Wind guide structure for vehicle front part

Abstract

The present invention improves the cooling efficiency of a heat exchanger disposed in a location displaced outward in a vehicle width direction at a vehicle front part.　Travel wind flowing through a location in an opening 16 closer to the outside in the vehicle width direction flows into a first flow passage F1 from a first opening 20. Travel wind flowing along a first bumper fascia part 24 flows into a second flow passage F2 from a second opening 22. A vortex flow W1 is generated along the first bumper fascia part 24 by a wall part 34 for vortex flow generation, and thus the cross-sectional area of the first flow passage F1 is reduced by the vortex flow W1, and the flow velocity of the travel wind flowing in from the first opening 20 is increased. The travel wind flowing into the second flow passage F2 from the second opening 22 along the first bumper fascia part 24 and the travel wind flowing into the second flow passage F2 from the second opening 22 toward the rear of the vehicle become biased flows that are biased to the outside in the vehicle width direction along the inclination of a second bumper fascia part 26, and thus the flow velocity increases.

Description

Air guide structure for vehicle front portion

[0001] The present invention relates to an air guide structure for a vehicle front portion.

[0002] In recent years, a plurality of types of heat exchangers such as radiators, intercoolers and oil coolers tend to be arranged at a vehicle front portion. These heat exchangers are cooled by guiding traveling wind that has flowed in from an opening for inflow of traveling wind provided in a bumper fascia. Incidentally, since many vehicle components other than heat exchangers are arranged at the vehicle front portion, it may be difficult to arrange a heat exchanger at a location where traveling wind is guided. In particular, when a heat exchanger is arranged not at the center in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle front portion but at a position displaced outward in the vehicle width direction, there is a disadvantage in efficiently guiding traveling wind to the heat exchanger. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, in addition to a first opening provided at the center in the vehicle width direction of a bumper fascia, a second opening provided at a position displaced outward in the vehicle width direction of the bumper fascia is provided, and traveling wind is guided to the heat exchanger from both the first opening and the second opening.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-6140

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, no particular consideration is given to how to uniformly guide traveling wind to the entire area of a heat exchanger arranged at a position displaced outward in the vehicle width direction at the vehicle front portion, and there is room for improvement in efficiently guiding traveling wind to the heat exchanger. The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air guide structure for a vehicle front portion, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of a heat exchanger by being capable of efficiently guiding traveling wind to the heat exchanger arranged at a position displaced outward in the vehicle width direction at the vehicle front portion.

[0005] To achieve the above objective, one embodiment of the present invention provides a first opening formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bumper fascia, a second opening formed at a location on the bumper fascia further outward in the vehicle width direction than the first opening, a first bumper fascia portion located between the first and second openings, a second bumper fascia portion extending rearward from the outer end of the second opening in the vehicle width direction, a first side air guide plate extending rearward from the inner side of the first opening in the vehicle width direction, and a portion of the second bumper fascia portion spaced apart from the second opening. The present invention comprises a second side air guide plate extending to the rear of the vehicle, an air guide member that guides the airflow flowing in from the first and second openings to the rear of the vehicle, and a heat exchanger positioned at the location of the airflow guided by the air guide member, wherein a vortex-generating wall portion is provided protruding from the first bumper fascia portion that constitutes the outer end of the first opening in the vehicle width direction, or a vortex-generating wall portion is provided protruding from the front end where the first side air guide plate is located furthest forward, that generates a vortex along the first side air guide plate. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second opening is located further rearward than the first opening and has a width that extends in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first bumper fascia portion, the portion of the first side air guide plate facing the first bumper fascia portion, and the portion of the second bumper fascia portion located further forward than the second side air guide plate have an inclination that displaces outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the bumper fascia is provided with an opening for airflow inflow that extends in the vehicle width direction through the center in the vehicle width direction, and the first opening is configured at a location on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the opening. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the vortex-generating wall portion is provided with a projection at the front end where the first side air guide plate is located furthest forward, and an intermediate air guide plate is provided at a location away from the rear end of the first bumper fascia portion toward the rear of the vehicle, which converts the direction of the airflow inflow from the first opening toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the airflow entering from the first and second openings can be efficiently guided over the entire width of the heat exchanger, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger. Furthermore, if the second opening is located further rear than the first opening and has a width that extends along the width of the vehicle, it is advantageous in efficiently allowing airflow to enter from the second opening as well as the first opening, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger. In addition, if the first bumper fascia, the first side air guide plate facing the first bumper fascia, and the second bumper fascia located further forward than the second side air guide plate have an inclination that displaces outward in the width of the vehicle as it approaches the rear of the vehicle, interference with the airflow can be avoided, and the airflow can pass through the heat exchanger while maintaining its flow velocity, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger. Furthermore, if the first opening is constructed using the outer portion in the vehicle width direction of the opening for air intake that extends in the vehicle width direction through the center of the vehicle width direction, air can be introduced by using an air guide member, which is advantageous in simplifying the configuration of the air guide structure at the front of the vehicle. In addition, if a vortex-generating wall is provided protruding from the front end where the first side air guide plate is located furthest forward, along the first side air guide plate, and the air that has passed through the vortex is guided inward in the vehicle width direction by the intermediate air guide plate, the air velocity in the vehicle width direction is made uniform, so the air that flows in from the first and second openings can be efficiently guided over the entire area of ​​the heat exchanger in the vehicle width direction, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0007] This is a front view of the air duct structure at the front of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. This is a front view of the air duct structure at the front of the vehicle with the bumper fascia omitted from Figure 1. This is a perspective view of the air duct member and heat exchanger. This is a plan view of the air duct member and heat exchanger. This is a cross-section along line A-A in Figure 1. This is a cross-sectional view of the air duct structure at the front of the vehicle according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to Figure 5.

[0008] (First Embodiment) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following drawings, the reference numeral FR indicates the front of the vehicle, the reference numeral UP indicates the top of the vehicle, the reference numeral IN indicates the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the reference numeral OUT indicates the outside in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Figure 1, a bumper fascia 10 is arranged at the front of the vehicle via a bumper beam (not shown). The bumper fascia 10 comprises a bumper fascia body 12 and a pair of bumper fascia side portions 14 provided on both sides of the bumper fascia 10 in the vehicle width direction.

[0009] The bumper fascia body 12 comprises a front body portion 12A extending in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle, inclined side body portions 12B that are displaced outward in the vehicle width direction from both sides of the front body portion 12A towards the rear of the vehicle, and an upper body portion 12C extending from the upper end of the front body portion 12A towards the rear of the vehicle. An opening 16 for air intake is provided at the lower part of the front body portion 12A, extending in the vehicle width direction through the center of the vehicle width direction, and a first front grille 18 is attached to the opening 16. The bumper fascia side portions 14 are provided on the side body portions 12B. A radiator (not shown) for cooling the engine coolant is located at the rear of the opening 16 (first front grille 18), and the radiator is cooled by the air flowing in from the opening 16.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the air guide structure at the front of the vehicle in this embodiment is composed of a first opening 20, a second opening 22, a first bumper fascia section 24, a second bumper fascia section 26, an air guide member 28, and a heat exchanger 30. The first opening 20 is formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bumper fascia 10, and in this embodiment, it is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the opening 16. The bumper fascia side section 14 includes a second opening 22 located at the frontmost and innermost point in the vehicle width direction of the bumper fascia side section 14, a side surface section 14A extending rearward from the outer end of the second opening 22 in the vehicle width direction, and a side lower surface section 14B extending rearward from the lower end of the second opening 22. The second opening 22 is provided at a location displaced rearward from the main body front section 12A. The second opening 22 has a width along the vehicle width direction and a length along the vertical direction, exhibiting an elongated shape in the vertical direction and forming a larger area than the first opening 20. The upper end of the second opening 22 is located higher than the upper end of the first opening 20, and the lower end of the second opening 22 is located at the same height as the lower end of the first opening 20. The second front grille 32 is attached to the second opening 22, and the second opening 22 is located further outward in the vehicle width direction than the first opening 20.

[0011] The first bumper fascia section 24 is composed of a portion of the bumper fascia body 12 located between the first opening 20 and the second opening 22. The first bumper fascia section 24 connects the outer end of the first opening 20 in the vehicle width direction to the inner end of the second opening 22 in the vehicle width direction. The second bumper fascia section 26 is composed of a side portion 14A that extends rearward from the outer end of the second opening 22 in the vehicle width direction.

[0012] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the air guide member 28 directs the airflow entering from the first opening 20 and the second opening 22 towards the rear of the vehicle, and the heat exchanger 30 is positioned in the area where the airflow is directed by the air guide member 28. The heat exchanger 30 cools the engine oil and gear oil, and the front surface of the heat exchanger 30 extends in the vertical and vehicle width directions. The air guide member 28 comprises a first side air guide plate 28A, a second side air guide plate 28B, an upper air guide plate 28C, and a lower air guide plate 28D. As shown in Figure 5, the first side air guide plate 28A extends from a point near the outer edge of the first opening 20 in the vehicle width direction towards the rear of the vehicle within the first opening 20. The front end 28A-1 of the first side air guide plate 28A is located at a point away from the outer edge of the first opening 20 in the vehicle width direction towards the rear of the vehicle within the first opening 20. Furthermore, the intermediate portion 28A-2 of the first side air guide plate 28A, which is located on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the second opening 22, is formed as a gently curved surface 2810 that is convex outward in the vehicle width direction. The second side air guide plate 28B extends to the rear of the vehicle from the side surface portion 14A of the second bumper fascia portion 26, which is spaced apart from the second opening 22.

[0013] As shown in Figure 3, the upper air guide plate 28C connects the upper edge of the first side air guide plate 28A and the upper edge of the second side air guide plate 28B. The upper air guide plate 28C has a projection 2802 (Figure 4) that corresponds to the upper end of the second opening 22. As shown in Figure 3, the lower air guide plate 28D connects the lower edge of the first side air guide plate 28A and the lower edge of the second side air guide plate 28B. The heat exchanger 30 is arranged in the region enclosed by the rear ends of the first side air guide plate 28A, the second side air guide plate 28B, the upper air guide plate 28C, and the lower air guide plate 28D.

[0014] As shown in Figure 5, the upper and lower parts of the flow path formed by the first bumper fascia section 24, the second bumper fascia section 26, the first side air guide plate 28A, and the second side air guide plate 28B are separated by the upper air guide plate 28C and the lower air guide plate 28D, and the first bumper fascia section 24, the second bumper fascia section 26, and the air guide member 28 form an air guide path F0 that guides the running air to the heat exchanger 30. Inside the air guide member 28, a first flow path F1 is formed that guides the running air flowing in from the first opening 20 to the heat exchanger 30 by the first bumper fascia section 24 and the first side air guide plate 28A, and a second flow path F2 is formed that guides the running air flowing in from the second opening 22 to the heat exchanger 30 by the second bumper fascia section 26 and the second side air guide plate 28B.

[0015] As shown in Figure 5, the first bumper fascia portion 24, the portion of the first side air guide plate 28A facing the first bumper fascia portion 24, and the portion of the second bumper fascia portion 26 located in front of the second side air guide plate 28B have an inclination that displaces outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the rear of the vehicle. A vortex-generating wall portion 34 is provided protruding from the portion of the first bumper fascia portion 24 that constitutes the outer edge of the first opening 20 in the vehicle width direction, generating a vortex flow W1 along the first bumper fascia portion 24. In other words, the vortex-generating wall portion 34 generates a vortex flow W1 by causing separation in the airflow flowing along the surface of the vortex-generating wall portion 34.

[0016] Next, the effects will be explained. As shown in Figure 5, the airflow from the opening 16 that is closer to the outside in the vehicle width direction flows into the first flow path F1 from the first opening 20. In addition, the airflow that flows along the first bumper fascia section 24 flows into the second flow path F2 from the second opening 22 together with the airflow that flows towards the rear of the vehicle. The airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 flows through the first flow path F1, but at this time, a vortex W1 is generated along the first bumper fascia section 24 by the vortex-generating wall section 34, so the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path F1 is reduced by the vortex W1. Therefore, the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 becomes a biased flow that is biased towards the first side air guide plate 28A and flows along the first side air guide plate 28A, and the airflow velocity increases. Furthermore, the airflow that flows through the first flow path F1 and passes through the vortex flow W1 is guided outward in the vehicle width direction by the gently curved surface 2810 of the intermediate portion 28A-2 of the first side guide plate 28A, and the airflow velocity is made uniform in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 reaches the inner half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction with an increased airflow velocity and with the airflow velocity uniform in the vehicle width direction, and the airflow is efficiently guided to the inner half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] On the other hand, the airflow that flows from the second opening 22 into the second flow path F2 along the first bumper fascia section 24 and the airflow that flows from the second opening 22 into the second flow path F2 toward the rear of the vehicle become a deflected flow biased outward in the vehicle width direction along the slope of the second bumper fascia section 26, causing the flow velocity to increase. With the flow velocity increased, the airflow that flows along the second bumper fascia section 26 in the second flow path F2 changes direction along the second side air guide plate 28B from an outward diagonal direction toward the rear of the vehicle, reaching the outer half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction, and thus efficiently directing the airflow to the outer half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction.

[0018] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the airflow entering from the first opening 20 and the second opening 22 can be efficiently guided over the entire width of the heat exchanger 30, which is located at the front of the vehicle and displaced outward in the width direction, thus improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger 30.

[0019] Furthermore, since the second opening 22 is located further rearward than the first opening 20 and has a width that extends along the vehicle width direction, it is advantageous for efficiently allowing airflow into the air guide F0 from the second opening 22 as well as the first opening 20, and is advantageous for improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger 30.

[0020] Furthermore, the first bumper fascia portion 24, the portion of the first side air guide plate 28A facing the first bumper fascia portion 24, and the portion of the second bumper fascia portion 26 located in front of the vehicle beyond the second side air guide plate 28B have an inclination that displaces outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the rear of the vehicle. This avoids interference of the airflow within the air guide passage F0, allowing the airflow velocity to be maintained before passing through to the heat exchanger 30, which is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger 30. In addition, since the first opening 20 is constructed using the portion on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the opening 16 for airflow inflow that extends in the vehicle width direction through the center of the vehicle width direction, the airflow can be directed into the air guide passage F0 by using the air guide member 28, which is advantageous in simplifying the configuration of the air guide structure at the front of the vehicle.

[0021] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6. In the following description of the embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts and components as in the first embodiment, and their descriptions will be simplified or omitted, while the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described in detail. In the second embodiment, the location of the vortex-generating wall portion 34 differs from the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a vortex-generating wall portion 34 that generates a vortex W1 along the first side air guide plate 28A is provided protruding from the front end where the first side air guide plate 28A is located furthest forward. In addition, in the second embodiment, an intermediate air guide plate 36 is provided at a location away from the rear end of the first bumper fascia portion 24 towards the rear of the vehicle. The upper and lower ends of the intermediate air guide plate 36 are connected to the upper air guide plate 28A and the lower air guide plate 28B. The intermediate air guide plate 36 changes the direction of the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 and through the first flow path F1 to the inward direction in the vehicle width direction, which is towards the heat exchanger 30.

[0022] Next, the effects will be explained. As shown in Figure 6, the airflow from the opening 16 that is closer to the outside in the vehicle width direction flows into the first flow path F1 from the first opening 20. In addition, the airflow that flows along the first bumper fascia section 24 flows into the second flow path F2 from the second opening 22 together with the airflow that flows towards the rear of the vehicle. Note that the airflow that flows into the second flow path F2 from the second opening 22 is the same as in the first embodiment, so its explanation will be omitted. The airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 flows through the first flow path F1, and at this time, a vortex W1 is generated along the first side air guide plate by the vortex generation wall section 34, so the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path F1 is reduced by the vortex W1. Therefore, the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 becomes a biased flow that is biased towards the first bumper fascia section 24 and flows along the first bumper fascia section 24, and the airflow velocity increases. Furthermore, the airflow that flows through the first flow path F1 and passes through the vortex flow W1 is guided inward in the vehicle width direction by the intermediate air guide plate 36, and the airflow velocity is made uniform in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 reaches the inner half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction with an increased velocity and with the velocity uniform in the vehicle width direction, and the airflow is efficiently guided to the inner half of the heat exchanger 30 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the airflow that flows in from the first opening 20 and the second opening 22 can be efficiently guided over the entire area in the vehicle width direction of the heat exchanger 30, which is located at a point displaced outward in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle, and this is advantageous in improving the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger 30.

[0023] 10 Bumper fascia 12 Bumper fascia body 12A Front part of body 12B Side part of body 12C Top part of body 14 Bumper fascia side part 14A Side part of side 14B Bottom part of side 16 Opening 18 First front grille 20 First opening 22 Second opening 24 First bumper fascia part 26 Second bumper fascia part 28 Air guide member 28A First side air guide plate 28B Second side air guide plate 28C Upper air guide plate 28D Lower air guide plate 2802 Protruding part 2810 Curved surface 28A-1 Front end 28A-2 Intermediate part 30 Heat exchanger 32 Second front grille 34 Wall part for vortex generation 36 Intermediate air guide plate F0 Air guide path F1 First flow path F2 Second flow path W1 Eddy current

Claims

1. The bumper fascia comprises: a first opening formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bumper fascia; a second opening formed at a location on the bumper fascia that is further outward in the vehicle width direction than the first opening; a first bumper fascia portion located between the first and second openings; a second bumper fascia portion extending to the rear of the vehicle from the outer end of the second opening in the vehicle width direction; a first side air guide plate extending to the rear of the vehicle from a location on the inner side of the first opening in the vehicle width direction; a second side air guide plate extending to the rear of the vehicle from a location on the second bumper fascia portion spaced apart from the second opening; and a heat exchanger positioned at the location of the air guided by the air guide member. A vehicle front air guide structure characterized in that a vortex-generating wall portion is provided protruding from the first bumper fascia portion which constitutes the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the first opening, for generating a vortex along the first bumper fascia portion, or a vortex-generating wall portion is provided protruding from the front end where the first side air guide plate is located furthest forward, for generating a vortex along the first side air guide plate.

2. The vehicle front air guide structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the second opening is located further rearward than the first opening and has a width that extends along the vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle front air guide structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the first bumper fascia portion, the portion of the first side air guide plate facing the first bumper fascia portion, and the portion of the second bumper fascia portion located in front of the vehicle beyond the second side air guide plate have an inclination that displaces outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the rear of the vehicle.

4. The front air guide structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the bumper fascia is provided with an opening for air intake that extends in the vehicle width direction through the center in the vehicle width direction, and the first opening is formed at a location on the outer side of the opening in the vehicle width direction.

5. The vortex-generating wall portion is provided with a projection at the front end where the first side air guide plate is located furthest forward, and an intermediate air guide plate is provided at a location away from the rear end of the first bumper fascia portion towards the rear of the vehicle, which changes the direction of the airflow entering from the first opening inward in the vehicle width direction, as described in claim 1.

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