JP2012096752A - Wind guide structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a wind guide structure for a vehicle that can assemble a wind guide plate from outside of the vehicle in front and rear directions of the vehicle while securing a required wind guide performance.SOLUTION: The wind guide structure 10 for the vehicle includes: a bumper reinforcement 20; front and rear frames 14; a radiator support side 24 supporting an air cooling heat exchanger 28; and the pair of right and left wind guide plates 34 guiding a cooling wind to the air cooling heat exchanger 28. The wind guide plates 34 can be assembled from a front side by intercalating the bumper reinforcement 20 into a notch 34A opening backward in the vehicle. Moreover, a space R surrounded by the bumper reinforcement 20, the front and rear frame members 14 and the radiator support side 24 is closed from above and below by an upper cover plate 36 and a lower cover plate 38 that are protruded from upper and lower edge portions of the notch 34A in the wind guide plate 34.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air guide structure that guides cooling air to a heat exchanger.

  2. Description of the Related Art A structure is known in which a traveling guide air taken from a front grill is guided to a radiator, and a wind guide plate for preventing hot air from flowing around the engine is provided (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2003-306047 A JP 2004-019487 A

  However, in the above-described technique, since the bumper armature is passed through the through hole of the air guide plate, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of assembly.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle wind guide structure in which a wind guide plate can be assembled from the vehicle outer side in the vehicle front-rear direction while ensuring required wind guide performance.

  The vehicle wind guide structure according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a bumper reinforcement that extends in the vehicle width direction at the front portions in both front and rear directions, and a longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the vehicle front and rear direction. A pair of front and rear skeleton members connected to both ends in the direction, and arranged in contact with the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the bumper reinforcement and inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the pair of front and rear skeleton members. A pair of upper and lower skeletal members extending to the heat exchanger, a heat exchanger supported by a skeleton structure including the pair of upper and lower skeleton members, opposed to the vehicle width direction and opened toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction. A rear end portion of the vehicle longitudinal direction is abutted against the upper and lower skeleton members in a state where the bumper reinforcement is inserted into the notch portion, and the heat exchanger A pair of wind guide plates for guiding the cooling air, and the vehicle frame in the vehicle vertical direction from both edges in the vehicle vertical direction of the notch portion of each of the wind guide plates, the front and rear skeleton members and the upper and lower skeletons in plan view A pair of upper and lower cover plates that cover a space surrounded by the member and the bumper reinforcement while contacting the bumper reinforcement and the front and rear skeleton members in the vehicle vertical direction.

  2. The vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear end portions of the vehicle are supported by the skeleton structure including the upper and lower skeleton members by a pair of right and left wind guide plates abutted against the upper and lower skeleton members. Cooling air is guided toward Here, in this wind guide structure for a vehicle, since the notch portion that opens rearward is formed in the wind guide plate, the wind guide plate can be assembled from the outside in the front-rear direction (the outside with respect to the bumper reinforcement).

  On the other hand, in this wind guide structure for a vehicle, the rear portion of the notch (between the bumper reinforcement and the upper and lower skeleton members) is a gap that opens into the cooling air flow path. Here, since the pair of upper and lower cover members covers the space surrounded by the bumper reinforcement, the front and rear skeleton members, and the upper and lower skeleton members from above and below, the air flow path through the gap is closed. For this reason, the required wind guide performance by the wind guide plate is ensured.

  Thus, in the vehicle wind guide structure according to the first aspect, the wind guide plate can be assembled from the vehicle outer side in the vehicle front-rear direction while ensuring the required wind guide performance.

  A vehicle wind guide structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle wind guide structure according to the first aspect, wherein the front and rear skeleton members are flanged vehicles projecting inward in the vehicle width direction from the front and rear skeleton member bodies. A space that is in contact with the upper and lower skeleton members at the inner end in the width direction, and the pair of upper and lower cover plates is surrounded by the front and rear skeleton member main body, the flange, the upper and lower skeleton members, and the bumper reinforcement in a plan view. Covering.

  In the vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 2, the front and rear skeleton member main body and the upper and lower skeleton members are separated in the vehicle width direction, and a larger space is formed, but the space is covered by a pair of upper and lower cover plates. Is called.

  A vehicle wind guide structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle wind guide structure according to the first or second aspect, wherein the pair of wind guide plates and the pair of upper and lower cover plates are resin-molded. Are integrally formed.

  In the vehicle wind guide structure according to the third aspect, the left and right wind guide plates integrated with the pair of upper and lower cover plates can be further integrated (connected) and handled as one member. For this reason, the assembly | attachment property to the vehicle as a whole improves.

  A vehicle wind guide structure according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle wind guide structure according to the third aspect, wherein the wind guide plate, the upper cover member, the lower cover member on one side in the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle width. The wind guide plate, the upper cover member, and the lower cover member on the other side in the direction are integrally connected by a resin functional component having an independent function.

  In the vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 4, for example, left and right wind guide plates (in which upper and lower cover plates are integrated) are coupled to a front grill, a bumper absorber, and the like through resin functional parts. Yes. For this reason, the assembly | attachment property to the vehicle containing the functional component which has an independent function other than the function which connects a right and left baffle plate improves.

  As described above, the vehicle wind guide structure according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the wind guide plate can be assembled from the vehicle outer side in the vehicle front-rear direction while ensuring the required wind guide performance.

1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle wind guide structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle wind guide structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the wind guide structure for vehicles which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a side view showing a vehicle wind guide structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an automobile to which a vehicle wind guide structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the baffle plate grill composite structure which comprises the baffle structure for vehicles which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the wind guide plate absorber composite structure which comprises the vehicle wind guide structure which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  A vehicle wind guide structure 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that arrows FR, UP, and W, which are appropriately shown in the drawings, respectively indicate the forward direction (traveling direction), the upward direction, and the vehicle width direction of the automobile to which the vehicle wind guide structure 10 is applied. In the following description, when simply using the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle vertical direction are indicated.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the vehicle body front structure 12 of the automobile A to which the vehicle wind guide structure 10 is applied. As shown in this figure, the vehicle body front structure 12 includes a front and rear skeleton member 14 as a pair of left and right front and rear skeleton members, each of which is elongated in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The front / rear skeleton member 14 includes a front side member 16 as a front / rear skeleton member main body, and a crash box 18 fixed to the front end of the front side member 16.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, flanges 16F and 18F facing the vehicle longitudinal direction are provided at the front end of the front side member 16 and the rear end of the crash box 18, respectively. The crash box 18 is fixed to the front end of the front side member 16 by fastening the bolts 16F and 18F with bolts and nuts (not shown). A flange 18FI to be joined to an outer surface 24S of a radiator support side 24 described later is formed at the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the flange 18F. Therefore, in this embodiment, the crash box 18 having the flange 18F whose inner end in the vehicle width direction is joined (contacted) to the radiator support side 24 corresponds to the front and rear skeleton member body.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the front ends of the left and right crash boxes 18 are bridged by a bumper reinforcement 20 that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. That is, the front end portion of each crash box 18 is fastened and fixed to the back surface of the bumper reinforcement 20 with a bolt and nut or the like at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 20.

  Behind the bumper reinforcement 20 is disposed a radiator support 22 that forms part of the vehicle body skeleton. The radiator support 22 includes a radiator support side 24 as a pair of left and right upper and lower skeleton members, a radiator support upper 26 that bridges between the upper ends of the radiator support side 24, and a radiator support lower 27 that bridges between the lower ends of the radiator support side 24 ( 4), it is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front.

  An air-cooled heat exchanger 28 as a heat exchanger is attached to the radiator support 22 so as to fill the frame of the radiator support 22. The air-cooling heat exchanger 28 includes at least one of a radiator that performs heat exchange between the air flow introduced from the front grill 30 of the automobile A and the engine coolant, and a condenser that performs heat exchange between the air flow and the air-conditioning refrigerant. It consists of The air flow introduced from the front grill 30 includes a travel wind accompanying the travel of the automobile A and an air flow generated by the operation of a fan (not shown) provided on the back side of the air-cooling heat exchanger 28, and is hereinafter referred to as a cooling wind. And

  The vehicle wind guide structure 10 includes a pair of left and right wind guide plates 34 that guide the cooling air to the air-cooling heat exchanger 28. The pair of air guide plates 34 has a size and shape that form a duct 32 that guides air from the front grill 30 to the air-cooling heat exchanger 28 between them. Each air guide plate 34 is formed with a notch 34 </ b> A that opens rearward and into which the bumper reinforcement 20 is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cutout 34 </ b> A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction in a side view, and the bumper reinforcement 20 is inserted into the front thereof. In this state, a flange 34 </ b> F formed along the vertical direction at the rear end of the air guide plate 34 is joined (fixed) to the front surface 20 </ b> F of the bumper reinforcement 20 in a pressed state. As this fixing structure, for example, clip fitting, coupling with a grommet screw, or fastening with a bolt and nut can be employed. Further, a sponge-like seal member may be sandwiched between the flange 34F and the front surface 20F of the bumper reinforcement 20.

  The upper edge 34AU and the lower edge 34AL of the notch 34A are in contact with or in close proximity to the upper surface 20U and the lower surface 20L of the bumper reinforcement 20. With this configuration, a gap G is formed between the rear surface 20B of the bumper reinforcement 20 and the front surface 24F of the radiator support side 24 by the notch 34A so as to communicate with the duct 32 from the vehicle width direction.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a space R is formed between the bumper reinforcement 20, the radiator support side 24, and the crash box 18 and the flange 18 </ b> F of the front and rear skeleton member 14. In other words, the space R is surrounded by the bumper reinforcement 20, the radiator support side 24, and the crash box 18 in a plan view, and is opened inward in the vehicle width direction by the gap G.

  The vehicle wind guide structure 10 includes an upper cover plate 36 and a lower cover plate 38 that block the space R from above and below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper cover plate 36 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the upper edge 34AU of the notch 34A in the air guide plate 34 and extends rearward. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper cover plate 36 is in contact with the upper surface 20 </ b> U of the bumper reinforcement 20 and the upper surface 18 </ b> U of the crash box 18 and closes the space R from the upper side. The rear end 36R of the upper cover plate 36 is in contact with or in close proximity to the flange 18F.

  The lower cover plate 38 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge 34AL of the notch 34A in the air guide plate 34 and extends rearward. Although not shown, the lower cover plate 38 closes the space R from above while contacting the lower surface 20L of the bumper reinforcement 20 and the lower surface 18L of the crash box 18. The rear end 38R of the lower cover plate 38 is in contact with or in close proximity to the flange 18F.

  The upper cover plate 36 and the lower cover plate 38 close the space R, so that the air in the duct 32 is prevented or significantly suppressed from flowing out of the duct 32 via the gap G and the space R. It is said that.

  The air guide plate 34, the upper cover plate 36, and the lower cover plate 38 described above are integrally formed by resin injection molding or the like. Further, the vehicle wind guide structure 10 includes a connecting portion 40 that connects the left and right wind guide plates 34. The connecting portion 40 is made of a resin material, and is formed integrally with the left and right air guide plates 34, the upper cover plate 36, and the lower cover plate 38. Therefore, in this embodiment, the right and left air guide plates 34, the upper cover plate 36, the lower cover plate 38, and the connecting portion 40 form an air guide plate structure 42 that can be handled integrally.

  The connecting portion 40 also functions as an air guide plate that guides the cooling air to the air-cooling heat exchanger 28 while suppressing the cooling air introduced from the front grill 30 from being discharged from the lower side of the vehicle. It is said that. Therefore, the connecting portion 40 corresponds to a functional component in the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle wind guide structure 10 having the above configuration, since the notch 34A is formed in the wind guide plate 34, the wind guide plate structure 42 can be assembled from the vehicle front side. Specifically, the bumper reinforcement 20 is inserted into the notches 34A of the right and left air guide plates 34 from the state where the bumper reinforcement 20 is fixed to the front ends of the pair of left and right front and rear skeleton members 14 (crash box 18). The wind guide plate structure 42 can be moved rearward and assembled to the bumper reinforcement 20 and the radiator support 22.

  For example, in the configuration in which the bumper reinforcement 20 is inserted through the through hole of the wind guide plate, the wind guide plate is fixed to the bumper reinforcement 20 before joining to the front and rear skeleton members 14 or the wind guide plate is installed before and after the through hole. It is necessary to set it as the structure which concerns on the comparative example divided into two. In the former comparative example, after the bumper reinforcement 20 is assembled (fixed to the front and rear skeleton members 14), the wind guide plate cannot be assembled from the front side of the vehicle. In the latter comparative example, although the air guide plates divided before and after the assembly of the bumper reinforcement 20 can be assembled, it is necessary to perform sealing between the front and rear air guide plates, which increases the number of assembling steps.

  On the other hand, in the vehicle wind guide structure 10, the notch 34 </ b> A that opens rearward is formed in the wind guide plate 34, so that the bumper reinforcement 20 after the wind guide plate structure 42 is assembled as described above. It can be assembled from the front side.

  At this time, although a gap G is formed behind the bumper reinforcement 20, the space R in which the gap G opens is closed from above and below by the upper cover plate 36 and the lower cover plate 38, so that the cooling air is emptied. Exhaust from the duct 32 in front of the cold heat exchanger 28 is prevented or effectively suppressed. For this reason, in the wind guide structure 10 for vehicles, the sealing member for closing the clearance gap G is unnecessary, and an assembly man-hour is reduced compared with the structure which requires this sealing member.

  Further, in the vehicle wind guide structure 10, since the upper and lower cover plates 36 and 38 are integrated with the left and right wind guide plates 34 in the vehicle wind guide structure 10, compared with the case where these are separate members. As a result, it can be easily assembled to vehicles. Moreover, in the vehicle wind guide structure 10, the upper and lower cover plates 36 and 38 integrated with the left and right wind guide plates 34 are further integrated (connected) by the connecting portion 40, so that a single component is formed. The air guide plate structure 42 can be handled. For this reason, the assembly | attachment property to the vehicle as a whole improves.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that parts and portions that are basically the same as those in the first embodiment or the previous configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment or the previous configuration, and description thereof is omitted.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a vehicle air guide structure 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a perspective view corresponding to FIG. As shown in this figure, the vehicle wind guide structure 50 is the first embodiment in that the left and right wind guide plates 34 are connected via a grill 52 as a functional component instead of the connecting portion 40. This is different from the vehicle wind guide structure 10 according to the above.

  In this embodiment, the grill 52 is made of a resin material and includes an upper grill 52U and a lower grill 52L. The upper grill 52U is provided at an air intake port between an engine hood (not shown) and the upper portion of the bumper cover. The lower grill 52L is provided at an air intake formed at the lower part of the bumper cover. In this embodiment, the upper grill 52U spans between the upper end portions of the air guide plate 34, and the lower grill 52L spans between the lower end portions of the air guide plate 34.

  As described above, in the vehicle wind guide structure 50, the left and right wind guide plates 34, the upper cover plate 36, the lower cover plate 38, and the grill 52 constitute the wind guide plate grill composite structure 54 that is integrally formed by resin molding. is doing. Other configurations of the vehicle wind guide structure 50 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the vehicle wind guide structure 10 including a portion not shown.

  Therefore, the vehicle wind guide structure 50 according to the second embodiment can obtain the same effect by the same operation as the vehicle wind guide structure 10 according to the first embodiment. In the vehicle wind guide structure 50, the left and right wind guide plates 34 are connected via the grill 52 that performs a function different from the function of guiding the air to the air-cooling heat exchanger 28. Therefore, the grill that performs the different functions. As a whole, the wind guide plate grill composite structure 54 including 52 is improved in assembling to the vehicle.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 7 shows a vehicle wind guide structure 60 according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a side sectional view corresponding to FIG. As shown in this figure, in the vehicle wind guide structure 60, the right and left wind guide plates 34 are connected via a bumper absorber 62 and a lower absorber 64 as functional parts instead of the connecting portion 40. It is different from the vehicle wind guide structure 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The bumper absorber 62 is made of a resin material, and is arranged in contact with or close to the front surface 20F of the bumper reinforcement 20. The bumper absorber 62 has a U-shaped cross section opened rearwardly by the upper and lower corrugated walls 62W and the front wall 62F, and ribs 62R are formed to ensure a required strength (reaction force). The ribs 62R in this embodiment are formed in a lattice shape.

  The lower absorber 64 is made of a resin material, and has a flat shape that is long in the front-rear direction in a side sectional view. Specifically, the lower absorber 64 has a U-shaped cross section that opens downwardly between the upper wall 64U and the front and rear standing walls 64S, and ribs 64R are formed to ensure a required strength (reaction force). ing. The ribs 64R in this embodiment are formed in a lattice shape. The lower absorber 64 is configured to contribute to placing the pedestrian on the engine hood by paying the pedestrian's leg (under the knee) when the pedestrian collides. In this embodiment, the bumper absorber 62 spans between the upper end portions of the air guide plate 34, and the lower absorber 64 spans between the lower end portions of the wind guide plate 34.

  As described above, in the vehicle wind guide structure 60, the left and right wind guide plates 34, the upper cover plate 36, the lower cover plate 38, the bumper absorber 62, and the lower absorber 64 are integrally formed by resin molding. A structure 66 is configured. Other configurations of the vehicle wind guide structure 60 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the vehicle wind guide structure 10 including portions not shown.

  Therefore, the vehicle wind guide structure 60 according to the third embodiment can basically obtain the same effect by the same operation as the vehicle wind guide structure 10 according to the first embodiment. In the vehicle wind guide structure 60, the left and right wind guide plates 34 are connected via the bumper absorber 62 and the lower absorber 64 that perform different functions from the wind guide function to the air-cooling heat exchanger 28. Assembling property to the vehicle is improved as a whole of the air guide plate absorber composite structure 66 including the bumper absorber 62 and the lower absorber 64 that perform different functions.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the right and left wind guide plates 34 are connected by the connecting portion 40, the grill 52, or the bumper absorber 62 and the lower absorber 64 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the left and right air guide plates 34 may be independently assembled to the vehicle body (bumper reinforcement 20). You may comprise a composite structure by combining the right and left baffle plates 34 combining some or all suitably. Examples of other functional parts include a bumper cover.

  In the above embodiment, a sponge-like seal member may be disposed between the upper cover plate 36 and the lower cover plate 38 and the bumper reinforcement 20 and the crash box 18. The seal member can be attached to the upper cover plate 36 and the lower cover plate 38 in advance. Similarly, the sealing member between the flange 34F and the bumper reinforcement 20 can be attached to the flange 34F in advance.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the air guide plate 34 is elongated in the front-rear direction in a plan view is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the left and right air guide plates 34 may be configured to face each other in the vehicle width direction with at least one inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. Furthermore, a configuration in which three or more wind guide plates 34 are provided may be employed.

10 Ventilation structure for vehicle 14 Front side member (front and rear frame member)
18 Crash box (front and rear skeleton members)
18F Flange 20 Bumper reinforcement 24 Radiator support side (vertical frame member)
28 Air-cooled heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
34 Air guide plate 36 Upper cover plate 38 Lower cover plate 40 Connection part (functional part)
50 ・ 60 Ventilation structure for vehicles 52 Grill (functional parts)
62 Bumper absorber (functional parts)
64 Lower absorber (functional parts)

Claims (4)

Bumper reinforcement extended in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle longitudinal direction,
A pair of front and rear skeleton members that are longitudinal in the vehicle longitudinal direction and connected to both ends in the extending direction of the bumper reinforcement,
A pair of upper and lower skeleton members arranged on the rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to the bumper reinforcement and in contact with the vehicle width direction inner side with respect to the pair of front and rear skeleton members, and extending in the vehicle vertical direction;
A heat exchanger supported by a skeleton structure including the pair of upper and lower skeleton members;
The vehicle has a notch that faces in the vehicle width direction and opens toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the rear end in the vehicle front-rear direction is the upper and lower sides with the bumper reinforcement inserted in the notch. A pair of air guide plates that are abutted against the skeleton member and guide cooling air to the heat exchanger;
Each notch portion of each wind guide plate protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from both edges in the vehicle vertical direction, and is surrounded by the front and rear skeleton members, the upper and lower skeleton members, and the bumper reinforcement in a plan view. A pair of upper and lower cover plates that cover the space while contacting the bumper reinforcement and the front and rear skeleton members in the vehicle vertical direction;
Ventilation structure for vehicles with The front and rear skeleton members are in contact with the upper and lower skeleton members at the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the flange projecting inward in the vehicle width direction from the front and rear skeleton member main body,
2. The vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 1, wherein the pair of upper and lower cover plates cover a space surrounded by the front and rear skeleton member main body, the flange, the upper and lower skeleton member, and the bumper reinforcement in a plan view.   The vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of wind guide plates and the pair of upper and lower cover plates are integrally formed by resin molding.   The wind guide plate, upper cover member, and lower cover member on one side in the vehicle width direction, and the wind guide plate, upper cover member, and lower cover member on the other side in the vehicle width direction are made of resin having independent functions. The vehicle wind guide structure according to claim 3, which is integrally connected by the functional parts.

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