JP2010188927A - Tire warmer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire warmer surely improving fuel economy of an automobile by increasing the temperature of the tire, with superior thermal efficiency of maintaining an elevated temperature of a tire, without imposing extra burden on an engine (motor). <P>SOLUTION: This tire warmer A guides and retains engine exhaust heat collected by providing a heat-collecting cover 1 on the rear side of a radiator 10 to the inside of wheel wells H, H via a hollow part of a bulkhead upper side frame 12d (vehicle body skeleton) in a front part of the automobile M. Since the tire warmer A, different from a conventional tire warmer, increases the temperature of the tire T by the engine exhaust heat retained in the wheel wells H, H and maintains the elevated temperature, the tire warmer A does not require a fan or a compressor to blow hot air to a surface of the tire T. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire temperature raising device for increasing the temperature of a tire of an automobile.

In recent years, there has been a demand for improved fuel efficiency of automobiles more than ever because of demands for energy saving and low environmental load. And in the technical field which concerns on a tire, the tire temperature rising apparatus aiming at the improvement of the fuel consumption of a motor vehicle is known (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2).
This tire temperature raising device is configured to spray hot air on the surface of the tire, and reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by increasing the temperature of the tire.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-290916 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-31605

However, around the tire, there are traveling wind and surface airflow that is pulled by the tire rotating at high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface of the tire.
Therefore, in the conventional tire heating device, the hot air must be accelerated using a fan or a compression device so that the injected hot air reaches the tire against running wind around the tire and surface airflow. . As a result, an extra load is applied to the engine in order to supply electric power consumed to drive the fan and the compressor, and the fuel consumption may be worsened.
In addition, in the conventional tire temperature raising device, the temperature of the tire surface is increased by mainly blowing warm air on the surface of the tread portion of the tire, so the heat of the tire surface is the atmosphere around the road surface and around the tire. Easy to escape. In other words, the conventional tire temperature raising device has poor heating efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to increase the temperature of a tire and to be excellent in thermal efficiency for maintaining the increased temperature, and to reliably improve the fuel consumption of an automobile without placing an extra burden on a prime mover such as an engine. The object is to provide a tire heating device.

The tire temperature increasing device of the present invention that has solved the above problems guides the exhaust heat of the prime mover that has been collected by providing a heat collecting cover behind the radiator into the wheel house through the hollow portion of the body frame at the front of the vehicle. It is characterized by making it stay.
When an automobile equipped with the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention travels, a part of the traveling wind received on the front side of the automobile passes through the radiator. The traveling wind that has passed through the radiator is accompanied by prime mover exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting cover.
Then, the traveling wind accompanied by the motor exhaust heat from the heat collecting cover is guided from the heat collecting cover through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and stays in the wheel house. At this time, the traveling wind accompanied by the exhaust heat of the prime mover flowing through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton is guided and stays in the wheel house accurately because there is almost no disturbance to the flow.
As a result, the tire temperature increasing device reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by exerting two functions of increasing the tire temperature by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house and maintaining the increased tire temperature. .

  Further, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from the conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire. As a result, the temperature of the tire is increased and maintained by the exhaust heat of the prime mover staying in the wheel house, so that a fan or a compression device for spraying hot air on the tire surface is not required. Therefore, according to the tire temperature raising device of the present invention, an excessive load due to driving of the fan and the compression device is not applied to the prime mover.

  And since the conventional tire temperature rising apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2) is raising the temperature of the surface of a tire by spraying warm air as mentioned above, Heat easily escapes to the atmosphere around the road and tires. On the other hand, according to the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention, the temperature of the tire is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house, and the increased temperature of the tire is maintained, so the total amount of heat contributing to the tire And heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire (without interruption).

Moreover, the tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention guides the traveling wind accompanied by the motor exhaust heat from the heat collecting cover into the wheel house through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton disposed in the front portion of the vehicle. Therefore, since the section using the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton can omit a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for traveling wind, the manufacturing cost of the tire heating device can be reduced.
Further, in the section using the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton, a traveling wind guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) can be omitted. There is no interference with auxiliary equipment such as piping and intake resonators. As a result, according to this tire temperature raising device, the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is increased as compared with, for example, a configuration in which a traveling wind guide member is provided.

In such a tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention, the vehicle body skeleton that guides the motor exhaust heat is directly connected to an inner fender that defines the inside of the wheel house, and the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and the wheel house It can be configured to communicate with the inside through an opening formed in the inner fender.
In this tire temperature raising device, the vehicle body skeleton and the inner fender are directly connected, and the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and the inside of the wheel house are in direct communication with each other. There is no need to separately provide a traveling wind guide member (for example, a current plate or a duct). Therefore, according to this tire temperature raising device, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is further expanded.

  Unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention does not require acceleration of warm air and does not impose an extra load on the engine, so that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be improved with certainty. Further, the tire temperature raising device of the present invention has a large total heat amount contributing to the tire, and can continuously and stably supply heat to the tire (without interruption). Excellent thermal efficiency to maintain elevated temperature.

It is the perspective view which shows the front side of the car which mounts the tire temperature rising device of this invention partially, it is the figure which looked down at the front side of the car from diagonally left rear of the car. It is a perspective view of the heat collecting cover which comprises the tire temperature rising apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view for explaining the arrangement position of the body frame which constitutes the tire temperature rising device of the present invention, and is a view looking down the front side of the automobile from the diagonally left front of the automobile. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the opening formed in the wheel house was looked up from IV direction of FIG. (A) is a partial side view of the front side of the automobile schematically showing the airflow around the tire of the traveling automobile, and (b) is a front side portion of the automobile schematically showing the airflow in the wheel house of the traveling automobile. A side view and (c) are figures which show typically distribution of air current in a wheel house, and are sectional views corresponding to a VV section of Drawing 1.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a tire temperature raising device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from conventional tire temperature increasing devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), such as a fan and a compression device for spraying hot air actively to a tire. The engine exhaust heat (motor exhaust heat) is guided into the wheel house without using the engine. More specifically, the tire temperature increasing device according to the present invention distributes engine exhaust heat collected at a position ahead of the wheel house to the left and right passively by the driving wind and guides it into the wheel house. It is comprised so that it may stay together.
In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are based on the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tire temperature increasing device A according to the present embodiment includes a pair of heat collecting covers 1 disposed behind the radiator 10 and a duct 2 formed integrally with the heat collecting cover 1. A heat collecting member 3 is provided.
Incidentally, the radiator 10 is disposed above the bulkhead lower cross member 12b disposed at the front ends of the front side frames 12a and 12a of the automobile M (vehicle), and the outside of the front side frames 12a and 12a in the vehicle width direction. Will be located in front of the wheel houses H, H. In FIG. 1, a symbol T indicates a tire disposed in the wheel house H.

Next, the heat collecting member 3 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2, but the pair of heat collecting members 3 in this embodiment has the same structure except that they are bilaterally symmetrical. Here, only the structure of the right heat collecting member 3 will be described, and the description of the left heat collecting member 3 will be omitted.
The heat collecting member 3 has the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2 as described above.
The heat collecting cover 1 includes a heat collecting plate 1a disposed so as to face the radiator 10 (see FIG. 1), and walls 1b, 1c, which rise from the peripheral edge of the heat collecting plate 1a toward the front side (the radiator 10 side). 1d. That is, the heat collecting cover 1 is formed in a hood shape that covers the back side of the radiator 10 by the heat collecting plate 1a and the wall portions 1b, 1c, and 1d provided on the periphery of the heat collecting plate 1a. One end of a duct 2 is connected to the wall 1c provided on the right edge of the heat collecting plate 1a, and the duct 2 communicates with the inside of the heat collecting cover 1 formed in a hood shape. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat collecting cover 1 in the present embodiment is arranged so as to face the back side surface of the radiator 10, thereby efficiently collecting engine exhaust heat. In the present invention, if the area of the heat collecting plate 1a and the distance between the radiator 10 and the heat collecting plate 1a are adjusted so that the heat radiation of the radiator 10 can be maintained, the necessary heat collecting amount can be secured. The shape of the heat collecting plate 1a may be arbitrarily determined.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the several heat radiating hole 5 is formed in the wall part 1b provided in the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a. For example, when the traveling vehicle M (see FIG. 1) stops, the heat radiating hole 5 ensures that the engine exhaust heat dissipated from the radiator 10 (see FIG. 1) is generated in the heat collecting cover 1. It is something to prevent.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a mounting flange 1e extending toward the front side is formed on the wall 1b. The flange 1e may be a separate part from the heat collecting cover 1 or an integral structure depending on the production and assembly process of the vehicle body.
In the present embodiment, the rising height of the wall 1d provided on the lower edge of the heat collecting plate 1a is provided on the wall 1b provided on the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a and on the side edge. This is lower than the rising height of the wall portion 1c, and this also more reliably prevents the engine exhaust heat from getting inside the heat collecting cover 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat collecting cover 1 in this embodiment is formed by fixing the mounting flange 1e with a bolt or the like to a vehicle body (for example, a bulkhead upper center frame 12c as a vehicle body skeleton). It will be attached. In addition, when attaching another member (for example, bumper cowl 13) to the vehicle body from the upper side, the attachment flange 1e is preferably fastened together with the other member.
Incidentally, in the tire heating device A in the present embodiment, since the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to the vehicle body side as described above, for example, when the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to a vibrating member such as the radiator 10. In comparison, the tire heating device A can be attached to the automobile M more firmly.

As shown in FIG. 2, the duct 2 extends to the right side (outside in the vehicle width direction) from the heat collecting cover 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the duct 2 is connected to a bulkhead upper side frame 12d, which is a hollow vehicle body skeleton described below, and communicates with a hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. . More specifically, the front end of the duct 2 in this embodiment is inserted into an opening 12h formed inside the front portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d.
The bulkhead upper side frame 12d corresponds to a “body skeleton” in the claims.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bulkhead upper side frames 12d and 12d are hollow members extending in the front-rear direction of the automobile M substantially above the front side frames 12a and 12a, and the rear ends thereof are front parts. It is connected to the wheel house lower extensions 12e, 12e. Incidentally, the front wheel house lower extensions 12e and 12e constitute a part of the front side of the inner fenders 6 and 6 that define the wheel houses H and H, and are also vehicle body skeletons.

  The bulkhead upper center frame 12c is disposed at the front ends of the bulkhead upper side frames 12d and 12d. Incidentally, the upper end of the radiator 10 is arranged along the rear of the bulkhead upper center frame 12c. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 12f denotes a bulkhead side stay, which connects the bulkhead upper center frame 12c and the aforementioned bulkhead lower cross member 12b. The front side frame 12a, the bulkhead lower cross member 12b, the bulkhead upper center frame 12c, and the bulkhead side stay 12f, together with the bulkhead upper side frame 12d and the front wheel house lower extension 12e, It constitutes the skeleton.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is connected to an upper member 12j (wheel house upper member). The upper member 12j is a hollow member extending from the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d toward the rear side of the vehicle M. In addition, the hollow part is sealed with the partition wall 12g at the front side of the upper member 12j in this embodiment. That is, the front of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is sealed with the bulkhead upper center frame 12c and the subsequent is sealed with the partition wall 12g, so that one end of the duct 2 of the heat collecting member 3 is inserted. The hollow portion is a closed space except for the opening 12h and the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e described below.

The front wheel house lower extension 12e is a hollow member and constitutes a part of the front side of the inner fender 6 that partitions the wheel house H as described above.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front wheel house lower extension 12 e is connected to a front side gusset 12 k provided on the front side of the front side frame 12 a, and the front wheel house lower extension 12 e It extends toward the upper rear of M. The rear end is connected to the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, and the hollow portion of the front wheel house lower extension 12e and the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d communicate with each other. 3 and 4, the symbol T is a tire, and the symbol 12g in FIG. 4 is a partition wall.

And the opening 7 which faces the inside of the wheel house H is formed in the lower surface of the rear end of the front wheel house lower extension 12e, as shown in FIG. The opening 7 corresponds to “an opening formed in the inner fender” in the claims.
This opening 7 allows the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d to communicate with the inside of the wheel house H. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat collecting cover 1 and the wheel house H communicate with each other through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. Incidentally, three openings 7 in the present embodiment are formed per one wheel house H, and are arranged so as to be lined up in the front and rear direction near the front side of the wheel house H. These openings 7 are formed closer to the inside in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4), and as will be described later, the airflow region C3 (FIG. c).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tire temperature increasing device A in the present embodiment further includes a strake 14. The strake 14 is an aerodynamic device disposed immediately before the tire T, and the strake 14 in the present embodiment is formed of a plate-like body that hangs immediately before the tire T. The strake 14 is originally known as reducing drag (Cd value) generated when the traveling wind directly hits the tread portion of the tire T. In addition, as will be described later, the strake 14 in the present embodiment has a traveling wind that does not involve engine exhaust heat in addition to this action, and the front side of the tire T and the inner side of the tire T (the tire T in the wheel house H exists). The amount of air flowing into the wheel house H from the zone that does not) is reduced. As a result, the stroking 14 can retain the engine exhaust heat in the wheel house H more stably.

Next, the effect of the tire temperature increasing apparatus A according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the automobile M equipped with the tire temperature increasing device A travels, a part of the traveling wind W received on the front side of the automobile M passes through the radiator 10. The traveling wind W that has passed through the radiator 10 is accompanied by engine exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting covers 1 and 1.
The traveling wind W passing through the ducts 2 and 2 extending from the heat collecting covers 1 and 1 to the left and right respectively enters the hollow portions of the bulkhead upper side frames 12d and 12d through the openings 12h and 12h.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the traveling wind W that has entered the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is guided into the wheel house H through the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e. At this time, the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat flowing through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d via the duct 2 is guided to the wheel house H accurately because there is almost no disturbance to the flow.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, traveling wind W flows around the tire T of the traveling automobile M. Further, around the tire T, there is a surface airflow S that is pulled by the tire T rotating at a high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), in the wheel house H, the traveling wind W flows from the inside of the hub 20 in the vehicle width direction from the lower part of the bumper or under the floor (not shown).
However, even in the traveling vehicle M, the airflow F in the upper part of the wheel house H (the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 5C) described later) has a remarkably small velocity, and the flowing direction is also an irregular vortex. The inventors have confirmed that a similar flow is formed. Specifically, in the measurement by the simulation performed by the present inventors, the velocity of the airflow in the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 30 km / h is about 1.0 to 2.0 m / s, The speed of the airflow in the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 90 km / h was about 3.0 to 5.0 m / s.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5C, in the wheel house H, the airflow region C1 formed mainly around the tire T and the traveling wind W inside the hub 20 (see FIG. 5B). Is divided into an airflow region C2 into which the air flows and an airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.
In FIG. 5C, reference numeral 21 indicates a wheel on which the tire T is mounted, reference numeral 22 indicates a drive shaft, reference numeral 23 indicates a knuckle, reference numeral 24 indicates a lower arm, reference numeral 25 indicates an upper arm, Reference numeral 26 denotes a damper.
As described above, the opening 7 is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 where the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.

As a result, the traveling wind W flowing into the airflow region C3 shown in FIG. 5C through the opening 7 shown in FIG. 4 causes the engine exhaust heat to stay in the airflow region C3.
That is, in the tire temperature increasing device A of the present embodiment, the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 increases the temperature of the tire T as shown in FIG. In particular, the inner surface of the tire T (the sidewall portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction) is efficiently heated. Incidentally, the sidewall portion having a smaller rubber thickness than the tread portion facilitates heat transfer to the tire air chamber that can ensure a large heat capacity. The engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 maintains the increased temperature of the tire T.

  According to the tire temperature increasing device A as described above, the temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature of the tire T is maintained, so that the rolling resistance of the tire T is reduced. can do. As a result, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M is improved.

  Further, the tire temperature increasing device A is different from a conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which hot air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire, The temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the temperature is maintained. Therefore, an accelerating fan and a compression device are not required to spray hot air on the surface of the tire. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the electric power consumed for driving the fan and the compression device for accelerating the hot air is supplied. Therefore, since no extra load is applied to the engine, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M can be improved with certainty.

  Further, unlike the conventional tire heating device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the tire heating device A does not require a fan or a compression device for accelerating the warm air. There is no need for a control system for the compressor. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, since the configuration is simpler than that of the conventional tire temperature increasing device, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And the tire temperature rising apparatus A can also contribute to the improvement of a fuel consumption also by reducing the number of parts and reducing the weight of the motor vehicle M.

  Moreover, in the conventional tire temperature raising apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the temperature of the tire surface is increased by spraying warm air. Easily escape to the surrounding atmosphere. On the other hand, the tire temperature increasing device A constantly increases the temperature of the tire T and maintains the increased temperature of the tire T by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and thus contributes to the tire T. The total amount of heat (total amount of heat in the airflow region C3) is large, and heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire T (without interruption). As a result, the tire heating device A is superior in thermal efficiency to maintain the temperature of the tire T and the increased temperature as compared with the conventional tire heating device.

Further, the tire temperature raising device A guides the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat into the wheel house H using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d which is a vehicle body skeleton. Therefore, the section using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d can omit the guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the tire heating device A. can do.
Further, in the section using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W can be omitted. It does not interfere with auxiliary equipment such as batteries, air conditioner piping, and intake resonators. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is increased as compared with, for example, a configuration in which a guide member for the traveling wind W is provided.

  Further, the tire temperature raising device A guides the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat into the wheel house H using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d which is a vehicle body skeleton. Therefore, in this tire temperature raising apparatus A, when the traveling wind W passes through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, heat transfer (convection heat transfer) and heat radiation (radiation) from the engine, transmission, etc. Furthermore, the engine exhaust heat is received. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, the temperature of the tire T can be increased more efficiently and the increased temperature of the tire T can be maintained.

  Further, in this tire temperature raising apparatus A, a bulkhead upper side frame 12d as a vehicle body skeleton is directly connected to a front wheel house lower extension 12e constituting a part of the inner fender 6, and the bulkhead upper side frame 12d Since the hollow portion and the inside of the wheel house H are in direct communication with each other through the opening 7, a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W that connects the bulkhead upper side frame 12d and the wheel house H. ) Need not be provided separately. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is further expanded.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the tire temperature increasing device A has a strok 14 immediately before the tire T, so that the running wind without exhaust heat from the engine flows through the lower part of the bumper, the floor, etc. To avoid hitting from the front. That is, the stroking 14 reduces the amount of air that travels without engine exhaust heat collides with the tire T and then flows into the wheel house H. More specifically, the strake 14 reduces the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flowing around the tire T shown in FIG. 5A, so that the surface airflow S and the traveling wind W collide with each other. The flow rate leaking out of the wheel house H is reduced. Moreover, the stroking 14 can suppress the flow rate of the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flows into the upper portion of the wheel house H even in the case shown in FIG. In other words, the airflow region C2 shown in FIG. 5C is reduced, and the airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel house H is expanded. As a result, the tire temperature raising apparatus A causes the engine exhaust heat to stay in the wheel house H in a larger area more stably. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A, the thermal efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire T and maintaining the increased tire temperature is further improved.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement with a various form.
In the above embodiment, the hollow part of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d and the inside of the wheel house H are communicated with each other through the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e constituting a part of the inner fender 6. The present invention may be provided with a guide member for traveling wind W such as a duct for communicating the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d with the inside of the wheel house H.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the heat collecting cover 1 is attached to the bulkhead upper center frame 12c which is a vehicle body frame | skeleton, this invention may attach the heat collecting cover 1 to the radiator 10. FIG. In this case, it is desirable that the duct 2 of the heat collecting member 3 is provided with a vibration buffer portion formed of a bellows boot or the like in the middle of extending toward the bulkhead upper side frame 12d.

  In the above embodiment, the duct 2 of the heat collecting member 3 is inserted into the opening 12h of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. However, in the present invention, the duct 2 is mechanically fastened or welded to the opening edge of the opening 12h. It may be connected by, for example.

In the above embodiment, the traveling wind W accompanied with engine exhaust heat is guided into the wheel house through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. As long as it is not limited to the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, for example, the traveling wind W may be guided into the wheel house H through another body frame such as a hollow front wheel house lower extension 12e. .
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated what has the heat collecting member 3 of the same structure except becoming left-right symmetric, a pair of heat collecting member 3 may be asymmetrical.

  Moreover, although the tire temperature increasing device applied to the engine vehicle has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention may be applied to an electric vehicle (including a hybrid vehicle and a fuel cell vehicle) whose motor is a motor. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat collection cover 2 Duct 3 Heat collection member 5 Radiation hole 6 Inner fender 7 Opening 10 Radiator 12d Bulkhead upper side frame (body frame)
14 Stroke A Tire temperature raising device M Automobile (vehicle)
H Wheelhouse T Tire W Running wind

Claims (2)

  A tire temperature raising apparatus characterized in that a motor exhaust heat collected by providing a heat collecting cover at a rear side of a radiator is guided and retained in a wheel house through a hollow portion of a vehicle body skeleton in a front portion of a vehicle.   The vehicle body skeleton that guides the exhaust heat of the prime mover is directly connected to an inner fender that defines the inside of the wheel house, and the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and the inside of the wheel house are connected through an opening formed in the inner fender. The tire temperature increasing device according to claim 1, wherein the tire temperature increasing device is in communication.

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