JP6269448B2 - Spats device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle spats device.

  An apparatus for moving spats provided on the vehicle front side of wheels in the vertical direction of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed or the like is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-341636 A

  In order to improve the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle, it is desirable to lower the spats as close to the road surface as possible. However, if the spats are close to the road surface, it will easily interfere with obstacles on the road surface. In the conventional example described above, no consideration is given to such interference between the obstacle and the spats.

  In view of the above facts, the present invention has an object to reduce damage to spats when they interfere with obstacles on the road surface.

A vehicle spats device according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided on the vehicle front side of a wheel, is guided and movable in the vehicle vertical direction, and receives a load receiving at an end on the vehicle front side that faces obliquely downward on the vehicle front side. A spat that is provided with a surface, and a link mechanism that moves the spat to the upper side of the vehicle when a load is input to the load receiving surface from the front side of the vehicle , the link mechanism being provided on the vehicle side, One end is attached to a first guide portion extending in the vehicle vertical direction and guiding the spats, a second guide portion provided in the spats and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a shaft portion provided on the vehicle side. The other end is guided to the second guide part through a slider that is rotatable relative to the other end, and the rotation axis of the slider is directly below the center of the shaft part. The bottom dead center is set at a position off Having an arm that is.

  In this vehicular spats apparatus, when a load is input from an obstacle on the road surface to the load receiving surface of the spats from the front side of the vehicle, the spats move upward of the vehicle by the action of the link mechanism.

That is , the spats can be guided in the vertical direction of the vehicle by being guided by the first guide portion of the link mechanism. The spats are provided with a second guide part of a link mechanism, and the slider is guided by the second guide part. The slider is rotatably provided at the other end of the arm, and one end of the arm is attached to a shaft portion provided on the vehicle side so that the arm can rotate relative to the vehicle side. Therefore, the rotation of the arm, the movement of the slider in the second guide part, and the vertical movement of the second guide part are linked to each other.

  When the spats interfere with an obstacle on the road surface and a load is input to the load receiving surface of the spats from the front side of the vehicle, the spats are pushed upward by the component force of the load upward. This component force is transmitted to the arm via the second guide portion and the slider. Since the bottom dead center of the other end of the arm is set at a position where the rotational axis of the slider at the other end deviates from just below the center of the shaft, rotational torque acts on the arm. As a result, the arm starts to rotate relative to the vehicle side.

  When the arm rotates, the slider at the other end of the arm moves along the second guide portion provided in the spats and moves upward along with the second guide portion. That is, the rotation of the arm, the movement of the slider in the second guide part, and the ascent of the second guide part itself are interlocked with each other, so that the spats pushed above the vehicle by the component force move upward. . Thereby, interference with spats and an obstacle is suppressed.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the vehicle wheel pant device according to claim 1, between the arm and the vehicle side, biasing the second end of the arm is rotationally urged to the arm in the direction of descending Means are provided.

  In this vehicle spats device, since the arm is rotationally biased in the direction in which the other end of the arm descends by the biasing means, the spats that have been moved upward due to interference between the obstacle and the spats After the interference is resolved, the original height is automatically restored.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle spats device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the vehicular spats device includes a drive source that rotationally drives the shaft portion to move the spats up and down.

  In this vehicular spats device, the shaft can be rotationally driven by a drive source, whereby the spats can be stored in the upper portion of the vehicle and deployed in the lower portion of the vehicle.

According to the vehicle spats device of the first aspect , it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that damage to the spats when the spats interfere with an obstacle on the road surface can be reduced.

According to the vehicle spats device of the second aspect , after the interference between the obstacles and the spats is resolved, the excellent effect that the function of the spats can be quickly recovered is obtained.

According to the vehicle spats device of the third aspect , it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle can be appropriately changed.

It is a perspective view showing the spats device for vehicles concerning this embodiment. It is a top view showing the spats device for vehicles concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view taken along arrow 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing a state in which spats are deployed. It is side sectional drawing which shows the state which stored the spats. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where an obstacle on a road surface abuts on the spats and the spats are moved upward from the state of FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the state which the spats moved further to the upper part of a vehicle and got on an obstacle with progress of a vehicle. (A) is an enlarged side view which shows the state which has an arm in a bottom dead center. (B) is an enlarged side view showing a state in which the arm rotates relative to the shaft portion toward the vehicle rear side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, a vehicle spats device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a spats 12, a link mechanism 14, and a drive source 16.

  The spats 12 are aerodynamic members which are provided on the vehicle front side of the wheels 18 and are movable by being guided in a vehicle vertical direction by a first guide portion 21 described later. The wheel 18 is, for example, a front wheel. The spats 12 can reduce the air resistance by guiding the air flow toward the wheels 18 to the left and right of the wheels 18 when the vehicle is running. As shown in FIG. 2, the spats 12 are formed in, for example, a triangular shape in a plan view, and the width in the vehicle width direction is widened toward the rear of the vehicle. The spats 12 have a bottom part 12A, a right side wall part 12R, a left side wall part 12L, a rear wall part 12B, and a load receiving surface 12C, and have a bottomed shape with an opening on the vehicle upper side.

  The bottom portion 12A is formed in a trapezoidal shape in plan view, and the lower end of the load receiving surface 12C is located at the front end corresponding to the upper base of the trapezoid. The right side wall portion 12R is erected above the vehicle from the vehicle right side of the bottom portion 12A. The left side wall portion 12L is erected above the vehicle from the left side of the bottom portion 12A. The rear wall portion 12B is erected on the vehicle upper side from the side on the vehicle rear side corresponding to the lower bottom of the trapezoid in the bottom portion 12A. The left end of the rear wall portion 12B is coupled to the rear end of the left wall portion 12L, and the right end of the rear wall portion 12B is coupled to the rear end of the right wall portion 12R. The upper sides of the right wall portion 12R and the left wall portion 12L are joined to each other at the front end of the spats 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the load receiving surface 12 </ b> C is provided at the end portion of the spats 12 on the vehicle front side and faces obliquely downward on the vehicle front side. The load receiving surface 12C is configured in a substantially triangular plane, for example. Accordingly, the width of the load receiving surface 12C in the vehicle width direction is the widest at the lower end and narrows toward the upper end. Three sides of the load receiving surface 12C are coupled to the bottom portion 12A, the right side wall portion 12R, and the left side wall portion 12L, respectively.

  1 to 3, the link mechanism 14 is a mechanism for moving the spats 12 upward in the vehicle when a load F (FIG. 5) is input to the load receiving surface 12C from the front side of the vehicle. Specifically, the link mechanism 14 includes a first guide part 21, a second guide part 22, and an arm 20.

  The first guide portion 21 is a guide rail that is provided on the vehicle 24 side, extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and guides the spats 12. Being provided on the vehicle 24 side means being provided at a fixed portion of the vehicle 24. In the present embodiment, the first guide portion 21 is fastened and fixed to the front surface of the case 26 housing the drive source 16 by screws 28 (FIG. 1). The case 26 is fixed to a front spoiler 30 or a vehicle skeleton (not shown) fixed to the vehicle 24. Therefore, the first guide portion 21 is provided at a fixed part of the vehicle 24.

  A slider 32 is slidably attached to the first guide portion 21, and an attachment bracket 34 is coupled to the slider 32. The mounting bracket 34 is fixed to the slider 32 and does not rotate relative to the slider 32. In addition, the mounting bracket 34 extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and a lower end portion 34 </ b> A bent in the vehicle width direction is fastened and fixed to the bottom portion 12 </ b> A of the spats 12 using a screw 36.

  The second guide portion 22 is a pair of guide rails provided in the spats 12 and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The second guide portion 22 is disposed, for example, above the bottom 12A of the spats 12 via the mounting bracket 38, for example, at a height that does not exceed the right wall portion 12R, the left wall portion 12L, and the rear wall portion 12B. Yes. The mounting bracket 38 has a lower end portion 38 </ b> A bent in the vehicle width direction and fastened and fixed to the bottom portion 12 </ b> A of the spats 12 using a screw 40.

  The arms 20 are, for example, a pair of left and right arms that function as a crank in the link mechanism 14. One end 20 </ b> A is attached to a shaft portion 44 provided on the vehicle 24 side, and the drive source 16 stops with respect to the vehicle 24 side. Relative rotation is possible. The other end 20B of the arm 20 is guided to the second guide portion 22 via a slider 42 that is rotatable with respect to the other end 20B. FIG. 7A shows a state where the arm 20 is at the bottom dead center. The bottom dead center of the arm 20 is such that the rotation axis of the slider 42 (the center of the pin 46) deviates from just below the center of the shaft portion 44. Is set to the correct position. In other words, the bottom dead center of the arm 20 is set at a position where the line segment L connecting the rotation axis of the slider 42 (center of the pin 46) and the center of the shaft portion 44 does not coincide with the vertical direction V. In the present embodiment, the bottom dead center of the arm 20 is set on the vehicle rear side of the shaft portion 44. The position of the line segment L in FIG. 7A corresponds to the bottom dead center of the arm 20.

  The shaft portion 44 is, for example, a portion that is rotationally driven by the drive source 16 and protrudes from the side surface of the case 26. On the outer periphery of the shaft portion 44, for example, one protrusion 44A is provided. The arm 20 is formed with a groove 20 </ b> C that does not interfere with the protrusion 44 </ b> A within a predetermined angle range and allows the arm 20 to rotate relative to the shaft 44. When the arm 20 is at the bottom dead center, one end of the groove 20C is in contact with the protrusion 44A. Further, when the shaft portion 44 is rotationally driven by the drive source 16 to be described later and the spats 12 are stored upward of the vehicle, the arm 20 can be rotationally driven by engaging the projection 44A with one end of the groove portion 20C. It has become. That is, the protrusion 44A has a function as a stopper for determining the bottom dead center of the arm 20 and a function of a key for driving the arm 20 to rotate. An angle range in which the groove 20C is formed is, for example, 90 ° or more.

  Between the vehicle 24 side and the arm 20, a torsion coil spring 48 is provided as an example of an urging unit that urges the arm 20 to rotate in the direction in which the other end 20 </ b> B of the arm 20 descends. The torsion coil spring 48 is disposed substantially coaxially with the shaft portion 44, for example. One end 48 </ b> A of the torsion coil spring 48 is locked to a pin 20 </ b> D provided on the arm 20. The other end 48 </ b> B of the torsion coil spring 48 is locked to the case 26. Specifically, a circular step portion 52 having a notch 50 in part is provided on the outer side in the radial direction of the shaft portion 44 in the case 26, and the other end 48 </ b> B of the torsion coil spring 48 is connected to the notch. 50. Since the case 26 is a fixed portion of the vehicle 24, the other end 48B of the torsion coil spring 48 is locked to the vehicle 24 side. Note that the other end 48 </ b> B of the torsion coil spring 48 may be locked to the shaft portion 44.

  1 to 3, the drive source 16 rotates the shaft portion 44 to move the spats 12 up and down. Specifically, the drive source 16 is, for example, a motor (not shown) and a speed reducer mounted in the case 26, and is configured to reduce the rotation of the motor by the speed reducer and transmit it to the shaft portion 44. ing.

(Function)
This embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below. 1 and 3, in the vehicle spats device 10 according to the present embodiment, the shaft portion 44 is rotationally driven by the drive source 16, so that the spats 12 are retracted above the vehicle and deployed below the vehicle. Can do. The spats 12 developed downward in the vehicle can reduce the air resistance by guiding the air flow toward the wheel 18 to the left and right of the wheel 18 when the vehicle is traveling.

  Further, by rotating and driving the shaft portion 44 by the drive source 16, the spats 12 can be stored upward (FIG. 4) and deployed downward (FIG. 3). When storing the spats 12, the projection 44A of the shaft portion 44 engages with one end of the groove portion 20C in the arm 20 (FIG. 7A), so that the arm 20 can be driven to rotate. Since the other end 48B of the torsion coil spring 48 is locked to the notch 50 of the stepped portion 52, when the arm 20 is driven to rotate, the torsion coil spring 48 is deformed and the urging force changes. Is controlled by the drive source 16, so that the storage and deployment of the spats 12 at normal times are not affected.

  Since the shaft 44 and the arm 20 rotate together, if the other end 48B of the torsion coil spring 48 is locked to the shaft portion 44, the torsion coil spring 48 will not be deformed when the arm 20 is driven to rotate. Thereby, the change of urging | biasing force can be suppressed.

  Specifically, the spats 12 are guided by the first guide portion 21 of the link mechanism 14 and can move in the vehicle vertical direction. The spats 12 are provided with a second guide portion 22 of the link mechanism 14, and the slider 42 is guided by the second guide portion 22. The slider 42 is rotatably provided at the other end 20B of the arm 20, and one end 20A of the arm 20 is attached to a shaft portion 44 provided on the vehicle side. The arm 20 is rotationally driven by the drive source 16. Accordingly, the rotation of the arm 20, the movement of the slider 42 in the second guide portion 22, and the vertical movement of the second guide portion 22 are interlocked with each other.

  Next, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation when the spats 12 interfere with the obstacle 56 on the road surface 54 will be described. In a state where the spats 12 are deployed to the lower side of the vehicle, when the spats 12 interfere with the obstacle 56, the load F is input from the obstacle 56 to the load receiving surface 12C of the spats 12 from the front side of the vehicle. The spats 12 are moved upward by the action of the link mechanism 14.

  Specifically, when the spats 12 interfere with the obstacle 56 on the road surface 54 and the load F (the load in the normal direction of the load receiving surface 12C) is input to the load receiving surface 12C of the spats 12 from the front side of the vehicle, The spats 12 are pushed upward of the vehicle by the component force F1 upward of the vehicle under the load. This component force F <b> 1 is transmitted to the arm 20 through the second guide portion 22 and the slider 42. As shown in FIG. 7A, the bottom dead center of the other end 20B of the arm 20 is that the rotation axis of the slider 42 (the center of the pin 46) at the other end 20B deviates from just below the center of the shaft portion 44. Since the position is set, rotational torque acts on the arm 20. Since the arm 20 is rotatable relative to the vehicle 24 side when the drive source 16 is stopped, the arm 20 starts to rotate relative to the vehicle 24 side by the rotational torque (FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 7B, in the present embodiment, the shaft portion 44 does not rotate and the angular position of the projection 44A does not change when the drive source 16 stops, but the arm 20 has a groove portion 20C. Therefore, relative rotation of the arm 20 with respect to the shaft portion 44 is allowed.

  The spats 12 are guided in the vehicle front-rear direction by the first guide portion 21, and the slider 32 and the mounting bracket 34 are fixed to each other and do not rotate relative to each other. 12 does not move backward or tilt.

  When the arm 20 rotates, the slider 42 at the other end 20B of the arm 20 moves toward the rear of the vehicle along the second guide portion 22 provided on the spats 12, and moves upward along with the second guide portion 22 in the vehicle. . That is, the rotation of the arm 20, the movement of the slider 42 in the second guide portion 22, and the ascent of the second guide portion 22 itself are interlocked with each other, so that the spats 12 pushed upward of the vehicle by the component force F <b> 1. Moves upwards of the vehicle. Thereby, interference with the spats 12 and the obstacle 56 is suppressed. When the amount of interference in the vehicle vertical direction between the spats 12 and the obstacle 56 falls within the movable range of the spats 12, the spats 12 can get over the obstacle 56 as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the arm 20 is urged to rotate in the direction in which the other end 20B of the arm 20 descends by the coil spring 48 to be twisted. Accordingly, the spats 12 that have been moved upward due to the interference between the obstacle 56 and the spats 12 are automatically restored to their original height after the interference is eliminated.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although an example of embodiment of this invention was demonstrated, embodiment of this invention is not limited above, In addition to the above, in a range which does not deviate from the main point, it can implement variously. Of course there is.

  Although the front wheel has been described as an example of the wheel 18, the vehicle spats device 10 according to the present embodiment may be applied to the vehicle front side of the rear wheel.

  Although the load receiving surface 12C is substantially triangular, other shapes such as a polygon such as a trapezoid or a circle may be used. In addition, the load receiving surface 12C is assumed to be flat, but when the load F is input, the load receiving surface 12C has a portion that faces obliquely downward on the front side of the vehicle in order to generate a component force F1 upward in the vehicle. It only has to be. Accordingly, the load receiving surface 12C may be, for example, a curved surface that protrudes forward of the vehicle.

  In the link mechanism 14, the arm 20 rotates relative to the shaft portion 44. However, the arm 20 and the shaft portion 44 may be integrated to rotate relative to the vehicle 24 side. In this case, a mechanism that allows the shaft 44 to rotate when the drive source 16 is stopped, such as a one-way clutch, is provided between the drive source 16 and the shaft 44.

  The link mechanism 14 includes the first guide part 21, the second guide part 22, and the arm 20. However, the link mechanism 14 is not limited to this, and a load F is applied to the load receiving surface 12C from the front side of the vehicle. Any mechanism that can move the spats 12 to the upper side of the vehicle when it is input may be used. Therefore, for example, a parallel crank mechanism may be used.

  Although the vehicle spats device 10 has the drive source 16, the drive source 16 may be omitted. In this case, the spats 12 are normally unfolded, and are configured to move upward when the vehicle interferes with the obstacle 56. In this case, since the shaft portion 44 is not rotationally driven by the drive source 16, the shaft portion 44 may be fixed to the vehicle 24 side so that the shaft portion 44 does not rotate.

  The urging means is not limited to the torsion coil spring 48, and any other elastic body such as a coil spring or an actuator, such as an actuator, can be used as long as it can urge the arm 20 in the direction in which the other end 20B of the arm 20 descends. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which does not provide an urging | biasing means and the spats 12 return to the original position with dead weight after the spats 12 got over the obstruction 56.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle spats apparatus 12 Spats 12C Load receiving surface 14 Link mechanism 16 Drive source 18 Wheel 20 Arm 20A One end 20B The other end 21 The 1st guide part 22 The 2nd guide part 24 The vehicle 44 Shaft part 48 Torsion coil spring (biasing means)
54 Road surface 56 Obstacle F Load

Claims (3)

Spats provided on the vehicle front side of the wheels, guided and movable in the vehicle up-down direction, and provided with a load receiving surface facing obliquely downward on the vehicle front side at an end on the vehicle front side;
A link mechanism for moving the spats upward in the vehicle when a load is input from the vehicle front side to the load receiving surface ;
The link mechanism is
A first guide portion provided on the vehicle side, extending in a vehicle vertical direction and guiding the spats;
A second guide provided in the spats and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction;
One end is attached to the shaft provided on the vehicle side so that it can rotate relative to the vehicle side, and the other end is connected to the second guide portion via a slider that is rotatable relative to the other end. An arm that is guided and has a bottom dead center set at a position where the rotation axis of the slider deviates from directly below the center of the shaft portion;
A vehicle spats device comprising: The vehicle wheel pant device according to, in claim 1, the biasing means is provided to the other end of the arm is rotationally urged to the arm in the direction of descending between the arm and the vehicle side. The spats device for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2 which has a drive source which rotates said axis part and moves said spats up and down.

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