Vehicle front structure
The duct with vulnerable regions addresses airflow guidance and air leakage in vehicle front structures, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs by standardizing the duct design for varying condenser piping configurations.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle front structures face challenges in efficiently guiding airflow to heat exchange parts while preventing air leakage, which increases air resistance and fuel consumption, and require costly modifications for varying condenser piping configurations.
A duct covering the radiator and condenser with thin cuts forming vulnerable regions allows condenser piping to pass through, enabling standardized duct design despite varying piping positions.
This configuration minimizes air leakage, maintains efficient airflow, reduces manufacturing costs, and improves fuel efficiency by standardizing the duct design.
Smart Images
Figure 0007878260000001 
Figure 0007878260000002
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure, and particularly to a structure of a duct that guides running wind to the inside of the vehicle and its peripheral members.
Background Art
[0002] In the front room of a vehicle, heat exchange parts such as a radiator for cooling an engine or a motor and a condenser for cooling a refrigerant used in a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner are installed. Conventionally, there has been a vehicle front structure in which the structure of a duct and its peripheral members is devised in order to efficiently cool these heat exchange parts.
[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a front end structure of a vehicle in which a duct part is integrally formed with a shroud. According to the structure of Patent Document 1, since air does not flow around the radiator through a notch or a gap, it is possible to improve the cooling function of the radiator without increasing the assembly man-hours.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] By the way, if the running wind can be appropriately introduced into the heat exchange part through the duct, efficient cooling of the heat exchange part is possible. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider preventing the running wind from leaking from gaps in the duct. For example, when the air resistance coefficient (CD value) increases due to air leakage, the fuel consumption performance deteriorates, and as a result, the CO2 emission amount also increases. In addition, regarding the setting of the duct, it is preferable to achieve commonality of members from the aspect of manufacturing cost.
[0006] Therefore, this specification aims to realize a vehicle front structure that prevents air leakage, efficiently introduces airflow into the heat exchange section, and reduces manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The vehicle front structure disclosed herein comprises a radiator through which coolant is circulated, a condenser for an air conditioning system, and a duct provided at the front of the vehicle that guides airflow into the interior of the vehicle, wherein the duct is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the radiator and the condenser, and has multiple fragile regions formed on its side by thinned cuts, and the condenser's piping is passed through the space created when one or more of the fragile regions are removed. [Effects of the Invention]
[0008] According to the vehicle front structure disclosed herein, the duct is provided to cover the outer periphery of the radiator and condenser, thereby efficiently directing airflow to the radiator and condenser. Furthermore, since the duct space can be formed to match the position of the condenser piping, the duct can be standardized even if the condenser piping configuration differs for each vehicle model, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the front structure of a vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of the duct shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0010] The vehicle's front structure will be described below with reference to the diagrams. In each diagram, "Fr," "Up," and "Rh" indicate the front, top, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.
[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the front vehicle structure according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the front vehicle structure 10 includes a radiator 12, a condenser 14, and a duct 16.
[0012] The radiator 12 is a known radiator installed in the front compartment, through which coolant is circulated to cool the heat generated by the engine or drive unit such as an electric motor. The condenser 14 is a known condenser (i.e., a condenser) that cools the refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle of an air conditioning system (e.g., a heat pump). The condenser 14 is located in front of the radiator 12 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this example, the condenser 14 is detachably fixed to the radiator 12 by fastening means such as bolts (not shown). The condenser 14 and radiator 12, which are arranged along this longitudinal direction, will be referred to as the "heat exchange section" below as appropriate. Note that in Figure 1, the outer periphery of the radiator 12 and condenser 14 is covered by the duct 16, so only the piping 18 portion shown in dark ink is shown for the condenser 14, and the other parts are hidden in Figure 1.
[0013] The duct 16 is located at the front of the vehicle and guides airflow into the cabin. More specifically, the duct 16 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, connecting the upper opening 20 and lower opening 22 located in the front bumper to the heat exchange section, which consists of the condenser 14 and radiator 12. The duct 16 separates the space from the upper opening 20 and lower opening 22 to the heat exchange section from the rest of the vehicle, guiding the airflow taken in through the upper opening 20 and lower opening 22 to the heat exchange section.
[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the duct 16 covers part or all of the outer periphery of the condenser 14 and the radiator 12. For example, if the radiator 12 is rectangular, the duct 16 has a rectangular frame shape that surrounds it. In addition, the duct 16 has multiple vulnerable regions 24 formed on its sides, separated by thinned cuts. In Figure 1, the vulnerable regions 24 are shown with dashed lines. One or more of these vulnerable regions 24 are separated to form empty spaces 26. In Figure 1, two empty spaces 26 are formed. The condenser 14's piping 18 (hereinafter referred to as "condenser piping 18") passes through each of these empty spaces 26.
[0015] The above configuration will be further explained with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the duct in Figure 1. In Figure 2, other surrounding components are omitted and the diagram is schematic in order to show the arrangement of the capacitor 14 and the duct 16. The capacitor 14 is shown in dark ink, and the side of the duct 16 (i.e., the part that covers the outer surface of the capacitor 14) is shown with a dashed line.
[0016] Figure 2 further shows an enlarged view of the side of the duct 16 within an ellipse enclosed by a dashed line. As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 2, multiple cuts are formed on the side of the duct 16, and these areas constitute vulnerable regions 24. These cuts, represented by dashed lines, can be formed, for example, by punching, and the overall wall thickness may be reduced, or discrete holes may be aligned, or a combination of both may be used. When assembling the duct 16 and its surrounding components, one or more vulnerable regions 24 that are in the position of the capacitor piping 18 are cut (i.e., detached from the duct 16). The duct 16 after this cut is shown to the right of the thick arrow. A space 26 is then formed in the area where the vulnerable region 24 was detached. As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 2, the capacitor piping 18 is passed through this space 26.
[0017] With the above-described configuration, in the vehicle front structure disclosed herein, even if the position of the condenser piping 18 differs for each vehicle model, the space portion 26 can be formed in the duct 16 to match that position. Therefore, since there is no need to change the structure of the duct 16 for each vehicle model, cost reduction is possible through the standardization of the duct 16. In addition, since the space portion 26 can be formed in the duct 16 to match the position of the condenser piping 18, it is not necessary to form unnecessary gaps in other parts of the duct 16. In other words, the gaps inside the duct 16 can be minimized. As a result, air leakage in the path that guides the airflow introduced from the upper opening 20 and the lower opening 22 to the heat exchange section can be suppressed, enabling efficient cooling of the heat exchange section. Furthermore, by not causing an increase in the CD value due to air leakage, issues such as decreased fuel efficiency and increased CO2 emissions can be addressed.
[0018] It should be noted that the above description is merely an example, and in the vehicle front structure disclosed herein, it is sufficient that the condenser piping is passed through the space created by the removal of one or more vulnerable areas of the duct, and other configurations may be modified as appropriate. For example, in the example in Figures 1 and 2, only one row of vulnerable areas 24 is formed in the vertical direction, but two or more rows can be formed, and by removing multiple vulnerable areas 24 together, both the position and size of the space 26 can be set. [Explanation of symbols]
[0019] 10 Front vehicle structure, 12 Radiator, 14 Condenser, 16 Duct, 18 Condenser piping, 20 Upper opening, 22 Lower opening, 24 Vulnerable area, 26 Void area.
Claims
[Claim 1] The radiator through which the coolant is circulated, The condenser of the air conditioning system, A duct located at the front of the vehicle that directs airflow into the cabin, Equipped with, The aforementioned duct is, It is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the radiator and the condenser, Multiple fragile regions are formed on the side, separated by thinned cuts. The capacitor's piping is routed through the space created when one or more of the aforementioned vulnerable regions are removed. A vehicle front structure characterized by the following features.