IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,188,052
Granted Patent B2
US 9,188,052 · App. 14/350,605 · Granted Nov 17, 2015

Vehicle front portion structure

Inventor: Masao Tajima (Toyota, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
F01P5/02B60K11/04B60K11/08B60K13/04B62D35/02F01N3/055F01P5/06F01P11/10F01N2260/022F01N2260/20Y02T10/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,188,052
App. No.
14/350,605
Granted
Nov 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle front portion structure is obtained that can efficiently lead cooling wind to a heat exchanger. A vehicle front portion structure has: a heat exchanger; a flow path member that forms a discharging flow path that discharges airflow, that has passed through an air-side flow path of the heat exchanger, to a vehicle exterior from a downwardly-directed opening portion at a rear side with respect to the heat exchanger; and an airflow promoting structure that forms a contracted flow path that gradually becomes more narrow from a front end side toward a rear end side, and that, at the front end side, increases a speed of traveling wind that has flowed-in from beneath a vehicle floor, and that causes the traveling wind to flow-out from between the heat exchanger and the opening portion at the discharging flow path.

Claims (9)

1. A vehicle front portion structure comprising:

a heat exchanger that is disposed at a vehicle rear side with respect to a power unit, and into which airflow is introduced through an air intake port beneath a vehicle floor;

a flow path member that forms a discharging flow path that discharges airflow, that has passed through an air-side flow path of the heat exchanger, to a vehicle exterior from an opening portion that is directed toward a vehicle lower side at the vehicle rear side with respect to the heat exchanger; and

an airflow promoting structure that is disposed between the heat exchanger and the opening portion, and at a vehicle lower side of the discharging flow path, a traveling wind flowing-out without passing through the air-side flow path of the heat exchanger and that forms a contracted flow path that gradually becomes more narrow from a front end side toward a rear end side, and that, at the front end side, increases a speed of traveling wind that has flowed-in from beneath the vehicle floor, and that causes the traveling wind to flow-out from between the heat exchanger and the opening portion at the discharging flow path.

2. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 1 , wherein the airflow promoting structure is structured by members including

an exhaust system part that is disposed at a vehicle front side with respect to the opening portion of the discharging flow path, and

a heat-insulating member that covers at least a portion of the exhaust system part from the vehicle front side and from above such that at least a portion of the contracted flow path is formed.

3. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 2 , wherein the exhaust system part is structured to include a muffler that is disposed so as to be long in a vehicle transverse direction and that is flat in a vehicle vertical direction.

4. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 1 , comprising a fan that is provided at the vehicle rear side with respect to the heat exchanger within the discharging flow path and at a vehicle front side with respect to a portion where the contracted flow path portion causes air to flow-out, and, due to an operation of the fan, airflow that passes through the heat exchanger is generated, and the operation of the fan is prohibited when a vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2014
From: TAJIMA, MASAO
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 032633/0517 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140251241A1 · Sep 11, 2014