MOTOR VEHICLE WITH AIR AND WATER GUIDING ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A motor vehicle is disclosed with a windshield, a hood and an air and water guiding arrangement that extends from the base of the windshield underneath the hood. A base plate of the air and water guiding arrangement features at least one air passage opening underneath the hood. A transverse wall, in which passages for air are recessed, rises from the base plate along a rear edge of the hood.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. An air and water guiding arrangement configured to extend from a base of a windshield underneath a hood, the air and water guiding arrangement comprising: a base plate having at least one air passage opening underneath the hood; and a transverse wall having recessed air passages extending from the base plate and configured to extend along a rear edge of the hood.

16. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, further comprising a water-impermeable wall surrounding the air passage opening and rising from the base plate on all sides.

17. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 16, further comprising a screen extending across the air passage opening and integrally connected to an upper edge of the wall.

18. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the base plate comprises a narrow central section and wide end sections configured to be located toward lateral flanks of the motor vehicle, and wherein at least one air passage opening is formed in each end section.

19. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 18, wherein several air passage openings are formed in an end section.

20. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the base plate forms a laterally sloping trench between the walls of two air passage openings.

21. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, wherein an upper edge of a passage of the transverse wall does not lie higher than the upper edge of the wall of the air passage opening located closest to the passage.

22. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 21 wherein the base plate forms a laterally sloping trench between the walls of two air passage openings and at least one of the passages of the transverse wall is aligned with a rear end of one of the trenches.

23. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, further comprising a channel configured to extend in the lateral direction of the vehicle between the windshield and a rear edge of the base plate.

24. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 23, further comprising an apron configured to tightly adjoin a lower edge region of the windshield.

25. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the base plate, the channel and the apron form an integrally molded plastic component.

26. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, wherein a front edge of the base plate is configured to tightly adjoin the hood.

27. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 26, further comprising an upwardly protruding rib formed on the front edge of the base plate and an elastic seal carried on the rib and configured to contact the hood.

28. The air and water guiding arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the air passage opening is configured to feed fresh air to a passenger compartment.

29. An air and water guiding arrangement configured to extend from a base of a windshield underneath a hood, the air and water guiding arrangement comprising: a base plate having at least one air passage opening underneath the hood; a transverse wall having recessed air passages extending from the base plate and configured to extend along a rear edge of the hood; a water-impermeable wall surrounding the air passage opening and rising from the base plate on all sides; and a channel configured to extend in the lateral direction of the vehicle between the windshield and a rear edge of the base plate.

30. A motor vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having a passenger compartment, a windshield and a hood; and an air and water guiding arrangement extending from a base of the windshield underneath the hood, the air and water guiding arrangement including a base plate having at least one air passage opening underneath the hood, and a transverse wall having recessed air passages extending from the base plate and extending along a rear edge of the hood; wherein the air passage opening is configured to feed fresh air to a passenger compartment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a cross section through the air and water guiding arrangement of an inventive motor vehicle;

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the air and water guiding arrangement along a plane of section that is shifted parallel to the plane of section of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the air and water guiding arrangement; and

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the air and water guiding arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description.

[0022] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show sections through an inventive air and water guiding arrangement. The respective planes of section are indicated in the perspective view illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0023] A channel 10 extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle is arranged at the base of the windshield 1. Rain water running off the windshield 1 is laterally drained in the channel along a gradient. The windshield 1 tightly adjoins an apron 11. On the side facing away from the windshield 1, the channel 10 is defined by a transverse wall 8 that extends along a rear edge of a hood 2. Passages 9 are recessed in the transverse wall 8 above the base of the channel 10. A base plate 4 extends forward from the transverse wall 8 underneath the hood 2 to flushly adjoin the lower edge of the passages 9, namely up to a rib 12, on which the hood 2 is supported by an elastic seal 13. In this way, the transverse wall 8, the base plate 4, the rib 12 and the hood 2 form a hollow space 17.

[0024] Air passage openings 5 are recessed in the base plate 4 and respectively surrounded by a water-impermeable wall 6. The water-impermeable wall 6 protrudes upward from the base plate 4 into the hollow space 17. A screen 7 extending across the air passage opening 5 is integrally connected to an upper edge of the water-impermeable wall 6. The base plate 4, the channel and the apron 11 form an integrally molded plastic component.

[0025] The lateral edges of the passages 9 are respectively adjoined by the water-impermeable walls 6 of two air passage openings 5 flanking the passage 9 such that the base plate 4 and the water-impermeable walls 6 jointly form a trench 14. The trenches are laterally and forwardly sloped. The upper edge of a passage 9 of the transverse wall 8 does not lie higher than the upper edge of the water-impermeable wall 6 of the air passage opening 5 located closest to the passage 9 such that there is no straight path that successively extends through a passage 9 and an air passage opening 5.

[0026] A plenum chamber 18 extends underneath the base plate 4 and is connected to the hollow space 17 via the air passage openings 5. An air-conditioning system 19 is in turn connected to the plenum chamber in order to feed air taken in from the plenum chamber to the passenger compartment.

[0027] The top view in FIG. 4 shows the elongate air and water guiding arrangement 3 extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle. A central section 15 of the base plate 4 is narrower than end sections 16 located toward lateral flanks of the motor vehicle. The air passage openings 5 are distributed over the width of the base plate 4.

[0028] In case water from the channel 10 swashes into the hollow space 17 through the passage 9, it is diverted to and ultimately runs off the flanks of the vehicle body past the air passage openings 5 in the trenches 14. The transverse wall 8 prevents turbulences, which can form in the channel 10 behind the hood 2 due to the relative wind, from extending underneath the hood 2 and thereby reduces the amount of water that can be entrained to the air passage opening 5 or into its vicinity by these turbulences.

[0029] When the air-conditioning system 19 takes in air, it flows from the channel 10 into the hollow space 17 through the passages 9. If water is located in the channel 10, droplets of this water are entrained by the air flow. The air is sharply deflected in the hollow space 17, namely from a flow direction at the passages 9, which is essentially oriented opposite to the driving direction, to a flow direction at the air passage openings 5, which is essentially oriented vertically downward. Since there is no straight path extending through the passages 9 and the air passage opening 5 and the water droplets can at best follow the directional changes of the air flow slowly due to their higher density. The majority of water droplets precipitate on the walls of the hollow space 17 and ultimately divert past the air passage openings 5 on the base plate 4 as described above with reference to the spill water. In this way, the interior of the plenum chamber 18 remains dry and an undesirable delivery of moisture into the passenger compartment can be prevented.

[0030] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.