Air conditioning duct for vehicle and beam for vehicle

Abstract

This air-conditioning duct for a vehicle comprises: an inlet (32) and a plurality of outlets (33); and a cylindrical duct (31) forming a flow path (40). The plurality of outlets (33) include a first outlet (33A) and a second outlet (33B). The flow path (40) is provided with a first partition (37). The first partition (37) divides the inlet (32) into a first opening (32d) and a second opening (32e). The first partition (37) divides the flow path (40) into a first flow path (41) which extends from the first opening (32d) to the first outlet (33A), and a second flow path (42) which extends from the second opening (32e) to the second outlet (33B).

Description

Vehicle air conditioning duct and vehicle beam

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning duct for a vehicle and a beam for a vehicle having the function of an air conditioning duct.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle air conditioner that includes an interior air conditioning unit that produces air at a desired temperature, and a defroster air duct, a center face air duct, a side face air duct, and a foot air duct that are attached to the air conditioning unit.

[0003] The vehicle interior air conditioning unit has a defroster opening, a face opening, and a foot opening at the most downstream side in the air flow direction. The defroster opening is connected to a defroster outlet provided in the vehicle interior via a defroster air duct.

[0004] The face opening is divided into a center face opening and a side face opening. The center face opening is connected to a center face air outlet provided in the vehicle cabin via a center face air duct. The side face opening is connected to a side face air outlet provided in the vehicle cabin via a side face air duct.

[0005] The foot opening is connected to a foot air outlet provided in the vehicle compartment via a foot air duct.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-247115

[0007] However, in such a vehicle air conditioner, a plurality of air ducts are provided independently of each other, which poses a problem that the overall size of the air ducts tends to be large.

[0008] A vehicle air conditioning duct according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises an inlet and a plurality of outlets, and a cylindrical duct body configured to be arranged to extend in a vehicle width direction within an instrument panel and forming a flow path through which air for conditioning flows, wherein the plurality of outlets include a first outlet and a second outlet arranged at a position farther from the inlet in the vehicle width direction than the first outlet, and a partition portion is provided in the flow path, and the partition portion divides the inlet into a first opening and a second opening, and divides the flow path into a first flow path extending from the first opening to the first outlet and a second flow path extending from the second opening to the second outlet.

[0009] A vehicle beam according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a beam body including the vehicle air conditioning duct, the beam body having a pair of mounting portions provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction, the pair of mounting portions being configured to be attached to a vehicle body, the first outlet directing the air conditioning air to a center outlet located in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction, the second outlet directing the air conditioning air to a side outlet located at one end of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction, when the partition portion is the first partition portion, the flow path is provided with an extension portion and a second partition portion, the extension portion extends outward from the flow path in the vehicle width direction beyond the second outlet, and the second partition portion separates the extension portion from the second flow path.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a vehicle beam. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle beam of FIG. 1 as seen from the opposite side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a lower beam half of the vehicle beam of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of a vehicle beam, focusing on the partition portion. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a second modified example of a vehicle beam. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing another modified example of a vehicle beam.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle air conditioning duct and a vehicle beam will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of a vehicle will be referred to as the longitudinal direction, and the front and rear of the longitudinal direction will be simply referred to as the front and rear. The width direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the vehicle width direction, and the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the rear of the vehicle to the front will be simply referred to as the right and left. The vertical direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane will be referred to as the vertical direction, and the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction will be simply referred to as the upper and lower.

[0012] 1 to 3, a vehicle beam (hereinafter referred to as beam 10) supports a steering column (not shown) and the like within an instrument panel. The beam 10 extends in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and both ends in the vehicle width direction are attached to front pillars 14 of the vehicle body (see FIG. 2).

[0013] The beam 10 has a beam main body 30 and a peripheral portion as other components. The beam main body 30 has a duct portion 31, an inlet 32, a plurality of outlets 33, a pair of mounting portions 34, and a plurality of partition portions 35. The beam main body 30 corresponds to the vehicle air conditioning duct according to the present disclosure.

[0014] The duct portion 31 extends in the vehicle width direction and mainly constitutes the beam main body 30. The duct portion 31 has a hollow shape. Specifically, the duct portion 31 is cylindrical with both ends in the vehicle width direction closed. The duct portion 31 corresponds to the duct main body according to the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the side away from the center of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction may be simply referred to as the outside, and the side closer to the center of the duct portion 31 may be simply referred to as the inside.

[0015] The inlet 32 ​​is cylindrical and protrudes forward from the center of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction. An opening 32c that opens forward is provided at the front end of the inlet 32. The opening 32c has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. The opening 32c is connected to the air conditioning device 11.

[0016] Each of the outlets 33 is cylindrical and protrudes rearward from the duct portion 31. An opening 33c that opens rearward is provided at the rear end of each outlet 33. The opening 33c is square in shape.

[0017] In this embodiment, the outlets 33 include a pair of first outlets 33A and a pair of second outlets 33B. The pair of first outlets 33A are arranged in the center of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction. The first outlets 33A are arranged side by side with a small gap between them in the vehicle width direction. The openings 33c of the pair of first outlets 33A both face the openings 32c of the inlet 32 ​​in the front-rear direction. The openings 33c of the pair of first outlets 33A are respectively connected to a pair of center air outlets 12 arranged in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 1).

[0018] The pair of second outlets 33B are disposed at positions farther from the inlet 32 ​​in the vehicle width direction than the pair of first outlets 33A. More specifically, the pair of second outlets 33B are disposed at both ends of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction. Openings 33c of the pair of second outlets 33B are connected to a pair of side air outlets 13 disposed at one end and the other end of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction, respectively (see FIG. 1).

[0019] 3 and 4, the duct portion 31, the inlet 32, the pair of first outlets 33A, and the pair of second outlets 33B form a flow path 40 through which the air for conditioning A sent from the air conditioner 11 flows. Note that only the lower half of the flow path 40 is shown in FIG.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one mounting portion 34 is provided on each end of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction. Each mounting portion 34 is adjacent to a second outlet 33B in the vehicle width direction. The pair of second outlets 33B are disposed more inward than the pair of mounting portions 34 in the vehicle width direction. Each mounting portion 34 has an upper mounting portion 34a that protrudes upward from the outer surface of the duct portion 31 and a lower mounting portion 34b that protrudes downward from the outer surface. When each mounting portion 34 is fastened to the front pillars 14 on both sides of the vehicle body, the beam main body 30, and therefore the beam 10, is fixed to the vehicle body (see Figure 2).

[0021] 2 and 4 , the plurality of partitions 35 are plate-shaped and extend intersecting the vehicle width direction, and are provided inside the beam body 30 to divide the flow path 40. In this embodiment, the plurality of partitions 35 include a central partition 36, as well as a pair of first partitions 37 and a pair of second partitions 38.

[0022] The central partition 36 is a plate-like member perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, and is disposed in the center of the flow path 40 in the vehicle width direction, dividing the flow path 40 and the opening 32c into left and right halves. Here, the beam body 30 and the flow path 40 have shapes symmetrical with respect to the plane direction in which the central partition 36 extends. That is, the beam body 30 and the flow path 40 have shapes symmetrical with respect to the left. For this reason, hereinafter, only the configuration of the partition 35 and the flow path 40 included in the left portion of the beam body 30 will be described, and a description of the configuration of the right portion of the beam body 30 may be omitted.

[0023] 4, the first partition 37 further divides the left half of the opening 32c into a first opening 32d and a second opening 32e. The first partition 37 also divides the left half of the flow path 40 into a first flow path 41 and a portion other than the first flow path 41. The first flow path 41 is the portion extending from the first opening 32d to the first outlet 33A.

[0024] The first partition 37 has a facing surface 37a that faces the second opening 32e in the front-rear direction. The facing surface 37a curves outward as it moves rearward. In other words, the facing surface 37a curves so that the farther it is from the second opening 32e in the front-rear direction, the closer it is to the second outlet 33B in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction corresponds to the facing direction with respect to the second opening according to the present disclosure.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4 , the second partition 38 divides the left half of the flow path 40, excluding the first flow path 41, into a second flow path 42 and an extending portion 43. The second flow path 42 is a portion extending from the second opening 32e to the second outlet 33B. The extending portion 43 is a portion of the flow path 40 extending outward beyond the second outlet 33B. The second partition 38 has a facing surface 38a that faces the opening 33c of the second outlet 33B in the front-rear direction. The facing surface 38a curves inward as it moves forward. In other words, the farther away from the opening 33c in the front-rear direction, the closer it is to the inlet 32 ​​in the vehicle width direction. Note that in this embodiment, the front-rear direction corresponds to the direction facing the opening of the second outlet according to the present disclosure.

[0026] The peripheral portion includes a plurality of support portions for attaching various components to the beam body 30 and a plurality of stay portions for connecting the beam body 30 to the vehicle body. The plurality of support portions include a steering support portion to which a steering column is fastened via a bracket or the like, and an airbag support portion to which an airbag device case is fastened via a bracket or the like. For example, if the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the steering support portion is integrally formed with the right side portion of the beam body 30. In this case, the airbag support portion is integrally formed with the left side portion of the beam body 30. The plurality of stay portions are, for example, integrally formed with the right side portion of the beam body 30 and fastened to a cowl panel or dash panel of the vehicle body. Note that for convenience, the peripheral portion and the portion of the beam body 30 where the peripheral portion is provided are not shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4.

[0027] 1 to 4, the beam 10 is made up of a plurality of divided bodies. In this embodiment, the beam 10 is made up of two divided bodies: the upper divided body 21 that forms the upper part of the beam 10, and the lower divided body 23 that forms the lower part of the beam 10. The divided bodies 21 and 23 divide the beam main body 30 into two in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31.

[0028] Each of the divided bodies 21, 23 is integrally molded from a resin material. From the viewpoint of improving rigidity and strength, it is preferable to use a fiber-reinforced resin as the resin material. In this embodiment, a polyamide resin containing glass fiber is used.

[0029] 1 to 3, the upper segment 21 has an upper beam half 30a that constitutes the upper half of the beam main body 30. The upper beam half 30a corresponds to the duct segment according to the present disclosure.

[0030] The upper beam half 30a has a semi-cylindrical upper peripheral wall 31a, an upper inlet half 32a connected to the upper peripheral wall 31a and protruding forward, and multiple upper outlet half 33a connected to the upper peripheral wall 31a and protruding rearward. The upper beam half 30a also has multiple upper partition half 35a protruding downward from the inner surface of the upper peripheral wall 31a (see FIG. 2). The upper partition half 35a corresponds to the partition segment according to the present disclosure.

[0031] The upper peripheral wall portion 31a constitutes the upper half of the duct portion 31. The upper inlet half 32a constitutes the upper half of the inlet 32. The plurality of upper outlet half 33a constitutes the upper half of each of the plurality of outlets 33. The plurality of upper partition half 35a constitutes the upper half of each of the plurality of partitions 35.

[0032] A flange-shaped upper connecting portion 22 is integrally provided on the peripheral edge of the upper peripheral wall portion 31a and on the lower end portions of the upper inlet half body 32a and the upper outlet half body 33a which are continuous with the peripheral edge.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the upper connection portion 22 has an upper opposing surface 22a extending along the dividing surface of the beam body 30, and an upper welding rib 22b protruding downward from the upper opposing surface 22a.

[0034] 1 to 4, the lower segment 23 has a lower beam half 30b that constitutes the lower half of the beam main body 30. The lower beam half 30b corresponds to the duct segment according to the present disclosure.

[0035] The lower beam half 30b has a semi-cylindrical lower peripheral wall 31b, a lower inlet half 32b connected to the lower peripheral wall 31b and protruding forward, and multiple lower outlet half 33b connected to the lower peripheral wall 31b and protruding rearward. Also, as shown in Figure 4, the lower beam half 30b has multiple lower partition half 35b protruding upward from the inner surface of the lower peripheral wall 31b. The lower partition half 35b corresponds to the partition segment according to the present disclosure.

[0036] The lower peripheral wall portion 31b constitutes the lower half of the duct portion 31. The lower inlet half 32b constitutes the lower half of the inlet 32. The plurality of lower outlet half bodies 33b constitute the lower half of each of the plurality of outlets 33. The plurality of lower partition half bodies 35b constitute the lower half of each of the plurality of partition portions 35. The plurality of upper partition half bodies 35a are formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of lower partition half bodies 35b in the up-down direction.

[0037] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, flange-shaped lower connecting portions 24 are integrally provided on the peripheral edge of the lower peripheral wall portion 31b and on the upper ends of the lower inlet half body 32b and the lower outlet half body 33b that are continuous with the peripheral edge.

[0038] The lower connection portion 24 has a lower opposing surface 24a extending along the dividing surface of the beam body 30 and a lower welding rib 24b protruding upward from the lower opposing surface 24a. The lower opposing surface 24a faces the upper opposing surface 22a in the vertical direction.

[0039] The upper welding rib 22b and the lower welding rib 24b are welded together using a known welding method such as vibration welding, thereby joining the upper connecting portion 22 and the lower connecting portion 24, and ultimately the upper divided body 21 and the lower divided body 23. At this time, the plurality of upper partition half bodies 35a and the plurality of lower partition half bodies 35b are also welded together in the same manner, thereby forming the plurality of partition bodies 35.

[0040] <Upper Reinforcement Rib 39a, Lower Reinforcement Rib 39b> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the beam body 30 has an upper reinforcing rib 39a and a lower reinforcing rib 39b.

[0041] Upper reinforcing ribs 39a are integrally formed on the upper beam half 30a. The upper reinforcing ribs 39a protrude upward from the outer surface of the upper peripheral wall 31a and extend in a mesh pattern along the outer surface. The protruding height of the upper reinforcing ribs 39a is constant throughout their extension.

[0042] Lower reinforcing ribs 39b are integrally formed on the lower beam half 30b. The lower reinforcing ribs 39b protrude downward from the outer surface of the lower peripheral wall 31b and extend in a mesh pattern along the outer surface. The protruding height of the lower reinforcing ribs 39b is constant throughout their extension.

[0043] <Operation of this embodiment> Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The central partition 36 divides the duct portion 31, and therefore the beam body 30, into a left portion and a right portion having flow paths independent of each other.

[0044] The first partition portion 37 forms a first flow path 41 and a second flow path 42 that are independent of each other within the flow path 40 in the left portion of the beam body 30. Therefore, the number of duct bodies can be reduced compared to a conventional air conditioning duct in which a duct body that forms the first flow path 41 and a duct body that forms the second flow path 42 are each provided independently in the left portion.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the beam 10 of this embodiment, in the left portion, the conditioned air A introduced from the first opening 32d into the first flow path 41 is discharged from the first outlet 33A. Furthermore, the conditioned air A introduced from the second opening 32e into the second flow path 42 is discharged from the second outlet 33B. Therefore, by sending conditioned air A that has been adjusted differently in terms of temperature, air volume, etc. from the air conditioner 11 toward the first opening 32d and the second opening 32e, it is possible to discharge conditioned air A that has been adjusted differently from the first outlet 33A and the second outlet 33B.

[0046] Furthermore, the right side portion of the beam body 30 has a shape symmetrical to the left side portion. Therefore, the right side portion also has the same effect as that described above. <Effects of this embodiment> Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0047] (1) A first partition 37 is provided in each of the left and right portions of the flow path 40. The pair of first partitions 37 divide the inlet 32 ​​into a pair of first openings 32d and a pair of second openings 32e, and also divide each of the left and right portions of the flow path 40 into a first flow path 41 extending from the first openings 32d to the first outlet 33A and a second flow path 42 extending from the second openings 32e to the second outlet 33B.

[0048] This configuration provides the above-described advantages. Therefore, the beam body 30 can function as an air conditioning duct while being smaller than conventional air conditioning ducts. In addition, the air conditioning function of the vehicle can be improved.

[0049] (2) The beam 10 is composed of an upper division body 21 and a lower division body 23 made of resin that divide the duct portion 31 in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31. Each of the plurality of partitions 35 is formed by welding together an upper division body 35a that is molded integrally with the upper division body 21 and a lower division body 35b that is molded integrally with the lower division body 23.

[0050] According to this configuration, the beam 10 having the partition 35 can be formed simply by assembling the divided bodies 21 and 23, each having the partition half bodies 35a and 35b integrally formed therein.

[0051] Furthermore, with the above configuration, each of the partitions 35 is divided into an upper partition half body 35a and a lower partition half body 35b. Therefore, the size of the portion of the partition 35 in the partition bodies 21, 23 is smaller than when the entire partition 35 is molded integrally with one of the partition bodies 21, 23. Therefore, when each of the partition bodies 21, 23 is molded from a resin material, sink marks in the resin that occur when the portion that constitutes the partition 35 is integrally formed can be suppressed.

[0052] (3) The first partition 37 has an opposing surface 37a facing the second opening 32e. The opposing surface 37a is curved so that it is positioned outward as it extends rearward. With this configuration, the air-conditioning air A introduced through the second opening 32e of the inlet 32 ​​collides with the opposing surface 37a of the first partition 37. Here, the opposing surface 37a is curved so that it is positioned outward as it extends rearward. Therefore, the air-conditioning air A introduced through the second opening 32e is guided outward by the opposing surface 37a. Therefore, the air-conditioning air A can be efficiently directed toward the second outlet 33B, which is farther from the inlet 32 ​​than the first outlet 33A.

[0053] (4) The beam main body 30 has a pair of mounting portions 34. The pair of mounting portions 34 are provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction and are configured to be attached to the front pillars 14. The first outlet 33A guides the air-conditioning air A to the center outlet 12. The second outlet 33B guides the air-conditioning air A to the side outlets 13. An extension portion 43 and a second partition portion 38 are provided on each of the left and right portions of the flow path 40. Each extension portion 43 extends outward from each second outlet 33B in the vehicle width direction within the flow path 40. Each second partition portion 38 separates the extension portion 33A from the second flow path 42.

[0054] With this configuration, differently conditioned air A can be blown toward the vehicle cabin from the center air outlet 12 and the side air outlets 13. The beam body 30 has mounting portions 34 for mounting to the front pillars 14 at both ends in the vehicle width direction. This makes it difficult to arrange the second outlets 33B at these ends. Therefore, the second outlets 33B are arranged more inward than the mounting portions 34 in the vehicle width direction. However, this configuration presents the following problem. When the conditioned air A introduced through the second opening 32e flows into the second outlets 33B, a portion of the conditioned air A flows into the second outlets 33B via the extension portions 43. This may increase the pressure loss of the conditioned air A.

[0055] In this regard, with the above-described configuration, the second partition portion 38 prevents the conditioning air A from flowing into the extension portion 43. Therefore, an increase in pressure loss of the conditioning air A guided from the second outlet 33B to the side air outlet 13 can be suppressed.

[0056] (5) The second partition 38 has an opposing surface 38a that faces the opening 33c of the second outlet 33B. The opposing surface 38a is curved so that it is positioned more inward as it extends forward.

[0057] With this configuration, the conditioned air A introduced through the second opening 32e of the inlet 32 ​​collides with the opposing surface 38a of the second partition portion 38. Here, the opposing surface 38a is curved so that it is positioned more inward as it moves forward. Therefore, the conditioned air A introduced through the second opening 32e is guided by the opposing surface 38a toward the second outlet 33B. Therefore, the conditioned air A can be more efficiently directed toward the second outlet 33B.

[0058] <Modifications> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0059] The partition 35 is not limited to being formed by welding the upper partition half 35 a and the lower partition half 35 b as illustrated in this embodiment. For example, the partition 35 may be formed by fitting the tip of one of the partition half 35 a, 35 b into the tip of the other.

[0060] The partition section 35 is not limited to being divided into partition half bodies 35a, 35b as illustrated in this embodiment, and each partition section 35 may be molded as a single unit with either one of the beam half bodies 30a, 30b.

[0061] The partition 35 does not necessarily have to be integrally molded with the beam main body 30, but may be molded separately from the beam main body 30. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 , the beam 10 may have an upper partition half 135a and a lower partition half 135b molded separately from the beam halves 30a and 30b, which are inserted into grooves 25a and 25b as recesses formed in the beam halves 30a and 30b. Alternatively, only one of the grooves 25a and 25b may be provided, and the undivided partition 135 may be inserted into that groove. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the partition 135 is inserted into the groove 25b formed in the lower beam half 30b.

[0062] The grooves in the above modified examples are not limited to those formed by recesses as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. For example, the grooves may be formed by a pair of ribs protruding from one or both of the beam halves 30a and 30b. Figure 7 shows an example in which a partition half 135b (partition 135) is inserted into a groove 125b formed by a pair of ribs instead of the groove 25b.

[0063] The grooves in the modified examples of Figures 5 to 7 may be configured so that the partitions can be inserted along the up-down direction, or so that the partitions can be inserted along the front-rear direction.Furthermore, the grooves may be configured so that the partitions can be inserted both in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0064] The partition 35 may be modified as follows when dividing the flow path 40 into a pair of first flow paths 41, a pair of second flow paths 42, and a pair of extending portions 43. That is, the partition 35 may divide the flow path 40 so that the first flow paths 41 communicate with each other, the first flow paths 41 and the second flow paths 42, and the second flow paths 42 and the extending portions 43 each have a portion that is in communication with each other, as long as the effects of this embodiment are achieved.

[0065] The second partition portion 38 is not limited to being curved as illustrated in this embodiment, and may be a flat plate-like portion that is perpendicular to the vehicle width direction.

[0066] The central partition 36 may be omitted. In this case, the portion of the opening 32c other than the pair of second openings 32e corresponds to the first opening, and the portion extending from the first opening to the pair of first outlets 33A corresponds to the first flow path.

[0067] The inlet 32 ​​is not limited to one that protrudes forward from the duct portion 31. For example, the inlet 32 ​​may extend at an angle from the duct portion 31 so as to be positioned higher toward the front, or may extend at an angle from the duct portion 31 so as to be positioned lower toward the front.

[0068] The shapes of the openings 32c, 33c of the inlet 32 ​​and the outlet 33 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in this embodiment and may be, for example, oval shapes that are long in the vehicle width direction. The inlet 32 ​​and the outlet 33 are not limited to those that protrude from the duct portion 31 and may be simply constituted by the openings 32c, 33c.

[0069] The protruding height of the upper reinforcement rib 39a and the lower reinforcement rib 39b does not have to be constant throughout the entire extension direction. In the present embodiment, the upper division body 21 and the lower division body 23 are joined by welding the upper welding rib 22b and the lower welding rib 24b, but the joining method of the upper division body 21 and the lower division body 23 is not limited to this. Any joining method can be used as long as it defines the flow path 40. For example, the upper division body 21 and the lower division body 23 may be joined by fastening the upper connection portion 22 and the lower connection portion 24 using a plurality of bolts.

[0070] The beam 10 is not limited to being divided into the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 23 as illustrated in this embodiment. For example, the beam 10 may be divided into a front segment and a rear segment. Furthermore, the beam 10 is not limited to being divided into two segments in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31, but may be divided into three or more segments in the circumferential direction. In this case, the partition portion 35 is also not limited to being divided into an upper partition half 35a and a lower partition half 35b as illustrated in this embodiment, but the division method may be changed as appropriate depending on how the beam 10 is divided.

[0071] The shape of the duct portion 31 is not limited to the cylindrical shape exemplified in this embodiment, and may be, for example, a rectangular tube. The shape of the beam main body 30 is not limited to the bilaterally symmetrical shape exemplified in this embodiment, and may be an asymmetrical shape.

[0072] In the present embodiment, the segments 21, 23 are integrally molded from a resin material. However, for example, each of the segments constituting the beam main body 30 may be integrally molded from a resin material, with the remaining components being formed separately from a metal material. Furthermore, the entire beam 10 may be formed from a metal material. In this case, the strength and rigidity of the beam 10 are ensured, and the reinforcing ribs 39a, 39b can be omitted.

[0073] The vehicle beam according to the present disclosure is not limited to one configured to be applied to a right-hand drive vehicle, but may also be one configured to be applied to a left-hand drive vehicle.

[0074] The beam 10 may be configured to function simply as an air conditioning duct by omitting the mounting portion 34, the extension portion 43, and the surrounding portion.

Claims

1. An air conditioning duct for a vehicle comprising an inlet and a plurality of outlets, and a cylindrical duct body configured to be arranged to extend in the vehicle width direction within an instrument panel and forming a flow path through which air for conditioning flows, wherein the plurality of outlets include a first outlet and a second outlet arranged at a position farther from the inlet in the vehicle width direction than the first outlet, and a partition section is provided in the flow path, and the partition section divides the inlet into a first opening and a second opening, and divides the flow path into a first flow path extending from the first opening to the first outlet, and a second flow path extending from the second opening to the second outlet.

2. The vehicle air conditioning duct according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle air conditioning duct is composed of a plurality of resin duct segments that divide the duct body in the circumferential direction of the duct body, and the partition section is formed by joining partition sections that are molded integrally with each of the plurality of duct segments.

3. A vehicle air conditioning duct as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the partition portion has an opposing surface facing the second opening, and the opposing surface is curved so that the further away from the second opening in the direction facing the second opening, the closer to the second outlet in the vehicle width direction.

4. A vehicle beam comprising a beam body including the vehicle air conditioning duct according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the beam body has a pair of mounting parts provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction, the pair of mounting parts being configured to be attached to the vehicle body, wherein the first outlet directs the air for conditioning to a center outlet located in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction, and the second outlet directs the air for conditioning to a side outlet located at one end of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction, and when the partition part is defined as the first partition part, the flow path is provided with an extension part and a second partition part, and the extension part extends outward from the second outlet in the vehicle width direction within the flow path, and the second partition part separates the extension part from the second flow path.

5. A vehicle beam as described in claim 4, wherein the second partition portion has an opposing surface facing the opening of the second outlet, and the opposing surface is curved so that the further it is from the opening in the direction facing the opening, the closer it is to the inlet in the vehicle width direction.

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