JP2021165050A - Grille shutter - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an attachment structure for a grille shutter, which can reduce transmission of operating noise of the grille shutter into a vehicle compartment without large-scale change in design.SOLUTION: The attachment structure for a grille shutter comprises a grille shutter 10, a radiator support 12 supporting the grille shutter 10, and a bracket 14 for attaching the grille shutter 10 to the radiator support 12. The bracket 14 comprises a first coupling part 34 coupled to the radiator support 12 in a vehicle width direction, a second coupling part 36 coupled to the grille shutter 10 in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a first flange part 38 extending from at least one of an upper part and a lower part of the first coupling part 34 to a side opposite to the radiator support 12, and a second flange part 40 extending from at least one of an upper part and a lower part of the second coupling part 36 to a side opposite to the grille shutter 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present specification discloses a structure for attaching a grill shutter to a shutter support member.

Generally, a running wind introduction port such as a front grill is provided at the front end of the vehicle in order to introduce running wind into the power unit chamber. Further, in order to adjust the air volume of the traveling wind flowing into the power unit chamber, a grill shutter may be provided behind the traveling wind introduction port.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a shutter unit having a shutter member that can be opened and closed. This shutter unit includes a square cylindrical unit frame portion, a plurality of rotating shafts supported by the unit frame portion and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of shutter members attached to each of the plurality of rotating shafts. It includes an actuator that opens and closes a plurality of shutter members. The shutter unit is bolted to a shroud (corresponding to a shutter support member) that supports a radiator or the like at both ends in the vehicle width direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-198509

By the way, depending on the arrangement relationship between the grill shutter and the shutter support member, the grill shutter may be interposed with a bracket instead of being directly attached to the shutter support member. In this case, the operating sound of the grill shutter may be transmitted to the vehicle interior via the bracket and the shutter support member. The operating noise of such a grill shutter reduces the comfort of the vehicle. In particular, an electric vehicle having only a motor as a traveling drive source is quieter in traveling noise than an engine vehicle or a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. Therefore, in the case of an electric vehicle, the operating noise of the grill shutter is easily noticeable, and there is a high demand for suppressing the transmission of such operating noise to the vehicle interior. It is conceivable to change the structure and arrangement of the grill shutter and the shutter support member in order to suppress the transmission of the operating noise to the vehicle interior, but in this case, the scale of the change becomes large.

Therefore, this specification discloses a mounting structure of a grill shutter that can suppress transmission of the operating sound of the grill shutter into the vehicle interior without making a large-scale design change.

The attachment structure of the grill shutter disclosed in the present specification includes a grill shutter, a shutter support member for supporting the grill shutter, and a bracket for attaching the grill shutter to the shutter support member, and the bracket is the shutter. From at least one of the first coupling portion that is coupled to the support member in the vehicle width direction, the second coupling portion that is coupled to the grill shutter in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the upper and lower portions of the first coupling portion, the shutter support member It is characterized by including a first flange portion extending to the opposite side and a second flange portion extending from at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the second joint portion to the opposite side of the grill shutter.

By providing the first flange portion and the second flange portion, the rigidity of the bracket can be improved. Then, by improving the rigidity of the bracket, the transmission of the operating sound of the grill shutter to the vehicle interior is effectively suppressed. Further, by extending the first flange portion and the second flange portion to the opposite sides of the shutter support member and the grill shutter, respectively, it is possible to prevent interference between these flange portions and the shutter support member and the grill shutter. The "upper part" and "lower part" of the first joint portion mean an upper 1/3 area and a lower 1/3 area when the first joint portion is divided into upper and lower three parts, respectively. Similarly, the "upper part" and "lower part" of the second joint part mean the upper 1/3 area and the lower 1/3 area when the second joint part is divided into upper and lower three parts, respectively.

In this case, the first flange portion is formed by bending at least one of the upper end and the lower end of the first joint portion to the side opposite to the shutter support member, and the second flange portion is formed by bending the second joint portion. At least one of the upper end and the lower end of the grill shutter may be bent to the opposite side to the grill shutter.

The flange portion can be easily formed by bending the ends of the first joint portion and the second joint portion to form the flange portion.

Further, the first flange portion and the second flange portion may be provided at the same height position and may be continuously connected in the horizontal direction.

By connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion continuously in the horizontal direction, the deformation of the first flange portion and the second flange portion are suppressed from each other, and the rigidity of the bracket is further improved. As a result, the transmission of the operating noise to the vehicle interior is more effectively suppressed.

In this case, the first flange portion has a horizontal portion extending in the vehicle width direction from the height direction end portion of the first joint portion and a vertical wall portion extending in the height direction from the end portion of the horizontal portion. The second flange portion is L-shaped, and the second flange portion includes a horizontal portion extending in the vehicle front-rear direction from the height direction end portion of the second joint portion, and a standing wall portion extending in the height direction from the end portion of the horizontal portion. It may be substantially L-shaped having.

By forming the first flange portion and the second flange portion into a three-dimensional shape having a horizontal portion and a standing wall portion, respectively, the rigidity around the first flange portion and the second flange portion is further improved. As a result, the transmission of the operating noise to the vehicle interior is more effectively suppressed.

In this case, the first coupling portion is coupled to the inner surface of the shutter support member in the vehicle width direction, the second coupling portion is coupled to the vehicle rear surface of the grill shutter, and the first coupling portion is connected. Is also located outside in the vehicle width direction, and the bracket is further provided between the first flange portion and the second flange portion, and is a horizontal portion of the first flange portion or the second flange portion. A twisted portion twisted so that the front and back sides may be inverted may be provided.

By providing such a twisted portion, even when the second joint portion is located outside the vehicle width direction from the first joint portion, the first flange portion and the second flange portion can be continuously connected in the horizontal direction. Can be done. As a result, the rigidity of the bracket is improved, and the transmission of the operating noise to the vehicle interior is suppressed.

According to the mounting structure of the grill shutter disclosed in the present specification, it is possible to suppress the transmission of the operating sound of the grill shutter into the vehicle interior without making a large-scale design change.

It is an image diagram explaining the arrangement of the parts around the grill shutter. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the state of attachment of the grill shutter. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of BB in FIG. It is a top view of the bracket. It is a schematic diagram of the bracket before forming a flange portion. It is an image figure which shows the state of formation of a twisted portion. It is an image figure which shows the state of formation of a twisted portion. It is a graph which shows the sound pressure level in a vehicle interior. It is a graph which shows the sound pressure sensitivity when vibration is applied to a bracket.

Hereinafter, the mounting structure of the grill shutter will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an image diagram illustrating the arrangement of parts around the grill shutter 10, and is a schematic plan view of the front portion of the vehicle. Further, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing how the grill shutter 10 is attached. In the following drawings, "Fr", "Up", "R", and "Out" indicate the front, the upper side, the right side in the vehicle width direction, and the outside in the vehicle width direction, respectively.

A front panel 16 is provided at the front end of the vehicle, and a front grill 18 is arranged below the front panel 16. The front grill 18 is an opening for introducing a running wind into the power unit chamber. A grill shutter 10 is provided behind the front grill 18 and inside the power unit chamber. The grill shutter 10 is a member for adjusting the running air volume introduced into the power unit chamber. As shown in FIG. 2, the grill shutter 10 has a frame body 30 that is long in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of shutter members 28 that are swingably attached to the frame body 30. The front end of the frame 30 is in close contact with the front panel 16, and the inside of the frame 30 serves as an introduction passage for the traveling wind flowing in from the front grill 18. Further, the shutter member 28 is a flap-shaped member that can swing around an axis extending in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of shutter members 28 are arranged in the vertical direction. When the shutter member 28 is tilted substantially horizontally, the passage for introducing the traveling wind from the front grill 18 to the power unit chamber is opened. Further, when the shutter member 28 stands up substantially vertically, the passage for introducing the traveling wind from the front grill 18 to the power unit chamber is closed, and the inflow of the traveling wind into the power unit chamber is blocked.

Such a grill shutter 10 is attached to the radiator support 12 via a bracket 14. The radiator support 12 is a frame member that supports the radiator 20 and the fan shroud 22. Further, as described above, the radiator support 12 also supports the grill shutter 10 and functions as a shutter support member. The radiator support 12 is connected to the front side member 24 or the crash box 26, which will be described later, directly or via some connecting member.

A pair of front side members 24 are arranged on both sides of the radiator support 12 in the vehicle width direction. The front side member 24 is a skeleton member of the vehicle and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A kick portion (not shown) is joined to the rear portion of the front side member 24, and this kick portion is further joined to the front portion of the floor side member (not shown). Floor side members are skeletal members arranged on both sides of the passenger compartment. Floor panels (not shown) constituting the floor surface of the passenger compartment are arranged between the pair of floor side members.

A crash box 26 is attached to the front end of the front side member 24. The crash box 26 is a member that absorbs collision energy by positively deforming at the time of a frontal collision. A front bumper reinforcement (not shown) is arranged between the pair of left and right crash boxes 26 and above the grill shutter 10.

Here, the configuration of the bracket 14 for attaching the grill shutter 10 to the radiator support 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bracket 14.

The bracket 14 is made of metal and is formed by sheet metal forming a single metal plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 14 has a first coupling portion 34 attached to the radiator support 12 in the vehicle width direction and a second coupling portion 36 attached to the grill shutter 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Have. The second joint portion 36 is bent at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the first joint portion 34, and the entire bracket 14 is substantially L-shaped in a plan view.

The first joint portion 34 is welded to the inner surface of the radiator support 12 in the vehicle width direction at three welding points 44 arranged vertically. Of the first joint portion 34, the periphery of the welding point 44 is locally depressed outside in the vehicle width direction, that is, in a direction approaching the radiator support 12. Further, the second coupling portion 36 is fastened to the vehicle rear surface of the frame body 30 of the grill shutter 10 by the fastening bolt 46 shown in FIG. A fastening hole 42 through which the fastening bolt 46 is inserted is formed in the second joint portion 36.

By the way, as a matter of course, the grill shutter 10 opens and closes the shutter member 28 as needed. When the grill shutter 10 is operated, a certain amount of operating noise is generated. This operating noise may be transmitted to the passenger compartment via the bracket 14 and the radiator support 12. That is, the grill shutter 10 is connected to the radiator support 12 via the bracket 14, and the radiator support 12 is further connected to the vehicle interior via the crash box 26, the front side member 24, and various other body members. It is connected. The operating sound of the grill shutter 10 may be transmitted to the vehicle interior through such various skeleton members and body members. Such operating noise impairs the comfort of the passenger compartment. In particular, in the case of an electric vehicle having only a motor as a traveling power source, the operating noise of the grill shutter 10 is more noticeable because the traveling noise is quieter than that of an engine vehicle or a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine.

In order to suppress the transmission of such operating noise, it is conceivable to change the structure itself of the grill shutter 10 and the radiator support 12. However, in this case, the scale of change becomes large, which leads to an increase in cost. Therefore, in this example, the bracket 14 is provided with the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 in order to suppress the transmission of the operating sound without changing the structure of the grill shutter 10 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first flange portion 38 is a flange portion formed by bending the upper end of the first joint portion 34 inward in the vehicle width direction, in other words, in a direction away from the radiator support 12. By extending the first flange portion 38 inward in the vehicle width direction in this way, interference between the first flange portion 38 and the radiator support 12 can be prevented. Further, by providing the first flange portion 38, the rigidity of the bracket 14 is improved. Then, the rigidity of the bracket 14 is improved, so that the vibration that becomes the operating noise is less likely to be transmitted.

Further, as is clear from FIG. 3, the first flange portion 38 includes a horizontal portion 50 extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the first joint portion 34 and a vertical wall portion 52 extending upward from the end portion of the horizontal portion 50. It is substantially L-shaped with. By forming the first flange portion 38 into a three-dimensional shape in this way, the rigidity around the first flange portion 38 is further improved, and the transmission of operating sound is further suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the second flange portion 40 is a flange portion formed by bending the upper end of the second joint portion 36 toward the rear side of the vehicle, in other words, in a direction away from the grill shutter 10. By extending the second flange portion 40 toward the rear side of the vehicle in this way, interference between the second flange portion 40 and the grill shutter 10 can be prevented. Further, by providing the second flange portion 40, the rigidity of the bracket 14 is further improved, and the transmission of the operating sound is suppressed. Further, as is clear from FIG. 4, the second flange portion 40 also has a substantially L-shape having a horizontal portion 51 and a standing wall portion 53, that is, a three-dimensional shape, similarly to the first flange portion 38. .. By forming the second flange portion 40 into a three-dimensional shape in this way, the rigidity around the second flange portion 40 is further improved, and the transmission of the operating sound is further suppressed.

Further, as is clear from the above description, the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 are provided at the same height position and are continuously connected in the horizontal direction. By connecting the two flange portions 38 and 40 continuously in the horizontal direction, the deformation of the two flange portions 38 and 40 is suppressed from each other, and the rigidity is further improved.

By the way, as is clear from FIG. 1, in this example, the fastening position of the second joint portion 36 is located outside the welding position of the first joint portion 34 in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the bending direction of the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 must be reversed in the middle of the bending direction.

This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the bracket 14 before forming the flange portion. Further, in the following, the inner surface of the first joint portion 34 in the vehicle width direction and the surface of the first joint portion 34 connected thereto on the front side of the vehicle are referred to as "first surface F1", and the vehicle of the first joint portion 34. The outer surface in the width direction and the surface on the rear side of the vehicle of the second connecting portion 36 connected to the outer surface are referred to as "second surface F2". Further, in the following drawings, black hatching is applied to the second surface F2.

Since the first flange portion 38 is formed by bending the upper end of the first joint portion 34 inward in the vehicle width direction, the horizontal portion 50 of the first flange portion 38 has the first surface F1 facing upward. On the other hand, since the second flange portion 40 is formed by bending the upper end of the second joint portion 36 toward the rear side of the vehicle, the horizontal portion 51 of the second flange portion 40 has the second surface F2 facing upward. The bending direction is reversed from that of the first flange portion 38.

In order to allow this reversal, the bracket 14 of this example is provided with a twisted portion 54 between the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40, as shown in FIG. The twisted portion 54 is formed by twisting the vehicle front end portion of the first flange portion 38 so that the front and back sides of the horizontal portion 50 of the first flange portion 38 are reversed in the middle. 7A and 7B are image views showing the formation of the twisted portion 54 and the flange portions 38 and 40, and are views in which only the first flange portion 38 is extracted. As shown in FIG. 7A, in this example, among the upper ends of the first joint portion 34, the rear side of the vehicle is bent inward in the vehicle width direction, and the front side of the vehicle is bent outward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, a twisted portion 54 that reverses the front and back of the horizontal portion 50 is generated between the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the vertical wall portion 52 is formed by further bending the end portion of the horizontal portion 50 formed by being horizontally bent.

By providing the twisted portion 54 in this way, even when the first flange portion 38 is located inside the second flange portion 40 in the vehicle width direction, the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 can be provided. It can be connected continuously in the horizontal direction. As a result, the rigidity of the bracket 14 can be improved, and the transmission of the operating sound can be suppressed.

Next, the effect when such a bracket 14 is used will be described. In measuring the effect of the bracket 14 of this example, a bracket of a comparative example was prepared. The bracket of the comparative example has the same configuration as the bracket 14 of this example except that the first flange portion 38, the second flange portion 40, and the twisted portion 54 are not provided.

When the rigidity of the bracket of this comparative example and the bracket 14 of this example with respect to the force in the left-right direction was examined, the left-right rigidity of the bracket 14 of this example was found to be about twice as high as that of the bracket of the comparative example. Do you get it.

Moreover, the comparison of the acoustic characteristics of this example and the comparative example will be described. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the sound pressure level in the vehicle interior. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents the frequency and the vertical axis represents the sound pressure level in the vehicle interior. Further, the frequency range Fa in FIG. 8 is the dominant frequency range in the operating sound of the grill shutter 10. In FIG. 8, the line L1 shows the sound pressure level when the bracket 14 of this example is used, and the line L2 shows the sound pressure level when the bracket of the comparative example is used. As is clear from FIG. 8, when the bracket 14 of this example is used, it can be seen that the sound pressure level in the frequency range Fa, which is dominant in the operating sound, is effectively lowered. Specifically, when the bracket 14 of this example is used, the sound pressure level is reduced by about 3 dB (about 30% reduction) as compared with the case where the bracket 14 of the comparative example is used.

Further, FIG. 9 is a graph showing the sound pressure sensitivity when vibration is applied to the bracket 14. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the frequency, the vertical axis represents the sound pressure sensitivity, and the frequency range Fa is the same range as in FIG. In FIG. 9, the line L1 shows the sound pressure sensitivity when the bracket 14 of this example is used, and the line L2 shows the sound pressure sensitivity when the bracket of the comparative example is used. As is clear from FIG. 9, when the bracket 14 of this example is used, it can be seen that the sound pressure sensitivity in the frequency range Fa, which is dominant in the operating sound, is effectively reduced. Specifically, when the bracket 14 of this example is used, the sound pressure sensitivity is reduced by about 3 dB (about 30% reduction) as compared with the case where the bracket 14 of the comparative example is used.

As is clear from the above description, according to the bracket 14 of this example provided with the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40, the rigidity of the bracket 14 can be improved, whereby the grill shutter 10 of the grill shutter 10 can be improved. The transmission of operating noise to the passenger compartment can be effectively suppressed. Further, in the case of this example, since the shape of the bracket 14 is only changed, it is not necessary to change the structure of the grill shutter 10 and the radiator support 12, and it is possible to prevent labor and cost increase due to the design change.

The configuration described so far is an example, and at least the first flange portion 38 extending from at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the first coupling portion 34 to the opposite side of the shutter support member and the upper portion of the second coupling portion 36. Other configurations may be modified as long as the second flange portion 40 extends from at least one of the lower portion and the lower portion to the opposite side of the grill shutter. For example, in this example, the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 are both provided at the upper portion of the bracket 14, more specifically at the upper end, but these are provided at the lower portion of the bracket 14, for example. It may be provided at the lower end. Further, the first flange portion 38 and the second flange portion 40 may be provided on both the upper portion and the lower portion of the bracket 14. By providing flange portions on both the upper part and the lower part of the bracket 14, the rigidity of the bracket 14 can be further improved.

Further, in this example, the second coupling portion 36 is located outside the first coupling portion 34 in the vehicle width direction due to the arrangement of the grill shutter 10 and the radiator support 12. However, if there is no problem in mounting the grill shutter 10, the second coupling portion 36 may be located inside the first coupling portion 34 in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the twisting portion 54 becomes unnecessary. Further, the shapes of the flange portions 38 and 40 can be changed as appropriate, and the standing wall portion 52 may be omitted. Further, in this example, the radiator support 12 is used as the shutter support member, but the shutter support member that supports the grill shutter 10 may be another member.

10 grille shutter, 12 radiator support, 14 bracket, 16 front panel, 18 front grille, 20 radiator, 22 fan shroud, 24 front side member, 26 crash box, 28 shutter member, 30 frame, 34 first joint, 36 2nd joint, 38 1st flange, 40 2nd flange, 42 fastening hole, 44 welding point, 46 fastening bolt, 50, 51 horizontal part, 52, 53 standing wall part, 54 twisted part, F1 first Surface, F2 second surface.

Claims (1)

Grill shutter and
A shutter support member that supports the grill shutter and
A bracket for attaching the grill shutter to the shutter support member,
The bracket is
A first coupling portion that couples to the shutter support member in the vehicle width direction,
A second coupling portion that couples to the grill shutter in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,
A first flange portion extending from at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the first joint portion to the opposite side of the shutter support member, and a first flange portion.
A second flange portion extending from at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the second joint portion to the opposite side of the grill shutter.
The mounting structure of the grill shutter is characterized by the above.

Images