Motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement

Abstract

Motor vehicle side spoiler assembly (15) with a spoiler blade (30) that can be moved by motor between a retracted rest position and a spoiler extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein a guide mechanism (60) guiding the spoiler blade (30) in the longitudinal direction and an actuator (62) are provided, which moves the spoiler blade (30) guided by the guide mechanism (60) between the rest position and the spoiler position, and wherein the guide mechanism (60) is designed as a parallelogram linkage, characterized in that a mechanical support point (84, 84') is assigned to the spoiler blade (30) and a corresponding bearing point (86, 86') is provided fixed to the vehicle, wherein, in the fully extended spoiler position, the support point (84, 84') of the spoiler blade (30) is directly supported on the bearing point (86, 86'), so that the spoiler blade (30) is guided both by the guide mechanism (60) and by the additional support point bracing,which forms a temporary support bearing (80, 80') and is supported on a vehicle frame.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor-driven motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement, in particular to a rear side spoiler arrangement, one of which is provided on the left and one on the right side of the motor vehicle.

[0002] A side spoiler arrangement for motor vehicles, similar to a top spoiler arrangement, serves to control the lateral separation of airflow. Side wing and spoiler arrangements are known, for example, from DE 10 2017 201 860 A1, DE 10 2018 213 034 A1, DE 10 2017 106 259 A1 and WO 2016 / 020 423 A1. From DE 10 2014 111 072 A1 and DE 103 09 369 A1, an air guide arrangement with a wing blade that can be moved by a motor between a rest position and an extended position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is known. To hold and guide the wing blade, a corresponding guiding mechanism is provided, which on the one hand defines the movement path of the blade and on the other hand, especially in the extended position of the wing blade, must support it so stably that the wing blade does not flutter even at high vehicle speeds or in strong winds.

[0003] The object of the invention is to create a motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement with a longitudinally movable spoiler blade that is stably supported in its spoiler position.

[0004] This problem is solved according to the invention with a motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement having the features of claim 1.

[0005] The motor vehicle side spoiler assembly according to the invention comprises a spoiler blade that can be moved by a motor between a retracted rest position and a spoiler extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. For this purpose, a guide mechanism is provided that guides the spoiler blade longitudinally. The guide mechanism defines a movement path and, optionally, a rotation of the spoiler blade between its retracted rest position and its extended spoiler position. The movement path includes a movement component in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, but is by no means necessarily exclusively longitudinal. Furthermore, the spoiler blade can also be rotated about a vertical axis along its movement path.

[0006] The spoiler blade is assigned a mechanical support point, and a corresponding fixed bearing point is provided on the vehicle frame. At least in the fully extended spoiler position, the support point of the spoiler blade contacts the fixed bearing point, so that the spoiler blade is mechanically supported via a support point on the vehicle frame, and preferably supported in the vehicle's lateral direction and / or vertical direction with respect to vibrations on rough roads. In its extended spoiler position, the spoiler blade is thus supported both by the guide mechanism and by the additional support point on the vehicle frame. This provides the spoiler blade with additional support in its spoiler position, preventing it from fluttering even at high speeds and in strong winds.The guide mechanism can be designed to be correspondingly small and compact, thus saving on manufacturing costs and weight. The support point or bearing point can, of course, also be linear or planar. The required support point and the corresponding bearing point are then considered part of the linear support.

[0007] The guide mechanism is designed as a parallelogram linkage, meaning it is defined by two guide arms which, however, do not necessarily have the same length and / or do not necessarily have to be positioned with their pivot points in a single vertical longitudinal plane. Preferably, the parallelogram linkage defines, during extension, a lateral lifting movement directed outwards in the transverse direction, a longitudinal movement directed backwards, and finally a lowering movement directed inwards in the transverse direction, by which the spoiler blade support point is ultimately lowered transversely onto the vehicle-fixed bearing point.

[0008] Preferably, the spoiler assembly has a lateral body opening in the vehicle's outer skin, this opening being largely or completely closed by the spoiler blade in its rest position. The vehicle-mounted bearing point is therefore invisibly located within the opening's edge and thus not on the vehicle's outer skin. In its fully retracted rest position, only the spoiler blade is visible from the outside, while all other components of the side spoiler assembly are arranged proximal to the spoiler blade and are not visible from the outside.

[0009] Preferably, the spoiler blade is assigned two mechanical support points, which are vertically spaced apart from each other. For example, an upper support point can be located vertically above the guide mechanism and a lower support point vertically below the guide mechanism. Together with the guide mechanism, this results in at least three mechanical supports for the spoiler blade in its extended spoiler position, thus ensuring high stability of the spoiler blade in its extended position.

[0010] Preferably, the mechanical support point of the spoiler blade is part of a longitudinally oriented support rib of the spoiler blade, lying approximately in a horizontal plane and preferably located near the upper or lower edge of the spoiler blade. The support rib provides a stable base for the support point. Particularly preferably, the support rib is located near the edge of the spoiler blade and extends at least 60% of the length of the respective edge of the spoiler blade. In this way, the support rib also has an aerodynamic function and can, for example, prevent airflow behind the spoiler blade from below or above.

[0011] A vehicle-mounted guide groove parallel to the support rib and the longitudinal movement component is particularly preferred, with the bearing point being formed by the groove bottom of the guide groove. The guide groove forms a labyrinth seal in its transverse direction, resulting in high flow resistance in the (vertical) transverse direction of the longitudinal guide groove. This prevents airflow behind the spoiler blade from above or below.

[0012] An embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a horizontal longitudinal section II of a motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement with a motor-driven movable spoiler blade in its extended spoiler position, Fig. 2 a side view of the side spoiler arrangement of the Fig. 1 without the spoiler sheet, and Fig. 3 a vertical cross-section III-III of the side spoiler arrangement of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0013] The figures depict a left-side motor vehicle side spoiler assembly 15 with a motor-driven, movable spoiler blade 30. The spatial directions refer to a motor vehicle 10, such that the horizontal longitudinal axis x is the direction of travel, the horizontal transverse axis y is the vehicle's transverse axis, and the vertical axis z is the vehicle's vertical axis. The spoiler blade 30 is positioned approximately in a vertical longitudinal plane xz and, in its rest position (not shown), completely and continuously closes a body opening 20 in the outer body skin 12.

[0014] The spoiler blade 30 is V-shaped at its front end, as in Fig. 2 is recognizable. The other three spoiler blade edges are approximately perpendicular to each other and are oriented approximately horizontally or vertically. The body opening 20 has opening edges 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 corresponding to the blade edges, with the two front opening edges 21, 22 forming a V-shape with each other, and the upper and lower opening edges 25, 23 each running approximately horizontally and spaced vertically apart from each other.

[0015] The motor vehicle 10 has a second side spoiler arrangement on the right side (not shown), which is practically mirror-symmetrical to the left-side side spoiler arrangement 15 shown in the figures. In its design in the Fig. 2 and Fig. In the spoiler position shown in Figure 3, the spoiler blade 30 is moved laterally outwards and longitudinally backwards compared to its rest position. In its spoiler position, the spoiler blade 30 ensures improved flow separation.

[0016] The spoiler blade 30 is formed by a spoiler blade body 30' which is essentially smooth on both its inner and outer surfaces, and is held by a guide mechanism 60 designed as a parallelogram linkage, which is actuated by an electric actuator 62 via a toggle lever arrangement 64. The guide mechanism 60 has two essentially parallel pivotable guide arms 66, 67, which are rotatably articulated to the vehicle side via vehicle-mounted pivot joints 66', 67' and which hold and guide the spoiler blade 30 via pivot joints 39, 39' on a spoiler blade stiffening rib 38'.

[0017] The actuator 62 rotates a rotary arm 70 of the toggle lever arrangement 64 around the motor shaft 62', so that the rotary arm 70 actuates a toggle lever 71 via an end-side toggle lever joint 65, which at its other end actuates a pivot joint 68 of the front swivel arm 67.

[0018] The guide mechanism 60, the toggle lever assembly 64, and the actuator 62 are housed in a vehicle-mounted spoiler shell 50 such that the spoiler blade 30 does not protrude distally from the body opening 20 in its retracted rest position. The spoiler shell 50 has a rear shell wall 52 that is oriented approximately in a longitudinal vertical plane.

[0019] In the shell rear wall 52, two vehicle-fixed guide grooves 88,88' are recessed, each parallel to the other and lying approximately in a horizontal plane xy and extending in the longitudinal direction x, which are provided at a small vertical distance to the respective upper and lower opening edge 25,23.

[0020] On its proximal inner side, the spoiler blade 30 has two longitudinally oriented support ribs 82, 82', each lying in a horizontal plane xy, which are arranged close to the upper and lower side edges 35, 33 of the spoiler blade, respectively. The support ribs 82, 82' each lie in the same horizontal plane as the corresponding vehicle-fixed guide grooves 88, 88'. Both in the fully retracted rest position and in the fully extended spoiler position, which is described in the Fig. As shown in Figures 1-3, the two support ribs 82, 82' partially engage in the corresponding guide grooves 88, 88'. As shown in the Fig.As shown in Figure 3, in the illustrated spoiler blade spoiler position, a mechanical support point 84, 84' of the respective support rib 82, 82' contacts a vehicle-fixed bearing point 86, 86', which is formed by the groove bottom in the respective vehicle-fixed guide groove 88, 88'. The respective support point 84, 84' together with the associated bearing point 86, 86' forms a temporary support bearing 80, 80'.

[0021] The support ribs 82, 82' each extend over approximately 80% of the length of the respective spoiler blade side edge 35, 33. This ensures that the spoiler blade 30, in its extended spoiler position, cannot be subjected to airflow from above or below.

Claims

[1] Motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) with a spoiler leaf (30) that can be moved by motor between a retracted rest position and a spoiler position extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein a guide mechanism (60) that guides the spoiler leaf (30) in the longitudinal direction and an actuator (62) that moves the spoiler leaf (30) guided by the guide mechanism (60) between the rest position and the spoiler position are provided, and wherein the guide mechanism (60) is designed as a parallelogram linkage, characterized by, that the spoiler leaf (30) is assigned a mechanical support point (84,84') and a corresponding bearing point (86, 86') is provided fixed to the vehicle, wherein, in the fully extended spoiler position, the support point (84,84') of the spoiler leaf (30) is directly supported on the bearing point (86,86'), so that the spoiler leaf (30) is supported on a vehicle frame both by the guide mechanism (60) and by the additional support point support, which forms a temporary support bearing (80, 80'). [2] Motor vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) according to claim 1, wherein a body opening (20) is provided in a motor vehicle outer skin (12), wherein the body opening (20) is closed by the spoiler leaf (30) in its rest position and the vehicle-fixed bearing point (86,86') is located inside the body opening (20). [3] Vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the spoiler blade (30) is associated with two mechanical support points (84, 84') which are provided vertically spaced apart from each other. [4] Vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanical support point (84, 84') is part of a longitudinally directed support rib (82, 82') of the spoiler blade (30) lying in a horizontal plane, which is preferably arranged close to the edge of the upper or lower side edge (35, 33) of the spoiler blade. [5] Vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) according to claim 4, wherein the edge support rib (82,82') extends lengthwise over at least 60% of the length of the relevant spoiler blade side edge (35,33). [6] Vehicle side spoiler arrangement (15) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a vehicle-fixed guide groove (88, 88') is provided parallel to the support rib (82, 82'), wherein the bearing point (86, 86') is formed by the groove bottom of the guide groove (88, 88').

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