JP6349270B2 - Grill shutter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a grille shutter.

  In recent years, a grill shutter may be mounted on a vehicle in order to improve fuel consumption. Such a grille shutter is generally disposed in the engine room behind the front grille and stops introduction of outside air into the engine room as necessary. Usually, the grille shutter has a flap-shaped component, and the outside air flow path is opened and closed by changing the posture of the component. Further, Patent Document 1 proposes a grill shutter integrated with a radiator grill.

JP 2013-226924 A

  By the way, as is well known, many mechanical elements are packed in a limited space in the engine room. If a grill shutter is installed here, the space in the engine room will be further reduced. The outside air introduced into the engine room via the front grille is supplied to, for example, a radiator or a vehicle air conditioning system. However, if the space in the engine room decreases, it may be obstructed by other mechanical elements installed in the engine room, and it may be difficult to supply the introduced outside air to a predetermined location.

  For this reason, in the grille shutter that can stop the introduction of the outside air into the engine room as necessary, when the outside air is introduced into the engine room, the outside air can be reliably guided to a predetermined location. It is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to reliably guide outside air to a predetermined location when introducing outside air into an engine room in a grille shutter. .

  The present invention adopts the following configuration as means for solving the above-described problems.

  1st invention is the grill shutter installed in vehicles, and adopts the composition provided with the chamber provided in the back of a front grill, the duct connected to the above-mentioned chamber, and the opening-and-closing mechanism which opens and closes a duct. To do.

  A second invention adopts a configuration in which, in the first invention, a plurality of the ducts and a partition plate that divides the internal space of the chamber for each connection opening of the duct to the chamber.

  According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the opening / closing mechanism has a plate-like valve body disposed inside the duct, and a direction in which the valve body changes a flow area of the duct. A configuration is adopted in which a shaft to be rotated is provided and an actuator connected to the shaft is provided.

  In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect, the opening / closing mechanism includes a plurality of the valve bodies, a single shaft connected to the plurality of valve bodies, and a single actuator connected to the shaft. The configuration is provided with.

  According to the present invention, the outside air that has passed through the front grille is introduced into the chamber, and the outside air introduced into the chamber is guided to a predetermined location through the duct. For this reason, outside air can be guide | induced to the arbitrary locations in an engine room. Moreover, since the opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the duct is provided, the opening of the outside air is blocked by closing the duct by the opening / closing mechanism, and the introduction of the outside air into the engine room can be stopped. Therefore, according to the present invention, the introduction of the outside air into the engine room can be stopped as necessary, and when the outside air is introduced into the engine room, the outside air can be reliably guided to a predetermined place.

It is a front view of the vehicle in which the grille shutter in one embodiment of the present invention is installed. It is a front view which shows typically the grill shutter in one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the grill shutter in one Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the state which the valve body open | released the duct. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the grill shutter in one Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the state which closed the duct with the valve body.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a grille shutter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle 100 in which the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment is installed. As shown in the figure, a grille opening 101 for taking outside air into the engine room is provided on the front surface of the vehicle 100. A radiator grill 10 (front grill) is attached to the grill opening 101.

  The radiator grille 10 prevents foreign matter from entering the engine rules and forms the appearance of the vehicle. The radiator grille 10 includes a frame 11 and a cross rail 12 (see FIG. 2). The frame 11 is a portion formed in an annular shape along the edge of the grill opening 101. Further, the horizontal rail 12 is a portion that is connected to the frame 11 at both ends and extends horizontally, and a plurality of horizontal rails 12 are arranged in a vertical direction in a region surrounded by the frame 11. In such a radiator grill 10, gaps 13 are formed between the horizontal rails 12 and between the horizontal rails 12 and the frame 11 for introducing outside air into the engine room from the outside of the vehicle 100 (FIG. 2). reference).

  The grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment is disposed behind the radiator grill 10 and in the engine room in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the valve body 5a opens the duct 3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the valve body 5a closes the duct 3. In FIG. 2, a radiator grill 10 illustrated by a phantom line is additionally illustrated, and in FIGS. 3 and 4, a radiator grill 10 illustrated by a solid line is additionally illustrated. As shown in these drawings, the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment includes a chamber 2, a duct 3, a partition plate 4, and an opening / closing mechanism 5.

  The chamber 2 is a container with the radiator grille 10 side (the front side of the vehicle 100) opened, and the edge of the open end from the back side (engine room side) is fixed to the frame 11 of the radiator grille 10. The chamber 2 temporarily stores outside air that has passed through the gap opening 13 of the radiator grill 10.

  The duct 3 is a flow path of outside air connected to the chamber 2 from the rear. In this embodiment, as this duct 3, an upper duct 3a disposed above and a lower duct 3b disposed below are installed. That is, the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of ducts 3. The upper duct 3 a is connected to the upper part of the chamber 2. The upper duct 3a is routed to the front of a radiator installed in the engine room, for example, and guides outside air from the chamber 2 to the radiator. The lower duct 3 b is disposed below the upper duct 3 a in the vertical direction, and is connected to the lower portion of the chamber 2. The lower duct 3b is routed, for example, to the front of the outside air intake port of the vehicle air conditioning system installed in the engine room, and guides outside air from the chamber 2 to the vehicle air conditioning system. In the present embodiment, the diameters of the upper duct 3a and the lower duct 3b are the same.

  Note that the outside air guide destinations of the upper duct 3a and the lower duct 3b are merely examples. For this reason, you may route the upper side duct 3a and the lower side duct 3b so that external air may be guided to another location. Moreover, if the diameter of the duct 3 is set according to the guidance destination, the outside air can be effectively guided. The positional relationship between the upper duct 3 a and the lower duct 3 b described above is in the vicinity of the chamber 2. That is, the upper duct 3a is positioned above the lower duct 3b in the vicinity of the chamber 2, but the upper duct 3a may be positioned below the lower duct 3b at a location away from the chamber 2. .

  The partition plate 4 is a plate member installed inside the chamber 2 with the front and back surfaces facing up and down, and divides the interior of the chamber 2 into upper and lower portions. The partition plate 4 is disposed between the connection opening 3a1 of the upper duct 3a and the connection opening 3b1 of the lower duct 3b when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. Thereby, the partition plate 4 partitions the internal space of the chamber 2 for each connection opening (connection opening 3a1 and connection opening 3b1) to the chamber 2 of the duct 3.

  The opening / closing mechanism 5 includes a valve body 5a, a shaft 5b, and an actuator 5c. The valve body 5 a has a disk shape having a diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the duct 3, and is disposed in the duct 3 so as to be rotatable. The valve body 5a is rotated around a vertical axis passing through its center. The projected area of the valve body 5a as viewed from the flow direction of the duct 3 varies depending on the rotation angle. For this reason, the opening degree of the duct 3 can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve body 5a. Such a valve body 5a closes the duct 3 when the front and rear surfaces are perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, and maximizes the opening of the duct 3 when the front and rear surfaces are parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. And

  In the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, an upper valve body 5a1 and a lower valve body 5a2 are provided as the valve body 5a. That is, the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of valve bodies 5a. The upper valve body 5a1 is disposed inside the upper duct 3a. The upper valve body 5a1 is rotated inside the upper duct 3a, whereby the opening degree of the upper duct 3a is changed. For example, the upper duct 3a is closed when the front and back surfaces of the upper valve body 5a1 are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100. Further, when the upper duct 3a is opened when the front and back surfaces of the upper valve body 5a1 are out of the state orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, the front and rear surfaces of the upper valve body 5a1 are parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. On the other hand, the upper duct 3a is fully opened.

  The lower valve body 5a2 is disposed inside the lower duct 3b. When the lower valve body 5a2 is rotated inside the lower duct 3b, the opening degree of the lower duct 3b is changed. For example, the lower duct 3 b is closed when the front and back surfaces of the lower valve body 5 a 2 are orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. Further, when the front and back surfaces of the lower valve body 5a2 deviate from a state orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, the lower duct 3b is opened, and the front and rear surfaces of the lower valve body 5a2 are parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In this case, the lower duct 3b is fully opened. Such a lower valve body 5a2 is disposed directly below the upper valve body 5a1.

  The shaft 5b extends in the vertical direction and is connected to both the upper valve body 5a1 and the lower valve body 5a2. The lower end of the shaft 5b is connected to the actuator 5c, and the shaft 5b is driven to rotate by transmitting the power generated by the actuator 5c. The actuator 5c is disposed below the valve body 5a, and generates power for rotationally driving the valve body 5a. Such an actuator 5c includes, for example, a motor and a solenoid.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 5 includes a plurality of valve bodies 5a, a single shaft 5b connected to the plurality of valve bodies 5a, and a single actuator 5c connected to the shaft 5b. I have. According to such an opening / closing mechanism 5, by driving a single actuator 5c, the plurality of valve bodies 5a (the upper valve body 5a1 and the lower valve body 5a2) are rotated at a time.

  The grill shutter 1 of this embodiment is controlled by an engine control unit (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, for example. For example, when the engine control unit performs control for closing the grille shutter 1, the shaft 5b is rotationally driven by the actuator 5c, and the valve body 5a is stopped at a position where the front-rear direction and the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle 100 are orthogonal to each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper duct 3a is closed by the upper valve body 5a1, and the lower duct 3b is closed by the lower valve body 5a2. In such a case, the outlet of the outside air that has entered the chamber 2 is closed. As a result, the outside air can be prevented from flowing into the chamber 2 and the introduction of the outside air into the engine room can be stopped. Can do.

  Further, when the engine control unit performs control to fully open the grille shutter 1, the shaft 5b is rotationally driven by the actuator 5c, and the valve body 5a is stopped at a position where the front-rear direction and the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle 100 are parallel. . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper valve body 5a1 opens the upper duct 3a, and the lower valve body 5a2 opens the lower duct 3b. In such a case, the outside air that has entered the chamber 2 flows through the upper duct 3a and the lower duct 3b, and is guided to a guidance destination (a radiator or a vehicle air conditioning system).

  According to the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment as described above, the outside air that has passed through the radiator grill 10 is introduced into the chamber 2, and the outside air introduced into the chamber 2 is guided to a predetermined location through the duct 3. For this reason, outside air can be guide | induced to the arbitrary locations in an engine room. Moreover, since the opening / closing mechanism 5 that opens and closes the duct 3 is provided, the opening of the outside air can be blocked by closing the duct 3 by the opening / closing mechanism 5, and the introduction of the outside air into the engine room can be stopped. . Therefore, according to the grille shutter 1 of the present embodiment, the introduction of the outside air into the engine room can be stopped as necessary, and the outside air is surely determined at a place where the outside air is introduced into the engine room. Can lead.

  In the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, the chamber 2 is provided for each of the plurality of ducts 3 (upper duct 3a and lower duct 3b) and connection openings of the duct 3 to the chamber 2 (connection opening 3a1 and connection opening 3b1). And a partition plate 4 that partitions the interior space. According to the grill shutter 1 of this embodiment as described above, it is possible to prevent a large amount of outside air supplied to the chamber 2 from flowing into any one of the ducts 3 and to supply the outside air evenly to each duct 3. Become.

  Further, in the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 5 rotates the plate-like valve body 5a disposed inside the duct 3 and the valve body 5a in a direction in which the flow passage area of the duct 3 is changed. A shaft 5b and an actuator 5c connected to the shaft 5b are provided. According to the grill shutter 1 of this embodiment as described above, the duct 3 can be opened and closed by a simple mechanism.

  In the grill shutter 1 of the present embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 5 includes a plurality of valve bodies 5a, a single shaft 5b connected to the plurality of valve bodies 5a, and a single actuator connected to the shaft 5b. 5c. For this reason, it becomes possible to rotate the several valve body 5a simultaneously only by driving the single actuator 5c. Further, the opening and closing of the plurality of ducts 3 can be performed synchronously.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which two ducts 3 are provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to adopt a configuration including only a single duct or a configuration including three or more ducts.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the structure whose opening / closing mechanism 5 is a butterfly valve structure provided with the disk-shaped valve body 5a was employ | adopted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to employ a configuration including an opening / closing mechanism having a gate valve structure or an opening / closing mechanism having a ball valve structure.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the structure by which the grille shutter 1 was separated from the radiator grille 10 was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a grill shutter integrated with a front grill such as a radiator grill.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the grille shutter 1 installed in the back of the radiator grille 10 was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a grille shutter installed in the direction of the front grille provided at the bumper opening, for example.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Grill shutter, 2 ... Chamber, 3 ... Duct, 3a ... Upper duct, 3a1 ... Connection opening, 3b ... Lower duct, 3b1 ... Connection opening, 4 ... Partition plate, 5 ... Opening / closing mechanism, 5a ... Valve body, 5a1 ... Upper valve body, 5a2 ... Lower valve body, 5b ... Shaft, 5c ... Actuator, 10 ... Radiator grill (front grill)

Claims (2)

A grill shutter installed in a vehicle,
One chamber provided behind the front grille,
A plurality of ducts that will be connected to said one chamber,
An open / close mechanism having a plate-like valve body disposed inside each of the plurality of ducts, and opening and closing the ducts;
The chamber is a container opened on the front grille side, the edge of the open end is fixed to the frame of the front grille from the back side, and has a structure integrated with the front grille ,
The opening and closing mechanism is
A single shaft connected to a plurality of the valve bodies and rotating the valve bodies in a direction to change the flow passage area of the duct;
A single actuator connected to the shaft;
Grille shutter, characterized in that it comprises a. A plurality of said ducts;
The grille shutter according to claim 1, further comprising: a partition plate that divides an internal space of the chamber for each connection opening of the duct to the chamber.

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