JP7495313B2 - Air guide for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air guide for a vehicle and a vehicle.

Conventionally, vehicle air guides are arranged in front of a radiator installed in a vehicle to guide air (wind from driving) from the front of the vehicle toward the radiator. When arranged in front of the radiator, a first flat plate-shaped member that extends in the vehicle width direction, a second flat plate-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction, and a connecting part that connects these members are known (see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2013-180742 A

Conventional vehicle air guides are made up of a rectangular frame shape consisting of a first flat plate member extending in the vehicle width direction and a second flat plate member extending in the vertical direction, and are designed to have a certain resistance to the force of impact during a minor frontal collision of the vehicle or a pedestrian collision, although they will be damaged passively.

In vehicle air guides with this type of structure, in order to reduce the impact load on pedestrians and others during a collision, it is possible to soften the material of the flat plate members, or to divide the flat plate members at each side to suppress the increase in resistance at the corners where the flat plate members are connected to each other.

However, if the material of the flat plate-shaped member is made soft, it becomes easily deformed, making it difficult to use for large air guides where the extension width of the flat plate-shaped member in the vehicle width direction or vertical direction is large, and there is a problem that the air guide is crushed by the input of a collision and blocks the air flow passage to the radiator. In addition, if each side of the flat plate-shaped member is divided, air leakage occurs at the division points, and especially when it is deformed during a collision, air leakage at the division points becomes large, causing a problem that the original function of the air guide, which is to guide air to the radiator, is impaired.

The present invention aims to solve these problems. In other words, the objective of the present invention is to provide an air guide for a vehicle that can reduce the collision load without compromising the original function of the air guide, and can ensure the flow of air to the radiator even if it is deformed during a collision.

To solve these problems, the vehicle air guide of the present invention has the following configuration:

1. A vehicle air guide that is disposed in front of a radiator equipped on a vehicle, has a horizontal surface portion extending in a vehicle width direction and a vertical surface portion extending in a vertical direction, and forms a rectangular air flow path on the inside that leads to the radiator, wherein a hard material portion is provided on a longer side surface of the horizontal surface portion and the vertical surface portion, and an outwardly convex fold line is formed along the longitudinal direction of the longer side surface portion in response to an input from the front, and a soft material portion is provided at a connecting portion between the horizontal surface portion and the vertical surface portion, which deforms in accordance with the fold of the hard material portion.

The vehicle air guide of the present invention, which has these characteristics, can reduce collision loads without compromising the original function of the air guide. Furthermore, even if the vehicle air guide of the present invention is deformed during a collision, it can ensure the flow of air to the radiator, so the vehicle will not overheat after the collision and can be driven to a repair shop, etc.

1 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration of a vehicle air guide according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2A is a vertical end view of the vehicle air guide shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a vertical end view of the vehicle air guide shown in Fig. 1 when an input is applied from the front. 4A, 4B, and 4C are explanatory diagrams showing the shape of a soft material portion (FIG. 4A is a perspective view, FIG. 4B is a plan view, and FIG. 4C is a side view). FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (perspective view) showing a specific configuration example of a vehicle air guide. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (vertical end view) showing a specific configuration example of the vehicle air guide. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific configuration example of the vehicle air guide (vertical end view during collision).

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different figures indicate parts with the same function, and duplicated explanations in each figure will be omitted as appropriate. In each figure, the X direction of the illustrated arrow indicates the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, the Y direction indicates the width direction of the vehicle, and the Z direction indicates the up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle air guide 1 is disposed in front of a radiator (not shown) installed on the vehicle, has a horizontal surface portion 1A extending in the vehicle width direction and a vertical surface portion 1B extending in the vertical direction, and forms a rectangular air flow path on the inside leading to the radiator mentioned above.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal surface portion 1A has a horizontally elongated shape with its length in the vehicle width direction longer than the vertical length of the vertical surface portion 1B, and the surface portion on the long side of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B is the horizontal surface portion 1A, but this is not limited to this, and the vertical surface portion 1B may have a vertically elongated shape with its length in the vertical direction longer than the length of the horizontal surface portion 1A in the vehicle width direction, and the surface portion on the long side of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B may be the vertical surface portion 1B.

The vehicle air guide 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a horizontally long hard material portion 10 on the horizontal surface portion 1A, which is the longer side surface of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B, and a soft material portion 20 is provided at the connecting portion (corner portion) 1C between the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B are formed of the hard material portion 10 except for the soft material portion 20 provided at the connecting portion 1C.

Furthermore, the side surface portion 1A, which is the surface portion on the long side of the vehicle air guide 1, has a front end portion a, which is the end portion on the front side of the vehicle, located outside (above) relative to the rear end portion b, which is the end portion on the radiator side, as viewed from the front of the vehicle. That is, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the front end portion a of the side surface portion 1A is located a height h outside the rear end portion b of the side surface portion 1A.

In such a vehicle air guide 1, as shown in FIG. 2(b), when an input f is applied to the front end a from the front of the side surface portion 1A, the side surface portion 1A, which is the surface portion on the long side, deforms so that an outwardly convex fold line P is formed along the longitudinal direction in the hard material portion 10. At this time, in order to actively form such a fold line P, a groove or the like that will become the fold line P may be formed along the longitudinal direction of the side surface portion 1A.

When the input f forms a fold line P on the horizontal surface portion 1A, the soft material portion 20 provided at the connecting portion 1C between the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B flexibly deforms in response to the fold of the hard material portion 10 on the horizontal surface portion 1A, preventing the connecting portion 1C from breaking apart.

Here, the soft material portion 20 provided at the connecting portion 1C of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B must have a shape that does not at least inhibit folding of the hard material portion 10 along the folding line P in the horizontal surface portion 1A. An example of the shape of the soft material portion 20 is shown in FIG. 3, but the minimum required shape is a triangle extending from the rear end of the connecting portion 1C to the front end of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B at an angle A°. The angle A° can be calculated from the intersection angle (shown in B°) between the rear end of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the connecting portion 1C, and the intersection angle (shown in C°) between the rear end of the vertical surface portion 1B and the connecting portion 1C, using the following formula.

A°=0.5×B°-0.5×C°+45°

By providing such triangular soft material sections 20 with an angle A° on the horizontal surface section 1A and the vertical surface section 1B, sandwiching the connecting section 1C, when an input f is applied to the front end section a, a fold line P that folds outwardly in a convex shape can be effectively formed on the horizontal surface section 1A, and as shown in Figure 2(b), the resistance during a collision can be suppressed without blocking the air flow path formed on the inside (lower side) of the horizontal surface section 1A.

In particular, in the vehicle air guide 1, the fold line P is formed on the horizontal surface portion 1A, which is the longer side of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B, so that the fold line P can be made longer and the drag suppression effect can be improved. Note that in the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the horizontal surface portion 1A is on the longer side, but in the case of a vertically elongated vehicle air guide 1 in which the vertical surface portion 1B is on the longer side, the fold line P is formed on the vertical surface portion 1B, which is on the longer side.

In the vehicle air guide 1, the hard material section 10 can be made of, for example, a resin material or a metal material, and the soft material section 20 can be made of a rubber material or an elastomer material. The vehicle air guide 1, which is made of two types of material, the hard material section 10 and the soft material section 20, can be formed by two-color molding or insert molding.

In the above embodiment, the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B are formed flat, but the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B can be provided with appropriate irregularities.

Figures 4 to 6 show a more specific example of the configuration of the vehicle air guide 1. The vehicle air guide 1, which is attached to the front of the vehicle M, is positioned in front of a radiator (not shown), and a rectangular air flow path is formed inside by combining an upper frame 1X and a lower frame 1Y inside the vehicle body.

As described above, the upper frame 1X and lower frame 1Y of the vehicle air guide 1 have a pair of horizontal surface portions 1A and a pair of vertical surface portions 1B, and connecting portions (corners) 1C are formed at the ends of the horizontal surface portions 1A and the vertical surface portions 1B.

The upper frame 1X of the vehicle air guide 1 comprises a support portion 11, a panel portion 12, and an arm portion 13 as the hard material portion 10. The support portion 11 is a portion that supports and fixes the upper frame 1X to the vehicle body surrounding the radiator located behind it, and is arranged across the entire width on the rear side of the horizontal surface portion 1A. The panel portion 12 is a rectangular portion that is integrally provided on the front side of the support portion 11, and is part of the horizontal surface portion 1A in a state where it partially protrudes forward. The arm portions 13 are provided so as to protrude diagonally downward from both the left and right ends of the support portion 11, and are part of the vertical surface portion 1B.

The upper frame 1X of the vehicle air guide 1 is made up of a soft material portion 20, except for the support portion 11, panel portion 12, and arm portion 13, which are formed as the hard material portion 10. As a result, the soft material portion 20 is provided at least at the connection portion 1C between the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B, with one portion constituting the horizontal surface portion 1A and the other portion constituting the vertical surface portion 1B.

A linear groove m is formed on the upper surface of the panel portion 12, which is part of the horizontal surface portion 1A of the upper frame body 1X, along the Y direction as shown in the figure, and a groove m is also formed on the lower surface of the boundary between the support portion 11 and the panel portion 12 in the hard material portion 10.

The lower frame 1Y of the vehicle air guide 1 is substantially the same as the upper frame 1X, and includes a support portion 14, a panel portion 15, and an arm portion 16 formed as a hard material portion 10, and the portion other than the portion formed as the hard material portion 10 is composed of a soft material portion 20. A groove m is formed on the upper surface side of the hard material portion 10 at the boundary between the support portion 14 and the panel portion 15.

When a frontal impact is applied to the vehicle air guide 1, which is composed of the upper frame 1X and the lower frame 1Y, the grooves m provided in each location described above become fold lines P, as shown in FIG. 6, and deform the side surface portion 1A. In the upper frame 1X, the two grooves m become fold lines P, causing the panel portion 12 to fold upward in a convex shape, preventing the side surface portion 1A from collapsing toward the air flow path.

In the vehicle air guide 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, when an input is applied from the front, the presence of the soft material portion 20 can prevent the connecting portion 1C of the horizontal surface portion 1A and the vertical surface portion 1B from separating and causing air leakage. Furthermore, by providing the soft material portion 20 at appropriate locations including the connecting portion 1C, the horizontal surface portion 1A on the long side can be bent in an outward convex shape along the longitudinal direction, thereby suppressing resistance without blocking the air flow path. As a result, the vehicle air guide 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can reduce collision loads without compromising the original function of the air guide, which is to guide air (driving wind) to the radiator, and can ensure the flow of air to the radiator even if it is deformed during a collision.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined by reusing each other's technologies, as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose and configuration, etc.

1: vehicle air guide, 1X: upper frame, 1Y: lower frame,
1A: horizontal surface portion, 1B: vertical surface portion, 1C: connecting portion,
10: hard material part,
11, 14: Support section, 12, 15: Panel section, 13, 16: Arm section,
20: soft material part,
a: front end, b: rear end, f: input, m: groove, P: broken line, M: vehicle

Claims (5)

An air guide for a vehicle is provided in front of a radiator mounted on a vehicle, has a horizontal surface portion extending in a vehicle width direction and a vertical surface portion extending in a vertical direction, and forms a rectangular air flow path on an inner side leading to the radiator,
A hard material portion is provided on the long side surface of the horizontal surface portion and the vertical surface portion, and an outwardly convex folded line is formed along the longitudinal direction of the long side surface in response to an input from the front,
An air guide for a vehicle, comprising: a soft material portion provided at a connecting portion between the horizontal surface portion and the vertical surface portion, the soft material portion deforming in response to bending of the hard material portion. The hard material portion is made of a resin material or a metal material,
2. The air guide for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the soft material portion is made of an elastomer. An air guide for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front end of the long side surface, to which a force is applied from the front, is located outside the rear end when viewed from the front of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle air guide according to claim 1, wherein the hard material portion has a groove that forms a folding line along the longitudinal direction. A vehicle equipped with a vehicle air guide according to any one of claims 1 to 4.