Automotive air intake system

Abstract

To secure traveling property on a flooded road without lowering cooling performance of a radiator and filling efficiency of an engine.SOLUTION: The periphery of a space in front of a radiator 3 is surrounded by a seal member such as an upper seal plate 6, and accordingly cooling performance of the radiator 3 is high without releasing air. A main suction port 12 of a suction duct 9 is opened downward through a communication hole 26 of the upper seal plate 6, and accordingly filling efficiency is not lowered without sucking hot air of an engine room. An auxiliary suction port 19 is opened in an upper part of the suction duct 9. Even when water blocked by the radiator 3 during travelling on a flooded road is spouted out, and the main suction port 12 is blocked, air is taken in from the auxiliary suction port 19. Accordingly, a situation of engine stop is prevented and travelling can be maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air intake device for an automobile that takes in air and sends it to an air cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] An air cleaner is essential for an engine, and in cars that have an engine compartment covered by a hood at the front of the body, the air cleaner is placed in the engine compartment and draws air into the interior through an intake duct.

[0003] There are various shapes and arrangements of intake ducts, but Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which the intake port of the intake duct opens downward at a position in front of the radiator. That is, while the upper end of the radiator is often attached to the upper radiator support, Patent Document 1 has the intake port of the intake duct located in front of the upper radiator support and opens downward.

[0004] On the other hand, in order to improve the cooling capacity of the radiator, the space in front of the radiator is surrounded by support plates from the left, right, top and bottom. An example of this is disclosed in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-050098 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-226955 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Placing the intake port of the intake duct in front of the radiator as in Patent Document 1 has the advantage of preventing a decrease in charging efficiency because it can take in air that has not been heated by engine heat. In this case, if this is applied to an automobile in which the space in front of the radiator is surrounded by a seal plate as in Patent Document 2, the intake port of the intake duct will open downward from a communication hole provided in the upper seal plate.

[0007] There is no problem in itself with sucking air into the intake duct from the upper seal plate, but when the inventors conducted experiments driving on a flooded road, they found that even though the flooded surface was deep enough to allow driving, water that entered through the air vents in the front grille would rise toward the intake duct and block the intake.

[0008] In other words, since the space in front of the radiator is surrounded by a seal plate and water cannot escape to the outside, left or right, or downward of the radiator, water entering through the front grille is blocked by the radiator and overflows, and the water that overflows upward flows into the intake port of the intake duct, blocking it.

[0009] The present invention was made against the backdrop of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to avoid problems that occur when driving on flooded roads while retaining the advantages of having the intake duct's suction port open downward and of providing a sealing member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention relates to "A radiator is disposed at the front end of an engine room provided at the front of the vehicle body, and the space in front of the radiator is surrounded by a sealing member. I An intake duct is disposed above an upper seal member that constitutes the upper end of the seal member. And, The intake duct has a main intake port that opens downward, and a suction port that remains empty even if the main intake port is flooded. An auxiliary suction port is formed at a position higher than the upper seal member so that air can be taken in. 」 In this basic configuration, "The intake duct is formed with a forward step facing the front of the vehicle body, so that the front wall of the intake duct is formed with steps, and the auxiliary intake port is opened in a high part of the front wall of the intake duct located behind the forward step. " It has the following characteristics:

[0011] In the invention of claim 2, "An upper shield plate is disposed below the main suction port to prevent water from flowing directly into the main suction port." With this configuration, Prevents the intrusion of water that shoots up directly above is doing. Therefore, in this case, the air flows backward over the shield plate and into the intake duct. However, when the shield plate is provided, the intake duct according to the present invention To, Down Main intake opening on the side And, Lord So that air can be taken in even if the intake port is flooded Very high and an auxiliary suction port that opens at a lower position.

[0012] In the present invention, the number of auxiliary suction ports can be set arbitrarily. Before It is also possible to provide both an auxiliary suction port opening toward the bottom and an auxiliary suction port opening toward the top. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In the present invention, the space in front of the radiator is surrounded by a sealing member and the intake port of the intake duct opens downward from the upper sealing member. Even if the water level rises suddenly when hitting the radiator while driving on a flooded road, overcoming water entry prevention devices such as a shielding plate and blocking the main intake port, air can be taken in through the auxiliary intake port and supplied to the engine. Therefore, it is possible to maintain driving on flooded roads and ensure high reliability without compromising the advantages of preventing a decrease in charging efficiency and improving the cooling performance of the radiator.

[0014] Also, Since the structure is simple and does not require complex processing of the intake duct or the addition of new parts, there are no problems such as increased costs and the invention is highly practical. In addition, when traveling on a flooded road, the water that springs up from the main suction port is prevented from moving by the forward step, so the air intake function is highly reliable. The effect of the upper shielding plate specified in claim 2 has already been described. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view mainly showing the arrangement of a radiator. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of an intake duct. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is a partially cutaway plan view of the intake duct, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the intake duct. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing another example, in which (A) is a plan view of a second embodiment, and (B) is a front view of a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this application, the terms "front / rear" and "left / right" are used to specify directions, and the front / rear direction is the forward / reverse direction of the vehicle, while the left / right direction is the width direction of the vehicle. In other words, the front / rear and left / right directions are directions seen from the driver's perspective. A front view is a view from the direction facing the driver.

[0017] (1).Basic structure 1 shows the front end of an automobile, and an upper radiator support 1 and a lower radiator support 2 are arranged at the front end of an engine compartment covered by a hood (not shown), with a radiator 3 arranged between them. The radiator 3 has a group of vertically elongated water pipes, with an upper end connected to an upper tank 3a (see FIG. 5) and a lower end connected to a lower tank 3b (see FIG. 1).

[0018] The upper radiator support 1 is in the form of a gutter that opens downward, and the upper tank 3a of the radiator 3 is partially inserted inside the upper radiator support 1. On the other hand, the lower tank 3b is held to the lower radiator support 2 by a bracket 4 shown in FIG. 1. Although not shown, a fan is provided behind the radiator 3. Schrau Do are placed.

[0019] The space in front of the radiator 3 is surrounded by the left and right side seal plates 5 and the upper upper seal plate 6 which protrude forward from the radiator 3, and the lower radiator support 2 described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, the side seal plates 5, the upper seal plate 6, and the lower radiator support 2 constitute a seal member, and the upper seal plate 6 corresponds to the upper seal member recited in the claims. The upper seal plate 6 is made of urethane, for example, but can also be made of a steel plate.

[0020] And, since the space in front of the radiator 3 is surrounded by the seal plates 5, 6, etc., the air passing through the front grille 7, which is shown in Fig. 5, toward the radiator 3 does not escape to the outside of the radiator 3 on the left or right or above or below. Therefore, the ventilation density of the air toward the radiator 3 is increased, and the cooling capacity of the radiator 3 can be improved.

[0021] The front ends of the side seal plates 5 are held by the front grille 7. In addition, left and right long front frames 8 constituting the body frame penetrate the left and right side seal plates 5. The upper seal plate 6 is lower in height than the upper radiator support 1, and roughly speaking, the top surface of the upper seal plate 6 is at the same height as the lower end of the upper radiator support 1.

[0022] 2 and 3, an intake duct 9 made of synthetic resin is disposed on top of the upper seal plate 6. The intake duct 9 has a horizontally elongated portion 10 extending in the left-right direction above the upper seal plate 6, and a rearward-facing portion 11 connected to the base end (left end) of the horizontally elongated portion 10. Therefore, the intake duct 9 has an L-shape in plan view.

[0023] The rearward-facing portion 11 rises up from the horizontally elongated portion 10 and changes direction to face rearward. A joint duct 11a is connected to the rear end of the rearward-facing portion 11, and the joint duct 11a is connected to a main body case (dirty chamber) of an air cleaner (not shown).

[0024] The tip of the horizontally elongated portion 10 of the intake duct 9 opposite the rearward-facing portion 11 forms an intake portion 13 having a main suction port 12 that opens downward. A flange 14 is formed at the lower end of the intake portion 13, which overlaps with the upper surface of the upper seal plate 6. In addition, the upper surface of more than half of the portion of the intake portion 13 closest to the tip forms an inclined surface 13a that becomes lower toward the tip (toward the right end).

[0025] (2) Air intake structure A first forward step 15 located in approximately the left half and a second forward step 16 located in approximately the right half are formed on the front surface of the horizontally elongated portion 10 of the intake duct 9, connected at approximately the same height. The protruding dimension of the first forward step 15 is greater than the protruding dimension of the second forward step 16, and the rear end of the first forward step 15 is recessed behind the rear end of the second forward step 16. Therefore, the horizontally elongated portion 10 The front wall is uneven, There is a first upper front wall 17 located behind the first forward step 15 and a second upper front wall 18 located behind the second forward step 16 .

[0026] In the first embodiment, one auxiliary suction port 19 is opened in a portion of the second upper front wall 18 near the tip. Although the auxiliary suction port 19 is formed as a round hole by drilling, it may be formed as an oval or square shape during molding.

[0027] A front bracket 20 is provided to protrude rightward from the suction portion 13, and a rear bracket 21 is provided to protrude leftward from the base end (left end) of the horizontal portion 10. Slits 22, 23 that open toward the free ends are formed in both brackets 20, 21. As shown in Figure 2, the slit portion 22 of the front bracket 20 engages with a horizontal portion 24a of a metal fitting 24 that is fixed by a bolt or the like across the upper radiator support 1 and the upper seal plate 6.

[0028] Although not shown in the figures, the slit 23 of the second bracket 21 provided at the base end of the intake duct 9 also engages with a metal fitting fixed to the upper radiator support 1 or the upper seal plate 6. Therefore, the intake duct 9 is held in an incapable of falling off by the left and right brackets 20, 21 (since the rear end of the intake duct 9 is connected to the main body of the air cleaner, the intake duct 9 is held in an incapable of falling off by the two brackets 20, 21).

[0029] The main suction port 12 of the intake duct 9 is a rectangular hole extending in the left-right direction and is surrounded by a downwardly protruding rectangular boss portion 25. As shown in Figure 3, the rectangular boss portion 25 fits from above into a rectangular communication hole 26 formed in the upper seal plate 6.

[0030] 1, 3 and 5, an upper shielding plate 27 is fixed to the underside of the upper seal plate 6 as an example of a shielding means for preventing water from entering the communication hole 26 from directly below. That is, the upper shielding plate 27 has a flap 27a fixed to the underside of the upper seal plate 6 and a stopper plate 27b stepped down from the flap 27a, and an opening through which air flows in backward is provided between the front part of the stopper plate 27b and the upper seal plate 6.

[0031] (3).Effect This embodiment has the above-described structure, and under normal conditions, a portion of the air that flows through the space of the front grille 7 toward the radiator 3 flows into the main suction port 12 of the intake duct 9 via the upper shielding plate 27 and the communication hole 26, and is sent to the air cleaner.

[0032] In addition, since the space in front of the radiator 3 is surrounded by seal plates 5, 6 and the lower radiator support 2, the density of the air passing through the radiator 3 increases, improving the cooling performance of the radiator 3 (in this embodiment, the space in front of the radiator 3 is surrounded from below by the lower radiator support 2, but it is also possible to surround it with a lower seal plate as a separate component).

[0033] On the other hand, when driving on a flooded road, if water passes through the front grille and flows toward the radiator 3, the space in front of the radiator 3 is surrounded by the seal plates 5, 6 and the lower radiator support 2, so even if the water is only deep enough to be located halfway up the radiator 3, the force of driving can cause the water to hit the radiator 3 and overflow upward.

[0034] In this case, when the water level is low, the upper shielding plate 27 can prevent water from entering the communication hole 26 even if the water overflows, as shown by reference symbol 30 in Fig. 5, but when the water level rises to a certain level or higher, as shown by reference symbol 31, the water may reach the underside of the upper seal plate 6 in front of the upper shielding plate 27, pass through the communication hole 26 over the upper shielding plate 27, and flow into the inside of the intake duct 9. This may result in a phenomenon in which the main suction port 12 is blocked by water even though the water depth is actually sufficient for travel.

[0035] However, in this embodiment, since the auxiliary suction port 19 is opened in the second upper front wall 18, even if the main suction port 12 is blocked by water, air is taken in from the auxiliary suction port 19, and the engine stall can be avoided. Therefore, driving performance on flooded roads can be maintained. In addition, since the horizontally elongated portion 10 of the intake duct 9 is lower than the rearwardly facing portion 11, even if water enters the horizontally elongated portion 10, it does not reach the rearwardly facing portion 11, and the space above the water can be used as an air passage to send air to the air cleaner.

[0036] In this embodiment, the tip end (right end) of the intake duct 9 is connected to the fixing bracket 24 via the center bracket 20, which is provided at a portion of the suction section 13 toward the rear and away from the auxiliary suction port 19 toward the tip side (right side). Therefore, the provision of the auxiliary suction port 19 does not reduce the support stability (connection strength) of the center bracket 20, and the intake duct 9 can be firmly fixed.

[0037] If the upper shielding plate 27 is provided as in the embodiment, the water level must be considerably high. Inside the intake duct 9 This is preferable because it improves the waterproofing function since water does not enter. When the upper shielding plate 27 is provided, it is also possible to open the opening between the upper shielding plate 27 and the upper seal plate 6 facing backward or opening in the front and rear directions.

[0038] (4) Other examples The shape and arrangement of the auxiliary suction port 19 can be embodied in various ways. For example, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6A, the auxiliary suction port 19 is disposed on the upper wall of the suction section 13 of the intake duct 9. Also On the other hand, in the third embodiment shown in Fig. 6(B), four auxiliary suction ports 19 are formed in the second upper front wall 18 in a left-right line.

[0040] When traveling on a flooded road, it is expected that some of the water flowing upward from the main suction port 12 will flow and move along the inclined surface 13a of the suction section. However, if the auxiliary suction port 19 is provided on the second upper front wall 18 as in the first and third embodiments, the movement of the water welling up upward is prevented by the second forward step 16 (because the second forward step 16 functions as a water stopper), and the water can be reliably prevented from reaching the auxiliary suction port 19. Therefore, it can be said that the reliability of the air intake function is excellent. do.

[0041] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, in the embodiment, a dedicated upper seal plate and a side seal plate are provided as the sealing members, but it is also possible to use members with other roles as the sealing members. In addition, the shape of the intake duct does not necessarily have to be L-shaped in plan view as in the embodiment, and for example, a T-shaped shape in plan view in which the rearward-facing portion is raised from the left and right intermediate portions of the intake portion can also be adopted. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention can be embodied in an air intake device for an automobile, and therefore has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Upper radiator support 2 Lower radiator support that constitutes the lower seal part 3. Radiator 5. Side seal plate as an example of a side seal member 6 Upper radiator support as an example of an upper seal member 9. Intake duct 10 Horizontal section 11 Rear-facing section 12 Main intake 16 Second forward step 18 2nd upper front wall 19 Auxiliary suction port 26 Communication hole 27 Upper shield plate

Claims

1. A radiator is disposed at a front end of an engine compartment provided at a front part of a vehicle body, a space in front of the radiator is surrounded by a sealing member, and an intake duct is disposed above an upper sealing member constituting an upper end of the sealing member, The intake duct is configured to have a main intake port that opens downward and an auxiliary intake port that opens at a position higher than the upper seal member so that air can be taken in even if the main intake port is flooded, The intake duct is formed with a forward step portion facing the front of the vehicle body, so that the front wall of the intake duct is formed with a stepped shape, and the auxiliary suction port is opened in a high part of the front wall of the intake duct located behind the forward step portion. An automobile air intake device.

2. An upper shield plate is disposed below the main suction port to prevent water from flowing directly into the main suction port.

2. An air intake device for an automobile according to claim 1.

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