JP2007216913A - Air resistance reduction structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air resistance reduction structure for a vehicle capable of controlling traveling air stream without causing increase of members. <P>SOLUTION: The air resistance reduction structure 4 is provided with a front under-run protector arranged near the front part of the vehicle 1 and extending in a vehicle width direction; and an air dam 8 fixed to the front under-run protector 7 and projected from at least a lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7 toward below. Namely, since the air dam is provided near the front part of the vehicle 1 where the traveling air stream is hardly peeled off from an outer surface of a vehicle body to hardly become a swirl flow, the traveling wind passing below the air dam 8 can be sufficiently guided behind the air dam in traveling of the vehicle 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air resistance reduction structure provided at a front portion of a lower portion of a vehicle.

  As a conventional air resistance reduction structure provided at a front portion of a lower part of a vehicle such as a truck, for example, there is an air resistance reduction structure disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In the air resistance reduction structure of Patent Document 1, a rectifying plate that restricts movement of traveling wind to the front axle is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the front lower surface of the vehicle.

  According to the structure of Patent Document 1, since the collision of the traveling airflow with the front axle is suppressed, it is possible to reduce the air resistance during traveling of the vehicle.

JP 2003-276651 A

  In the air resistance reduction structure of Patent Document 1, since the current plate is attached to the lower surface on the front side of the vehicle, the attachment portion is separated from the frontmost part of the vehicle body toward the rear of the vehicle.

  However, generally, when the traveling airflow acts on the front part of the vehicle body during traveling of the vehicle, the traveling airflow is separated from the lower surface on the front side of the vehicle, and a vortex that flows toward the rear of the vehicle is formed below the front side of the vehicle. It is likely to occur. For this reason, depending on the state of the vortex, the traveling airflow is not guided in the direction other than the front axle, and the air resistance may increase.

  Such inconvenience can be avoided by extending the rectifying plate to the vicinity of the front axle, but such extension leads to an increase in the rectifying plate, and in some cases impairs the appearance of the vehicle. End up.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air resistance reduction structure capable of controlling a traveling air flow without increasing the number of members.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle air resistance reduction structure according to the present invention is arranged at the front of a vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction, and is fixed to the front underrun protector. And an air dam that extends downward from at least the lower end.

  In the above configuration, the air dam protrudes downward from the lower end of the front underrun protector disposed in the vicinity of the foremost portion at the lower part of the vehicle. In other words, since the air dam is provided near the foremost part of the lower part of the vehicle where the traveling air current is separated from the outer surface of the vehicle body and is not easily swirled, the traveling air flowing under the air dam is good to the rear of the air dam. Can be guided to. In addition, most of the traveling wind flows along the surface of the air dam while maintaining a laminar flow state, so even if the amount of protrusion of the air dam from the lower end of the front underrun protector is set small, the traveling wind For example, when the traveling wind hits the wind, it is possible to sufficiently distribute the wind toward a range where there is no front wheel or front axle that affects the air resistance. Therefore, the air resistance of the vehicle can be reduced without increasing the size of the air dam.

  In addition, the front under-run protector in which the air dam is disposed has a large width in the vehicle front-rear direction at the lower end of the front under-run protector because it needs to satisfy rigidity and strength that can withstand an impact load caused by a collision. That is, when compared with a thin front bumper disposed in the front part of the vehicle, the thickness of the lower end in the vehicle front-rear direction is set to be larger in the front under-run protector than in the front bumper. The degree of freedom in mounting the air dam increases compared to the front bumper. Therefore, since the mounting position of the air dam can be appropriately selected in the vehicle front-rear direction, the air dam can be disposed at an appropriate position according to a plurality of vehicle types.

  Furthermore, the front underrun protector on which the air dam is arranged is not a component that forms the exterior shape of the vehicle, such as a front bumper, and is not diversified for design reasons. There are few compared with a bumper, and the installation height from the ground is also comparable. Therefore, a common air dam can be employed even when the front bumper has a different shape. In addition, when the air dam is arranged, it is not necessary to perform special processing on the front bumper, so that the air resistance of the vehicle can be reduced without affecting the external shape of the vehicle.

  In addition, since the air dam is provided on the lower end side of the front under-run protector arranged at a low position of the vehicle, for example, when the air dam is attached to the vehicle rear side of the lower end of the front under-run protector, the attachment portion is attached to the vehicle. It is possible to make it difficult to see from the appearance. Therefore, the air dam can be arranged without impairing the appearance of the vehicle.

  Moreover, you may further provide the front bumper which covers at least the attachment part of a front under-run protector and an air dam from the vehicle front side.

  In the above configuration, the attachment portion between the front underrun protector and the air dam is covered by the front bumper. Therefore, the mounting portion can be hidden without performing any special processing on the front bumper, so that the air resistance of the vehicle can be reduced while maintaining the appearance of the vehicle.

  The air dam may be provided with an easily deformable portion that is flexible and allows deformation of the air dam, at least from the lower end of the front underrun protector.

  In the above configuration, since the deformation of the air dam arranged at a low position of the vehicle is allowed by the easily deformable portion, even when the lower end of the air dam contacts the convex portion of the road surface, the air dam can be easily formed. Can be bent and deformed. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent damage to the air dam protruding from the lower end of the front underrun protector toward the road surface.

  Further, since the air dam can be bent and deformed, the lower end of the air dam can be lowered to the vicinity of the road surface.

  In addition to the case where the entire portion protruding downward from the lower end of the front underrun protector is configured as an easily deformable portion, for example, the lower end edge of the air dam is reinforced with a reinforcing member or the like, and the other portions are easily You may comprise as a deformation | transformation part.

  A plurality of air dams may be provided so as to be divided in the vehicle width direction. When the air dams on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the plurality of air dams are viewed from the front side of the vehicle, at least the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the left and right front wheels of the vehicle, respectively. You may arrange | position in the position which overlaps with the edge part.

  In the above configuration, the air dam divided into a plurality in the vehicle width direction can be appropriately disposed in a range that affects the air resistance of the vehicle, for example, in front of the left and right front wheels and the front axle. That is, the air dam can be arranged at a desired site where it is desired to obtain an air resistance reduction effect according to the configuration of the vehicle. Moreover, since each air dam can be reduced in size by dividing | segmenting an air dam into plurality, the reduction of the cost of an air dam and the improvement of attachment workability | operativity can be aimed at.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle equipped with a front underrun protector, the traveling airflow can be controlled with a simple configuration without increasing the air dam.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side view of a cab overtrack according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a main part of FIG. In the figure, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and UP in the figure indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Moreover, the left-right direction in the following description means the left-right direction in the state which faced the vehicle front.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is a cab overtrack in which a cab 2 is positioned approximately in front of an engine (not shown), and includes a vehicle body frame 3 and an air resistance reduction structure 4. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body frame 3 includes a side member 5 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and a cross connecting a plurality of side members 5, extending in the vehicle width direction. Member 6. The side member 5 and the cross member 6 are fixed by welding, bolting, or the like.

  The air resistance reducing structure 4 is disposed at the front portion of the vehicle 1 and extends in the vehicle width direction, and an air dam that projects downward from a lower end surface 10 (see FIG. 3) of the front underrun protector 7. 8 and a front bumper 9 disposed in front of the vehicle of the front underrun protector 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front under-run protector 7 has a rectangular cross section, and is attached to the vehicle front side of the lower end surface (attachment portion) 10 of the air dam 8 across the vehicle width direction. A plurality of bolts 11 are provided so as to protrude downward. Further, the front underrun protector 7 is fixed to the side member 5 via a bracket 24 by welding, bolting or the like.

  The air dam 8 has substantially the same width as the width of the front underrun protector 7 in the vehicle width direction, and has a substantially plate-like front underrun protector mounting portion 12 and an end portion of the front underrun protector mounting portion 12 on the vehicle front side. And a substantially plate-like air dam main body (easily deformable portion) 13 that bends downward from and extends integrally with a flexible resin such as rubber or fiber. A plurality of bolt insertion holes (not shown) through which the bolts 11 provided on the front underrun protector 7 can be inserted are formed in the front underrun protector mounting portion 12.

  The air dam 8 inserts a plurality of bolts 11 provided on the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7 into a plurality of bolt insertion holes formed in the front under-run protector mounting portion 12, and a nut 15. Then, it is fastened and fixed to the front underrun protector 7 by tightening.

  In a state where the air dam 8 is fixed to the front under-run protector 7, the air dam main body 13 protrudes substantially vertically downward from the vehicle front side of the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7, and its lower end edge is predetermined from the road surface. It is arranged at a long distance. Depending on the configuration of the vehicle and the plurality of vehicle types, the mounting position of the front under-run protector mounting portion 12 is set to a portion other than the vehicle front side of the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7 (for example, the vehicle rear side). It is also possible to lower the lower end edge of the air dam body 13 to the vicinity of the road surface.

  The front bumper 9 has a substantially U-shaped cross section and is fixed to the side member 5 via a bumper stay 16. In a state where the front bumper 9 is fixed to the side member 5, the front bumper 9 is disposed at a position that covers the front under-run protector 7 including the attachment portion with the air dam 8 from the front side of the vehicle.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the air dam 8 projects downward from the lower end surface 10 of the front underrun protector 7 disposed in the vicinity of the foremost portion of the lower portion of the vehicle 1. That is, since the air dam 8 is provided in the vicinity of the foremost part of the lower part of the vehicle where the traveling air current is separated from the outer surface of the vehicle body and is not easily swirled, the traveling air flowing under the air dam 8 during traveling of the vehicle 1 Can be guided to the rear of the vehicle. Further, since most of the traveling wind flows along the surface of the air dam 8 while maintaining a laminar flow state, the amount of protrusion of the air dam 8 from the lower end of the front underrun protector 7 is set small. However, it is possible to sufficiently distribute the traveling wind toward a range where the front wheel 17 and the front axle 18 that affect the air resistance do not exist. Accordingly, the air resistance of the vehicle can be reduced without increasing the size of the air dam 8.

  Further, the front under-run protector 7 to which the air dam 8 is attached has a large width in the front-rear direction of the lower end surface 10 of the vehicle because it needs to satisfy rigidity and strength that can withstand an impact load caused by a collision. That is, when compared with the thin front bumper 9 disposed in the front portion of the vehicle 1, the thickness of the lower end in the vehicle front-rear direction is set to be larger in the front under-run protector 7 than in the front bumper 9. The degree of freedom of mounting the air dam 8 in the vehicle front-rear direction increases as compared to the front bumper 9. Therefore, since the attachment position of the air dam 8 can be appropriately selected in the vehicle front-rear direction, the air dam 8 can be disposed at an appropriate position according to a plurality of vehicle types.

  Further, the front underrun protector 7 on which the air dam 8 is disposed is not a member constituting the external shape of the vehicle 1 such as the front bumper 9 and is not diversified for design reasons. The difference is smaller than that of the front bumper 9, and the mounting height from the ground is the same. Therefore, even if the shape of the front bumper 9 is different, the common air dam 8 can be employed. In addition, when the air dam 8 is arranged, it is not necessary to perform special processing on the front bumper 9, so that the air resistance of the vehicle 1 can be reduced without affecting the external shape of the vehicle 1.

  Further, since the air dam 8 is provided below the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7 disposed at a low position of the vehicle 1, for example, the air dam 8 is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7. When attached, it is possible to make the attachment portion difficult to see from the appearance of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the air dam 8 can be arranged without deteriorating the appearance of the vehicle 1.

  The front bumper 9 is arranged at a position that covers the entire front under-run protector 7 including the attachment portion with the air dam 8 from the front side of the vehicle. Therefore, the mounting portion can be hidden without performing special processing on the front bumper 9, so that the air resistance of the vehicle 1 can be reduced while maintaining the external shape of the vehicle 1.

  Further, since the deformation of the air dam 8 arranged at a low position of the vehicle 1 is allowed by the air dam main body 13, even when the lower end of the air dam 8 contacts the convex portion of the road surface when the vehicle 1 is traveling, The air dam 8 can be easily bent and deformed. Therefore, damage to the air dam 8 protruding from the lower end of the front underrun protector 7 toward the road surface can be effectively prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the air dam main body 13 is formed in a substantially plate shape and is extended substantially vertically downward from the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7, but is not limited thereto. The cross-sectional shape and the mounting position and mounting angle with respect to the front under-run protector 7 can also be as shown in FIGS.

  The air dam 8 includes, for example, the lower end edge of the air dam main body 13 as a reinforcing member in addition to the case where the entire portion protruding downward from the lower end surface 10 of the front underrun protector 7 is configured as a flexible member. The other part may be configured as a flexible member, or only the front under-run protector mounting portion 12 is formed of a metal member, and the other part is flexible. You may comprise as a member. That is, as long as the air dam 8 is movable in the vehicle front-rear direction with the air dam 8 fixed to the front underrun protector 7, the range in which the flexible member is used may be set in any way.

  Furthermore, although the air dam 8 is fixed to the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7, if the air dam main body 13 protrudes downward from the lower end surface 10 of the front under-run protector 7, which part of the front under-run protector 7 is (For example, the front end portion) may be fixed.

  Further, the fixing of the air dam 8 to the front under-run protector 7 is not limited to the case of bolt fastening, and may be performed by adhesion or welding.

  Further, the front bumper 9 is disposed on the front side of the front under-run protector 7 including the mounting portion with the air dam 8, but the front under-run protector 7 and the air dam 8 are attached depending on the configuration of the vehicle and a plurality of vehicle types. It may be arranged at a position other than the front side of the portion or the front underrun protector 7, and the front bumper 9 itself may not be provided in the vehicle 1.

  Next, an air resistance reduction structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an arrangement example of air dams. Further, the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5 differs from the first embodiment described above only in the configuration of the air dam, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Duplicate explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the air dam 21 constituting the air resistance reducing structure 20 includes a left air dam portion 22 that extends downward from the right and left sides of the lower end surface 10 (see FIG. 3) of the front underrun protector 7. And a right air dam portion 23.

  The left air dam portion 22 and the right air dam portion 23 are arranged at positions where they overlap the right front wheel 17 and the left front wheel 17, respectively, when viewed from the front side of the vehicle.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the left air dam portion 22 and the right air dam portion 23 divided in the vehicle width direction are disposed in front of the right front wheel 17 and the left front wheel 17, respectively. When the vehicle 1 is traveling, the traveling wind can be sufficiently distributed toward a range where the left and right front wheels 17 do not exist. That is, by dividing the air dam 21 into a plurality of parts, the air dam 21 can be disposed only in front of the left and right front wheels 17 that affect the air resistance of the vehicle. Therefore, the air dam 21 can be arranged at a desired site where it is desired to obtain an air resistance reduction effect according to the configuration of the vehicle. Moreover, since each air dam 21 can be reduced in size by dividing | segmenting the air dam 21 into plurality, the cost reduction of the air dam 21 and the improvement of attachment workability | operativity can be aimed at.

  In the present embodiment, the air dam 21 is divided into two parts. However, the air dam 21 may be further divided, and the divided air dams 21 may be arranged not only in front of the front wheels 17 but also in front of the front axles 18. Is possible.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described, the present invention is not limited by the discussion and the drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. That is, it should be added that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are all included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a side view of the cab overtrack concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 1. It is a principal part enlarged side view of FIG. It is a side view which shows the other shape and attachment angle of an air dam. It is a schematic plan view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the air dam which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 4 Air resistance reduction structure 7 Front underrun protector 8 Air dam 9 Front bumper 10 Lower end surface (mounting part)
12 Front underrun protector mounting part 13 Air dam body part (easy transformation part)
20 Air resistance reduction structure 21 Air dam 22 Left air dam part 23 Right air dam part

Claims (4)

A front underrun protector disposed in the front of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction;
An air dam reducing structure for a vehicle, comprising: an air dam fixed to the front underrun protector and extending downward from at least a lower end of the front underrun protector. The vehicle air resistance reduction structure according to claim 1,
A vehicle air resistance reduction structure comprising: a front bumper that covers at least a mounting portion between the front underrun protector and the air dam from the front side of the vehicle. The air resistance reduction structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The air dam has a flexible, easily deformable portion that allows deformation of the air dam, at least downward from a lower end of the front underrun protector. An air resistance reduction structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A plurality of the air dams are provided so as to be divided in the vehicle width direction,
Among the plurality of air dams, the air dams on both sides in the vehicle width direction are arranged at positions overlapping at least the inner ends in the vehicle width direction of the left and right front wheels of the vehicle when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. To reduce the air resistance of vehicles.

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