JP2022056006A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which can change a direction of outside air to improve introduction efficiency when the outside air is introduced from an opening as cooling air.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: an opening which is provided at a position offset from a tangential direction of main flow of outside air introduced into the vehicle to introduce outside air; and a plasma actuator for changing a direction of the outside air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technique capable of controlling the flow of airflow (outside air) around a vehicle, and more specifically, when the outside air is introduced from an opening as cooling air by using a plasma actuator, the direction of the outside air is changed. It relates to a vehicle capable of improving the introduction efficiency.

Conventionally, in a vehicle, a technique has been proposed in which a running wind is introduced into the vehicle and used for cooling an engine or the like.
For example, in Patent Document 1, the cooling air intake structure is provided with a ventilation duct, and the opening of the intake port of the ventilation duct is narrowed in the width direction toward the rear, but the portion connected to the traveling air passage is in the height direction. Disclosed is a technology that is widespread and can efficiently carry the running wind taken in by a large opening to a rear intercooler or the like (cooled member).

Further, in Patent Document 2, a scoop for introducing outside air that guides the traveling wind to the engine is formed on the upper surface of the bonnet of the automobile, and a notched window through which the traveling wind blows almost horizontally is formed at the rear end of the scoop for introducing the outside air. The configuration is disclosed so that the cooling effect of the supercharged air can be enhanced and the air supply efficiency of the engine can be improved by the configuration such as being formed.

In Patent Document 3, the front end portion of the flat air duct extending to the front of the vehicle is arranged in the gap between the upper portion of the frame member and the front portion of the bonnet, and the front end portion of the air duct in the frame member is located. Discloses a technique capable of improving the cooling performance of the intake air by the intercooler by disposing the lower half portion of the front end portion of the air duct in the recessed portion.

Patent Document 4 discloses an engine hood that can be opened and closed in an automobile provided with an intercooler cooling air introduction device.

On the other hand, according to Patent Document 5, it is possible to rectify the surroundings of the vehicle with the plasma generated by the PA (plasma actuator). More specifically, for example, in Patent Document 5, it is proposed that a PA is installed in an A-pillar, a fender, or the like of a vehicle, and the PA is driven to suppress (rectify) the separation flow of air flowing around the vehicle. There is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-006837 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 02-277921 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-07598 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 03-011118 U.S. Pat. No. 9821862

It cannot be said that the existing technologies, not limited to the above-mentioned patent documents, appropriately meet the market needs for the technology for taking in the running wind for cooling from the opening such as the air intake, and the following problems are solved. exist.
That is, the existing technologies including the above-mentioned patent documents and their combinations cannot efficiently introduce the outside air from the air intake as described above, and the running wind is efficient regardless of the vehicle appearance design. It was required to improve the running efficiency by introducing it into the vehicle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and provides a vehicle capable of improving the cooling efficiency of vehicle parts such as an engine by improving the introduction efficiency of cooling air by using a plasma actuator. The purpose is.

In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention is (1) provided at a position deviated from the tangential direction of the mainstream of the vehicle outside air, and has an opening for introducing the outside air into the vehicle and the above. It is characterized by comprising a plasma actuator for changing the direction of the outside air introduced from the opening.

In the above (1), it is preferable that the (2) plasma actuator suppresses and deflects the separation of the outside air introduced from the opening.

Further, in the above (1) or (2), it is preferable that (3) the opening is arranged in the front hood of the vehicle.

Further, in any of the above (1) to (3), it is preferable to further have (4) a speed increasing means for accelerating the outside air whose direction has changed, downstream of the plasma actuator.

Further, in any of the above (1) to (4), (5) the traveling condition detection unit that detects the traveling condition value of the vehicle and the plasma actuator according to the traveling condition value obtained by the traveling condition detecting unit. It is more preferable to have a control device for controlling the above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle capable of improving the introduction efficiency by changing the direction of the outside air when the outside air is introduced from the opening as cooling air.

It is a front perspective view of the vehicle with the cooling air introduction function which concerns on embodiment, as seen from the front. It is sectional drawing which shows the opening for introducing the cooling air in the vehicle with the cooling air introduction function which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the vehicle with the cooling air introduction function which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the cooling air introduction using the plasma actuator which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the cooling air introduction structure in a conventional vehicle.

Next, a suitable embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described. For example, for a part of the drive mechanism of the plasma actuator other than that described in the present embodiment, a known plasma actuator mechanism including the above-mentioned patent documents may be used. In addition, for vehicle configurations other than those described in detail in this embodiment, known elemental technologies and mechanisms related to vehicles may be complemented.

[Vehicle 100]
First, the vehicle 100 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in the figure, the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is preferably a four-wheeled vehicle, but it may be applied to other known vehicles such as a two-wheeled vehicle as long as it has a structure for introducing cooling air from an opening. good. Further, as the four-wheeled vehicle, for example, in addition to a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle equipped with various secondary batteries can be applied.

The vehicle 100 of the present embodiment has a cooling air introduction function for improving the introduction efficiency when introducing outside air as cooling air from an opening 10 called an air intake or the like provided in the front hood 11 of the vehicle, for example. It has, and is configured to include at least the plasma actuator 20.

≪Opening 10≫
The opening 10 in the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is preferably arranged at a substantially central portion of the front hood 11 of the vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if it is possible to introduce the outside air W in the vehicle, for example, the opening 10 may be arranged at the lower part of the side sill or the bumper. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the opening 10 is located at a position deviated from the direction of the tangent CW of the mainstream of the air flow (outside air W) flowing along the vehicle body, so that the mainstream W1 is rearward along the vehicle body. A part of the flow and outside air (W2) is introduced from the opening 10. A part of the outside air W2 introduced from the opening 10 is deflected by the plasma actuator 20 by blowing air or suppressing peeling to reach the member to be cooled, as will be described later.

Further, in the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, as the member (cooled member) to be cooled by the outside air W introduced from the opening, an intercooler for an engine with a supercharger will be described below as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the member to be cooled may have a structure in which outside air is introduced for cooling a radiator or a battery, for example.

≪Plasma Actuator 20≫
The plasma actuator 20 of the present embodiment has a function of introducing and blowing a part of the air flow (outside air W) flowing along the upper surface of the front hood 11 into the engine room as cooling air from the above-mentioned opening 10 in the vehicle 100. Have. More specifically, in the plasma actuator 20 of the present embodiment, a part of the outside air W introduced from the opening 10 of the front hood in the traveling vehicle 100 is separated from the upper surface of the front hood 11 and the inside of the opening 10 is separated. It has a function of suppressing stagnation in the air and transferring it to a member to be cooled (for example, an intercooler) installed at the back of the opening 10.

That is, in a general vehicle as shown in FIG. 5, the outside air W introduced from the opening 10 forms a vortex at the back of the opening 10, and the outside air as the subsequent cooling air stagnates. There is. In this case, there arises a problem that the object member is not cooled efficiently.
This problem is especially envisioned for vehicles with a short front hood depth. This is because there is a limitation of the appearance design that the depth of the front hood is short, so that the curve of the cooling air flow path from the opening 10 to the intercooler has to be steep.

On the other hand, according to the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, the cooling air introduced from the opening 10 is assisted by the above-mentioned plasma actuator 20 even when the curve of the cooling air flow path from the opening 10 to the intercooler is steep. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the stagnation of the cooling air and deliver the cooling air to the member to be cooled.

The specific structure of the plasma actuator 20 is, for example, a known plasma actuator disclosed in Patent Document 5, and in the present embodiment, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) type plasma actuator can be applied. The plasma actuator 20 of the present embodiment is not limited to the DBD plasma actuator described above, and other known PAs such as a Sliding Diskage (SD) type plasma actuator improved so as to increase the plasma generation region are applied. May be good.

Specifically, the plasma actuator 20 of the present embodiment is installed between the opening 10 in the vehicle 100 and the member to be cooled. As a specific installation location of the plasma actuator 20, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower wall portion 13 of the air intake 12 provided in the front hood 11 as an opening 10 is installed closer to the member to be cooled than the lower wall portion 13. The rear lower wall portion 14 or the lower lower wall portion 15 extending from the rear lower wall portion 14 to the front side of the vehicle and the lower side of the lower wall portion 13 and the like can be mentioned. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the plasma actuator 20 may be installed at a position where a part of the outside air W introduced from the opening 10 can be delivered to the member to be cooled.

In FIG. 2, as the plasma actuator 20, the PA1 between the lower wall portion 13 and the lower lower wall portion 15 and attached to the lower wall portion 13 side, and the lower wall portion 13 and the lower lower wall portion 15 PA2 mounted on the lower lower wall portion 15 side and PA3 mounted on the rear lower wall portion 14 are shown in between.

Further, a gap 25 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided between the lower wall portion 13 and the rear lower wall portion 14. For example, when the plasma actuator is provided at the position of PA1 or PA2, a jet can be generated toward the rear of the vehicle 100 and jet can be ejected from the gap 25. Since the gap 25 has a shape narrower than the width between the lower wall portion 13 and the rear lower wall portion 14, the speed is increased when the jet is ejected from the gap 25. Then, when the jet flow from the gap 25 is applied to the outside air W2 introduced from the opening 10, it is possible to increase the flow velocity to the member to be cooled at the back of the opening 10.

In other words, the above-mentioned gap 25 functions as a means for increasing the speed of the outside air introduced from the opening 10. Such speed increasing means is not limited to the above-mentioned gap 25, and it is also possible to install a blower or the like which is another known means.

In the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, the plasma actuator 20 may be provided with at least one of three plasma actuators (PA1 to PA3) installed using the above-mentioned position as an example, and although not shown, 4 Two or more plasma actuators (PA4, PA5 ...) may be provided. In that case, the plasma actuator 20 can be attached to the upper wall 16 and the rear upper wall portion 17.
The number of plasma actuators to be driven can be increased or decreased according to the driving condition value and the vehicle environment value described later.

≪Sensors 30≫
As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment may be configured to include sensors 30 for detecting a traveling condition value. Here, the traveling condition value in the present embodiment is a value representing a state of the vehicle during traveling, and examples thereof include a vehicle speed, a steering angle, and a lateral acceleration. As an example, the sensor for detecting the above-mentioned traveling condition value includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 301, a steering angle sensor 302, a lateral acceleration sensor 303, and the like.

Among these, the vehicle speed sensor 301 can be exemplified by a known sensor capable of measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 while traveling. As a result, the control device 40 can control the drive of the plasma actuator 20 according to the vehicle speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 301.

As the steering angle sensor 302, a known sensor capable of detecting the steering angle of the vehicle 100 while traveling can be applied. Specifically, the steering angle sensor is installed at an arbitrary location near the steering shaft of the steering device, and detects the steering angle of the steering wheel by outputting a signal according to the rotation angle of the steering shaft at the installation position. Has the function of

The lateral acceleration sensor 303 may be exemplified by a known sensor capable of measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 while traveling. As a result, the control device 40 can control the drive of the plasma actuator 20 according to the vehicle speed acquired from the lateral acceleration sensor 303.

Further, the sensors 30 of the embodiment may be configured to include a sensor that detects a vehicle environment value. Here, the vehicle environment value in the present embodiment is a value indicating the influence of the vehicle from the outside (environment outside the vehicle interior) while traveling, and as an example, the sensor for detecting the vehicle environment value includes, for example, a wind speed sensor 306. Examples include a temperature sensor 307, a humidity sensor 308, and the like.

The wind speed sensor 306 plays a role of detecting the wind speed in the surroundings when the vehicle is stopped. The wind speed sensor 306 can be provided at an arbitrary position outside the vehicle body. Further, instead of providing the wind speed sensor 306 that directly measures the surrounding wind speed when the vehicle is stopped, an external wind speed measuring device capable of acquiring wind speed information in the vehicle via a known external communication device CS is used. It may function as a wind speed sensor 306.

The temperature sensor 307 can be applied to a known thermometer or the like capable of detecting the outside air temperature of the vehicle, and can be installed at any place in the vehicle. Further, instead of providing a temperature sensor 307 that directly measures the air temperature around the vehicle, an external outside air temperature measuring device that can acquire outside air temperature information inside the vehicle via an external communication device CS mounted on the vehicle. May function as a temperature sensor 307.

The humidity sensor 308 can be applied with a known hygrometer capable of detecting the humidity around the vehicle, and can be installed at any place in the vehicle. Further, instead of providing the humidity sensor 308 that directly measures the humidity around the vehicle, an external humidity measuring device that can acquire the humidity information of the outside air inside the vehicle via the external communication device CS mounted on the vehicle. May function as a humidity sensor 308.

<< Control device 40 >>
The control device 40 controls the plasma actuator 20 to transfer a part of the outside air W introduced from the opening 10 of the front hood in the running vehicle 100 to the cooled member installed in the back of the opening 10. It has a function.
As a specific example of the control device 40, a known integrated circuit (for control) that is driven by receiving electric power from a battery (not shown) such as a known lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel hydrogen battery mounted on the vehicle 100. IC) can be exemplified. Further, the control device 40 of the present embodiment may include a memory (not shown) or the like in which an executable control program such as a rectification method described later is stored.

Such a control device 40 has a function of generating high-frequency signals for driving the above-mentioned plasma actuators 20 (plasma actuators PA1 to PA3), respectively. More specifically, as an example, the control device 40 of the present embodiment is configured to include, for example, a known inverter element that converts the DC voltage of the battery described above into an AC voltage.

The above-mentioned battery has a function of supplying necessary electric power to the plasma actuator 20 and the sensors 30. As the battery of the present embodiment, another known battery such as a lead storage battery or a nickel hydrogen battery may be applied as long as it can boost the voltage up to the drive voltage of the plasma actuator.

Further, it is preferable that the control device 40 of the present embodiment includes a booster circuit that boosts the voltage from the battery to a voltage that can be driven by the plasma actuator. More specifically, as the booster circuit of the present embodiment, for example, a known transformer capable of boosting the voltage (12V or 24V) of the mounted car battery to several hundreds of volts can be exemplified. The plasma actuator 20 of the present embodiment is a known plasma actuator that can be driven by several thousand to tens of thousands of V, but the boost ratio by the booster circuit 50 is appropriately changed according to the value of the drive voltage of the plasma actuator. be able to.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 40 of the present embodiment includes a traveling condition detection unit 41, a vehicle environment detection unit 42, a determination unit 43, a PA drive control unit 44, and a presentation unit 45. Has been done.
Of these, the traveling condition detection unit 41 has a function of receiving information on the traveling condition from the sensors 30 that detect the above-mentioned traveling condition value.
Further, the vehicle environment detection unit 42 has a function of receiving information on the vehicle environment from the sensors 30 for detecting the vehicle environment described above.

As will be described later, the determination unit 43 has a function of determining whether or not the plasma actuator needs to be driven according to conditions such as a traveling condition value or a combination of the traveling condition value and the vehicle environment value.

The PA drive control unit 44 has a function of controlling the drive of the plasma actuators 20 (PA1 to PA3) via the booster circuit or the like described above. As for the drive control of the plasma actuator 20, a known control mechanism of the plasma actuator may be used in addition to the present embodiment.

The presentation unit 45 has a function of presenting the setting screens of various equipment mounted on the vehicle 100 via the presentation device DS described later, and also presenting the driving status of the plasma actuator 20 and the behavior control status to the occupant. have.

The external communication device CS is a known communication device capable of performing various information communication with the outside by using, for example, packet communication using the above smartphone or next-generation automobile wireless communication technology represented by a connected service. Can be exemplified.

The storage device MR may be, for example, a recording device / storage device such as a known hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and is a means capable of recording various information such as modes and conditions of a plasma actuator driven in the past. be.

The navigation device NS can be exemplified by a known navigation system having a GPS function, and can detect the position information of the vehicle 100 in cooperation with the control device 40 described above. Further, map information (not shown) is stored in the navigation device NS, and the control device 40 can detect the absolute position of the own vehicle by referring to the map information.

In the present embodiment, the presentation device DS includes a known speaker SP and a display DP mounted on the vehicle. Of these, the display DP may also be used as a monitor for the navigation device NS described above. Further, the presentation device DS of the present embodiment may be configured to enable short-range wireless communication with a mobile device such as a smartphone owned by the occupant.

[Control method of plasma actuator when introducing cooling air to the vehicle]
Next, in the vehicle according to the present embodiment, a method of controlling the plasma actuator by the control device 40 when introducing cooling air into the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 4 as well.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step 1-A, the traveling condition value of the vehicle 100 is detected. Specifically, the vehicle speed is detected by the vehicle speed sensor 301.
Then, in step 1-B, the vehicle environment value is detected. Specifically, the wind speed sensor 306 detects the wind speed outside the vehicle.

The above steps 1-A and 1-B are not essential steps and can be omitted as appropriate. That is, step 1-B may be omitted through step 1-A, or conversely, step 1-A may be omitted and step 1-B may be omitted. Alternatively, both steps 1-A and 1-B may be omitted.

When both the steps 1-A for detecting the driving condition value and the step 1-B for detecting the vehicle environment value are provided, the driving condition value detected in the above step 1-A and the above step It is possible to control the drive of the plasma actuator 20 according to the pattern of the combination of each value with the vehicle environment value detected in 1-B.

Next, in step 2, the control device 40 determines whether or not the value detected in at least one of steps 1-A and 1-B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As a result, for example, when the vehicle speed is high as the detection value in step 1-A, or when the wind speed from the front of the vehicle is high as the detection value in step 1-B, the outside air from the opening 10 is relatively the outside air of the member to be cooled. Since it becomes impossible to deflect in the direction, it is possible to promote the deflection of the outside air in the direction of the member to be cooled by positively driving the plasma actuator 20. On the other hand, on the contrary, when the wind speed from the front of the vehicle is slow, the driving of the plasma actuator 20 can be stopped to save energy in the battery.

When steps 1-A and 1-B are omitted as described above, this step 2 can also be omitted. In that case, the plasma actuator 20 may be started at the same time as the engine of the vehicle 100 is driven, and the plasma actuator 20 may be constantly driven until the engine drive is completed.

As for the "predetermined value" of the vehicle speed and the wind speed outside the vehicle in step 2 described above, various values can be set depending on the vehicle type of the vehicle 100, the traveling area, and the like. As an example, in the present embodiment, the vehicle speed is set to 60 km / h or the wind speed outside the vehicle is set to 20 m / s, and in this case, the vehicle speed is 60 km / h or more or the wind speed outside the vehicle is 20 m / s. When any of the above conditions is satisfied, the drive of the plasma actuator 20 is driven.

Further, the control device 40 may change the "predetermined value" according to the current location of the vehicle 100 by referring to the map information from the navigation device NS. As a result, for example, when driving on a highway or in an area where relatively strong winds are likely to occur, such as valleys and basins, the efficiency of introducing outside air can be simplified by adjusting to the "predetermined value" according to the location. Can be improved. In other words, the control device 40 can change the predetermined value according to the location of the vehicle 100.

Then, when "PA drive required" (Yes in step 2) is obtained with respect to the current running condition value in step 2, in the following step 3, the control device 40 introduces the outside air stored in the above-mentioned memory or storage device MR. The output of the plasma actuator at a predetermined position is controlled by referring to the control table. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the plasma actuator is arranged so that the outside air introduced to the cooled member (for example, an intercooler) installed at the back of the opening 10 in the moving vehicle 100 is transferred. Has been done.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned control table can be stored in the above-mentioned memory, storage device MR, or the like, for example, one generated in advance by simulation, experiment, or the like.

In step 4, it is determined whether or not the engine of the vehicle 100 is turned off, and if it is turned off (Yes in step 4), if the series of steps is completed and it is not turned off (No in step 4). Is repeated again from the step of step 1.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Any person who has ordinary knowledge in the field of technology to which the present invention belongs may attempt to make further modifications to these embodiments or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. It is clear, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle speed is focused on as the traveling condition value, and the wind speed around the vehicle 100 is focused on as the vehicle environment value, but the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to the “vehicle speed” and the “wind speed outside the vehicle”. The plasma actuators 20 (PA1 to PA5) may be controlled by detecting three types of elements of "temperature outside the vehicle" and combining these three types of detection values. Further, the plasma actuators 20 (PA1 to PA5) may be appropriately controlled based on a combination of four or more types of detection values.

10 Aperture 20 Plasma Actuator 30 Sensors 40 Drive 100 Vehicle

Claims (5)

An opening provided at a position deviated from the tangential direction of the mainstream of the outside air of the vehicle and for introducing the outside air into the vehicle.
A plasma actuator for changing the direction of the outside air introduced from the opening, and
Vehicle equipped with.
The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plasma actuator suppresses and deflects the separation of the outside air introduced from the opening.
The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening is arranged in the front hood of the vehicle.
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a speed increasing means for speeding up the outside air whose direction has changed downstream of the plasma actuator.
A traveling condition detection unit that detects the traveling condition value of the vehicle, and
A control device that controls the plasma actuator according to the traveling condition value obtained by the traveling condition detecting unit, and
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle is provided with.

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