Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure capable of reducing cost while preventing breakage of other members at the time of vehicle collision.SOLUTION: The vehicle front structure includes a first duct 20 extending from a front bumper 10 toward the rear of the vehicle and forming a passage through which traveling wind passes, and a second duct disposed behind the first duct and having a front end close to the rear end of the first duct, and one of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct is recessed in a direction away from the other of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct in a plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification discloses a vehicle front structure having a first duct and a second duct that guide wind generated by a vehicle moving toward the rear of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies have been proposed for improving the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle or cooling the brakes by directing air (traveling wind) taken in through a front end opening of a front bumper to the vicinity of the front wheels. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle front structure that includes an air intake formed in the front bumper, a reinforcing member disposed behind the air intake, and an air duct that directs the traveling wind directed by the reinforcing member to the vicinity of the front wheels. With this technology, the traveling wind that flows in through the air intake is efficiently directed to the vicinity of the front wheels. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-006217 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of Patent Document 1, the reinforcing member that guides the traveling wind into the air duct functions as the first duct, and the air duct arranged downstream of the reinforcing member functions as the second duct. Here, in Patent Document 1, the reinforcing member that is the first duct is a separate member completely separated from the front bumper. This increases the number of parts and leads to increased costs. Therefore, it is possible to mold the first duct integrally with the front bumper. However, in this case, there is a risk that the first duct will damage other components in the event of a vehicle collision. That is, front bumpers are typically made of a material with sufficient rigidity. Therefore, if the first duct is molded integrally with the front bumper, the first duct will also be a highly rigid member. In such a configuration, when a vehicle collision occurs, the highly rigid first duct collides with other components (including the second duct), potentially damaging these other components.

[0005] Therefore, this specification provides a vehicle front structure that can reduce costs while preventing damage to other members in the event of a vehicle collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle front structure disclosed in this specification comprises a first duct extending from the front end face of the vehicle toward the rear of the vehicle and forming a passage through which wind passes while the vehicle is traveling, and a second duct arranged behind the first duct, the front end of which is close to the rear end of the first duct, and one of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct is recessed at its center in the vehicle width direction in a plan view in a direction away from the other of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the first duct is less likely to collide with the second duct during a vehicle collision, thereby effectively preventing damage to other components. In addition, since the first duct extends from the front end face of the vehicle and can be integrated with the front end face of the vehicle, costs can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 4 is a view of the front bumper and the second duct as seen from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first duct and the second duct cut by a horizontal plane. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating vehicle front structures according to a first embodiment and a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The vehicle front structure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a front bumper 10 and a second duct 50 of a vehicle as seen from the rear side of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the front bumper 10 and the second duct 50 cut along a horizontal plane.

[0010] The front bumper 10 constitutes the front end surface of the vehicle. Behind the front bumper 10 is a power unit compartment in which various on-board components are arranged. The on-board components arranged in the power unit compartment include, for example, a power source such as an engine and a radiator (neither of which are shown).

[0011] In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the front bumper 10 has a bumper panel 12 and a grill panel 14. Both the bumper panel 12 and the grill panel 14 are made of a hard resin with a certain degree of rigidity. An opening is formed in the bumper panel 12, and the grill panel 14 is disposed so as to cover the opening. The bumper panel 12 has one or more grill holes formed therein, and the wind generated by the vehicle traveling is guided through the grill holes into the power unit compartment.

[0012] Here, the bumper panel 12 is formed with a center grille hole (not shown) that mainly guides the traveling wind to the radiator, and side grille holes 22 (see FIG. 2) that guide the traveling wind to a second duct 50 (described later). Only the area around the side grille hole 22 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The side grille holes 22 are located on both sides of the center grille hole in the vehicle width direction.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2 , the periphery of the side grill hole 22 extends rearward to form a first duct 20. The first duct 20 is a duct that guides the airflow generated during travel to the second duct 50. The first duct 20 is integrally molded with the grill panel 14. The first duct 20 has a trumpet shape that widens in diameter as it approaches the front of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the opening at the front end of the first duct 20 will be referred to as the "first inlet 24," the opening at the rear end will be referred to as the "first outlet 28," and the passage inside the first duct 20 will be referred to as the "first passage 26." The first inlet 24 refers to the side grill hole 22.

[0014] Here, as shown in Fig. 2, the walls of the first duct 20 at both ends in the vehicle width direction protrude further rearward than the wall at the center in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the rear end edge of the first duct 20 is shaped so that the center in the vehicle width direction is recessed further toward the front of the vehicle than the both ends in the vehicle width direction. In the example of Figs. 1 and 2, in order to obtain this recess, curved portions 36 that convex toward the front of the vehicle are provided on the rear end edges of the top wall and bottom wall of the first duct 20. The reason for providing such curved portions 36 will be described later.

[0015] A second duct 50 is disposed behind the first duct 20. The second duct 50 is a duct that guides the traveling wind to the side of the front wheel (not shown). The second duct 50 is made of a resin with lower rigidity than the first duct 20. By directing the traveling wind to the side of the front wheel, the brakes of the front wheel can be cooled more efficiently. This further improves the braking performance of the vehicle.

[0016] Hereinafter, the front end opening of the second duct 50 will be referred to as the "second inlet 52," the rear end opening will be referred to as the "second outlet," and the passage inside the second duct 50 will be referred to as the "second passage 54." The second duct 50 is disposed so that the second inlet 52 faces the first outlet 28 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction and is close to the first outlet 28. Furthermore, the second duct 50 is disposed so that the second outlet faces the front wheels in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] With this configuration, the wind entering through the side grill holes 22 passes through the first passage 26 and then flows into the second passage 54. The wind then flows along the second passage 54 and is finally output to the front wheels from the second outlet. This allows the front wheel brakes to be cooled more efficiently.

[0018] As described above, in this example, the rear end of the first duct 20 is recessed in the center in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle relative to both ends in the vehicle width direction. The reason for this configuration will be explained by comparing it with a comparative example. The lower part of FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first duct 20* in the comparative example. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, consider a case where the rear end of the first duct 20* has a straight shape. In this case, if the first duct 20* is displaced toward the rear of the vehicle due to a vehicle collision or the like, the rear end of the first duct 20* will collide with the front end of the second duct 50. This collision may cause significant deformation of the second duct 50. Furthermore, if the second duct 50 is significantly deformed, the second duct 50 may collide with other surrounding components 100 (e.g., an air cleaner, etc.), potentially damaging these other components 100.

[0019] Therefore, it is conceivable to reduce the rigidity of the first duct 20* in order to suppress deformation of the second duct 50. However, the grill panel 14 (front bumper 10) that is integrated with the first duct 20* constitutes the front end surface of the vehicle and is required to have a certain degree of rigidity. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the rigidity of the grill panel 14. Therefore, in order to reduce the rigidity of the first duct 20*, it is necessary to make the first duct 20* a separate part from the grill panel 14. However, if the first duct 20* is a separate part, the number of parts increases, which leads to increased costs.

[0020] Therefore, it is conceivable to separate the first outlet 28* and the second inlet 52 to prevent a collision of the first duct 20* without reducing the rigidity of the first duct 20*. In this case, the movement stroke of the first duct 20* during a vehicle collision can be secured. As a result, collision between the first duct 20* and the second duct 50 is less likely to occur, and deformation of the second duct 50 can be suppressed. However, in this case, the gap between the first outlet 28* and the second inlet 52 becomes larger. As a result, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3, traveling wind F is more likely to leak out through the gap. In this case, the cooling efficiency of the front wheel brakes decreases.

[0021] On the other hand, in this example, as described above, the rear end of the first duct 20 is recessed more toward the front of the vehicle at the center in the vehicle width direction than at both ends in the vehicle width direction. In this case, even if the first duct 20 is displaced diagonally rearward of the vehicle due to a vehicle collision, the first duct 20 and the second duct 50 are less likely to collide. That is, in this case, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3 , the vehicle width direction end of the second duct 50 enters the recess in the curved portion 36 of the first duct 20, and the distance until the first duct 20 collides with the second duct 50 is longer by the depth of the recess. As a result, a collision between the first duct 20 and the second duct 50 is effectively avoided.

[0022] In this example, both ends of the first duct 20 in the vehicle width direction protrude toward the rear of the vehicle. In other words, both ends of the first duct 20 in the vehicle width direction are close to the second duct 50. In this case, as shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 2, the traveling wind F is appropriately guided by the walls on both sides of the first duct 20 in the vehicle width direction. As a result, leakage of the traveling wind F to the outside is suppressed, and the front wheel brakes can be efficiently cooled.

[0023] The configuration described above is merely an example, and other configurations may be modified as appropriate as long as the configuration of claim 1 is met. For example, in the above description, the curved portion 36 is provided at the rear end of the first duct 20. However, instead of or in addition to the curved portion 36 at the rear end of the first duct 20, a curved portion that convexly curves toward the rear of the vehicle may be provided at the front end of the second duct 50. Also, in the above description, the first duct 20 is configured as a single component, but the first duct 20 may be configured as multiple components. For example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the lower part of FIG. 3 , an auxiliary wall 38 that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle may be attached to the rear end of the side wall 30 of the first duct 20. Attaching such an auxiliary wall 38 can more effectively prevent leakage of the traveling wind F. Note that when the auxiliary wall 38 is attached, the rear end of the main body of the first duct 20 may be straight and not have the curved portion 36. That is, if the auxiliary wall 38 is attached, the shape of the main body of the first duct 20 may be the same as that of the first duct 20* of the comparative example shown in the lower part of Fig. 3. Furthermore, the auxiliary wall 38 may be made of the same hard resin as the main body of the first duct 20, or may be made of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0024] 2, fins 40 may be formed inside the first duct 20 to improve the straightness of the traveling wind F. With this configuration, turbulence of the traveling wind F can be suppressed, and the front wheel brakes can be cooled more efficiently. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10 front bumper, 12 bumper panel, 14 grill panel, 20, 20* first duct, 22 side grill hole, 24 first inlet, 26 first passage, 28, 28* first outlet, 30 side wall, 36 curved portion, 38 auxiliary wall, 40 fin, 50 second duct, 52 second inlet, 54 second passage, 100 other components.

Claims

[Claim 1] a first duct extending from a front end surface of the vehicle to a rear of the vehicle and constituting a passage through which wind passes while the vehicle is traveling; a second duct disposed rearward of the first duct, the front end of the second duct being adjacent to the rear end of the first duct; one of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct is recessed at a center in a vehicle width direction in a direction away from the other of the rear end of the first duct and the front end of the second duct in a plan view; A vehicle front structure characterized by:

Images