JP2014189245A - Variable duct apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable duct apparatus which prevents fastening to a full closed state even in an abnormal state e.g. accumulation of foreign matter or a failure of an actuator.SOLUTION: A variable duct apparatus 100 opens/closes an opening part O arranged in the front end part of a vehicle and introduced with travel wind with a plurality of movable louvers 120 and 130 rotated around rotation axes 121 and 131 arranged practically along the vehicle width direction and arranged vertically. The movable louvers are rotated between a closed state where the movable louvers are arranged almost vertically and the opening is occluded practically and an opening state where the movable louvers are rotated around the rotation axis so that the upper end parts 122 and 132 in the closed state are located on the front side relative to the rotation axis, and the rotation axis of the movable louver at least in the uppermost stage is arranged in an off-set state to the upper end part side in the closed state relative to the central part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a variable duct device provided at a bumper face opening at a front end of a vehicle, and more particularly to a device that prevents sticking to a fully closed state even in an abnormal state such as when foreign matter accumulates or an actuator fails.

In a vehicle such as an automobile, cooling running air is introduced from an opening provided in a bumper face at the front end of the vehicle to cool a radiator, a condenser of an air conditioner, an intercooler, and the like.
In recent years, a variable duct (active grill shutter) that can be opened and closed is provided at such an opening, and when the cooling load is small and the amount of running air can be small, the variable duct is closed to reduce the air resistance. The thing which aimed at the fuel consumption improvement by reduction, etc. is known.

  As a conventional technique related to such a variable duct, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a variable duct (variable grill shutter device) is attached immediately before a radiator in the vicinity of the front end of an engine room.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-1503

In a variable duct with a louver that rotates around a rotation axis arranged in the horizontal direction, when traveling in a muddy or snowy area with the louver closed, foreign matter such as mud and snow adheres to and accumulates on the front of the louver. It is assumed that
In the case of a variable duct device in which the louver rotates in the direction in which the upper end moves forward around the rotation axis and transitions from the closed state to the open state, the louver can be opened even if the heat load in the engine chamber increases and the variable duct is opened. There is a concern that the louver cannot be opened when foreign matter accumulates to a position higher than the rotational axis.
Also, if the actuator that opens and closes the louver fails, there is a concern that if the louver is kept closed by the wind pressure load, thermal damage or overheating may occur when the heat load in the engine chamber increases.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a variable duct device that prevents sticking to a fully closed state even in an abnormal state such as when foreign matter accumulates or an actuator fails.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable louver in which a plurality of openings arranged at the front end portion of the vehicle body are rotated about a rotation axis substantially along the vehicle width direction and are arranged in the vertical direction. In the variable duct device that opens and closes, the movable louver is disposed substantially along the vertical direction and substantially closes the opening, and the upper end in the closed state is on the front side with respect to the rotation shaft. So that the rotating shaft of at least the uppermost movable louver is offset toward the upper end in the closed state with respect to the central portion. It is the variable duct apparatus characterized by having arrange | positioned.

At the height of the rotating shaft of the uppermost movable louver, even if foreign matter accumulates on the front side of the variable duct device, at least the uppermost louver can be rotated and opened.
For this reason, according to the present invention, by arranging the rotation axis of the uppermost movable louver to be offset upward, the upper limit deposition height at which the movable louver can be opened is increased, and the fully closed state is achieved. The risk of sticking can be reduced.
In addition, when the actuator that drives the movable louver stops generating an output due to a failure or the like, the uppermost movable louver generates a moment that rotates in the opening direction due to the wind pressure of the traveling wind. It adheres to the closed state and can prevent overheating and heat damage.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the lower edge of the opening on the front side of the lower end when the lowermost movable louver is in a closed state is formed as an inclined surface with a lower front side of the vehicle. It is a variable duct apparatus of Claim 1.
According to this, since the lower edge of the opening is a slope whose front side is lowered, the adhering foreign matter such as snow, snow and mud slides down the slope by its own weight and moves away from the movable louver. Can be more reliably prevented.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a variable duct device that prevents sticking to a fully closed state even in an abnormal state such as when foreign matter is accumulated or an actuator fails.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vehicle body front end portion of a vehicle having an embodiment of a variable duct device to which the present invention is applied, cut along a vertical plane at a vehicle width direction central portion, and shows a state in which the variable duct is closed before a collision. FIG. It is the II section enlarged view of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the variable duct apparatus of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the opening / closing control in the control apparatus of the variable duct apparatus of an Example.

  The present invention aims to provide a variable duct device that prevents sticking to a fully closed state even in an abnormal state such as when foreign matter accumulates or an actuator fails, and the rotation axis of the uppermost louver is the center of the louver. On the other hand, the problem is solved by offsetting upward.

Embodiments of a variable duct device to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
The variable duct device of the embodiment substantially opens and closes an air dam opening provided at the front end of a vehicle such as a passenger car.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vehicle body front end portion of a vehicle having a variable duct device according to an embodiment, cut along a vertical plane at a vehicle width direction central portion, and shows a state in which the variable duct is closed before a collision. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG.

  The front part of the vehicle body includes a bumper face 10, a bumper beam 20, a radiator 30, a capacitor 40, a radiator panel 50, an energy absorbing material (EA material) 60, a variable duct 100, and the like.

The bumper face 10 is an exterior member provided at the front end of the vehicle body, and is integrally formed of a resin material such as PP.
The bumper face 10 includes a main body part 11, an air dam part 12, and the like.
The main body portion 11 is a portion disposed at the lower portion of a front grill, a headlamp, etc. (not shown).
The air dam part 12 is disposed below the main body part 11 with a distance from the main body part 11.
Between the main body part 11 and the air dam part 12, there is an opening O into which a running air for cooling is introduced.

The main body 11 has a front surface portion 11a, an upper surface portion 11b, and a lower surface portion 11c.
The front surface portion 11a is a surface portion that is disposed on the front side of the vehicle and substantially along the vertical direction.
The upper surface portion 11b is a surface portion that extends rearward from the upper end portion of the front surface portion 11a.
The lower surface portion 11c is a surface portion that extends rearward from the lower end portion of the front surface portion 11a.
The lower surface part 11c is arrange | positioned substantially horizontally, and the upper part of the variable duct 100 is fixed.

The air dam portion 12 includes a front surface portion 12a, an upper surface portion 12b, and a lower surface portion 12c.
The front surface portion 12a is a surface portion that is disposed on the vehicle front side and is disposed substantially along the vertical direction.
The upper surface portion 12b is a surface portion that extends rearward from the upper end portion of the front surface portion 12a, and the lower portion of the variable duct 100 is fixed thereto.
The lower surface portion 12c is a surface portion that extends rearward from the lower end portion of the front surface portion 12a.

The bumper beam 20 is a beam-shaped member that is disposed on the rear side of the main body 11 of the bumper face 10 and extends substantially along the vehicle width direction.
The bumper beam 20 has a substantially rectangular closed cross section.

The radiator 30 cools engine coolant (not shown) by heat exchange with traveling wind.
The radiator 30 is configured by arranging a large number of fins around a tube through which cooling water passes.

The condenser 40 cools the vapor phase refrigerant of an air conditioner (not shown) by heat exchange with the traveling wind and condenses it into a liquid phase.
The capacitor 40 is configured by arranging a large number of fins around a tube through which the refrigerant passes.
The capacitor 40 is disposed in front of the radiator 30.

The radiator panel 50 is a frame-like vehicle body structural member provided around the radiator 30 and the capacitor 40 and supports them.
A radiator panel lower 51 having a closed cross-sectional shape is formed at a lower portion of the radiator panel 50 by joining a pair of sheet metal panels in a monaca shape.

The EA material 60 is disposed behind the air dam portion 12 and transmits the load input from the air dam portion 12 to the vehicle body side during a collision.
The EA material 60 is configured by connecting a plurality of ribs arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and extending substantially along the vertical direction at the upper surface portion, and is integrally formed of, for example, a resin material.
A front end portion of the EA material 60 is inserted into the air dam portion 12, and a lower portion of the EA material 60 is disposed at a lower portion of the radiator panel 50.

The variable duct 100 is provided in the opening O of the bumper face 10 and substantially opens and closes the opening O.
The variable duct 100 includes a frame body 110, an upper louver 120, and a lower louver 130.
Further, the variable duct 100 has a control device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control device of the variable duct device according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the variable duct 100 includes an actuator 140 and a variable duct control unit 150 that controls the actuator 140.

The frame 110 is disposed along the inner peripheral edge of the opening O of the bumper face 10 and is formed so that the shape viewed from the front of the vehicle is substantially rectangular.
The upper side portion 111 of the frame body 110 is fixed to the lower portion of the rear end portion of the lower surface portion 11 c of the main body portion 11 of the bumper face 10.
The upper side portion 111 is formed in a strip shape that is disposed substantially horizontally and extends substantially along the vehicle width direction.
A protruding portion 111a (see FIG. 2) protruding downward is formed at the rear end portion of the upper side portion 111.
When the upper louver 120 is in the closed state, the protruding portion 111a contacts the rear side of the upper end portion of the upper half portion 122 of the upper louver 120.
The lower side portion 112 of the frame body 110 is fixed to the upper portion of the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 12 b of the air dam portion 12 of the bumper face 10.
The rear end portion of the lower side portion 112 comes into contact with the front surface of the lower end portion of the lower half portion 133 of the lower louver 130 when the lower louver 130 is in a closed state in which the lower louver 130 is disposed substantially along the vertical direction.
The upper surface portion of the lower side portion 112 is formed as a slope portion where the vehicle front side is lowered.

The upper louver 120 and the lower louver 130 are movable louvers that rotate around a rotation axis along the vehicle width direction to open and close the inside of the frame 110.
The upper louver 120 and the lower louver 130 can close the upper half and the lower half of the frame 110, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper louver 120 has a fin-shaped upper half 122 protruding upward from the rotating shaft 121 in the closed state and a fin-shaped lower half 123 protruding downward.
Similarly, the lower louver 130 has a fin-shaped upper half 132 projecting upward from the rotating shaft 131 in the closed state, and a fin-shaped lower half 133 projecting downward.
The rotating shaft part 121 of the upper louver 120 and the rotating shaft part 131 of the lower louver 130 are arranged apart from each other in the vertical direction.
When the variable duct 100 is in the closed state, the lower end portion of the lower half portion 123 of the upper louver 120 is in contact with the upper end portion of the upper half portion 132 of the lower louver 130.

As shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, in a state where the upper half portions 122 and 132 and the lower half portions 123 and 133 are arranged along the vertical direction, the inside of the frame 110 is substantially closed (closed state). )
2, the upper louver 120 and the lower louver 130 travel inside the frame 110 by rotating around the rotary shaft portions 121 and 131 in the direction in which the upper half portions 122 and 132 move forward. The wind can pass through (open state).

In the upper louver 120, the protrusion amount of the upper half portion 122 from the rotation shaft portion 121 is formed smaller than the protrusion amount of the lower half portion 123 from the rotation shaft portion 121.
As a result, the height of the rotating shaft 121 when the upper louver 120 is in the closed state is arranged to be offset upward from the central portion of the upper louver 120.
With such a configuration, the upper louver 120 generates a moment that rotates to the open state side by wind pressure in the closed state.
On the other hand, in the lower louver 130, the protruding amounts of the upper half 132 and the lower half 133 from the rotating shaft 131 are formed substantially equal.

The actuator 140 is a power source that opens and closes the variable duct 100.
The actuator 140 includes, for example, an electric motor and a reduction gear train that reduces the output of the electric motor.
The actuator 140 drives a driven gear (not shown) attached to the side end of the upper louver 120.
The lower louver 130 is adapted to be interlocked with the upper louver 120 via a link mechanism (not shown), but only the upper louver 120 is rotatable, and when the lower louver 130 is fixed, the lower louver 130 is provided in the link mechanism. Only the upper louver 120 is opened and closed when the flexible member is deformed.

The variable duct control unit 150 controls the actuator 140 to open and close the variable duct 100, and functions as an opening / closing control means in the present invention.
The variable duct control unit 150 includes an information processing device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a RAM and a ROM, an input / output interface, a bus connecting these, and the like.

  An engine control unit 210, a behavior control unit 220, and a vehicle integration unit 230 are connected to the variable duct control unit 150 via, for example, a CAN communication system that is a kind of in-vehicle LAN.

The engine control unit 210 comprehensively controls an engine that is a power source for driving the vehicle and its auxiliary equipment.
The engine control unit 210 is connected to an oil temperature sensor 211, a water temperature sensor 212, a fuel supply device 213, and the like.

The oil temperature sensor 211 detects the temperature of engine lubricating oil.
The water temperature sensor 212 detects the temperature of engine cooling water.
The fuel supply device 213 supplies fuel to the engine, and includes an injector that injects fuel pressurized by a fuel pump into a combustion chamber or a port of each cylinder.
The engine control unit 210 can detect the amount of fuel supplied to the engine from the valve opening time of the injector in the fuel supply device 213.

The behavior control unit 220 is a behavior control that generates a yaw moment that suppresses the behavior by generating a braking force difference between the left and right wheels when a behavior such as oversteer or understeer occurs in the vehicle, or anti-lock brake control. Etc.
A vehicle speed sensor 221 is connected to the behavior control unit 220.
The vehicle speed sensor 221 outputs a vehicle speed pulse signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheel.

The vehicle integration unit 230 controls the various electrical components of the vehicle in an integrated manner.
An air conditioner (A / C) control unit 231, an outside air temperature sensor 232, and the like are connected to the vehicle integration unit 230.
The air conditioner control unit 231 controls an air conditioner for cabin air conditioning.
The air conditioner control unit 231 can determine the operating load of the air conditioner based on the refrigerant temperature, pressure, and the like.
The outside air temperature sensor 232 detects outside air temperature.

Hereinafter, opening / closing control of the variable duct device in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating opening / closing control of the control device of the variable duct device according to the embodiment.
Hereinafter, the steps will be described step by step.

<Step S01: Relevant system abnormality determination>
The variable duct control unit 150 diagnoses whether there is an abnormality in each sensor, communication system, and the like. If an abnormality is detected, the process proceeds to step S09 in order to prevent thermal damage and overheating.
If it is determined that each sensor, communication system, etc. is normal, the process proceeds to step S02.

<Step S02: Low outside air temperature judgment>
The variable duct control unit 150 determines whether or not the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 232 is equal to or lower than a low temperature threshold value (for example, 0 ° C.) set in consideration that freezing of the exterior parts occurs. If the temperature is equal to or lower than the low temperature threshold, the process proceeds to step S08.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S03.

<Step S03: Low vehicle speed determination>
The variable duct control unit 150 compares the current vehicle speed with a threshold set in consideration of whether or not the vehicle speed is sufficient to obtain sufficient traveling wind. Proceed to step S09.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S04.

<Step S04: Determination of engine load state>
The variable duct control unit 150 determines whether or not the engine operating state is a predetermined high load state.
For example, when the amount of fuel supplied to the engine in the fuel supply device 213 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the load is high.
When the engine operating state is a high load state, the process proceeds to step S09.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S05.

<Step S05: Oil temperature / water temperature determination>
The variable duct control unit 150 compares the engine lubricating oil temperature and the cooling water temperature with preset threshold values. If at least one of the variable duct control unit 150 is higher than the threshold value, the variable duct control unit 150 proceeds to step S09 as being in a high temperature state.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S06.

<Step S06: High temperature judgment of outside temperature>
The variable duct control unit 150 determines whether or not the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 232 is equal to or higher than a preset high temperature threshold value, and if it is equal to or higher than the high temperature threshold value, the process proceeds to step S09. The high temperature threshold is set to be larger than the low temperature threshold, and is set in consideration of, for example, the outside air temperature during the daytime in summer.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S07.

<Step S07: Air Conditioner High Load Determination>
If the air conditioner control unit 231 determines that the operation state of the air conditioner is a high load state, the variable duct control unit 150 proceeds to step S09.
In other cases, the process proceeds to step S08.

<Step S08: Variable duct closing control>
The variable duct control unit 150 outputs a control signal to the actuator 140 to close the variable duct 100.
Thereafter, the series of processing is terminated (returned).

<Step S09: Variable duct opening control>
The variable duct control unit 150 outputs a control signal to the actuator 140 to open the variable duct 100.
Thereafter, the series of processing is terminated (returned).

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) By disposing the rotating shaft portion 121 of the upper louver 120 so as to be offset upward from the central portion, the upper limit deposition height (level L in FIG. 2) at which the upper louver 120 can be opened is increased. The risk of sticking to the fully closed state can be reduced.
Even if the lower louver 130 is fixed, it is possible to prevent overheating and thermal damage to some extent if the region above the rotating shaft 121 of the upper louver 120 can be opened at least.
Further, when the actuator 140 no longer generates an output due to a failure or the like, the upper louver 120 is opened in the direction (forward rotation) due to the wind pressure of the traveling wind due to the difference in the front projection area between the upper half 122 and the lower half 123. Since the moment that rotates in the direction) is generated, it can be fixed in the closed state to prevent overheating and thermal damage.
(2) The upper surface portion of the lower side portion 112 of the frame body 110 provided at the lower edge portion of the opening O is a slope that lowers the front side of the vehicle, so that foreign matter such as adhering ice and snow or mud slides down the slope due to its own weight. The upper louver 120 and the lower louver 130 can be more reliably prevented from sticking because they move away from the lower louver 130 and the like.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention.
The shape, structure, material, manufacturing method, arrangement, quantity, and the like of each member constituting the variable duct support structure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate.
In the embodiment, the movable louver has two stages, for example, but may have three or more stages.
In the embodiment, only the upper louver has a configuration in which the rotation axis is offset, but other louvers may be similarly offset.
Further, the parameters used for the open / close control are not limited to those in the embodiment. For example, in the embodiment, the output state of the engine is detected from the fuel injection amount. For example, other parameters such as intake pipe pressure, throttle position, supercharging pressure, engine speed, and estimated output torque may be used alone or in combination. May be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bumper face 11 Main-body part 11a Front part 11b Upper surface part 11c Lower surface part 12 Air dam part 12a Front surface part 12b Upper surface part 12c Lower surface part 13 Connection part 20 Bumper beam 30 Radiator 40 Capacitor 50 Radiator panel 51 Radiator panel lower 60 Energy absorption material 100 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Frame 111 Upper side part 111a Protruding part 112 Lower side part 120 Upper louver 121 Central shaft part 122 Upper half part 123 Lower half part 130 Lower louver 131 Central shaft part 132 Upper half part 133 Lower half part 140 Actuator 150 Variable duct control unit 210 Engine control Unit 211 Oil temperature sensor 212 Water temperature sensor 213 Fuel supply device 220 Behavior control unit 221 Vehicle speed sensor 230 Vehicle integrated unit 231 Air conditioner system Unit 232 outside air temperature sensor

Claims (2)

In the variable duct device that is provided at the front end of the vehicle body and that opens around the rotation axis substantially along the vehicle width direction and opens and closes by a plurality of movable louvers arranged in the vertical direction.
The movable louver is disposed substantially along the vertical direction and is in a closed state that substantially closes the opening, and around the rotation axis so that an upper end portion in the closed state is on the front side with respect to the rotation axis. Rotate between the rotated open state,
The variable duct device, wherein at least the rotation shaft of the uppermost movable louver is arranged offset to an upper end portion side in the closed state with respect to a center portion. 2. The variable duct according to claim 1, wherein a lower edge portion of the opening on a front side of a lower end portion when the lowermost movable louver is in a closed state is formed as an inclined surface having a lower front side of the vehicle. apparatus.

Images