JP7639671B2 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

Internal combustion engines have traditionally been used as the driving source for vehicles such as automobiles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). These vehicles are provided with radiators for cooling the on-board internal combustion engines. For example, a frame-shaped radiator support is provided at the front of the vehicle, and a radiator is attached to this radiator support.

The vehicle is also provided with an intake duct for guiding intake air to the onboard internal combustion engine. Typically, the end of the intake duct that takes in air (air intake port) is positioned in a position at the front of the vehicle where the front is not blocked by the radiator support or radiator. In the vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the air intake port of the intake duct is positioned in front of the radiator support.

JP 2020-132115 A

When a vehicle travels on a flooded road, the vehicle pushes aside water in front of it, causing the water level in front of the vehicle to rise temporarily. In this case, there is a risk that water will flow into the inside of the vehicle (more specifically, the engine room) from the front end of the vehicle. If water flows into the engine room in this way, there is a risk that some of this water will be sucked into the air intake duct located at the front of the vehicle through the air intake port of the duct.

The vehicle front structure for solving the above problem has a radiator support that is provided at the front of the vehicle and supports a radiator, and a cover member that covers the upper part of the radiator support, and an air intake port that forms one end of an intake duct for an on-board combustion engine is disposed above the cover member, and a recess is provided in the cover member at a position on the vehicle front side of the air intake port, such that the upper surface of the cover member is recessed downward, and a through hole is provided in the recess that connects the inside of the recess to the lower part of the cover member.

In the above configuration, when the water level in front of the vehicle reaches or exceeds a predetermined level while the vehicle is traveling on a flooded road, water flowing into the interior of the vehicle from the front end of the vehicle flows over the upper surface of the cover member.
According to the above configuration, in such a case, the water flowing on the upper surface of the cover member can be made to flow into a recess provided on the vehicle front side of the air intake port before it reaches the air intake port of the intake duct and can be stored therein. This blocks the flow of water toward the air intake port, thereby preventing the water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences such as water being sucked into the intake duct through the air intake port. Moreover, the water stored in the recess can be discharged below the cover member through the through hole provided in the recess of the cover member. As a result, when the water continues to flow into the recess, a state in which water can flow into the recess, that is, a state in which water can be prevented from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port, can be maintained for a long time by the amount of water discharged from the recess to the outside. In addition, after the water flow into the recess stops, the state in which water has accumulated in the recess can be eliminated. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the water from entering the intake duct of the internal combustion engine when the vehicle is traveling on a flooded road in this way.

In the above vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the cover member has a cover recessed passage in which the upper surface of the cover member is recessed downward, and that the cover recessed passage extends from the end of the cover member on the vehicle front side to the recessed portion.

According to the above configuration, the cover recessed passage in the cover member can be positioned lower than the portion corresponding to the edge. This allows the water flowing into the inside of the vehicle from the front end of the vehicle in the process of rising water level in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling on a flooded road to easily flow into the cover recessed passage positioned below. Because this cover recessed passage is connected to the recess, the water that flows into the cover recessed passage is guided to the recess and accumulates there. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the water flowing on the upper surface of the cover member can be easily guided into the recess and accumulated there. This makes it possible to effectively prevent water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake of the intake duct.

In the above vehicle front structure, an exterior member of the vehicle is provided on the vehicle front side of the cover member, and the exterior member has an exterior recessed passage in which the upper surface of the exterior member is recessed downward, and the exterior recessed passage preferably extends in a manner that connects the end of the exterior member on the vehicle front side and the cover recessed passage of the cover member.

According to the above configuration, when an exterior member of the vehicle is provided in front of the cover member, the exterior recessed passage of this exterior member can be positioned lower than the portion corresponding to the edge of the exterior member. This makes it possible to create a structure in which water flowing into the interior of the vehicle from the front end of the vehicle in the process of rising water level in front of the vehicle as the vehicle travels on a flooded road can easily flow into the exterior recessed passage positioned below. Because this exterior recessed passage is connected to the cover recessed passage and the recess of the cover member, water that flows into the exterior recessed passage is guided to the recess and accumulates there. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a structure can be created in which water flowing over the upper surface of the cover member can easily flow into the recess and accumulate there.

In the above vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the air intake port of the intake duct and the recess of the cover member are provided at positions that do not overlap with each other in the vehicle width direction.
According to the above configuration, even if the water that has accumulated in the recess overflows and flows toward the rear of the vehicle, the water is unlikely to reach the vicinity of the air intake port, and therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port of the intake duct.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent water from entering the intake duct when the vehicle is traveling on a flooded road.

1 is a front view of a vehicle to which a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment is applied. FIG. FIG. 4 is an end view of the cover member taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. 4 is a front view showing a central portion of the bumper and the cover member in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 5 is an operational diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle front structure. FIG.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a vehicle front structure will be described.
As shown in Fig. 1, a bumper 11 is attached to the front of a vehicle 10. The bumper 11 is an exterior member that constitutes the exterior of the vehicle 10. The bumper 11 constitutes the front end portion of the vehicle 10. The bumper 11 has an opening 12 that penetrates the bumper 11 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 10. When the vehicle 10 is traveling, air flows from the front to the rear of the bumper 11 through the opening 12. The vehicle 10 has a hood 13 for opening and closing the engine room.

<Radiator 15>
1 to 3, a radiator 15 is provided in the front of the vehicle 10. The radiator 15 is a heat exchanger used to cool an internal combustion engine 14 mounted on the vehicle. The radiator 15 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as the rear side) from the bumper 11. More specifically, the radiator 15 is disposed in the center in the vehicle width direction, in the front end portion of the engine room.

<Radiator support 16>
A radiator support 16 having a rectangular frame shape is provided at the front of the vehicle 10, more specifically, at the front end of the engine room. The radiator support 16 has a pair of side members 16S that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction and extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The radiator support 16 has an upper member 16U that extends in the vehicle width direction to connect the upper ends of the side members 16S, and a lower member 16L that extends in the vehicle width direction to connect the lower ends of the side members 16S. The radiator 15 is attached to the radiator support 16 in a manner that it is housed inside the rectangular frame-shaped radiator support 16. In this embodiment, the radiator support 16 is provided at the front of the vehicle 10, and the radiator 15 is supported by the radiator support 16.

<Cover Member 20>
A cover member 20 is provided above the upper member 16U of the radiator support 16. The cover member 20 is basically in the form of a plate extending in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction. The cover member 20 is shaped to cover the entire upper portion of the upper member 16U and its surroundings. The cover member 20 is provided on the rear side of the bumper 11 on the vehicle 10. The cover member 20 is disposed at the front end portion of the engine compartment.

<Intake duct 17>
An intake duct 17 for the internal combustion engine 14 is provided in the engine compartment of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, an end 17E of the intake duct 17 on the side where air is sucked in is fixed to the upper surface of the cover member 20. The intake duct 17 is fixed to the cover member 20 in such a manner that an opening portion of the intake duct 17 at the end 17E (hereinafter, air intake port 17A) opens forward.

In this embodiment, the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 is located above the cover member 20. As a result, the air intake port 17A, which forms one end of the intake duct 17, is located in a position where the front is not blocked by the radiator support 16 or the radiator 15 in the front part of the vehicle 10. In addition, the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 is located on the right side of the vehicle 10 (left side in FIG. 1) rather than the center in the vehicle width direction, specifically above the side member 16S of the radiator support 16.

In this embodiment, a structure is adopted that is capable of suppressing the intrusion of water into the intake duct 17 when the vehicle 10 is running on a flooded road. This structure will be described in detail below.
<Recess 21>
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the cover member 20 has a recess 21 whose upper surface is recessed downward. The recess 21 is provided in a position on the cover member 20 forward of the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17. The recess 21 is also provided in a position shifted in the vehicle width direction from the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17. More specifically, the recess 21 of the cover member 20 and the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 are provided in a position where they do not overlap in the vehicle width direction. The recess 21 extends in the vertical direction with a substantially rectangular cross section. The peripheral wall 22 of the recess 21 extends in the vertical direction (more specifically, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flat road surface). The bottom wall 23 of the recess 21 has a stepped shape in which the central portion in the vehicle width direction (hereinafter, the lower step portion 23B) is lower than both side portions in the vehicle width direction (hereinafter, the middle step portion 23U).

<Through hole 24>
As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the recess 21 has four through holes 24. All of these through holes 24 communicate with the inside of the recess 21 and the lower part of the cover member 20. One of these through holes 24 (through hole 24B) is provided in the lower stage 23B of the bottom wall 23 of the recess 21. The remaining three of the through holes 24 (through hole 24U) are provided in the middle stage 23U of the bottom wall 23 of the recess 21. The through hole 24U is provided in the middle stage 23U on the left side of the vehicle 10 (the right side in Fig. 3) of the pair of middle stages 23U. The three through holes 24U are elongated holes extending in the front-rear direction and extend parallel to each other in the vehicle width direction.

<Cover concave passage 25>
As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a cover recessed path 25 is provided in the center of the cover member 20 in the vehicle width direction, such that the upper surface of the cover member 20 is recessed downward. The cover recessed path 25 is a portion of the cover member 20 formed to extend with a substantially U-shaped cross section. In this embodiment, the portion of the upper surface of the cover member 20 that corresponds to the bottom surface of the cover recessed path 25 is the lowest among the various portions. The cover recessed path 25 extends from the end portion of the cover member 20 on the vehicle front side (hereinafter, the front end) to the recess 21 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. That is, the cover recessed path 25 extends so as to connect the front end of the cover member 20 and the recess 21.

<Exterior concave passage 18>
In the center of the bumper 11 in the vehicle width direction, an exterior recessed path 18 is provided in which the upper surface of the bumper 11 is recessed downward. The exterior recessed path 18 extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 from the front end of the bumper 11 to a portion facing the front end of the cover recessed path 25 at the end (hereinafter, rear end) of the vehicle rear side. As a result, the exterior recessed path 18 is extended in a manner that connects the front end of the bumper 11 and the cover recessed path 25 of the cover member 20. In this embodiment, among the various portions of the upper surface of the bumper 11, the portion that corresponds to the bottom surface of the exterior recessed path 18 is the lowest. In this embodiment, the exterior recessed path 18 and the cover recessed path 25 form a single groove. And, these exterior recessed path 18 and cover recessed path 25 are extended in a manner that connects the front end of the bumper 11 and the recess 21 of the cover member 20. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner shape of the exterior recessed passage 18 of the bumper 11 and the inner shape of the cover recessed passage 25 of the cover member 20 are substantially the same.

<Action>
The following describes the effects of the vehicle front structure of this embodiment.
When the vehicle 10 travels on a flooded road, the water surface rises in front of the vehicle 10. When the height of the water surface in front of the vehicle 10 reaches or exceeds a predetermined level, the water in front of the vehicle 10 passes over the bumper 11 and flows into the interior of the vehicle 10 through the gap between the bumper 11 and the hood 13. This causes the water to flow over the top surface of the cover member 20.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the water flows into the exterior recessed passage 18, which is the lowest part of the upper end surface of the bumper 11 (see arrow F1 in FIG. 6). The water then flows through the exterior recessed passage 18 of the bumper 11 and the cover recessed passage 25 of the cover member 20 toward the rear of the vehicle 10 and reaches the recess 21 of the cover member 20. The water that reaches the recess 21 thus strikes the peripheral wall 22 of the recess 21, which extends in the vertical direction, as shown by arrow F2 in FIG. 6, and is blocked by the peripheral wall 22. As a result, the water flowing along the upper surface of the cover member 20 temporarily accumulates in the recess 21.

According to this embodiment, water flowing on the upper surface of the cover member 20 can be made to flow into a recess 21 provided forward of the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 and stored therein before it reaches the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17. This blocks the flow of water toward the air intake port 17A, preventing water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port 17A. This prevents the occurrence of problems such as water being sucked into the intake duct 17 through the air intake port 17A.

In addition, the recess 21 of the cover member 20 is provided with a through hole 24. As a result, water that flows into and accumulates in the recess 21 is discharged below the cover member 20 through the through hole 24. Therefore, when water continues to flow into the recess 21 of the cover member 20, for example, as the vehicle 10 continues to travel on a flooded road, the state in which water can flow into the recess 21 is maintained for a long time by the amount of water in the recess 21 that is discharged to the outside. Therefore, the state in which water can be prevented from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 can be maintained for a long time. In addition, after the vehicle 10 escapes from the flooded road and the flow of water into the recess 21 of the cover member 20 stops, water is discharged from the recess 21 without flowing into the recess 21, and the state in which water accumulates in the recess 21 is resolved.

Here, as a configuration for preventing water from entering the intake duct 17 when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a flooded road, a configuration for providing a sealing member for preventing water from entering through the gap between the bumper 11 and the hood 13 is also considered. In this case, it is necessary to provide a new member (sealing member) and there is a risk that the design of the front part of the vehicle (specifically, the shape of the sealing part) will be restricted in order to fully obtain the sealing effect of the sealing member. According to this embodiment, a structure for preventing water from entering the intake duct 17 can be realized by providing the recess 21 and the through hole 24 in the cover member 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering the intake duct 17 when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a flooded road without providing an additional sealing member and without incurring restrictions on the design of the front part of the vehicle that would be caused by the addition of the sealing member.

＜Effects＞
According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) The cover member 20 is provided with a recess 21 at a position forward of the air intake port 17A. The recess 21 is provided with a through hole 24. This allows water flowing over the upper surface of the cover member 20 to flow into the recess 21 provided forward of the air intake port 17A and accumulate therein before reaching the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17. Moreover, the water that flows into and accumulates in the recess 21 can be discharged below the cover member 20 via the through hole 24. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent water from entering the intake duct 17 when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a flooded road.

(2) The cover member 20 is provided with a cover recessed passage 25 extending from the front end of the cover member 20 to the recessed portion 21. According to this embodiment, the portion of the upper surface of the cover member 20 that corresponds to the cover recessed passage 25 can be positioned lower than the other portions. This makes it possible to make the structure such that water flowing into the inside of the vehicle 10 from the front end of the vehicle 10 easily flows into the cover recessed passage 25 among the portions of the upper surface of the cover member 20 during the process in which the water level in front of the vehicle 10 rises when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a flooded road. Since the cover recessed passage 25 is connected to the recessed portion 21, the water that flows into the cover recessed passage 25 is guided to the recessed portion 21 and accumulates there. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the structure of the cover member 20 can be made such that water flowing on the upper surface of the cover member 20 can easily flow into the recessed portion 21 and accumulate there. This makes it possible to suitably prevent water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17.

(3) The bumper 11 is provided with an exterior recessed passage 18 in front of the cover member 20. The exterior recessed passage 18 is extended in a manner that connects the front end of the bumper 11 and the cover recessed passage 25 of the cover member 20. According to this embodiment, the portion of the upper surface of the bumper 11 that corresponds to the exterior recessed passage 18 can be positioned lower than the other portions. Therefore, when the water level in front of the vehicle 10 rises when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a flooded road, the water flowing into the inside of the vehicle 10 from the front end of the vehicle 10 can be easily flowed into the exterior recessed passage 18 among the various portions of the upper surface of the bumper 11. Since the exterior recessed passage 18 is connected to the cover recessed passage 25 and the recessed portion 21 of the cover member 20, the water that flows into the exterior recessed passage 18 is guided to the recessed portion 21 and accumulates there. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the water that flows over the top surface of the cover member 20 after climbing over the bumper 11 can be easily guided into the recess 21 and collected there.

(4) The air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 and the recess 21 of the cover member 20 are positioned so that they do not overlap in the vehicle width direction. This makes it possible to create a structure in which, even if water that has accumulated in the recess 21 overflows and flows rearward, the water is less likely to reach the vicinity of the air intake port 17A. This makes it possible to effectively prevent water from reaching the vicinity of the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17.

<Example of change>
The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

The recess 21 of the cover member 20 and the air intake port 17A of the intake duct 17 may be arranged in a position that is aligned in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10 and overlaps in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the recess 21 can be arranged in each part of the upper surface of the cover member 20 at a position that blocks the flow of water toward the air intake port 17A among the flows of water toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the recess 21 can block the flow of water toward the air intake port 17A.

The extension shapes of the cover recessed path 25 and the exterior recessed path 18 can be changed as desired in addition to being linear in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10. For example, the extension shapes of the cover recessed path 25 and the exterior recessed path 18 can be made to extend obliquely relative to the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10, or can be made to extend in a serpentine manner in the fore-and-aft direction.

The positions at which the cover recessed path 25 and the exterior recessed path 18 are formed in the vehicle width direction are not limited to the center in the vehicle width direction and may be changed as desired.
The exterior recessed passage 18 may be omitted. In other words, the bumper 11 may have an upper surface that does not have a partially recessed portion.

- The cover recessed passage 25 can be omitted. In other words, a cover member 20 can be used that has a downwardly recessed upper surface and does not have a portion extending from the front end of the cover member 20 to the recessed portion 21.

The cross-sectional shape of the recess 21 is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape, but can be arbitrarily changed to a trapezoidal shape, an elongated hole shape, an elliptical shape, or the like. In short, the shape of the recess 21 can be determined according to the space available for placement of the recess 21 in the front of the vehicle 10.

- The cover member may be provided with multiple recesses in which the top surface of the cover member is recessed downward. In this case, each recess may be provided with a through hole that connects the inside of the recess to the bottom of the cover member.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 vehicle 11 bumper 14 internal combustion engine 15 radiator 16 radiator support 17 intake duct 17E end 17A air intake port 18 exterior recessed passage 20 cover member 21 recess 24 through hole 24B through hole 24U through hole 25 cover recessed passage

Claims (4)

A vehicle front structure comprising a radiator support provided at a front portion of a vehicle for supporting a radiator, and a cover member covering an upper portion of the radiator support, and an air intake port forming one end of an intake duct of an on-vehicle internal combustion engine is disposed above the cover member,
a recessed portion having a shape recessed downward in an upper surface of the cover member is provided at a position on the vehicle front side relative to the air intake port,
The recess has a through hole communicating an inside of the recess with a lower portion of the cover member ,
The cover member has a cover recessed passage in a shape recessed downward in an upper surface of the cover member,
The cover recessed passage extends from the vehicle front end of the cover member to the recessed portion.
Vehicle front structure. an exterior member of the vehicle is provided on a vehicle front side of the cover member,
The exterior member has an exterior recessed passage in a shape recessed downward in an upper surface of the exterior member,
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior recessed passage extends in a manner connecting the vehicle front end of the exterior member and the cover recessed passage of the cover member . The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air intake of the intake duct and the recess of the cover member are provided at positions that do not overlap with each other in the vehicle width direction . A vehicle front structure comprising a radiator support provided at a front portion of a vehicle for supporting a radiator, and a cover member covering an upper portion of the radiator support, and an air intake port forming one end of an intake duct of an on-vehicle internal combustion engine is disposed above the cover member,
a recessed portion having a shape recessed downward in an upper surface of the cover member is provided at a position on the vehicle front side relative to the air intake port,
The recess has a through hole communicating an inside of the recess with a lower portion of the cover member,
The air intake port of the intake duct and the recess of the cover member are provided at positions that do not overlap with each other in the vehicle width direction.
Vehicle front structure.

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