Ventilation device of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a ventilation device (20) of a motor vehicle, this device comprising: an air passage (21) for air set in forced movement, in particular by suction, at least one anti-turbulence shield (25; 26) arranged to be placed in the air passage at a location chosen so as to prevent turbulence from forming.

Claims

1. A ventilation device of a motor vehicle, the device comprising: an air passage for air set in forced movement by suction; at least one anti-turbulence shield arranged to be placed in the air passage at a location chosen so as to prevent turbulence from forming; and a support for a motor-fan unit; the support including a housing which receives the motor-fan unit and a peripheral region defining an opening, the housing being arranged substantially in the center of the opening; the opening defining a border, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield is disposed at the border; the support including a plurality of arms for mechanically holding a motor, wherein the arms connect the housing to the peripheral region; wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield extends along the border between two consecutive arms.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield is arranged to prevent turbulence from forming upon contact with the at least one arm.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the at least one turbulence shield is disposed adjacent to one or more of the arms and not adjacent to one or more of the arms.

4. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opening is of substantially circular shape, and the border is circular.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield comprises a face which opposes a circulation of air flow and has the shape of a tongue.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield is disposed at a distance from blades of the fan at least equal to a distance between the at least one arm and the blades of the fan.

7. The ventilation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield does not connect the housing to the peripheral region.

8. The ventilation device according to claim 7, wherein: the arms define a radial length extending between the housing and the peripheral region; the border is circular; and the at least one anti-turbulence shield extends radially in the opening over a distance of at most half the radial length of the arms.

9. A support for a motor-fan unit, for a ventilation device which includes an air passage for air set in forced movement by suction, the support comprising: an anti-turbulence shield arranged to be placed in the air passage at a location chosen so as to prevent turbulence from forming; a housing which receives the motor-fan unit and a peripheral region defining an opening, the housing being arranged substantially in the center of the opening, the opening defining a border, wherein the at least one anti-turbulence shield is disposed at the border; and a plurality of arms for mechanically holding a motor, wherein the arms connect the housing to the peripheral region; wherein the anti-turbulence shield extends along the border between two consecutive arms.

10. A method for preventing turbulence from forming, the method comprising: providing an anti-turbulence shield so as to prevent turbulence from forming in an air passage of a ventilation device of a motor vehicle; and providing a support comprising a housing which receives a motor-fan unit, and a peripheral region defining an opening, wherein the housing is arranged substantially in the center of the opening, the support further including a plurality of arms for mechanically holding a motor, wherein the arms connect the housing to the peripheral region, and the opening defining a border, wherein the anti-turbulence shield is disposed at the border and extends along the border between two consecutive arms.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: identifying one or more areas of strong turbulence and high air velocities in the forced air passage, by numerical simulation or by real-life testing; and placing in the one or more areas the at least one anti-turbulence shield, so as to prevent turbulence from forming or to limit in the one or more areas, so as to reduce noise generated by circulation of air.

Description

(1) Further features, details and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from reading the detailed description given below by way of indication and with reference to the various illustrative embodiments of the invention depicted in the following figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a cooling unit of an engine bay, with a ventilation device, in which unit a device for regulating the intake of outside air into this cooling unit has been made visible, a condenser, a radiator and a fairing configured to carry a motor-fan unit,

(3) FIGS. 2 to 6 represent different views of the motor-fan unit support,

(4) FIG. 7 is a view of a variant of the invention, and

(5) FIG. 8 is a view of another variant.

(6) FIG. 1 shows various elements which can be included in a cooling unit 1 intended to be integrated into an engine bay of a vehicle according to the present invention. Such a cooling unit 1 can in particular comprise at least one device 2 for regulating the intake of air into the cooling unit 1, one or more stacked heat exchangers including, by way of nonlimiting example, a condenser 3 and a radiator 4, and at least one motor-fan unit 5.

(7) The device 2 for regulating the intake of air can for example consist of a grille 2s, 2i with adjustable flaps, as illustrated in FIG. 1. This grille 2s, 2i comprises an upper part 2s and a lower part 2i fixed one on the other and offset with respect to each other. This offset may in particular make it possible to arrange an additional heat exchanger.

(8) According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit 1 may comprise a first heat exchanger consisting of a condenser 3 and a second heat exchanger consisting of a radiator 4. The radiator 4 allows the cooling of the heat engine via an exchange between the outside air and a cooling liquid circulating in this radiator 4 while the condenser 3 is an element of an air conditioning circuit with a network of exchange between the incoming fresh air and a refrigerant.

(9) The motor-fan unit 5 can for its part be integrated into a fairing 6 and makes it possible to force the intake of air into the cooling unit 1 when this intake of air is no longer sufficient, for example in situations in which the vehicle is stationary or at least slowed down, then disrupting this intake of air.

(10) This fairing 6 may have two lateral returns 8, a lower edge 9 and a bottom wall 10 in which the motor-fan unit 5 is integrated.

(11) According to the present invention, the heat exchangers 3, 4 can be encapsulated in a housing of the cooling unit that participates in forming, on one hand, the grille 2s, 2i carrying the device 2 for regulating the intake of air and, on the other hand, the fairing 6 integrating the motor-fan unit 5.

(12) More particularly, this housing has at least one closing wall 11 which covers or closes a volume in which the heat exchangers are housed and which is defined by the arrangement of four peripheral walls, namely: a front transverse wall 12, a rear transverse wall 13, these front and rear transverse walls 12, 13 being arranged across an air flow entering the vehicle, and two left and right longitudinal walls, which are not shown here.

(13) Thus, the air flow entering the vehicle passes successively through the front transverse wall 12 of the housing, one or more stacked heat exchangers 3, 4 and finally the rear transverse wall 13 of the housing.

(14) The front transverse wall 12 of the housing corresponds to the grille 2s, 2i in which the device 2 for regulating the intake of air can be integrated, and the rear transverse wall 13 of the housing bears the motor-fan unit 5.

(15) The rear transverse wall 13 of the housing can in particular consist of the bottom wall 10 of the fairing 6, so that, in accordance with the above, the rear transverse wall can be extended perpendicularly to its edges by two lateral returns 8 and a lower edge 9.

(16) A ventilation device 20 comprises the rear transverse wall 13 and the motor-fan unit 5.

(17) As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular, this device 20 comprises: an air passage 21 for air set in forced movement, by suction by blades (not shown) of the motor-fan unit 5, anti-turbulence shields 25 and 26 arranged so as to be placed in the air passage 21 in places, or zones, Z chosen so as to prevent turbulence from forming.

(18) These zones Z are chosen so as to prevent turbulence from forming, this turbulence would then be, if not prevented, among that of greater amplitude in this air passage. These zones also correspond to zones of high air flow speeds.

(19) The shields 25 and 26 occupy a total area of less than 5% of the total area of the air passage, so as not to affect the performance of the ventilation device.

(20) The rear transverse wall 13 forms a support 13 for the motor-fan unit. This support 13, or wall 13, comprises at least one arm for mechanically holding the engine, the shield is arranged to prevent turbulence from forming in contact with this arm.

(21) The anti-turbulence shields 25 and 26 are formed on the support 13 for the motor-fan unit.

(22) The support 13 further comprises: a housing 28 to receive the motor-fan unit, a peripheral region 29, six arms 30 connecting the housing 28 to the peripheral region 29.

(23) These arms 30 are distributed around the housing 28 at equi-angular or non-equi-angular intervals.

(24) The support 13 is made in one piece, in particular by molding a plastic material. As a variant, the support 13 can be an attached part.

(25) The housing 28 comprises a ring 31 to receive the motor-fan unit 5 and the arms 30 are connected to the ring 31.

(26) The arms 30 are substantially straight and include a flare 32 at the junction base between each arm and the peripheral region 29.

(27) The peripheral region 29 defines a substantially circular opening 33 for the air passage 21 and the housing for the motor-fan unit is arranged substantially in the center of this opening.

(28) The anti-turbulence shields 25 and 26 are at partially arranged in this opening 33 and therefore in the air passage 21.

(29) This opening 33 has a circular border 35, and the shields 25 and 26 are adjacent to this border 35.

(30) The shields 25 and 26 are arranged between two consecutive arms 30 and are adjacent to one of the arms 30, and also adjacent to the border 35.

(31) The shields 25 and 26 extend radially in the opening over a distance of at most half the length of the arm, in particular at most ⅕ or ⅛ of the length of the arm 30, this length being measured from the ring 31 to the border 35.

(32) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the shields 25 and 25 each have a face 40 and 41 respectively opposing the circulation of the air flow.

(33) The face 40 of the shield 40 extends substantially in a plane P parallel to the plane of the opening 33, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

(34) The other face 41 of the shield 26 has a shape that is domed with respect to the plane P of the opening 33, as visible in FIG. 5. This domed shape has a concavity oriented parallel to the air flow.

(35) This face 41 could be planar and not domed.

(36) The shield 25 has the shape of a tongue, as shown in FIG. 4, with a raised end 44.

(37) Each arm 30 comprises a side 45 provided with reinforcing ribs 46, as shown in FIG. 2, and the shield 26, which has the shape of a tongue, is connected to this side 45 of the arm which is provided with reinforcing ribs 46.

(38) This tongue of the shield 25 extends substantially along the border 35 of the opening 33. The shield 25 has a setback 47 which connects to one side 45 of the arm 30.

(39) The shield 25 may, as required, have a shape substantially chosen from: circular, polygonal, rectangular, square or any other shape.

(40) The shields 25 and 26 are adjacent to an annular rib 48, which is in particular parallel to the transverse axis of the opening, along the border of this opening 33.

(41) As shown in FIG. 6, an additional element 50 is formed on the annular rib 48, which is parallel to the transverse axis of the opening and extends along the border 35 of this opening, this rib 48 having a height, which may be raised or not, to have a good compromise between acoustic performance and aeraulic performance.

(42) This raised rib 48 is higher in height than a neighboring concentric rib 51 of greater radius. This rib 48 has notches 55.

(43) The ribs 48 and 51 can alternatively have the same height.

(44) In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the shield or shields 60 are formed on arms 30, here on two of the 6 arms of the support. These shields 60 are spaced apart from the housing 28 and from the border 35.

(45) As can be seen in FIG. 8, according to another aspect of the invention, the anti-turbulence shield 70 is placed upstream of the radiator 4, which is itself placed upstream of the fan.

(46) As a variant, the anti-turbulence shield 71 is placed between a heat exchanger, in particular a radiator 4, and the motor-fan unit, without being formed directly on the component 13.

(47) As a further variant, the anti-turbulence shield 72 is placed downstream of a fan, in particular between the fan and the motor-fan unit support.

(48) In these cases, the shield may be an attached part, mounted for example by snap-fitting or another method, and arranged in these various locations.