Vehicle vent duct

Abstract

To provide a vent duct for vehicle that is easy to open and close without reference to the plate thickness of an on-off valve.SOLUTION: A vent duct for vehicle comprises: a duct body 14 which has an opening part 18 assembled in a vehicle body to link the outside and inside of a cabin to each other, and a fitting part 24 protruding above the opening part 18 toward the outside of the vehicle; and an on-off valve 16 which is a plate-like on-off valve 16 having an insertion hole 20 for insertion into the fitting part 24 and supported by the fitting part 24 to swing, and covers the opening part 18, wherein a lower side of an upper wall of the insertion hole 20 is shaped having center parts 22c, 22f protruded into the insertion hole 20 in side view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle ventilation duct.

Background Art

[0002] As one of the ventilation devices, there is a vehicle ventilation duct for guiding the air in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle. In this vehicle ventilation duct, various structures have been proposed according to the purpose, such as a simpler structure for suppressing an increase in cost, and a structure in which a check valve is devised to improve the ventilation performance. In particular, with the recent spread of electric vehicles, a structure for improving the sound insulation performance has also been proposed. In electric vehicles, instead of the engine sound, sounds such as road noise and wind noise account for a large proportion of the noise invading the vehicle interior. Therefore, improvement of the ventilation duct, which is the main invasion path of these sounds, is required.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a ventilation duct that aims to improve the ventilation performance while preventing the intrusion of outside air into the vehicle interior. The ventilation duct of Patent Document 1 is a check valve that swings to open and close the opening of the duct body, and devises the structure of the insertion hole through which the pin of the duct body is inserted. Then, it is possible to suppress the communication between the insertion hole and the opening without reducing the opening of the duct body. As a result, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of outside air into the vehicle interior (in other words, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of noise from the outside of the vehicle into the vehicle interior). Furthermore, it is said that the ventilation performance can be improved by configuring the check valve to swing largely to the outside of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, one structure for vehicle vent ducts to improve sound insulation performance is to reduce the size of the opening in the duct body. However, if the opening is made smaller, sufficient airflow may not be secured, and ventilation performance may decrease. Therefore, a structure that improves sound insulation performance by increasing the thickness of the on-off valve, which is pivotably attached to the duct body and covers the opening, can be considered. On the other hand, increasing the thickness of the on-off valve may make the valve itself heavier and more difficult to open and close. As a result, this may affect ventilation performance. Furthermore, if the on-off valve is made thicker, the knocking sound when the valve closes may increase.

[0006] Therefore, this specification aims to realize a vehicle vent duct that is easy to open and close regardless of the plate thickness of the valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle vent duct disclosed herein comprises a duct body having an opening that is assembled to the vehicle body and communicates the interior of the vehicle with the exterior of the vehicle, and a mounting portion that protrudes outward from the upper part of the opening, and a plate-shaped on-off valve that covers the opening and has an insertion hole that is inserted into the mounting portion and is pivotably supported by the mounting portion, wherein the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole has a shape in which the central part protrudes inward from the insertion hole when viewed from the side.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the shape of the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole is such that the rotational resistance when opening and closing the on-off valve is reduced, making it easier to open and close the on-off valve.

[0009] Furthermore, the vehicle vent duct is characterized in that multiple on-off valves are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle, each on-off valve has an insertion hole and is supported by a different mounting part, and the lower side of the upper wall of each insertion hole has a different radius of curvature at the contact portion with the mounting part, with the on-off valves provided lower down having a larger radius of curvature.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the opening degrees of the multiple on-off valves provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle are different, which disperses the knocking sound when the on-off valves close, thereby reducing the knocking sound.

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle vent duct is characterized in that the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole has a rounded shape with chamfered corners.

[0012] Furthermore, the vehicle vent duct is characterized in that the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole has a hemispherical shape that protrudes downward.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole has rounded corners or is hemispherical, which reduces the rotational resistance when opening and closing the valve, making it easier to open and close the valve. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the vehicle vent duct disclosed herein, the shape of the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole is such that, in a side view, the central part protrudes inward into the insertion hole, thereby reducing rotational resistance when the on-off valve swings and opens and closes, and making it easier to open and close the on-off valve. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle vent duct. [Figure 2] These are schematic perspective views of a vehicle vent duct, showing both external and internal views of the vehicle. [Figure 3] This diagram schematically shows the insertion hole for an on / off valve. [Figure 4] This is a schematic side view of the frame and on / off valve of a vehicle vent duct. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The following describes the vehicle vent duct with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, "Fr," "Up," and "Rh" indicate the front, top, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0017] Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle vent duct. In this example, vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle, where improved sound insulation performance in the vent duct and its surrounding areas is generally required, but it is not limited to this. As shown in Figure 1, vehicle 10 has a vehicle vent duct 12 at the lower rear. More specifically, the vehicle vent duct 12 is located at the lower rear of the body panel covering the left rear wheel, i.e., the part called the quarter panel. The vehicle vent duct 12 is a ventilation device that draws air from inside the vehicle to the outside when the pressure inside the vehicle becomes higher than the pressure outside the vehicle due to the operation of the air conditioning system (not shown) or when the side door (not shown) is closed. Note that the vehicle vent duct 12 may be installed on both the left and right sides of the vehicle, not just one side. That is, since Figure 1 shows the left side of the vehicle, this example describes the structure on the left side, but the mounting position of the vehicle vent duct 12 is not limited to this. Since the structure of the right side of the vehicle is generally symmetrical to that of the left side, the explanation of the right side will be omitted.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle ventilation duct, showing the exterior view and the interior view of the vehicle respectively. More specifically, the left figure in Figure 2 shows the exterior view of the vehicle ventilation duct 12, and the right figure shows the interior view of the vehicle ventilation duct 12. The vehicle ventilation duct 12 includes a duct body 14 and an opening / closing valve 16. The duct body 14 has an opening 18 assembled to the vehicle body and communicating the interior of the vehicle with the exterior, and a mounting portion (not shown) provided above the opening 18 and protruding outward. The opening / closing valve 16 is a plate-like member made of rubber, resin, etc., and covers the opening 18. In Figure 2, three opening / closing valves 16 are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The opening / closing valve 16 has an insertion hole 20 inserted through the mounting portion and is swingably supported by the mounting portion. In Figure 2, the opening / closing valve 16 is shown as a thick ink portion to distinguish it from other members. Details of the opening / closing valve 16 will be described later with reference to Figure 3, and the configurations of the opening / closing valve 16 and the mounting portion will be described later with reference to Figure 4 respectively.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram schematically showing the insertion hole of the opening / closing valve. Figure 3 shows one of the opening / closing valves 16, and the opening / closing valve 16 has three insertion holes 20 in a shape like being cut into a rectangular parallelepiped in a front view at its upper part. The three insertion holes 20 are of the same shape and the same size. Note that the number of the insertion holes 20 is not limited to this.

[0020] In Figure 3, in order to explain the lower side 22 of the upper wall of the insertion hole 20, the rightmost insertion hole 20 is surrounded by a broken line, and its A-A cross-sectional view is shown by the B part and the C part surrounded by the broken line. In Figure 3, the lower side 22 is shown as a light ink portion. The B part and the C part each show an example of the insertion hole 20, and the insertion hole 20B surrounded by the B part and the insertion hole 20C surrounded by the C part are separate bodies. Therefore, the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole 20B surrounded by the B part is shown as being composed of both end portions 22a, 22b and a central portion 22c. On the other hand, the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole 20C surrounded by the C part is shown as being composed of both end portions 22d, 22e and a central portion 22f. The lower side of the insertion hole 20C is in a semi-cylindrical shape corresponding to the lower half of a horizontally extending cylinder.

[0021] The lower side of the upper wall of the through hole 20B enclosed by section B and the lower side of the upper wall of the through hole 20C enclosed by section C are common in that, in a side view, their respective central portions 22c and 22f protrude inward toward the inside of the through holes 20B and 20C. On the other hand, the details are different, as shown in Figure 3 as specific examples. The lower side of the upper wall of the through hole 20B enclosed by section B has a rounded shape with chamfered corners. That is, because both ends 22a and 22b are chamfered, the rotational resistance at the contact point with the mounting portion (not shown) inserted into the through hole 20B is reduced compared to, for example, the case where both ends 22a and 22b have an angular shape. The same applies to section C. The lower side of the upper wall of the through hole 20C enclosed by section C has a shape that protrudes downward in a hemispherical shape. In other words, because both ends 22d and 22e are spherical, the rotational resistance at the contact point with the mounting part (not shown) inserted into the through hole 20C is reduced compared to, for example, the case where both ends 22d and 22e have an angular shape. As a result, even if the plate thickness of the on-off valve 16 covering the opening 18 is increased to improve sound insulation performance, the difficulty in opening and closing the on-off valve 16 is suppressed. In other words, conventionally, increasing the thickness of the on-off valve 16 makes the on-off valve 16 itself heavier, making it difficult to open and close, which could affect ventilation performance. However, in the vehicle vent duct disclosed herein, the shape of the lower side 22 of the upper wall of the through hole 20 is such that the rotational resistance when opening and closing the on-off valve 16 is reduced, making it easier to open and close the on-off valve 16. Therefore, a structure that is easy to open and close regardless of the plate thickness of the on-off valve 16 is possible.

[0022] Next, we will explain, with reference to Figure 4, the problem of knocking noise when the shut-off valve 16 closes, which may occur if the shut-off valve 16 is thickened, including how to address this issue. Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the frame and shut-off valve of a vehicle vent duct. As shown in Figure 4, the duct body 14 has a mounting portion 24 and a frame 26. The mounting portion 24 is provided so as to protrude outwards from the upper part of the opening (not shown). The insertion hole 20 of the shut-off valve 16 is inserted through the mounting portion 24. The shut-off valve 16 is pivotably supported by this mounting portion 24. Note that, as in Figure 2, the shut-off valve 16 is shown as a dark-inked portion in Figure 4 to distinguish it from other components.

[0023] In FIG. 4, three on-off valves 16 are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The three on-off valves 16 each have an insertion hole 20 and are supported by different mounting portions 24. In FIG. 4, the connection portion between the mounting portion 24 and the on-off valve 16 and its peripheral portion are shown as portions D, E, and F surrounded by broken lines in order from above. Also, an enlarged view of portion D is shown as portion D', an enlarged view of portion E is shown as portion E', and an enlarged view of portion F is shown as portion F' respectively. The on-off valves 16 surrounded by portions D', E', and F' are referred to as on-off valve 16D, on-off valve 16E, and on-off valve 16F respectively. For the sake of clarity, the illustration of the mounting portion 24 in the enlarged view is omitted. Referring to the on-off valves 16D, 16E, and 16F in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the installation angles are different. Specifically, the upper on-off valve 16D protrudes most toward the outside of the vehicle, and the lower on-off valve 16F is located closest to the frame 26. That is, the on-off valves 16D, 16E, and 16F have a larger opening with the duct body 14 toward the upper part and a smaller opening with the duct body 14 toward the lower part. Such a configuration can be rephrased as the curvature radii at the contact portions between the lower side 22 of the upper wall of the insertion hole 20 and the mounting portion 24 being different. And the curvature radius is set to be larger for the on-off valve provided lower (that is, in this example, for the on-off valve 16F).

[0024] As described above, the opening degrees of the three on-off valves 16D, 16E, and 16F, which are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10, are all different. Therefore, a time difference occurs when the on-off valves 16D, 16E, and 16F close, and the impact noise is dispersed. As a result, the impact noise is reduced in the vehicle vent duct 12 with the structure shown in Figure 4. In addition, by increasing the radius of curvature of the on-off valve 16F provided at the bottom (in other words, by reducing the opening with the duct body 14), it is possible to set it up while also considering sound insulation performance. Generally, when noise from outside the vehicle enters the vehicle cabin through the vehicle vent duct 12, the most commonly cited source of noise is the position where the rear wheels touch the road surface. Therefore, in order to deal with noise from below, the on-off valves provided at the bottom are configured to be less susceptible to external noise. That is, by dispersing the impact noise when multiple on-off valves 16 close, and adjusting the opening with the duct body 14 to reduce noise input from below the vehicle 10, a configuration is created that can contribute more to noise reduction. In addition, noise reduction measures sometimes involve installing a separate cover with sound-absorbing material on the duct body, but this measure has led to increased costs. However, as described above, by realizing a structure that is easy to open and close regardless of the plate thickness of the valve, the increase in costs can be suppressed.

[0025] It should be noted that the above description is merely an example, and the vehicle vent duct disclosed herein may have an insertion hole through which a mounting portion is inserted, an on-off valve provided which is pivotably supported by the mounting portion and covers the opening, and the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole may have a shape in which the central part protrudes inward into the insertion hole when viewed from the side. Therefore, other configurations of the vehicle vent duct may be changed as appropriate. For example, in Figure 2, three on-off valves 16 are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10, but the number of on-off valves is not limited to multiple, and a structure with only one may be provided.

[0026] Furthermore, for example, the lower side 22 of the upper wall of the insertion hole 20 may have a V-shape or a polygonal shape in a side view. Also, although the upper edge of the insertion hole 20 is shown as horizontal in Figure 3, it is not limited to this. For example, the edge itself may have a shape that protrudes downward in a semicircular shape. With these structures, as in the example explained with reference to Figure 3, the shape of the lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole can reduce the rotational resistance when opening and closing the on-off valve, making it possible to realize a vehicle vent duct that is easy to open and close regardless of the plate thickness of the on-off valve. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0027] 10 Vehicle, 12 Vehicle vent duct, 14 Duct body, 16 On / off valve, 18 Opening, 20 Through hole, 22 Lower part of the upper wall of the through hole, 24 Mounting part, 26 Frame.

Claims

1. A duct body having an opening that is assembled to the vehicle body and connects the interior and exterior of the vehicle, and a mounting portion that protrudes outward from the upper part of the opening, A plate-shaped on-off valve having an insertion hole through which the mounting portion is inserted, and supported by the mounting portion so as to be swingable, and an on-off valve covering the opening, Equipped with, The lower side of the upper wall of the insertion hole has a shape in which the central part protrudes toward the inside of the insertion hole when viewed from the side. A vehicle vent duct characterized by the following features.

2. Multiple on-off valves are provided in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Each of the aforementioned on-off valves has an insertion hole and is supported by a separate mounting part. The lower side of the upper wall of each of the aforementioned insertion holes has a different radius of curvature at the contact point with the mounting portion. The lower the on / off valve is located, the larger the radius of curvature. The vehicle vent duct according to feature 1.

3. The lower side of the upper wall of the aforementioned insertion hole has a rounded shape with chamfered edges. The vehicle vent duct according to feature 1.

4. The lower side of the upper wall of the aforementioned insertion hole has a shape that protrudes downward in a hemispherical form. The vehicle vent duct according to feature 1.

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