Vehicle front structure

Abstract

A vehicle front structure comprises a front trunk provided in a front compartment, a radiator provided below the front trunk and inclined so that the upper end part is positioned further to the rear of the vehicle than the lower end part, a radiator fan provided below and rearward of the radiator and provided so that the rotation axis is orthogonal to the cooling surface of the radiator, and a first air-guiding duct provided on the side of the radiator opposite to the radiator fan and inclined at an angle along the rotation axis of the radiator fan.

Description

Vehicle front structure

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle front structures.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Some vehicles have been proposed that are provided with a front trunk in a front compartment capable of storing items (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2010-058737 A

[0004] When a radiator for cooling a battery or the like is installed in the front compartment of a vehicle equipped with a front trunk, there is limited space for arranging the front trunk and the radiator, which can make it difficult to efficiently send air to the radiator.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to efficiently send air to a radiator in a vehicle provided with a front trunk.

[0006] A vehicle front structure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a front trunk provided within a front compartment, a radiator provided below the front trunk and tilted so that its upper end is positioned further rearward of the vehicle than its lower end, a radiator fan provided below and rearward of the radiator and whose rotation axis is perpendicular to the cooling surface of the radiator, and a first air duct provided on the opposite side of the radiator from the radiator fan and tilted at an angle along the rotation axis of the radiator fan.

[0007] According to the present invention, air can be efficiently sent to a radiator in a vehicle provided with a front trunk.

[0008] It is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle. It is a diagram showing a front structure of a vehicle. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 3. It is a diagram showing the operating state of a radiator fan and the opening and closing state of a flap.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle equipped with a motor generator 2 (denoted as "M / G" in the figure) as a power source. The vehicle 1 includes the motor generator 2, a high-voltage battery 3, an inverter 4, and a power transmission cable 5.

[0010] The motor generator 2 is a power source, such as a three-phase AC motor, that drives the vehicle 1. The motor generator 2 generates driving force using electric power supplied from a high-voltage battery 3 via an inverter 4 and a power transmission cable 5, and transmits the driving force to the drive wheels to drive the vehicle 1. If the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle, it will also be equipped with an engine as a power source.

[0011] The motor generator 2 is capable of generating electric power by performing regenerative operation. The electric power generated by the regenerative operation of the motor generator 2 is supplied to the high-voltage battery 3 via the inverter 4 and the power transmission cable 5. In this way, the high-voltage battery 3 is charged.

[0012] The inverter 4 converts the direct current supplied from the high-voltage battery 3 into three-phase alternating current and supplies it to the motor generator 2 via the power transmission cable 5. When the motor generator 2 performs regenerative operation, the inverter 4 converts the alternating current supplied from the motor generator 2 into direct current and supplies it to the high-voltage battery 3 via the power transmission cable 5.

[0013] The high-voltage battery 3 is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, and outputs and stores electric power at a high voltage of, for example, 100 V or 200 V. The high-voltage battery 3 can be charged by regenerative operation of the motor generator 2. The high-voltage battery 3 may also be charged by power supplied from an external device (not shown).

[0014] 2. Vehicle front structure Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle front structure 10 of a vehicle 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 3. Note that in Fig. 3, some components of the vehicle 1 are omitted to make the drawing easier to see.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the vehicle front structure 10 refers to the structure on the front side of the vehicle 1 .

[0016] The vehicle front structure 10 includes a front compartment 11. The front compartment 11 is a space located in front of a passenger compartment 12, which is a space for passengers, and is surrounded in the left-right direction (width direction) by a pair of front wheels 13. The front compartment 11 corresponds to an engine room in a vehicle having an engine.

[0017] The rear end of the front compartment 11 is separated from the passenger compartment 12 by a dash panel 14. The upper end of the front compartment 11 is separated from the outside by a hood 15. The front end of the front compartment 11 is separated from the outside by a front bumper 16.

[0018] In addition to the motor generator 2, a front trunk 17, a radiator 18, a radiator fan 19, a first air guide duct 20, a second air guide duct 21, a variable grille 22, and a flap 23 are provided within the front compartment 11. In other words, the vehicle front structure 10 includes the front trunk 17, the radiator 18, the radiator fan 19, the first air guide duct 20, the second air guide duct 21, the variable grille 22, and the flap 23.

[0019] The motor generator 2 is provided, for example, at the rear side of the front compartment 11 near the front wheels 13. The motor generator 2 is fixed to a pair of left and right front side members extending in the front-to-rear direction. However, the location of the motor generator 2 is not limited to this, and it may be provided below the trunk room on the rear side of the vehicle 1, or may be provided at another position in the front compartment 11.

[0020] In front of the motor generator 2, a front trunk 17, a radiator 18, and a radiator fan 19 are provided.

[0021] The front trunk 17 is a storage space formed in the shape of a roughly quadrangular truncated pyramid with a roughly rectangular bottom and a width that decreases in the left-right direction toward the bottom. The front trunk 17 has an opening at the top, which is opened and closed by the hood 15. The front trunk 17 is fixed to, for example, a pair of front side members.

[0022] In the vehicle front structure 10 , the radiator 18 and the radiator fan 19 are disposed below the front trunk 17 in order to ensure the size of the front trunk 17 .

[0023] The radiator 18 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape and is installed at an angle below the front trunk 17. Specifically, the radiator 18 is installed at an angle so that the cooling surface 18a, which is exposed to air, faces upward and forward, and the upper end is located further rearward than the lower end of the radiator 18. This allows the radiator 18 to be placed in a small vertical space, making it possible to lengthen the front trunk 17 in the vertical direction.

[0024] The radiator 18 cools the cooling medium by exchanging heat between the cooling medium and air. The cooling medium is mainly used to cool the high-voltage battery 3, but may also be used to cool the motor generator 2 and the inverter 4.

[0025] The radiator fan 19 is provided below and rearward of the radiator 18 so that its rotation axis is perpendicular to the cooling surface 18a of the radiator 18. Therefore, the radiator fan 19 is disposed at an angle, similar to the radiator 18. The radiator fan 19 is driven and controlled by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), not shown. When the radiator fan 19 operates, it draws air from the outside through at least one of the first air guide duct 20 and the second air guide duct 21 and passes the drawn air through the radiator 18. The radiator 18 cools the cooling medium by exchanging heat between the air passing through it and the cooling medium.

[0026] A second air duct 21 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 is provided in front of the radiator 18. The second air duct 21 extends linearly in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 from an opening 16a formed in the front bumper 16 to the radiator 18.

[0027] A variable grille 22 is provided near the opening 16a at the tip end of the second air guide duct 21. The variable grille 22 is driven and controlled by an ECU (control circuit), not shown, to open and close the second air guide duct 21. When the second air guide duct 21 is in a closed state, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 2, the second air guide duct 21 is closed to prevent air from being guided from outside to the radiator 18. When the second air guide duct 21 is in an open state, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 2, the second air guide duct 21 is open to allow air from outside to be guided to the radiator 18.

[0028] Here, as described above, the radiator 18 and the radiator fan 19 are arranged at an angle, so the direction in which the air generated by the operation of the radiator fan 19 is drawn in (from the top front to the bottom rear) does not match the direction in which the second air duct 21 is arranged (the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1).

[0029] In such a case, when the radiator fan 19 operates to draw in air, the flow resistance increases, which may deteriorate the cooling performance of the radiator 18. Also, in order to sufficiently cool the cooling medium in the radiator 18, the power consumption of the radiator fan 19 increases.

[0030] Therefore, the vehicle 1 is provided with a first air guide duct 20. The first air guide duct 20 is provided on the opposite side of the radiator 18 from the radiator fan 19, and is inclined at an angle along the rotation axis of the radiator fan 19.

[0031] Specifically, when viewed from the left and right (from the perspective of FIG. 2 ), the first air guide duct 20 is disposed so as to extend along the rotation axis of the radiator fan 19. In other words, the extension direction of the first air guide duct 20 and the direction of the rotation axis of the radiator fan 19 coincide with each other.

[0032] One end of the first air duct 20 is connected to a hood scoop 15 a formed on the hood 15 , and the other end is connected to a space in the second air duct 21 that faces the radiator 18 .

[0033] The first air ducts 20 are provided as a pair, spaced apart in the left-right direction, on either side of the front trunk 17 in a front view (as viewed from the perspective of FIG. 3 ). The first air ducts 20 are arranged at an angle from the top end to the bottom end toward the center of the vehicle in a front view. This angle is the same as the angle of the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17. Therefore, the first air ducts 20 also extend along the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17.

[0034] 4 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of the first air guide duct 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the first air guide duct 20 is formed in a tubular shape with a substantially rectangular cross section. The first air guide duct 20 is formed by abutting the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 against the opening of a duct member 20a, which has a U-shaped cross section. In other words, the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 is also used as a member that forms the first air guide duct 20.

[0035] In this way, by using the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 as part of the first air guide duct 20, it is possible to mitigate the temperature of the front trunk 17 from increasing due to the air passing through the first air guide duct 20. Furthermore, by using the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 as part of the first air guide duct 20, it is possible to increase the strength and rigidity of the first air guide duct 20.

[0036] A flap 23 is provided at the connection point between the first air guide duct 20 and the second air guide duct 21. The flap 23 is formed in a film (plate) shape from, for example, a rubber material, and is arranged so as to close the first air guide duct 20 from the second air guide duct 21 side. A portion of the flap 23 in the circumferential direction is fixed and another portion is not fixed, and the first air guide duct 20 can be opened and closed by the dynamic pressure (positive pressure or negative pressure) of the second air guide duct 21.

[0037] As shown by the solid line in Fig. 3, the flap 23 is in a closed state when the second air guide duct 21 is under positive pressure, preventing air from being guided from the first air guide duct 20 to the radiator 18. In addition, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3, the flap 23 is in an open state when the second air guide duct 21 is under negative pressure, allowing air to be guided from the first air guide duct 20 to the radiator 18.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operating status of the radiator fan 19 and the open / closed status of the flap 23. As shown in FIG. 5, when the vehicle 1 is traveling normally (e.g., at 40 km / h or less), the radiator fan 19 is operated by the ECU. At this time, the variable grille 22 is controlled to a closed state. When the radiator fan 19 is operated, air is drawn in by the radiator fan 19, creating a negative pressure inside the second air guide duct 21 and opening the flap 23. This causes air from the outside to be guided to the radiator 18 through the first air guide duct 20. At this time, the air drawn into the radiator fan 19 travels linearly through the first air guide duct 20, resulting in low flow resistance. Thus, the vehicle front structure 10 can efficiently deliver air to the radiator 18, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the radiator 18 while reducing the power consumption of the radiator fan 19.

[0039] Furthermore, even when the vehicle 1 is not running, the high-voltage battery 3 becomes hot while it is being charged, and therefore the radiator fan 19 is operated by the ECU. This causes the flap 23 to be open, and air from the outside is guided to the radiator 18 through the first air guide duct 20, just as when the vehicle 1 is running normally. In this case, too, the air drawn into the radiator fan 19 travels in a straight line, so flow resistance is small. Thus, with the vehicle front structure 10, even when the vehicle 1 is stopped and the wind generated by the vehicle's movement cannot be utilized, air can be efficiently sent to the radiator 18, and the cooling efficiency of the radiator 18 can be improved while reducing the power consumption of the radiator fan 19.

[0040] Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is not moving and the air conditioning (air controller) is operating, the radiator fan 19 is operated by the ECU. This causes the flap 23 to be open, as when the vehicle 1 is moving normally, and air from the outside is guided to the radiator 18 through the first air guide duct 20. In this case, too, the air drawn into the radiator fan 19 moves in a straight line, so flow resistance is small. Thus, with the vehicle front structure 10, air can be efficiently sent to the radiator 18 during air conditioning operation when the vehicle 1 is stopped and the airflow from the vehicle is not available, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the radiator 18 while reducing the power consumption of the radiator fan 19.

[0041] On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at high speed (for example, 40 km / h or more), the radiator fan 19 is stopped by the ECU and the variable grille 22 is controlled to be in an open state. As the vehicle 1 travels, air flows in from the outside through the second air guide duct 21, creating a positive pressure inside the second air guide duct 21 and closing the flap 23. As a result, air from the outside passes through the second air guide duct 21 and is guided to the radiator 18. At this time, the air drawn by the radiator fan 19 hits the radiator 18 at an angle, increasing flow resistance. However, because the vehicle speed is high and a large amount of air is taken in through the second air guide duct 21, the cooling capacity of the radiator 18 can be fully utilized.

[0042] Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is stopped (READY-OFF), the radiator fan 19 is stopped, and air is no longer guided to the radiator 18 from both the second air guide duct 21 and the first air guide duct 20 .

[0043] Furthermore, even if the variable grille 22 becomes unable to open or close due to freezing, the flap 23 can be opened by driving the vehicle 1 or by operating the radiator fan 19. This allows air to be taken in from the first air duct 20, thereby maintaining cooling by the radiator 18.

[0044] 3. Modifications Although the present invention has been described above with reference to an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific example and various other configurations are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 is used as part of the first air duct 20, but the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17 may not be used as part of the first air duct 20.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a pair of first air guide ducts 20 are provided in the left and right direction, but it is sufficient that at least one first air guide duct 20 is provided.

[0046] 4. Summary of the embodiment As described above, the vehicle front structure 10 of the embodiment includes: a front trunk 17 provided in the front compartment 11; a radiator 18 provided below the front trunk 17 and tilted so that its upper end is located further rearward than its lower end; a radiator fan 19 provided below and rearward of the radiator 18 so that its rotation axis is perpendicular to a cooling surface 18a of the radiator 18; and a first air guide duct 20 provided on the opposite side of the radiator fan 19 across the radiator 18 and tilted at an angle along the rotation axis of the radiator fan 19. As a result, in a vehicle 1 having a front trunk 17 provided in the front compartment 11, even if the radiator 18 and the radiator fan 19 are arranged tilted below the front trunk 17, air drawn in from the radiator fan 19 passes through the first air guide duct 20. Therefore, the air drawn in by the radiator fan 19 and passing through the first air guide duct 20 travels in a straight line, reducing flow path resistance. Thus, the vehicle front structure 10 can efficiently send air to the radiator 18, and can improve the cooling efficiency of the radiator 18 while reducing the power consumption of the radiator fan 19.

[0047] The vehicle front structure 10 also includes a second air guide duct 21 that extends along the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 to the radiator 18 and is connected to the first air guide duct 20, and a flap 23 that is provided at the connecting point of the first air guide duct 20 and the second air guide duct 21 and that opens and closes the first air guide duct 20 based on the pressure difference between the first air guide duct 20 and the second air guide duct 21. As a result, when the vehicle 1 is stopped or running normally, the radiator fan 19 is operated to open the flap 23, reducing flow resistance and allowing air to be efficiently guided from the first air guide duct 20 to the radiator 18. When the vehicle 1 is running at high speeds, the flap 23 is closed, allowing running air to be efficiently guided to the radiator 18 through the second air guide duct 21.

[0048] Furthermore, a portion of the first air duct 20 uses the side wall 17a of the front trunk 17. This makes it possible to alleviate the temperature rise in the front trunk 17 caused by the air passing through the first air duct 20, and also makes it possible to increase the strength and rigidity of the first air duct 20.

[0049] The second air duct 21 is provided with a variable grille 22 that is controlled to open and close by a control circuit, and the flap 23 can be opened when the variable grille 22 freezes. This allows air to be taken in from the first air duct 20 even when the variable grille 22 cannot be opened or closed due to freezing, so that cooling by the radiator 18 can be maintained.

[0050] The front trunk 17 is formed so that its width in the left-right direction decreases toward the bottom, and the first air duct 20 is disposed along the left-right side walls of the front trunk 17. This allows the first air duct 20 to extend linearly toward the radiator 18, thereby reducing flow resistance.

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 10 vehicle front structure 11 front compartment 17 front trunk 18 radiator 19 radiator fan 20 first air guide duct 21 second air guide duct 22 variable grille 23 flap

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure comprising: a front trunk provided within a front compartment; a radiator provided below the front trunk and tilted so that its upper end is located further rearward of the vehicle than its lower end; a radiator fan provided below and rearward of the radiator so that its rotation axis is perpendicular to the cooling surface of the radiator; and a first air duct provided on the opposite side of the radiator from the radiator fan and tilted at an angle along the rotation axis of the radiator fan.

2. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 1, comprising: a second air duct that extends to the radiator in the direction of travel of the vehicle and to which the first air duct is connected; and a flap that is provided at the connection point of the first air duct and the second air duct and that opens and closes the first air duct using dynamic pressure from the second air duct.

3. A vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the first air guide duct is formed using a side wall of the front trunk.

4. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 2, further comprising a variable grille provided at the tip of the second air duct and controlled to open and close by a control circuit, wherein the flap can be opened when the variable grille is frozen.

5. A vehicle front structure as set forth in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the front trunk is formed so that its width in the left-right direction decreases as it goes downward, and the first air guide duct is arranged along the left-right side walls of the front trunk.

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