JPH0437008Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a windshield defroster structure for blowing out conditioned air from an air conditioner in a vehicle toward the front window from below.

[Prior art]

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles such as automobiles are usually provided with a windshield defroster that blows conditioned air guided from an air conditioner onto the front window in order to remove or prevent fogging on the front window.

The air-conditioned air blown from the windshield defroster is blown at a predetermined position on the front windshield at a predetermined angle to the front wind surface so that it can remove or prevent fogging over a wide area of the windshield. It is necessary to make it possible to do so. For this purpose, the windshield defroster structure runs a defroster duct that guides the air-conditioned air behind the cowl box provided at the front of the vehicle interior, and from the air outlet opened at the tip of this defroster duct to a predetermined position on the front window. The air conditioner is configured to blow air conditioned air at a predetermined angle at the location of the vehicle.

As a method of controlling the blowing direction of the conditioned air, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-125619, directionality is given to the conditioned air by means of a run-up path just in front of the blowing outlet. A method of giving directionality to the conditioned air using a louver provided at an air outlet, and a method of using these methods in combination are known.

Incidentally, in order to improve the basic style or proportions of an automobile, the lower edge of the front window may be positioned further forward than before and the front window may be tilted significantly. In a vehicle with such a configuration, when the space inside the cowl box is used as a ventilation air passage, the upper front part of the cowl box must be Typically, the lower edge of the front window is fixed to the front window, and the cowl box is formed so as to protrude greatly toward the passenger compartment. In addition, when the cowl box is not used as a ventilation air passage, the rear surface of the cowl box is placed forward in accordance with the extension dimension of the lower end of the front window. It is customary for a harness to be temporarily fixed or a steering support member to be placed on the rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, in this case, it is practically impossible to arrange the defroster duct immediately behind the cowl box.

After all, when the front window is tilted significantly, the defroster duct is placed behind the cowl box, which protrudes from the lower edge of the front window toward the rear of the passenger compartment, or at the rear of the cowl box. The air outlet has to be placed further rearward than the harness and the steering support member, and the air outlet is opened at a position far rearward from the lower edge of the front window. In this case, the conditioned air is directed to a predetermined position at the bottom of the front window from an air outlet that opens far rearward from the lower edge of the front window, and the conditioned air is directed diagonally along the front window from that predetermined position. It becomes impossible to blow the air conditioned air at an angle that allows it to be smoothly directed backward and upward.

Therefore, the defroster duct was extended to near the lower edge of the front window through the upper side of the space behind the cowl box where the harness and steering support member are arranged, and the above-mentioned air outlet was installed near the lower edge of the front window. It is conceivable to have an opening extending in the width direction and to blow out conditioned air from the outlet toward a predetermined position on the front window.

However, in such a configuration, if the direction of the air-conditioned air is controlled by the run-up path of the defroster duct as in the past, it is necessary to direct the run-up path vertically or diagonally backwards just before the air outlet. , it is necessary to form the part of the run-up path in front of the air outlet in a V-shape, and the cowl box of the defroster duct and the harness placed on the rear side.
The height of the upwardly extended portion of the steering support member is relatively high. However, in order to obtain good visibility, there is a certain limit on the height of the instrument panel. It is difficult to secure space to accommodate a defroster duct having a curved run-up path. Furthermore, the shape of the defroster duct becomes complicated, making it difficult to manufacture, and the flow resistance of the approach path is large, so there is a risk that the volume of air conditioned air blown out may be insufficient. In addition, in a vehicle having a front window that is largely inclined as described above, when a decorative member having a louver is provided at the air outlet and the air outlet direction is controlled by the louver, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design. In addition to being disadvantageous, the unit price of parts is relatively high, which is also disadvantageous in terms of cost reduction.

Additionally, the introduction part of the air-conditioned air into the defroster duct is located, for example, at the connection part with the intermediate duct on the center side in the vehicle width direction, but this intermediate duct usually has a wide width in the vehicle width direction. Since the defroster duct is designed to be as small as possible, in order to ensure uniform airflow throughout the entire air outlet extending in the vehicle width direction on the leading edge side, the defroster duct must be
It is necessary to generate a flow that spreads out, for example in a fan shape, from the introduction part. For this purpose, it is further necessary to adopt a structure in which, for example, rectifier plates extending from the inlet to the outlet are arranged radially in parallel inside the inlet with the inlet as the center. , there is also the problem that the configuration becomes more complicated.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and has a simpler structure even when the windshield is tilted significantly, and in particular, it is possible to align the blowing direction along the windshield. Another object of the present invention is to provide a windshield defroster structure that can improve the uniformity of air flow across the width of a vehicle body.

[Structure of the idea]

In order to achieve the above object, the windshield defroster structure according to the present invention includes a defroster duct that blows out conditioned air supplied from an air conditioner toward the front window from below the front window. The defroster duct has a predetermined length in the vehicle width direction, and the air outlet for blowing out the conditioned air is opened long in the vehicle width direction along the front edge of the upper wall of the defroster duct. The air-conditioned air introduction part is opened upwardly behind the air outlet and is offset from the air outlet, and the defroster duct has an air conditioned air intake part that projects downward from the upper wall of the defroster duct between the air outlet and the introduction part. An airflow interference wall is provided in a shape that extends in the vehicle width direction, and the gap between the lower end of the airflow interference wall and the lower wall of the defroster duct is small in a portion near the introduction portion.
It is characterized in that it is formed so that it becomes larger at the farthest part, and the conditioned air is blown out from the outlet.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

As shown in Figure 1, the front of the vehicle compartment 1 has a
A darts panel lower 3 is provided that partitions the engine room 2 and the engine room 2, and this darts panel lower 3
A cowl box 4 is provided above. This cowl box 4 includes a cowl front panel 4a raised flush with the dash panel lower 3,
A cowl panel lower 4b whose front edge is connected to the lower edge of the cowl front panel 4a and which protrudes toward the passenger compartment 1 in an L-shape, and a cowl panel whose rear edge is joined to the rear upper edge of the cowl panel lower 4b. It consists of an upper 4c and an reinforcement 4d fixed to the upper surface of the front part of the cowl panel upper 4c. The cowl panel upper 4c of the cowl box 4 is sealed with a sealing member 7 between the upper edge of the front wind panel 4a and the rear edge of the bonnet 6 using a known method. A vent hole 8 is formed between the bonnet 6 and the cowl panel upper 4c, which also serves as a passage space for a wiper arm (not shown).

A pair of left and right intermediate ducts 9 are connected to an air conditioner (not shown) on the rear side of the cowl box 4, and a defroster duct 10 is connected to the upper end of each intermediate duct 9, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, each defroster duct 10 extends in the vehicle width direction, and is formed in the shape of a flat box whose front edge curves in a semi-arch shape along the lower edge of the front window 5. An air outlet 12 is opened over almost the entire length of the front edge of the wall 11. Furthermore, the intermediate ducts 9 are provided closer to the center of the vehicle body, and therefore the third
As shown in the figure, defroster duct 1
0 has an air outlet 12 at the front edge of its upper wall 11.
is opened, and at a position on the rear end side offset from the air outlet 12 rearwardly than the air outlet 12, and
At the center of the vehicle body, an upward opening with a substantially circular cross-section at a connecting portion with the intermediate duct 9 is provided as an air-conditioning air introduction section.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in each defroster duct 10, between the air outlet 12 and the above-mentioned introduction part, there is a duct that protrudes downward from the upper wall 11 and extends in the vehicle width direction. A formed airflow interference wall 13 is provided. This airflow interference wall 13
As shown in FIG. 3, is formed such that the amount of protrusion h into the defroster duct 10 gradually decreases toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. That is,
The gap between the lower end of the airflow interference wall 13 and the lower wall of the defroster duct is small at the center of the vehicle body near the introduction section, and becomes larger as it goes outward in the vehicle width direction and farther from the introduction section. It is formed like this. Furthermore, this airflow interference wall 13
The air outlet 12 increases toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.
In other words, the distance d from the air outlet 12 becomes smaller toward the outside.

As shown in FIG. 5, these defroster ducts 10 are covered from above by a cover 15 that constitutes the front half of the instrument panel 14, and the air outlet 12 is located at the front edge of this cover 15.
The ventilation port 16 is opened so as not to obstruct the flow of the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner. This cover 15
is removably attached to the main body of the instrument panel 14. The instrument panel 14 also has central, left and right air conditioned air outlets 17 and 18 that blow out the air conditioned air led from the air conditioner into the vehicle compartment 1, and air vents 17 and 18 for removing fog from the left and right side windows 19. A side defroster 20 is provided.

In the above configuration, the conditioned air flowing from the air conditioner into the defroster duct 10 through the introduction part has a flow passage cross-sectional area suddenly expanded, and hits the airflow interference wall 13, so that the dynamic pressure is reduced. , directionality decreases. Furthermore, the airflow interference wall 13
Due to the throttling action, more uniform dynamic pressure and static pressure are obtained over the entire width direction of the vehicle body, and the air is blown out from the air outlet 12 toward the front window 5 in a curtain shape.

In this way, the air-conditioned air is blown out from the airflow interference wall 13 without providing a run-up path just in front of the air outlet.
As a result, the flow can be directed toward the front window 5, so there is no need to provide a vertical or diagonally upward run-up path below the air outlet, and the defroster duct 10 can be formed flat. As a result, even if the instrument panel 14 is placed low and the space between the instrument panel 14 and the cowl box 4, harness, steering support member, etc. below the instrument panel 14 is low, the defroster duct 10 can be placed between them. Since it can be assembled and stored compactly, the height of the instrument panel 14 can be kept low, and the degree of freedom in designing the height of the instrument panel 14 can be increased.

In particular, in the above configuration, the protrusion amount h of the airflow interference wall 13 is formed to become smaller as it goes further outward from the introduction portion. In other words, the flow resistance to the conditioned air flowing from the introduction part toward the outlet 12 is such that the flow resistance component, which is approximately proportional to the distance from the introduction part to the outlet 12, increases toward the outside, whereas the throttling effect of the air flow interference wall 13 Contrary to the above, the flow resistance component due to this decreases toward the outside. Therefore,
The overall flow resistance becomes more uniform throughout the width direction, and as a result, the conditioned air that flows in through the introduction part is spread more uniformly within the defroster duct 10, and from the air outlet 12 it spreads across the entire width direction of the vehicle. This results in more uniform spraying over the entire area. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the problem in which the front window 12 is not sufficiently defogged toward the outside, and it is possible to ensure good visibility throughout.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the airflow interference wall 13
However, as it goes outward in the vehicle width direction, the air outlet 12
As a result, the airflow interference wall 13 also has the function of guiding the conditioned air flowing in from the introduction part to the outside in the vehicle width direction. A sufficient amount of flow to the outside is ensured, and this also makes it possible to further improve the uniformity of the air flow from the air outlet 12 over the entire vehicle width direction.

Further, since the defroster duct 10 can be formed into a flat box shape, the defroster duct 10 can be manufactured easily and inexpensively by, for example, injection molding.

Further, in order to direct the air-conditioned air to the direction along the front window, it is not necessary to provide a decorative member having a louver on the ventilation opening 16 of the instrument panel 14, for example.
Not only can design quality be improved, but also costs can be reduced.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, in the windshield defroster structure of the present invention, the air outlet that blows out the conditioned air along the front edge of the upper wall of the defroster duct is opened long in the vehicle width direction, while the air conditioned air flows into the defroster duct. The introduction part is opened upward rearwardly and offset from the air outlet, and
An airflow interference wall is provided in the defroster duct in a shape extending in the vehicle width direction and protrudes downward from the upper wall of the defroster duct between the air outlet and the introduction part, and the airflow interference wall is connected to the lower end of the airflow interference wall. This configuration is such that the gap between the defroster duct and the lower wall is smaller at a portion closer to the introduction portion and larger at a portion farther from the introduction portion.

Thereby, the air-conditioned air can be blown out toward the front window without providing an approach path just in front of the air outlet, so the defroster duct can be constructed with a simpler structure. By making the gap between the lower end of the airflow interference wall and the lower wall of the defroster duct smaller near the inlet and larger in the farthest part, the flow resistance from the inlet to the air outlet is reduced. Since it is made more uniform across the entire width direction, the air volume blown from the outlet can be made more uniform across the entire vehicle width direction with a simpler configuration as described above. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the distribution of conditioned air blown from the defroster duct, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the defroster duct, and FIG. 4 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the defroster duct, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the instrument panel covering the defroster duct. In the diagram, 1 is the passenger compartment, 5 is the front window, and 10
1 is a defroster duct, 11 is an upper wall, 12 is an air outlet, 13 is an airflow interference wall, and 14 is an instrument panel.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. In a windshield defroster structure having a defroster duct that blows out conditioned air supplied from an air conditioner from below the front window toward the front window, the defroster duct is arranged in a predetermined direction in the vehicle width direction. The outlet for blowing out the conditioned air is long in the vehicle width direction along the front edge of the upper wall of the defroster duct, while the part for introducing the conditioned air into the defroster duct is longer than the outlet. The air outlet is offset from the air outlet at the rear and opens upward, and
An airflow interference wall is provided in the defroster duct in a shape extending in the vehicle width direction and protrudes downward from the upper wall of the defroster duct between the air outlet and the introduction part, and the airflow interference wall is connected to the lower end of the airflow interference wall. A windshield defroster structure characterized in that a gap between the defroster duct and the lower wall is formed so that it is small in a part near the introduction part and large in a part far from the introduction part. 2. The windshield defroster structure according to claim 1, wherein the airflow interference wall is formed so as to approach the air outlet as the distance from the introduction portion increases.