JP2021024507A - duct - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a duct having rigidity of a proper degree with a simple constitution.SOLUTION: In a duct 10, at least a part of an airflow passage 10a is formed by a duct body 12 constituted with a foam body of an independent foam structure as a main body. The duct body 12 is formed in a groove shape having a first wall part 16 and a pair of mutually oppositely arranged second wall parts 18 by being continuously arranged on the side edge of the first wall part 16. In the duct body 12, a flange part 20 formed so as to stretch out to the opposite side of the airflow passage 10a from the second wall part 18, is pressed-down so that the pair of second wall parts 18 relatively approaches by a holding part 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a duct in which at least a part of an air flow passage is formed in a duct body mainly composed of a foam having a closed cell structure.

In recent years, there has been a demand for weight reduction of ducts due to demands such as improvement of vehicle fuel efficiency. Therefore, it has been proposed to form a duct by combining duct halves obtained by molding a foam sheet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the duct half body is formed of the foam sheet in this way, the rigidity of the duct half body is low, so that the duct half body may be deformed by the negative pressure of the air flowing inside. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the rigidity of the duct body is ensured by integrating the separately molded shape-retaining member with the duct half body at the time of molding the foam sheet.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-163030

Although the rigidity of the duct can be ensured even with the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is required to secure the rigidity of the duct with a simpler configuration.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems related to the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a duct having an appropriate rigidity with a simple configuration.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the desired object, the duct according to the present invention is
A duct in which at least a part of an air flow passage is formed by a duct body mainly composed of a foam having a closed cell structure.
The duct main body is formed in a groove shape having a first wall portion and a pair of second wall portions arranged so as to be connected to the side edge of the first wall portion and arranged so as to face each other.
The flange portion formed so as to project from the second wall portion and / or the second wall portion to the side opposite to the air flow passage so that the pair of second wall portions are relatively close to each other by the holding portion. The gist is that it is being held down.

According to the duct according to the present invention, even a duct body mainly composed of a foam can secure appropriate rigidity with a simple configuration.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows a part of the duct which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a part of the duct of 1st Embodiment, and shows the duct and the holding duct separately. It is a front view which shows the duct of 1st Embodiment, and shows the state before connecting to a holding duct. It is a front view which shows the duct of 1st Embodiment, and shows the state which connected to the holding duct. It is the schematic perspective view which shows another example of the duct of 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the duct of 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the alternative example 1 of the duct of 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the alternative example 2 of the duct of 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the 3rd example of the duct of 2nd Embodiment.

Next, the duct according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to suitable examples. The present invention can be applied to ducts for vehicles such as for air conditioning and battery cooling, ducts for other uses other than vehicles, and the like.

(First Embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the duct 10 according to the first embodiment is formed by combining two duct bodies 12 and 12 to form an air flow passage 10a through which air flows. Further, the end of the duct 10 is fitted inside the other duct (hereinafter referred to as the holding duct 14) (air flow passage 14a), and is connected so as to connect the air flow passages 10a and 14a to each other. (See FIGS. 1 and 4). Further, the duct 10 is pressed by the holding duct 14 when connected to the holding duct 14, and in the first embodiment, the holding duct 14 is configured to function as a holding portion for applying a force to the duct 10. .. The holding duct 14 serving as the holding portion is preferably configured to have higher rigidity than the duct 10 (duct main body 12), such as being harder than the duct 10 (duct main body 12). For example, as the holding duct 14, one obtained by blow molding, injection molding, or the like of a thermoplastic resin such as a polypropylene resin can be used.

The duct body 12 is mainly composed of a foam made of synthetic resin. Among the synthetic resins, the duct main body 12 is a molded product of a lightweight sheet material made of a foam having a closed cell structure such as a polyolefin resin such as a polyethylene resin or a polypropylene resin. The duct main body 12 may be a single layer, and is a double layer in which a fibrous body such as a non-woven fabric or a porous body such as a polyurethane foam having an open cell structure is laminated on the outside (opposite side to the air flow passage 10a). It may have a layered structure. Here, the foam having a closed cell structure is mainly present as a layer over the entire area of the duct body 12, and other layers such as the above-mentioned non-woven fabric are changed or changed according to the requirements such as the use and installation location of the duct 10. It can be omitted. The duct main body 12 is obtained by forming a single-layer or laminated sheet material into a required shape by, for example, vacuum forming.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the duct main body 12 is provided in a row on the first wall portion 16 and the side edge of the first wall portion 16, and is arranged so as to face each other. It is formed in a groove shape having walls 18 and 18. The duct main body 12 includes a flange portion 20 formed so as to project from the end edge of each second wall portion 18 opposite to the first wall portion 16 to the side opposite to the air flow passage 10a. The duct main body 12 is curved so that the first wall portion 16 bulges between the pair of second wall portions 18 and 18 on the side opposite to the air flow passage 10a. Further, the duct main body 12 is inclined so that the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 approach each other as the flange portion 20 side toward the first wall portion 16 side, and the duct main body 12 is compared with the bottom side of the first wall portion 16. The width of the opening side of the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 is wide in the direction orthogonal to the air flow direction. Further, the duct main body 12 of the first embodiment has a flat shape in which the width of the first wall portion 16 in the direction orthogonal to the air flow direction is larger than the height of the second wall portion 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the duct 10 is formed in a tubular shape by combining two duct bodies 12 and 12 so that the flange portions 20 projecting from the second wall portion 18 are overlapped with each other in a palm-shaped manner. ing. As described above, in the duct 10, the air flow passage 10a is formed by the two duct main bodies 12, 12. Further, in the duct 10, the first wall portions 16, 16 of the two duct main bodies 12, 12 are arranged so as to face each other.

In the duct 10, the second wall portion 18 or the flange portion 20 is pressed by the holding duct (holding portion) 14 so that the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are relatively close to each other. More specifically, the duct body 12 is held by both the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 or the two flange portions 20, 20 protruding from the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 to the opposite sides. The air flow passage 10a is formed in a state where the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are sandwiched between the ducts 14 and a force is applied so as to be relatively close to each other. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the flange portions 20 of the two duct main bodies 12 and 12 that are overlapped in a palm-shaped manner are held by the holding duct 14. In the duct body 12, the dimension between the extending ends of the two flange portions 20 and 20 facing opposite sides is set to be larger than the internal dimension of the holding duct 14 in a natural state where no external force is applied. As a result, the duct 10 is configured so that the peripheral wall of the holding duct 14 and the flange portion 20 interfere with each other when the duct 10 is inserted into the holding duct 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an elastic sealing material 22 made of a soft foam such as polyurethane foam is provided inside the holding duct 14. When the duct 10 is connected while the sealing material 22 is elastically deformed and the flange portion 20 is pressed by the inner surface of the holding duct 14, the sealing material 22 seals between the outer surface of the duct 10 and the inner surface of the holding duct 14. It has become so.

The duct 10 has a flange portion 20 formed so as to project from the second wall portion 18 to the side opposite to the air flow passage 10a so that the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are relatively close to each other by the holding duct 14. It is being held down. As a result, the duct 10 is in a state in which a force is applied outward (on the side opposite to the air flow passage 10a) with respect to the first wall portion 16. Therefore, even if the air flow passage 10a is in a negative pressure state and a force is applied to the first wall portion 16 so as to pull the duct 10 inward, the duct 10 exerts an outward force due to the interference with the holding duct 14 as described above. Since it is hung, it is possible to prevent inward deformation such that the first wall portion 16 narrows the air flow passage 10a. In this way, the rigidity of the duct 10 can be improved by a simple configuration in which the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are pressed so as to be relatively close to each other by the holding duct 14. Since the duct 10 can secure rigidity, it is possible to omit or reduce uneven shapes such as beads and reinforcing structures such as ribs, and it is possible to simplify the formation of the duct main body 12. Further, the duct 10 can secure a wide air flow area of the air flow passage 10a by omitting or reducing the reinforcing structure.

In the duct 10, both of the two flange portions 20, 20 protruding from the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 to the opposite sides are sandwiched by the holding duct 14, and the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are relative to each other. The air flow passage 10a is formed in a state where a force is applied so as to approach. In this way, by pressing the flange portions 20 and 20 on both sides with the holding duct 14, an outward force can be applied to the first wall portion 16 in a well-balanced manner. Therefore, the rigidity of the duct 10 can be improved.

The first wall portion 16 is curved so as to bulge outward (opposite to the air flow passage 10a) between the pair of second wall portions 18, 18. As a result, the duct 10 efficiently converts the direction of the force so that an outward force is applied to the first wall portion 16 when the pair of the second wall portions 18, 18 are pressed so as to be relatively close to each other. can do. Therefore, the rigidity of the duct 10 can be improved.

The duct 10 is formed by combining two duct main bodies 12 and 12 so that the air flow passage 10a overlaps the flange portions 20 projecting from the second wall portion 18. Then, the duct 10 holds the flange portions 20, 20 which are overlapped in a palm-shaped manner by the holding duct 14. As a result, the duct 10 can efficiently apply an outward force to both of the two first wall portions 16 and 16 facing each other in the two duct main bodies 12 and 12. Therefore, as compared with the case where each of the four second wall portions 18 is pressed, the number of locations to be pressed by the holding duct 14 can be reduced, and the configuration can be simplified.

In the first embodiment, the holding duct 14 to which the duct 10 is connected is used as the holding portion for holding the duct main body 12. As a result, the rigidity of the duct 10 can be ensured only by connecting the duct 10 and the holding duct 14, and the number of parts for reinforcement can be reduced. Further, it is possible to save the trouble of separately attaching a reinforcing member to the duct 10. Moreover, conventionally, if the flange portion 20 is a duct 10 protruding outward, another duct to be connected that does not have the flange portion 20 is inserted into the inside of the duct 10, as described above. A duct 10 having a flange portion 20 inside the other duct can be inserted into the duct 10.

Although the configuration in which the end portion of the duct 10 is pressed by the holding duct 14, the configuration in which the intermediate position of the duct 10 is pressed by the holding portion 24 may be used as shown in FIG. The holding portion 24 has a shape that can hold the second wall portion 18 or the flange portion 20 (see FIG. 5), such as being formed in a tubular shape or a gate shape as shown in FIG. Good. Further, the holding portion 24 may be shared as an attachment for attaching the duct 10 to an installation object such as a panel member 26. By doing so, the rigidity can be improved even at the intermediate position of the duct 10.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the two duct main bodies 12 and 12 are combined to form the air flow passage 10a has been described, but as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the duct main body 12 and the panel member 26 and the like are to be installed. It may be a duct 30 that forms an air flow passage 10a with an object. The holding portion 24 is formed in a gate shape as shown in FIG. 6 or in a hook shape as shown in FIG. 7, and is formed in a flange portion 20 (see FIG. 6) or a second wall portion 18 (FIG. 7). Any shape may be used as long as it can hold down (see). Even in this way, the rigidity of the duct body 12 of the duct 30 can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 8, the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are relative to each other by the holding portion 24 as a mounting tool, which is fixed to the panel member 26 through the through hole provided in the flange portion 20 of the duct main body 12. You may hold it so that it approaches the target. Even in this way, the rigidity of the duct body 12 of the duct 30 can be improved.

(Change example)
Not limited to the above-described configuration, for example, the following may be used.
(1) The configuration of the first embodiment may be applied to the second embodiment, the configuration of the second embodiment may be applied to the first embodiment, or the configurations of both embodiments may be combined.
(2) The configuration in which both of the two flanges in the duct body are held by the holding part (holding duct) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both of the two second wall parts in the duct body are held by the holding part (holding). It may be configured to be pressed by a duct). Further, in the duct main body, one of the two flange portions or one of the two second wall portions may be pressed by the holding portion (holding duct). In the duct body, one of the two flange portions may be pressed by the holding portion, and the second wall portion on the opposite side of the one flange portion may be pressed by the holding portion. In this case, the duct body is sandwiched between the holding portions (holding ducts) by pressing one of the two flange portions with the holding portion and pressing the second wall portion on the opposite side of the one flange portion with the holding portion. You may do so.
(3) The configuration in which either the second wall portion or the flange portion of the duct body is pressed by the holding portion has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both the second wall portion and the flange portion of the duct body are held by the holding portion. It may be configured to hold down. Further, one of the side surfaces of the duct body holds either the second wall portion or the flange portion with the holding portion, and the other side surface of the duct main body presses both the second wall portion and the flange portion with the holding portion. You may do so.
(4) A sealing material that closes between the holding duct and the side surface of the duct body may act as a holding part that holds down the second wall portion and / or the flange portion that constitutes the side surface of the duct body. By strongly interfering with the sealing material so as to press the second wall portion, there is an advantage that the rigidity of the duct body can be improved and the sealing property between the duct body and the holding duct can be improved.
(5) In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the space between the pair of second wall portions in the first wall portion is curved so as to bulge toward the opposite side of the air flow passage, but the present invention is not limited to this. .. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the first wall portion 16 is formed in a shape like a gable roof that tapers between the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 toward the opposite side of the air flow passage 10a. It is preferable that the shape is such that the space between the pair of second wall portions 18 and 18 in the first wall portion 16 bulges outward. In this way, even if the first wall portion 16 is formed so that the central portion between the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 is tapered outward from the left and right end portions, away from the air flow passage 10a. When the pair of second wall portions 18, 18 are pressed so as to be relatively close to each other, the direction of the force can be efficiently changed so that an outward force is applied to the first wall portion 16.

10a air flow passage, 12 duct body, 14 holding duct (holding part),
14a Air flow passage, 16 1st wall, 18 2nd wall, 20 Flange,
24 holding part

Claims (5)

A duct in which at least a part of an air flow passage is formed by a duct body mainly composed of a foam having a closed cell structure.
The duct main body is formed in a groove shape having a first wall portion and a pair of second wall portions arranged so as to be connected to the side edge of the first wall portion and arranged so as to face each other.
The flange portion formed so as to project from the second wall portion and / or the second wall portion to the side opposite to the air flow passage so that the pair of second wall portions are relatively close to each other by the holding portion. A duct characterized by being held down. In the duct body, both of the pair of second wall portions and / or both of the two flange portions projecting from the pair of second wall portions to the opposite sides are sandwiched between the holding portions, and the pair of duct bodies. The duct according to claim 1, wherein the air flow passage is formed in a state where a force is applied so that the second wall portion is relatively close to each other. The first wall portion is formed in a shape in which the space between the pair of second wall portions is curved so as to bulge toward the opposite side of the air flow passage, or is tapered toward the opposite side of the air flow passage. The duct according to claim 1 or 2. The air flow passage is formed by combining the two duct bodies so that the flange portions projecting from the second wall portion overlap each other.
The duct according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the overlapped flange portions are pressed by the holding portion. The duct according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holding portion is another duct in which the duct main body is inserted inside and the air flow passages are connected to each other.

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