Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure capable of improving wind-guiding efficiency, to a heat exchanger, of a travel wind introduced into a vehicle front part.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure 10 includes: an opening 26A provided at a front end part of a vehicle 12; a heat exchanger 22 provided at a vehicle rear side relative to the opening 26A; and a louver 40 provided at a vehicle rear side relative to the opening 26A and at a vehicle front side relative to the heat exchanger 22 and inclined toward a vehicle upper side as it goes toward a vehicle rear side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure. [Background technology]

[0002] A variable duct is known in the art, which is provided in an opening of a bumper face provided at the front end of a vehicle body through which wind is introduced. The opening is provided with a movable louver that rotates around a rotation axis to open and close the opening (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This variable duct has a louver rotation means that rotates the movable louver from an open position to a closed position in order to prevent damage to other components in the event of a vehicle collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-203175 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A radiator (heat exchanger) is installed inside the front of the vehicle, and the airflow introduced through an opening at the front end of the vehicle is guided to the radiator. However, since the airflow tends to be guided to the surface facing the radiator opening, there is a concern that if the radiator is tall, the airflow may not be guided to the upper side of the radiator. As such, there is still room for improvement in the structure that improves the airflow guidance efficiency of the airflow introduced into the front of the vehicle to the heat exchanger.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front structure that can improve the efficiency of guiding the traveling wind introduced into the front of the vehicle to the heat exchanger. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first aspect of the vehicle front structure of the present invention comprises an opening provided at the front end of the vehicle, a heat exchanger provided rearward of the opening, and a louver provided rearward of the opening and forward of the heat exchanger, which inclines upward as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the invention, a louver is provided rearward of the opening provided at the front end of the vehicle and forward of the heat exchanger, the louver inclining upward as it approaches the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, a portion of the traveling wind introduced into the front of the vehicle through the opening is guided by the louver to the upper side of the heat exchanger. This improves the efficiency of guiding the traveling wind introduced into the front of the vehicle to the heat exchanger.

[0008] In addition, a second aspect of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is the vehicle front structure of the first aspect, wherein the opening is arranged to face the lower side of the heat exchanger in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the invention, the opening is provided so as to face the lower side of the heat exchanger in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, the running wind introduced into the front of the vehicle through the opening is efficiently guided by the louvers not only to the lower side of the heat exchanger but also to the upper side of the heat exchanger. In other words, the running wind is efficiently guided over the entire surface of the heat exchanger. This improves the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0010] In addition, a third aspect of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is the vehicle front structure of the second aspect, wherein the louvers are arranged in a row in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the inclination angle of the louvers increasing sequentially from the lower side of the vehicle to the upper side of the vehicle.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the invention, a plurality of louvers are arranged in a row in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the inclination angle of the louvers increases from the lower side of the vehicle to the upper side of the vehicle. Therefore, the volume of the traveling wind introduced into the front part of the vehicle through the opening is made substantially uniform over the entire surface of the heat exchanger, thereby further improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0012] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is the vehicle front structure of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the surface of the louver facing upward of the vehicle is a curved surface.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the surface of the louver facing the upper side of the vehicle is curved, so that the airflow introduced into the front of the vehicle through the opening is more efficiently guided to the upper side of the heat exchanger than when the surface of the louver facing the upper side of the vehicle is flat.

[0014] In addition, a fifth aspect of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is a vehicle front structure of any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which an air guide member is provided rearward of the opening and forward of the louver, and the height position of the rear end of the air guide member is equal to the height position of the front end of the louver.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the height position of the rear end of the air guide member, which is provided rearward of the opening and forward of the louver, is set to be equal to the height position of the front end of the louver. Therefore, compared to a case where the height positions of the rear end of the air guide member and the front end of the louver are offset in the vehicle vertical direction, the traveling air that is introduced through the opening and passes above and below the air guide member is more efficiently guided to the above and below the louver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of guiding the traveling wind introduced into the front portion of the vehicle to the heat exchanger. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the front part of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are schematic perspective views showing an air guide having louvers according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front and rear, respectively. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing an air guide having louvers according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the noise reduction effect of the louver according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a graph showing the noise reduction effect of the louver according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing, in enlarged form, a first modified example of an air guide having louvers according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing, in enlarged form, a second modified example of the air guide having louvers according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP shown in each drawing indicates the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle, the arrow RE indicates the rearward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the leftward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, when directions such as up / down, front / rear, and left / right are mentioned unless otherwise specified, they refer to up / down in the vertical direction of the vehicle, front / rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and left / right in the lateral direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction).

[0019] 1, a bumper cover 14 that constitutes the design of a front end of a vehicle 12, such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, that is equipped with a vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment is provided at the front end of the vehicle. A power unit room 20 is provided rearward of the bumper cover 14, and a pair of left and right front side members (not shown) that extend in the fore-and-aft direction are provided on the outer sides of the power unit room 20 in the vehicle width direction.

[0020] A bumper reinforcement 16 extending in the vehicle width direction is installed on the front ends of a pair of left and right front side members arranged in the front part of the vehicle 12. An absorber 18 is provided between the bumper cover 14 and the bumper reinforcement 16 (rearward of the bumper cover 14 and forward of the bumper reinforcement 16 in a side view). This absorber 18 is configured to be able to absorb at least a portion of the energy of a collision load input from the front side in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle 12, etc.

[0021] A drive device (not shown), such as an engine or a motor, is installed inside the power unit room 20. An electric fan (not shown) is provided in front of the drive device, and a radiator 22 serving as a heat exchanger is provided in front of the electric fan. The radiator 22 has an upper end fixed to an upper radiator support 24 and a lower end fixed to a lower radiator support 23, and is disposed rearward of the bumper reinforcement 16 in a side view.

[0022] A front grille 26 is provided below the bumper cover 14 (below the absorber 18), and an opening 26A is formed in the front grille 26 to introduce airflow (outside air) while the vehicle is running. A plurality of grille shutters 28 (two in the illustration) serving as air guide members are provided in a line at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction behind the front grille 26 and in front of an air guide 30 (louver 40) described below.

[0023] An opening 26A of the front grille 26 is provided to face the lower side of the radiator 22 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the front grille 26 is also called a lower grille. An undercover 29 is disposed below the radiator support lower 23.

[0024] An air guide 30 is provided between the bumper reinforcement 16 and the radiator 22 (rearward of the bumper reinforcement 16 and forward of the radiator 22 in a side view) to guide the airflow generated by running into the radiator 22 and the power unit compartment 20. The air guide 30 is formed in the shape of a housing with an open rear side, and its rear portion is configured to completely face the radiator 22 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the air guide 30 has a bottom wall 32 in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle width direction, left and right side walls 34 in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the up-down direction and integrally erected from both left and right end portions of the bottom wall 32, an upper wall 36 in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle width direction and integrally connecting the upper ends of the left and right side walls 34, and a front wall 38 in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle width direction and integrally connecting the front ends of the left and right side walls 34 and the front end of the upper wall 36.

[0026] The upper wall 36 of the air guide 30 is formed to have a rearward tilting posture, and a recess 36A of a predetermined depth and size is formed in the center of the upper wall 36 in the left-right direction. The horn 25, which is suspended from the front end of the upper radiator support 24, is disposed in front of the recess 36A.

[0027] An opening 38A having a generally rectangular shape in a front view and having a longitudinal direction parallel to the vehicle width direction is formed on the lower side of the front wall 38, and the opening 38A and the opening 26A of the front grille 26 are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction and communicate with each other. In other words, the opening 38A of the air guide 30 is also provided so as to face the lower side of the radiator 22 in the front-rear direction. The height of the opening 38A is approximately one-third of the height of the air guide 30.

[0028] Furthermore, a reinforcing member 35 extending in the vertical direction is integrally provided at the horizontal center of the opening 38A of the air guide 30. In other words, the horizontal center of the lower end of the front wall 38 and the horizontal center of the front end of the bottom wall 32 are integrally connected by the reinforcing member 35. A rear portion of this reinforcing member 35 is formed with a plurality of (two in the illustration) slits 35A (see FIG. 2(A)) that extend in the horizontal direction at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction.

[0029] A plurality of louvers 40 (two in the figure) are arranged in a line at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction behind the opening 38A of the air guide 30. Each louver 40 is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle width direction, and both left and right ends thereof are fixed integrally to the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 34, respectively. Note that each louver 40 may be configured to be provided by being molded integrally with the air guide 30.

[0030] The upper surface 40A of each louver 40 is a curved surface that slopes upward toward the rear, and the center portion in the left-right direction of the front end portion 40B of each louver 40 is inserted into and held in the slit portion 35A of the reinforcing member 35. This results in a configuration in which the front end portion 40B of each louver 40 is disposed at approximately equal intervals in the height direction relative to the opening 38A of the air guide 30.

[0031] The height position of the front end 40B of each louver 40 is configured to be approximately the same as the height position of the rear end 28A of the grill shutter 28 that faces it in the front-to-rear direction (see FIG. 1). Also, the height position range E of each louver 40 thus provided is approximately 20% to 30% of the height of the air guide 30 (see FIG. 3).

[0032] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle 12 is traveling, the traveling wind introduced through the opening 26A of the front grille 26 passes through the upper and lower sides of the grille shutter 28 and is introduced into the opening 38A of the air guide 30, and from that opening 38A passes through the upper and lower sides of the louvers 40 (being rectified) and is introduced into the radiator 22 and the power unit room 20, thereby cooling (heat exchanging) the radiator 22 and the drive units installed in the power unit room 20.

[0033] Next, the operation of the vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0034] As described above, the louvers 40, which slope upward as they extend rearward, are provided rearward of the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30, which are provided at the front end of the vehicle 12, and forward of the radiator 22. Therefore, a portion of the traveling wind introduced into the front part of the vehicle 12 from the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30 is guided by the louvers 40 to the upper side of the radiator 22. This improves the efficiency of guiding the traveling wind toward the radiator 22.

[0035] Specifically, the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30 are arranged to face the lower side of the radiator 22 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the running wind introduced into the front part of the vehicle 12 from the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30 is efficiently guided by the louvers 40 not only to the lower side of the radiator 22 but also to the upper side of the radiator 22. In other words, the running wind can be efficiently guided over the entire surface of the radiator 22. This improves the heat exchange efficiency of the radiator 22.

[0036] Furthermore, the upper surface 40A of the louver 40 is curved. Therefore, compared to when the upper surface 40A of the louver 40 is flat, the running wind introduced into the front portion of the vehicle 12 from the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30 can be guided more efficiently to the upper side of the radiator 22.

[0037] Furthermore, the height position of the rear end 28A of the grille shutter 28 and the height position of the front end 40B of the louvers 40 are made approximately the same. Therefore, compared to when the height positions of the rear end 28A of the grille shutter 28 and the front end 40B of the louvers 40 are misaligned in the vertical direction, the traveling wind that is introduced through the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and passes above and below the grille shutter 28 can be guided above and below the louvers 40 efficiently and appropriately.

[0038] 4(A), sound (sound waves) generated in the power unit room 20 of the vehicle 12 (particularly by the electric fan) is transmitted to the opening 38A side of the air guide 30 through the upper and lower sides of the louver 40, but the phase shift occurs due to the difference in the transmission path length caused by passing through the upper and lower sides of the louver 40. In other words, a phase difference of approximately half a period occurs on the opening 38A side of the air guide 30 between the sound (sound waves) that has passed through the upper side of the louver 40 and the sound (sound waves) that has passed through the lower side (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0039] Therefore, at least a portion of the sounds (sound waves) passing through the upper side of the louvers 40 and the sounds (sound waves) passing through the lower side are muted by sound wave interference on the opening 38A side of the air guide 30. This makes it possible to suppress noise emitted to the outside of the vehicle through the opening 26A of the front grille 26.

[0040] That is, the vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment generates a phase difference in sounds (sound waves) to cause sound wave interference, thereby reducing noise leaking outside the vehicle through the opening 26A of the front grille 26. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which a sound-absorbing material is provided separately, the number of steps required to attach the sound-absorbing material can be reduced, and an increase in manufacturing costs can be suppressed.

[0041] (Variation) The shape of louver 40 is not limited to the shape shown in Figures 1 to 4, and may be, for example, the shape shown in Figure 5 (first modified example) or the shape shown in Figure 6 (second modified example).

[0042] 5, the inclination angle of each louver 40 may be increased from the bottom to the top. That is, in the case of this first modified example, for example, three louvers 40 are provided, and if the inclination angle of louver 40U in the upper position with respect to the horizontal direction is θ1, the inclination angle of louver 40C in the central position with respect to the horizontal direction is θ2, and the inclination angle of louver 40D in the lower position with respect to the horizontal direction is θ3, then θ1 > θ2 > θ3.

[0043] This allows the volume of airflow introduced into the front portion of the vehicle 12 from the opening 26A of the front grille 26 and the opening 38A of the air guide 30 to be substantially uniform across the entire surface of the radiator 22. This further improves the heat exchange efficiency of the radiator 22. Although the upper surface 40DA of the louver 40D at the lower position in the drawing is flat, it goes without saying that the upper surface 40DA may also be curved.

[0044] 6, each louver 40 may be formed in a substantially semicircular shape in a side view so that the thickness of the central portion in the front-rear direction gradually becomes thicker than the thickness of the both end portions in the front-rear direction. That is, in the case of this second modified example, for example, two louvers 40 are provided, and if the thickness of each louver 40 on the central portion in the front-rear direction is X1 and the thickness of each louver 40 on both end portions in the front-rear direction is X2, then X1 > X2.

[0045] This allows the difference in transmission path length between the upper and lower sides of the louver 40 to be wider than that shown in Fig. 4, thereby broadening the range of frequencies of sounds (sound waves) that can be silenced toward the lower frequency side, thereby further reducing the noise leaking outside the vehicle through the opening 26A of the front grille 26.

[0046] While the vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the vehicle front structure 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and the design can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the number of grille shutters 28 and louvers 40, the vertical spacing, width (length in the approximately front-to-rear direction), inclination angle, etc. can be modified as appropriate, as long as the height position of the rear end 28A of the grille shutter 28 and the height position of the front end 40B of the louvers 40 are approximately equal.

[0047] In particular, the smaller the spacing between the louvers 40, the more effective the sound wave interference is, and the more noise that leaks outside the vehicle can be reduced. The radiator 22 may also be positioned so that it is tilted backward, in which case the number, vertical spacing, width (approximately the length in the front-to-rear direction), tilt angle, etc. of the grille shutters 28 and louvers 40 can be appropriately modified in design accordingly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10 Vehicle front structure 12 vehicles 22 Radiator (heat exchanger) 26A opening 28 Grille shutter (air guide member) 40 louvers

Claims

1. an opening provided at a front end of the vehicle; a heat exchanger provided on the vehicle rear side of the opening; a louver provided rearward of the opening and forward of the heat exchanger, the louver inclined upward as it extends rearward; A vehicle front structure comprising:

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the opening is provided so as to face a lower side of the heat exchanger in the vehicle front-rear direction.

3. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the louvers are arranged in a plurality in a vertical direction of the vehicle, and the inclination angle of the louvers increases from the lower side of the vehicle to the upper side of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the louvers have curved surfaces facing upward of the vehicle.

5. an air guide member is provided on the vehicle rear side of the opening and on the vehicle front side of the louver, 5. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein a height position of a rear end of the air guide member is equal to a height position of a front end of the louver.

Images