JP5911346B2 - Vehicle grill shutter and vehicle grill shutter flap - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle grill shutter and a vehicle grill shutter flap.

The front bumper at the front of the vehicle is provided with a grill opening for introducing air (outside air) in front of a radiator installed in the engine room. When air is introduced from the grill opening, the cooling water of the radiator is cooled, and overheating of the engine is prevented.
However, when traveling at high speed, there is a problem in that the resistance of the air introduced into the engine room increases and the fuel efficiency of the engine decreases. In addition, if the vehicle runs for a long time in winter, the engine may be overcooled.

For this reason, there is a grill shutter that opens and closes a radiator grille to block air into the engine room (see Patent Document 1).
The grille shutter is attached to the grille opening inside the front bumper (vehicle inside) via a bracket. The grill shutter includes a plurality of flaps that open and close the grill opening. The flap is rotatable between two positions, a fully opened position that allows air to enter the engine room from the air flow passage and a fully closed position that prevents air from entering the engine room. Thereby, the amount of air entering the engine room from the grill opening can be adjusted.

JP 2010-247819 A

  The grill shutter is designed and manufactured for each vehicle type in order to correspond to the width of the grill opening (length in the vehicle width direction). For this reason, it is necessary to prepare an injection mold for each vehicle type, resulting in an increase in cost. Therefore, there is a demand for versatility so that the grill shutter can be commonly applied to a plurality of vehicle types.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle grill shutter and a vehicle grill shutter flap that can be commonly applied to a plurality of vehicle types having different widths of the grill opening. .

  A vehicle grill shutter according to the present invention is a vehicle grill shutter attached to an opening of a front bumper provided in front of the vehicle, and opens and closes a grill shutter body having a frame and the opening of the frame. And a plurality of flaps that can be pivotally attached to the frame body and can be changed in length according to the opening of the frame body, and an interlocking member that rotates the plurality of flaps in conjunction with each other. It is characterized by that.

  The said flap consists of a 1st flap member and the 2nd flap member holding the said 1st flap member so that relative movement is possible, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The second flap member has an internal space for accommodating and holding the first flap member.

  A vehicle grill shutter flap according to the present invention is a vehicle grill shutter flap that is attached to an opening of a front bumper provided in front of the vehicle and opens and closes the opening, and has a frame. It is attached to the main body so as to be rotatable, and the length can be changed in accordance with the opening of the frame.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the grill shutter for vehicles and the flap for grill shutters for vehicles which can be applied in common with respect to several vehicle types from which the width | variety of a grill opening part differs are realizable.

1 is an external view of a vehicle provided with a vehicle grill shutter according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the grill shutter for vehicles. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. It is IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the grill shutter for vehicles. It is a figure which shows a grill shutter main body, Comprising: It is (a) top view, (b) front view, (c) bottom view. It is a figure which shows the flap for grill shutters for vehicles which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) Top view, (b) Front view, (c) Right side view, (d) is a left side view, e) VII-VII sectional view. It is a figure which shows a link part, Comprising: It is (a) perspective view, (b) top view, (c) front view, (d) side view. It is a figure explaining the assembly method of the grill shutter for vehicles. It is sectional drawing which shows the grill shutter for vehicles with a flap open state. It is sectional drawing which shows the grill shutter for vehicles with a flap closed state. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the grill shutter for vehicles concerning a second embodiment of the present invention from the vehicle inside. It is a figure which shows the flap for vehicle grill shutters concerning 2nd embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) Top view, (b) Front view, (c) Right side view, (d) XIIId-XIIId sectional drawing, (E) XIII-XIII sectional drawing, (f) XIIIf-XIIIf sectional drawing. It is a figure which shows the modification of the flap for grill shutters for vehicles, Comprising: (a) Rear view, (b) It is XIV-XIV sectional drawing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a vehicle 1 provided with a vehicle grill shutter 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle grill shutter 10.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle grill shutter 10.

  A front bumper 2 is provided on the front surface of the vehicle 1 along the vehicle width direction. An opening 3 for introducing outside air is formed in the lower part of the front bumper 2. The vehicle grill shutter 10 is attached to the opening 3 from the inside of the vehicle 1 so that outside air can be introduced or blocked from the opening 3.

  The vehicle grill shutter 10 is attached to the opening 3 from the inside of the front bumper 2 (vehicle inside) to the opening 3, and is rotatably attached to the grill shutter main body 20 to open and close the opening 3. A plurality of (six) flaps 30, a link unit 40 that is connected to and interlocked with each of the plurality of flaps 30, and a plurality of flaps 30 that are connected to one of the plurality of flaps 30 via the link unit 40. And a rotation motor 50 for rotating the flap 30 of the motor.

The grill shutter main body 20 has two rectangular frames 21 that are elongated along the horizontal (left and right) direction and are arranged along the opening edge of the opening 3 of the front bumper 2.
In the openings of the two frame bodies 21, a plurality of flaps 30 are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction along the horizontal direction.
A rotation motor 50 is connected to one of the flaps 30 attached to the grill shutter body 20. The rotation motor 50 is disposed on the side of the grill shutter body 20.

  The flaps 30 adjacent in the vertical direction are arranged such that the end portions in the width direction overlap each other. By overlapping the end portions in the width direction of the flap 30, it is possible to shield outside air (air) from the opening 3 of the front bumper 2.

The grill shutter body 20 has a connecting portion 28 that connects the two frame bodies 21 in the center in the longitudinal direction.
The grill shutter body 20 is formed to bend in the front-rear direction around the connecting portion 28. The grill shutter body 20 is formed such that the two frames 21 form an angle of about 5 to 10 degrees. The grill shutter body 20 is formed so as to form an angle of about 2.5 to 5.0 degrees with respect to the vehicle width (left and right) direction around the connecting portion 28.

6A and 6B are views showing the grill shutter main body 20, and are (a) a plan view, (b) a front view, and (c) a bottom view.
The grille shutter main body 20 includes two frame bodies 21 formed in a rectangular shape and a connecting portion 28 that connects the two frame bodies 21. The two frame bodies 21 and the connecting portion 28 are integrally formed. The two frame bodies 21 are formed symmetrically with respect to the connecting portion 28.

  The grill shutter main body 20 is formed of, for example, a composite material of polypropylene resin (PP) and glass fiber (GF). The two frame bodies 21 are each formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the vehicle width direction. The two frame bodies 21 have a symmetrical shape with respect to the connecting portion 28.

The frame body 21 includes an upper side 211, a lower side 212, an inner side 213, and an outer side 214. The upper side 211 and the lower side 212 have the same shape, and the inner side 213 and the outer side 214 have the same shape.
The upper side portion 211, the lower side portion 212, the inner side portion 213, and the outer side portion 214 each have an elongated flat plate shape, and are arranged so that the flat plate-like surfaces are directed in the vertical and horizontal directions. That is, the frame body 21 is formed in a square tube shape.
The inner side portion 213 is provided with three support shafts 22 projecting toward the outer side portion 214 at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Three shaft holes 25 are provided in the outer side portion 214 at equal intervals in the vertical direction. The three shaft holes 25 are disposed on the respective extension shafts of the three support shafts 22.
Further, the upper side portion 211 and the lower side portion 212 are provided with an engaging portion 29 that engages with the opening edge of the opening 3 of the front bumper 2.

The connecting portion 28 is formed along the pair of inner side portions 213. The connection portion 28 is formed in a U-shape that protrudes while the center is curved toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from above and below. And the edge part of the vehicle width direction of the connection part 28 is integrally shape | molded by a pair of inner side part 213, respectively.
Since the connecting portion 28 has a U-shape when viewed from above and below, it can be deformed in the horizontal direction. That is, the grille shutter body 20 can be bent toward the vehicle rear side with the connecting portion 28 as the center. That is, the outer side portion 214 of the frame body 21 can be disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the inner side portion 213.
In other words, the grill shutter main body 20 is formed such that the center portion (the connecting portion 28) in the vehicle width direction swells toward the vehicle front side. For this reason, the grille shutter body 20 can be directly attached to the front bumper 2 (opening 3) that is curved so that the center part protrudes toward the vehicle front side.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing the flap 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) a plan view, (b) a front view, (c) a right side view, (d) a left side view, (e) ) VIIe-VIIe sectional view, (f) VIIf-VIIf sectional view.
The flap 30 is formed of, for example, a composite material of polypropylene resin (PP) and glass fiber (GF), like the grill shutter body 20. The flap 30 has an elongated flat plate shape, and is configured to be capable of changing the length in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction).

The flap 30 includes a flat plate-shaped inner member (first flap member) 31 and a flat plate-shaped outer member (second flap member) in which a space (internal space 32S) having substantially the same shape as the inner member 31 is formed. 32.
At one end of the outer member 32, an opening connected to the internal space 32S is formed. The inner member 31 is inserted from the opening of the outer member 32 toward the internal space 32S. One end side of the inner member 31 is always inserted into the internal space 32S of the outer member 32, and the other end side is always exposed. The inner member 31 is movable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outer member 32. For this reason, the length of the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) of the flap 30 can be adjusted steplessly by changing the relative positions of the inner member 31 and the outer member 32.
The lengths of the inner member 31 and the outer member 32 are ½ or more of the distance between the inner side portion 213 and the outer side portion 214 of the frame body 21. The length of the flap 30 is adjusted to be equal to the distance between the inner side portion 213 and the outer side portion 214 of the frame body 21.

A support shaft 33 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the flap 30 (the other end of the outer member 32) so as to protrude from the center in the width direction.
Further, a bearing plate 34 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the flap 30 (the other end of the inner member 31). A shaft hole 35 and a link hole 36 are formed in the bearing plate 34. The shaft hole 35 is formed at the center of the flap 30 in the width direction. The link hole 36 is formed on the end side in the width direction.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views showing the link part 40, and are a perspective view, a plan view, a front view, and a side view.
The link portion 40 includes a link main body 41 having a U-shaped cross section and six link support shafts 43 projecting outward from the link main body 41.

The link part (interlocking member) 40 is formed of, for example, a composite material of polypropylene resin (PP) and glass fiber (GF), like the grill shutter body 20 and the like.
The link main body 41 has substantially the same shape as the connecting portion 28 of the grill shutter main body 20. The length of the link body 41 is approximately the same as the length of the inner side portion 213 of the grill shutter body 20.
Two through holes are formed in the link body 41 for weight reduction.
The six link support shafts 43 are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction, three at each end of the link body 41 in the width direction. The arrangement interval of the link spindle 43 is the same as the arrangement interval of the spindle 22 of the grille shutter body 20.

Next, an assembling method of the vehicle grill shutter 10 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining an assembly method of the vehicle grill shutter 10. It is the figure which looked at the grill shutter 10 for vehicles from the vehicle front.

  First, six flaps 30 are attached to the frame body 21 of the grill shutter body 20. Specifically, the support shaft 33 of the flap 30 is inserted into the shaft hole 25 of the outer side portion 214 from the opening side of the frame body 21. Further, the shaft hole 35 of the flap 30 is inserted into the support shaft 22 of the inner side portion 213 while adjusting the length of the flap 30 in the longitudinal direction.

  Next, the link support shaft 43 of the link portion 40 is inserted into the link holes 36 of the six flaps 30 to connect the link portion 40 to the flap 30. The link part 40 is disposed so that the center of the link body 41 protrudes toward the vehicle rear side. Specifically, the three link support shafts 43 on one side of the link portion 40 are inserted into the link holes 36 of the three flaps 30 attached to the right frame body 21. Further, the remaining three link support shafts 43 are inserted into the link holes 36 of the three flaps 30 attached to the left frame 21 while the link body 41 is curved.

  Finally, the rotary motor 50 is connected to the middle flap 30 of the left frame 21 of the grill shutter body 20. The rotation shaft of the rotary motor 50 is connected to the support shaft 33 of the flap 30 protruding from the shaft hole 25 of the outer side portion 214 (see FIG. 2).

  As a result, the six flaps 30 can rotate with respect to the grill shutter body 20. Further, the six flaps 30 can be rotated in conjunction with each other via the link portion 40. At this time, the link unit 40 moves in the vertical direction.

Next, the operation of the vehicle grill shutter 10 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle grill shutter 10 with the flap 30 open.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle grill shutter 10 with the flap 30 closed.

The six flaps 30 are rotated within a range of two positions, that is, a fully opened position for introducing outside air and a fully closed position for blocking outside air by the rotational drive of the rotary motor 50.
As shown in FIG. 10, in the open position, the six flaps 30 have a flat plate face in the up-down direction and a width direction substantially matching the horizontal direction. Therefore, the outside air introduced from the opening 3 passes through the openings of the two frame bodies 21 of the grill shutter body 20 of the vehicle grill shutter 10 and flows to the engine room.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, in the fully closed position, the six flaps 30 have a flat plate surface facing the front-rear direction and a width direction substantially matching the vertical direction. For this reason, the openings of the two frame bodies 21 of the grill shutter body 20 of the vehicle grill shutter 10 are blocked, and the outside air from the opening 3 is shielded.

  As described above, the vehicle grill shutter 10 includes the flap 30 that can extend and contract in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) corresponding to the length of the grill shutter body 20 in the width direction (vehicle width direction). The flap 30 can be expanded and contracted in accordance with the length of the grill shutter body 20 in the width direction. Therefore, it can be used in common for a plurality of vehicle types having different widths of the grill opening, and cost reduction can be realized.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle grill shutter 60 according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the vehicle inner side.

  The vehicle grill shutter 60 includes a bracket 5 attached to the inside of the front bumper 2, a grill shutter main body 70 attached to the bracket 5, and a pivotable attachment to the grill shutter main body 70. A plurality of (three) flaps 80 that open and close the door, a fixing member 45 that rotatably fixes the plurality of flaps 80 with respect to the grille shutter main body 70, and links that are connected to and interlocked with the plurality of flaps 80. A rotation motor 50 connected to one of the plurality of flaps 80 and rotating the plurality of flaps 80 via the link unit 40.

  The vehicle grill shutter 60 is different from the vehicle grill shutter 10 in that the vehicle grill shutter 60 is attached to the opening 3 from the inside of the front bumper 2 (vehicle inside) via the bracket 5. Further, the flap 80 is different from the vehicle grill shutter 10 in that a connecting shaft 82 to be described later is fixed to the grill shutter main body 70 by using a fixing member 45.

  In the pair of inner side portions 213 of the grill shutter main body 70, three cut portions 213a are formed at equal intervals. The fixing member 45 is mounted after the connecting shafts 82 of the three flaps 80 are arranged with respect to the three cut portions 213a. Thereby, the three flaps 80 are attached to the grille shutter main body 70 so as to be rotatable.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a flap 80 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) a plan view, (b) a front view, (c) a right side view, (d) a XIIId-XIIId sectional view, (E) XIII-XIII sectional drawing, (f) XIIIf-XIIIf sectional drawing.
The flap 80 includes two half flaps 81 adjacent in the vehicle width direction (longitudinal direction of the flap 80) and a connecting shaft 82 that connects two half flaps 81 adjacent in the vehicle width direction (longitudinal direction of the flap 80). Have
The half flap 81 is composed of an inner member 31 and an outer member 32. A connecting shaft 82 is formed in the inner member 31 instead of the shaft hole 35.

  The vehicle grill shutter 60 has the same effect as the vehicle grill shutter 10. That is, a flap 80 that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) corresponding to the length of the grill shutter body 70 in the width direction (vehicle width direction) is provided. The flap 80 can be expanded and contracted according to the length of the grille shutter main body 70 in the width direction. Accordingly, the flap 80 can be used in common for a plurality of vehicle types having different grill opening widths, and cost reduction can be realized.

  The various shapes and combinations of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are views showing a modification of the flaps 30 and 80, and are (a) a rear view and (b) a cross section of XIV-XIV.
A cut groove 70 is formed along the vehicle width direction (longitudinal direction) on the back surface of the outer member 32 (the surface facing the vehicle rear when the flaps 30 and 80 are in the fully closed position). This is for reducing the weight of the outer member 32. Even when the cut groove 70 is provided on the back surface of the outer member 32, the inner member 31 can be relatively moved while being held by the outer member 32. Therefore, the length in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) of the flaps 30 and 80 can be adjusted steplessly.

  The outer member 32 may be provided with a plurality of holding claws or the like for holding the inner member 31 instead of the back surface.

  This is not limited to the case where the outer member 32 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and the inner member 31 is disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The outer member 32 may be disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the inner member 31 may be disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Moreover, you may combine these.

  Further, the flaps 30 and 80 are not limited to being expanded and contracted steplessly, but may be configured to expand and contract in stages.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Front bumper, 3 ... Opening part, 10 ... Grill shutter for vehicles, 20 ... Grill shutter main body, 21 ... Frame, 30 ... Flap, 31 ... Inner member (first flap member), 32 ... Outer Member (second flap member), 32S ... internal space, 40 ... link portion (interlocking member), 60 ... grill shutter for vehicle, 70 ... grill shutter main body, 80 ... flap

Claims (3)

A vehicle grill shutter attached to an opening of a front bumper provided in front of the vehicle,
A grille shutter body having a frame;
A plurality of flaps that are pivotally attached to the frame so as to open and close the opening of the frame, and that can be changed in length according to the opening of the frame;
An interlocking member for interlockingly rotating the plurality of flaps;
Bei to give a,
The flap includes a first flap member and a second flap member that holds the first flap member in a relatively movable manner,
The first flap member has a shaft hole or a support shaft that can be attached to the frame body at an end portion not held by the second flap member,
2. The vehicle grill shutter according to claim 1, wherein the second flap member has a support shaft that can be attached to the frame body at an end portion not holding the first flap member .   2. The vehicle grill shutter according to claim 1, wherein the second flap member has an internal space for accommodating and holding the first flap member. A vehicle grill shutter flap that is attached to an opening of a front bumper provided in front of the vehicle and opens and closes the opening,
The frame body includes a first flap member and a second flap member that holds the first flap member so as to be relatively movable , and is rotatably attached to a grille shutter body having a frame. changeable der lengths to match the opening of is,
The first flap member has a shaft hole or a support shaft that can be attached to the frame body at an end portion not held by the second flap member,
The flap flap for a vehicle grill shutter, wherein the second flap member has a support shaft that can be attached to the frame body at an end portion not holding the first flap member .

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