Cooling system including dual air routing zones

• US 8,312,949 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirukawa, Masayuki, Togawa, Taeko, Tsujinaka, Takayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swenson, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/887,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20110073288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.1, 180/68.2, 180/68.4, 180/68.6
• US Class Current: 180/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 5/06 Guiding or ducting air to, or from, ducted fans
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05366 Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0094 for recooling the engine coolant arrangements of liquid-to-air heat exchangers on vehicles F01P3/18
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/002 with fastening means for other structures

Abstract

In a vehicle in which a front end of a hood is formed so as to extend forward from an upper portion of radiator in side view, and to be partly vertically aligned and overlapped with cooling fins of the radiator, in a first area of the radiator where the hood and the cooling fins are vertically aligned and overlapped with each other, the cooling fins are covered with a fan shroud from behind, and in a second area of the radiator where an air-intake port allows traveling wind to pass therethrough during movement of the vehicle, the cooling fins are not covered with the fan shroud, but are exposed to such traveling wind. Such arrangement of the cooling system achieves satisfactory cooling of the vehicle even in a situation in which an air-intake port, for introducing air into the radiator, must be made small.

Claims

1. A cooling system for a vehicle, said cooling system comprising:

a hood configured to cover a front portion of the vehicle;

a radiator arranged below the hood;

an air-intake port arranged below a front portion of the hood and configured to introduce cooling wind into a first portion of the radiator;

a cooling fan arranged behind the radiator for drawing wind past a second portion of the radiator; and

a fan shroud extending from an area behind cooling fins of the radiator to an area proximate the cooling fan, said fan shroud defining an air-intake channel for routing wind therethrough,

wherein a front end of the hood is formed to extend forwardly beyond an upper portion of the radiator in side view, and to be partly vertically aligned with the cooling fins of the radiator,

wherein the fan shroud covers part of the cooling fins at a portion of the radiator in an area where the hood and the cooling fins are vertically aligned with each other, and exposes another part of the cooling fins at another portion of the radiator; and

wherein the fan shroud has a substantially rectangular shape in front view, includes an inner wall surface having a substantially arcuate shape broadened gradually toward the front of the vehicle, and is formed to open toward the front of the vehicle.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the fan shroud has the cooling fan mounted at a substantially central portion thereof as viewed in side view, and is attached so as to cover an upper portion of the radiator and to expose a lower portion of the radiator.

3. The cooling system according to claim 2, wherein a corner of the substantially rectangular shape of the fan shroud is rounded off such that cooling fins are exposed proximate the rounded off corner of the fan shroud.

4. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein a corner of the substantially rectangular shape of the fan shroud is rounded off such that selected cooling fins of the radiator are exposed proximate the rounded off corner of the fan shroud.

5. The cooling system according to claim 4, further comprising an air-blocking panel formed integrally with the fan shroud and configured to close a clearance between the upper portion of the radiator and the hood.

6. The cooling system according to claim 5, further comprising a radiator shroud extending forward from both side portions and from a lower portion of the radiator.

7. The cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising an air-blocking panel formed integrally with the fan shroud and configured to close a clearance between the upper portion of the radiator and the hood.

8. The cooling system according to claim 7, further comprising a radiator shroud extending forward from both side portions and from a lower portion of the radiator.

9. The cooling system according to claim 7, wherein the fan shroud is provided with a fan shroud mounting portion extending upwardly thereon for placement abutting a radiator tank of the radiator, and having a mounting fitting thereon to permit attachment of the fan shroud to the radiator, and wherein the air-blocking panel is provided integrally with the fan shroud mounting portion.

10. The cooling system according to claim 7, wherein a length of the air-blocking panel in a vehicle width direction is set to be equal to or larger than an outer diameter of the cooling fan.

11. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fins include an exposed portion which is not covered with the fan shroud in an area which is overlapped with the air-intake port.

12. A cooling system in a vehicle, said cooling system comprising:

a hood configured to cover a front portion of the vehicle;

a radiator arranged below the hood;

an air-intake port arranged below a front portion of the hood and configured to introduce cooling wind into a lower portion of the radiator;

a cooling fan arranged behind the radiator for drawing wind past an upper portion of the radiator; and

a fan shroud extending from an area behind cooling fins of the radiator to an area surrounding the cooling fan, said fan shroud defining an air-intake channel for routing wind therethrough,

wherein a front end of the hood is formed to extend forwardly beyond an upper portion of the radiator in side view, and to be partly vertically aligned with the cooling fins of the radiator,

wherein the fan shroud covers part of the cooling fins at the upper portion of the radiator in an area where the hood and the cooling fins are vertically aligned with each other, and exposes another part of the cooling fins at the lower portion of the radiator; and

wherein the fan shroud has a substantially rectangular shape in front view, includes an inner wall surface having a substantially arcuate shape broadened gradually toward the front of the vehicle, and is formed to open toward the front of the vehicle.

13. The cooling system according to claim 12, wherein the fan shroud has the cooling fan mounted at a substantially central portion thereof as viewed in side view.

14. The cooling system according to claim 12, wherein

a corner of the substantially rectangular shape of the fan shroud is rounded off such that selected cooling fins of the radiator are exposed proximate the rounded off corner of the fan shroud.

15. The cooling system according to claim 12, further comprising an air-blocking panel formed integrally with the fan shroud and configured to close a clearance between the upper portion of the radiator and the hood.

16. The cooling system according to claim 15, further comprising a radiator shroud extending forward from both side portions and from a lower portion of the radiator.

17. The cooling system according to claim 16, wherein a length of the air-blocking panel in a vehicle width direction is set to be equal to or larger than an outer diameter of the cooling fan.

18. The cooling system according to claim 15, wherein the fan shroud is provided with a fan shroud mounting portion extending upwardly thereon for placement abutting a radiator tank of the radiator, and having a mounting fitting thereon to permit attachment of the fan shroud to the radiator, and wherein the air-blocking panel is provided integrally with the fan shroud mounting portion.

19. The cooling system according to claim 15, wherein a length of the air-blocking panel in a vehicle width direction is set to be equal to or larger than an outer diameter of the cooling fan.

20. The cooling system according to claim 12, further comprising a radiator shroud extending forward from both side portions and from a lower portion of the radiator.