JP2008238897A - Fender shield heater of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle equipped with a fender shield heater preventing the adhesion of snow to a fender shield by using a part of air heated for warming the inside of a vehicle cabin. <P>SOLUTION: The fender shield heater comprises the fender shield formed with a hollow portion between a wheel 93 and a fender 91, a heater unit 2 heating air ventilated to the inside of the vehicle cabin by using cooling water of an engine, and a duct 19 coupling the heater unit 2 and the hollow portion 12 of the fender shield 1, and leading the ventilated air from the heater unit 2 into the hollow portion of the fender shield 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a fender that covers wheels, and particularly to a fender shield heating device that prevents snow, ice, etc. from entering the fender shield when traveling in a snowy area. It is.

In general, in a snowfall area, a road on which a vehicle travels is subjected to snow removal or a snow melting device using ground water, an electric heater or the like is installed to remove snow on the road. However, it is not possible to completely remove snow on all roads, or the snow removal work cannot catch up depending on the snowfall condition, so there are many cases where snow remains on the roads. Therefore, it is often necessary to drive the vehicle even when there is snow on the road. When traveling in such a state, as shown in FIG. 6, the snow S picked up by the wheels adheres to the inside of the fender (fender shield 1 ′). The attached snow gradually becomes a large lump, and in some cases, it becomes a hard lump like ice. If such a lump adheres to the inside of the fender, there is a possibility that the steering operation and the brake operation may be hindered. In addition, when the lump is peeled off, the fender may be damaged or may fly backwards, which may be dangerous for the following vehicle. In such a case, for example, what is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-297882 can be cited as a means for melting and removing snow adhering to the inside of the fender. And this thing provides the piping of cooling water in a fender shield, and can melt snow with the heat of cooling water.
JP 2005-297882 A

By the way, in the said conventional thing, the piping of a normal cooling water is branched, it arrange | positions separately to a fender shield, and a fender shield is heated with cooling water. Therefore, the piping of the cooling water is complicated, and further, the leakage of the cooling water leads to the engine damage. Therefore, when extending the piping to the fender shield, it is necessary to take measures to completely prevent the leakage. Further, even if a foreign object such as a stone that is thrown up to the wheel during the traveling of the vehicle collides, the piping must be prevented from being damaged, which may increase the cost. Furthermore, since the cooling water circulates whenever the engine is in operation, it is not efficient because it circulates to the fender shield even in warm seasons when there is no fear of snowfall. In order to solve such problems, an attempt is made to provide a fender shield heating device that uses a part of the heated air to heat the passenger compartment so that snow does not adhere to the fender shield. It is an object (problem) of the present invention.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following measures are taken in the present invention. That is, in the first aspect of the invention, the fender is provided at a position covering the wheel, and is provided between the wheel and the fender, and is provided so as to cover the inside of the fender and the hollow portion is provided. The formed fender shield, a heater unit that heats air to be blown into the vehicle interior using engine cooling water, and the heater unit and the hollow portion of the fender shield are connected to send air from the heater unit. It was decided to adopt a configuration including a duct leading to the hollow portion of the fender shield.

Next, the invention described in claim 2 will be described. The basic point of this is the same as that of the first aspect. That is, the fender shield heating device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fender shield is provided with a discharge port for discharging the air blown from the heater unit, and the discharge port is disposed on the back side of the bumper device of the vehicle. It was decided to adopt.

Next, an invention according to claim 3 will be described. This also has the same basic points as those in the first and second aspects. That is, the vehicle fender shield heating device according to claim 1 or 2 is configured to include a seal member that closes the discharge port when the discharge port is not ventilated.

According to 1st invention, the air heated with the heater unit is guide | induced to the hollow part in a fender shield, a fender shield is warmed, and the adhering snow can be dissolved and dropped. In addition, since a part of the air for heating the vehicle interior is originally used, the heat of the engine can be used efficiently without providing any special heating means. And it is not necessary to be completely sealed from the heater unit to the fender shield, and even if some air leaks, there is no possibility of damaging the engine or the like. Therefore, a relatively simple structure can be obtained. Furthermore, in the warm season when there is no worry of snowfall, there is no need to heat the cabin and no heater is used, so the heated air is not led to the fender shield and it is efficient without using wasted energy. Can be used for Therefore, the fuel consumption is not increased and the load on the environment can be minimized.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the back side of the bumper device of the vehicle is in a position where dust, water, snow, etc. are most difficult to enter during running, so that it enters the hollow portion of the fender shield from the discharge port. Thus, deposition can be prevented.

In addition, according to the third invention, the feature is that when there is no ventilation at the discharge port of the fender shield, that is, when the fender shield is not in use, the discharge port can be closed. It is possible to reliably prevent entry and accumulation from the discharge port into the hollow portion of the fender shield.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the configuration of the present embodiment includes a fender shield 1 in which a hollow portion 12 provided in a fender 91 of a vehicle 9 is formed, a heater unit 2 for heating a vehicle interior, and a heater. It is basically composed of a duct 16 that connects the unit 2 and the hollow portion 12 of the fender shield 1. And the fender shield heating apparatus which consists of these structures heats the fender shield 1 by guide | inducing the air heated by the heater unit 2 in the hollow part 12 of the fender shield 1 through the duct 16, and dissolves the adhering snow. It is something that can be done.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fender shield 1 includes an introduction portion 13 connected to a duct 16 that guides hot air from the heater unit 2, and an arcuate shape as a whole. The arc portion 14 having a shape along the inside of the fender 91 and the discharge portion 15 formed so as to extend horizontally toward the bumper 92. The introduction portion 13, the circular arc portion 14, and the discharge portion 15 are formed by means such as blow molding so as to have a predetermined width and continuously, and further to have the hollow portion 12 over the whole. Yes. A discharge port 151 for discharging the air flowing through the hollow portion 12 is provided at the discharge portion 15.

The duct 16 is formed so that one end thereof has substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the introduction portion 13 of the fender shield 1, and is inserted into the introduction portion 13 to be engaged therewith. This engaging portion does not need to be completely sealed so that the air flowing in the duct 16 does not leak at all, and even if some air leaks, there is little influence on the heating and the engine and cooling Since the system is not damaged, a simple sealing device can be used. Therefore, the structure of the engaging portion can be simplified and the cost increase can be minimized. Furthermore, the other end of the duct 16 is connected to the fender shield side air outlet 282 (see FIG. 4) of the heater unit 2. In this case as well, the sectional shape of the duct 16 and the fender shield side air outlet 282 is used. Are formed so as to be substantially the same as and engaged with each other. This engaging portion does not need to be completely sealed so that the flowing air does not leak at all, and a relatively simple sealing device can be used.

Next, the heater unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The heater unit 2 is basically composed of a fan 23 for blowing air, an evaporator 24 that is a heat exchanger for cooling, a heater core 25 that is a heat exchanger for heating, and a case 21 for housing them. It is. In such a configuration, when the fan 23 rotates, air is taken in from the intake port 22 and passes through the evaporator 24 connected to the compressor C, and is adjusted to a predetermined temperature. The air that has passed through the heater core 25 is heated. The air that has passed through the evaporator 24 and the heater core 25 is mixed and adjusted to a predetermined temperature according to the opening degree of the temperature adjustment damper 26. The heater core 25 is connected to the cooling system of the engine E and heats the passing air by the heat of the cooling water.

The air adjusted to a predetermined temperature can adjust the amount of air blown from the predetermined air outlet in the passenger compartment by adjusting or switching the opening degree of the air outlet switching dampers 27 and 28. The air outlet switching damper 27 adjusts the amount of air blown to the face side air outlet 271 connected to the air outlet at the face position in the passenger compartment by the opening, and the air outlet switching damper 28 is adjusted according to the opening. The blow-out amount to the foot-side air outlet 281 connected to the air outlet at the foot position in the vehicle compartment and the fender shield-side air outlet 282 that guides the heated air to the fender shield 1 is adjusted.

The heated air blown from the fender shield side outlet 282 is guided to the introduction part 13 of the fender shield 1 through the duct 16, and from the arc part 14 to the discharge part 15 through the hollow part 12. While the whole 1 is heated, it is finally discharged from the outlet 151 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the snow adhering to the fender shield 1 is warmed and thawed and peels off from the fender shield 1.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the discharge port 151 is shaped so as to be narrowed little by little, the discharge pressure from the discharge port 151 can be slightly increased, and entry of dust, water, snow, etc. can be prevented. Can do. Further, by setting the position of the discharge port 151 on the back side of the bumper 92, dust, water, snow, etc. do not directly hit the discharge port 151 during traveling, so that intrusion into the hollow portion 12 can be prevented. Can do.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5A, a discharge port 151 may be formed on the bottom surface of the discharge unit 15 in a shape that jumps up in the traveling direction of the vehicle. As a result, a suction effect from the discharge port 151 due to the traveling wind flowing through the lower surface of the discharge unit 15 can be expected, and the discharge can be efficiently performed, and dust, water, snow, and the like are less likely to enter. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the discharge port 151 can be opened only when the discharge port 151 is normally closed and air is flowing through the hollow portion 12. A seal member 152 that acts as a one-way valve as shown in FIG. 5C may be provided. This prevents intrusion of dust, water, snow, etc. into the hollow portion 12 even when air is not flowing through the hollow portion 12, during parking, or during operation when it is not necessary to use a heater. It can be surely prevented.

Next, a method of using such a fender shield heating device will be described. When traveling in an area with snowfall, the heater device is operated to heat the passenger compartment because the temperature is generally low. When the heater device is activated, the air that has passed through the heater core 25 is heated and guided from the foot-side air outlet 281 toward the driver's feet in the passenger compartment, and at the same time from the fender shield-side air outlet 282 through the duct 16. Thus, it is guided to the fender shield 1. Thus, the fender shield 1 can be heated without any special operation, and the attached snow or the like can be dissolved and dropped. Further, in the warm season when there is no concern about snowfall, there is no need to heat the passenger compartment and no heater is used. Therefore, the foot-side outlet 281 and the fender shield-side outlet 282 are closed by the switching damper 28 and the fender shield 1 Air heated up to is not introduced. Moreover, although the opening / closing of both the foot side air outlet 281 and the fender shield side air outlet 282 is adjusted by one switching damper 28, the foot side air outlet 281 and the fender shield side air outlet 282 can be opened and closed separately. Thus, a switching damper may be provided for each.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the fender shield concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the fender shield concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure for sending the heated air from the heater unit concerning this invention to a fender shield. It is sectional drawing which shows the discharge port of the fender shield concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the snow concerning the prior art example adhered.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fender shield 1 'Fender shield 12 Hollow part 13 Introduction part 14 Arc part 15 Discharge part 151 Discharge port 152 Seal member 16 Duct 2 Heater unit 21 Case 22 Inlet 23 Fan 24 Evaporator 25 Heater core 26 Temperature adjustment damper 27 Outlet switching damper 271 Face side outlet 271
28 Air outlet switching damper 281 Foot side air outlet 282 Fender shield side air outlet 9 Vehicle 9 'Vehicle 91 Fender 92 Bumper 93 Wheel 93' Wheel C Compressor E Engine S Snow

Claims (3)

A fender provided at a position covering the wheel, a fender shield provided between the wheel and the fender and provided so as to cover the inside of the fender and having a hollow portion formed therein, and engine cooling water A heater unit that heats the air blown into the vehicle interior using a duct, and a duct that connects the heater unit and the hollow portion of the fender shield and guides the air blown from the heater unit to the hollow portion of the fender shield. A fender shield heating device for a vehicle, comprising:
2. The fender shield heating device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fender shield is provided with a discharge port for discharging the air blown from the heater unit, and the discharge port is disposed on the back side of the bumper device of the vehicle. A fender shield heating device for vehicles.
3. The fender shield heating device for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member that closes the discharge port when there is no air flow at the discharge port.