Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which is capable of performing cooling of a brake of front wheels at traveling time while suppressing deterioration of a radiator performance at vehicle stop time.SOLUTION: A vehicle 100 comprises: a grille opening 15 which introduces air for cooling; a radiator air guide duct 30 which guides air for cooling introduced from the grille opening 15 to a radiator 21; and a left brake duct 40L which is connected to both ends of the radiator air guide duct 30 in a vehicle width direction and guides a part of the flowing air for cooling toward a brake 18L of a front wheel 16L. The vehicle further comprises a backflow suppression plate 45L protruding from a center side plate 41L of the left brake duct 40L toward an inside of the left brake duct 40L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle structure provided with a duct for cooling the front wheel brakes.

Background Art

[0002] Structures for cooling the front wheel brakes of vehicles have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, the front bumper of a vehicle is configured as a hollow member, an intake opening for introducing cooling air into the radiator is provided at the front end of the hollow member, the air flowing into the intake opening is guided to both ends of the hollow member, and air is blown from the tips of the ducts attached to both ends toward the front wheel brakes to cool the front wheel brakes.

[0003] Also, in Patent Document 2, a duct for introducing air from an opening provided in the front bumper to the front wheel brakes is provided, and a heat exchanger and a fan are installed inside the duct to disclose a structure capable of cooling the front wheel brakes even when the vehicle speed is low.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the vehicle is stopped or the like, the warm air after passing through the radiator may flow backward through the duct and flow into the upstream of the radiator, resulting in a decrease in the cooling performance of the radiator.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle capable of cooling the front wheel brakes during traveling while suppressing a decrease in the performance of the radiator when the vehicle is stopped.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The vehicle of the present invention is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction of the design panel at the front end of the vehicle with a grille opening for introducing cooling air, Lower part of a radiator air duct that guides the cooling air introduced from the grille opening to the radiator, and a brake duct that is connected to the radiator air duct in the vehicle width direction and guides a part of the cooling air flowing into the radiator air duct toward the brake of the front wheel. The vehicle is characterized in that it is provided with a backflow prevention plate that protrudes from the center side plate of the brake duct or the rear plate of the radiator air duct toward the inside of the brake duct to suppress the hot air that has passed through the radiator from flowing back through the brake duct and flowing into the upstream of the radiator. A radiator disposed behind the grill opening and above the grill opening; The grille opening Connected to, the grill opening The cooling air introduced from The a radiator air duct that guides the cooling air introduced from the grille opening to the radiator, and a brake duct that is connected to the radiator air duct in the vehicle width direction and guides a part of the cooling air flowing into the radiator air duct toward the brake of the front wheel. The vehicle is characterized in that it is provided with a backflow prevention plate that protrudes from the center side plate of the brake duct or the rear plate of the radiator air duct toward the inside of the brake duct to suppress the hot air that has passed through the radiator from flowing back through the brake duct and flowing into the upstream of the radiator. Lower part of the outside and the outside part in the vehicle width direction of the grill opening is connected to, Part of the cooling air introduced from the grill opening and from the grill opening a part of the cooling air flowing into the radiator air duct is Joined together guided toward the brake of the front wheel. The vehicle is characterized in that it is provided with a backflow prevention plate that protrudes from the center side plate of the brake duct or the rear plate of the radiator air duct toward the inside of the brake duct to suppress the hot air that has passed through the radiator from flowing back through the brake duct and flowing into the upstream of the radiator. The radiator air duct includes a front plate that curves upward from the upper end of the grill opening and is connected to the upper end of the radiator, a lower plate that extends rearward of the vehicle from the lower end of the grill opening, a rear plate that is connected to the rear end of the lower plate, curves upward, and then curves rearward and is connected to the lower end of the radiator, and left and right side plates provided with openings at their lower ends. The brake duct includes a bottom plate connected to the lower plate of the radiator air duct and the lower end of the grill opening, an upper plate connected to the upper end of the grill opening and the upper part of the opening and extending parallel to the bottom plate, a central side plate connected to the end of the rear plate of the radiator air duct on the outside in the vehicle width direction and connecting the central ends of the upper plate and the lower plate in the vehicle width direction up and down, and an outer side plate whose front end is connected to the end of the grill opening on the outside in the vehicle width direction and connecting the outer ends of the upper plate and the lower plate in the vehicle width direction up and down. In the brake duct The a center side plate or the radiator air duct The is provided with a backflow prevention plate that protrudes from the rear plate toward the inside of the brake duct to suppress the hot air that has passed through the radiator from flowing back through the brake duct and flowing into the upstream of the radiator.

[0008] Thus, since the backflow prevention plate protrudes from the center side plate of the brake duct toward the inside, it is possible to suppress the backflow of the hot air along the surface of the center side plate of the brake duct when the vehicle is stopped, and to suppress the hot air from flowing into the upstream of the radiator. Also, during running, the cooling air can be guided from the flow path between the tip of the backflow prevention plate and the outer side plate on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the brake duct toward the brake of the front wheel. Thereby, it is possible to cool the brake of the front wheel during running while suppressing the performance degradation of the radiator when the vehicle stops.

[0009] In the vehicle of the present invention, the backflow prevention plate may be attached to the center side plate and inclined so that the tip thereof moves away from the center side plate as it goes downstream of the brake duct. <XREF=

[0010] Thereby, it is possible to effectively suppress the backflow of the hot air along the surface of the center side plate of the brake duct and to suppress the hot air from flowing into the upstream of the radiator.

[0011] In the vehicle of the present invention, the backflow prevention plate is attached to the rear plate of the radiator air duct, protrudes into the brake duct from the connection portion between the rear plate and the central side plate toward the downstream of the brake duct, and may be inclined with respect to the central side plate such that the tip thereof moves away from the central side plate as it goes downstream of the brake duct.

[0012] Thereby, it is possible to suppress the backflow of the warm air along the surface of the central side plate of the brake duct with a simple configuration.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] The present invention can provide a vehicle capable of cooling the front-wheel brakes during traveling while suppressing a decrease in the performance of the radiator when the vehicle stops.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, the vehicle 100 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The arrows FR, UP, and RH shown in each figure indicate the front side, the upper side, and the right side of the vehicle 100, respectively. Also, the opposite directions of the arrows FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear side, the lower side, and the left side. Hereinafter, when simply using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions for explanation, unless otherwise specified, it shall indicate the front and rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, the left and right in the left-right direction, and the up and down in the up-down direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, a lower front design panel 11 and an upper front design panel 12 are attached to the front end of the vehicle body 10 of the vehicle 100. The lower front design panel 11 and the upper front design panel 12 are partitioned by a thin parting groove and have different paint colors, but their surfaces are substantially continuous. The upper front design panel 12 includes a central portion 12C that is slightly curved convexly forward of the vehicle, and left and right end portions 12L and 12R that extend from the central portion 12C toward the left and right respectively and cover the front of the left and right front wheels 16L and 16R. The left end portion 12L is curved toward the rear of the vehicle and is connected to a left design panel 13L configured to bulge to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the left front wheel 16L. Similarly, the right end portion 12R is connected to a right design panel 13R.

[0017] The lower front design panel 11 constitutes a portion surrounded by the left and right end portions 12L and 12R below the central portion 12C of the upper front design panel 12. A grill opening 15 for introducing cooling air is provided at the center of the lower front design panel 11. Also, a number plate 19 is attached above the grill opening 15 at the center of the lower front design panel 11.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, a bumper lining force 17 extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed behind the upper front design panel 12 in the vehicle. A radiator 21 for cooling the cooling water of the motor, engine, etc. of the vehicle 100 is attached behind the bumper lining force 17 in the vehicle. A fan casing 22 is connected behind the radiator 21, and a fan 23 is attached to the center of the fan casing 22.

[0019] The space between the grill opening 15 provided in the lower front design panel 11 and the inlet 21a of the radiator 21 is connected by a radiator air duct 30. The radiator air duct 30 is a duct with a rectangular cross-section that is long in the vehicle width direction, and as shown by the arrow 83 in Fig. 2, the white dashed arrow 81 in Fig. 1, and the arrows 85, 86 in Fig. 3, it guides the cooling air introduced from the grill opening 15 to the radiator 21.

[0020] More specifically, the radiator air duct 30 is composed of a front plate 31, a lower plate 32, a rear plate 33, a left side plate 34L, and a right side plate 34R (see Fig. 3). The front plate 31 curves upward from the upper end of the grill opening 15 and connects to the upper end of the radiator 21. The front portions of the left side plate 34L and the right side plate 34R are respectively connected to the left and right ends of the front plate 31. The rear portions of the left side plate 34L and the right side plate 34R are connected to the left and right ends of the inlet 21a of the radiator 21. The lower plate 32 extends from the lower end of the grill opening 15 toward the rear of the vehicle. The rear plate 33 is connected to the rear end of the lower plate 32, curves upward, and then curves rearward to connect to the lower end of the radiator 21. Openings 35L (see Fig. 3) and 35R are respectively provided at the lower ends of the left side plate 34L and the right side plate 34R of the radiator air duct 30.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, a left brake duct 40L and a right brake duct 40R are connected to the left and right openings 35L, 35R. The left brake duct 40L and the right brake duct 40R are ducts with a square cross-section that are connected to both ends of the radiator air duct 30 in the vehicle width direction and extend obliquely rearward of the vehicle. The left brake duct 40L and the right brake duct 40R guide a part of the cooling air that has flowed into the radiator air duct 30 toward the brakes 18L, 18R of the left and right front wheels 16L, 16R, as shown by the arrow 93a in Fig. 3, the white dashed arrow 82 in Fig. 1, and the arrow 84 in Fig. 2.

[0022] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the left brake duct 40L is composed of a central side plate 41L, an outer side plate 42L, an upper plate 43L (see FIG. 2), and a bottom plate 44L. The bottom plate 44L is connected to the left end of the lower plate 32 of the radiator air duct 30 and the lower end portion on the left side of the grill opening 15 and extends obliquely rearward to the left of the vehicle. The upper plate 43L is connected to the upper end of the opening 35L of the radiator air duct 30 and the upper end portion on the left side of the grill opening 15 and extends obliquely rearward to the left of the vehicle in parallel with the bottom plate 44L. The central side plate 41L vertically connects the end portions on the vehicle width direction center side of the upper plate 43L and the bottom plate 44L. Also, the right end of the central side plate 41L is connected to the left end of the rear plate 33 of the radiator air duct 30.

[0023] The outer side plate 42L vertically connects the end portions on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the upper plate 43L and the bottom plate 44L. Also, the front end of the outer side plate 42L is connected to the left end of the grill opening 15. In this way, the central side plate 41L, the outer side plate 42L, the upper plate 43L, and the bottom plate 44L constitute the left brake duct 40L with a square cross section. And the rear ends of the central side plate 41L, the outer side plate 42L, the upper plate 43L, and the bottom plate 44L constitute the outlet 46L of the left brake duct 40L. Also, a backflow prevention plate 45L is provided on the inner surface of the central side plate 41L. The backflow prevention plate 45L will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 4. The right brake duct 40R is symmetrical to the left brake duct 40L left and right, is composed of a central side plate 41R, an outer side plate 42R, an upper plate (not shown), and a bottom plate 44R, and is provided with an outlet 46R and a backflow prevention plate 45R.

[0024] Part of the cooling air that flows into the radiator air duct 30 flows outward in the vehicle width direction inside the radiator air duct 30 and into the left brake duct 40L and the right brake duct 40R as shown by the arrow 93a in FIG. 3 and the dashed white arrow 82 in FIG. 1, and blows out from the left and right outlets 46L and 46R toward the brakes 18L and 18R of the front wheels 16L and 16R. Also, the cooling air that flows in from the left and right ends of the grill opening 15 flows into the left brake duct 40L and the right brake duct 40R as shown by the arrow 93b in FIG. 3 and blows out from the left and right outlets 46L and 46R toward the brakes 18L and 18R of the front wheels 16L and 16R.

[0025] Next, the backflow prevention plate 45L will be described with reference to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the backflow prevention plate 45L is attached to the central side plate 41L near the inlet of the left brake duct 40L. More specifically, the backflow prevention plate 45L is attached to the right end portion of the central side plate 41L connected to the left end of the rear plate 33 of the radiator air duct 30. The backflow prevention plate 45L is composed of a base 45La and a plate portion 45Lb. The base 45La is attached to the inner surface of the central side plate 41L. The plate portion 45Lb bends from the base 45La and protrudes into the left brake duct 40L. The plate portion 45Lb is inclined by an angle θ1 with respect to the inner surface of the central side plate 41L so that the tip thereof moves away from the inner surface of the central side plate 41L as it goes downstream in the left brake duct 40L. Also, the distance between the tip of the plate portion 45Lb and the inner surface of the outer side plate 42L is W1. W1 is the width of the flow path between the tip of the plate portion 45Lb of the backflow prevention plate 45L and the outer side plate 42L. The width W1 is determined so that the flow area is an area through which the cooling air of the required flow rate can flow to the brake 18L. Also, the angle θ1 is determined so that the flow of the warm air flowing backward in the left brake duct 40L can be suppressed.

[0026] Next, the flow of air on the left side of the vehicle 100 during driving will be described with reference to FIG. 4. When the vehicle 100 is running, the oncoming wind hitting the left end portion 12L of the front design panel 12 of the body 10 flows outward in the vehicle width direction along the surface of the left end portion 12L as shown by the arrow 94 in FIG. 4, and then flows out obliquely rearward of the vehicle. For this reason, the oncoming wind does not flow into the left front wheel 16L from the left side surface of the vehicle.

[0027] On the other hand, during driving, as shown by the arrow 91 in FIG. 4, cooling air flows into the radiator air duct 30 from the grill opening 15. The cooling air that has flowed into the radiator air duct 30 passes through the radiator 21 as shown by the arrow 92 in FIG. 4, becomes warm air with an increased temperature, and flows into the fan casing 22. The warm air that has flowed into the fan casing 22 is sucked by the fan 23 (see FIG. 3) and flows into the interior of the body 10. Also, during driving, a part of the cooling air that has flowed into the radiator air duct 30 from the grill opening 15 flows into the left brake duct 40L from the radiator air duct 30 as shown by the arrow 93a in FIG. 4, and merges with the cooling air that has flowed into the left brake duct 40L from the grill opening 15 shown by the arrow 93b in FIG. 4. The merged cooling air blows out from the blowout port 46L toward the brake 18L of the left front wheel 16L through the flow path having a width W1 between the tip of the plate portion 45Lb of the backflow prevention plate 45L and the outer plate 42L. Thereby, even when the oncoming wind does not flow into the left front wheel 16L, the brake 18L of the left front wheel 16L can be cooled.

[0028] Next, while referring to FIG. 5, the air flow on the left side of the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is stationary will be described. When the vehicle 100 is stationary, the cooling air due to running does not flow into the radiator air duct 30 from the grill opening 15. On the other hand, the fan 23 is operating even when the vehicle 100 is stopped. For this reason, as shown by the arrow 92 in FIG. 5, the cooling air inside the radiator air duct 30 is sucked toward the radiator 21 by the fan 23, and as shown by the arrow 95 in FIG. 5, the cooling air is sucked into the radiator air duct 30 from the grill opening 15. Similar to when running, the warm air whose temperature has risen after passing through the radiator 21 flows from the fan casing 22 into the interior of the body 10.

[0029] During the stop of the vehicle 100, no cooling air flows into the left brake duct 40L. For this reason, the warm air staying inside the body 10, due to the operation of the fan 23, as shown by the arrows 96, 97, and the dashed arrow 98 in FIG. 5, flows into the interior of the left brake duct 40L from the air outlet 46L, flows backward through the left brake duct 40L, and tries to flow upstream of the radiator 21. Since the reverse flow rate of this warm air is small, the warm air flows along the inner surface of the central side plate 41L of the left brake duct 40L as shown by the arrow 97 in FIG. 5. Then, the warm air is trapped by the downstream surface of the plate portion 45Lb of the backflow prevention plate 45L and stays inside the left brake duct 40L. For this reason, the warm air cannot flow into the interior of the radiator air duct 30 beyond the backflow prevention plate 45 as shown by the dashed arrow 98 in FIG. 5, and it is possible to suppress the warm air from flowing around to the upstream side of the radiator 21.

[0030] In this way, the backflow prevention plate 45L can suppress the warm air flowing along the inner surface of the central side plate 41L from flowing into the interior of the radiator air duct 30 when the vehicle 100 is stopped, and can prevent the warm air from flowing around to the upstream side of the radiator 21 and degrading the performance of the radiator 21.

[0031] Since the air flow on the right side of the vehicle 100 is symmetric with the air flow on the left side of the vehicle 100, the backflow prevention plate 45R attached to the right brake duct 40R, similar to the backflow prevention plate 45L, can prevent the warm air flowing along the inner surface of the center side plate 41R from flowing into the inside of the radiator air duct 30 when the vehicle 100 stops, and prevent the warm air from flowing around to the upstream side of the radiator 21 and reducing the performance of the radiator 21.

[0032] Thereby, the vehicle 100 can cool the brakes 18L and 18R of the front wheels 16L and 16R during running while suppressing the performance degradation of the radiator 21 when the vehicle stops.

[0033] In the above description, the backflow prevention plate 45L has been described as being attached to the center side plate 41L near the entrance of the left brake duct 40L, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be attached to the center side plate 41L at the middle part between the entrance and the outlet 46L of the left brake duct 40L, or may be attached to the center side plate 41L near the outlet.

[0034] Next, the vehicle 200 of another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Parts identical to those of the vehicle 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. The vehicle 200 is different from the vehicle 100 in that the backflow prevention plate 47L is attached to the rear plate 33 of the radiator air duct 30. Other parts are the same as those of the vehicle 100.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the backflow prevention plate 47L is composed of a base 47La and a plate portion 47Lb. The base 47La is attached to the inner surface of the rear plate 33. The plate portion 47Lb bends from the base 47La and protrudes into the left brake duct 40L from the connection portion between the rear plate 33 and the central side plate 41L. The plate portion 47Lb is inclined by an angle θ2 with respect to the inner surface of the central side plate 41L such that the tip thereof moves away from the inner surface of the central side plate 41L as it goes downstream in the left brake duct 40L. Also, the distance between the tip of the plate portion 47Lb and the inner surface of the outer side plate 42L is W2. W2 is the width of the flow path between the tip of the plate portion 47Lb of the backflow prevention plate 47L and the outer side plate 42L. The width W2 is determined such that the flow area is an area through which cooling air of the required flow rate can flow to the brake 18L. Also, the angle θ2 is determined such that the flow of warm air flowing backward in the left brake duct 40L can be suppressed.

[0036] Similar to the backflow prevention plate 45L described above, the backflow prevention plate 47L can prevent warm air flowing along the inner surface of the central side plate 41L from flowing into the inside of the radiator air guide duct 30 and swirling upstream of the radiator 21 when the vehicle 200 stops, thereby suppressing a decrease in the performance of the radiator 21. For this reason, similar to the vehicle 100, the vehicle 200 can cool the brakes 18L and 18R of the front wheels 16L and 16R during travel while suppressing a decrease in the performance of the radiator 21 when the vehicle stops.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 10 Body, 11 Lower front design panel, 12 Upper front design panel, 12C Central part, 12L Left end part, 12R Right end part, 13L Left design panel, 13R Right design panel, 15 Grill opening, 16L, 16R Front wheels, 17 Bumper reinforcement, 18L, 18R Brakes, 19 License plate, 21 Radiator, 21a Inlet, 22 Fan casing, 23 Fan, 30 Radiator air duct, 31 Front plate, 32 Lower plate, 33 Rear plate, 34L Left side plate, 34R Right side plate, 35L, 35R Openings, 40L Left brake duct, 40R Right brake duct, 41L, 41R Central side plates, 42L, 42R Outer plates, 43L Upper plate, 44L, 44R Bottom plates, 45L, 45R, 47L Anti-backflow plates, 45La, 47La Bases, 45Lb, 47Lb Plate parts, 46L, 46R Outlet openings, 100, 200 Vehicles.

Claims

1. A grille opening provided at the lower part of the center in the vehicle width direction of the design panel at the front end of the vehicle for introducing cooling air, A radiator disposed behind the grille opening and above the grille opening, A radiator air duct connected to the grille opening for guiding the cooling air introduced from the grille opening to the radiator, A vehicle comprising a brake duct connected to the lower part on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the radiator air duct and the outer part in the vehicle width direction of the grille opening for merging a part of the cooling air introduced from the grille opening and a part of the cooling air flowing into the radiator air duct from the grille opening and guiding the merged air toward the brake of the front wheel, The radiator air duct is A front plate that curves upward from the upper end of the grille opening and is connected to the upper end of the radiator, A lower plate extending rearward in the vehicle from the lower end of the grille opening, A rear plate connected to the rear end of the lower plate, curving upward, and then curving rearward and connected to the lower end of the radiator, Left and right side plates provided with openings at their lower ends, The brake duct is A bottom plate connected to the lower plate of the radiator air duct and the lower end of the grille opening, An upper plate connected to the upper end of the grille opening and the upper part of the opening and extending parallel to the bottom plate, A central side plate connected to the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the rear plate of the radiator air duct and vertically connecting the central side ends in the vehicle width direction of the upper plate and the lower plate, An outer side plate having its front end connected to the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the grille opening and vertically connecting the outer side ends in the vehicle width direction of the upper plate and the lower plate, The vehicle further comprising a backflow prevention plate protruding from the central side plate of the brake duct or the rear plate of the radiator air duct into the interior of the brake duct for suppressing the hot air flowing back through the brake duct to the upstream of the radiator after passing through the radiator, characterized by the above.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the backflow prevention plate is attached to the central side plate and is inclined such that the tip thereof moves away from the central side plate as it goes downstream of the brake duct, characterized by the above.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, The backflow prevention plate is attached to the rear plate of the radiator air duct, protrudes into the brake duct from the connection portion between the rear plate and the central side plate toward the downstream of the brake duct, and is inclined with respect to the central side plate such that the tip thereof moves away from the central side plate as it goes toward the downstream of the brake duct. A vehicle characterized by the above.

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