Grille Shutter Slat Rear-Upper Retraction Aerodynamics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing grille shutter devices create aerodynamic drag due to fins obstructing airflow when in the open state, as wind entering through openings hits the fins, increasing resistance.
Innovation Solution
A grille shutter device with slat members that move from a closed position to a rear and upper position within the opening, maintaining orientation, allowing airflow to bypass them, and utilizing a driving mechanism and support members to actuate between states, reducing retraction space and component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the fins are moved to the rear side in the open state, then the opening can be opened for air intake, but the fins create resistance to air inflow and increase aerodynamic drag
Solution Approach 1:
The slat members are moved not only in the vehicle front-rear direction but also to the vehicle upper side, utilizing a two-dimensional movement path. This positions the slat members above the opening in the open state, allowing air to flow underneath them rather than hitting them directly, thus reducing aerodynamic drag while maintaining air intake capability
Solution Approach 2:
The slat members are extracted from the traditional fin position and repositioned to a different spatial location (upper side and rear of the opening). This extraction allows the main body of the slat members to be clear of the airflow path while still enabling opening control
2Shape
If the slat members are disposed to follow the decorative side plane in the closed state, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the retraction space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the vehicle upper side dimension, the slat members can be retracted above the opening rather than only moving horizontally. This vertical dimension provides additional space for retraction without compromising the closed-state appearance or requiring excessive horizontal space
Data Source
AI summary
A grille shutter device includes a fin unit including slat members inside an opening provided at a part of a decorative side of a vehicle front. The fin unit is configured to selectively assume a closed state and an open state, and the closed state is a state where the slat members are each disposed so as to close the opening in a vehicle front view. The open state is a state where the slat members have been moved from respective positions in the closed state to a vehicle rear side of the opening and arrayed in a row substantially along a vehicle front-rear direction.