Active Hood Vent Shutter Control for Aero Balance and HVAC Air Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active hood vent systems for motor vehicles do not effectively adjust the aero balance to enhance vehicle stability during various operations like braking, cornering, and accelerating, and they allow engine compartment air to enter the HVAC system at low speeds, affecting air quality and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An active hood vent system with a control module that includes a controller and actuator to dynamically open and close shutters based on vehicle dynamics, such as deceleration, cornering force, brake pressure, and speed, to adjust the front and rear downforce and minimize engine compartment air entry into the HVAC system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hood vent closure is opened to provide cooling and reduce lift at high speeds, then vehicle cooling and aerodynamic performance are improved, but engine compartment air can enter the HVAC system at low speeds affecting air quality
Solution Approach 1:
The hood vent closure is made dynamically adjustable through an active control system that monitors vehicle speed and adjusts the closure position accordingly. At low speeds, the closure remains closed to prevent engine compartment air ingestion. At high speeds, the closure opens to provide cooling and reduce aerodynamic lift, thus resolving the contradiction between preventing harmful air ingestion and providing aerodynamic benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of the hood vent closure from a static fixed position to a dynamically variable position based on vehicle speed. The closure transitions between closed, partially open, and fully open states depending on speed thresholds, optimizing both HVAC air quality and aerodynamic performance across different operating conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the hood vent closure is closed to protect under hood components from rain and inclement weather, then component protection is improved, but cooling and aerodynamic performance at high speeds deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hood vent closure transitions from a static closed position to a dynamically controlled system that opens at high speeds to provide necessary cooling and aerodynamic performance while remaining closed at low speeds to protect components from weather, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and performance.
3Reliability
If the hood vent closure is opened to reduce vehicle lift at high speeds, then aerodynamic stability is improved, but engine compartment air enters the HVAC system at low speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements speed-based parameter changes where the hood vent closure position is dynamically adjusted according to vehicle speed. Below a threshold speed, the closure remains closed to prevent air ingestion. Above the threshold, it opens to reduce lift and improve aerodynamic stability, thus resolving the contradiction between aerodynamic benefits and HVAC air quality.
4Reliability
If active tuning of front and rear downforce balance is implemented to enhance vehicle stability, then vehicle stability during braking and cornering is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hood vent closure system is designed to perform multiple functions: protecting from weather, providing cooling, reducing aerodynamic lift, and actively tuning front-rear downforce balance. By making the closure dynamically adjustable, a single component achieves multiple aerodynamic and protective functions, improving vehicle stability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances vehicle stability and reduces drag during different driving conditions, improves HVAC efficiency by minimizing engine compartment air ingestion, and optimizes air quality by dynamically adjusting the aero balance and shutter positions.
Implementation Method 1
adjusting the aero balance of the motor vehicle by opening and closing shutters of the active hood vent system... provide active tuning of the front and rear downforce balance of the motor vehicle
Implementation Method 2
closing the shutters of the active hood vent system at low speeds to minimize engine compartment air from entering the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) fresh air inlet located at the cowl aft and nearby the active hood vents
Data Source
AI summary
An active hood vent system for a motor vehicle includes a hood vent, having a closure displaceable between a closed position and an opened position, and a control module. That control module is configured to adjust the aero balance of the motor vehicle by opening and closing the closure. Further, the control module may be configured to close the closure and thereby minimize engine compartment air from entering an HVAC inlet of the motor vehicle when the current operating temperature of the motor vehicle is below a predetermined temperature requiring engine cooling, and a current motor vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed where airflow over the hood limits ingestion of engine compartment air by the HVAC inlet.