JP2017056819A - Front structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front structure of a vehicle which can suppress falling of a belt due to entry of a foreign matter between a pulley and the belt.SOLUTION: A front structure of a vehicle which is disposed below an engine room 18 and has an undercover 38 fitted to a vehicle body 10 comprises: a flap 39 provided in the engine room 18 and disposed below a crank pulley 21 and pulleys 24, 28 rotated by power of an engine 19; a support shaft 40 rotatably supporting the flap 39 and disposed in front of the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 28 in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10; and a distal end part 39A formed in the flap 39 and disposed behind the support shaft 40 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10. The distal end part 39A of the flap 39 moves in a vertical direction with the support shaft 40 as a fulcrum when vibration is transmitted from the vehicle body 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure in which an under cover is provided below an engine room.

  An under cover is provided below the engine room of the vehicle to prevent foreign matters such as stones and mud from entering the engine room from below the vehicle body while the vehicle is running. Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a front structure of a vehicle including an undercover.

  The front structure of a vehicle described in Patent Literature 1 includes an under cover disposed along the lower surface of the vehicle body from the cross member toward the dash panel, and a guide member attached to the rear side of the vehicle in the under cover. . The guide member can swing in the front-rear direction of the vehicle via the shaft. A discharge port is formed between the rear end of the undercover and the dash panel. In the front structure of a vehicle described in Patent Document 1, air that has flowed into the engine room when the vehicle is running is discharged from an exhaust port. Further, the guide member guides the air discharged from the outlet toward the rear.

  The front structure of a vehicle described in Patent Document 2 includes an under cover that covers the lower part of the engine room, a vent provided in the under cover, and a lid plate that is attached to the under cover via a hinge and opens and closes the vent. And having. Further, the vehicle described in Patent Document 1 includes an air cylinder that opens and closes a cover plate, and a control unit that determines whether the vehicle is in an idling state or a traveling state and controls the air cylinder. In the vehicle front structure described in Patent Document 2, the lid plate is closed by an air cylinder when the engine is idling. That is, the heat in the engine room is blocked by the under cover and the cover plate, and the engine is warmed. While the vehicle is running, the cover plate is opened by the air cylinder, and the air in the engine room is blown downward from the vent hole to cool the radiator.

JP 2006-240455 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-82925

  However, in the front structure of the vehicle described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if a vibration or impact is applied to the under cover from below while a foreign object such as a stone is placed on the under cover, the foreign object jumps upward. The foreign matter may enter between the pulley that is raised and driven by the engine and the belt wound around the pulley, and the belt may drop off.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can suppress a belt from falling off when foreign matter enters between a pulley driven by an engine and a belt wound around the pulley.

  The present invention is a vehicle front structure that is disposed below an engine room and has an under cover attached to a vehicle body, and is provided below the pulley that is provided in the engine room and rotates with the power of the engine. A flap disposed in front of the pulley, and a support mechanism disposed in front of the pulley in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The flap is formed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. And a tip portion disposed rearward of the support mechanism in the direction, and the tip portion of the flap moves in the vertical direction with the support mechanism as a fulcrum when vibration is transmitted from the vehicle body.

  In the present invention, the support mechanism is provided on the under cover.

  In the present invention, a radiator through which cooling water for cooling the engine passes is provided in the engine room, the radiator is disposed in front of the pulley in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and the support mechanism is attached to the radiator. Is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the belt from falling off due to foreign matter entering between the pulley driven by the engine and the belt wound around the pulley.

It is typical side surface sectional drawing containing Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a typical side view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a typical top view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a typical side view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a typical top view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the principal part of Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
A first embodiment of a vehicle front structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A vehicle body 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an openable / closable hood 11, a front panel 12 disposed in front of the hood 11 and below the hood 11, and a front frame 13 to which the front panel 12 is attached. The cross member 14 is arranged behind the front frame 13, and the dash panel 15 is arranged behind the hood 11 between the cross member 14 and the hood 11. A radiator grill 17 having a vent 16 is attached to the front panel 12. An engine room 18 is formed between the front panel 12 and the dash panel 15 and below the hood 11.

  The engine room 18 accommodates an engine 19 as a driving force source of the vehicle, and the engine 19 is supported by mounting. The engine 19 is a driving force source that converts thermal energy generated by burning fuel into kinetic energy. The engine 19 may be a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, an LPG engine, or the like. The engine 19 has a crankshaft 20, and a crank pulley 21 fixed to the crankshaft 20 is provided. In addition, a water pump 22 is provided in the engine room 18, and a pulley 24 is attached to a rotating shaft 23 of the water pump 22. The water pump 22 transports cooling water for cooling the engine 19 in the cooling water circulation path.

  Further, an alternator 25 is provided in the engine room 18, and a pulley 27 is fixed to a rotating shaft 26 of the alternator 25. Further, an air conditioner compressor 28 is provided in the engine room 18, and a pulley 30 is fixed to a rotating shaft 29 of the air conditioner compressor 28. Further, an annular belt 31 is wound around the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 27 and 30. Two tension pulleys 32 that apply tension to the belt 31 are attached to the engine 19.

  When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the front, the rotation shafts 26 and 29 are disposed at substantially the same height in the height direction of the vehicle body 10, and the crankshaft 20 is disposed below the rotation shafts 26 and 29. The rotating shaft 23 is disposed below the crankshaft 20 in the height direction of the vehicle body 10. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 27, and 30 are disposed between the front panel 12 and the engine 19 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 10. An exhaust pipe 33 through which exhaust gas exhausted from the engine 19 flows is provided. The exhaust pipe 33 is arranged along the width direction of the vehicle body 10, that is, the left-right direction. A part of the exhaust pipe 33 is disposed below the engine 19. The outer diameter of the exhaust pipe 33 is not constant.

  When the vehicle body 10 is viewed in plan, a part of the arrangement area of the exhaust pipe 33 and a part of the arrangement area of the engine 19 overlap. Further, when the vehicle body 10 is viewed in plan, a part of the arrangement region of at least one pulley of the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 27, and 30 overlaps a part of the arrangement region of the exhaust pipe 33.

  A radiator 34 and a fan 35 are provided in the engine room 18. The radiator 34 is connected to the coolant circulation path of the engine 19 via the lower hose 36 and the upper hose 37. When the fan 35 rotates, the air flow in the engine room 18 is promoted to suppress the temperature increase in the engine room 18 and cool the radiator 34. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the fan 35 is disposed between the radiator 34 and the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 27, and 30.

  Further, an under cover 38 is provided below the engine room 18. The under cover 38 is made of metal and has a tray shape. The under cover 38 has an end on the front side of the vehicle body 10 fixed to the front frame 13 and an end on the rear side of the vehicle body 10 fixed to the cross member 14. The under cover 38 is disposed substantially horizontally in a side view of the vehicle body 10.

  In the first embodiment, when the crankshaft 20 of the engine 19 rotates, the power of the crankshaft 20 is transmitted to the water pump 22, the alternator 25, and the air conditioner compressor 28 via the belt 31. Further, the output of the engine 19 is transmitted to drive wheels via a transmission or the like, so that the vehicle travels. Exhaust gas generated in the engine 19 passes through the exhaust pipe 33, is purified in the process, and is discharged into the atmosphere.

  By the way, when a foreign object such as a stone is placed on the under cover 38 and a vibration or impact is applied to the under cover 38 from below, the foreign object jumps up toward the engine 19, and the foreign object There is a possibility that the belt 31 is dropped from the pulley by being sandwiched between the pulley and the belt 31.

  The vehicle body 10 in the first embodiment is provided with a flap 39 on the upper surface of the under cover 38 as a mechanism for suppressing foreign matter from jumping toward the engine 19. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed in plan, the flaps 39 are quadrangular as shown in FIG. 4, specifically, rectangular or square. The flap 39 is formed by integrally molding a synthetic resin into a plate shape. When the vehicle body 10 is seen in a plan view as shown in FIG. 3 or when the vehicle body 10 is seen obliquely from the front side as shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement range of the flaps 39 and the arrangement range of the pulley 24 in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10 And overlap. That is, when the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the front end of the exhaust pipe 33 is disposed between the pulley 24 and the tip 39A of the flap 39 as shown in FIG.

  Further, when the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the flap 39 can be operated within a range of a predetermined angle with the support shaft 40 as the center. The support shaft 40 is disposed directly below the fan 35 and horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10. That is, the flap 39 is swingably supported by the hinge mechanism.

  Furthermore, an elastic member that generates a biasing force in a direction to bring the flap 39 closer to the upper surface of the under cover 38 is provided. The elastic member (not shown) applies a clockwise biasing force to the flap 39 in FIGS. The elastic member may be either a compression coil spring that connects the flap 39 and the upper surface of the under cover 38, or a torsion coil spring attached to the support shaft 40.

  Further, the range of the operating angle of the flap 39 is restricted so that the support shaft 40 is always located at the rear end of the flap 39 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 10. The flap 39 is urged clockwise in FIGS. 1 and 2 and stopped at the initial position. The structure for stopping the flap 39 at the initial position may be either a structure in which the flap 39 is in contact with the upper surface of the under cover 38 or a structure in which the flap 39 is in contact with the stopper. Further, the structure that restricts the operating angle when the flap 39 is operated counterclockwise from the initial position may be either a structure in which the flap 39 is in contact with the stopper or a structure in which the flap 39 is regulated by the biasing force of the elastic member.

  Further, in FIGS. 1 and 2 when the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the length of the flap 39 centered on the support shaft 40 is an object existing in the engine room 18 when the flap 39 is operated, for example, the exhaust pipe 33. Designed to prevent contact with Although the operation of the flap 39 is indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2, the flap 39 and the position where the outer diameter of the exhaust pipe 33 is small coincide with each other in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10. 39 does not contact the exhaust pipe 33. Note that the flap 39 may be prevented from coming into contact with an object present in the engine room 18 by regulating the range of the operation angle of the flap 39.

  In the first embodiment, when no vibration or impact is applied to the under cover 38 attached to the vehicle body 10 from below, the flap 39 stops at the initial position as shown in FIG. 2, that is, stops in a substantially horizontal state. doing. Further, the flap 39 does not rotate against the urging force of the elastic member when the vibration or impact applied from below to the under cover 38 is below a predetermined value as in the case where the vehicle travels normally. The flap 39 is stopped at the initial position. Therefore, the flap 39 does not obstruct the air flow in the engine room 18 or the air flow on the lower surface of the under cover 38.

  By the way, when the vehicle travels on a gravel road, a dirt road or the like, a foreign substance such as a stone may be placed on the under cover 38. In this state, if a large vibration or impact is applied to the under cover 38 from the lower side due to the front wheel landing on the road surface from a step such as a curb or the like, the foreign matter on the under cover 38 may be splashed upward. There is. Then, when the foreign matter bounced up is sandwiched between the pulley and the belt, the belt may fall off.

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment, when the vibration or impact applied from the lower side of the under cover 38 exceeds a predetermined value, the flap 39 resists the biasing force of the elastic member as shown in FIGS. To rotate counterclockwise within a predetermined angle range.

  For this reason, even if the foreign matter is placed on the flap 39 positioned immediately below the pulley or the belt, the foreign matter is moved forward from the support shaft 40 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the flap 39. That is, it is possible to suppress foreign matter from flying toward the engine 19. Therefore, it can suppress that a foreign material is pinched | interposed between a pulley and the belt 31, and the belt 31 falls from a pulley. When the vibration or impact applied to the under cover 38 from below is below a predetermined value, the flap 39 is returned to the initial position and stopped by the urging force of the elastic member. Furthermore, since the flap 39 does not contact the exhaust pipe 33, it is possible to suppress deformation due to heat and a decrease in durability.

(Embodiment 2)
A vehicle front structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 to 9. Also in the second embodiment, the flap 42 is disposed in the engine room 18. The flap 42 is attached to the lower end of the radiator 34 so as to be rotatable about the support shaft 43. The support shaft 43 is disposed horizontally in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 10. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed in plan, the flap 42 is a quadrangle as shown in FIG. 7, specifically, a rectangle or a square, and is formed by molding a synthetic resin into a plate shape. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the arrangement position of the support shaft 43 is below the lower end of the pulley 24 in the height direction of the vehicle body 10 and within the arrangement range of the exhaust pipe 33 as shown in FIGS. It is in. When the vehicle body 10 is viewed in plan, the arrangement position of the support shaft 43 overlaps with the arrangement range of the pulley 24 and the arrangement range of the fan 35 in the width direction of the vehicle body 10 as shown in FIG.

  An elastic member 44 for urging the flap 42 clockwise in FIGS. 1 and 6 is provided. The elastic member 44 may be either a compression spring or a torsion coil spring. The flap 42 is urged by the force of the elastic member 44 to contact the stopper and stops at the initial position. The front end portion 42 </ b> A of the flap 42 that is stopped at the initial position is located behind the support shaft 43. The flap 42 stopped at the initial position is not in a horizontal state. That is, the flap 42 stopped at the initial position is inclined with respect to the under cover 38. Further, the front end portion 42A of the flap 42 stopped at the initial position is not in contact with the under cover 38. In addition, although the flap 39 and the flap 42 are shown in FIG. 1, either one is provided.

  When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the side, the flap 42 can rotate within a range of a predetermined angle about the support shaft 43 in FIGS. 1 and 6. The flap 42 can be rotated in a range of a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the initial position. When the flap 42 rotates counterclockwise from the initial position in FIGS. 1 and 6, the flap 42 contacts the stopper, and the range of the angle at which the flap 42 rotates at the initial position is restricted. The rotation angle of the flap 42 is designed so that the front end portion 42A does not contact the exhaust pipe 33 when the flap 42 rotates from the initial position, or the support shaft 43 to the front end portion 42A. The length is designed. The other configurations in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, when no vibration or impact is applied to the under cover 38 attached to the vehicle body 10 from below, the flap 39 stops at the initial position as shown in FIGS. It stops in a state inclined with respect to the cover 38. Further, as in the case where the vehicle travels normally, when the vibration or impact applied to the radiator 34 via the vehicle body 10 is below a predetermined value, the flap 42 rotates against the biasing force of the elastic member 44. The flap 42 is stopped at the initial position. Further, a space is secured between the front end portion 42A of the flap 42 and the under cover 38 and between the front end portion 42A of the flap 42 and the exhaust pipe 33, so that the air flow in the engine room 18 is not hindered. In addition, since the space is secured, for example, the crushable zone at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle is not affected.

  On the other hand, when the foreign matter is placed on the under cover 38 and the vibration or impact applied to the vehicle body 10 from below exceeds a predetermined value, the flap 42 resists the urging force of the elastic member 44 as shown in FIG. And it rotates in the range of a predetermined angle counterclockwise in FIG. That is, the distance between the front end portion 42A and the lower end of the pulley 24 is narrowed in a side view of the vehicle body 10.

  For this reason, when a foreign object is placed on the under cover 38 and flies toward the engine 19 due to vibration or impact, the foreign object contacts the flap 42 and then falls onto the under cover 38 by its own weight. Therefore, it can suppress that a foreign material bites between the pulley and the belt 31 and the belt 31 is detached from the pulley. When the vibration or impact applied to the radiator 34 via the vehicle body 10 becomes a predetermined value or less, the flap 42 returns to the initial position by the urging force of the elastic member 44 and stops.

  The relationship between the matters described in the embodiment and the configuration of the present invention will be described. The support shafts 40 and 43 correspond to the support mechanism of the present invention, and the crank pulley 21 and the pulleys 24, 27, and 30 correspond to the present invention. The front end portions 39A and 42A correspond to the front end portions of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the pulley around which the belt is wound may be an auxiliary pulley driven by the power of the driving force source. In addition to a crank pulley, an air conditioner compressor pulley, a water pump pulley, a power steering oil pump Includes pulleys. Furthermore, any pulley may be disposed at the lowest position in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Furthermore, a plurality of pulleys may be arranged at the lowest position in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

  Further, the structure in which the flap is rotatable with the support mechanism as a fulcrum is the first structure in which the support shaft is fixed to the flap and the support shaft is rotatable with respect to the under cover, the radiator, and the fan, and the support shaft is Any of the second structures which are fixed to the under cover, the radiator, and the fan, and the flap is rotatably attached to the support shaft may be used.

  In Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, when the flap is stopped at the initial position, the flap end is positioned forward of the front end of the pulley in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The length may be designed. Further, the flap in the second embodiment can be attached to the lower part of the fan so as to be rotatable about the support shaft.

10 Body 11 Hood 12 Front panel 13 Front frame 14 Cross member 15 Dash panel 16 Ventilation hole 17 Radiator grill 18 Engine room 19 Engine 20 Crankshaft 21 Crank pulley 22 Water pumps 24, 27, 30 Pulley 25 Alternators 23, 26, 29 Rotation Shaft 28 Compressor for air conditioner 31 Belt 32 Tension pulley 33 Exhaust pipe 34 Radiator 35 Fan 36 Lower hose 37 Upper hose 38 Under cover 39, 42 Flap 39A, 42A Tip portion 40, 43 Support shaft 44 Elastic member

Claims (3)

A vehicle front structure having an under cover that is disposed below an engine room and is attached to a vehicle body,
A flap provided in the engine room and disposed below a pulley that rotates with the power of the engine;
A support mechanism that rotatably supports the flap and that is disposed forward of the pulley in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body;
A tip formed on the flap and disposed rearward of the support mechanism in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body;
With
The front end portion of the flap is configured to move in the vertical direction about the support mechanism as a fulcrum when vibration is transmitted from the vehicle body. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1,
The support mechanism is a front structure of a vehicle provided on the under cover. In the front structure of the vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
A radiator through which cooling water for cooling the engine passes is provided in the engine room,
The radiator is disposed in front of the pulley in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body,
The support mechanism is a front structure of a vehicle provided in the radiator.

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