Air Inlet Arrangement

Abstract

An air inlet arrangement of a front fairing of a vehicle includes an air inlet element having at least one air inlet opening, and at least one adjustable air flap which is movable into an open position and into a closed position. The air flap in the open position opens up the air inlet opening and in the closed position closes the air inlet opening. The air flap is formed in two parts with two flap elements which are adjustable in an opposed manner.

Claims

1.-12. (canceled)

13. An air inlet arrangement of a front faring of a vehicle, comprising: an air inlet element having at least one air inlet opening; and at least one adjustable air flap which is movable into an open position and into a closed position, wherein the air flap in the open position opens up the air inlet opening and in the closed position closes the air inlet opening, and wherein the air flap is formed in two parts with two flap elements which are adjustable in an opposed manner.

14. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, further comprising: an environmental sensor arranged on a vehicle side of the air inlet element, wherein a viewing area of the environmental sensor is opened up by opening the air flap.

15. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the air flap in the closed position is arranged flush with a frontmost surface of the air inlet element with respect to a direction of travel of the vehicle.

16. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the air flap in the open position is completely arranged on a side of the frontmost surface that lies counter to the direction of travel.

17. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the air inlet element comprises at least two air inlet openings and at least one web which is arranged between the two air inlet openings.

18. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the two flap elements are each arranged so as to be foldable about a horizontal flap axis.

19. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the flap axes are each offset toward a rear of the vehicle by a distance from closing surfaces of the flap elements.

20. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the distance is at least 40% and at maximum 70% of a vertical height of the air inlet opening.

21. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, further comprising: at least one second air flap which is configured to open up and to close a second air inlet opening, wherein the second air flap has a plurality of sliding elements which are slidable telescopically into one another, or wherein the second air flap has a plurality of slats which are rollable up in a manner of a roller shutter.

22. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, further comprising: an oscillation stopper element which closes at least one air inlet opening.

23. The air inlet arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the air inlet element is a radiator grille.

24. A vehicle comprising an air inlet arrangement according to claim 13.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle with an air inlet arrangement according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention;

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a detailed partial sectional view of the air inlet arrangement of FIG. 1; and

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a detailed partial sectional view of an air inlet arrangement according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10 having an air inlet arrangement 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The vehicle 10 is a car. The air inlet arrangement 1 is part of a front faring 11 which is arranged at a front region of the vehicle 10 in the direction of travel X.

[0025] The air inlet arrangement 1 has two air inlet elements 2 which are each designed as a radiator grille. The air inlet arrangement 1 is illustrated here in detail in FIG. 2 which shows a partial sectional view of the air inlet arrangement 1.

[0026] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the air inlet arrangement 1 has a frame 12 in which the two air inlet elements 2 lying next to each other are arranged. Each of the air inlet elements 2 here has three air inlet openings 3 through which, in each case in an open state, air can be conducted through the front faring 11 to a radiator, not illustrated. A horizontal web 6 is arranged between each of the air inlet openings 3. The air inlet openings 3 thus lie one above another in the vertical direction.

[0027] The air inlet arrangement 1 in each case has one adjustable air flap 4 per air inlet opening 3. The air flaps 4 are each of plate-shaped configuration and are movable into an open position and into a closed position. In the open position, each of the air flaps 4 opens up the corresponding air inlet opening 3, as illustrated for all the air inlet openings 3 of the left air inlet element 2 and the uppermost air inlet opening 3 of the right air inlet element 2 in FIG. 2. In the open position, the air flaps 4 are each pivoted here inward on the vehicle side such that they do not protrude forward. In the closed position, in which the two lower air flaps 4 of the right air inlet element 2 of FIG. 2 are arranged, the air flaps 4 in each case close the corresponding air inlet opening 3.

[0028] When the air flaps 4 are in the closed position, they are arranged flush with a frontmost surface 5 of the air inlet elements 2 in the direction of travel X of the vehicle 10. The frontmost surface 5 is defined here by the respective frontmost boundaries of the frame 12 and of the webs 6 in the direction of travel X. It can be seen with reference to the two lower air flaps 4, which are arranged in the closed position, of the right air inlet element 2 of FIG. 2 that, in the case of such a flush arrangement of the air flaps 4 in the frontmost surface 5, a flush and closed boundary of the air inlet arrangement 1 is formed. In a driving mode of the vehicle 10, particularly favorable aerodynamics of the vehicle 10 can therefore be achieved in the closed state of the air inlet openings 3. This special arrangement of the air flaps 4 flush with the frontmost surface 5 in the closed position makes it possible for a particularly low-loss, in particular contiguous, air flow to be achieved at the front faring 11 during a driving mode of the vehicle 10, which leads to a particularly low coefficient of drag of the vehicle 10.

[0029] A detailed configuration of the air flaps 4 and an adjustment mechanism by means of which the air flaps 4 are movable into the closed position and into the open position will be described below.

[0030] The first exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows two different types of air flaps 4 and, correspondingly, two different types of adjustment mechanisms of the air flaps 4. The lower two air flaps 4 of the two air inlet elements 2 are in each case designed as single-part, plate-shaped air flaps 4. These single-part air flaps 4 are each foldable about a horizontal flap axis 7. The flap axis 7 is located here within the web 6 directly adjacent to the frontmost surface 5. As a result, the single-part air flaps 4 are adjustable particularly simply by being moved either into the closed position or into the open position which is folded away from the closed position by 90°.

[0031] Furthermore, in each case the upper air flap 4 of the two air inlet elements 2 is designed in two parts with two flap elements 41, 42 which are adjustable in an opposed manner. Each of these two flap elements 41, 42 is foldable separately here about a respective flap axis 7. These two flap axes 7 are parallel to each other. In this case, however, the flap axes 7 are each arranged by a distance A on the vehicle side away from closing surfaces 47 of the flap elements 41, 42, the closing surfaces in the closed position ending flush with the frontmost surface 5. In order to connect the corresponding flap axis 7 to the closing surfaces 47, a holding arm 43 is provided at each horizontal end of the flap elements 41, 42. The distance A corresponds here to 50% of a vertical height H of the upper air inlet opening 3. This special arrangement of the flap axes 7 of the upper two-part air flaps 4 makes it possible to achieve a particularly space-saving arrangement of the flap elements 41, 42 in the open position, with a particularly large air inlet opening 3 being able to be opened up by the opposed movement of these flap elements 41, 42. This is particularly favorable in order to open up a viewing area of maximum size of environmental sensors 9 which, as illustrated in FIG. 2, are provided as part of the air inlet arrangement 1 on the vehicle side adjacent to each air inlet element 2. The environmental sensors 9 here are a lidar sensor 9b and a radar sensor 9a.

[0032] Furthermore, the air inlet arrangement 1 comprises one oscillation stopper element 8 per air inlet element 2. The oscillation stopper element 8 is in each case arranged between the two lower webs 6 of the air inlet elements 2 and closes an air inlet opening 3 which is otherwise present there. The oscillation stopper element 8 likewise lies here in the frontmost surface 5 of the air inlet element 2 and is not movable, but rather constitutes a fixed covering. The oscillation stopper element 8 can thereby absorb forces acting on the air inlet arrangement 1, for example in the event of a parking prang, as a result of which damage to the air flaps 4 is prevented. In addition, a crossmember (not illustrated) for fastening the air inlet arrangement 1 to the vehicle 10 or for stiffening the air inlet arrangement 1 can be provided on the vehicle side of the oscillation stopper element 8.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a detailed partial sectional view of an air inlet arrangement 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention. The second exemplary embodiment substantially corresponds here to the first exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 with an alternative configuration of two air flaps 4 and the adjustment mechanism thereof. This results in further favorable configuration possibilities for configuring the air flaps 4 to be movable between the open position and the closed position.

[0034] In detail, in the second exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the two upper air flaps 4 of the left air inlet element 2 are configured in an alternative way. The uppermost air flap 4 is designed here in the manner of a roller shutter with a plurality of slats 44 which can be rolled up. These slats 44 can be rolled up about a horizontal roll-up spindle 45 arranged above the corresponding air inlet opening 3, in order to open up the air inlet opening 3. In addition, the slats 44 can be unrolled again from this roll-up spindle 45 in order to close the air inlet opening 3. The air inlet opening 3 is illustrated in a partially open state in FIG. 3.

[0035] In addition, in the second exemplary embodiment, the central air flap 4 of the left air inlet element 2 is adjustable by means of a sliding mechanism. This central air flap 4 in this connection has two sliding elements 46 which can be slid telescopically into one another and can be displaced substantially parallel to the front surface 5 into the oscillation stopper element 8.

[0036] It is noted that the positions of the air flaps 4 illustrated in the figures are illustrated merely by way of example. In fact, each of the air flaps 4 can in each case take up any position between the open position and the closed position also in any combination with the further air flaps 4. In addition, any combinations of the illustrated and described construction variants of the air flaps 4 can be used in the air inlet arrangement 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

[0037] 1 Air inlet arrangement [0038] 2 Air inlet element [0039] 3 Air inlet opening [0040] 4 Air flap [0041] 5 Frontmost surface [0042] 6 Web [0043] 7 Flap axis [0044] 8 Oscillation stopper element [0045] 9 Environmental sensors [0046] 9a Radar sensor [0047] 9b Lidar sensor [0048] 10 Vehicle [0049] 11 Front faring [0050] 12 Frame [0051] 41, 42 Flap elements [0052] 43 Holding arm [0053] 44 Slats [0054] 45 Roll-up spindle [0055] 46 Sliding elements [0056] A Distance [0057] H Height [0058] X Direction of travel