Front structure of the vehicle

Abstract

To provide a front vehicle structure that can reduce air resistance inside the power unit. [Solution] The front structure of the vehicle 11 has a radiator 15 positioned at the front of the engine compartment 14 where the engine 13 is located, the rear of the engine compartment 14 is covered by a dash panel 20, and the lower part of the engine compartment 14 is covered by an under cover 17. Behind the radiator 15 in the engine compartment 14, a cover member 27 is positioned to cover the rear surface of the radiator 15. The cover member 27 has a rear wall 28 and a pair of side walls 29 that face each other in the vehicle width direction. The under cover 17 has an opening 30 that is partially enclosed by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29 and communicates the inside and outside of the engine compartment 14.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a front structure of this type of vehicle, for example, a front structure of a vehicle body shown in Patent Document 1 is known. Such a front structure of the vehicle body has a configuration in which a radiator is disposed at the front of the engine room, and the upper part of the engine room is covered with a front hood. An under cover that covers the lower side of the engine room is provided with an opening that communicates the engine room with the outside of the vehicle.

[0003] An under duct is provided on the under cover, one end of which is connected to the opening and the other end of which opens at a position close to the lower part of the radiator. The high-temperature air that has passed through the radiator in the engine room is guided to the opening by the under duct and then discharged to the lower side of the vehicle body through the opening.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the front structure of the vehicle body as described above, the under duct that guides the air in the engine room to the opening formed in the under cover has the opening at the other end not disposed directly behind the radiator. In addition, the opening at the other end of the under duct faces almost straight up and does not face the radiator. For this reason, the air that has passed through the radiator is difficult to flow into the under duct, and thus it is difficult to be discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the opening. Therefore, the air resistance in the engine room increases.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The following describes the means and effects of solving the above problems. The front structure of a vehicle that solves the above problems is a front structure of a vehicle in which a radiator is located in the front of the power chamber where the power unit is located, the rear of the power chamber is covered by a dash panel, and the lower part of the power chamber is covered by an under cover, wherein a cover member is located behind the radiator in the power chamber to cover the rear surface of the radiator, the cover member has a rear wall and a pair of side walls that face each other in the vehicle width direction, and the under cover has an opening that is at least partially enclosed by the rear wall and the pair of side walls and communicates the inside and outside of the power chamber. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the front of a vehicle according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the cover component from the rear inside the engine compartment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the cover member and the opening within the engine compartment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view illustrating the area occupancy rate of the cover portion within the opening. [Figure 5] This graph shows the relationship between the area occupancy rate of the cover portion at the opening and the air resistance in the engine compartment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view showing the exposed parts of the modified example. [Figure 7] This is a schematic plan view showing the exposed parts of the modified example. [Figure 8] This is a schematic plan view showing the exposed parts of the modified example. [Figure 9] This is a schematic plan view showing the exposed parts of the modified example. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view showing the usage state of the cover component in the modified example. [Figure 11] This is a cross-sectional view of Figure 10. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction will correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction when the forward direction of the vehicle 11 is considered to be forward.

[0009] <Front structure of vehicle 11> As shown in Figure 1, the front of a vehicle 11 that travels on the ground 12 with tires (not shown) is provided with an engine room 14, which is an example of a power room, where an engine 13, an example of a power unit, is located. A rectangular plate-shaped radiator 15 is located in the front of the engine room 14. The radiator 15 is positioned at an angle of approximately 45° to the horizontal plane, such that its rear end is higher than its front end.

[0010] The engine compartment 14 is covered at the top by the front hood 16. The engine compartment 14 is covered at the bottom by the under cover 17. The front of the engine compartment 14 is covered by the front bumper 19 which has multiple ventilation holes 18. The rear of the engine compartment 14 is covered by the dash panel 20.

[0011] A cylindrical guide member 21 is provided between the radiator 15 and the front bumper 19 to guide the air flowing into the engine compartment 14 from the outside through each ventilation hole 18 of the front bumper 19 to the front of the radiator 15. A fan device 22 is provided on the rear surface of the radiator 15. The fan device 22 is positioned at an angle to match the inclination of the radiator 15. The fan device 22 has a fan case 23 and a radiator fan 24 that is rotatably housed within the fan case 23.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fan case 23 has a bottomed rectangular box-shaped first case portion 25 that covers the rear surface of the radiator 15 and houses the radiator fan 24, and a cylindrical second case portion 26 that is connected to the central portion of the bottom wall of the first case portion 25 and whose interior communicates with the interior of the first case portion 25. The rear end of the second case portion 26 is covered by a cover member 27. The cover member 27 is disposed behind the radiator 15 in the engine room 14 and covers the rear surface of the radiator 15 via the fan case 23.

[0013] <Cover member 27> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover member 27 has a rear wall 28 and a pair of side walls 29 that are formed integrally with the rear wall 28 and face each other in the left-right direction, which is the vehicle width direction. The rear wall 28 is rectangular when viewed from the rear. The side walls 29 are triangular when viewed from the left-right direction. The cover member 27 has an opening at the front that is U-shaped and an opening at the lower part that is rectangular. The front part of the cover member 27 is inclined in accordance with the inclination of the fan device 22.

[0014] The opening at the front of the cover member 27 covers the opening at the rear of the second case portion 26. The opening at the lower part of the cover member 27 covers a part of the upper surface of the under cover 17. An engine 13 is disposed behind the cover member 27 in the engine room 14. That is, the engine 13 is disposed between the cover member 27 and the dash panel 20 in the engine room 14.

[0015] 3] <Under cover 17> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a rectangular opening 30 that communicates the inside and outside of the engine room 14 is formed below the cover member 27 in the under cover 17. The opening 30 is disposed at a position corresponding in the vertical direction to the rear end portion in the opening at the lower part of the cover member 27. The opening 30 is formed such that the long side direction is the left-right direction and the short side direction is the front-rear direction.

[0016] The opening 30 is surrounded in a plan view by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29 of the cover member 27 in a region other than both end portions in the left - right direction at the rear portion. The region not surrounded by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29 of the cover member 27 in the opening 30 is an exposed portion 31. That is, the exposed portions 31 are respectively arranged at both end portions in the left - right direction at the rear portion of the opening 30. That is, two (a plurality of) exposed portions 31 are arranged at the rear portion of the opening 30.

[0017] The region surrounded by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29 of the cover member 27 in the opening 30 is a cover portion 32. The opening 30 is composed of the cover portion 32 and the exposed portion 31.

[0018] <Relationship between the area occupancy ratio of the cover portion 32 in the opening 30 and the air resistance in the engine room 14> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, among the air flowing into the engine room 14 from the outside through the respective ventilation holes 18 of the front bumper 19 when the vehicle 11 is running, the air passing through the radiator 15 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle from the cover portion 32 in the opening 30. Among the air flowing into the engine room 14 from the outside through the respective ventilation holes 18 of the front bumper 19 when the vehicle 11 is running, the air not passing through the radiator 15 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle from the exposed portion 31 in the opening 30 via the dash panel 20 in the engine room 14.

[0019] In this case, by changing the area occupancy ratio (size) of the cover portion 32 (the region shown by shading with a grid in FIG. 4) in the opening 30 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, the air resistance in the engine room 14 changes. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the area occupancy ratio of the cover portion 32 in the opening 30 and the air resistance in the engine room 14. The broken line in FIG. 5 is a graph A showing the relationship between the area occupancy ratio of the cover portion 32 in the opening 30 and the air resistance in the engine room 14 when air flows from the dash panel 20 side in the engine room 14 to the exposed portion 3 in the opening 30.

[0020] The dashed line in Figure 5 is graph B, which shows the relationship between the area occupancy rate of the cover portion 32 at the opening 30 and the air resistance in the engine compartment 14 when air flows from inside the cover member 27 in the engine compartment 14 to the cover portion 32 of the opening 30. The solid line in Figure 5 is graph C, which shows the sum of graph A and graph B. From graph C, it can be seen that the total air resistance in the engine compartment 14 in this example is minimized when the area occupancy rate of the cover portion 32 at the opening 30 is set to approximately 80%.

[0021] <Operation of the Embodiment> Next, we will explain the operation of vehicle 11 while it is in motion. As shown in Figure 1, when the vehicle 11 travels on the ground 12, such as a road, air flows from the front of the vehicle 11 through the vents 18 of the front bumper 19 into the engine compartment 14. Of the air that flows into the engine compartment 14, most of it is guided by the guide member 21 and passes through the radiator 15, while the remaining air flows towards the dash panel 20 in the engine compartment 14.

[0022] Almost all of the air that passes through the radiator 15 is guided by the cover member 27 and discharged outside the vehicle through the cover portion 32 at the opening 30. The air discharged outside the vehicle through the cover portion 32 at the opening 30 flows towards the rear along the underside of the under cover 17. This airflow creates a negative pressure region 33 (the area shown as dotted shading in Figure 1) where the air pressure is lower than the surrounding area, near the part of the underside of the under cover 17 adjacent to the opening 30 at the rear.

[0023] On the other hand, of the air that flows into the engine compartment 14, the air that does not flow to the radiator 15 but instead flows towards the dash panel 20 in the engine compartment 14 is discharged outside the vehicle through the exposed portion 31 of the opening 30 via the dash panel 20. At this time, since the exposed portion 31 and the negative pressure region 33 are adjacent, the action of the negative pressure region 33 promotes the discharge of air from the engine compartment 14 to the outside of the vehicle through the exposed portion 31 of the opening 30, and also suppresses the backflow of outside air into the engine compartment 14 from the exposed portion 31.

[0024] In this way, the air that flows into the engine compartment 14 is quickly discharged outside the vehicle through the opening 30, thereby effectively reducing the air resistance inside the engine compartment 14. <Effects of the Embodiment> According to the embodiments described in detail above, the following effects are achieved.

[0025] (1) The front structure of the vehicle 11 has a radiator 15 located in the front of the engine compartment 14 where the engine 13 is located, the rear of the engine compartment 14 is covered by a dash panel 20, and the lower part of the engine compartment 14 is covered by an under cover 17. Behind the radiator 15 in the engine compartment 14, a cover member 27 is located to cover the rear surface of the radiator 15. The cover member 27 has a rear wall 28 and a pair of side walls 29 that face each other in the left-right direction. The under cover 17 has an opening 30 that is partially enclosed by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29 and communicates the inside and outside of the engine compartment 14.

[0026] With the above configuration, almost all of the air that passes through the radiator 15 is quickly guided to the opening 30 by the cover member 27 and discharged outside the vehicle. As a result, the air that has passed through the radiator 15 is less likely to flow into the engine compartment 14, thus reducing the air resistance inside the engine compartment 14.

[0027] (2) In the front structure of the vehicle 11, the opening 30 has an exposed portion 31 which is an area not enclosed by the rear wall 28 and the pair of side walls 29. With the above configuration, air that does not flow inside the cover member 27 in the engine compartment 14 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle from the exposed part 31.

[0028] (3) In the front structure of the vehicle 11, the exposed portion 31 is located at the rear of the opening 30. According to the above configuration, air located on the dashboard panel 20 side of the cover member 27 within the engine compartment 14 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the exposed portion 31. In this case, a negative pressure region 33 is formed diagonally below and behind the exposed portion 31 outside the vehicle by the airflow guided to the opening 30 by the cover member 27 and discharged to the outside of the vehicle. The action of this negative pressure region 33 promotes the discharge of air located on the dashboard panel 20 side of the cover member 27 within the engine compartment 14 to the outside of the vehicle through the exposed portion 31.

[0029] (4) In the front structure of the vehicle 11, two (or more) exposed portions 31 are arranged at the rear of the opening 30. With the above configuration, air located on the dashboard panel 20 side of the cover member 27 within the engine compartment 14 can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the vehicle through two (or more) exposed parts 31.

[0030] <Example of changes> The above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. Furthermore, the above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, a plurality of plate-shaped ribs 34 extending in the front-rear direction may be provided at the rear end of the cover member 27 at equal intervals in the left-right direction, thereby forming a plurality of exposed portions 31 at equal intervals in the left-right direction at the rear of the opening 30. In this case, in a plan view, the plurality of ribs 34 divide the rear of the opening 30 at equal intervals in the left-right direction, thereby forming a plurality of exposed portions 31 at equal intervals in the left-right direction. In this way, air located on the dash panel 20 side of the cover member 27 within the engine compartment 14 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle from the plurality of exposed portions 31 in a balanced manner in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). Note that the arrows in Figure 6 indicate the airflow. In addition, the ribs 34 can contribute to improving the rigidity and heat dissipation of the cover member 27.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, a plurality of recesses 35 may be provided at the rear end of the cover member 27 at equal intervals in the left-right direction, thereby forming a plurality of exposed portions 31 at equal intervals in the left-right direction at the rear of the opening 30. In this case, in a plan view, the plurality of recesses 35 divide the rear of the opening 30 at equal intervals in the left-right direction, thereby forming a plurality of exposed portions 31 at equal intervals in the left-right direction. In this way, air located on the dash panel 20 side of the cover member 27 within the engine compartment 14 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle in a balanced manner in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) through the plurality of exposed portions 31. Note that the arrows in Figure 7 indicate the airflow. Furthermore, the recesses 35 (recesses) can contribute to improving the rigidity and heat dissipation of the cover member 27.

[0033] In the cases of Figures 6 and 7 above, the multiple exposed portions 31 do not necessarily need to be arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 8, the length of the cover member 27 in the front-rear direction may be shortened to form a single exposed portion 31 extending in the left-right direction at the rear of the opening 30.

[0034] As shown in Figure 9, the under cover 17 may be formed with multiple protruding openings 36 that project from the opening 30 toward the rear end of the cover member 27, arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction. In this case, the protruding openings 36 constitute the exposed portion 31. Furthermore, in this case, the multiple protruding openings 36 do not necessarily need to be formed in the under cover 17 at equal intervals in the left-right direction.

[0035] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the radiator 15, fan device 22, and cover member 27 may be arranged in a position perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Even in this manner, the same effects and advantages as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0036] The exposed portion 31 does not necessarily have to be located at the rear of the opening 30. That is, the exposed portion 31 may be located, for example, at the side of the front of the opening 30. The exposed portion 31 may be omitted. That is, in a plan view, the opening 30 may be entirely enclosed by the rear wall 28 and a pair of side walls 29 of the cover member 27.

[0037] Vehicle 11 may be an electric vehicle that runs on an electric motor. In this case, the power unit consists of an electric motor, and the power room consists of a motor room in which the electric motor is located. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 11…Vehicles 12...ground 13…Engine as an example of a power source 14…Engine room as an example of a power room 15…Radiator 16…Front Hood 17… Undercover 18…Ventilation holes 19…Front bumper 20...Dash panel 21… Guide member 22... Fan device 23... Fan case 24...Radiator fan 25…Case 1 Section 26…Second Case Section 27... Cover component 28…Back wall 29...Side wall 30…Opening 31...Exposed part 32...Cover part 33... Negative pressure region 34… Rib 35…recess 36...Protruding opening A, B, C... Graph

Claims

1. The front structure of a vehicle is such that a radiator is located at the front of the power chamber where the power unit is installed, the rear of the power chamber is covered by a dash panel, and the lower part of the power chamber is covered by an under cover, A cover member is positioned behind the radiator in the power chamber to cover the rear surface of the radiator. The cover member has a rear wall and a pair of side walls facing each other in the vehicle width direction. The front structure of a vehicle is characterized in that the under cover is at least partially enclosed by the rear wall and a pair of side walls, and has an opening that communicates the inside and outside of the power chamber.

2. The front structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening has an exposed portion which is an area not enclosed by the rear wall and the pair of side walls.

3. The front structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the exposed portion is located at the rear of the opening.

4. The front structure of a vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of the exposed portions are arranged at the rear of the opening.

5. The front structure of a vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that the multiple exposed portions are arranged at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction.

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