Vehicle cowl structure

Abstract

To favorably separate between liquid and air.SOLUTION: In a cowl structure 10, a plurality of fins 22 are installed on a cowl top panel 14. Each of the fins 22 is formed in a plate shape, and inclined toward the front as it goes downward, and curved in an arc shape that protrudes downward when viewed from a vehicle width direction. Then, when an airflow AR passes through the fins 22, a lower region of the fins 22 becomes positive pressure and an upper region of the fins 22 becomes negative pressure. Therefore, a vortex flow is generated that swirls a tip portion 22A of each of the fins 22 from a lower side to an upper side of each of the fins 22 when viewed from a right-and-left direction. In other words, a vortex flow is generated at the tip portion 22A of each of the fins 22, with the right-and-left direction being an axial direction. This causes the airflow AR to flow leftward while turning in an extending direction of each of the fins 22. As a result, water and air contained in the airflow AR are centrifugally separated from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In a cowl structure of a vehicle, when outside air is introduced into the cowl, liquid such as rainwater contained in the outside air is separated from the air, and the separated air is sent to the air conditioner side. For example, in the cowl structure described in Patent Document 1 below, a cowl duct is provided in the cowl, and the inside of the cowl is partitioned by the cowl duct. The cowl duct has a hole for sending air to the air conditioner side and ribs formed around the hole. Thereby, when outside air is introduced into the cowl, the ribs of the cowl duct separate liquid such as rainwater contained in the outside air from the air.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, with the installation of a wiper unit, an airbag, etc. in the cowl, the air passage in the cowl has a tendency to become relatively narrow. As a result, the flow velocity of the outside air flowing through the cowl becomes relatively fast, and it has become difficult to satisfactorily separate the liquid contained in the outside air from the air. For this reason, it is desirable for the cowl structure to have a structure that can satisfactorily separate the liquid from the air.

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a cowl structure of a vehicle that can satisfactorily separate liquid from air.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One or more embodiments of the present invention include: a concave cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle at the lower end of the windshield glass and open upward when viewed from the longitudinal direction; a cowl panel provided on the upper side of the cowl body, which closes the upper opening of the cowl body and has an outside air intake for introducing outside air into the interior of the cowl body; an exhaust port formed in the cowl body for exhausting the air inside the cowl body to the passenger compartment side; and a device provided on the cowl panel, positioned between the outside air intake and the exhaust port, which allows air to flow from the outside air intake to the exhaust port. Flows along the width of the vehicle It comprises a gas-liquid separation mechanism that generates a vortex as an airflow passes through it, thereby separating the air and liquid in the airflow. The gas-liquid separation mechanism is composed of plate-shaped fins whose width is in the vehicle width direction, and these fins extend downward and forward from the cowl panel and are curved in an arc shape that is convex downward when viewed from the vehicle width direction. It has a cowl structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, liquid and air can be separated effectively. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic top view showing a portion of the front of a vehicle to which the cowl structure of the vehicle according to this embodiment is applied, as seen from above. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view from the front, showing the inside of the left side of the cowl structure of a vehicle in which the gas-liquid separation mechanism shown is located. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view from the right side (section 3-3 in Figure 2) showing the inside of the cowl structure of the vehicle. [Figure 4] (A) is a side view from the right, showing an enlarged view of the fin shown in Figure 3, and (B) is a front view from the front, showing an enlarged view of the fin shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a schematic front view showing a modified version of the fin. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The cowl structure 10 of the vehicle according to this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as cowl structure 10) will be described below with reference to the drawings. Arrows UP shown in the drawings indicate the upper side of the vehicle (automobile) V to which the cowl structure 10 is applied, arrows FR indicate the front side of the vehicle, and arrows RH indicate the right side of the vehicle (one side in the vehicle width direction). In the following description, when using the directions of up / down, front / rear, and left / right, unless otherwise specified, these refer to the vehicle's vertical direction, front / rear direction, and left / right direction.

[0010] (Regarding the overall structure) As shown in Figure 1, the cowl structure 10 is provided on the front side of the lower end (front end) of the windshield glass 30 of the vehicle V and is positioned below the rear end of the hood 32 of the vehicle V. The cowl structure 10 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that extends in the width direction of the vehicle as a whole, and the inside of the cowl structure 10 is configured as a cowl duct section 16 (see Figure 3). The cowl structure 10 also includes an outside air inlet 14C for introducing outside air into the cowl duct section 16 and an exhaust port 12F (see Figure 2) for exhausting the air introduced into the cowl duct section 16 to the passenger compartment side. One end of the air conditioning duct 34 of the vehicle V is connected to the exhaust port 12F, and the air exhausted from the exhaust port 12F into the air conditioning duct 34 is supplied to the passenger compartment from the air outlet 34A which constitutes the other end of the air conditioning duct 34. An air conditioning unit 36 ​​is installed in the middle of the air conditioning duct 34, and when the blower fan 36A of the air conditioning unit 36 ​​is operated, an airflow is generated in the cowl duct section 16 from the outside air inlet 14C to the exhaust port 12F.

[0011] (Regarding cowl structure 10) As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cowl structure 10 is composed of a cowl body 12, a cowl top panel 14 as a cowl panel, and a gas-liquid separation mechanism 20.

[0012] (Regarding the cowl body 12) The cowl body 12 is made of a metal plate. The cowl body 12 extends in the vehicle width direction, and both longitudinal ends of the cowl body 12 are joined to apron members (not shown) that constitute the structural members of the vehicle V. When viewed from the vehicle width direction, the cowl body 12 is formed in a concave shape that opens upward. Specifically, the cowl body 12 is made up of a bottom wall 12A, a front wall 12B extending upward from the front end of the bottom wall 12A, and a rear wall 12C extending upward from the rear end of the bottom wall 12A.

[0013] A flange 12D, bent forward, is formed at the upper end of the front wall 12B of the cowl body 12. A flange 12E, bent diagonally upward and rearward, is formed at the upper end of the rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12, and the flange 12E is positioned below the lower end (front end) of the windshield glass 30. The rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12 is connected to a dash panel (not shown) that separates the engine compartment from the passenger compartment of the vehicle V. An exhaust port 12F (see Figure 2) is formed through the rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12 at its left end, and the exhaust port 12F is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the left-right direction as its longitudinal direction. A drain port (not shown) is provided in the bottom wall of the cowl body 12, and is configured to drain any liquid that falls onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12 to the outside of the cowl body 12 through the drain port.

[0014] (Regarding cowl top panel 14) The cowl top panel 14 is made of resin. The cowl top panel 14 is formed in a substantially elongated plate shape that extends in the vehicle width direction. A flange 14A is formed at the front end of the cowl top panel 14, which protrudes forward. The flange 14A is positioned above the flange 12D of the cowl body 12 and is fixed to the flange 12D by fastening members such as clips. A panel connecting portion 14B (see Figure 3) is formed at the rear end of the cowl top panel 14. The panel connecting portion 14B is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens diagonally upward and rearward when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the cowl top panel 14. The lower end of the windshield glass 30 is inserted into the panel connecting portion 14B, and the panel connecting portion 14B is fixed to the flange 12E of the cowl body 12 by fastening members such as clips. As a result, the upper opening of the cowl body 12 is closed by the cowl top panel 14. The interior of the cowl structure 10, which is partitioned by the cowl body 12 and the cowl top panel 14, is configured as the cowl duct section 16.

[0015] Multiple outside air inlets 14C are formed through the right end of the cowl top panel 14. The outside air inlets 14C are formed in the shape of roughly elongated holes with the longitudinal direction roughly in the front-to-back direction, and are arranged side by side with predetermined intervals in the left-to-right direction. As a result, the inside and outside of the cowl duct section 16 are connected by the outside air inlets 14C.

[0016] (Regarding the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20) The gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is constituted by a plurality of fins 22 provided on the cowl top panel 14. The gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is disposed at the left part of the cowl duct portion 16. Specifically, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is disposed at a position adjacent to the right side of the exhaust port 12F and is also disposed on the front side of the exhaust port 12F. That is, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the air flow AR flowing through the cowl duct portion 16. In the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20, the fins 22 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Specifically, when the fins 22 arranged along the front-rear direction are taken as one row, a plurality of rows (in this embodiment, 4 rows) of fins 22 are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. More specifically, in the first row and the third row from the right, four fins 22 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and in the second row and the fourth row from the right, three fins 22 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 3, the fins 22 in the first row and the second row from the right are illustrated. However, in order to distinguish and illustrate the fins 22 in the first row and the second row, the fins 22 in the first row are illustrated with solid lines, and the fins 22 in the second row are illustrated with two-dot chain lines.

[0017] Also, in the fins 22 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, the fins 22 are displaced in the front-rear direction so that the front-rear positions of the fins 22 do not coincide with each other. And, although details will be described later, the fins 22 are configured to separate air and liquid in the air flow AR flowing through the cowl duct portion 16 and to allow the separated air to flow toward the exhaust port 12F side.

[0018] The fin 22 is formed in a substantially triangular plate shape with the left-right direction as the width direction (refer to the fin 22 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4(B)). Specifically, the width dimension of the fin 22 is set to decrease toward the tip side. In this embodiment, since the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 is a corner, the width dimension of the tip portion 22A is set to zero. Also, in this embodiment, the plate thickness of the fin 22 is set to be constant.

[0019] Then, the base end portion 22B of the fin 22 is connected to the lower surface of the cowl top panel 14, and the fin 22 extends downward from the cowl top panel 14. Specifically, when viewed from the left-right direction, as the fin 22 extends downward, it curves and inclines forward in a curved shape, and the front portion of the fin 22 is wound upward. More specifically, when viewed from the left-right direction, the fin 22 is curved in an arc shape that bulges downward, and the tip end portion 22A of the fin 22 is disposed between the lower end portion 22C and the base end portion 22B of the fin 22 in the vertical direction. Further, the fin 22 is disposed above the lower opening edge portion of the exhaust port 12F.

[0020] Furthermore, the tip end portion 22A of the fin 22 is disposed closer to the left side (the side of the exhaust port 12F and the downstream side of the air flow AR) than the central portion in the width direction of the fin 22 in the left-right direction. That is, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4(B), when the fin 22 is developed, the inclination angle A1 of the hypotenuse 22D on the right side (the side of the outside air inlet 14C and the upstream side of the air flow AR) with respect to the base end portion 22B (the bottom side) of the fin 22 is set to be smaller than the inclination angle A2 of the hypotenuse 22E on the left side with respect to the base end portion 22B of the fin 22. Further, when viewed from the front side, the width dimension W2 of the lower end portion 22C of the fin 22 is set to be 1 / 2 or less of the width dimension W1 of the base end portion 22B of the fin 22.

[0021] (Function and Effect) Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.

[0022] In the cowl structure 10 configured as described above, the outside air inlet 14C is formed at the right end portion of the cowl top panel 14, and the exhaust port 12F is formed at the left end portion of the cowl main body 12. Then, when the air conditioner 36 of the vehicle V is turned on, the blower fan 36A of the air conditioner 36 operates, and the air in the cowl duct portion 16 is sucked from the exhaust port 12F to the air conditioning duct 34 side by the blower fan 36A. As a result, outside air (air) is introduced into the cowl duct portion 16 from the outside air inlet 14C, and an air flow AR from the outside air inlet 14C toward the exhaust port 12F is generated in the cowl duct portion 16.

[0023] In this case, water (liquid) such as rainwater may enter the cowl duct section 16 from the outside air inlet 14C along with the air. When this happens, liquid water with relatively large particles falls onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12 and is discharged from the drainage port formed in the bottom wall 12A.

[0024] On the other hand, for example, the relatively small mist-like water particles scattered in the cowl duct section 16 flow along the lower surface of the cowl top panel 14 to the left, along with the airflow AR, above the cowl duct section 16. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the airflow AR passes through the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 provided on the cowl top panel 14 just before the exhaust port 12F.

[0025] Here, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 is composed of multiple fins 22. The fins 22 are formed in a plate shape and, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, they incline towards the front as they move downwards and are curved in an arc shape that is convex downwards. As a result, when the airflow AR passes through the fins 22, the lower region of the fins 22 becomes positive pressure and the upper region of the fins 22 becomes negative pressure. Therefore, when viewed from the left and right directions, a vortex flow B is generated that wraps around the tip portion 22A of the fins 22 from the bottom to the top of the fins 22 (see Figure 4(A)). In other words, a vortex flow B with the left-right direction as its axial direction is generated at the tip portion 22A of the fins 22. As a result, the airflow AR flows to the left while swirling in the direction of extension of the fins 22 (see Figures 2 and 4(B)). As a result, the water and air contained in the airflow AR are centrifuged. The separated water then adheres to the fins 22, and as the water adhering to the fins 22 condenses into droplets, it flows along the wall surface of the fins 22 to the lower end 22C of the fins 22. As a result, the water accumulated at the lower end 22C of the fins 22 falls from both the left and right ends of the lower end 22C onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12 (see arrow C in Figure 2) and is drained from the drain port on the bottom wall 12A. In addition, the air separated from the water by the fins 22 flows from the fins 22 to the exhaust port 12F as an airflow AR and is exhausted from the exhaust port 12F. Therefore, dry air is supplied to the passenger compartment via the air conditioning duct 34. In summary, according to the cowl structure 10 of this embodiment, the fins 22 generate a vortex flow B, which effectively separates liquids such as water in the airflow AR from air.

[0026] Furthermore, the fin 22 is formed in a triangular plate shape and extends downward and forward from the cowl top panel 14. This allows the hypotenuse 22D on the right side (upstream side of the airflow AR) of the fin 22 to be tilted to the left side (downstream side of the airflow AR) as it approaches the tip of the fin 22. Therefore, when the airflow AR strikes the hypotenuse 22D of the fin 22, the generation of turbulence can be suppressed. Thus, compared to, for example, the case where the fin 22 is formed in a roughly rectangular plate shape, a vortex flow B can be generated effectively at the tip 22A of the fin 22, separating water and liquid in the airflow AR.

[0027] Furthermore, the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 is positioned to the left (towards the exhaust port 12F) relative to the center of the fin 22 in the width direction. This allows the inclination angle A1 of the right hypotenuse 22D with respect to the base portion 22B of the fin 22 to be smaller than the inclination angle A2 of the left hypotenuse 22E with respect to the base portion 22B of the fin 22. This effectively suppresses the generation of turbulence when the airflow AR strikes the hypotenuse 22D of the fin 22, as described above. Therefore, compared to, for example, the case where the inclination angle A1 of the right hypotenuse 22D of the fin 22 and the inclination angle A2 of the left hypotenuse 22E of the fin 22 are set to be the same, a vortex flow B can be generated more effectively at the tip portion 22A of the fin 22, thereby separating water and liquid in the airflow AR.

[0028] Furthermore, by forming the fin 22 in a triangular plate shape, the width dimension W2 of the lower end 22C of the fin 22 can be set to be smaller than the width dimension W1 of the base end 22B of the fin 22. In this embodiment, as an example, the width dimension W2 of the lower end 22C of the fin 22 is set to be 1 / 2 or less of the width dimension W1 of the base end 22B of the fin 22. This allows water that adheres to the fin 22 and turns into droplets to be concentrated in the area of ​​the lower end 22C of the fin 22 and dropped from both the left and right ends of the lower end 22C of the fin 22. In other words, the drop position of the water falling from the fin 22 can be set, and the position of the drain port of the cowl body 12 can be set in accordance with that drop position.

[0029] Furthermore, in the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20, the fins 22 arranged in the front-to-back direction are arranged in a single row, and multiple rows of fins 22 are arranged in the vehicle width direction. This allows for the gradual separation of air and water from the airflow AR flowing through the cowl duct section 16. Moreover, the front-to-back positions of adjacent fins 22 in the vehicle width direction are offset. That is, the fins 22 are arranged so that, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, the entirety of adjacent fins 22 in the vehicle width direction does not overlap. As a result, the airflow AR that passes between the front-to-back fins 22 can be separated from the air by the downstream fins 22. Therefore, air and water can be effectively separated from the airflow AR passing through the cowl duct section 16.

[0030] Furthermore, in the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20, multiple fins 22 are integrally provided on the cowl top panel 14. This allows for the separation of air and water in the cowl duct section 16 while suppressing cost increases for the cowl structure 10.

[0031] Furthermore, the entire fin 22 is positioned above the lower opening edge of the exhaust port 12F. That is, the lower end portion 22C of the fin 22 is positioned above the lower opening edge of the exhaust port 12F. This allows the air from which water has been separated by the fin 22 to flow efficiently to the exhaust port 12F and then to the passenger compartment.

[0032] Furthermore, as described above, the fins 22 are curved in an arc shape that is convex downwards and slopes forward as they are viewed from the left and right. In addition, the exhaust port 12F is formed in the rear wall 12C of the cowl body 12 and is located behind the gas-liquid separation mechanism 20 (multiple fins 22). This effectively suppresses the ingress of water separated by the fins 22 into the exhaust port 12F, while allowing the separated water to fall onto the bottom wall 12A of the cowl body 12. That is, the airflow AR that swirls around the fins 22 due to the vortex B swirls along the extension direction of the fins 22. As a result, there is a possibility that water separated by the swirling airflow AR may be blown out from the tip 22A of the fins 22. For this reason, if the fins 22 were curved in an arc shape that is convex downwards and slopes backwards as they are viewed from the left and right, there is a possibility that water blown out from the tip 22A of the fins 22 may directly ingress into the exhaust port 12F. In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the fin 22 is curved in an arc shape that slopes forward and convex downwards as it moves downwards when viewed from the left and right directions. As a result, the water blown out from the tip 22A of the fin 22 is blown out on the opposite side from the exhaust port 12F. Therefore, direct ingress of the blown-out water into the exhaust port 12F can be suppressed. In addition, the water blown out from the fin 22 collides with the front wall 12B of the cowl body 12. Therefore, the water is condensed into droplets on the front wall 12B and falls down the front wall 12B to the bottom wall 12A.

[0033] In this embodiment, the fin 22 is formed in a substantially triangular plate shape, but as shown in Figure 5, the fin 22 may also be formed in a substantially trapezoidal plate shape. In this case, the width dimension W3 at the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 is set to be smaller than the width dimension W1 at the base portion 22B of the fin 22. In this case, the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 is no longer a corner, but is configured as a side extending in the left-right direction. This makes it possible to generate vortex flow B with the left-right direction as the axial direction even more effectively at the tip portion 22A of the fin 22.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 is positioned to the left of the center portion of the fin 22 in the width direction (downstream of the airflow AR), but the position of the tip portion 22A of the fin 22 in the width direction can be changed as appropriate.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thickness of the fin 22 is set to a constant value, but the thickness of the fin 22 may be appropriately changed depending on the conditions of the vortex flow B generated at the tip portion 22A of the fin 22.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vertical and longitudinal dimensions of the fin 22 are not specifically defined, but as described above, the vertical and longitudinal dimensions of the fin 22 can be appropriately set according to the conditions of the vortex flow B generated at the tip portion 22A of the fin 22.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hypotenuses 22D and 22E of the fin 22 are configured as straight edges, but the hypotenuses 22D and 22E may also be configured as curved edges. For example, the hypotenuses 22D and 22E may be configured as gently curved edges that are convex outward in the width direction of the fin 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10. Vehicle cowl structure 12 Cowl Body 12F Exhaust Vent 14 Cowl Top Panel 14C Outdoor air intake 20 Gas-liquid separation mechanism 22 fins 22A Fin tip 22B fin base Lower end of 22C fin 30 Windshield Glass

Claims

1. A concave cowl body extending in the vehicle width direction at the front of the lower end of the windshield glass and open upward when viewed from the longitudinal direction, A cowl panel provided on the upper side of the cowl body of the vehicle, which closes the upper opening of the cowl body and has an outside air intake for introducing outside air into the interior of the cowl body, The cowl body has an exhaust port formed therein for exhausting the air inside the cowl body to the passenger compartment, A gas-liquid separation mechanism is provided on the cowl panel, positioned between the outside air intake and the exhaust port, and generates a vortex as the airflow passing through from the outside air intake to the exhaust port along the vehicle width direction separates the air and liquid in the airflow. Equipped with, The aforementioned gas-liquid separation mechanism is composed of plate-shaped fins with the vehicle width direction as the width direction, The fin extends downward and forward from the cowl panel and is curved in an arc shape that protrudes downward when viewed from the vehicle width direction, forming a cowl structure.

2. The cowl structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fins are positioned in front of the exhaust port.

3. The cowl structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the width dimension of the base end of the fin is set to be larger than the width dimension of the tip of the fin.

4. The cowl structure of a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tip of the fin is positioned closer to the exhaust port side with respect to the center of the fin in the width direction.

5. The gas-liquid separation mechanism has a plurality of fins, The fins arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are considered as one row, and multiple rows of the fins are arranged in the width direction of the vehicle. The cowl structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the positions of adjacent fins in the vehicle width direction are offset in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

6. The cowl structure according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the lower end of the fin is positioned above the lower opening edge of the exhaust port.

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