Flow straightening member of heat exchange device

Abstract

To reduce traveling resistance while suppressing the backflow of hot air after passing through a heat exchanger by a straightening member.SOLUTION: The straightening member (50) includes an elastic part (51) having one end side 50A attached to the heat exchanger (10) and the other end side 50B disposed so as to be close to or in contact with the member (21), at least the other end side 50B of the elastic part (51) is formed in a plate shape, and the elastic part (51) is configured such that a plate thickness of the other end side 50A is thinner than a plate thickness of the one end side 50B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a straightening member for a heat exchanger, such as a radiator, that suppresses backflow of hot air after passing through the heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle is equipped with a cooling system, which is a heat exchange device for cooling components that reach high temperatures, such as an internal combustion engine, a drive motor, and a drive battery. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling device that uses a radiator. This radiator is provided with a windbreak to prevent backflow of hot air after passing through the radiator. In addition to the windbreak, a rubber sheet is provided to fill the gap between the radiator side and the hood side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-10004 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicles, it is required to reduce air resistance caused by wind while the vehicle is running, and the exterior shape of the vehicle body is designed and exterior accessories are attached from this perspective. However, as in the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the gap between the radiator side and the hood side is filled with a windbreak and a straightening member made of a rubber sheet, it is possible to suppress the backflow of hot air, but it is thought that this will increase wind resistance while driving. In particular, there is a demand for electric vehicles to extend the distance they can travel on a single charge, and there is a need to reduce the air resistance caused by wind while driving in order to improve electricity efficiency.

[0005] This invention was invented with an eye on such issues, and one of its objectives is to provide a straightening member for a heat exchanger that can suppress the backflow of hot air after passing through the vehicle's heat exchanger, while reducing air resistance during driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized as the following aspects or application examples. (1) The straightening member of the heat exchanger according to this application example is arranged between a heat exchanger equipped on a vehicle and a vehicle component, and straightens the airflow around the heat exchanger. The straightening member has one end attached to the heat exchanger and the other end arranged so as to be close to or in contact with the vehicle component, and at least the other end of the elastic part is formed in a plate shape, and the elastic part is configured so that the plate thickness of the other end is thinner than that of the one end.

[0007] According to this application example, the straightening member straightens the airflow around the heat exchanger while the vehicle is running, thereby suppressing the backflow of hot air after passing through the heat exchanger. Also, since the other end of the elastic portion that is close to or in contact with the vehicle component is configured to be thinner than the one end of the elastic portion, the other end is elastically deformed by the airflow while the vehicle is running, creating or expanding a gap between the other end and the vehicle component, thereby reducing air resistance during running.

[0008] (2) In this application example, it is preferable that the plate thickness of the other end portion is configured to gradually decrease from one end side toward the other end side. With this configuration, the elastic deformation of the other end of the elastic part increases in response to the strength of the wind while the vehicle is traveling, widening the gap between the vehicle and the airflow regulating member, thereby effectively achieving both the airflow regulating effect of the airflow regulating member and the air resistance reduction effect while traveling.

[0009] (3) In this application example, it is preferable that the straightening member has a support portion that supports the elastic portion, and the support portion supports the elastic portion so that the other end of the elastic portion is elastically deformable. With this configuration, the elastic part is reliably supported by the support part, while the other end of the elastic part can be elastically deformed by the wind while the vehicle is running, thereby effectively achieving both the straightening effect of the straightening member and the effect of reducing air resistance during driving.

[0010] (4) In this application example, the support portion is preferably made of a metal material. With this configuration, the elastic portion can be reliably supported by the support portion.

[0011] (5) Another straightening member of a heat exchanger according to this application example is a straightening member that is arranged between a heat exchanger equipped on a vehicle and a vehicle component, and straightens the airflow around the heat exchanger, and has an elastic part that has one end attached to the heat exchanger and the other end arranged so as to be close to or in contact with the vehicle component, and a support part that supports the elastic part, and at least the other end of the elastic part is formed in a plate shape, and the support part supports the elastic part so that the other end of the elastic part is elastically deformable.

[0012] According to this application example, the straightening member straightens the airflow around the heat exchanger while the vehicle is running, thereby suppressing backflow of hot air after passing through the heat exchanger. In addition, since the support portion of the straightening member supports the elastic portion so that the other end of the elastic portion is elastically deformable, the other end is elastically deformed by the airflow while the vehicle is running, creating a gap between the other end and the vehicle member or widening the gap, thereby reducing air resistance during running.

[0013] (6) In each application example, the vehicle is preferably an electric vehicle. This configuration makes it possible to reduce air resistance caused by wind when the electric vehicle is running, thereby improving fuel economy and extending the distance that can be traveled on a single charge. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the straightening member can suppress the backflow of hot air after passing through the heat exchange device of the vehicle, and can also reduce air resistance during driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion under the cab of a vehicle (truck) equipped with a heat exchanger and a straightening member according to an embodiment, as viewed from the side of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heat exchange device and a straightening member according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a rear view of the rectifying member according to one embodiment, showing the state in which the rectifying member is attached to the heat exchanger, and corresponds to a view seen from the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1, with a part enlarged. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a rectifying member according to an embodiment, with a portion enlarged and shown as a cross-sectional view of a main part. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of a first modified example of the flow rectifying member according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of a second modified example of the flow rectifying member according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The following embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly described in the embodiments. The configurations of the following embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, they can be selected or combined as needed.

[0017] The vehicle according to the embodiment described below is an electric truck equipped with a drive motor (hereinafter simply referred to as a "motor") as a drive source. However, the rectifying member of the heat exchanger of the present invention is not limited to trucks and can be applied to other commercial vehicles and passenger cars. Furthermore, electric vehicles such as electric trucks include not only those equipped with only a drive motor as a drive source, but also hybrid vehicles equipped with a motor and an engine (internal combustion engine) as a drive source, and hybrid vehicles equipped with only a motor as a drive source and also equipped with a generator engine.

[0018] 1 to 6, the vehicle is assumed to be on a horizontal plane, and the front of the vehicle is indicated by "FR," the rear of the vehicle by "RR," the right side in the vehicle width direction by "RH," the left side in the vehicle width direction by "LH," the vertically upward direction by "UP," and the vertically downward direction by "DW," all of which are indicated by arrows.

[0019] [1. Configuration] As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a cooling device 10 as a heat exchanger below a cab 2 at the front of the vehicle. The cab 2 is supported by a front cab mount 5 and a rear cab mount 6 on left and right side rails 4, 4 (the right side rail shown in Fig. 1) that constitute a frame 3. In addition, front wheels 8 are supported on each side rail 4 via leaf springs 7.

[0020] The floor panel 21 of the cab 2 is formed in a stepped shape, with a front portion 21F located at the feet of the occupants being low and a rear portion 21R where the seats for the occupants are located being high. The floor panel 21 is also formed in a stepped shape in the vehicle width direction. In Fig. 1, the cross-sectional shape of a portion 21H where the floor panel 21 is higher in the vehicle width direction is shown by a solid line, the outline shape of a portion 21M where the floor panel 21 is one step lower is shown by a solid line, and the outline shape of a portion 21L where the floor panel 21 is another step lower (two steps lower than the highest portion) is shown by a solid line.

[0021] The cooling device 10 is positioned below the elevated portion of the rear portion 21R of the floor panel 21 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1, and below the lower portion 21L shown by the solid line in the transverse direction of the vehicle 1.

[0022] The cooling device 10 includes a first radiator 11 for cooling the drive motor (not shown) of the vehicle 1, a second radiator 12 and a third radiator 13 for cooling the battery (not shown) that supplies power to the drive motor, and a cooling fan 14 that forces cooling air into each of the radiators 11 to 13.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, each of the radiators 11-13 is formed in the shape of a plate having a predetermined thickness, with the first radiator 11 being the largest and the second and third radiators 12, 13 being smaller. These radiators 11-13 are arranged parallel to one another with a certain clearance between them. The second radiator 12 is arranged in front of the first radiator 11, and the third radiator 13 is arranged in front of the second radiator 12. Each of the radiators 11-13 is arranged with its cooling air intake surface facing slightly diagonally upward at the front of the vehicle.

[0024] The left and right side edges of the first radiator 11 are fixed to the left and right side rails 4, 4 by fasteners 41, 42 via an upper bracket 31 and a lower bracket 32. The left and right side edges of the second radiator 12 are fixed to the left and right side edges of the first radiator 11 by fasteners 43, 44 via an upper bracket 33 and a lower bracket 34. The left and right side edges of the third radiator 13 are also fixed to the left and right side edges of the first radiator 11 by fasteners 45, 46 via an upper bracket 35 and a lower bracket 36. The cooling fan 14 is fixed to the back surface of the first radiator 11 by fasteners (not shown).

[0025] As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of radiators 11 to 13 are provided, but the number of radiators provided in the vehicle 1 is not limited, and the vehicle 1 may be provided with only one radiator.

[0026] The cooling device 10 is equipped with plate-shaped baffle plates (flow straightening members) 50 and 60 in order to suppress backflow of hot air after passing through the radiators 11 to 13. 3, the baffle plate 50 has a base end (one end) 50A fixed to the upper edge of the first radiator 11 by fasteners 47a and 47b via a bracket 37. The baffle plate 60 has a base end fixed to the left edge of the first radiator 11 by a fastener 48 via a bracket 38, as shown in FIG.

[0027] As described above, the baffle plates 50, 60 are rectifying members for suppressing backflow of hot air after passing through the radiators 11-13, and are disposed between the cooling device 10 (radiators 11-13) and a vehicle component (e.g., floor panel 21) at a location where there is a certain gap or more between the cooling device 10 (radiators 11-13) and the vehicle component. In this embodiment, on the right edge side of the cooling device 10 (mainly the first radiator 11), there are a portion 21M where the floor panel 21 is lowered by one step and a portion 21L where the floor panel 21 is lowered by two steps, and these portions 21M, 21L of the floor panel 21 are close to the cooling device 10. For this reason, the baffle plate 60 is provided only on the left edge portion of the first radiator 11.

[0028] If the gap between the cooling device 10 (radiators 11-13) and the vehicle component (floor panel 21) is filled with baffle plates 50, 60, the backflow of hot air can be suppressed, but the wind resistance during travel increases. As in this embodiment, electric vehicles are required to extend the distance they can travel on a single charge, and it is therefore necessary to reduce the air resistance caused by the wind during travel in order to improve power efficiency.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, cooling device 10 (radiators 11-13) is disposed below rear portion 21R of floor panel 21, which is higher than front portion 21F in the vehicle longitudinal direction by a step portion 21S. Therefore, while vehicle 1 is traveling, wind flowing into cooling device 10 from the front of the vehicle flows obliquely upward along the underside of floor panel 21, as shown by the outline arrow in FIG. 1. Therefore, high wind pressure is generated between the leading edge (upper edge) of baffle plate 50 on the upper edge side of cooling device 10 (mainly first radiator 11) and the underside of rear portion 21R of floor panel 21. The higher the wind pressure in this area, the greater the air resistance.

[0030] Therefore, the tip (other end) 50B of the baffle plate 50 (i.e., the region closer to the tip than the dashed lines shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is configured to be elastically deformed rearward by wind pressure caused by running wind. In this embodiment, two methods are used to configure the tip 50B so that it can be elastically deformed rearward by wind pressure caused by running wind.

[0031] One of the configurations that allows elastic deformation is that baffle plate 50 is composed of elastic portion 51 made of an elastic material (rubber sheet) that can be elastically deformed, and support portion 52 made of a highly rigid material (e.g., a metal material) that supports elastic portion 51, with support portion 52 being arranged from base end (one end) 50A of baffle plate 50 to just before tip end 50B. Elastic portion 51 is arranged so that tip end 50B approaches or comes into contact with a vehicle component (floor panel 21). Elastic portion 51 is fixed to support portion 52 by fasteners 49.

[0032] That is, the support portion 52 is formed of a plate that conforms to one surface (here, the entire surface) of the plate-like elastic portion 51, and is disposed from the base end 50A of the baffle plate 50 to just before the tip end 50B. The support portion 52 is formed in a comb-like shape, including a base portion 52a extending in the width direction at the base end (one end) 50A, and a plurality of branch portions 52b extending from the base portion 52a toward the tip end 50B. This reduces the weight of the support portion 52, but the shape of the support portion 52 is not limited to this and may be simply rectangular.

[0033] The tip (upper end) of the branch-like portion 52b of the support portion 52 extending toward the tip portion 50B extends to just before the tip portion 50B, and up to just before the tip portion 50B of the baffle plate 50, the elastic portion 51 has increased rigidity due to the support portion 52, and elastic deformation is suppressed, but the tip portion 50B is made up only of the elastic portion 51 made of an elastic material (rubber sheet), so it can elastically deform backward due to wind pressure caused by the wind while driving.

[0034] Another aspect of the configuration that allows elastic deformation is that the thickness of tip end portion 50B of baffle plate 50 is configured to be thinner than the thickness of base end portion 50A. In other words, the thinner thickness of tip end portion 50B of baffle plate 50 makes tip end portion 50B more likely to elastically deform rearward due to wind pressure caused by running wind.

[0035] In this embodiment, the thickness of the tip portion 50B is configured to gradually decrease from the base end side (one end side) toward the tip side (the other end side). As a result, the elastic deformation of the tip portion 50B due to wind pressure increases smoothly as the wind pressure increases. In this embodiment, the entire surface of the elastic portion 51 is a plate-shaped rubber sheet, but it is sufficient that at least the tip portion 50B of the elastic portion 51 is plate-shaped.

[0036] In this embodiment, the other baffle plate 60 is not particularly designed to be elastically deformed by wind pressure, and is formed from a material with a certain degree of rigidity, such as sheet metal. However, as with baffle plate 50, a structure that allows elastic deformation by wind pressure may be applied to part or all of this baffle plate 60 as needed.

[0037] [2. Actions and Effects] The flow rectifying member 50 of the cooling device (heat exchange device) 10 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, and can provide the following actions and effects.

[0038] The elastic portion 51 is configured so that the distal end 50B is thinner than the proximal end 50A, so that the distal end 50B is easily elastically deformed rearward by wind pressure caused by traveling wind. Therefore, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4 , the distal end 50B of the elastic portion 51 elastically deforms rearward in response to wind pressure caused by traveling wind. This causes the distal end 50B of the elastic portion 51 to move away from the floor panel 21 or to increase the distance therefrom, thereby allowing traveling wind to flow from the front side to the rear side of the airflow regulating member 50, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 4 , thereby reducing air resistance during traveling. Of course, the gap between the distal end 50B of the elastic portion 51 and the floor panel 21 is not excessive, so the effect of the airflow regulating member 50 in suppressing the backflow of hot air after passing through the cooling device 10 is not impaired.

[0039] In addition, in this embodiment, the thickness of tip end 50B of elastic portion 51 is configured to gradually decrease from the base end toward the tip end, so that the elastic deformation of tip end 50B of elastic portion 51 increases in accordance with the strength of the wind while vehicle 1 is traveling, smoothly expanding the gap between it and floor panel 21. This allows a good balance between the airflow rectifying effect of airflow rectifying member 50 and the effect of reducing air resistance during traveling.

[0040] Further, the airflow rectifying member 50 has an elastic portion 51 and a support portion 52 that supports the elastic portion 51, and the support portion 52 supports the elastic portion 51 except for the tip portion 50B so that the tip portion 50B of the elastic portion 51 is elastically deformable. Therefore, the airflow rectifying member 50 is reliably supported by the support portion 52, while the tip portion 50B of the elastic portion 51 is elastically deformable by the wind while the vehicle is running, and a good balance can be achieved between the airflow rectifying effect of the airflow rectifying member 50 and the effect of reducing air resistance during running.

[0041] In this embodiment, the support portion 52 is made of a metal material, so that the rigidity of the support portion 52 can be easily ensured, and the support portion 52 can reliably support the elastic portion 51.

[0042] Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, and since air resistance caused by wind while the vehicle is running can be reduced, electricity efficiency can be improved and the distance that can be traveled on a single charge can be extended.

[0043] [3. Other] The configuration of the above embodiment is merely an example, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, two configurations are provided to enable the tip (other end) 50B of the baffle plate 50 to elastically deform rearward due to wind pressure caused by running wind, but it is also possible to provide only one of them.

[0044] In other words, the baffle plate 50 may be composed of an elastic portion 51 made of an elastic material (rubber sheet) that can be elastically deformed, and a support portion 52 made of a highly rigid material that supports the elastic portion 51, and the tip portion 50B of the elastic portion 51 may not be supported by the support portion 52, so that the tip portion 50B only has a configuration that allows it to elastically deform backward due to wind pressure caused by wind when the vehicle is running.

[0045] Alternatively, the baffle plate 50 may be formed only from the elastic portion 51, and the thickness of the tip end (other end) 50B of the baffle plate 50 may be thinner than the thickness of the base end (one end) 50A. In this case, instead of forming the elastic portion 51 other than the tip end 50B in a simple plate shape, a rigidity-enhancing structure may be applied in which rib-like protrusions (for example, comb-teeth-like protrusions like the support portion 52 in the embodiment) are formed on one surface (front or rear surface) or both surfaces of the elastic portion 51.

[0046] 5, it is possible to simply configure the distal end portion 50B to be thinner than the proximal end portion 50A, and it is not necessary to adopt a configuration in which the thickness of the distal end portion 50B gradually decreases from the proximal end side to the distal end side. In this case, it is preferable to make the thickness change gradually in terms of durability and smooth operation.

[0047] 6, the thickness of tip end portion 50B may be made equal to the thickness of base end portion 50A, that is, elastic portion 51B may be configured to have a uniform thickness. In this case, it is preferable to limit the thickness of elastic portion 51B to a thickness that allows elastic deformation due to wind when the vehicle is traveling, and to configure baffle plate 50 from elastically deformable elastic portion 51B and support portion 52 that is made of a highly rigid material and supports elastic portion 51.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a radiator, which is a cooling device, is used as the heat exchange device, but the heat exchange device may be anything that can exchange heat, and is not limited to a cooling device, and may be a heat retention device, a heating device, or the like. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, but the present invention can also be applied to vehicles other than electric vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 vehicle 2 cabs 3 frames 4 Side Rails 5 Front cab mount 6 Rear cab mount 7 Leaf springs 8 front wheels 10 Cooling device (heat exchange device) 11 First radiator 12 Second radiator 13 Third radiator 14 Cooling fan 21 Floor Panel 21F Front of floor panel 21 21R Rear of floor panel 21 21S Stepped part of floor panel 21 21H The raised part of floor panel 21 21M Floor panel 21, the lower part 21L The two-step lower part of floor panel 21 31, 33, 35 Upper bracket 32, 34, 36 Bottom bracket 37,38 Bracket 41~49 Fasteners 50 Baffle plate (flow control member) 50A Base end (one end) of baffle plate 50 50B Tip (other end) of baffle plate 50 51, 51A, 51B Elastic part 52 support part 52a: base of support portion 52 52b Branch portion of support portion 52 60 Baffle plate (flow control member) FR Front of vehicle RR rear of vehicle RH Right side of vehicle width LH Left side of vehicle width UP vertically upward DW Vertical downward

Claims

1. A rectifying member that is arranged between a heat exchange device mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle member and rectifies a flow of air around the heat exchange device, an elastic portion having one end attached to the heat exchange device and the other end disposed so as to be close to or in contact with the vehicle component; At least the other end of the elastic portion is formed in a plate shape, The elastic portion is configured so that the plate thickness at the other end is thinner than that at the one end. A flow straightening member for a heat exchanger.

2. The thickness of the other end portion is configured to gradually decrease from one end toward the other end. The flow straightening member for a heat exchanger according to claim 1 .

3. the rectifying member has a support portion that supports the elastic portion, The support portion supports the elastic portion so that the other end portion of the elastic portion is elastically deformable. The flow straightening member for a heat exchanger according to claim 1 .

4. The support portion is made of a metal material. The flow straightening member for a heat exchanger according to claim 3 .

5. A rectifying member that is arranged between a heat exchange device mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle member and rectifies a flow of air around the heat exchange device, an elastic part having one end attached to the heat exchange device and the other end disposed so as to be close to or in contact with the vehicle component; a support portion that supports the elastic portion, At least the other end of the elastic portion is formed in a plate shape, The support portion supports the elastic portion so that the other end portion of the elastic portion is elastically deformable. A flow straightening member for a heat exchanger.

6. The vehicle is an electric vehicle. The flow straightening member for a heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images