JP6831495B2 - Automotive tonneau cover device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tonneau cover device (hereinafter referred to as "tonneau cover device for automobiles") provided in a luggage room (cargo room) of an automobile, and is particularly suitable for obtaining a luggage room having a large luggage compartment capacity, and the tonneau cover can be quickly and easily used. It is suitable for making it possible to put it in and out of the tonneau.

Conventionally, a tonneau cover is known as a means for covering a luggage room of a hatchback vehicle or a wagon vehicle. Regarding the configuration in which this type of tonneau cover is wound up and stored in the storage case, the configuration in which the storage case is stored in the storage recess, and the configuration in which the stored storage case is slid along the guide rail to the tonneau cover usage position, For example, it is used in the tonneau cover device for automobiles disclosed in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as "conventional tonneau cover device for automobiles").

However, referring to FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, in the conventional tonneau cover device for automobiles, the front of the wheel house, specifically, the back surface of the rear seat of the automobile from the wheel house in the entire floor surface of the luggage room ( Since the tonneau cover storage case (11) is stored in the range up to the vicinity of 18a) (hereinafter referred to as the “wheel house adjacent floor surface range”), the following << problem >> arises. In the above description, the reference numerals in parentheses are the reference numerals used in Patent Document 1.

"problem"
Depending on the actual layout of the car, the floor area adjacent to the wheel house as described above may be the narrowest part of the entire floor surface of the luggage room, so the width of the storage case and tonneau cover is inevitably one of them. It shall be configured so that the dimensions are less than or equal to the narrowest width. In that case, the space above the hall house cannot be covered with the tonneau cover, and the original purpose of the tonneau cover, which is to hide things, cannot be achieved. Therefore, in order to achieve this purpose, the conventional tonneau cover device for automobiles uses only the width of the wheel house. Part of the luggage side trim needs to protrude into the luggage room. In this case, a guide rail or the like of the storage case is arranged in a space between a part of the protruding luggage side trim and the hall house (hereinafter referred to as "side space"), so that the guide rail or the like is hidden. , It is necessary to block the side space with a vertical wall, and as a result, there is a problem that the luggage compartment capacity that can be effectively used as a luggage room is reduced by the capacity of the side space.

By the way, there is also a tonneau cover manual setting method that does not use the conventional tonneau cover device for automobiles as described above, that is, a method in which the winding shaft of the tonneau cover is manually hung between the left and right luggage side trims. However, according to such a tonneau cover manual setting method, the length of the take-up shaft of the tonneau cover is substantially the same as the width between the luggage side trims, that is, the width of the luggage room. Therefore, for example, the so-called tonneau cover handling is performed when the tonneau cover is taken out from the storage recess on the floor of the luggage room and set between the luggage side trims, or when the set tonneau cover is stored in the storage recess on the floor of the luggage room. In the above, the tonneau cover cannot be taken in and out quickly and easily because the winding shaft of the tonneau cover is caught in the luggage side trim.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-245731

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is suitable for obtaining a luggage room having a large luggage compartment capacity and for making it possible to quickly and easily put in and take out a tonneau cover. It is to provide a tonneau cover device for automobiles.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention integrally provides a tono cover that covers the luggage room located on the back side of the rear seat of the automobile, a storage case that houses the tono cover in a wound state, and a front surface of the storage case. The storage recess is provided with an operation handle, a storage recess recessed in the floor surface of the luggage room, and a link mechanism for moving the storage case in the luggage room, and the storage recess is viewed from the back surface of the automobile rear seat. The link mechanism is provided at a position beyond the wheel house adjacent to the automobile rear seat, and the link mechanism is provided with a first rotation center axis installed below the back surface of the automobile rear seat along the width direction of the automobile rear seat. One end is connected to the vehicle body side via the first rotation center axis and the second rotation center axis provided in the storage case so as to be parallel to the first rotation center axis, and the other end is. The movable arm includes a movable arm connected to the storage case via the second rotation center axis, and the movable arm is moved by the rotation operation of the movable arm with the first rotation center axis as a fulcrum. The storage case is characterized in that it can be moved within the range from the upper back surface of the rear seat of the automobile to the storage recess by tilting the room in the front-rear direction.

In the present invention, the shape of the movable arm is such that the movable arm is prevented from protruding into the luggage room when the storage case is located above the back surface of the automobile rear seat. It may be characterized in that it has a bent shape so as to be adjacent to the back surface of the rear seat.

In the present invention, the link mechanism includes two movable arms, the two movable arms are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction of the luggage room, and the movable arms are individually arranged in parallel. It may be characterized in that it has a structure provided with the first and second rotation center axes.

In the present invention, the link mechanism may be provided in pairs on the left and right sides of the storage case.

In the present invention, the first rotation center axis that constitutes the link mechanism provided on the left side of the storage case and the first rotation center axis that constitutes the link mechanism provided on the right side of the storage case are It may be characterized in that it has a structure integrally connected by a shaft body.

In the present invention, as a specific configuration of the tonneau cover device, as described above, the storage recess is provided at a position beyond the wheel house adjacent to the automobile rear seat when viewed from the back surface of the automobile rear seat. For this reason, the presence of the wheel house does not limit the width of the storage recess and the tonneau cover stored in it to be short as in the past, and the upper space of the wheel house can be completely covered with a wide tonneau cover. A tonneau cover device suitable for obtaining a luggage room with a large luggage compartment capacity can be provided in that the upper space of the wheel house can be used as a part of the luggage room that can be concealed by the tonneau cover.

Further, in the present invention, as a specific configuration of the tonneau cover device, as described above, a configuration is adopted in which the storage case can be moved within a range from the upper back surface of the automobile rear seat to the storage recess by tilting the movable arm. For this reason, by tilting the movable arm, the work of setting the storage case at the position where the tonneau cover is actually used (above the back of the rear seat of the automobile) and the storage case set at that position are stored in the storage recess. To make it possible to put in and take out the tonneau cover quickly and easily in that the work, that is, the work required when pulling out the tonneau cover from the storage case and actually using it or stopping its use, can be performed smoothly and quickly. A suitable tonneau cover device can be provided.

The side schematic of the tonneau cover device for automobiles to which this invention is applied. The front schematic view of the tonneau cover device for automobiles of FIG. The operation explanatory view of the tonneau cover device for automobiles of FIG. The plan view of the tonneau cover device for an automobile of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the link mechanism in the tonneau cover device for automobiles of FIG.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is a schematic side view of an automobile tonneau cover device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a front schematic view of the automobile tonneau cover device of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the automobile tonneau cover device of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a top view of the tonneau cover device for automobiles of FIG.

<< Overview of tonneau cover device for automobiles >>
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment includes a tonneau cover 2 that covers the luggage room LR located on the rear RS side of the automobile rear seat, and a storage case that houses the tonneau cover 2 in a wound state. 3, an operation handle 4 integrally provided on the front surface of the storage case 3, a storage recess 5 recessed in the floor FL of the luggage room LR, and a link mechanism 6 for moving the storage case 3 in the luggage room LR. A locking means 7 for limiting the moving operation of the storage case 3 is provided.

<< Details of tonneau cover 2 and its storage case 3 >>
The storage case 3 is formed in a box shape by a top plate, a bottom plate, a front plate 3A, a rear plate 3B, and left and right side plates 3C and 3C. Further, a winding shaft (not shown) arranged along the length direction of the storage case is provided in the storage case 3, and the tonneau cover 2 is wound in the storage case 3 in a state of being wound around the winding shaft. It is contained.

As a specific configuration for pulling out the tonneau cover 2 from the inside of the storage case 3, in the present device 1, the drawer member 9 is attached to the tip edge of the tonneau cover 2, while the opening 3D corresponding to the width of the drawer member 9 is attached. Is formed on the front plate 3A of the storage case 3, and the drawer member 9 is pulled out from the opening 3D, so that the tonneau cover 2 can be pulled out from the inside of the storage case 3 toward the front. The tonneau cover 2 may be pulled out by another structure other than this.

<< Details of operation handle 4 >>
The operation handle 4 is used by the user when the storage case 3 is moved by using the link mechanism 6. As a specific configuration of such an operation handle 4, in the tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles of the present embodiment, a structure in which a grip 41 gripped by a user is integrally provided on a front plate 3A of a storage case 3, and such a grip 41 Adopts a structure arranged adjacent to the lower surface of the drawer member 9 described above, but the present invention is not limited to this.

<< Details of storage recess 5 >>
The storage recess 5 is provided at a position beyond the wheel house HO adjacent to the automobile rear seat when viewed from the rear RS of the automobile rear seat. The position beyond the wheel house HO specifically means a position included in the range from the hall house HO to the back door of an automobile (not shown). Therefore, within that range, the storage recess 5 may be provided in the vicinity of the automobile back door or in the vicinity of the wheel house HO. Within such a range, the position where the storage recess 5 is provided can be appropriately changed as needed.

<< Details of link mechanism 6 >>
The link mechanism 6 is a storage case so as to be parallel to the first rotation center shaft 61 installed below the rear RS of the automobile rear seat along the width direction of the automobile rear seat and the first rotation center shaft 61. One end is connected to the vehicle body side via the second rotation center shaft 62 provided in 3, and the first rotation center shaft 61, and the other end is connected to the storage case 3 via the second rotation center shaft 62. The movable arm 63 is provided with a movable arm 63, and the movable arm 63 is tilted in the front-rear direction of the luggage room LR by the rotational operation of the movable arm 63 with the first rotation center axis 61 as a fulcrum. The structure is such that the storage case 3 can be moved within the range from the upper side to the storage recess 5.

In the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment, one set of the above-mentioned link mechanisms 6 (6A, 6B) is provided on each of the left and right sides of the storage case 3, and the storage cases are balanced by these left and right link mechanisms 6 (6A, 6B). It is configured so that it can be moved well.

Since the left and right link mechanisms 6 (6A, 6B) have the same configuration, only the configuration of one link mechanism 6 (6A) will be described in the following description, and the configuration of the other link mechanism 6 (6B) will be described. Is omitted.

In the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment, as a specific configuration of the link mechanism 6 (6A), the link mechanism 6 (6A) is configured as a parallel link mechanism. The parallel link mechanism has a configuration in which two movable arms (main arm 63A and sub-arm 63B) are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction of the luggage room LR as the movable arm 63, and each of the movable arms 63 (63A, 63B). The first and second rotation center shafts 61 and 62 (61A, 61B, 62A, 62B) are individually provided.

The shape of the movable arm 63 (63A, 63B) is a shape that prevents the movable arm 63 (63A, 63B) from protruding into the luggage room LR when the storage case 3 is located above the rear RS of the rear seat of the automobile. May have a bent shape so as to be adjacent to the rear surface RS of the automobile rear seat at the above position, as shown in FIG.

In the tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles of the present embodiment, in order to secure as much available volume of the luggage room LR as possible, the link mechanism 6 (6A) is located at a position where its operation is not hindered, and It is located closest to the side wall of the luggage room LR, specifically, next to the wheel house HO protruding from the floor FL of the luggage room LR as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a cover 11 may be installed on the side surface of the wheel house HO, and the cover 11 may be configured to cover a part of the link mechanism 6 (6A).

As a specific structure for providing the second rotation center shaft 62 (62A, 62B) in the storage case 3, in the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment, a pair of support walls 32 (FIG. 4) are provided in the storage case 3. (See) is provided, and a method of supporting the second rotation center shaft 62 at both ends by these pair of support walls 32 is adopted, but the method is not limited to this method, and the second rotation is performed by another method. The central shaft 62 may be provided in the storage case 3.

In the left and right link mechanisms 6 (6A, 6B), the respective first rotation center shafts 61 (61A, 61B) may be integrally connected by a shaft body such as a shaft (not shown). When such a connection structure is adopted, the entire link mechanism 6 (6A, 6B) including the storage case 3 forms a grid structure, so that the rigidity of the tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles is improved and the left and right sides are improved. There is an advantage that the link mechanism 6 (6A, 6B) can be synchronized more accurately.

In the movement of the storage case 3 by the rotation operation of the movable arm 63 with the first rotation center axis 61 as a fulcrum, as a means for assisting the operating force required for the rotation operation, for example, with respect to the first rotation center axis 61. A constant load spring (not shown) may be connected. In this case, one constant load spring may be provided for each of the left and right first rotation center shafts 61 (61A, 61B), or as described above, the left and right first rotation center shafts 61 (61A) may be provided. , 61B) are integrally connected by a shaft body such as a shaft, one constant load spring may be provided with respect to the connected first rotation center shaft 61.

Further, when the storage case 3 is moved by the rotational operation of the movable arm 63 with the first rotation center axis 61 as a fulcrum, the storage case 3 is suddenly lowered or raised, and the storage case 3 is suddenly moved. As a means for preventing the operation, for example, a damper may be provided with respect to the first rotation center shaft 61.

<< Details of locking means 7 and its unlocking means 8 >>
Referring to FIG. 4, one locking means 7 is provided at both ends of the storage case 3. Since the left and right locking means 7 have the same configuration, in the following description, only the configuration of the right locking means 7 in FIG. 1A will be described, and the configuration description of the left locking means 7 will be omitted.

As a specific configuration of the locking means 7, in the automobile tonocover device 1 of the present embodiment, the locking means 7 corresponds to a lock pin 71 provided so as to be able to appear and disappear from the end of the storage case 3 and the lock pin 71. The lock pin insertion hole 72 and the urging means 73 (specifically, a coil spring) for constantly urging the lock pin 71 in the direction of projecting from the end of the housing case 3 are provided, and the lock pin is provided. By inserting the 71 into the lock pin insertion hole 72, the movement of the accommodation case 3 is restricted near the rear RS of the rear seat of the automobile.

As a specific configuration that allows the lock pin 71 to appear and disappear from the end of the storage case 3, the tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles of the present embodiment forms a through hole 74 that penetrates the side plate 3C of the storage case 3, and is a through hole. The lock pin 71 is configured to be able to appear and disappear from the end of the housing case 3 through the 74.

Further, in order to limit the movement operation of the storage case 3 of the storage case 3 near the upper side of the rear surface RS of the rear seat of the automobile, the tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles of the present embodiment is described above on the vehicle body side near the upper side of the back surface RS of the rear seat of the automobile. A lock pin insertion hole 72 is provided.

The unlocking means 8 includes an unlocking lever 81 provided in the vicinity of the grip 41 of the operating handle 4, and a wire rod 82 connecting the unlocking lever 81 and the lock pin 71 of the locking means 7, and is locked. By pulling the release lever 81 toward the grip 41 of the operation handle 4, the lock pin 71 is pulled out from the lock pin insertion hole 72 via the wire rod 82, and the movement restriction of the accommodation case 3 by the lock pin 71 is released. It is configured. A wire or a rod can be used as the wire rod 82.

In the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment, by adopting the above-mentioned parallel link mechanism as the link mechanism 6 (6A), the accommodation case 3 and the operation handle 4 can always maintain a horizontal posture when moving.
<< Operation explanation of tonneau cover device 1 for automobiles >>
First, a case where the tonneau cover is not used in the luggage room LR will be described. In this case, the storage case 3 is stored under the floor of the luggage room LR, that is, completely stored in the storage recess 5 as shown in FIG. It has become. At this time, since the upper surface opening of the storage recess 5 is covered with the lid 51, the storage case 3 cannot be seen from inside the luggage room LR.
When the tonneau cover 2 is pulled out from the storage case 3 invisible as described above and actually used in the luggage room, the lid 51 is opened, and the operation handle 4 is grasped by hand and pulled upward. At the same time, the lock release lever 81 is also grasped and pulled toward the grip 41 of the operation handle 4.

When the pulling force of the lock release lever 81 as described above acts on the lock pin 71 via the wire rod 82, the lock pin 71 is pulled and retracted so as not to protrude from the end of the storage case 3. At the same time, the urging means 73 (coil spring) is pressed toward the support wall 32 in the storage case 3 at the rear end of the lock pin 71, so that it is in a compressed state.

By pulling up the operation handle 4 as described above, the storage case 3 is lifted and moved upward. The movement locus of the storage case 3 is constrained by the link mechanism 6. That is, the force for lifting the accommodating case 3 acts on the movable arm 63 via the first rotation central shaft 61, so that the movable arm 63 rotates with the first rotation center shaft 61 as a fulcrum, and is a luggage room. Tilt to stand up in front of. Therefore, the accommodation case 3 moves upward along the rising and tilting locus of the movable arm 63, that is, the rotational motion locus of the first rotation central shaft 61, and heads upward on the rear surface RS of the automobile rear seat.

Then, when the storage case 3 reaches the vicinity of the upper side of the rear surface RS of the rear seat of the automobile as shown in FIG. As a result, the urging means (coil spring) 73 that has been compressed as described above is restored to the original state before compression, and the locking pin 71 protrudes from the end of the storage case 3 due to the restoring force and the lock pin insertion hole. By entering 72, the movement of the storage case 3 is restricted in the vicinity of the rear RS of the rear seat of the automobile.

After that, if the drawer member 9 at the tip edge of the tonneau cover 2 is pulled toward the front, the tonneau cover 2 can be pulled out from the storage case 3, and the pulled out tonneau cover 2 can cover the entire luggage room LR without omission.

When closing the tonneau cover 2 pulled out as described above, the tonneau cover 2 is first housed in the storage case 3 by winding it with a winding shaft (not shown) in the storage case 3.

Then, when the storage work of the tonneau cover 2 is completed, the operation handle 4 is grasped by hand, and the lock release lever 81 is pulled toward the grip 41 of the operation handle 4. Then, the attractive force acts on the lock pin 71 via the wire rod 82, so that the lock pin 71 is retracted so as not to protrude from the end of the storage case 3, so that the lock pin 71 is retracted so as not to protrude from the end of the storage case 3. The movement restriction of the storage case 3 is lifted, and the storage case 3 becomes movable.

Next, the storage case 3 is moved to the rear of the luggage room by pulling the operation handle 4 toward the front. The movement locus of the accommodation case 3 at this time is also restrained by the link mechanism 6. That is, the force for moving the storage case 3 to the rear of the luggage room acts on the movable arm 63 via the first rotation center axis 61, so that the movable arm 63 uses the first rotation center axis 61 as a fulcrum. By rotating, it tilts toward the rear of the luggage room. Therefore, the storage case 3 moves downward along the tilt locus of the movable arm 63, that is, the rotational movement locus of the first rotation central shaft 61, and heads into the storage recess 5.

When the storage case 3 has entered the storage recess 5 as described above, the work of closing the tonneau cover 2 is completed by finally closing the lid 51.

According to the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment described above, as a specific configuration thereof, as described above, the storage recess 5 exceeds the wheel house HO adjacent to the automobile rear seat when viewed from the rear RS of the automobile rear seat. It was installed at the position. Therefore, the width of the storage recess 5 and the tonneau cover 2 housed therein is not limited to be short due to the presence of the wheel house HO, and the upper space of the wheel house HO is completely covered with the wide tonneau cover 2. Therefore, the luggage room LR having a large luggage compartment capacity can be obtained in that the upper space of the wheel house HO can be used as a part of the luggage room LR that can be concealed by the tonneau cover 2.

Further, the automobile tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment adopts a configuration in which the storage case 3 can be moved within a range from above the rear surface RS of the rear seat of the automobile to the storage recess 5 by tilting the movable arm 63. .. Therefore, by tilting the movable arm 63, the work of setting the storage case 3 at the position where the tonneau cover 2 is actually used (above the rear RS of the rear seat of the automobile) and the storage case 3 set at that position are moved. The tonneau cover 2 is provided in that the work of storing the tonneau cover 2 in the storage recess 5, that is, the work necessary for pulling out the tonneau cover 2 from the storage case 3 and actually using it or stopping its use can be performed smoothly and quickly. It can be taken in and out quickly and easily.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and more modifications can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical idea of the present invention.

1 Automotive tono cover device 2 Tono cover 3 Storage case 3A Front plate 3B Rear plate 3C Side plate 3D Opening 32 Support wall 4 Operation handle 41 Grip 5 Storage recess 51 Lid 6, 6A, 6B Link mechanism 61, 61A, 61B First rotation Central shafts 62, 62A, 62B Second rotating central shafts 63, 63A, 63B Movable arm 7 Locking means 71 Locking pin 72 Locking pin insertion hole 73 Biasing means (coil spring)
74 Through hole 8 Unlocking means 81 Unlocking lever 82 Wire 9 Drawer member 10 Cover FL Luggage room floor HO Wheelhouse LR Luggage room RS Rear of automobile rear seat TR Luggage side trim

Claims (5)

A tonneau cover that covers the luggage room located on the back side of the rear seat of the car,
A storage case for storing the tonneau cover in a rolled state, and
An operation handle integrally provided on the front surface of the storage case,
A storage recess recessed in the floor of the luggage room and
A link mechanism for moving the storage case in the luggage room is provided.
The storage recess is provided at a position beyond the wheel house adjacent to the automobile rear seat when viewed from the back surface of the automobile rear seat.
The link mechanism is parallel to the first rotation center axis installed below the back surface of the automobile rear seat along the width direction of the automobile rear seat and the storage case so as to be parallel to the first rotation center axis. One end is connected to the vehicle body side via the second rotation center shaft provided in the above, and the other end is connected to the storage case via the second rotation center shaft. The movable arm is provided with an arm, and the movable arm is tilted in the front-rear direction of the luggage room by the rotational operation of the movable arm with the first rotation center axis as a fulcrum. An automobile tonocover device characterized in that the storage case is movable within the range up to the storage recess. The shape of the arm is adjacent to the back surface of the rear seat at the position so as to prevent the arm from protruding into the luggage room when the storage case is located above the back surface of the rear seat of the automobile. The tonneau cover device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the tonneau cover device for an automobile is characterized in that it has a bent shape as described above. The link mechanism includes two movable arms, and these two movable arms are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction of the luggage room and arranged in parallel, and the first and second movable arms are individually arranged for each movable arm. The tonneau cover device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the structure is provided with a central axis of rotation. The tonneau cover device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism is provided on each of the left and right sides of the storage case. The first rotation center shaft that constitutes the link mechanism provided on the left side of the storage case and the first rotation center shaft that constitutes the link mechanism provided on the right side of the storage case are integrally formed by a shaft body. The automobile tonocover device according to claim 4, wherein the tonocover device for automobiles has a connected structure.

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