JP2005041387A - Air dam device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air dam device of a truck vehicle for striking a balance between aerodynamics and cold heat. <P>SOLUTION: The air dam device comprises an air dam that is mounted to a lower part of a front bumper and has an opening openable or closable by an opening and closing member, a driving means of the opening and closing member, a detecting means for detecting vehicle speed or exhaust temperature, a storing means for storing a preset predetermined vehicle speed or a set value of the exhaust temperature, and a control means for driving and controlling the driving means based on the detected value by the detecting means and the set value set by the storing means and opening or closing the opening with the opening and closing member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air dam device for a vehicle that balances aerodynamics and cold energy.

Today, the cooling system for many engines is mainly water-cooled using cooling water. The cooling water is circulated through a water jacket around the outside of the cylinder to cool the engine, and the high-temperature cooling water is used as a radiator. The structure is such that the cooling water is exchanged with the wind of the running wind or cooling fan and returned to the water jacket.
For the purpose of improving the heat exchange efficiency in the radiator, conventionally, a movable grill is mounted on the radiator grill or the front cross member of the vehicle, and the movable grill is controlled to be opened and closed according to the traveling situation, and the vehicle front or lower side of the vehicle is controlled. Has been proposed that variably controls the amount of air taken into the engine room (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

By the way, an air dam is known as a component that prevents the occurrence of lift during vehicle travel and also optimizes the air flow around the front, and by installing this air dam, aerodynamics are improved and steering stability is improved. As a result, the driving force can be improved and the fuel consumption can be improved.
And today, the air dam is recognized as an essential item to improve the appearance (appearance) of the vehicle, and in general the air dam is considered to be excellent in design.
JP-A-5-50861

However, if an air dam is mounted on the lower side of the front bumper, the amount of intake air necessary for heat exchange with the radiator may be reduced, and the cold heat may be deteriorated.
For this reason, vehicles that can not afford to cool are forced to give up installing an air dam, but as mentioned above, with an air dam is recognized today as being superior in design, This is a major obstacle to sales for users who place emphasis on styling.

  As described above, the aerodynamics and the cold are in conflict with each other depending on whether or not the air dam is installed, and the actual situation is that there is no air dam that balances the aerodynamic and the cold.

  In order to solve such a problem, an air dam device for a vehicle according to claim 1 is provided with an air dam attached to a lower portion of a front bumper and provided with an opening that can be opened and closed by an opening and closing member, a driving means for the opening and closing member, a vehicle speed Alternatively, detection means for detecting the exhaust temperature, storage means for storing a preset value of a predetermined vehicle speed or exhaust temperature set in advance, and the driving based on the detection value by the detection means and the set value set in the storage means Control means for driving and controlling the means to open and close the opening with an opening and closing member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air dam device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing member comprises a plurality of movable flaps arranged in parallel in the vertical direction of the opening. The flap is controlled to be opened and closed by a control means, and the invention according to claim 3 is the vehicle air dam device according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing member is slidable in the left-right direction of the opening. It comprises a pair of opening / closing lids, and each opening / closing lid is controlled to be opened / closed by a control means.

Thus, according to the invention according to each claim, since the traveling wind necessary for heat exchange can be introduced into the radiator from the opening provided in the air dam, overheating can be prevented.
In a driving situation that does not require traveling wind, the opening / closing member closes the opening and the opening / closing member becomes a part of the air dam. The air flow is optimized to improve fuel efficiency, and the opening / closing member closes the opening so that the opening / closing member becomes part of the air dam. It has the advantage of being able to balance aerodynamics and cooling, such as being able to give satisfaction to the installation of an air dam, and at the same time, being able to balance the user's needs with an emphasis on appearance and a high degree of cooling.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show an embodiment of an air dam device according to claims 1 and 2, wherein in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cab of a cab-over type truck, and a front bumper 5 from the back side of the center of the radiator grill 3 is shown. A radiator 7 is disposed over the lower side of the rear surface of the motor, and an air dam 9 is attached to the lower part of the front bumper 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a concave opening 13 having a rectangular shape in front view that is opened and closed by a movable flap 11 having three blind structures is provided at the center of the air dam 9 corresponding to the radiator 7. As will be described later, each movable flap 11 functions as a part of the air dam 9 when the opening 13 is closed, and also travels from the opening 13 to the radiator 7 by opening the opening 13. The wind W can be introduced.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each movable flap 11 is made of a thin and hard plate material formed in a strip shape, and is supported on one side edge portion along the longitudinal direction of each movable flap 11. A shaft 15 is attached.
On the other hand, the opening 13 has upper, lower, left and right peripheral walls 17, 19, 21, 23 protruding from the back side of the air dam 9, and each movable type is interposed between the left and right peripheral walls 21, 23 via a support shaft 15. The flaps 11 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows A and B in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pulley 25 is fixed to one end of the support shaft 15 that protrudes outward through the peripheral wall 23, and the motor 31 having the pulley 29 fixed to the motor shaft 27 is connected to the back surface of the air dam 9. One endless belt 33 is bridged between the pulley 29 and each pulley 25.
In place of the pulleys 25 and 29 and the belt 33, a gear and a chain meshing with the gear may be used.

  The motor 31 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. When the motor 31 rotates in the forward direction, the rotational force is transmitted to the support shaft 15 from the belt 33 spanned between the pulleys 25 and 29, and the support shaft 15 is rotated. When the motor 15 rotates, the movable flap 11 rotates simultaneously in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, and when the motor 31 rotates in the reverse direction, the rotational force is transmitted from the belt 33 to the support shaft 15, so The flap 11 rotates in the direction of arrow B at the same time.

The motor 31 is driven and controlled by the control means 35, and a detection signal from a vehicle speed sensor 37 mounted on an axle (not shown) or the like is constantly input to the control means 35.
On the other hand, a predetermined set value related to the vehicle speed is set and stored in advance in the storage means of the control means 35. The control means 35 is based on the detection value of the vehicle speed sensor 37, during high speed traveling exceeding the set value and When the vehicle is stopped, the motor 31 is driven in the reverse direction, the opening 13 is closed by the movable flap 11, and the motor 31 is driven in the normal direction in the low-speed traveling region that does not exceed the set value as the vehicle starts moving. The opening flap 13 is opened by rotating the expression flap 11 in the direction of arrow A.

  Although not shown, between the support shaft 15 and the peripheral wall 23, there are two stoppers for positioning the movable flap 11 rotating in the arrow A direction at the position indicated by the broken line, and two movable flaps 11 rotating in the arrow B direction. A stopper that is positioned at a position indicated by a dashed line (a closed position of the opening 13) is provided. The control means 35 is set so as to drive the motor 31 for a predetermined time sufficient for the movable flap 11 rotating in the directions of arrows A and B to be positioned on the stopper described above. After the elapse of time, the drive of the motor 31 is stopped to prevent the motor 31 from being burned.

The air dam device 39 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and a detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 37 is always input to the control means 35.
Thus, the control means 35 performs opening / closing control of the opening 13 with the movable flap 11 based on the detection value of the vehicle speed sensor 37, but when the vehicle stops, the control means 35 drives the motor 31 in the reverse direction to drive the movable flap 11. 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 to close the opening 13, so that the presence of the air dam 9 is appealed and the driver and the surrounding people are satisfied with the installation of the air dam.

Then, as the vehicle starts, the control means 35 rotates the motor 31 in the forward direction and rotates the movable flap 11 in the direction of arrow A to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. The opening 13 is left open in the region.
For this reason, the running wind W required for heat exchange is introduced into the radiator 7 from the opening 13 of the radiator grill 3 and the air dam 9, and overheating is prevented.

  When the truck shifts to a high-speed traveling region that exceeds the set value, the control means 35 that has input the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 37 rotates the motor 31 in the reverse direction and closes the opening 13 with the movable flap 11, so that the movable portion 11 is movable. The type flap 11 becomes a part of the air dam 9 so that the entire air dam 9 prevents the occurrence of lift during traveling of the vehicle and optimizes the air flow around the front. As described above, when the truck shifts again to the low-speed traveling region where the set value is not exceeded, the control means 35 that has input the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 37 rotates the motor 31 in the forward direction and moves the movable flap 11 in the direction of arrow A. To open the opening 13.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the air dam 9 attached to the lower portion of the front bumper 5 is provided with the opening 13 corresponding to the radiator 7, and the plurality of movable flaps 11 having a blind structure are attached to the opening 13. The opening 13 is closed with the movable flap 11 when the truck is stopped and in a high-speed traveling region exceeding the set value, and the movable flap 11 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in the low-speed traveling region not exceeding the set value. Is configured to open
“1” Since the traveling wind W necessary for heat exchange can be introduced into the radiator 7, overheating can be prevented.

“2” In a high-speed traveling region that does not require the traveling wind W, the movable flap 11 closes the opening 13 and the movable flap 11 becomes a part of the air dam 9, so that the entire air dam 9 is in the vehicle traveling state. This prevents the occurrence of lift and optimizes the air flow around the front and improves fuel efficiency.
“3” When the vehicle is stopped, the movable flap 11 closes the opening 13, and the movable flap 11 becomes a part of the air dam 9. Therefore, the presence of the air dam 9 is appealed, and air dams are attached to the driver and those around. The balance between aerodynamics and cold energy can be achieved, such as being able to give satisfaction, and at the same time, it is possible to achieve a high balance between user needs that place importance on the appearance and cold energy.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show an embodiment of an air dam device according to claims 1 and 3. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes an air dam attached to the lower part of the front bumper, which corresponds to a radiator at the center thereof. Thus, an opening 43 having a rectangular shape in front view is provided.
4, 45 and 47 are a pair of opening / closing lids that slide in the left-right direction of the vehicle to open and close the opening 43. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the opening / closing lids 45 and 47 are respectively provided. , And is slidably engaged in guide members 49, 51 having a substantially L-shaped cross section extending in the left-right direction along the upper and lower edges of the opening 43, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. Thus, the one end side of both opening-and-closing lids 45 and 47 contact | abuts in the center of the opening part 43, and the opening part 43 is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, pistons 57 and 59 of hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 mounted on the back side of the air dam 41 are connected to the other end sides of the open / close lids 45 and 47. 55 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the air dam 41. The open / close lids 45 and 47 slide in the left-right direction along the guide members 49 and 51 by the expansion and contraction of the pistons 55 and 57, so that the opening 43 is opened and closed.

Thus, the hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 are driven and controlled by the control means 61, and a detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 63 mounted on the axle or the like is constantly input to the control means 61.
On the other hand, in the storage means of the control means 61, similar to the control means 35 described above, a predetermined set value relating to the vehicle speed is set and stored in advance, and the control means 61 is based on the detection value from the vehicle speed sensor 63. The pistons 55 and 57 of the hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 are extended when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed exceeding the set value and when the vehicle is stopped, and the opening 43 is closed by the two open / close lids 45 and 47. The pistons 55 and 57 are contracted in a low-speed traveling region that does not exceed, and the opening / closing lids 45 and 47 are slid to positions indicated by solid lines in FIG. 4 to open the opening 43.

The air dam device 65 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and a detection value from the vehicle speed sensor 63 is constantly input to the control means 61.
Thus, the control means 61 performs opening / closing control of the opening 43 by the opening / closing lids 45, 47 based on the detection value of the vehicle speed sensor 63. The control means 61 controls the pistons 55, 57 of the hydraulic cylinders 53, 55 when the vehicle is stopped. Since the opening 43 is closed by the open / close lids 45 and 47, the presence of the air dam 41 is appealed, and the driver and the surrounding people are satisfied with the installation of the air dam.

Then, as the vehicle starts, the control means 61 contracts the pistons 55 and 57 and slides the opening and closing lids 45 and 47 to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 so that the above-mentioned set value is not exceeded. The opening 43 is left open.
For this reason, the running wind W required for heat exchange is introduced into the radiator through the radiator grille and the opening 43, and overheating is prevented.

  Then, when the truck shifts to a high-speed traveling region that exceeds the set value, the control means 61 that has input the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 63 extends the pistons 55 and 57 of the hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 again to open and close the opening 43. Since the lids 45 and 47 are closed, the opening and closing lids 45 and 47 become part of the air dam 41 to prevent the entire air dam 41 from generating lift during vehicle travel, and to optimize the air flow around the front. Become. Then, as described above, when the truck again shifts to the low speed traveling region where the set value is not exceeded, the control means 61 that has input the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 63 contracts the pistons 55 and 57, and the solid line in FIG. The opening / closing lids 45 and 47 are slid to the position shown to open the opening 43.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the air dam 41 attached to the lower part of the front bumper is provided with the opening 43 corresponding to the radiator, and a pair of opening / closing lids 45 and 47 slidable in the left-right direction are attached to the opening 43. The opening 43 is closed with the opening and closing lids 45 and 47 when the truck is stopped and the high speed traveling region exceeds the set value, and the opening and closing lids 45 and 47 are closed with the hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 in the low speed traveling region not exceeding the set value. Since the opening 43 is configured to be slid in the direction, it is possible to achieve the intended purpose also in the present embodiment, as in the previous embodiment, and to achieve a balance between aerodynamics and cold heat. It has become possible to achieve a high balance between user needs that emphasize appearance and cooling.

  In each of the above embodiments, the movable flap 13 and the opening / closing lids 45 and 47 are used as the opening and closing members of the openings 13 and 43, and the motor 31 and the hydraulic cylinders 53 and 55 are used as the driving means. The opening / closing member of the opening is not limited to the movable flap 13 and the opening / closing lids 45, 47, and the drive means for the opening / closing member is of course not limited to the motor or the hydraulic cylinder.

Furthermore, instead of the vehicle speed sensors 37 and 63 described above, an exhaust gas temperature sensor is attached to the exhaust gas flow path, and a predetermined set value related to the exhaust gas temperature is set and stored in the storage device of the control device. The opening / closing control of the movable flap 13 and the opening / closing lids 45 and 47 may be performed based on the detected value and the set value.
Thus, such an embodiment also has an advantage that a balance between aerodynamics and cooling can be achieved, and at the same time, the user needs to emphasize the appearance and a high balance between cooling and heating.

It is a whole perspective view of a cab provided with an air dam device concerning one embodiment of Claim 1 and Claim 2. It is a front view of an air dam device concerning one embodiment of Claim 1 and Claim 2. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a front view of the air dam device concerning one embodiment of Claim 1 and Claim 3. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cab 3 Radiator grill 5 Front bumper 7 Radiator 9, 41 Air dam 11 Movable flaps 13, 43 Opening part 15 Support shaft 25, 29 Pulley 31 Motor 33 Belt 35, 61 Control means 37, 63 Vehicle speed sensor 39, 65 Air dam device 45 47 Opening / closing lids 49, 51 Guide members 53, 55 Hydraulic cylinders 57, 59 Pistons

Claims (3)

An air dam attached to the lower part of the front bumper and provided with an opening that can be opened and closed by an opening and closing member;
Driving means for the opening and closing member;
Detection means for detecting vehicle speed or exhaust temperature;
Storage means for storing a preset value of a predetermined vehicle speed or exhaust temperature,
Control means for driving and controlling the drive means based on the detection value by the detection means and the set value set in the storage means, and opening and closing the opening with an opening and closing member;
An air dam device for a vehicle comprising:   2. The vehicle air dam according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member comprises a plurality of movable flaps arranged in parallel in the vertical direction of the opening, and each movable flap is controlled to be opened and closed by a control means. apparatus.   2. The air dam device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member includes a pair of opening / closing lids slidable in a left-right direction of the opening, and each opening / closing lid is controlled to open / close by a control unit.

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