JP2019196112A - Vehicle front part structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To adjust a temperature of an electric device mounted in an engine room to a proper range.SOLUTION: In a vehicle front part structure, an engine 2 is mounted at an engine room 4 at a front part of a vehicle 1. The vehicle front part structure includes: a protective barrier part 21 which is disposed in front of the engine 2 in the engine room 4, houses a battery pack 20, and includes a front opening 22 for introducing outer air to the vehicle front and a rear opening 24 for introducing air in the engine room 4 from the engine 2 side to the vehicle rear; a first electric shutter 23 which opens or closes the front opening 22; a second electric shutter 25 which opens or closes the rear opening 24; and a control unit which controls operation of the first electric shutter 23 and the second electric shutter 25 based on a temperature of the battery pack 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle, and relates to a technology for mounting electrical equipment in an engine room.

Hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are equipped with a large-capacity, high-output secondary battery that supplies electric power to an electric motor for driving.
When a relatively large secondary battery such as a large-capacity secondary battery is mounted on a vehicle, it is often placed under the floor of the passenger compartment or cargo compartment, but the space in the passenger compartment may be reduced. There is. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, a vehicle in which a secondary battery is mounted in an engine room in the front portion of the vehicle is known. In this way, by providing the secondary battery in the engine room, the secondary battery for driving without reducing the space in the passenger compartment or the like and near the generator or the front motor that drives the front wheels connected to the engine. Therefore, power transmission loss can be reduced.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-60829

By the way, since the secondary battery generates heat at the time of charging / discharging, a cooling mechanism is required for securing and protecting the charging / discharging efficiency particularly in the secondary battery having a large output. Further, the secondary battery has a characteristic that the output decreases at a low temperature.
Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, simply mounting the secondary battery in the engine room makes it difficult to bring the secondary battery into an appropriate temperature range, which may lead to a decrease in charge / discharge efficiency. is there.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and the object of the present invention is in front of a vehicle that adjusts the temperature of an electric device such as a secondary battery mounted in an engine room to an appropriate range. It is to provide a partial structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle front structure according to the present invention is a vehicle front structure in which an engine is mounted in an engine room in the front of the vehicle, and is disposed in front of the engine in the engine room. A storage box portion that includes a first introduction port that houses electrical equipment and introduces outside air to the front side of the vehicle, and a second introduction port that introduces air in the engine room from the engine side to the rear side of the vehicle. A first inlet opening / closing part that opens and closes the first inlet, a second inlet opening / closing part that opens and closes the second inlet, and a temperature detection part that detects the temperature of the electrical device; And a control unit that controls the operation of the first inlet opening / closing unit and the second inlet opening / closing unit based on the temperature of the electric device detected by the temperature detection unit.

  As a result, by opening the first inlet opening / closing part, the outside air can be introduced into the storage box part to cool the electric equipment, and by opening the second inlet opening / closing part, the inside of the engine room can be opened. The heated air around the engine can be introduced into the storage box to warm the electrical equipment. And by opening or closing the first inlet opening / closing part and the second inlet opening / closing part based on the temperature of the electric equipment, the electric equipment in the storage box part can be cooled or heated and adjusted to an appropriate range. It becomes possible.

  Preferably, the control unit opens the first introduction port opening / closing unit and closes the second introduction port opening / closing unit when the temperature of the electric device is equal to or higher than a first threshold value. And when the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or lower than a second threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first threshold, the first inlet opening / closing portion is closed and the second inlet opening / closing portion is opened. It should be opened.

As a result, when the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or higher than the first threshold, outside air is introduced from the first inlet to cool the electrical device, and when the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or lower than the second threshold. Electric equipment can be warmed by introducing air around the engine in the engine room from the second introduction port.
Preferably, the control unit closes the first inlet opening / closing unit and performs the second operation when the temperature of the electric device is lower than the first threshold and higher than the second threshold. The inlet opening / closing part may be closed.

Thereby, it can suppress that external air and the air of the engine periphery are introduce | transduced in a storage box, can maintain the temperature of an electric equipment, or can raise temperature by the heat_generation | fever of electric equipment itself.
Preferably, the engine room includes a wind direction damper that changes a flow direction of the outside air that has flowed into the engine room from the front of the vehicle in a vertical direction, and the controller has a temperature of the electric device that is the first temperature. The wind direction damper is operated to a first position that guides outside air that has flowed into the engine room from the front of the vehicle to the upper portion of the engine, and the temperature of the electric device is a second threshold value. When the following is true, the wind direction is directed to a second position that guides outside air that has flowed into the engine room from the front of the vehicle toward the inner wall surface of a bonnet that defines the upper part of the engine room. The damper should be activated.

  Thereby, when the temperature of an electric equipment is more than the 1st threshold, outside air is led to the upper part of an engine, and an engine can be cooled effectively. On the other hand, when the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or lower than the second threshold, the outside air collides with the inner wall surface of the bonnet in front of the engine and reverses downward. Therefore, outside air stays in the engine room, and the air around the engine can easily flow into the second introduction port, so that the electric equipment in the storage box can be more easily warmed.

Moreover, the said control part is good to change the said wind direction damper continuously or in steps between the said 1st position and the said 2nd position based on the temperature of the said electric equipment.
Thereby, the flow direction of the outside air in the engine room can be changed continuously or stepwise based on the temperature of the electrical equipment, and the amount of air around the engine introduced into the second inlet can be changed. In addition, it is possible to more efficiently heat the electric device.

  Preferably, the first electric fan that forcibly introduces outside air into the first introduction port, and the first electric fan that forcibly introduces air in the engine room from the engine side to the second introduction port. Two electric fans, and the control unit is configured to open and close the first introduction port based on a power switch for switching on / off the power of the vehicle and a temperature of the electric device detected by the temperature detection unit. And the second electric inlet opening / closing part, the first electric fan, and the second electric fan may be controlled.

Accordingly, by operating the first electric fan or the second electric fan, air can be efficiently introduced into the storage box, and the temperature control performance for the electric device can be improved.
Preferably, the electric device is a secondary battery, and includes a gas discharge path for discharging gas from the inside of the storage box portion to the intake passage of the engine.

  Thus, even when gas is generated from the secondary battery due to melting damage or the like, when the engine is operating, the gas can be sucked into the engine together with the intake air through the gas discharge path. Thereby, gas can be combusted in an engine and it can suppress that the said gas filling an engine room, a vehicle interior, etc.

  According to the vehicle front structure of the present invention, the electrical equipment in the storage box is cooled or heated by opening and closing the first inlet opening and closing section and the second inlet opening and closing section based on the temperature of the electrical equipment. Thus, it is possible to adjust to an appropriate range. As a result, it is not necessary to further provide a temperature control device for controlling the temperature of an electric device such as an electrically driven heater or a cooling device, and even if this temperature control device is provided, the power consumption is suppressed. Can do.

1 is a top view showing a schematic internal structure of a front portion of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view showing a schematic internal structure of a front part of a vehicle concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the temperature control system of the battery pack which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control point in the temperature control system of the battery pack which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the distribution | circulation state of the air in an engine room at the time of cooling of a battery pack. It is explanatory drawing which shows the distribution | circulation state of the air in an engine room at the time of the heating of a battery pack.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle front structure embodying the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic internal structure of a front portion of a vehicle that employs a front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic internal structure of the front portion of the vehicle according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 1 that employs the front structure of the present embodiment is a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine 2 for driving and an electric motor 3.

An engine room 4 provided at the front of the vehicle 1 is equipped with an engine 2 and an electric power train 5. The electric power train 5 includes an electric motor 3 and a generator 6.
The engine room 4 is partitioned in the vehicle front-rear direction between a grill 7 at the front end of the vehicle and an instrument panel 8 at the front end of the vehicle, and between the bonnet 9 at the front of the vehicle and an under cover 10 that is a lower partition plate. Are divided in the vertical direction.

The engine 2 drives the front wheels 12 of the vehicle 1 via the transaxle 11 to drive the vehicle. The engine 2 is also capable of generating power by driving a generator 6.
An intake pipe 13 (intake passage) for introducing intake air from the engine 2 extends forward from the engine 2 and opens as an intake port 14 (not shown) near the front end of the engine room 4. An exhaust pipe 15 for discharging exhaust gas from the engine 2 extends rearward from the rear portion of the engine 2, passes through a lower part of the instrument panel portion 8, and extends rearward of the vehicle toward a muffler (not shown) at the rear of the vehicle.

The electric motor 3 can drive the front wheels 12 of the vehicle 1 via the transaxle 11.
A battery pack 20 (secondary battery) is provided at the front of the engine room 4. The battery pack 20 can charge the electric power generated from the generator 6 driven by the engine 2 and also causes the vehicle 1 to travel by supplying electric power to the electric motor 3 and driving it.

The battery pack 20 is disposed in front of the engine 2 and is disposed on the upper surface of the under cover 10 below the engine room 4.
The battery pack 20 is accommodated inside a rectangular box-shaped protective wall portion 21 (storage box portion). The protective wall 21 has heat insulation properties, and is provided with openings 22, 24, and 26 on the vehicle front side, the vehicle rear side, and the lower side, respectively.

The protective wall portion 21 includes a first electric shutter 23 (first inlet opening / closing portion) that opens and closes a front opening 22 (first inlet) that is an opening on the vehicle front side, and an opening on the vehicle rear side. A second electric shutter 25 (second inlet opening / closing part) that opens and closes the rear opening 24 (second inlet), which is a part, is provided.
The undercover 10 has an opening in accordance with the position of the lower opening 26 of the protective wall 21 and a wind direction derivation plate 27 that is inclined downward from the front edge of the opening toward the rear of the vehicle. Is provided. Further, the under cover 10 is provided with an air discharge port 28 for discharging air in the engine room behind the engine 2.

A radiator 29 that heat-exchanges engine cooling water is provided above the protective wall 21. A rectangular plate-shaped wind direction damper 30 is provided behind the radiator 29 at the top of the protective wall 21.
The lower end of the wind direction damper 30 is supported by the upper end of the protective wall 21 on the vehicle rear side so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. For example, the wind direction damper 30 can swing from a vertical position extending in the vertical direction to a substantially horizontal position.

One end of a gas exhaust pipe 31 (gas exhaust path) is connected to the upper wall of the protective wall 21 and communicates with the inside of the protective wall 21. The other end of the gas exhaust pipe 31 is connected to the intake pipe 13.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the temperature control system of the battery pack 20 in the present embodiment.
The protective wall 21 containing the battery pack 20 has a first electric fan 32 that passes through the front opening 22 from the front of the vehicle and blows air into the protective wall 21 adjacent to the first electric shutter 23. Is provided. Further, the protective wall portion 21 is provided with a second electric fan 33 that passes through the rear opening 24 from the engine 2 side and blows air into the protective wall portion 21 adjacent to the second electric shutter 25. ing.

In addition, a battery temperature sensor 34 (temperature detection unit) that detects the temperature of the battery pack 20 is provided inside the protective wall portion 21.
The wind direction damper 30 is oscillated by a damper actuator 35 which is an electric actuator. The damper actuator 35 is controlled by the control unit 40 (control unit).

  The control unit 40 is a control unit that controls the air conditioner of the vehicle 1 and includes an input / output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, nonvolatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), and the like. . The control unit 40 inputs an IG-ON / OFF signal, which is an operation signal of the power switch of the vehicle 1, and the battery temperature from the battery temperature sensor 34, and the first electric shutter 23, the second electric shutter 25, and the damper actuator. 35, the first electric fan 32 and the second electric fan 33 are controlled.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in the temperature control system of the battery pack 20 executed in the control unit 40.
This routine is executed repeatedly at all times.
First, in step S10, the battery temperature T is input from the battery temperature sensor 34, and the IG-ON / OFF signal of the vehicle is input. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, it is determined whether or not the vehicle IG-ON / OFF signal input in step S10 is ON. In the case of IG-ON, the process proceeds to step S30. In the case of IG-OFF, the process proceeds to step S140.
In step S30, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature T input in step S10 is equal to or higher than the required cooling temperature Th (first threshold). The cooling required temperature Th may be set near the lower limit value of the temperature at which the battery pack 20 requires cooling. When the battery temperature T is equal to or higher than the cooling required temperature Th, the process proceeds to step S40. If the battery temperature T is lower than the required cooling temperature Th, the process proceeds to step S70.

In step S40, the first electric shutter 23 is opened. Then, the process proceeds to step S50.
In step S50, the second electric shutter 25 is closed. Then, the process proceeds to step S60.
In step S60, the first electric fan 32 is operated to introduce outside air into the protective wall 21 from the front of the vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S70, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature T input in step S10 is equal to or lower than the heating required temperature Tl (second threshold). The heating required temperature Tl may be set near the upper limit value of the temperature at which the battery pack 20 needs to be heated. When the battery temperature T is equal to or lower than the heating required temperature Tl, the process proceeds to step S80. When the battery temperature T is higher than the heating required temperature Tl, the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S80, the first electric shutter 23 is closed. Then, the process proceeds to step S90.
In step S90, the second electric shutter 25 is opened. Then, the process proceeds to step S100.
In step S100, the second electric fan 33 is operated to introduce air into the protective wall portion 21 from the engine 2 side. Then, the process proceeds to step S130.

In step S110, the first electric shutter 23 is closed. Then, the process proceeds to step S120.
In step S120, the second electric shutter 25 is closed. Then, the process proceeds to step S130.
In step S130, the damper actuator 35 is controlled to adjust the swing angle of the wind direction damper 30. For example, when the battery temperature T is equal to or lower than the heating required temperature Tl, the wind direction damper 30 is set to a vertical position (second position) extending in the vertical direction. When the battery temperature T is equal to or higher than the cooling required temperature Th, the upper end of the wind direction damper 30 extends toward the upper part of the engine, for example, about 45 degrees rearward from the vertical position as shown by the solid line in FIG. Operate to the tilted position (first position). When the battery temperature T is higher than the required heating temperature Tl and lower than the required cooling temperature Th, the angle of the wind direction damper 30 is changed continuously or stepwise between the vertical position and the inclined position based on the battery temperature T. You may let them. Then, the process returns to step S10.

In step S140, the first electric shutter 23 is opened. Then, the process proceeds to step S150.
In step S150, the second electric shutter 25 is closed. Then, the process proceeds to step S160.
In step S160, the first electric fan 32 is stopped. Then, the process proceeds to step S170.

In step S170, the second electric fan 33 is stopped. Then, the process proceeds to step S180.
In step S180, the damper actuator 35 is controlled to move the wind direction damper 30 to the retracted position. The storage position of the wind direction damper 30 may be a horizontal position where the wind direction damper 30 is horizontal, for example. Then, the process returns to step S10.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the air circulation state in the engine room 4 when the battery pack 20 is cooled. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the air circulation state in the engine room 4 when the battery pack 20 is heated. 5 and 6, the air circulation state is indicated by arrows.
The vehicle 1 controls the electric shutters 23 and 25, the electric fans 32 and 33, and the wind direction damper 30 based on the temperature of the battery pack 20 as described above, whereby the air circulation state in the engine room 4 is controlled. Different.

  When the temperature T of the battery pack 20 is equal to or higher than the cooling required temperature Th, the first electric shutter 23 is opened and the second electric shutter 25 is closed. Further, the first electric fan 32 is driven. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the outside air is introduced into the protective wall 21 through the front opening 22 from the front of the vehicle, and the battery pack 20 is cooled. The air introduced into the protective wall 21 is discharged from the lower opening 26 to the lower side of the vehicle. Since the second electric shutter 25 is closed, even if the engine 2 in the engine room 4 is operated and the periphery of the engine is hot, hot air is not introduced into the protective wall 21, and the battery pack 20 Temperature rise can be suppressed.

  Further, since the wind direction damper 30 is in the inclined position, the outside air that has passed through the radiator 29 from the front of the vehicle is guided to the upper portion of the engine 2. Then, the upper part of the engine, which is relatively hot, is cooled, and is smoothly discharged downward from the air discharge port 28 in the lower rear part of the engine room 4. Thereby, even if the temperature in the engine room 4 becomes high due to the operation of the engine 2, the inside of the engine room 4, in particular, the engine 2 can be efficiently cooled by the outside air introduced from the front of the vehicle.

  When the temperature T of the battery pack 20 is equal to or lower than the temperature increase required temperature Tl, the first electric shutter 23 is closed and the second electric shutter 25 is opened. Further, the second electric fan 33 is driven. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the introduction of outside air into the protective wall 21 through the front opening 22 from the front of the vehicle in the engine room 4 is prevented. Since the second electric shutter 25 is open, relatively high-temperature air in the engine room 4 is introduced into the protective wall portion 21, and the battery pack 20 can be heated.

  Further, since the wind direction damper 30 is in the vertical position, the outside air that has passed through the radiator 29 from the front of the vehicle is guided upward along the wind direction damper 30 and collides with the inner wall surface of the bonnet 9. Therefore, outside air is introduced around the engine 2 but tends to stay around the engine 2. As a result, the air around the engine 2 can easily flow into the rear opening 24 of the protective wall 21 and the temperature of the battery pack 20 can be further increased.

When the battery temperature T is higher than the required heating temperature Tl and lower than the required cooling temperature Th, the first electric shutter 23 and the second electric shutter 25 are closed. The air can be prevented from being introduced, and the temperature of the battery pack 20 can be maintained, or the temperature can be raised gradually by the heat generated by the battery pack 20 itself.
Further, when the battery temperature T is higher than the required heating temperature Tl and lower than the required cooling temperature Th, the angle of the wind direction damper 30 is changed continuously or stepwise between the vertical position and the inclined position based on the battery temperature T. Thus, the amount of air introduced into the rear opening 24 of the air around the engine 2 can be changed, and the battery pack 20 can be appropriately heated in accordance with the battery temperature T.

  Further, when the first electric shutter 23 is opened when the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the first electric fan 32 is operated, so that outside air can be efficiently introduced into the protective wall portion 21. . On the other hand, when the second electric shutter 25 is opened when the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the second electric fan 33 is operated, so that the air in the engine room 4 is efficiently put into the protective wall 21. Can be introduced. In particular, when the first electric shutter 23 is opened, the first electric fan 32 is operated, so that even when the vehicle is stopped, the wind is not blowing from the front to the rear around the vehicle. However, the outside air can be sufficiently introduced into the protective wall portion 21, and the battery pack 20 can be sufficiently cooled.

  Further, the vehicle 1 is provided with a gas discharge pipe 31 that connects the inside of the protective wall 21 and the intake pipe 13 of the engine 2. Therefore, even if the battery pack 20 leaks in the protective wall 21 due to melting damage or the like, if the engine 2 is operating, the gas is passed through the gas exhaust pipe 31 and the intake pipe 13 through the combustion chamber of the engine 2. Can be inhaled and burned with fuel. Thereby, it can suppress that the gas leaked from the battery pack 20 fills in the engine room 4 and the vehicle interior of the vehicle 1.

The description of the embodiment is finished as above, but the aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. You may change suitably about the detailed structure of the protective wall part 21 of the battery pack 20, each shutter 23, 25, the wind direction damper 30, and other various components.
For example, in the above embodiment, the gas exhaust pipe 31 that connects the inside of the protective wall 21 and the intake pipe 13 is provided, but if the intake port of the engine 2 is arranged behind the protective wall 21, The gas exhaust pipe 31 may not be provided. Even with such a configuration, even if gas is generated from the battery pack 20 and leaks from the protective wall 21, it can be sucked from the intake port of the engine 2 and burned by the engine 2.

  In the above embodiment, the battery pack 20 is mounted in the protective wall portion 21 to control the temperature of the battery pack 20. However, instead of the battery pack 20, other electrical devices are accommodated in the protective wall portion 21. You may make it perform temperature control.

1 vehicle 2 engine 4 engine room 20 battery pack (electrical equipment)
21 Protective wall (storage box)
22 Front opening (first inlet)
23 First electric shutter (first inlet opening / closing part)
24 Rear opening (second inlet)
25 Second electric shutter (second inlet opening / closing part)
30 Wind direction damper 31 Gas exhaust pipe (gas exhaust path)
32 1st electric fan 33 2nd electric fan 34 Battery temperature sensor (temperature detection part)
40 Control unit (control unit)

Claims (7)

A vehicle front structure in which an engine is mounted in an engine room at the front of the vehicle,
A first inlet that is disposed in front of the engine in the engine room, houses electrical equipment, and introduces outside air to the front side of the vehicle, and introduces air in the engine room from the engine side to the rear side of the vehicle A storage box portion having a second introduction port;
A first inlet opening / closing part that opens and closes the first inlet;
A second inlet opening / closing part for opening and closing the second inlet;
A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the electrical device;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the first inlet opening / closing unit and the second inlet opening / closing unit based on the temperature of the electrical device detected by the temperature detection unit;
A vehicle front structure characterized by comprising: The controller is
When the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or higher than a first threshold, the first inlet opening / closing part is opened and the second inlet opening / closing part is closed,
When the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or lower than a second threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first threshold, the first inlet opening / closing portion is closed and the second inlet opening / closing portion is opened. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is
When the temperature of the electrical device is lower than the first threshold and higher than the second threshold, the first inlet opening / closing part is closed and the second inlet opening / closing part is closed. The front structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle has a front structure. A wind direction damper that changes the flow direction of the outside air flowing into the engine room from the front of the vehicle in the vertical direction is provided in the engine room,
The controller is
When the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the wind direction damper is operated to a first position that guides outside air that has flowed into the engine room from the front of the vehicle to the upper portion of the engine,
When the temperature of the electrical device is equal to or lower than the second threshold value, the outside air that has flowed into the engine room from the front of the vehicle is directed toward the inner wall surface of the bonnet that defines the upper part of the engine room than the engine. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the wind direction damper is operated to a second position that leads to the front of the vehicle.   The said control part changes the said wind direction damper continuously or in steps between the said 1st position and the said 2nd position based on the temperature of the said electric equipment. Vehicle front structure as described. A first electric fan that forcibly introduces outside air into the first inlet;
A second electric fan that forcibly introduces air in the engine room from the engine side to the second introduction port,
The control unit is configured to switch the first introduction port opening / closing unit and the second introduction port opening / closing based on a power switch for switching on / off the power of the vehicle and a temperature of the electric device detected by the temperature detection unit. The front structure of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein operation control of the first electric fan and the second electric fan is performed. The electrical device is a secondary battery,
The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a gas discharge path for discharging gas from the inside of the storage box portion to the intake passage of the engine.

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