JPH11129934A - Vehicle front-end module structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the cooling performance of a radiator. A radiator (2) having a vehicle front surface (2a) and a vehicle rear surface (2b) is held, and is disposed facing the radiator on the vehicle rear surface side by a panel body (10) disposed on the vehicle rear surface (2b) side of the radiator (2). A resin front end panel 1 for supporting a fan 3 and a radiator 2
A front end module structure having discharge holes 15 and 16 as communication means for connecting a space C between the panel body 10 and the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel body 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle front-end module structure having a front-end panel for holding at least a radiator of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of vehicle front end module structure, there is one as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-286657. This is shown in FIG.
A panel body 5 that fastens and holds a radiator 51 having a vehicle front surface 51a and a vehicle rear surface 51b with bolts 55 and is disposed on the vehicle rear surface 51b side of the radiator 51.
A vehicle front end module structure including a resin front end panel 54 that supports a fan (not shown) disposed facing the vehicle rear surface 51 b of the radiator 51 by a support portion 53 formed in the second circular opening 56. Is described.

[0003]

The prior art described above has a structure in which the rear of the radiator is covered by a fan and a panel body of a front end panel, so that the fan is included in the space between the radiator and the panel body. The air intake efficiency by the fan is poor in a space portion not facing the air conditioner. For this reason, air that passes through the space (space not facing the fan), which is heated by participating in heat exchange by passing through the radiator, stays without being quickly sucked by the fan and stays there. There is a problem that the cooling efficiency of the radiator decreases due to the influence of the hot air of the air.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its technical object to improve the cooling performance of a radiator.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiator having a vehicle front surface and a vehicle rear surface, and a radiator having a vehicle rear surface side. A front end panel made of a resin that supports a fan disposed facing the vehicle rear side of the radiator by a panel main body disposed in the radiator; and the fan out of air in a space between the radiator and the panel main body. A vehicle front end module structure comprising: a discharge unit that discharges air that is not sucked into the space behind the panel main body to the vehicle into the space behind the panel main body to the vehicle.

According to the above invention, of the air in the space between the radiator and the panel main body, the air not sucked by the fan to the rear side of the panel main body through the exhaust means is the rear side of the panel main body. Is discharged into the space.

As a result, since there is no air remaining in the space between the radiator and the panel body, the cooling performance of the radiator is prevented from deteriorating due to the hot air of the staying air, which has been a problem in the past, and the cooling performance of the radiator is prevented. Can be improved.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problem, as in the invention of claim 2, the discharging means is formed in the front end panel, and a space between the radiator and the panel main body and a space between the radiator and the panel main body. It is preferable that the discharge hole communicates with the space on the rear side of the vehicle.

According to this, the discharge means is formed as a discharge hole communicating with a space formed in the front end panel between the radiator and the panel main body and a space on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body, so that the radiator and the panel main body are formed. Of the air introduced into the space between the two, the air that is not sucked into the panel main body by the fan at the rear side of the vehicle is discharged to the space at the rear side of the panel main body through the discharge hole.

The communication means may be a communication pipe for communicating the space between the radiator and the panel body with the space on the rear side of the panel body, and the like. When the discharge holes are formed, the integration with the panel main body by resin molding is easy, which contributes to a reduction in manufacturing cost and assembly cost.

Preferably, the air sucked by the fan and transferred to the space on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body passes through the discharge hole and is connected to the radiator and the panel main body. Backflow prevention means for preventing backflow into the space between the two.

According to this, the air sucked by the fan from the space between the radiator and the panel main body and transferred to the space on the rear side of the panel main body on the vehicle passes through the discharge hole and is again connected to the radiator and the panel main body. Since the backflow preventing means for preventing backflow into the space between them is provided, the air sucked by the fan and transferred to the space on the rear side of the panel main body in the vehicle is discharged to the outside of the vehicle without backflow. .

Therefore, the flow rate of air flowing into the fan from the front of the vehicle can be maintained, and the cooling efficiency of the radiator can be maintained.

Still more preferably, as in the invention of claim 4, the backflow prevention means is provided near the discharge hole, and is formed with a backflow prevention wall formed so as to protrude forward from the panel body in a vehicle front direction. It is to be.

According to this, the backflow prevention wall as the backflow prevention means is provided near the discharge hole and formed so as to protrude from the panel main body toward the front of the vehicle, so that the radiator and the panel main body can be connected to each other. Of the air introduced into the space between the two, the air sucked by the fan and transferred to the space on the vehicle rear side of the panel body is regulated by the backflow prevention wall disposed near the discharge hole to flow back. And is discharged outside the vehicle.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the backflow prevention means may be a backflow prevention wall provided at a peripheral edge of the discharge hole and formed so as to protrude forward from the panel body in a vehicle front direction.

According to this, since the backflow preventing wall as the backflow preventing means is disposed on the periphery of the discharge hole and formed so as to protrude from the panel body toward the front of the vehicle, the backflow preventing wall is introduced into the space between the radiator and the panel body. Of the air, the air sucked by the fan and transferred to the space on the rear side of the vehicle body of the panel body is regulated by the backflow prevention wall formed on the periphery of the discharge hole, and is discharged outside the vehicle without backflow. Things.

As the backflow preventing means, there may be mentioned another means in which a one-way valve mechanism is provided in the discharge hole, and the like. By using the backflow preventing wall as described above, integration with the panel main body by resin molding becomes possible, which contributes to reduction of manufacturing cost and assembly cost.

Further, the backflow prevention means is formed as a backflow prevention wall formed on the periphery of the discharge hole so as to protrude in the forward direction of the vehicle, so that the use area of the opening provided in the panel main body is maximized. In addition, the discharge efficiency of retained hot air is maximized.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the front end module structure of the present embodiment. In the figure, a front end panel 1 made of a resin material includes a radiator 2 for cooling a cooling water of an engine of a vehicle, a condenser 4 for cooling a refrigerant of an air conditioner, and a radiator 2 and two fans disposed to face the condenser 4. 3 and a pair of left and right head lamps (not shown). The head lamps are mounted between a pair of left and right front side members 7 of the vehicle via brackets 8. The front end panel 1 is also fixed to a pair of left and right front fender reinforcements 9 of the vehicle at both ends in the vehicle width direction.

The front end panel 1 mainly includes a panel-shaped panel body 10 having a rectangular shape. A side wall portion 11 and a bottom wall portion 12 that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and are continuous with each other are integrally formed on both side edges of the plate-shaped panel body 10 in the vehicle width direction and a lower edge of the vehicle. further,
A radiator support upper member 13 is provided on the upper edge of the panel body 10 in the vehicle width direction.
And are formed integrally. The rigidity of the panel body 10 is secured by the side wall portion 11, the bottom wall portion 12, and the radiator support upper member 13. The panel body 10
, Two circular openings 14 having flanges 14a protruding rearward from the vehicle are formed on the periphery. The radiator 2 and the condenser 4 are arranged so as to close the opening 14 in a space surrounded by the side wall 11, the lower wall 12, and the radiator support upper member 13 protruding forward from the front surface of the panel body 10 (vehicle front surface). It is stored and held in the front end panel 1. The fan 3 is accommodated in an opening 14 closed by the radiator 2, is rotatably supported by a support portion 14 b integrally extending from a flange 14 a, and is disposed facing the radiator 2 and the condenser 4.

Outer ribs 18 are integrally formed on the outer side surfaces of both side walls 11 on both side edges of the panel body 10. The rib 18 has a thickness in the vertical direction of the vehicle and a width extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rib 18 has a shape in which the width and the thickness gradually become smaller toward the front end, and the rib 18 is opened at the rear of the vehicle. It has a U-shaped cross section. The rib 18 is fastened and fixed to the front fender reinforcement 9 of the vehicle by a bolt or the like at its tip.

A rib 18 and a rib 19 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the vehicle are integrally formed on the outer surfaces of both side walls 11 on both side edges of the panel body 10. The rib 19 has a U-shaped cross section or a closed cross section having a thickness in the vehicle vertical direction and a width extending in the vehicle front and rear direction. In addition, the rib 19 has a shape in which the width gradually becomes smaller toward the tip as a whole.

The rear edge of the lower wall of the rib 18 and the rear wall of the rib 19 are integrally connected by a wall 20 continuous from the side wall 11. The head lamp (not shown) is
Is housed in a space surrounded by the lower wall, the upper surface of the rib 19, the side wall 11 and the wall 20, and is fastened and fixed to the wall 20 by bolts or the like. A hood lock mechanism 21 is attached to the radiator support upper member 13 and locks a striker of a hood (not shown). A center stay 22 is connected to the hood lock mechanism 21.
Is a bumper beam that receives an impact load from the front of the vehicle, 3
3 is a radiator grill for introducing outside air, and 34 is a bumper.

The condenser 4 includes a bottom wall 12 and a bottom wall 1
The panel body 10 is engaged and fixed to a flange 17 extending from the upper edge of the vehicle so as to face the front part of the vehicle. The radiator 2 has a lower portion fitted and held in a hole 12a provided in the bottom wall portion 12, and an upper portion thereof is fixedly engaged with the flange 23 together with the capacitor 4 via a fastening means or the like, as shown in FIG. Front end panel 1 as shown in b)
Is held in the

FIG. 2A is a sectional view taken along the line AA in a state where the main parts are incorporated in the front end panel in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is similarly assembled in the front end panel in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in a state of being bent. As can be seen from FIGS. 1, 2 (a) and 2 (b), the vehicle front end module structure in this embodiment is a radiator 2 having a vehicle front surface 2a and a vehicle rear surface 2b, and a vehicle front surface of the radiator 2. A capacitor 4 disposed on the side of the radiator 2 and a headlamp (not shown) are held, and a support portion 14b formed on the panel body 10 disposed on the side of the vehicle rear surface 2b of the radiator 2 is closer to the vehicle rear surface 2b of the radiator 2. A front end panel 1 made of resin for supporting a fan 3 disposed in a face-to-face manner, a space C formed between the radiator 2 and the panel main body 10 formed on the panel main body 10, and a space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body. It is provided with discharge holes 15 and 16 communicating with each other. As will be described later, the discharge holes 15 and 16 serve to remove air that is not sucked into the space D on the rear side of the panel main body 10 by the fan 3 from the air in the space C between the radiator 2 and the panel main body 10. It has a function as a discharging means for discharging to D.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular panel body 1 is provided.
0 has a chamfer 10a at its corner. For this reason, the panel body 10, the radiator support upper member 13 and the side wall 1
1 forms an upper discharge hole 15 surrounded by the upper discharge hole 15. Similarly, a lower discharge hole 16 surrounded by the panel body 10, the bottom wall 12, and the side wall 11 is formed in a lower corner of the panel body 10. The discharge holes 15, 1
6 is a space C between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10,
It communicates with the space D behind the panel body 10. In this example, an upper discharge hole 15 and a lower discharge hole 16 are also formed at the right corner of the panel body 10 when viewed from the direction of arrow a in the front end panel of FIG. Discharge holes 15 and 16 at the four corners of
Are formed.

Further, the chamfer 10a of the panel body 10 which forms a part of the peripheral edge of the upper discharge hole 15 is provided with the chamfer 10a.
A backflow prevention wall 17 is formed to protrude in the vehicle front-rear direction along a. Similarly, a backflow prevention wall 17 is formed on the chamfer 10a of the panel body 10 which forms a part of the peripheral edge of the lower discharge hole 16 so as to protrude in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the chamfer 10a. The backflow prevention wall 17, the panel main body 10, and the vehicle rear surface 2b of the radiator 2 substantially cover the space C between the panel main body 10 and the radiator. The panel body 10 communicates with the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body 10 through the portions E and F narrowed by the portions protruding forward, and further through the discharge holes 15 and 16. The backflow prevention wall 17 is provided with the fan 3 as described later.
This prevents the air sucked and transferred to the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body from flowing back through the discharge holes 15 and 16 to the space C between the radiator 2 and the panel main body 10 again.

In the vehicle front end module structure having the above structure, when the fan 3 rotates, the panel body 10
The air in the space C between the radiator 2 and the radiator 2 is sucked by the fan 3 and guided to the space D behind the panel body 10. In this case, in the conventional air, among the air in the space C, the four corners of the panel body 10 which are hardly sucked by the fan 3 are not sucked by the fan 3 but exchange heat with the radiator to generate hot air. The accumulated air stays, and the cooling performance of the radiator is reduced by the hot air. However, in this example, the discharge holes 15 and 16 are provided at the four corners of the panel body 10.
Is formed, the radiator 2 and the panel body 10
Out of the air in the space C between the exhaust holes 15 and 16 which faces the four corners of the panel body 10 that is not sucked into the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel body 10 by the fan 3 The air is discharged to the space D on the rear side of 10. Therefore, there is no air stagnating on the front side of the panel body 10 on the vehicle, and the radiator cooling performance does not decrease due to the heat of the stagnant air, which is a conventional problem, and the radiator cooling performance can be improved. .

Further, of the air introduced into the space C, the air sucked by the fan 3 and led to the space D on the rear side of the panel body 10 forms a vortex immediately after the suction, and
There is a possibility that the air may flow back from 5 and 16 again into the space C between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10. However, in this example, the panel main body 10 forming a part of the peripheral edge of the discharge holes 15 and 16 is used.
The backflow prevention wall 17 is formed in the portion of the chamfer 10a along the chamfer 10a so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, so that the air sucked from the fan 3 and turned into the vortex flows back into the space C. Must pass through portions E and F narrowed by a portion of the backflow prevention wall 17 protruding forward of the vehicle, and the throttle restricts the backflow and substantially prevents the backflow.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the radiator 2 having the vehicle front surface 2a and the vehicle rear surface 2b is held, and the radiator is provided by the panel body 10 disposed on the vehicle rear surface 2b side of the radiator 2. 2, a front end panel 1 made of resin for supporting a fan 3 disposed facing the vehicle rear surface 2b, and the fan 3 out of air in a space C between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10. The vehicle has a front end module structure including discharge holes (upper discharge holes 15 and lower discharge holes 16) as discharge means for discharging air not sucked into the space D on the rear side of the radiator 2 and the radiator 2. Among the air located in the space C between the panel main body 10 and the air that is not sucked toward the vehicle rear side of the panel main body 10 by the fan 3, It is discharged into the space D of the vehicle rear side of the panel body 10 via 16. As a result, there is no air remaining in the space between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10, so that the cooling performance of the radiator 2 due to the hot air of the stagnant air, which has been a conventional problem, is prevented, and the cooling performance of the radiator 2 is prevented. Can be improved.

The discharge means are discharge holes 15 and 16 formed in the front end panel 1 and communicating the space C between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10 with the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel body. When the front end panel 1 is formed by resin molding, the discharge holes 15 and 16 can be formed at the same time, which can contribute to reduction in manufacturing cost and assembly cost as compared with the case where the front end panel 1 is provided as a separate member. is there.

Also, since there is provided a backflow preventing means for preventing the air sucked by the fan 3 from flowing back into the space C between the radiator 2 and the panel body 10 through the discharge holes 15 and 16, The backflow of the air sucked from the fan 3 and transferred to the space D on the vehicle rear side of the panel body 10 is regulated by the backflow prevention means, and is discharged outside the vehicle without backflow. Therefore, the flow rate of air flowing into the fan 3 from the front of the vehicle can be maintained, and the cooling efficiency of the fan can be maintained without lowering.

Further, the backflow preventing means is provided with the discharge holes 15 and 16.
10a of the panel body 10 constituting a part of the periphery of the panel
The backflow prevention wall 17 is formed so as to protrude from the panel main body 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction along the line, so that the use area of the opening provided in the panel main body 10 is maximized, and the efficiency of discharging the retained hot air is improved.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cooling performance of the radiator can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle front end module structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where main components are incorporated in the front end panel in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 (a) is a cross-sectional view along AA in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view along BB in FIG. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front-end module structure according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front end panel 2 ... Radiator, 2a ... Vehicle front surface, 2b ...
・ Vehicle rear surface 3 ・ ・ ・ Fan 4 ・ ・ ・ Condenser 7 ・ ・ ・ Front side member 10 ・ ・ ・ Panel body 11 ・ ・ ・ Side wall part 12 ・ ・ ・ Lower wall part 13 ・ ・ ・ Radiator support upper member 15 ・..Upper discharge hole (discharge hole, communication means) 16 ... lower discharge hole (discharge hole, communication means) 17 ... Backflow prevention wall (backflow prevention means)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A radiator having a vehicle front surface and a vehicle rear surface is held, and a fan disposed on the vehicle rear surface side of the radiator is supported by a panel body disposed on the vehicle rear surface side of the radiator. A front end panel made of a resin, and among the air in the space between the radiator and the panel main body, the air that is not sucked into the space on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body by the fan is a space on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body. And a discharge means for discharging the vehicle. 2. The discharge means according to claim 1, wherein the discharge means is a discharge hole formed in the front end panel and communicating a space between the radiator and the panel main body with a space on the vehicle rear side of the panel main body. A vehicle front-end module structure. 3. The air suction device according to claim 2, wherein the air sucked by the fan and transferred to the space on the vehicle rear side of the panel body flows back into the space between the radiator and the panel body through the discharge hole. A front end module structure for a vehicle, comprising a backflow preventing means for preventing the occurrence of a backflow. 4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the backflow prevention means is a backflow prevention wall provided near the discharge hole and formed so as to protrude from the panel body in a vehicle front-rear direction. Front-end module structure. 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the backflow prevention means is a backflow prevention wall disposed on a peripheral edge of the discharge hole and protruding from the panel body in a vehicle front-rear direction. Front-end module structure.