JP7293920B2 - Side defroster outlet structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a side defroster outlet structure for blowing air toward the glass surface of the door glass of a side door.

In a conventional side defroster outlet structure, for example, a side defroster outlet 42 is provided in an instrument panel 41 as shown in FIG. A side defroster duct 43 from an air conditioner is connected to the side defroster outlet 42 , and air from the air conditioner is blown out from the side defroster outlet 42 . The air flow blown out from the side defroster outlet 42 hits the side window, and dew condensation on the side window is eliminated.

However, in this type of side defroster outlet structure, depending on the angle at which the air flow is blown out from the side defroster outlet 42, part of the air flow blown out from the side defroster outlet 42 (indicated by arrow f in FIG. 7) is It flows along the instrument panel 41 . Therefore, due to the Coanda effect in which the blown air flow F blown from the side defroster outlet 42 is attracted to the surface of the instrument panel 41, the air cannot be sufficiently blown against the side window as intended. The white arrow in the side defroster duct 43 shown in FIG. 7 indicates the main air flow Fm of the side defroster duct 43. Further, in FIG. 7, the actual blow-out direction affected by the Coanda effect is indicated by a hatched arrow, and the target blow-off direction is indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow.

Therefore, in order to cancel the Coanda effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a side defroster outlet structure is known in which a frame-shaped bezel member 44 having fins is attached to the side defroster outlet 42 of the instrument panel 41. . In this side defroster outlet structure, the vertical inner wall surface 44A of the bezel member 44 changes the direction of a part of the air flow upward, realizing the air flow from the side defroster outlet 42 in which the Coanda effect does not occur. there is

Moreover, although it is not a side defroster blower outlet structure, as a technique for canceling the Coanda effect, for example, a blowing direction varying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The blowing direction varying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a blowing port for blowing gas, a main blowing port for blowing gas in a predetermined direction by occupying most of the opening of the blowing port, and adjacent to the predetermined direction side of the blowing port. and a wall portion provided. The air conditioner also includes a cross jet outlet and a cross jet opening/closing means for opening/closing the flow of gas to the cross jet outlet. The cross jet outlet is provided between the main outlet and the wall surface as part of the opening of the outlet, and part of the gas supplied to the outlet is once separated from the main stream and blown out from the main outlet. It blows out so as to intersect with the mainstream.

The blow-off direction variable device disclosed in Patent Document 1 applies the Coanda effect and the switching effect of airflow due to the presence/absence of the Coanda effect to change the blow-off direction from the blow-off port. By opening and closing the flow of gas to the cross jet outlet, the airflow flowing in a predetermined direction and the airflow flowing along the wall surface provided adjacent to the outlet in the predetermined direction are switched.

JP-A-2005-212746

However, although the conventional technique using the bezel member shown in FIG. 8 can eliminate the Coanda effect, it requires the preparation of the bezel member, which increases the manufacturing cost. On the other hand, it is also conceivable to apply the blow-off direction variable device disclosed in Patent Document 1 to a side defroster blow-out opening structure. However, the blow-off direction variable device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires an airflow switching operation, and is not realistic to apply to a side defroster outlet structure that does not require a switching operation. In addition, there is a problem that a member for switching the airflow is required and the manufacturing cost increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side defroster outlet structure capable of preventing the Coanda effect and appropriately blowing an air flow onto the side window.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an instrument panel that constitutes a part of a passenger compartment, and an instrument panel that is covered with the instrument panel, allows air from an air conditioner to pass, and directs from the front upward and backward. In a side defroster outlet structure having a side defroster duct extending at an angle and a side defroster outlet provided in the instrument panel and communicating with the side defroster duct, the rear edge of the side defroster outlet is The rear edge portion to be formed has an end face that is positioned above at least an extension line of the inner wall surface of the lower duct of the side defroster duct and faces forward. It is installed vertically and has a height direction end face length that can avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow blown from the side defroster outlet in the standing direction, and is attached to the inner wall surface of the lower duct. to generate an upward cross airflow that crosses the main airflow in the side defroster duct , and the side defroster duct is forward of the end on the side defroster outlet side. The inner wall surface of the lower duct is bent so that the angle of inclination of the inner wall surface of the lower duct becomes small, and has a bending portion including the end portion, and the inner wall surface of the lower duct has a bending start end that is the beginning of the bending portion. , the bending start end and the end face are separated from each other .

In the present invention, the air sent out from the air conditioner passes through the side defroster duct and is blown out from the side defroster outlet toward the side window. The main airflow in the side defroster duct flows in the direction in which the side defroster duct extends. The direction of the air flow along is changed upward. That is, the airflow flowing along the duct wall surface becomes an upward cross airflow that intersects the main airflow by hitting the end surface of the trailing edge. The cross airflow helps to redirect the main airflow upwards and prevents the occurrence of the Coanda effect. Therefore, the air blown out from the side defroster outlet is surely blown to the side window, and dew condensation on the side window is eliminated or prevented.

In addition , since the end face has a length in the height direction that makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the air flow blown out from the side defroster blower outlet, the air blown out from the side defroster blower outlet can be more reliably directed to the side. Can be sprayed on windows. The greater the length of the end face, the more the cross-airflows will encourage upward deflection of the main airflow, making it easier to avoid the Coanda effect.

In addition , the side defroster duct is bent such that the angle of inclination of the inner wall surface of the lower duct becomes smaller in front of the end on the side defroster outlet side, and has a bent portion including the end. are separated from each other. Therefore, it is difficult for the passenger to see that the rear edge of the side defroster protrudes from the lower wall surface of the lower duct.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the side defroster outlet structure which can prevent a Coanda effect and can blow an airflow appropriately to a side window can be provided.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an instrument panel to which a side defroster outlet structure according to an embodiment of the invention is applied; FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a side defroster outlet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the side defroster outlet structure; It is a graph chart which shows the relationship between end face length and a blowing angle. It is a side defroster outlet structure according to a modification. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a side defroster outlet structure according to the prior art; FIG. 10 is a longitudinal end view showing another conventional side defroster outlet structure;

A side defroster outlet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an instrument panel 11 forming a part of the vehicle compartment (not shown) is provided in the front part of the vehicle compartment. A side air outlet 13 is provided near one end of the instrument panel 11 in the vehicle width direction, and a side air outlet 14 is provided near the other end. The side air outlets 13 and 14 are air outlets for adjusting the temperature inside the passenger compartment. One side in the vehicle width direction is the passenger seat side, which is the left side, and the other side in the vehicle width direction is the driver's seat side, which is the right side.

A side defroster outlet 15 is provided in front of and above the side outlet 13 in the instrument panel 11 , and a side defroster outlet 16 is provided in front of and above the side outlet 14 . The side defroster outlet 15 is an outlet that opens toward the left side window panel (not shown), and the side defroster outlet 16 is an outlet that opens toward the right side window panel (not shown). is. The side defroster outlets 15 and 16 are outlets for preventing dew condensation on the side window glass.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the instrument panel 11 has a front panel portion 17 forming the front portion of the instrument panel 11 and a rear panel portion 18 forming the rear portion of the instrument panel 11 . The front panel portion 17 is a portion including the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 , and the rear panel portion 18 is located behind the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 . Note that FIG. 2 shows only the side defroster outlet 15 .

The front panel section 17 and the rear panel section 18 are assembled integrally. The front panel portion 17 is made of resin, and a front window glass (not shown) is provided in front of the front panel portion 17 . The rear panel section 18 has a panel substrate 18A made of the same resin as the front panel section 17, and a skin member 18B covering the surface of the panel substrate 18A. The skin member 18B is a member that functions as a design, and specifically, is, for example, a leather material. The rear panel portion 18 projects slightly downward from the vicinity of the side defroster outlet 15 toward the passenger compartment, and then extends forward.

Next, the side defroster outlet mechanism will be described. In this embodiment, a side defroster outlet mechanism having one side defroster outlet 15 and a side defroster outlet mechanism having the other side defroster outlet 16 are provided. The side defroster outlet mechanism having one side defroster outlet 15 and the side defroster outlet mechanism having the other side defroster outlet 16 have the same configuration. In this embodiment, the side defroster outlet mechanism having one side defroster outlet 15 will be described, and the description of the one side defroster mechanism will be used for the other side defroster outlet mechanism.

One side defroster outlet 15 is substantially square and located near the left side window. As shown in FIG. 1, the instrument panel 11 includes a front edge portion 21 forming the front edge of the side defroster outlet 15 and a rear edge portion forming the rear edge of the side defroster outlet 15. It has a rear edge 22 and outlet side edges 23 and 24 forming left and right side edges of the side defroster outlet 15 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the side defroster outlet mechanism has a side defroster duct 25 communicating with the side defroster outlet 15 . The side defroster duct 25 passes air for the side defroster from an air conditioner (not shown) and extends obliquely upward and rearward from the front. The cross section of the side defroster duct 25 has a shape following the shape of the side defroster outlet 15 . In this embodiment, the side defroster duct 25 is inclined at an angle of approximately 25° with respect to the horizontal.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the side defroster duct 25 has a duct upper wall portion 26 on the upper side of the side defroster duct 25 and a duct lower wall portion 27 on the lower side of the side defroster duct 25 . 3, the side defroster duct 25 has a duct right wall portion 28 and a duct left wall portion 29. As shown in FIG. A duct inner wall surface 26A of the duct upper wall portion 26 and a duct inner wall surface 27A of the duct lower wall portion 27 are parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the duct inner wall surface 28A of the duct right wall portion 28 and the duct inner wall surface 29A of the duct left wall portion 29 are parallel to each other. The duct inner wall surfaces 26A, 27A, 28A, and 29A correspond to duct wall surfaces, and the duct inner wall surface 27A corresponds to the lower duct inner wall surface.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the end 30 of the duct upper wall 26 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 is close to the outlet front edge 21 of the front panel section 17 . Between the end 30 of the duct upper wall 26 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 and the front panel 17, an elastic body 31 made of foam sealing material is interposed.

An end portion 32 of the duct lower wall portion 27 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 is close to the outlet rear edge portion 22 of the front panel portion 17 . The duct lower wall portion 27 has a bent portion 33 including the end portion 32 , which is bent such that the inclination angle of the duct inner wall surface 27</b>A becomes smaller in front of the end portion 32 on the side defroster outlet 15 side. The bent portion 33 is located below the outlet trailing edge 22 in the front panel portion 17 and the end portion 32 is located further rearward below the outlet trailing edge 22 . A duct inner wall surface 27A of the duct lower wall portion 27 has a bending start end 33A at which the bending portion 33 begins. 33 A of bending start ends are set in the position lower than the lower end of the outlet rear edge part 22. As shown in FIG. Between the end 32 of the duct lower wall 27 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 and the front panel 17, an elastic body 34 made of foam sealing material is interposed. Since the bent portion 33 is provided, the outlet rear edge portion 22 and the front end of the portion of the duct lower wall portion 27 excluding the bent portion 33 are kept relatively apart from each other.

Although not shown, the end portion of the duct right wall portion 28 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 is close to the outlet side edge portion 23 of the front panel portion 17 . The end of the duct left wall portion 29 on the side of the side defroster outlet 15 is close to the outlet-side edge portion 23 of the front panel portion 17 . An end portion of the side defroster duct 25 opposite to the side defroster outlet 15 side is connected to an air conditioner mounted inside the instrument panel 11 .

By the way, the outlet rear edge 22 of the front panel portion 17 has a substantially vertical end face 35 facing forward. The end surface 35 is located above the extension line of the duct inner wall surface 27A of the duct lower wall portion 27 of the side defroster duct 25 . In addition, in FIG. 4, an extension line is shown with a two-dot chain line. The end surface 35 is provided to change the direction of the air flowing along the duct inner wall surface 27A upward and generate an upward cross airflow Fc that crosses the main airflow Fm in the side defroster duct 25 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the end face 35 has a height-direction end face length H of 3 mm, which makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow F blown from the side defroster outlet 15 . The end face length H of the end face 35 is set according to the blowing angle θ, which is the angle of the blown air flow F with respect to the horizontal. As shown in FIG. 5, when the end face length H is increased, the blowout angle θ is increased. That is, there is a correlation between the end face length H and the blowing angle θ. Although it is necessary to consider conditions such as the positional relationship between the side defroster outlet 15 and the side window glass and the size of the side defroster outlet 15, the end face length H is preferably set within a range of 2 to 5 mm. .

In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the side defroster duct 25 is about 25°, which means that the intended blowout angle θ is 25°, but the end face length H of the end face 35 is almost zero. In the case, the blowing angle θ becomes smaller than 25° due to the Coanda effect in which the blowing airflow F is attracted to the instrument panel 11 . In other words, when the end face length H of the end face 35 is almost zero, the relationship between the blowing angle of the blown air flow F from the side defroster outlet 42 and the front panel portion 17 of the instrument panel 41 causes the Coanda effect. It is in. However, in the present embodiment, in order to avoid the Coanda effect, the end face 35 has a length H in the height direction that makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow F blown from the side defroster outlet 15. ing.

In the duct lower wall portion 27, the bending start end 33A, which is the beginning of the bending portion 33, and the end face 35 are separated. Since the duct lower wall portion 27 is provided with the bent portion 33 including the end portion 32, the separation distance L between the bent start end 33A and the outlet rear edge portion 22 is set. As the separation distance L increases, it becomes more difficult for the passenger to see the outlet rear edge portion 22 protruding from the duct lower wall portion 27 even if the end face length H is set. If the separation distance L between the bending start end 33A and the outlet rear edge 22 is short or small, the outlet rear edge 22 appears to protrude from the duct lower wall 27 to the occupant. becomes easier. For this reason, the position of the bending start end 33A is set so that the separation distance L is set in advance so that the outlet rear edge portion 22 does not appear to be protruding from the duct lower wall portion 27 to the passenger. ing.

Next, blowing of air by the side defroster outlet structure of this embodiment will be described. Air sent out from the air conditioner passes through the side defroster duct 25 and is blown out from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 toward the side windows.

The main airflow Fm in the side defroster duct 25 flows in the extending direction of the side defroster duct 25, but the airflow Fs flowing along the duct inner wall surface 27A of the duct lower wall portion 27 in the side defroster duct 25 is the instrument panel. 11, and changes the direction of the airflow Fs upward. That is, the airflow Fs flowing along the duct inner wall surface 27A hits the end surface 35 and becomes an upward crossing airflow Fc that crosses the main airflow Fm at the side defroster outlet 15 . The cross airflow Fc increases the upward component of the main airflow Fm and helps to change the direction of the main airflow Fm upward. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the Coanda effect in which part of the air blown out from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 flows along the surface of the instrument panel 11 .

The end face 35 has a height direction end face length H that makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow F blown from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 . Therefore, the air blown from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 is more reliably blown to the side windows. Incidentally, as the end face length H is increased, the upward change of the main airflow Fm by the intersecting airflow Fc is promoted more.

In addition, the position of the bending start end 33A is set so that the air outlet rear edge portion 22 does not appear protruding from the duct lower wall portion 27 to the passenger. Therefore, even if the separation distance L is set and the end face length H of the outlet rear edge portion 22 is set, the outlet rear edge portion 22 is projected from the occupant with respect to the duct lower wall portion 27. becomes difficult to see.

The side defroster outlet structure of the present embodiment has the following effects: (1) Although the main airflow Fm in the side defroster duct 25 flows in the extending direction of the side defroster duct 25, the duct inner wall surface of the side defroster duct 25 The airflow Fs flowing along 27A hits the end face 35 at the outlet rear edge portion 22 of the instrument panel 11 and changes the direction of the airflow Fs upward. That is, the airflow Fs flowing along the duct inner wall surface 27A hits the end surface 35 and becomes an upward crossing airflow Fc that crosses the main airflow Fm at the side defroster outlet 15 . The cross airflow Fc helps to change the direction of the main airflow Fm upward and prevents the occurrence of the Coanda effect. Therefore, the air blown out from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16 is reliably blown to the side windows, and dew condensation on the side windows is eliminated or prevented.

(2) Since the end face 35 has a length H in the height direction that makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow F blown from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16, the air is blown out from the side defroster outlets 15 and 16. The air to be discharged can be more reliably blown to the side windows. As the end face length H is increased, the upward change of the main airflow Fm by the crossing airflow Fc is facilitated, making it easier to avoid the Coanda effect.

(3) The position of the bending start end 33A is set so that the air outlet rear edge portion 22 does not appear to project from the duct lower wall portion 27 to the passenger. Therefore, even if the separation distance L is set and the end face length H of the outlet rear edge portion 22 is set, the outlet rear edge portion 22 is projected from the occupant with respect to the duct lower wall portion 27. becomes difficult to see.

(4) Since a part of the instrument panel 11 has the end face 35, the Coanda effect can be avoided without adding means or members for avoiding the Coanda effect. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts in the side defroster blowout structure and suppress the manufacturing cost of the side defroster blowout structure.

(Modification)
Next, the side defroster blowout structure according to the modification shown in FIG. 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in the modified example, the rear panel portion 37 of the instrument panel 11 is made of resin like the front panel portion 17, and does not have a skin member. Therefore, the front panel portion 17 and the rear panel portion 37 are integrally formed. In the modified example, the air blown out from the side defroster outlet 15 is reliably blown to the side windows to eliminate or prevent condensation on the side windows.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments (including modifications), and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications may be made.

(circle) in said embodiment (a modification is included), although the edge surface was made into the perpendicular|vertical surface, it is not limited to this. For example, the angle of the end face with respect to the horizontal may be in the range of 70 to 110°. In this case as well, the occurrence of the Coanda effect can be prevented.
(circle) in said embodiment (a modification is included), although the side defroster outlet was made into the substantially square shape, it is not restricted to this. The side defroster outlet may be, for example, circular, elliptical, or elongated. Even with these shapes, the end face of the instrument panel may be provided so as to generate an upward cross airflow.
○ In the above-described embodiment, the inclination angle of the side defroster duct is about 25° with respect to the horizontal, but it is not limited to this. The angle of inclination of the side defroster can be appropriately selected depending on the conditions of the side defroster outlet.

11, 41 instrument panel 15, 16, 42 side defroster outlet 17 front panel portion 18 rear panel portion 21 outlet front edge 22 outlet rear edge 23, 24 outlet side edge 25, 43 side defroster duct 26 Duct upper wall portion 27 Duct lower wall portion 27A Duct inner wall surface 30 End portion 32 End portion 35 End surface 37 Rear panel portion 44 Bezel member 44A Inner wall surface Fm Main air flow Fs Air flow Fc Intersecting air flow f Air flow H End face length L clearance

Claims (1)

an instrument panel forming part of the vehicle compartment;
a side defroster duct that is covered with the instrument panel, passes air from the air conditioner, and extends obliquely upward and rearward from the front;
In a side defroster outlet structure having a side defroster outlet provided in the instrument panel and communicating with the side defroster duct,
The rear edge portion forming the rear edge of the side defroster outlet has an end surface facing forward and positioned above at least an extension line of the lower duct inner wall surface of the side defroster duct,
The end face is erected perpendicularly to the front-rear direction of the vehicle compartment, and has a length of the end face in the height direction that makes it possible to avoid the Coanda effect on the blown air flow blown out from the side defroster outlet in the standing direction. and diverts upward the direction of air flowing along the inner wall surface of the lower duct to generate an upward cross airflow that intersects the main airflow in the side defroster duct ;
The side defroster duct has a bent portion including the end portion, the side defroster duct being bent forward of the end portion on the side defroster outlet side such that the angle of inclination of the inner wall surface of the duct on the lower side becomes small, and
The inner wall surface of the lower duct has a bending start end that is the beginning of the bending portion,
The side defroster outlet structure , wherein the bending start end and the end surface are separated from each other .

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