Intake structure for front part of vehicle

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: a supply port connected to an intake duct that sends outside air to a vehicle component; a first air inlet that is formed in a front bumper and directs outside air from the front of a vehicle to a radiator in an engine room; and a second air inlet disposed at a side of the first air inlet and at a position different from the supply port in the vehicle width direction. A first space that extends in the front-rear direction from the first air inlet toward the radiator and a second space ranging from the second air inlet to the supply port have a communication portion interposed therebetween so as to communicate with each other.

Description

Air intake structure at the front of the vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to an air intake structure at the front of a vehicle that introduces outside air into an engine compartment from the front of the vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, an intake structure for the front of a vehicle is known that introduces outside air into the engine compartment from the front of the vehicle, guides the outside air to an intake duct that supplies the outside air to the engine, and prevents water from entering the intake duct even when driving on a flooded road.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a front grille and an intake duct that guides outside air introduced through an air inlet hole formed in the front grille to the vehicle's power unit, the intake duct having a box-shaped duct body with an opening in its bottom plate, and a cover with a roughly L-shaped cross section that forms an intake inlet path between the bottom plate and the cover that runs from the front of the vehicle toward the opening, and the duct body has a structure in which the bottom plate and the cover are positioned higher than the height of the upper end of the air inlet hole.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-131889

[0005] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 aims to prevent water droplets splashed by rippling water surfaces or fluctuations in water level from entering the front compartment when the vehicle travels through a flooded road and splashing into the intake duct. However, because the intake duct is located in front of the air inlet, there are problems in that it may not be possible to sufficiently prevent foreign matter such as water droplets from entering the intake duct when they are splashed with force by water hammer caused by the vehicle entering a flooded road. Another problem is that if the air inlet in front of the intake duct is blocked by snow, there are cases in which air is hardly supplied to the intake duct.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air intake structure for the front of a vehicle that has a simple and compact configuration and can more reliably prevent liquids such as water droplets and other foreign matter from entering the air intake duct, and that can efficiently supply air to the air intake duct even if the air intake port that supplies outside air to the air intake duct is blocked by snow damage.

[0007] The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration: [1] An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle, comprising: a supply port connected to an intake duct that sends outside air to vehicle components, a first intake port formed in a front bumper that introduces outside air from the front of the vehicle to a radiator in an engine compartment, and a second intake port disposed to the side of the first intake port and in a position different in the vehicle width direction from the supply port, wherein a communication portion is provided between a first space extending in the front-rear direction from the first intake port toward the radiator and a second space connected from the second intake port to the supply port, providing communication between them.

[0008] According to the vehicle front air intake structure of the present invention, the second air intake port that introduces outside air from the front of the vehicle and the supply port that supplies outside air to the intake duct are located at different positions in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front, so that the guide part with a simple and compact configuration can efficiently prevent water droplets and foreign objects from entering the intake duct. Furthermore, even if the second air intake port that supplies outside air to the intake duct is buried by snow damage, air can be efficiently supplied to the intake duct via the first air intake port and the communication part.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the intake structure of the front part of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the intake structure of the front part of a vehicle. FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the main part showing the intake structure of the front part of a vehicle. FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of the main part showing the intake structure of the front part of a vehicle. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the main part taken along line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in FIG. 1.

[0010] Hereinafter, an air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows only one example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Various modifications and improvements can be made to this embodiment, and such modifications and improvements can also be included in the present invention.

[0011] In this embodiment, the direction of travel of the vehicle is referred to as "front," and the rear of the vehicle when traveling backward is referred to as "rear." The left side of the vehicle when traveling forward is referred to as "left," and the right side of the vehicle when traveling forward is referred to as "right." Furthermore, the left-right direction and the vehicle width direction are synonymous, and the front-rear direction and the forward and backward directions are synonymous.

[0012] (Overall configuration) Figure 1 is a front view showing the intake structure of the front of a vehicle. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the intake structure of the front of a vehicle. Figure 3 is an upper perspective view of the main part showing the intake structure of the front of a vehicle. Figure 4 is a lower perspective view of the main part showing the intake structure of the front of a vehicle. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the main part taken along line A-A in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 8. Figure 9 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 1. Figure 10 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Figure 1.

[0013] A vehicle has an engine compartment in which an engine is mounted at the front. A front vehicle air intake structure 10 is provided in front of the engine compartment to introduce outside air from the front of the engine compartment and efficiently guide the outside air introduced into the engine compartment to the engine when the vehicle is traveling. A hood (not shown) that can be opened and closed vertically covers the engine compartment from above. Various vehicle components are mounted in the engine compartment. Specifically, an engine (not shown) is disposed on one of the left and right sides (the right side in the illustrated example) of the engine compartment, and a radiator 16 and an air cleaner (not shown) that removes impurities from the outside air supplied to the engine are disposed on the other side (the left side in the illustrated example). An intake duct 18 extending toward the front vehicle air intake structure 10 is connected to the air cleaner. A main duct 19 is also provided in the engine compartment to guide the outside air introduced into the engine compartment to the radiator 16 and other components. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 7 . The component to which the intake duct 18 is connected is not limited to the air cleaner that supplies outside air to the engine. The component to which the intake duct 18 is connected may be any vehicle component in the engine compartment that requires outside air, and for example, the intake duct 18 may be connected to a radiator.

[0014] The air intake structure 10 for the front of a vehicle includes a front grille 20 and a front bumper 30. The front bumper 30 extends in the left-right direction and is a member that covers the front of the engine compartment. The front grille 20 is detachably attached to the front of the front bumper 30. This configuration can be seen in Figures 1 and 7, etc.

[0015] The front bumper 30 has a rectangular first opening 31 disposed on the front side and extending in the left-right direction, and a second opening 32 disposed adjacent to the left end of the first opening 31. The front bumper 30 also has a beam portion 33 disposed above the first opening 31 and the second opening 32 and extending in the left-right direction. A guide portion 40 is formed in the left half of the front bumper 30, which, together with the front grille 20, guides outside air introduced into the second opening 32 to the intake duct 18. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 2 . The front bumper 30 may also be configured by attaching a front bracket, on which the guide portion 40 is formed, to the rear of the beam portion 33.

[0016] A plurality of reinforcing rods 35 (four in the illustrated example) are arranged in the left-right direction and extend across the first opening 31. The front surfaces of the reinforcing rods 35 abut against the rear surface of the front grille 20. The lower end of each reinforcing rod 35 is formed with a locking hole 36 into which a clip (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the front grille 20 can be inserted and removed.

[0017] The rear surface of the front grille 20 abuts against the front surface of the beam portion 33. A plurality of (five in the illustrated example) locking holes 34 are formed in the front surface of the beam portion 33 and arranged in the left-right direction, into which clips (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the front grille 20 can be inserted and detached.

[0018] The front grille 20 is a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction along the beam portion 33 of the front bumper 30, and a plurality of air guide holes 21 for introducing outside air are formed in a row in the left-right direction in the lower half of the front grille 20. The front grille 20 attached to the front of the front bumper 30 covers the front of the first opening 31 and the second opening 32 with the lower half in which the air guide holes 21 are formed, while the upper half of the front grille 20 covers the front of the upper part of the guide portion 40 arranged above the beam portion 33.

[0019] As a result, the guide portion 40 is formed by the front grille 20 and the front bumper 30. The guide portion 40 constitutes a sub-duct, which is an air guide space that guides outside air introduced into the second opening 32 toward the intake duct 18, relative to the main duct 19 that extends rearward from the first opening 31 toward the radiator 16. This configuration can be seen in Figures 3 to 7. The guide portion 40 that forms the sub-duct will be described below.

[0020] (Guide Section) The guide section 40 has a partition section 41, a first duct section 42, a second duct section 43, and a connecting section 44. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 2 . The first duct section 42 is an air guide space located behind the second opening 32. The second duct section 43 is an air guide space located above the first duct section 42 (beam section 33) and extending in the left-right direction. A connecting section 44 is formed on the lower surface of the outer left-right (left) side of the second duct section 43, and the connecting section 44 connects to the upper surface of the first duct section 42. A supply port 45 is formed on the inner left-right (right) side of the second duct section 43, and connects the outside air introduced through the second opening 32 to the intake duct 18. That is, the second opening 32 and the supply port 45 are offset in the left-right and up-down directions when viewed from the front. The partition section 41 is also provided with a communication section 49 that provides communication between the main duct 19 and the guide section 40 (sub-duct).

[0021] The partition 41 is a partition-like member formed on the front bumper 30 side to separate the first opening 31 and the second opening 32. The partition 41 has a plate-like first partition 41A extending forward from the rear and a second partition 41B, which is a vertical protrusion extending rearward from the front. The first partition 41A and the second partition 41B are offset in the left-right direction. As a result, the partition 41 separates the main duct 19 located behind the first opening 31 from the guide portion 40 located behind the second opening 32. A communication portion 49, which is a left-right through-hole, is formed at the top of the first partition 41A and guides outside air introduced into the main duct 19 through the first opening 31 into the first duct portion 42. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 5 .

[0022] As shown in Fig. 5, the communication section 49 is formed by cutting out the upper end of the first partition section 41A so that it slopes downward and rearward from the front end to the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the upper end of the first partition section 41A is formed with ribs 51 that protrude outward on the left and right. As a result, the communication section 49 is a through-hole that penetrates the partition section 41 in the left-to-right direction and is provided in the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction at the top of the partition section 41. This configuration can be seen in Figs. 3 to 5, etc.

[0023] The first duct portion 42 is an air guide space surrounded by a right side surface 42a including the partition portion 41, a left side surface 42b, an upper surface 42c, a lower surface 42d, and a rear surface 42e, and has an open front formed by the second opening 32. That is, the first duct portion 42 is provided on the left end side of the front bumper 30 (front grille 20) similar to the second opening 32. The partition portion 41 is provided in front of the right side surface 42a via a crank portion that bends inward to the left and right. A communication portion 49 that penetrates in the left-right direction is formed in the front half of the upper end of the partition portion 41. This configuration can be seen in FIG. 5. A connection portion 44 that penetrates in the up-down direction is formed in the rear half of the upper surface 42c (see FIG. 3).

[0024] The second duct portion 43 is an air guide space surrounded by a right side surface 43a, a left side surface 43b, an upper surface 43c, a lower surface 43d, a rear surface 43e, which are formed by the front bumper 30, and a front surface 43f, which is formed by the upper half of the front grille 20. The right side surface 43a is provided on the upper side of the left-right center of the beam portion 33. As a result, the second duct portion 43 is disposed above the first duct portion 42 and is provided along the left half of the beam portion 33. A connecting portion 44 is formed in the rear half of the left end of the lower surface 43d, which communicates in the vertical direction to connect to the first duct portion 42. A supply port 45 is formed in the left-right center of the rear surface 43e, which is connected to the intake duct 18. A plurality of concave and convex portions are formed on the lower surface 43d and the rear surface 43e. The strength of the guide portion 40 can be maintained high by the plurality of steps that protrude upward from the rear portion of the lower surface of the second duct portion 43. This configuration can be seen in Figures 3 and 4.

[0025] The supply port 45 is a through-hole formed in the upper half of the rear surface 43e of the second duct portion 43 in the front-rear direction, and has an opening formed in the up-down direction. The supply port 45 is connected to the front end of the intake duct 18, which extends forward and downward from an air cleaner (not shown). The supply port 45 is also provided with a foreign object removal section 46 that prevents foreign objects from entering the intake duct 18. This configuration can be seen in Figures 2 to 4.

[0026] The foreign matter removal section 46 is a plate-shaped member attached to the supply port 45 and has a lower cover body 47 attached to the lower side of the supply port 45 and an upper cover body 48 attached to the upper side of the supply port 45.

[0027] The lower cover body 47 is a plate-like member that protrudes forward from the supply port 45 toward the space within the second duct portion 43. The lower cover body 47 has an extension portion 47a extending from the upper portion of the supply port 45 into the space within the second duct portion 43, and bent portions 47b formed by bending the front end and left and right sides of the extension portion 47a upward. Both left and right ends of the extension portion 47a are smoothly curved upward. Furthermore, the extension portion 47a is formed to be inclined upward slightly forward from the horizontal in a side view. The bent portion 47b is inclined upward toward the front at a steeper angle than the extension portion 47a. As a result, the foreign object removal portion 46 is formed to cover the entire supply port 45 when viewed in the axial direction of the intake duct 18.

[0028] The upper cover body 48 is a plate-like member that protrudes forward from the supply port 45 toward the space within the second duct portion 43. The upper cover body 48 has an extension portion 48a extending from the upper portion of the supply port 45 into the space within the second duct portion 43 and bent portions 48b formed by bending the front end and left and right sides of the extension portion 48a downward, forming a box-like shape with an open bottom. As shown in FIG. 4 , the left and right width of the extension portion 48a of the upper cover body 48 is wider than the left and right width of the lower cover body 47 and is inclined downward toward the front. Furthermore, the vertical width of the bent portion 48b of the upper cover body 48 is wider than the bent portion 47b of the lower cover body 47. As a result, the lower end of the upper cover body 48 is located lower than the lower end of the lower cover body 47, and the entire lower cover body 47 (supply port 45) is housed inside the upper cover body 48.

[0029] According to this configuration, the foreign matter removal section 46 prevents liquids such as water that have entered the second duct section 43, and other foreign matter such as dust and dirt, from entering the intake duct 18, while only outside air that can smoothly bypass the foreign matter removal section 46 can be supplied to the intake duct 18.

[0030] (Effects) According to the above-described air intake structure 10 for the front of the vehicle, the front grille 20 and the front bumper 30 form a main duct 19 that guides the outside air introduced through the air guide holes 21 of the front grille 20 to the radiator 16, and a guide portion 40 that forms a sub-duct that guides the outside air to the intake duct 18 that guides it to the air cleaner.

[0031] The guide portion 40 guides the outside air supplied through the second opening 32, bending it in a crank shape in the vertical and horizontal directions in the following order: first duct portion 42 → connection portion 44 → second duct portion 43 → supply port 45. This guide portion 40 positions the second opening 32 in front of the first duct portion 42 and the supply port 45 toward the center of the second duct portion 43 in the horizontal direction, so that the second opening 32 and the supply port 45 are in different horizontal and vertical positions. The guide portion 40 configured in this manner can smoothly guide only the outside air to the intake duct 18 while preventing foreign matter that has entered the guide portion 40 from the second opening 32 from entering the intake duct 18 connected to the supply port 45.

[0032] Furthermore, the guide unit 40 has a communicating portion 49 that communicates in the left-right direction in the partition portion 41 that separates the first opening 31 and the second opening 32. This allows outside air to be supplied to the intake duct 18 even if the second opening 32, which has a smaller opening area than the first opening 31, is blocked due to snow damage or the like. Specifically, a portion of the outside air introduced through the first opening 31 is supplied to the intake duct 18 by guiding it in the following order: main duct 19 → communicating portion 49 → first duct portion 42 → connection portion 44 → second duct portion 43 → supply port 45. As shown in FIG. 5 , the communicating portion 49 has a left-right through-hole that gradually widens toward the rear, formed by the first partition portion 41A and the second partition portion 41B, and is located at the upper end of the midway portion of the partition portion 41 in the front-rear direction. This effectively prevents water droplets and the like that have entered through the first opening 31 from entering the guide unit 40. The communication section 49 is a hole that penetrates the partition section 41 in the left-right direction, and since it is formed from the middle of the partition section 41 in the front-to-rear direction, it does not interfere with the flow of outside air that flows from the first opening 31 to the main duct 19 at the rear.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and improvements can be made as appropriate.

[0034] As described above, this specification discloses the following: (1) An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle, comprising: a supply port connected to an intake duct that sends outside air to vehicle components; a first air intake port formed in a front bumper that introduces outside air from the front of the vehicle to a radiator in an engine compartment; and a second air intake port disposed to the side of the first air intake port and in a position different in the vehicle width direction from the supply port, wherein a communication portion is provided between a first space extending in the front-rear direction from the first air intake port toward the radiator and a second space connected from the second air intake port to the supply port. With this configuration, a guide portion with a simple and compact configuration can efficiently prevent water droplets and foreign matter from entering the air intake duct, and air can be efficiently supplied to the air intake duct even if part of the air intake port is buried by snow.

[0035] (2) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to (1), wherein the communication portion is disposed midway between the first space and the second space extending from the front bumper in the longitudinal direction. This configuration can prevent outside air introduced into the first space from the first air intake port from flowing into the second space more than necessary via the communication portion.

[0036] (3) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to (1) or (2), wherein the second air intake port and the supply port are disposed at different positions in the vertical direction. This simple configuration can efficiently prevent water droplets and foreign matter from entering the air intake duct.

[0037] (4) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the second air intake port is disposed at a position different from the supply port in the vehicle width direction. This configuration allows for efficient prevention of water droplets and foreign matter from entering the air intake duct with a simple configuration.

[0038] (5) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the second air intake port is disposed below the supply port. This configuration allows for a simple structure to efficiently prevent water droplets and foreign matter from entering the air intake duct.

[0039] (6) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the communication portion is a through hole that communicates between the first space and the second space in the vehicle width direction. This configuration can prevent outside air introduced into the first space from the first air intake port from flowing into the second space more than necessary via the communication portion.

[0040] (7) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein a foreign object removal portion extending in a planar shape forward and in the vehicle width direction is provided below the supply port. With this configuration, foreign objects such as water droplets and dust that have infiltrated into the second space can be more reliably prevented from entering the intake duct from the supply port.

[0041] (8) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to (7), wherein the foreign object removal portion has an extension portion that extends from the supply port toward the second space and a bent portion that bends a front end of the extension portion upward. With this configuration, foreign objects such as water droplets and dust that have entered the second space can be more reliably prevented from entering the intake duct from the supply port.

[0042] (9) The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to (7) or (8), wherein the foreign matter removal portion is formed so as to cover the entire supply port when viewed in the axial direction of the intake duct. This configuration more reliably prevents foreign matter such as water droplets and dust that have penetrated into the second space from entering the intake duct through the supply port.

[0043] (10) The air intake structure for a front part of a vehicle according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the vehicle part is an engine, and the supply port is disposed in front of the engine disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction, and the supply port is disposed on the other side in the vehicle width direction. According to this configuration, by disposing the supply port that supplies outside air to the intake duct on the left and right opposite sides of the engine in the engine compartment, it is possible to prevent outside air that has been heated by the heat of the engine from being supplied to the intake duct.

[0044] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Intake structure 16 Radiator 18 Intake duct 19 Main duct (first space) 20 Front grille 21 Air guide hole 30 Front bumper 31 First opening (first intake port) 32 Second opening (second intake port) 33 Beam portion 34 Locking hole 35 Reinforcement rod 36 Locking hole 40 Guide portion, sub-duct (second space) 41 Partition portion 41A First partition portion 41B Second partition portion 42 First duct portion 43 Second duct portion 44 Connection portion 45 Supply port 46 Foreign object removal portion 47 Lower cover body 47a Extension portion 47b Bent portion 48 Upper cover body 48a Extension portion 48b Bent portion 49 Communication portion 51 Rib

Claims

1. An air intake structure for a front part of a vehicle, comprising: a supply port connected to an intake duct that sends outside air to vehicle parts; a first air intake port formed in the front bumper that introduces outside air from the front of the vehicle to a radiator in the engine room; and a second air intake port located to the side of the first air intake port and in a position different in the vehicle width direction from the supply port, wherein a communication section is provided between a first space extending in the front-to-rear direction from the first air intake port toward the radiator and a second space connected from the second air intake port to the supply port, providing communication between them.

2. The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion is disposed in a longitudinally intermediate portion of the first space and the second space extending from the front bumper in the longitudinal direction.

3. An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second air intake port and the supply port are disposed at different positions in the vertical direction.

4. The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second air intake port is disposed at a position different in the vehicle width direction from the supply port.

5. An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second air intake port is positioned lower than the supply port.

6. An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication portion is a through hole that communicates between the first space and the second space in the vehicle width direction.

7. The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a foreign object removal section extending in a planar form forward and in the vehicle width direction is provided below the supply port.

8. An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle as described in claim 7, wherein the foreign object removal section has an extension portion that extends from the supply port toward the second space, and a bent portion that bends the front end of the extension portion upward.

9. The air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the foreign matter removal section is formed so as to cover the entire supply port when viewed in the axial direction of the air intake duct.

10. An air intake structure for a front portion of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle part is an engine, and the supply port is arranged in front of the engine which is arranged on one side in the vehicle width direction, and the supply port is arranged on the other side in the vehicle width direction.

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