JPS6233410B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a radiator shroud that houses a radiator cooling fan and covers the rear surface of the radiator to improve the cooling effect of the radiator, and in particular, relates to a radiator shroud that houses a radiator cooling fan and covers the rear surface of the radiator to improve the cooling effect of the radiator. This invention relates to an improvement of a radiator shroud equipped with a valve for efficiently guiding the air.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, as shown in FIG. 9, an engine cooling system for a vehicle includes a radiator 1 disposed on the front of the vehicle body, and engine cooling water is circulated through the radiator 1, while a radiator 1 on the rear side of the radiator 1 is cooled. Some models are equipped with a fan 2, and in this type, heat is radiated from the engine cooling water in the radiator 1 mainly by the wind when the vehicle is running, and by forced air from the fan 2 when the vehicle is stopped or idling. . Note that 3 is a fan motor.

By the way, since the fan 2 is generally smaller than the vehicle width dimension of the radiator 1, the range through which the forced air from the fan 2 passes through the radiator 1 is limited, and the cooling effect of the radiator 1 is reduced. There was a risk that this would be inadequate.

Therefore, conventionally, a radiator shroud S is provided on the rear surface of the radiator 1 in order to guide forced air by the fan 2 over the entire area of the radiator 1. Conventionally, this type of radiator shroud S is arranged to house the fan 2 disposed on the left half of the rear surface of the radiator 1 and to cover the entire rear surface of the radiator 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. A shroud main body 4 formed of
and a valve plate 6 that closes the valve opening 5 and opens the valve opening 5 according to the air pressure within the shroud body 4, and the valve plate 6 is formed of an elastic sheet such as rubber, It is fixed to the edge of the valve opening 5 using a fastener 7 such as a screw. In this type, while the vehicle is running, the running wind passing through the radiator 1 presses the valve plate 6, so the valve opening 5 is opened.
While running wind efficiently passes through the radiator 1 at all times, when the vehicle is stopped or idling,
The valve plate 6 closes the valve opening 5, and the forced air from the fan 2 passes through the entire area of the radiator 1 due to the presence of the vent hole 8 in the fan storage section 4a.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in such a conventional radiator shroud, the shroud body 4 and the valve plate 6 are constructed as separate parts, which not only increases the number of parts but also requires the shroud body 4 and the valve plate 6 to be separated from each other. Each type requires a different mold to form them, which increases costs and makes the manufacturing process complicated. Further, since the valve plate 6 is formed of an elastic sheet made of rubber or the like and is larger than the valve opening 5, the rigidity of the valve plate 6 itself is low, and when the wind pressure of the vehicle is applied to the valve plate 6, the valve plate 6 Only the lower part of 6 moves to open the valve opening 5. As a result, the valve plate 6 remains disposed directly behind the valve opening 5 so as to face the radiator 1, and the traveling wind that has passed through the radiator 1 is transferred to the valve opening 5 as shown in FIG. However, due to the existence of the valve plate 6, the flow always flows diagonally downward, and a vortex 9 tends to be generated near the upper part of the valve plate 6. Therefore, the ventilation efficiency at the valve opening 5 deteriorates, resulting in a problem that the amount of cooling air flowing to the radiator 5 is reduced accordingly.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has been developed based on the above-mentioned viewpoints, and its objectives are to reduce the number of parts and simplify the manufacturing process, and to improve the ventilation efficiency at the valve opening to improve the air flow to the radiator. An object of the present invention is to provide a radiator shroud that makes it possible to increase the amount of cooling air. The means for doing so includes a shroud body which stores a fan disposed on the rear surface of the radiator and is disposed so as to cover the entire rear surface of the radiator, and a valve opening formed on the surface of the shroud body facing the radiator. , a radiator shroud comprising: a valve plate that closes the valve opening and opens the valve opening according to air pressure within the shroud body;
The shroud body has one end formed integrally with the main shroud body via a bendable connecting part, and is arranged to overlap with the inside or outside of the main shroud body, and the other end is connected to the main shroud body. It consists of an auxiliary shroud body that is locked to a corresponding part of the main body, and the main shroud body or the auxiliary shroud body located on the outside has a valve plate that is integrally formed with the shroud body through a thin hinge. A first valve opening is opened with a valve plate, while a second valve opening having an opening area smaller than the area of the valve plate at a location corresponding to the first valve opening is opened on the other side located on the inside. That's true.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3,
The radiator shroud S is integrally molded by press molding from a rigid resin such as polypropylene, and is arranged to house the fan 2 disposed on the left half of the rear surface of the radiator 1 and to cover the entire rear surface of the radiator 1. The shroud main body 4 has a main shroud main body 12 having the same shape as the shroud main body 4.
and an auxiliary shroud body 13 which is arranged overlappingly inside the right half of the main shroud body 12. The auxiliary shroud body 13 is formed integrally with the main shroud body 12, and the lower end of the auxiliary shroud body 13 is connected to the lower end of the main shroud body 12 via a flexible connecting portion 14. A locking protrusion 15 is protruded from an appropriate location on the upper end of the auxiliary shroud body 13, and a locking hole 16 is formed in the main shroud body 12 corresponding to the locking protrusion 15. 13 is overlapped with the inside of the main shroud body 12 by bending the connecting portion 14, and is fixed to the main shroud body 12 by engagement with the locking protrusion 15 and the locking hole 16. .

A plurality of first valve openings 5a are provided in the right half of the main shroud body 12, and a valve plate 6 is attached to the upper edge of the first valve opening 5a via a thin hinge 10. It is integrated. This valve plate 6 normally closes the valve opening 5, and opens the valve opening 5 by the running wind pressure inside the shroud body 4 when the vehicle is running. This valve plate 6 and the first valve opening 5a
A narrow slit 11 is formed between the edge and the edge. This slit 11 and the thin hinge 1
0 is formed during press molding, and as a result, the valve plate 6 and the first valve opening 5a are formed integrally with the main shroud body 12. On the other hand, in the auxiliary shroud main body 13, at a location corresponding to the first valve opening 5a,
A second valve opening 5b having an opening area smaller than the area of the valve plate 6 is provided.

Therefore, according to the radiator shroud according to this embodiment, when the vehicle is running, the valve plate 6 is pressed by the wind passing through the radiator 1, and the valve plate 6 is moved by the thin hinge 10 according to the pressure of the wind.
Since the valve opening 5 consists of the first and first valve openings 5a and 5b,
is opened at a predetermined opening degree, and the wind passing through the radiator 1 flows substantially linearly toward the rear of the vehicle body through the valve opening 5.
As a result, no vortex or the like is generated in the vicinity of the valve opening 5, and the ventilation efficiency at the valve opening 5 is improved. Further, when the vehicle is stopped or idling, as the fan 2 is operated, forced air from the fan 2 passes through the radiator 1 and is then discharged from the vent hole 8 of the fan storage portion 4a. At this time, the valve plate 6 attempts to move inside the shroud body 4 due to the suction action of the fan 2, but the movement of the valve plate 6 is restricted at the edge of the second valve opening 5b. The second valve opening 5b is closed by the valve plate 6. Therefore, when the fan 2 is in operation, the air in the engine room is no longer sucked into the shroud body 4 through the slit 11 formed in the main shroud body 12, and the outside air from the front of the radiator 1 is drawn in by that amount. As a result, the amount of air blown to the radiator 1 can be increased, and the cooling efficiency in the radiator 1 can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the thin hinge 10
As shown in FIG. 4, the valve opening is an element that changes the valve opening depending on its wall thickness, so the valve opening can be adjusted by appropriately changing the wall thickness of the thin hinge 10. be. Furthermore, since the thin hinge 10 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, it has a characteristic that the hinge rigidity decreases as the temperature increases, as shown in FIG. If this characteristic is utilized, as shown in FIG. 6, as the temperature rises, the rotation angle of the valve plate 6 becomes smaller, and the valve opening becomes smaller. As a result, even under the same driving conditions, the amount of air flowing to the radiator 1 changes depending on the outside temperature. For example, in winter, when the outside temperature is low, the amount of air flowing to the radiator 1 is reduced. At the same time, in the summer, the outside temperature is high,
It is possible to adjust the amount of air blown to the radiator 1 by increasing the amount of air blown to the radiator 1, and it is possible to effectively prevent the radiator 1 from becoming too cold or overheating. In addition, in FIGS. 5 and 6, what is indicated by a dotted line is a characteristic curve of the conventional valve plate 6 made of rubber or the like, and according to this, the hinge rigidity and the valve opening change according to changes in temperature. It is understood that there is almost no change.

Next, a second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described.

The basic structure of the radiator shroud S in this embodiment is substantially the same as that in the first embodiment, but unlike the first embodiment, the auxiliary shroud body 13 is superimposed on the outside of the main shroud body 12. A first valve opening 5a with a valve plate 6 is provided on the side of the auxiliary shroud body 13, and a second valve opening 5b is provided on the side of the main shroud body 12.

Therefore, this embodiment also has the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the number of valve openings 5, opening locations, etc. may be changed as appropriate.
The thin hinge 10 is not necessarily formed at the upper edge of the valve opening 5, but may be formed at the side edge of the valve opening 5, for example. Furthermore, the connecting portion 14 between the main shroud body 12 and the auxiliary shroud body 13 does not necessarily need to be formed at the lower end of the shroud body 13, but may be formed at its upper edge or side end. Furthermore, regarding the means for fixing the main shroud main body 12 and the auxiliary shroud main body 13, the locking protrusion 15 and the locking hole 1 shown in the above embodiment are used.
In addition to the case of engagement with 6, any known means may be used. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to the radiator shroud S integrally provided with the fan housing part 4a, but a split type in which the separately molded fan housing part 4a is removably attached is also applicable. Radiator shroud S
Of course, the present invention can also be applied to.

〔effect〕

As explained above, according to the radiator shroud according to the present invention, the valve plate is formed integrally with the shroud main body via the thin hinge, which is different from the conventional one in which the valve plate was a separate body. Not only can the number of parts be reduced compared to the radiator shroud, but press molding can be performed using a single mold to form the radiator shroud, which simplifies the radiator shroud manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing costs. can. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned valve plate is rotatable around the thin-walled hinge, the valve plate operates reliably to open the valve opening at a predetermined opening degree in response to the wind pressure when the vehicle is running. I can do it. Therefore, the wind passing through the radiator flows approximately straight through the valve opening without being affected by the valve plate, and as a result, there is no risk of vortices being generated near the valve opening. The ventilation efficiency from the radiator is improved, and the amount of cooling air to the radiator can be increased.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when the valve plate is subjected to a suction action by the operation of the fan of the radiator, the movement of the valve plate inward is regulated by the second valve opening edge, and in order to close the valve opening, the engine room is closed. Air inside the shroud is no longer sucked into the shroud body, and the amount of outside air sucked in from the front of the radiator increases accordingly, making it possible to improve the cooling efficiency of the radiator.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a radiator shroud according to the present invention, and FIG.
Line sectional view, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the main part in Figure 2, Figure 4
The figure is a graph showing the relationship between the wall thickness of a thin-walled hinge and the valve opening, Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between temperature and the stiffness of a thin-walled hinge, and Figure 6 is a graph showing the relationship between temperature and valve opening. , FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the radiator shroud according to the present invention, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional radiator shroud. , FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. S...Radiator shroud, 1...Radiator, 2...Fan, 4...Shroud body, 5...
...Valve opening, 5a...First valve opening, 5b
...Second valve opening, 6...Valve plate, 10...
...Thin hinge, 11...Slit, 12...Main shroud body, 13...Auxiliary shroud body, 1
4... Connecting portion, 15... Locking protrusion, 16... Locking hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shroud body that houses a fan disposed on the rear surface of the radiator and is disposed so as to cover the entire rear surface of the radiator, and a valve opening opened on the surface of the shroud body facing the radiator;
In a radiator shroud comprising a valve plate that closes the valve opening and opens the valve opening according to air pressure within the shroud body, the shroud body has a main shroud body and one end that is flexible with respect to the main shroud body. and an auxiliary shroud body which is integrally formed via a connecting part, and which is arranged to overlap with the inside or outside of the main shroud body and whose other end is locked to a corresponding part of the main shroud body, The main shroud body or the auxiliary shroud body located on the outside has a first valve opening provided with a valve plate integrally formed with the shroud body through a thin-walled hinge, while the other valve opening located on the inside A radiator shroud characterized in that a second valve opening having an opening area smaller than the area of the valve plate is opened at a location corresponding to the first valve opening.