WO2010090241A1 - Tire warmer - Google Patents

Abstract

A tire warmer (A1) comprises a heat-collecting cover (1) which is disposed at the rear of a radiator (10) in order to guide collected engine exhaust heat (motor exhaust heat) to the inside of the wheel wells (H, H) and retain the collected engine exhaust heat within the wheel wells (H, H). In contrast to known tire warmers, the tire warmer (A1) increases the temperature of the tires (T, T) and maintains the elevated temperature by means of engine exhaust heat that is retained in the wheel wells (H, H), and thus does not require a fan or a compressor for blowing warm air onto the surfaces of the tires (T, T).

Description

Tire temperature riser

The present invention relates to a tire temperature raising device for increasing the temperature of a tire of an automobile.

In recent years, there has been a demand for improved fuel efficiency of automobiles more than ever because of demands for energy saving and low environmental load. And in the technical field which concerns on a tire, the tire temperature rising apparatus aiming at the improvement of the fuel consumption of a motor vehicle is known (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2).
This tire temperature raising device is configured to spray hot air on the surface of the tire, and reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by increasing the temperature of the tire.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-290916 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-31605

However, around the tire, there are traveling wind and surface airflow that is pulled by the tire rotating at high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface of the tire.
Therefore, in the conventional tire heating device, the hot air must be accelerated using a fan or a compression device so that the injected hot air reaches the tire against running wind around the tire and surface airflow. . As a result, an extra load is applied to the engine in order to supply electric power consumed to drive the fan and the compressor, and the fuel consumption may be worsened.
Further, in the conventional tire heating device, the temperature of the tire surface is increased by mainly blowing warm air on the surface of the tread portion of the tire, so that the heat of the tire surface is the atmosphere around the road surface and around the tire. Easy to escape. In other words, the conventional tire temperature raising device has poor heating efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to increase the temperature of a tire and to be excellent in thermal efficiency for maintaining the increased temperature, and to reliably improve the fuel consumption of an automobile without placing an extra burden on a prime mover such as an engine. The object is to provide a tire heating device.

The tire temperature increasing device of the present invention that solves the above-described problems is characterized in that a heat collecting cover is provided behind the radiator to guide and retain the exhaust heat of the prime mover that has been collected in the wheel house.
When an automobile equipped with the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention travels, a part of the traveling wind received on the front side of the automobile passes through the radiator. The traveling wind that has passed through the radiator is accompanied by prime mover exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting cover.
And in this tire temperature rising apparatus, the driving | running | working wind accompanied by motor exhaust heat is guide | induced from the heat collecting cover in a wheel house, and is retained. As a result, the tire temperature increasing device reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by exerting two functions of increasing the tire temperature by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house and maintaining the increased tire temperature. .

Further, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from the conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire. As a result, the temperature of the tire is increased and maintained by the exhaust heat of the prime mover staying in the wheel house, so that a fan or a compression device for spraying hot air on the tire surface is not required. Therefore, according to the tire temperature raising device of the present invention, an excessive load due to driving of the fan and the compression device is not applied to the prime mover.

And since the conventional tire temperature rising apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2) is raising the temperature of the surface of a tire by spraying warm air as mentioned above, Heat easily escapes to the atmosphere around the road and tires. On the other hand, according to the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention, the temperature of the tire is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house, and the increased temperature of the tire is maintained, so the total amount of heat contributing to the tire And heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire (without interruption).

In such a tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable to further include a travel wind guide member that guides the travel wind accompanied by the prime mover exhaust heat into the wheel house.

In the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention, the prime mover exhaust heat can be guided and retained in the wheel house through a duct connected to the heat collecting cover.
When an automobile equipped with the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention travels, a part of the traveling wind received on the front side of the automobile passes through the radiator. The traveling wind that has passed through the radiator is accompanied by motor exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting cover, and the traveling wind accompanied by motor exhaust heat is guided from the heat collecting cover through the duct into the wheel house and stays there. At this time, the traveling wind accompanied by the engine exhaust heat flowing in the duct has almost no disturbance to the flow, and therefore is accurately guided into the wheel house and stays there.
As a result, the tire temperature increasing device reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by exerting two functions of increasing the tire temperature by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house and maintaining the increased tire temperature. .

Further, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from the conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire. As a result, the temperature of the tire is increased and maintained by the exhaust heat of the prime mover staying in the wheel house, so that a fan or a compression device for spraying hot air on the tire surface is not required. Therefore, according to the tire temperature raising device of the present invention, an excessive load due to driving of the fan and the compression device is not applied to the prime mover.

And since the conventional tire temperature rising apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2) is raising the temperature of the surface of a tire by spraying warm air as mentioned above, Heat easily escapes to the atmosphere around the road and tires. On the other hand, according to the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention, the temperature of the tire is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house, and the increased temperature of the tire is maintained, so the total amount of heat contributing to the tire And heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire (without interruption).

In the tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention, the prime mover exhaust heat can be guided and retained in the wheel house through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton in the front portion of the vehicle.
When an automobile equipped with the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention travels, a part of the traveling wind received on the front side of the automobile passes through the radiator. The traveling wind that has passed through the radiator is accompanied by prime mover exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting cover.
Then, the traveling wind accompanied by the motor exhaust heat from the heat collecting cover is guided from the heat collecting cover through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and stays in the wheel house. At this time, the traveling wind accompanied by the exhaust heat of the prime mover flowing through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton is guided and stays in the wheel house accurately because there is almost no disturbance to the flow.
As a result, the tire temperature increasing device reduces the rolling resistance of the tire by exerting two functions of increasing the tire temperature by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house and maintaining the increased tire temperature. .

Further, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from the conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire. As a result, the temperature of the tire is increased and maintained by the exhaust heat of the prime mover staying in the wheel house, so that a fan or a compression device for spraying hot air on the tire surface is not required. Therefore, according to the tire temperature raising device of the present invention, an excessive load due to driving of the fan and the compression device is not applied to the prime mover.

And since the conventional tire temperature rising apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2) is raising the temperature of the surface of a tire by spraying warm air as mentioned above, Heat easily escapes to the atmosphere around the road and tires. On the other hand, according to the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention, the temperature of the tire is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house, and the increased temperature of the tire is maintained, so the total amount of heat contributing to the tire And heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire (without interruption).

Moreover, the tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention guides the traveling wind accompanied by the motor exhaust heat from the heat collecting cover into the wheel house through the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton disposed in the front portion of the vehicle. Therefore, since the section using the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton can omit a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for traveling wind, the manufacturing cost of the tire heating device can be reduced.
Further, in the section using the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton, a traveling wind guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) can be omitted. There is no interference with auxiliary equipment such as piping and intake resonators. As a result, according to this tire temperature raising device, the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is expanded as compared with, for example, a configuration in which a traveling wind guide member is provided.

In such a tire temperature raising apparatus of the present invention, the vehicle body skeleton that guides the motor exhaust heat is directly connected to an inner fender that defines the inside of the wheel house, and the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and the wheel house The inside can be configured to communicate with each other through an opening formed in the inner fender.
In this tire temperature raising device, the vehicle body skeleton and the inner fender are directly connected, and the hollow part of the vehicle body skeleton and the inside of the wheel house are in direct communication, so that the vehicle body skeleton and the wheel house are connected. There is no need to separately provide a traveling wind guide member (for example, a current plate or a duct). Therefore, according to this tire temperature raising device, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is further expanded.

In the tire heating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the heat collecting cover is formed in a hood shape that partially covers the back side of the radiator.
According to this tire temperature raising device, the hood-shaped heat collecting cover partially covers the back side of the radiator, so that the exhaust heat of the prime mover can be collected efficiently and the heat radiation by the radiator can be maintained well.

Moreover, in the tire temperature increasing apparatus of the present invention, the heat collecting cover may have a heat radiating hole.
According to this tire temperature raising device, for example, when the running vehicle stops, it is possible to more reliably prevent the motor exhaust heat dissipated from the radiator from being generated in the heat collecting cover.

Unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention does not require acceleration of hot air and does not impose an extra load on the engine, so that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be improved with certainty. In addition, the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention has a large total heat amount contributing to the tire and can supply heat to the tire continuously (without interruption) stably. Excellent thermal efficiency for maintaining a high temperature.

It is a perspective view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle carrying the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which looked down at the front side of the motor vehicle from the diagonally right back of a motor vehicle. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the tire temperature raising apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a sectional view taken along line III-III in (a). It is a top view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle carrying the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure explaining the effect which this tire temperature rising apparatus show | plays. (A) is a partial side view of the front side of the automobile schematically showing the airflow around the tire of the traveling automobile, and (b) is a front side portion of the automobile schematically showing the airflow in the wheel house of the traveling automobile. FIG. 4C is a side view schematically showing the airflow distribution in the wheel house and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the VV cross section of FIG. It is the perspective view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle which mounts the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which looked down at the front side of the motor vehicle from the diagonally right back of a motor vehicle. It is VII-VII sectional drawing in FIG. (A) is the perspective view of the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, the figure seen from the diagonally left front, (b) is the perspective view of a tire temperature rising apparatus, and the diagonally left back The figure seen from (c) is a disassembled perspective view of a tire temperature rising apparatus, and is the figure seen from diagonally left rear. It is a top view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle carrying the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a partial side view of the front side of the automobile schematically showing the airflow around the tire of the traveling automobile, and (b) is a front side portion of the automobile schematically showing the airflow in the wheel house of the traveling automobile. FIG. 9C is a side view schematically showing the airflow distribution in the wheel house and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the XX cross section of FIG. It is the perspective view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle which mounts the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which looked down at the front side of the motor vehicle from the diagonally right back of the motor vehicle. It is a top view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle carrying the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which shows partially the front side of the motor vehicle carrying the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which looked down at the front side of the motor vehicle from diagonally left rear of a motor vehicle. It is a perspective view of the heat collecting cover which comprises the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the arrangement position of the vehicle body frame which comprises the tire temperature rising apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which looked down at the front side of the motor vehicle from the diagonally left front of a motor vehicle. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the opening formed in the wheel house was looked up from the XVI direction of FIG. (A) is a partial side view of the front side of the automobile schematically showing the airflow around the tire of the traveling automobile, and (b) is a front side portion of the automobile schematically showing the airflow in the wheel house of the traveling automobile. Side view (c) is a view schematically showing the airflow distribution in the wheel house, and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the XVII-XVII cross section of FIG.

The tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is different from conventional tire temperature increasing devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), such as a fan and a compression device for spraying hot air actively to a tire. The engine exhaust heat (motor exhaust heat) is guided into the wheel house without using the engine. More specifically, the tire temperature increasing device according to the present invention distributes engine exhaust heat collected at a position ahead of the wheel house to the left and right passively by the driving wind and guides it into the wheel house. It is comprised so that it may stay together.
Hereinafter, the first to third embodiments of the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
Here, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are mainly referred to. In FIG. 2, radiators, shrouds, strakes and the like are indicated by phantom lines. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are based on the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tire temperature increasing device A1 of the present embodiment includes a heat collecting cover 1 and a pair of traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 formed integrally with the heat collecting cover 1.
The heat collecting cover 1 is provided behind the radiator 10. Incidentally, the radiator 10 is disposed above the bulkhead lower cross member 12b disposed at the front ends of the front side frames 12a and 12a of the automobile M, and is disposed outside the front side frames 12a and 12a in the vehicle width direction. It will be located in front of the wheel house H, H. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 6 indicates an inner fender that partitions the wheel house H, and reference numeral T indicates a tire (wheel) disposed in the wheel house H.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat collecting cover 1 is formed by a substantially L-shaped plate body in a cross-sectional view, and with respect to a substantially upper half of the opening 11 a of the shroud 11 attached to the rear surface side of the radiator 10. The vertical wall portions 3 of the heat collecting cover 1 are arranged so as to face each other. Incidentally, since the area of the opening 11a of the shroud 11 in this embodiment is smaller than the area in which the shroud 11 surrounds the rear surface of the radiator 10, air flowing from the rear surface of the radiator 10 (travel wind W (described later) In FIG. 4), the flow velocity is increased by the so-called throttling effect of the opening 11a. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 12a denotes a front side frame, reference numeral 6 denotes an inner fender, and reference numeral 13 denotes a splash shield.

Incidentally, in the present embodiment, by arranging the vertical wall portion 3 so as to face the substantially upper half of the opening 11a, the exhaust heat is efficiently collected as will be described later while maintaining good heat dissipation by the radiator 10. be able to. In the present invention, if the area of the vertical wall portion 3 and the distance between the shroud 11 and the vertical wall portion 3 are adjusted so that the heat radiation of the radiator 10 can be maintained, a necessary amount of heat collection can be secured. The shape of the vertical wall portion 3 may be arbitrarily determined.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A, the heat collecting cover 1 has a heat radiating hole 5 formed in the lateral wall portion 4. For example, when the traveling vehicle M (see FIG. 1) stops, the heat radiating hole 5 ensures that the engine exhaust heat dissipated from the radiator 10 (see FIG. 2) is generated in the heat collecting cover 1. It is something to prevent.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat collecting cover 1 has a mounting flange 4 a formed at the front end of the lateral wall portion 4. In the present embodiment, for example, the heat collecting cover 1 is attached by fixing the attachment flange 4a with a bolt or the like to the support portion 15 extending from the vehicle body side such as a vehicle body skeleton.
Incidentally, in the tire temperature increasing device A1 in the present embodiment, the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to a vibrating member such as the radiator 10 or the shroud 11 by fixing the heat collecting cover 1 to the vehicle body side as described above. Compared to the case, the tire temperature increasing device A1 can be attached to the automobile M more firmly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling wind guide members 2, 2 extend from the heat collecting cover 1 toward the wheel houses H, H. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), each of the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 extends left and right from the vertical wall portion 3 of the heat collecting cover 1 and then gently draws an arc. It extends toward the rear. The traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 constitute a rectifying plate for traveling wind W (see FIG. 4) which will be described later, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 are substantially C-shaped plates. Is formed.
And as shown in FIG. 1, the edge part extended to the wheel houses H and H side of the driving | running | working wind guide members 2 and 2 is an opening edge of the openings 7 and 7 formed in the inner fenders 6 and 6 demonstrated below. Are connected by mechanical fitting or welding.

The inner fenders 6 and 6 in the present embodiment mean an inner fender in a broad sense, and partition the wheel houses H and H where the tires T and T are arranged. The inner fenders 6 and 6 shown in FIG. 1 are drawn integrally for convenience of drawing, but if the wheel houses H and H are partitioned, they are formed by combining a plurality of members. May be. Further, a part of a frame (not shown) forming the skeleton of the vehicle body may also serve as a part of the inner fenders 6 and 6.

In the inner fenders 6 and 6 in the present embodiment, openings 7 and 7 are formed on the front side of the inner fenders 6 and 6. And these openings 7 and 7 are formed so that the inside of the wheel house H and H and the engine room which is not illustrated may be connected. More specifically, the openings 7 and 7 are formed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1), and the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel houses H and H as will be described later. It is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 5C).

The tire temperature increasing device A1 in the present embodiment further includes a strake 14 as shown in FIG. The strake 14 is an aerodynamic device disposed immediately before the tire T, and the strake 14 in the present embodiment is formed of a plate-like body that hangs immediately before the tire T. The strake 14 is originally known as reducing drag (Cd value) generated when the traveling wind directly hits the tread portion of the tire T. In addition, as will be described later, the strake 14 in the present embodiment has a traveling wind that does not involve engine exhaust heat in addition to this action, and the front side of the tire T and the inner side of the tire T (the tire T in the wheel house H exists). The amount of air flowing into the wheel house H from the zone that does not) is reduced. As a result, the stroking 14 can retain the engine exhaust heat in the wheel house H more stably.

Next, the function and effect of the tire temperature increasing device A1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 referred to here is a plan view partially showing the front side of the automobile on which the tire temperature increasing device of the present invention is mounted, and is a diagram for explaining the operational effects of the tire temperature increasing device. FIG. 5A is a partial side view of the front side of the automobile that schematically shows the airflow around the tire of the traveling automobile, and FIG. 5B is an automobile that schematically shows the airflow in the wheel house of the traveling automobile. FIG. 5C is a diagram schematically showing the airflow distribution in the wheel house, and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the VV cross section of FIG. In FIG. 5C, wheels, a hub, a drive shaft, a knuckle, a lower arm, an upper arm, a damper, and the like on which tires are mounted are indicated by phantom lines.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the automobile M equipped with the tire temperature increasing device A <b> 1 travels, a part of the traveling wind W received on the front side of the automobile M passes through the radiator 10. The traveling wind W that has passed through the radiator 10 is accompanied by engine exhaust heat and is directed to the heat collecting cover 1 from the openings 11a and 11a of the shroud 11 at an increased flow velocity.
And in this tire temperature rising apparatus A1, after each of the driving | running | working wind guide members 2 and 2 extended from the vertical wall part 3 of the heat collecting cover 1 to right and left, it extended toward the back in a gentle arc. Therefore, the traveling wind W accompanied with the engine exhaust heat is distributed from the heat collecting cover 1 to each of the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 and then guided in the extending direction of the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2. To the front of each of the inner fenders 6 and 6.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, traveling wind W flows around the tire T of the traveling automobile M. Further, around the tire T, there is a surface airflow S that is pulled by the tire T rotating at a high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), in the wheel house H, the traveling wind W flows from the inside of the hub 20 in the vehicle width direction from the lower part of the bumper or under the floor not shown.
However, even in the traveling vehicle M, the airflow F in the upper part of the wheel house H (the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 5C) described later) has a remarkably small velocity, and the flowing direction is also an irregular vortex. The inventors have confirmed that a similar flow is formed. Specifically, in the measurement by the simulation performed by the present inventors, the velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 30 km / h is about 1.0 to 2.0 m / s, The velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 90 km / h was about 3.0 to 5.0 m / s.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5C, in the wheel house H, the airflow region C1 formed mainly around the tire T and the traveling wind W inside the hub 20 (see FIG. 5B). Is divided into an airflow region C2 into which the air flows and an airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.
In FIG. 5C, reference numeral 21 indicates a wheel on which the tire T is mounted, reference numeral 22 indicates a drive shaft, reference numeral 23 indicates a knuckle, reference numeral 24 indicates a lower arm, reference numeral 25 indicates an upper arm, Reference numeral 26 denotes a damper.
As described above, the opening 7 is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 where the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the traveling wind W with engine exhaust heat guided to the front side of the inner fenders 6, 6 by the traveling wind guide members 2, 2 of the tire temperature increasing device A 1 has openings 7, 7. Through the airflow region C3 shown in FIG. The engine exhaust heat stays in the airflow region C3 where the speed of the airflow is extremely low.
That is, in the tire temperature increasing device A1 of the present embodiment, the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 increases the temperature of the tire T as shown in FIG. In particular, the inner surface of the tire T (the sidewall portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction) is efficiently heated. Incidentally, the sidewall portion having a smaller rubber thickness than the tread portion facilitates heat transfer to the tire air chamber that can ensure a large heat capacity. The engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 maintains the increased temperature of the tire T.

According to the tire temperature increasing device A1 as described above, the temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature is maintained, so that the rolling resistance of the tire T can be reduced. it can. As a result, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M is improved.

Further, the tire temperature increasing device A1 is different from a conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire, The temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature is maintained. Therefore, an accelerating fan and a compression device are not required to spray hot air on the surface of the tire. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A1, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the electric power consumed for driving the fan and the compression device for accelerating the hot air is supplied. Therefore, since no extra load is applied to the engine, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M can be improved with certainty.

Further, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the tire temperature increasing device A1 does not require a fan or a compression device for accelerating hot air. There is no need for a control system for the compressor. As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A1 has a simpler configuration than the conventional tire temperature increasing device, so that the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And tire temperature raising apparatus A1 can contribute to the improvement of a fuel consumption also by reducing the number of parts and reducing the weight of the motor vehicle M.

Moreover, in the conventional tire temperature raising apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the temperature of the tire surface is increased by spraying warm air. Easily escape to the surrounding atmosphere. On the other hand, the tire temperature increasing device A1 constantly increases the temperature of the tire T and maintains the increased temperature of the tire T by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and thus contributes to the tire T. The total amount of heat (total amount of heat in the airflow region C3) is large, and heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire T (without interruption). As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A1 is superior in thermal efficiency to increase the temperature of the tire T and maintain the increased temperature as compared with the conventional tire temperature increasing device.

Further, according to the tire temperature increasing device A1, the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 extend leftward and rightward from the heat collecting cover 1 provided at the rear of the radiator 10, and then extend rearward in a gentle arc. Therefore, the traveling wind W accompanied with engine exhaust heat can be smoothly guided into the wheel houses H and H without using a fan or a compression device. And according to this tire temperature rising apparatus A1, since the guide route of the driving | running | working wind W can be laid out along the inner wall of an engine room, for example, the space between a radiator and an engine, the inner wall of an engine room And the space between the battery, the modulator of the brake, the reserve tank of the radiator, and the auxiliary equipment such as the intake resonator can be used effectively.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tire temperature increasing device A1 has the stroking 14 immediately before the tire T, so that the traveling wind without exhaust heat from the engine flows through the lower portion of the bumper, the floor, etc. To avoid hitting from the front. That is, the stroking 14 reduces the amount of air that travels without engine exhaust heat collides with the tire T and then flows into the wheel house H. More specifically, the strake 14 reduces the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flowing around the tire T shown in FIG. 5A, so that the surface airflow S and the traveling wind W collide with each other. The flow rate leaking out of the wheel house H is reduced. Moreover, the stroking 14 can suppress the flow rate of the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flows into the upper portion of the wheel house H even in the case shown in FIG. In other words, the airflow region C2 shown in FIG. 5C is reduced, and the airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel house H is expanded. As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A1 makes the engine exhaust heat stay in the wheel house H in a larger area more stably. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A1, the thermal efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire T and maintaining the increased temperature of the tire T is further improved.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment and can be implemented in various forms.
In the first embodiment, the tire temperature increasing device A1 using the rectifying plate as the traveling wind guide member 2 has been described. However, the present invention is based on the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat from the heat collecting cover 1 to the wheel house H. If it can guide and guide, there will be no restriction in particular in the shape of running wind guide member 2.
Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, although tire temperature rising apparatus A1 which has the one heat collecting cover 1 formed in the substantially L shape was demonstrated, if this invention can collect engine exhaust heat from the radiator 10, it will be that There is no limitation on the shape and number.

Further, in the first embodiment, the traveling wind guide members 2 and 2 are formed of rectifying plates. However, the present invention has a mechanism for guiding the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat into the wheel houses H and H. If you do. Therefore, the present invention replaces, for example, the travel wind guide members 2 and 2 shown in FIG. 4 with a battery, a modulator for the brake, a reserve tank for the radiator, along the line L corresponding to the guide path of the travel wind W, Auxiliary equipment such as an intake resonator may be arranged, and side surfaces of these auxiliary equipment may be connected to each other to form a guide path for the traveling wind W. Incidentally, in this embodiment, in order to form the guide path of the traveling wind W so as to draw a gentle arc, the side surface of the auxiliary machine may be formed in an arc shape. Further, a partial rectifying plate may be arranged in the gap between the auxiliary machines arranged along the line segment L so as to follow the guide route of the traveling wind W.

In the first embodiment, the tire temperature increasing device applied to the engine vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle (including a hybrid vehicle and a fuel cell vehicle) whose motor is a motor. May be.

(Second Embodiment)
Below, 2nd Embodiment of the tire temperature rising apparatus of this invention is described in detail, referring a figure.
Here, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are mainly referred to. In FIG. 7, radiators, shrouds, strakes and the like are indicated by virtual lines. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are based on the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tire temperature increasing device A2 of this embodiment includes a pair of heat collecting covers 1 and 1 and ducts 2a and 2a connected to the heat collecting covers 1 and 1.
The heat collecting covers 1, 1 are provided behind the radiator 10. Incidentally, the radiator 10 is disposed above the bulkhead lower cross member 12b disposed at the front ends of the front side frames 12a and 12a of the automobile M, and is disposed outside the front side frames 12a and 12a in the vehicle width direction. It will be located in front of the wheel house H, H. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 6 indicates an inner fender that partitions the wheel house H, and reference numeral T indicates a tire disposed in the wheel house H.

As shown in FIG. 7, the heat collecting cover 1 is disposed so as to face the substantially upper half of the opening 11 a of the shroud 11 attached to the rear surface side of the radiator 10. Incidentally, the area of the opening 11a of the shroud 11 in the present embodiment is smaller than the area in which the shroud 11 surrounds the rear surface of the radiator 10, and therefore air flowing from the rear surface of the radiator 10 (travel wind W (described later) In FIG. 9), the flow velocity is increased by the so-called throttling effect of the opening 11a. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 12a indicates a front side frame, reference numeral 6 indicates an inner fender, reference numeral 13 indicates a splash shield, and reference numeral 14 indicates a strake.

Next, the pair of heat collecting covers 1 and 1 and the ducts 2a and 2a constituting the tire temperature increasing device A2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C. Since the heat collecting covers 1 and 1 and the ducts 2a and 2a have the same structure except that they are bilaterally symmetrical, only the structure of the right heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a will be described here. The description of those is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the heat collecting cover 1 includes a heat collecting plate 1a disposed so as to face the radiator 10 (see FIG. 7), and a front side (radiator 10 side) from the periphery of the heat collecting plate 1a. Wall portions 1b, 1c, and 1d that rise toward the front. That is, the heat collecting cover 1 is formed in a hood shape that covers the back side of the radiator 10 by the heat collecting plate 1a and the wall portions 1b, 1c, and 1d provided on the periphery of the heat collecting plate 1a. And, as will be described later, a tubular duct connecting portion 1e to which one end of the duct 2a is fitted and connected is formed in the wall portion 1c provided on the right edge of the heat collecting plate 1a.

As shown in FIG. 7, the hood-shaped heat collecting cover 1 in the present embodiment partially covers the back side of the radiator 10 (the opening 11a of the shroud 11), so that the engine exhaust heat can be collected efficiently. The heat radiation by the radiator 10 can be maintained satisfactorily. In the present invention, if the area of the heat collecting plate 1a and the distance between the radiator 10 and the heat collecting plate 1a are adjusted so that the heat radiation of the radiator 10 can be maintained, the necessary heat collecting amount can be secured. The shape of the heat collecting plate 1a may be arbitrarily determined.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, the several heat radiating hole 5 is formed in the wall part 1b provided in the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a. For example, when the traveling vehicle M (see FIG. 6) stops, the heat radiating hole 5 ensures that the engine exhaust heat dissipated from the radiator 10 (see FIG. 6) is generated in the heat collecting cover 1. It is something to prevent.
Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown to Fig.8 (a), the height of the standup of the wall part 1d provided in the lower edge of the heat collecting plate 1a is the wall provided in the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a. The height of the rising portion of the wall portion 1b and the wall portion 1c provided on the side edge is lower, and this also prevents the engine exhaust heat from being trapped in the heat collecting cover 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the duct 2 a extends from the heat collection cover 1 toward the wheel house H. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the duct 2a is fitted into one end of the duct 2a in the duct connecting portion 1e as shown in FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c). After extending from the wall portion 1c of the heat collecting cover 1 to the outside in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 8 (a)), the arc extends gently toward the rear.
In the duct 2a in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8C, notches 2b and 2b are formed at the end of the heat collecting cover 1 on the side to be joined to the duct connecting portion 1e. . As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the notches 2b and 2b form a hole 8 that penetrates the duct 2a up and down when the duct 2a is fitted into the duct connecting portion 1e and connected. To do. In the present embodiment, the hole 8 is formed to be displaced rearward from the center of the duct 2a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the ends of the ducts 2a, 2a extending toward the wheel houses H, H are mechanically connected to the opening edges of the openings 7, 7 formed in the inner fenders 6, 6 described below. They are connected by fitting or welding.

The inner fenders 6 and 6 in the present embodiment mean an inner fender in a broad sense, and partition the wheel houses H and H where the tires T and T are arranged. The inner fenders 6 and 6 shown in FIG. 6 are drawn integrally for convenience of drawing, but if the wheel houses H and H are partitioned, they are formed by combining a plurality of members. May be. Further, a part of a frame (not shown) forming the skeleton of the vehicle body may also serve as a part of the inner fenders 6 and 6.

In the inner fenders 6 and 6 in the present embodiment, openings 7 and 7 are formed on the front side of the inner fenders 6 and 6. And these openings 7 and 7 are formed so that the inside of the wheel house H and H and the engine room which is not illustrated may be connected. More specifically, the openings 7 and 7 are formed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 6), and the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel houses H and H as will be described later. It is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 10C).

As shown in FIG. 9, the tire temperature increasing device A2 according to the present embodiment as described above includes, for example, the wall 1b and the duct 2a of the heat collecting cover 1 via the stay 27 on the vehicle body (vehicle body frame or the like). The duct 2a is fixed to the vehicle body (vehicle body frame or the like) via the resin band 28 by bolts or the like.
By the way, in the tire temperature increasing device A2 in the present embodiment, the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a are fixed to the vehicle body. Therefore, compared with the case where these are fixed to a vibrating member such as the radiator 10, for example. The tire heating device A2 can be firmly attached to the automobile M.

The tire temperature increasing device A2 in the present embodiment further includes a strake 14 as shown in FIG. The strake 14 is an aerodynamic device disposed immediately before the tire T, and the strake 14 in the present embodiment is formed of a plate-like body that hangs immediately before the tire T. The strake 14 is originally known as reducing drag (Cd value) generated when the traveling wind directly hits the tread portion of the tire T. In addition, as will be described later, the strake 14 in the present embodiment has a traveling wind that does not involve engine exhaust heat in addition to this action, and the front side of the tire T and the inner side of the tire T (the tire T in the wheel house H exists). The amount of air flowing into the wheel house H from the zone that does not) is reduced. As a result, the stroking 14 can retain the engine exhaust heat in the wheel house H more stably.

Next, the effect of the tire temperature increasing device A2 according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the automobile M equipped with the tire temperature increasing device A <b> 2 travels, a part of the traveling wind W received on the front side of the automobile M passes through the radiator 10. The traveling wind W that has passed through the radiator 10 is accompanied by engine exhaust heat and is directed toward the heat collecting cover 1 from the openings 11a and 11a of the shroud 11 (see FIG. 7) at an increased flow velocity.

And in this tire temperature rising apparatus A2, since each of the ducts 2a and 2a extended from the heat collecting cover 1 to right and left, and extended slowly toward the back in a circular arc, it was accompanied by engine exhaust heat. The traveling wind W is distributed right and left from the heat collecting cover 1 to each of the ducts 2a and 2a. Thereafter, the traveling wind W accompanied with engine exhaust heat is guided in the extending direction of the ducts 2a and 2a and guided into the wheel houses H and H.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10A, traveling wind W flows around the tire T of the traveling automobile M. Further, around the tire T, there is a surface airflow S that is pulled by the tire T rotating at a high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), in the wheel house H, the traveling wind W flows from the inside of the hub 20 in the vehicle width direction from the lower part of the bumper or the floor below.
However, even in the traveling vehicle M, the airflow F in the upper part of the wheel house H (the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 10C) described later) has a remarkably small velocity, and the flowing direction becomes a random vortex. The inventors have confirmed that a similar flow is formed. Specifically, in the measurement by the simulation performed by the present inventors, the velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 30 km / h is about 1.0 to 2.0 m / s, The velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 90 km / h was about 3.0 to 5.0 m / s.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10C, in the wheel house H, the airflow region C1 formed mainly around the tire T and the traveling wind W inside the hub 20 (see FIG. 10B). Is divided into an airflow region C2 into which the air flows and an airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.
In FIG. 10C, reference numeral 21 indicates a wheel on which the tire T is mounted, reference numeral 22 indicates a drive shaft, reference numeral 23 indicates a knuckle, reference numeral 24 indicates a lower arm, reference numeral 25 indicates an upper arm, Reference numeral 26 denotes a damper.
As described above, the opening 7 is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 where the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat guided by the ducts 2a and 2a of the tire temperature increasing device A2 flows through the openings 7 and 7 in the airflow region shown in FIG. Flow into C3. The engine exhaust heat stays in the airflow region C3 where the speed of the airflow is extremely low.
That is, in the tire temperature increasing device A2 of the present embodiment, the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 increases the temperature of the tire T as shown in FIG. In particular, the inner surface of the tire T (the sidewall portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction) is efficiently heated. Incidentally, the sidewall portion having a smaller rubber thickness than the tread portion facilitates heat transfer to the tire air chamber that can ensure a large heat capacity. The engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 maintains the increased temperature of the tire T.

According to the tire temperature increasing device A2 as described above, the temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature is maintained, so that the rolling resistance of the tire T can be reduced. it can. As a result, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M is improved.

Further, the tire temperature increasing device A2 is different from a conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire, The temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature is maintained. Therefore, an accelerating fan and a compression device are not required to spray hot air on the surface of the tire. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A2, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the electric power consumed for driving the fan and the compression device for accelerating the hot air is supplied. Therefore, since no extra load is applied to the engine, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M can be improved with certainty.

Further, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the tire temperature increasing device A2 does not require a fan or a compression device for accelerating the warm air. There is no need for a control system for the compressor. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A2, the configuration is simpler than that of the conventional tire temperature increasing device, so that the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And the tire temperature increasing device A2 can also contribute to the improvement of fuel consumption by reducing the number of parts and reducing the weight of the automobile M.

Moreover, in the conventional tire temperature raising apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the temperature of the tire surface is increased by spraying warm air. Easily escape to the surrounding atmosphere. On the other hand, the tire temperature increasing device A2 constantly increases the temperature of the tire T and maintains the increased temperature of the tire T by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and thus contributes to the tire T. The total amount of heat (total amount of heat in the airflow region C3) is large, and heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire T (without interruption). As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A2 is superior in thermal efficiency to increase the temperature of the tire T and maintain the increased temperature as compared with the conventional tire temperature increasing device.

Further, according to the tire temperature increasing device A2, the ducts 2a, 2a extend from the heat collecting cover 1 provided at the rear of the radiator 10 to the left and right, and then gently draw an arc and extend toward the rear. Even without using a fan or a compression device, the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat can be smoothly guided into the wheel houses H and H. And according to this tire temperature rising apparatus A2, since the guide route of the driving | running | working wind W can be laid out along the inner wall of an engine room, for example, the space between a radiator and an engine, the inner wall of an engine room And the space between the battery, the modulator of the brake, the reserve tank of the radiator, and the auxiliary equipment such as the intake resonator can be used effectively.

Further, in the tire heating device A2, since the hole 8 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) penetrating the duct 2a is formed, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is arranged in the engine room. When the pipe 30 of the air conditioner compressor 29 extends upward from below the engine room, the pipe 30 can be passed through the hole 8. That is, in the tire temperature increasing device A2, it is possible to dispose the duct 2a without detouring the duct 2a without changing the route through which the existing pipe 30 extends.

Further, according to the tire temperature increasing device A2, since one end of the duct 2a is fitted into the duct connecting portion 1e and the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a are integrated, any of the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a separated from each other. One of them can be attached to the vehicle body first, and then the other can be attached to the vehicle body. Incidentally, when the pipe 30 is passed through the hole 8, the pipe 30 is previously placed in the notches 2b and 2b of the duct 2a, and then one end of the duct 2a is fitted into the duct connecting portion 1e. Even after 30 is attached to the air conditioner compressor 29, the pipe 30 can be easily passed through the hole 8.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the tire temperature increasing device A2 has a strok 14 immediately before the tire T, so that a traveling wind without exhaust heat from the engine flows through the lower part of the bumper or under the floor and the tire T To avoid hitting from the front. That is, the stroking 14 reduces the amount of air that travels without engine exhaust heat collides with the tire T and then flows into the wheel house H. More specifically, the strake 14 reduces the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flowing around the tire T shown in FIG. 10A, so that the surface airflow S collides with the traveling wind W, and the turbulent flow. The flow rate leaking out of the wheel house H is reduced. Moreover, the stroking 14 can suppress the flow rate of the traveling wind W not accompanied by engine exhaust heat flowing into the upper portion of the wheel house H even in the case shown in FIG. In other words, the airflow region C2 shown in FIG. 10C is reduced, and the airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel house H is expanded. As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A2 retains the engine exhaust heat in the wheel house H in a larger area more stably. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A2, the thermal efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire T and maintaining the increased temperature of the tire T is further improved.

Although the second embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the second embodiment and can be implemented in various forms. FIG. 11 to be referred to next is a perspective view partially showing the front side of the automobile on which the tire temperature increasing device according to the modification of the second embodiment of the present invention is mounted. FIG. FIG. 12 is a plan view partially showing the front side of an automobile equipped with a tire temperature raising apparatus according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
Note that, in a tire temperature raising apparatus according to a modification of the second embodiment described below, the same components as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 11, the ducts 2 a and 2 a in the tire heating device A <b> 3 according to the modification of the second embodiment are buffer parts B and the like formed by bellows boots in the middle of extending toward the wheel houses H and H, B. In the ducts 2a and 2a, the duct portion further extending from the buffer portions B and B is fixed to, for example, a vehicle body skeleton (not shown), and the tip portion of the duct portion is larger than the diameter of the duct portion. The large diameter openings 7 and 7 are inserted.

In the second embodiment, the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a having the same structure except for the left / right symmetry have been described. However, the present invention may be asymmetrical. As shown in FIG. 12, in the tire temperature increasing device A4 according to the modified example of the second embodiment here, an intake resonator 31 is disposed on the back side of the radiator 10, and an electric fuse box 32 is provided at the left front corner of the engine room. Is mounted on the automobile M in which is arranged. More specifically, in this tire temperature raising apparatus A4, the length in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 11) is longer than that of the right heat collection cover 1 so that the left heat collection cover 1 avoids the intake resonator 31. Is also formed short.

Further, in the tire temperature increasing device A4, the length of the duct 2a extending from the left heat collecting cover 1 to the outside in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 11) so that the left duct 2a avoids the fuse box 32. It is shorter than the right duct 2a. The right duct 2a extends substantially straight rearward to the opening 7 of the inner fender 6, whereas the left duct 2a is inclined outward in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 11). It extends to the opening 7 of the inner fender 6. Incidentally, unlike the right duct 2a, no hole 8 is formed in the left duct 2a.

In the second embodiment, one end of the duct 2a is fitted into the duct connecting portion 1e of the heat collecting cover 1 so that the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a are integrated. The heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a may be molded in advance so as to be integrated.

In the second embodiment, the hole 8 is formed in the duct 2a. However, the present invention may include the duct 2a in which the hole 8 is not formed.

In the second embodiment, the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to the vehicle body (vehicle body frame or the like) with a bolt or the like via the stay 27. However, in the present invention, the heat collecting cover 1 is provided with the radiator 10 or the shroud 11. It may be attached to the vibrating member.

In the second embodiment, the tire temperature raising device applied to an engine vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle (including a hybrid vehicle and a fuel cell vehicle) whose motor is a motor. May be.

(Third embodiment)
Below, 3rd Embodiment of the tire temperature rising apparatus of this invention is described in detail, referring a figure. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are based on the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the tire temperature increasing device A5 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of heat collecting covers 1 disposed behind the radiator 10 and a duct 2a formed integrally with the heat collecting cover 1. A heat collecting member 9 is provided.
Incidentally, the radiator 10 is disposed above the bulkhead lower cross member 12b disposed at the front ends of the front side frames 12a and 12a of the automobile M (vehicle), and the outside of the front side frames 12a and 12a in the vehicle width direction. Will be located in front of the wheel houses H, H. In FIG. 13, a symbol T indicates a tire disposed in the wheel house H.

Next, the heat collecting member 9 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 14, but the pair of heat collecting members 9 in the present embodiment have the same structure except that they are bilaterally symmetrical. Here, only the structure of the right heat collecting member 9 will be described, and the description of the left heat collecting member 9 will be omitted.
As described above, the heat collecting member 9 has the heat collecting cover 1 and the duct 2a.
The heat collecting cover 1 includes a heat collecting plate 1a disposed so as to face the radiator 10 (see FIG. 13), and walls 1b, 1c, which rise from the peripheral edge of the heat collecting plate 1a toward the front side (the radiator 10 side). 1d. That is, the heat collecting cover 1 is formed in a hood shape that covers the back side of the radiator 10 by the heat collecting plate 1a and the wall portions 1b, 1c, and 1d provided on the periphery of the heat collecting plate 1a. One end of a duct 2a is connected to the wall 1c provided on the right edge of the heat collecting plate 1a, and the duct 2a communicates with the inside of the heat collecting cover 1 formed in a hood shape. .

As shown in FIG. 13, the heat collecting cover 1 in the present embodiment is arranged so as to face the back side surface of the radiator 10, thereby efficiently collecting engine exhaust heat. In the present invention, if the area of the heat collecting plate 1a and the distance between the radiator 10 and the heat collecting plate 1a are adjusted so that the heat radiation of the radiator 10 can be maintained, the necessary heat collecting amount can be secured. The shape of the heat collecting plate 1a may be arbitrarily determined.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the several heat radiating hole 5 is formed in the wall part 1b provided in the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a. For example, when the traveling vehicle M (see FIG. 13) stops, the heat radiating hole 5 ensures that the engine exhaust heat dissipated from the radiator 10 (see FIG. 13) is generated in the heat collecting cover 1. It is something to prevent.
Further, as shown in FIG. 14, a mounting flange 1f extending toward the front side is formed on the wall 1b. The flange 1f may be a separate part from the heat collecting cover 1 or an integral structure depending on the production and assembly process of the vehicle body.
In the present embodiment, the rising height of the wall 1d provided on the lower edge of the heat collecting plate 1a is provided on the wall 1b provided on the upper edge of the heat collecting plate 1a and on the side edge. This is lower than the rising height of the wall portion 1c, and this also more reliably prevents the engine exhaust heat from getting inside the heat collecting cover 1.

As shown in FIG. 13, the heat collecting cover 1 in the present embodiment is formed by fixing the mounting flange 1f with a bolt or the like to a vehicle body (for example, a bulkhead upper center frame 12c as a vehicle body skeleton). It will be attached. In addition, when attaching another member (for example, bumper cowl 16) to the vehicle body from the upper side, the attachment flange 1f is preferably fastened together with the other member.
Incidentally, in the tire temperature increasing device A5 in this embodiment, since the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to the vehicle body side as described above, for example, the case where the heat collecting cover 1 is fixed to a vibrating member such as the radiator 10 and the like. In comparison, the tire heating device A5 can be attached to the automobile M more firmly.

As shown in FIG. 14, the duct 2a extends from the heat collecting cover 1 to the right side (outside in the vehicle width direction).
As shown in FIG. 13, the duct 2a is connected to a bulkhead upper side frame 12d, which is a hollow vehicle body skeleton described below, and communicates with a hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. . More specifically, the tip of the duct 2a in this embodiment is inserted into an opening 12h formed inside the front portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d.
The bulkhead upper side frame 12d corresponds to a “body skeleton” in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 15, the bulkhead upper side frames 12d, 12d are hollow members extending in the front-rear direction of the automobile M substantially above the front side frames 12a, 12a, and the rear ends thereof are front parts. It is connected to the wheel house lower extensions 12e, 12e. Incidentally, the front wheel house lower extensions 12e and 12e constitute a part of the front side of the inner fenders 6 and 6 that define the wheel houses H and H, and are also vehicle body skeletons.

The bulkhead upper center frame 12c is disposed at the front ends of the bulkhead upper side frames 12d and 12d. Incidentally, the upper end of the radiator 10 is arranged along the rear of the bulkhead upper center frame 12c. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 12f denotes a bulkhead side stay, which connects the bulkhead upper center frame 12c and the aforementioned bulkhead lower cross member 12b. The front side frame 12a, the bulkhead lower cross member 12b, the bulkhead upper center frame 12c, and the bulkhead side stay 12f, together with the bulkhead upper side frame 12d and the front wheel house lower extension 12e, It constitutes the skeleton.

And as shown in FIG. 15, the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is connected to the upper member 12j (wheel house upper member). The upper member 12j is a hollow member extending from the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d toward the rear side of the automobile M. In addition, the hollow part is sealed with the partition wall 12g at the front side of the upper member 12j in this embodiment. That is, the front of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is sealed with the bulkhead upper center frame 12c and the subsequent is sealed with the partition wall 12g, so that one end of the duct 2a of the heat collecting member 9 is inserted. The hollow portion is a closed space except for the opening 12h and the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e described below.

The front wheel house lower extension 12e is a hollow member and constitutes a part of the front side of the inner fender 6 that partitions the wheel house H as described above.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the front wheel house lower extension 12e is connected to a front side gusset 12k provided on the front side of the front side frame 12a. It extends toward the upper rear of M. The rear end is connected to the rear end of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, and the hollow portion of the front wheel house lower extension 12e and the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d communicate with each other. In FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the symbol T is a tire, and in FIG. 16, the symbol 12g is a partition wall.

An opening 7 facing the wheel house H is formed on the lower surface of the rear end of the front wheel house lower extension 12e as shown in FIG. The opening 7 corresponds to “an opening formed in the inner fender” in the claims.
This opening 7 allows the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d to communicate with the inside of the wheel house H. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the heat collecting cover 1 and the inside of the wheel house H communicate with each other through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. Incidentally, three openings 7 in the present embodiment are formed per one wheel house H, and are arranged so as to be lined up in the front and rear direction near the front side of the wheel house H. These openings 7 are formed closer to the inner side in the vehicle width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 16), and as will be described later, an airflow region C3 (FIG. c).

The tire temperature increasing device A5 in this embodiment further includes a strake 14 as shown in FIG. The strake 14 is an aerodynamic device disposed immediately before the tire T, and the strake 14 in the present embodiment is formed of a plate-like body that hangs immediately before the tire T. The strake 14 is originally known as reducing drag (Cd value) generated when the traveling wind directly hits the tread portion of the tire T. In addition, as will be described later, the strake 14 in the present embodiment has a traveling wind that does not involve engine exhaust heat in addition to this action, and the front side of the tire T and the inner side of the tire T (the tire T in the wheel house H exists). The amount of air flowing into the wheel house H from the zone that does not) is reduced. As a result, the stroking 14 can retain the engine exhaust heat in the wheel house H more stably.

Next, the function and effect of the tire heating device A5 according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 15, when the automobile M equipped with the tire temperature increasing device A5 travels, a part of the traveling wind W received on the front side of the automobile M passes through the radiator 10. The traveling wind W that has passed through the radiator 10 is accompanied by engine exhaust heat and travels toward the heat collecting covers 1 and 1.
The traveling wind W that has passed through the ducts 2a and 2a extending from the heat collecting covers 1 and 1 to the left and right respectively enters the hollow portions of the bulkhead upper side frames 12d and 12d through the openings 12h and 12h.
Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the traveling wind W that has entered the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d is guided into the wheel house H through the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e. At this time, the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat flowing through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d via the duct 2a is guided to the wheel house H accurately because there is almost no disturbance to the flow.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17A, traveling wind W flows around the tire T of the traveling automobile M. Further, around the tire T, there is a surface airflow S that is pulled by the tire T rotating at a high speed and flows in the rotation direction on the surface thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17 (b), in the wheel house H, the traveling wind W flows from the inside of the hub 20 in the vehicle width direction from the lower part of the bumper or under the floor (not shown).
However, even in the traveling vehicle M, the airflow F in the upper part of the wheel house H (the airflow region C3 (see FIG. 17 (c) described later)) has a remarkably small velocity, and the flowing direction becomes a random vortex. The inventors have confirmed that a similar flow is formed. Specifically, in the measurement by the simulation performed by the present inventors, the velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 30 km / h is about 1.0 to 2.0 m / s, The velocity of the airflow at the upper part in the wheel house H of the automobile traveling at 90 km / h was about 3.0 to 5.0 m / s.

That is, as shown in FIG. 17C, in the wheel house H, mainly the airflow region C1 formed around the tire T and the traveling wind W inside the hub 20 (see FIG. 17B). Is divided into an airflow region C2 into which the air flows and an airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.
In FIG. 17C, reference numeral 21 indicates a wheel on which the tire T is mounted, reference numeral 22 indicates a drive shaft, reference numeral 23 indicates a knuckle, reference numeral 24 indicates a lower arm, reference numeral 25 indicates an upper arm, Reference numeral 26 denotes a damper.
As described above, the opening 7 is formed so as to face the airflow region C3 where the velocity of the airflow is extremely small.

As a result, the traveling wind W flowing into the airflow region C3 shown in FIG. 17C through the opening 7 shown in FIG. 16 causes the engine exhaust heat to stay in the airflow region C3.
That is, in the tire temperature increasing device A5 of the present embodiment, the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 increases the temperature of the tire T as shown in FIG. In particular, the inner surface of the tire T (the sidewall portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction) is efficiently heated. Incidentally, the sidewall portion having a smaller rubber thickness than the tread portion facilitates heat transfer to the tire air chamber that can ensure a large heat capacity. The engine exhaust heat accumulated in the airflow region C3 maintains the increased temperature of the tire T.

According to the tire temperature increasing device A5 as described above, the temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the increased temperature of the tire T is maintained, so that the rolling resistance of the tire T is reduced. can do. As a result, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M is improved.

Further, the tire temperature increasing device A5 is different from a conventional tire temperature increasing device (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) in which warm air is sprayed on the surface of the tire to increase the temperature of the tire, The temperature of the tire T is increased by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and the temperature is maintained. Therefore, an accelerating fan and a compression device are not required to spray hot air on the surface of the tire. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the electric power consumed for driving the fan and the compression device for accelerating the hot air is supplied. Therefore, since no extra load is applied to the engine, the fuel efficiency of the automobile M can be improved with certainty.

Further, unlike the conventional tire temperature increasing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the tire temperature increasing device A5 does not require a fan or a compression device for accelerating the hot air. There is no need for a control system for the compressor. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, since the configuration is simpler than that of the conventional tire temperature increasing device, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And the tire temperature raising device A5 can also contribute to the improvement of fuel consumption by reducing the number of parts and reducing the weight of the automobile M.

Moreover, in the conventional tire temperature raising apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), the temperature of the tire surface is increased by spraying warm air. Easily escape to the surrounding atmosphere. In contrast, the tire heating device A5 constantly increases the temperature of the tire T and maintains the increased temperature of the tire T by the engine exhaust heat accumulated in the wheel house H, and thus contributes to the tire T. The total amount of heat (total amount of heat in the airflow region C3) is large, and heat can be continuously and stably supplied to the tire T (without interruption). As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A5 is superior in thermal efficiency to maintain the temperature of the tire T and the increased temperature as compared with the conventional tire temperature increasing device.

Further, the tire temperature raising device A5 guides the traveling wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat into the wheel house H using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d which is a vehicle body skeleton. Therefore, the section using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d can omit the guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the tire heating device A5. can do.
Further, in the section using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W can be omitted. It does not interfere with auxiliary equipment such as batteries, air conditioner piping, and intake resonators. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is expanded as compared with, for example, a configuration in which a guide member for the traveling wind W is provided.

Further, the tire temperature raising device A5 guides the running wind W accompanied by engine exhaust heat into the wheel house H using the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d which is a vehicle body skeleton. Therefore, in the tire temperature increasing device A5, when the traveling wind W passes through the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, heat transfer (convection heat transfer) and heat radiation (radiation) from the engine, the transmission, etc. Furthermore, the engine exhaust heat is received. As a result, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, the temperature of the tire T can be increased more efficiently and the increased temperature of the tire T can be maintained.

Further, in this tire temperature raising device A5, a bulkhead upper side frame 12d as a vehicle body skeleton is directly connected to a front wheel house lower extension 12e that constitutes a part of the inner fender 6, and the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. Since the hollow portion and the inside of the wheel house H are in direct communication with each other through the opening 7, a guide member (for example, a rectifying plate or a duct) for the traveling wind W that connects the bulkhead upper side frame 12d and the wheel house H. ) Need not be provided separately. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the degree of freedom of layout in the engine room is further expanded.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the tire temperature increasing device A5 has a strok 14 immediately before the tire T, so that the running wind without exhaust heat from the engine flows through the lower part of the bumper or under the floor and the tire T To avoid hitting from the front. That is, the stroking 14 reduces the amount of air that travels without engine exhaust heat collides with the tire T and then flows into the wheel house H. More specifically, the strake 14 reduces the traveling wind W that does not involve engine exhaust heat flowing around the tire T shown in FIG. The flow rate leaking out of the wheel house H is reduced. Moreover, the stroking 14 can suppress the flow rate of the traveling wind W not accompanied by engine exhaust heat flowing into the upper portion of the wheel house H even in the case shown in FIG. In other words, the airflow region C2 shown in FIG. 17C is reduced, and the airflow region C3 in which the velocity of the airflow is extremely small in the wheel house H is expanded. As a result, the tire temperature increasing device A5 causes the engine exhaust heat to stay in the wheel house H in a larger area more stably. Therefore, according to the tire temperature increasing device A5, the thermal efficiency for increasing the temperature of the tire T and maintaining the increased tire temperature is further improved.

Although the third embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the third embodiment and can be implemented in various forms.
In the third embodiment, the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d communicates with the inside of the wheel house H through the opening 7 formed in the front wheel house lower extension 12e constituting a part of the inner fender 6. However, the present invention may include a guide member for the traveling wind W such as a duct for communicating the hollow portion of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d with the inside of the wheel house H.

In the third embodiment, the heat collection cover 1 is attached to the bulkhead upper center frame 12c, which is a vehicle body skeleton. However, the heat collection cover 1 may be attached to the radiator 10 in the present invention. In this case, it is desirable that the duct 2a of the heat collecting member 9 is provided with a vibration buffer portion formed of a bellows boot or the like in the middle of extending toward the bulkhead upper side frame 12d.

In the third embodiment, the duct 2a of the heat collecting member 9 is inserted into the opening 12h of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. However, in the present invention, the duct 2a is a mechanical fastener at the opening edge of the opening 12h. It may be connected by welding or the like.

Moreover, in the said 3rd Embodiment, although the driving | running | working wind W accompanying engine exhaust heat is guide | induced in the wheel house through the hollow part of the bulkhead upper side frame 12d, this invention is in the front part of the motor vehicle M. The vehicle body skeleton is not limited to the bulkhead upper side frame 12d. For example, the traveling wind W is guided into the wheel house H through another vehicle skeleton such as a hollow front wheel house lower extension 12e. Also good.
Moreover, although the said 3rd Embodiment demonstrated what has the heat collecting member 9 of the same structure except becoming left-right symmetric, a pair of heat collecting member 9 may be asymmetrical.

In the third embodiment, the tire temperature increasing device applied to the engine vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle (including a hybrid vehicle and a fuel cell vehicle) whose motor is a motor. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat collecting cover 1a Heat collecting cover 1e Duct connection part 2 Traveling wind guide member 2a Duct 3 Vertical wall part 4 Horizontal wall part 5 Heat radiation hole 6 Inner fender 7 Opening 8 Hole 9 Heat collecting member 10 Radiator 12d Bulkhead upper side frame (vehicle body) Skeleton)
14 Stroke A1 Tire heating device A2 Tire heating device A3 Tire heating device A4 Tire heating device A5 Tire heating device M Automobile H Wheelhouse T Tire W Running wind

Claims (7)

1. A tire heating device characterized in that a heat collecting cover is provided at the rear of the radiator so that the exhaust heat of the prime mover collected is guided and retained in the wheel house.
2. The tire temperature increasing device according to claim 1, further comprising a traveling wind guide member that guides the traveling wind accompanied by the prime mover exhaust heat into the wheel house.
3. The tire temperature increasing device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust heat from the prime mover is guided and retained in the wheel house through a duct connected to the heat collecting cover.
4. The tire temperature increasing device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust heat of the prime mover is guided and retained in the wheel house through a hollow portion of a vehicle body skeleton in a front portion of the vehicle.
5. The vehicle body skeleton that guides the exhaust heat of the prime mover is directly connected to an inner fender that partitions the inside of the wheel house, and the hollow portion of the vehicle body skeleton and the inside of the wheel house are connected through an opening formed in the inner fender. The tire temperature increasing device according to claim 4, wherein the tire temperature increasing device is communicated with each other.
6. The tire heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat collecting cover is formed in a hood shape that partially covers a back side of the radiator.
7. The tire temperature increasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat collecting cover has a heat radiating hole.

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