstream of the connection portion with the underfloor space 23. When the outside air flowing through the second air passage 26 collides with the corner portion, the water contained in the outside air is discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the water drain hole 26A.

[0029] 3A shows the front hood 18 as viewed from the design surface side, with dotted line 31 indicating the opening / closing lid portion 14C of the front trunk 14 and dashed line 32 indicating the first air passage 25. As shown, the air passage width of the first air passage 25 is formed to become wider from the outside air intake 17 toward the second air passage 26. Although not shown, the underfloor space 23 is formed over substantially the entire surface below the floor panel 22 of the vehicle interior.

[0030] With this structure, the outside air flowing through the outside air blowing duct 21 is blown as evenly as possible from the second duct 26 to the underfloor space 23. Furthermore, by supplying the outside air as evenly as possible to the vehicle-mounted battery 41 housed in the underfloor space 23, it is possible to prevent the battery cells 42 of the vehicle-mounted battery 41 from locally overheating and causing the vehicle-mounted battery 41 to break down.

[0031] 3B, a pair of air passage walls 33 extending in the overall length direction of the vehicle 11 are formed on the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 14C of the front trunk 14. The air passage walls 33 are formed, for example, integrally with the opening / closing lid 14C. The air passage walls 33 are formed with a plate thickness having a desired strength since they repeatedly collide with the fitting portion 34 of the front hood 18 every time the front hood 18 is opened or closed.

[0032] Meanwhile, a pair of fitting portions 34 extending in the overall length direction of the vehicle 11 are formed on the underside of the front hood 18. As described above, when the opening / closing lid portion 14C is fully closed relative to the main body portion 14A of the front trunk 14, the front hood 18 is fully closed relative to the interior portion 13 of the vehicle body 12, whereby the tip side of the air passage wall portion 33 is inserted into the fitting portions 34, and the two members are fitted together.

[0033] With this structure, the first air passage 25 is formed in the chamber 13 as a space surrounded by the front hood 18, the opening / closing lid 14C, the air passage wall 33, and the fitting 34. Note that this embodiment is not limited to the case where the air passage wall 33 is formed in the opening / closing lid 14C and the fitting 34 is formed in the front hood 18. For example, the air passage wall 33 may be formed in the front hood 18, and the fitting 34 may be formed in the opening / closing lid 14C. In addition, any design change is possible as long as the structure forms the first air passage 25 when the opening / closing lid 14C and the front hood 18 are in a fully closed state.

[0034] In addition, an ESU (Electricity Supply Unit) 35 (see FIG. 1A) is disposed around the front trunk 14 in the interior 13. The inside of the front trunk 14 may be heated by heat generated from the ESU 35. The inside of the front trunk 14 may also be heated by heat generated by direct sunlight hitting the front hood 18.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the opening and closing lid portion 14C of the front trunk 14 comes into contact with the outside air flowing through the first air passage 25 and exchanges heat, thereby preventing the inside of the front trunk 14 from becoming overheated.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 4, the underfloor space 23 is formed below the passenger space of the vehicle 11 and below the floor panel 22 of the vehicle body 12. The underfloor space 23 houses an in-vehicle battery 41 that supplies power to the motor and various electrical components of the vehicle 11. In the in-vehicle battery 41, for example, a plurality of battery cells 42 are housed in a battery case 43 by being connected in series. The underfloor space 23 also houses a BCU (Battery Control Unit) and a junction box 40, which are electronic devices, and are electrically connected to the in-vehicle battery 41. The battery cells 42 may be, for example, secondary batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries or lithium-ion batteries, or all-solid-state batteries.

[0037] As shown in the figure, multiple battery cells 42 are arranged with separators between them, with regular gaps 46 in the longitudinal direction of the in-vehicle battery 41. Then, as shown by arrow 44, outside air sent from second air passage 26 to underfloor space 23 flows through the air passage between fixing frame 47 of battery case 43 and floor panel 22.

[0038] As indicated by arrow 45, a portion of the outside air sent to the underfloor space 23 is sent into the inside of the battery case 43 through an inlet opening (not shown) provided in the fixing frame 47. The outside air sent into the inside of the battery case 43 then exchanges heat with each of the battery cells 42 as it flows through the gaps 46. Thereafter, as indicated by arrow 48, the outside air that has cooled each of the battery cells 42 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle through an exhaust opening 50 formed in an undercover 49 of the vehicle body 12.

[0039] In this embodiment, the outside air blowing air passage 21 is not limited to having the outside air introduction air passage 24. For example, the outside air introduction air passage 24 may not be provided, and an introduction opening (not shown) may be provided at the tip of the first air passage 25. In this case, a part of the outside air introduced from the outside air intake 17 into the chamber 13 is blown into the first air passage 25 from the introduction opening, thereby obtaining the same effect as the above-mentioned effect. In addition, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10. Outside air intake structure for vehicles 11 Vehicles 12 Body 13 Inside the cell 14 Front trunk 14A Main unit 14B Top opening 14C Opening / closing lid part 15 Front bumper 16 Front grill 17 Outside air intake 18 Front hood 19 Radiator 20 Blower fan 21 Fresh air ventilation duct 22 Floor Panel 23 Underfloor space 24 Outside air intake duct 25 First Wind Path 26 The Second Wind Path 33 Air passage wall 34 Fitting part 35 ESU 40 Junction Box 41 Automotive batteries 42 Battery Cell 43 Battery case 46 Gap 47 Fixed Frame 49 Undercover 50 Discharge opening

Claims

1. An outside air intake structure for a vehicle that supplies outside air to an on-board battery stored in an underfloor space of a vehicle body, comprising: An outside air intake disposed at a front portion of the vehicle body; A front trunk disposed within the compartment of the vehicle body; an opening / closing cover for closing an upper opening of the front trunk in an openable and closable manner; a first air passage communicating with the outside air intake and formed between a front hood of the vehicle body and the opening / closing cover; a second air passage that is in communication with each of the first air passage and the underfloor space and is formed behind the front trunk, An outside air intake structure for a vehicle, characterized in that the outside air introduced through the outside air intake is blown into the underfloor space via the first air passage and the second air passage.

2. 2. The outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing lid portion opens and closes independently of the front hood.

3. The vehicle outside air intake structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the first air passage is formed by an air passage wall portion formed on the upper surface of the opening / closing cover portion fitting into a fitting portion formed on the lower surface of the front hood.

4. 4. The outside air intake structure for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein an air passage width of the first air passage increases from the outside air intake toward the second air passage.

5. A radiator is disposed behind the outside air intake of the vehicle body, and a blower fan is disposed behind the radiator, 5. The vehicle outside air intake structure according to claim 1, wherein the outside air introduced through the outside air intake is blown by the blower fan through the first air passage and the second air passage into the underfloor space.

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