JP2023118179A - vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To simplify an air introduction structure of introducing air to an engine after the air is sucked through an opening in a face of a bulkhead, and eventually minimize a cost.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure includes a bulkhead 10 that is disposed in a forward part of a vehicle and supports a heat exchanger, and an intake opening 12 formed in the bulkhead 10, and introduces air, which is sucked through the intake opening 12, into an air utilization apparatus such as an engine or air conditioner. An upper member 10b extending in a vehicle width direction of the bulkhead 10 and a rear air guide disposed behind the upper member 10b form an air guide channel 15 extending in the vehicle width direction. Air sucked through the intake opening 12 passes through the air guide channel 15, flows in the vehicle width direction, and is then introduced into the air utilization apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure that takes in air from an opening provided on the front surface of an upper stay of a bulkhead and blows air to the engine side.

In the vehicle front structure described in Patent Literature 1, a bulkhead that is arranged in the front part of the vehicle and supports a heat exchanger such as a radiator is provided with an opening in the front surface of the upper stay of the bulkhead. Air taken in through this opening flows into an air passage (air guideway) under the upper stay, passes through a meandering air guideway for separating raindrops, is sucked into an intake duct, and is introduced into the engine.

JP 2014-69591 A

By the way, in the vehicle front structure of Patent Document 1, the wind guide meanders to separate the raindrops, and the meandering air is introduced into the engine (referred to as an air introduction structure). In the air intake structure, a loud sound is generated from the engine and propagated through the intake system. It is necessary to suppress (or silence) this generated sound from the viewpoint of marketability. Since a resonator is required to suppress (or muffle) the generated sound, there is a problem that the air introduction structure is complicated and the cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a front portion of a vehicle capable of suppressing the generation of noise while reducing costs by simplifying the structure for introducing air into the engine after intake from an opening in the front of the bulkhead. It is intended to provide structure.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle front structure of the present invention includes a bulkhead provided in front of the vehicle for supporting a heat exchanger, and an intake port provided in the bulkhead, wherein the intake air In a vehicle front structure for introducing air sucked through a mouth to an air utilization device, an air guide passage extending in the vehicle width direction by an upper member of the bulkhead and a rear air guide portion disposed behind the upper member. and the air sucked from the air intake port is introduced into the air utilization device after flowing in the vehicle width direction through the air guide passage.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a vehicle front structure that suppresses the generation of noise while reducing the weight and cost of the bulkhead.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the rear surface of the bulkhead arranged in the hood at the front of the vehicle; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration when the upper member of the bulkhead is cut in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the cross-sectional side of the upper member shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the vehicle width direction; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an upper member, an intake duct, and an air cleaner in the bulkhead as seen obliquely from the rear; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross-sectional configuration of an air guide path and an air cleaner formed by an upper member and an intake duct in the bulkhead; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a fixed state of the hood open wire as viewed from the rear of the upper member; It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rear surface side of an upper member. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing ribs on the inner surface of the intake duct;

<Configuration of Embodiment>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-8. In the description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. In each figure, the arrows "front and back" indicate the front-rear direction of the automobile (not shown), "left and right" indicate the width direction of the automobile, and "up and down" indicate the vertical up-down direction.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of the rear surface of a bulkhead arranged in the hood at the front of the vehicle. A bulkhead 10 shown in FIG. 1 is made of resin, is arranged in the front part of a vehicle, has a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the rear (or viewed from the front), and supports a heat exchanger 11 such as a radiator within the rectangular frame. . The bulkhead 10 is fixed to the front ends of a pair of left and right front side frames (not shown) of the vehicle. In addition, the bulkhead 10 may be made of metal.

The rectangular frame of the bulkhead 10 includes an upper member 10b extending horizontally in the vehicle width direction (horizontal direction), a lower member (not shown) disposed on the lower side in parallel with the upper member 10b, the upper member 10b and It is configured with left and right column members 10a that vertically connect the left and right sides of the under member. Vertical rib portions 10a1 are integrally fixed to the upper end portions of the left and right column members 10a. A metallic bulkhead upper stay 13 extending obliquely rearward is fastened to the upper outer side of these vertical rib portions 10a1.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional configuration when the upper member 10b of the bulkhead 10 is cut in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. FIG. 3 shows a side configuration of the cross-sectional side of the upper member 10b shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2 or 3, the upper member 10b has a laterally long opening 10b9 (see FIG. 6 or 7) on the rear side and has an M-shaped cross section (a shape in which the letter M rotates 90 degrees and faces the lateral direction). A closed cross-sectional shape with a hollow interior is formed by combination with an intake duct 14 (a rear air guide portion 14a, which will be described later) that closes the oblong opening 10b9.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular opening 10b0 (see FIG. 6 or 7) is formed on the right side of the upper member 10b. A rectangular tube-shaped intake opening 12 projecting short forward is fixed to the front peripheral edge of the opening 10b0. However, the opening 10b0 may be provided on the left front surface, and the intake opening 12 may be fixed to the front peripheral edge of the left opening 10b0. The opening 10b0 of the upper member 10b and the intake opening 12 constitute an intake port described in the claims.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the upper member 10b, the intake duct 14, and the air cleaner 16 of the bulkhead 10 as seen obliquely from the rear. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the air guide passage 15 and the air cleaner 16 formed by the upper member 10b and the intake duct 14 in the bulkhead 10. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the intake duct 14 includes a long plate-shaped rear air guide portion 14a and a main body portion 14b. The rear airflow guide portion 14a has a rectangular shape that closes a laterally long opening 10b9 (see FIG. 6 or 7) on the rear side of the upper member 10b and extends from the intake opening 12 side in the vehicle width direction. The body portion 14b extends in a direction orthogonal to the rear side from the left end portion of the rear air guide portion 14a on the inside of the vehicle, and further extends downward as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. ing. The air cleaner 16 is connected to the rear side of the engine via a hollow passage (not shown).

In other words, the closed section of the upper member 10b closed by the rear air guide section 14a and the body section 14b communicating with the closed section constitute the air guide path 15, and the air guide path 15 is connected to the air cleaner 16. there is According to this configuration, air (or gas) introduced from the intake opening 12 of the bulkhead 10 flows through the air guide passage 15 into the air cleaner 16, and is introduced from the air cleaner 16 into the engine, air conditioner, and the like. Incidentally, the engine, the air conditioner, and the like constitute the air utilization equipment described in the claims.

The air cleaner 16 also functions as a chamber, and in combination with the intake duct 14 cancels the sound (noise) generated in the air guide passage 15 . The capacity of the chamber of the air cleaner 16 is much larger than that of side branches 10b7 and 10b8 (see FIG. 3) of the upper member 10b, which will be described later. Therefore, the low-frequency noise is mainly canceled by the large-capacity air cleaner 16, and the remaining high-frequency noise is canceled by small-capacity side branches 10b7 and 10b8 of the intake duct 14, which will be described later.

However, the low-frequency sound generated depends on the volume (capacity) of the air cleaner 16 as a chamber and the combination of the upper member 10b and the intake duct 14 (in other words, the combination with the air guide passage 15). The wavelength of the anti-phase sound is adjusted in advance and canceled.

The closed cross-sectional structure of the upper member 10b closed by the rear air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14 in the air guide passage 15 described above will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the upper member 10b includes an upper surface portion 10b1 and a lower surface portion 10b2 facing in the vertical direction and having an M-shaped cross section. The upper member 10b also includes an upper front surface portion 10b3, a lower front surface portion 10b4, and an intermediate front surface portion 10b5 positioned between the upper front surface portion 10b3 and the lower front surface portion 10b4.

The upper front surface portion 10b3 is perpendicularly connected to the upper surface portion 10b1, and the lower front surface portion 10b4 is perpendicularly connected to the lower surface portion 10b2. Further, the upper front surface portion 10b3 and the lower front surface portion 10b4 are spaced apart vertically with the intermediate front surface portion 10b5 interposed therebetween. The intermediate front surface portion 10b5 is arranged slightly behind the upper front surface portion 10b3 and the lower front surface portion 10b4. The intermediate front surface portion 10b5 is connected to the upper front surface portion 10b3 and the lower front surface portion 10b4 via the horizontal surface portion. However, the upper front surface portion 10b3, the lower front surface portion 10b4, and the intermediate front surface portion 10b5 are collectively referred to as the front surface portions 10b3 to 10b5.

The rear air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14 has a U-shaped cross section, and includes a rear surface portion 14c facing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and an upper surface portion 14d and a lower surface portion 14e connected at right angles to the upper and lower ends of the rear surface portion 14c. is configured with The rear air guide portion 14a has an opening 10b6 (see FIG. 8) for connecting the main body portion 14b at its left end.

The upper surface portion 14d and the lower surface portion 14e of the rear air guide portion 14a are fixed in such a manner as to sandwich and cover the upper and lower surfaces of the upper surface portion 10b1 and the lower surface portion 10b2 of the upper member 10b. More specifically, the upper surface portion 14d of the rear air guide portion 14a and the upper surface portion 10b1 of the upper member 10b, which are in contact with each other, are fastened and fixed in the vertical direction by a plurality of fixing portions 17a made of screws or bolts and nuts. Further, the lower surface portion 14e of the rear air guide portion 14a and the lower surface portion 10b2 of the upper member 10b, which are in contact with each other, are fastened and fixed in the vertical direction by a plurality of fixing portions 17b made of screws or bolts and nuts. Due to this fixation, the laterally long opening 10b9 (see FIG. 6 or 7) of the upper member 10b having an M-shaped cross section is closed by the rear surface portion 14c of the rear air guide portion 14a.

As shown in FIG. 3, an upper side branch (small-capacity chamber) 10b7 and a lower side branch 10b8 are provided on the front side of the interior of the upper member 10b, which has an M-shaped cross section, and are spaced apart vertically. .

As shown in FIG. 7, the upper side branch 10b7 has a plurality of partition plates 17 arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction across the upper front surface portion 10b3 and the upper surface portion 10b1 (see FIG. 3) of the upper member 10b. are provided. The partition plates 17 are arranged with both surfaces facing the vehicle width direction, and upper side branches 10b7 are formed between the partition plates 17. As shown in FIG.

The lower side branch 10b8 is provided with a plurality of partition plates 18 arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction, straddling the lower front surface portion 10b4 and the lower surface portion 10b2. The partition plates 18 are arranged with both surfaces facing the vehicle width direction, and upper side branches 10b8 are formed between the partition plates 18. As shown in FIG.

The side branches 10b7 and 10b8, which are a plurality of small chambers formed in the upper member 10b in this manner, function as resonators that reduce high-frequency noise generated by the air flow in the air guide passage 15. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the height h1 of the upper side branch 10b7 is higher than the height h2 of the lower side branch 10b8. When the heights h1 and h2 of the side branches 10b7 and 10b8 are changed in this way, the volumes of the chambers of the side branches 10b7 and 10b8 are different. Since the side branches 10b7 and 10b8 having different volumes have different sound resonances, it is possible to reduce noise in a wide sound range.

As indicated by the dashed line L1 in FIG. 4, the intake opening 12 is provided on the front side of the upper member 10b so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. A rearward air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14 is disposed on the rear side of the upper member 10b so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. That is, the path L1 along which the air sucked from the air intake opening 12 flows in the longitudinal direction to the rear air guide section 14a and the path L2 along which the air flows through the rear air guide section 14a in the vehicle width direction are at right angles or substantially right angles. communicates with

A main body portion 14b of the intake duct 14 is provided so as to extend at a right angle or substantially right angle with respect to the rear air guide portion 14a extending in the vehicle width direction. That is, a route L2 through which air flows in the vehicle width direction through the rear air guide portion 14a, and a route L3 in the main body portion 14b through which air flows in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction from the rear air guide portion 14a to the engine or the like via the air cleaner 16. and are in communication at right angles or approximately right angles.

Therefore, the air sucked from the intake opening 12 passes through a path that bends at right angles or substantially right angles at two points in the air guide passage 15 . Therefore, the rain and snow sucked together with the air from the intake opening 12 are knocked down by the wall surface of the air guide passage 15 which is curved at right angles.

As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of rows of ribs 14g extending in the vehicle width direction are provided in parallel vertically on the inner surface of the rear air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14. As shown in FIG. No vertically extending rib is provided on the inner surface of the rear air guide portion 14a. The plurality of ribs 14g stand perpendicularly to the inner surface of the rear air guide portion 14a, and have a height (low height). A vertically extending rib is provided on the rear surface of the rear air guide portion 14a (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the front side of the upper member 10b is connected to a hood open wire (also referred to as a wire) 20, which serves to unlock the vehicle hood, and electronic parts such as a horn. A front end harness (also referred to as a harness) (not shown) is fixed. The harness is fixed by fitting a harness fixing clip into a through hole 10bb formed in the front surface portion 10b3 of the upper member 10b.

The wire 20 is fixed by fitting a fixing clip 21 for the wire 20 into a plurality of through holes 10ba formed in the upper surface portion 10b1 of the upper member 10b.

Since the wires 20 and the harness thus fixed are fixed with clips, gaps are formed between the through holes 10ba and 10bb of the upper member 10b and the clips, allowing air to pass through. Therefore, when air is drawn from the air intake opening 12, the air is drawn from the gaps associated with the plurality of through holes 10ba and 10bb other than the air intake opening 12 so that the negative pressure in the air guide passage 15 is reduced. adjusted. As a result, the negative pressure is reduced, making it possible to suppress the generated noise.

<Effects of Embodiment>
Next, the characteristic configuration and effects of the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment described above will be described.

(1) The vehicle front structure includes a bulkhead 10 that is provided in front of the vehicle and supports a heat exchanger, and an opening 10b0 and an air intake opening 12 that are provided in the bulkhead 10 and serve as an air intake. It is configured to introduce the air sucked from the unit 12 into an air utilization device (engine, air conditioner, etc.).

A feature of this embodiment is that an upper member 10b extending in the vehicle width direction of the bulkhead 10 and a rear air guide portion disposed behind the upper member 10b form an air guide passage 15 extending in the vehicle width direction. do. A structure (air introduction structure) is adopted in which the air sucked from the air intake opening 12 flows through the air guide passage 15 in the vehicle width direction, and then is introduced into the air utilization device.

According to this configuration, since the air bypasses the air guide passage 15 formed by the upper member 10b of the bulkhead 10 and the rear air guide portion 14a and is introduced into the air utilization device, the sound generated in the air guide passage 15 is becomes smaller. Therefore, the air guide passage 15 can reduce the loud noise generated from the engine and transmitted through the intake system. Since this air introduction structure does not require a resonator, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of the air introduction structure. In addition, since the air guide passage 15 is formed by the bulkhead 10, it is possible to reduce the number of dedicated components required for forming the air guide passage. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of the air guide passage 15 .

(2) The air guide passage 15 has a closed cross-sectional shape in which the front surface portions 10b3 to 10b5, the upper surface portion 10b1 and the lower surface portion 10b2 are formed by the upper member 10b, and the rear surface portion 14c is formed by the rear air guide portion 14a. The rear air guide portion 14a is fixed so as to cover the upper surface portion 10b1 and the lower surface portion 10b2 of the upper member 10b from above and below.

According to this configuration, since the upper member 10b of the bulkhead 10 is used as a part of the air guide passage 15, the number of parts of the air guide passage 15 can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. More specifically, since the upper member 10b forms the three surfaces of the front surfaces 10b3 to 10b5, the upper surface 10b1 and the lower surface 10b2, the number of additional parts is small, resulting in cost reduction. Further, since the rear air guide portion 14a is fixed so as to cover the upper surface portion 10b1 and the lower surface portion 10b2 of the upper member 10b, the rear air guide portion 14a can be firmly fixed to the upper member 10b. Furthermore, since the rear air guide portion 14a is firmly fixed to the upper and lower ends of the oblong opening on the rear side of the upper member 10b so as to cover the oblong opening on the rear side, the air guide passage 15 having a strong closed cross-sectional structure can be formed. .

(3) Side branches 10b7 and 10b8 serving as chambers are provided inside the upper member 10b.

According to this configuration, since the side branches 10b7 and 10b8 are provided inside the upper member 10b, in other words, inside the air guide passage 15, noise (generated sound) in the air guide passage 15 is cancelled. Specifically, low-frequency noise is mainly canceled by the air cleaner 16 communicating with the downstream side of the air guide passage 15, and the remaining low-frequency noise is canceled by the side branches 10b7 and 10b8. Since the noise can be suppressed in this way, the NV (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) performance of the vehicle can be improved.

(4) The side branches 10b7 and 10b8 have an upper side branch 10b7 arranged in the upper region and a lower side branch 10b8 arranged in the lower region inside the upper member 10b. The branch 10b7 and the lower side branch 10b8 are configured to have different heights h1 and h2.

According to this configuration, by making the sizes of the side branches 10b7 and 10b8 different between the upper and lower sides, it is possible to reduce noise in a wide sound range. Therefore, the NV characteristics can be further improved.

(5) A path L1 along which the air sucked from the air intake opening 12 flows to the rear air guide section 14a and a path L2 along which the air flows through the rear air guide section 14a in the vehicle width direction communicate at right angles or substantially right angles. are doing. Further, a path L2 through which air flows through the rear air guide section 14a and a path L3 of the main body section 14b through which air flows from the rear air guide section 14a to an air utilization device such as an engine communicate at right angles or substantially right angles. It was configured with

According to this configuration, the rain or snow sucked together with the air from the intake opening 12 is knocked down by the perpendicularly curved wall surface of the air guide passage 15. knocked down. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rain or snow from being sucked into the air cleaner 16, and it is possible to prevent clogging of the filter paper of the air cleaner 16. - 特許庁

(6) A rib 14g extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the inner surface of the rear air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14 that constitutes the air guide passage 15. As shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, when the air taken in from the air intake opening 12 hits the rear air guide portion 14a of the intake duct 14 and is guided, the air flows in the vehicle width direction along the ribs 14g. Therefore, the air can flow smoothly without being obstructed.

(7) The upper member 10b is provided with through holes 10ba and 10bb for fixing the hood open wire 20 and the front end harness.

According to this configuration, the hood open wire 20 and the front end harness are fixed to the upper member 10b by inserting these fixing clips into the through holes 10ba and 10bb. Since the upper member 10b is used as part of the air guide passage 15, air is drawn through the through holes 10ba and 10bb, and the negative pressure in the air guide passage 15 is reduced. Therefore, NV characteristics are further improved.

Although the vehicle body structure according to the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 bulkhead 10a column member 10a
10a1 Vertical rib portion 10b Upper member 10b0 Opening 10b1 Upper surface portion of upper member 10b2 Lower surface portion of upper member 10b3 Upper front surface portion of upper member 10b4 Lower front surface portion of upper member 10b5 Intermediate front surface portion of upper member 10b6 Opening 10b7 Upper side branch 10b8 Lower side branch 10b9 Horizontal opening 12 Intake opening 14 Intake duct 14a Rear air guide part 14b Main body part 14c Upper surface part of rear air guide part 14e Lower surface part of rear air guide part 14g Rib 15 Air guide path 16 Air cleaner 17a, 17b Fixed Section 17 Divider 20 Hood open wire h1 Height of upper side branch h2 Height of lower side branch

Claims (7)

a bulkhead provided in front of the vehicle and supporting the heat exchanger;
an intake port provided in the bulkhead;
In the vehicle front structure for introducing the air sucked from the air inlet into the air utilization device,
an air guide passage extending in the vehicle width direction is formed by an upper member of the bulkhead and a rear air guide portion arranged behind the upper member;
The vehicle front structure, wherein the air sucked from the air inlet is introduced into the air utilization device after flowing in the vehicle width direction through the air guide passage. The air guide path has a closed cross-sectional shape in which a front surface portion, an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion are formed by the upper member, and a rear surface portion is formed by the rear air guide portion,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear air guide portion is fixed so as to cover the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion from above and below. 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein a side branch serving as a chamber is provided inside said upper member. The side branch has an upper side branch arranged in an upper region and a lower side branch arranged in a lower region inside the upper member,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 3, wherein the upper side branch and the lower side branch are provided with different height dimensions. a route through which the air sucked from the intake port flows to the rear air guide portion and a route through which the air flows through the rear air guide portion in the vehicle width direction are communicated at substantially right angles,
2. The front of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a path through which air circulates in the rear air guide section and a path through which air circulates from the rear air guide section to the air utilization device communicate substantially perpendicularly. department structure. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein a rib extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on an inner surface of the rear air guide portion. 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper member is provided with through holes for fixing a hood open wire and a front end harness.

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