Active air skirt device

Abstract

Active air skirt device which features: a housing with a through hole and a guide hole formed therein; a bracket configured to attach the housing to a bumper cover; an air skirt that is installed inside the housing and configured to move back and forth through an open front of the housing; an actuator coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator is configured to generate force; and a connecting joint configured to connect the actuator and the air skirt and to transmit the force of the actuator to the air skirt, wherein the housing is arranged at an angle to a lower part of the bumper cover in order to position the air skirt at an angle forward under the lower part of the bumper cover.

Description

Reference to related application

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0003593, filed on January 9, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background of the invention 1. Field of the invention

[0002] The invention relates to an active air skirt device (EN: Active Air Skirt Device) for vehicles. 2. Description of related technology

[0003] As a result of their body colliding with the air while moving, vehicles encounter air resistance, which can be roughly divided into drag and lift. Drag is the opposing force acting on the vehicle as a result of direct air collision while moving, while lift is the phenomenon in which the vehicle appears to rise due to the pressure difference between the top and bottom of the vehicle while moving. To reduce drag and lift, and thus improve aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency, vehicles require attachments.

[0004] One such device is the active air dam, which works in conjunction with vehicle speed to reduce lift by minimizing the amount of air entering the underbody through the front bumper when traveling at high speed, thus enhancing aerodynamic performance.

[0005] However, conventional active air dams are limited by their ability to operate only vertically, resulting in less effective air blockage at the lower front of the bumper cover. Therefore, there is room for improvement. Summary

[0006] In a general aspect, there is provided an active air dam device comprising: a housing having a through hole and a guide hole formed therein, a bracket configured to mount the housing to a bumper cover, an air dam mounted within the housing and configured to reciprocate through an open front of the housing, an actuator coupled to the housing, the actuator configured to generate force, and a connecting joint configured to connect the actuator and the air dam and transmit the force of the actuator to the air dam, wherein the housing is disposed obliquely to a bottom of the bumper cover to seat the air dam obliquely forward under the bottom of the bumper cover.

[0007] The bracket may include: a first part extending vertically at a rear side of the bumper cover, and a second part bent at a lower end of the first part and extending obliquely forward under the lower part of the bumper cover, and the housing may be coupled to the second part.

[0008] The second part may have a coupling recess formed therein in which the housing is coupled.

[0009] The connecting joint may comprise: a first joint connected at one end to the actuator, and a second joint rotatably connected at a first end to another end of the first joint and connected at a second end to the air skirt, and the connecting joint may be disposed on an upper surface of the housing and connected to the air skirt through the housing.

[0010] The guide hole may have a slot-shaped structure extending linearly toward the open front of the housing, the slot-shaped structure being configured to receive a connecting axis of the second joint connected to the air skirt to reciprocate along the guide hole.

[0011] The active air curtain device may include a stopper provided on the upper surface of the housing, the stopper being configured to limit a rotation range of the first joint, and the stopper being formed by protruding in a structure partially surrounding the through hole into which a rotation axis of the first joint is inserted.

[0012] The active air curtain device may include a housing cover attached to the top surface of the housing to cover and seal the connecting joint.

[0013] The air dam may comprise: a main body, a pair of guide portions extending in parallel from both sides of the main body, and a connecting portion extending from a center of the main body, wherein the main body is set to the open front of the housing under the bumper cover and the air dam can be extended in a forward direction from the housing.

[0014] The pair of guide portions may each have a guide groove formed therein and configured to engage with guide projections provided within the housing.

[0015] The connecting portion may be arranged in parallel between the guide portions, and the connecting portion may be configured to be connected to the connecting joint.

[0016] This summary is intended to present a selection of concepts in a simplified form, which are described in more detail later in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be an aid in determining the scope of protection conferred by the claimed subject matter. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an active air skirt device according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. Figure 2 is an illustration of the operation of the active air skirt device; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the active device configuration; Fig. 4 is an illustration of the bracket in the active air curtain device; Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B are diagrams each showing the housing in the active air curtain device; Fig. 6 is a representation of the air skirt in the active air skirt device; and Fig. Figure 7 is an illustration of the connecting joint in the active air skirt device.

[0017] Unless otherwise described or indicated, like or similar reference numerals refer to like or similar elements, features, and structures throughout the drawings and detailed description. The drawings may not be to scale, and the relative size, proportions, and representation of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience. Further description

[0018] The following detailed description is intended to provide a thorough understanding of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein. However, various modifications, alterations, and equivalents to the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein will become apparent after understanding the disclosure of this application. For example, the sequences of operations described herein are merely examples and are not limited to those set forth herein, but may be changed as is apparent from understanding the disclosure of this application, except for operations that necessarily occur in a particular order.

[0019] The features described herein may be embodied in various forms and are not to be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are presented only to illustrate some of the many possible ways of implementing the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein, which will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0020] Where, throughout the specification, a component or element is described as being "on," "connected to," "coupled to," or "joined" with another component, element, or layer, it may be directly (e.g., in contact with the other component, element, or layer) "on," "connected to," "coupled to," or "joined" with the other component, element, or layer, or one or more other components, elements, or layers may be reasonably interposed. Where a component, element, or layer is described as being "directly on," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to," or "joined" with another component, element, or layer, no other components, elements, or layers may be interposed.Likewise, expressions such as “between” and “immediately between” as well as “adjacent to” and “immediately adjacent to” can also be understood in accordance with the above description.

[0021] Advantages and features of the disclosure and methods for achieving the advantages and features will become apparent from embodiments described in more detail later together with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but may be embodied in various forms. The embodiments of the disclosure are presented so that the disclosure is fully disclosed and those skilled in the art can fully appreciate the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure is defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the terms used in the description are for the purpose of explaining the embodiments and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure.

[0022] Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), or similar may be used here to describe components. Each of these terms does not specify the nature, order, or sequence of a corresponding component, but only to distinguish the corresponding component from one or more other components. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

[0023] If a component is described throughout the description as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, it may be directly "connected" or "coupled" to the other component, or there may be one or more other components in between. In contrast, an element described as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element may not have any other elements in between.

[0024] When an element is described in a description of the embodiment as being formed on or below another element, such a description includes both a case where the two elements are formed in direct contact with each other and a case where the two elements are formed in indirect contact with each other, with one or more other elements interposed between the two elements. Furthermore, when an element is described as being formed on or below another element, such a description may also include a case where one element is arranged on an upper side or a lower side with respect to another element.

[0025] The singular forms of the indefinite and definite articles shall also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it is understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprises" as used herein indicate the presence of specified features, integers, steps, sequences of operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, sequences of operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0026] Fig. 1 to 7 show the active air skirt device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0027] Referring to the drawings, the active air curtain device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention may include a bracket 100, a housing 200, an air curtain 300, an actuator 400, and a connecting joint 500.

[0028] The bracket 100 may be configured to mount the housing 200 to the bumper cover BC. The bracket 100 may include a first part 110 and a second part 120.

[0029] The first part 110 may extend vertically from the rear of the bumper cover BC. The first part 110 may be coupled and secured to a rear support (not shown) on the rear or back side of the bumper cover BC.

[0030] The first part 110 may be provided on its rear surface with attachment protrusions 111 for attachment to the housing 200. The attachment protrusions 111 may be arranged in multiples at a predetermined interval along the width direction of the first part 110.

[0031] The second part 120 may be bent at the lower end of the first part 110 and extend obliquely forward under the underside of the bumper cover BC. The diagonal inclination of the second part 120 may be adjusted in various ways depending on the shape of the bumper cover BC, the distance from the ground, and the gap to the front of the bumper cover BC. The second part 120 may be provided with a coupling recess 121 to which the housing 200 is coupled.

[0032] The housing 200 may have an interior space and be coupled to the bracket 100 for mounting on the bumper cover BC. In one embodiment, the housing 200 may be fitted into the coupling recess 121 of the second part 120.

[0033] The housing 200 may have a structure in which the front and bottom are open. Although shown with an open bottom in this embodiment, the housing 200 may also have only an open front depending on the embodiment.

[0034] In one embodiment, the housing 200 may be divided into a front region R1 and a rear region R2 based on the front-to-back direction. The front region R1 corresponds to the surface that fits into the coupling recess 121 of the second part 120, while the rear region R2 may correspond to the surface that is angled to the first part 110 and positioned at the rear of the second part 120.

[0035] The housing 200 may be provided on its upper surface with a guide hole 201 formed to extend linearly forward. The guide hole 201 may have a slotted structure cut longitudinally and penetrating the upper surface of the housing 200. In one embodiment, the guide hole 201 may be positioned in the rear region R2 of the housing 200.

[0036] A through-hole 202 may be formed on the upper surface of the housing 200 to expose the drive shaft 410 of the actuator 400. Additionally, a protrusion 203 forming a step with the upper surface may be provided around the periphery of the through-hole 202.

[0037] The housing 200 may also be provided on its upper surface with a stopper 204 that limits the rotational range of the connecting joint 500, as described later. The stopper 204 may be formed by protruding from one side of the projection 203 as a structure that partially surrounds the through-hole 202. For example, the stopper 204 may be formed as a structure that extends within a predetermined angular range (acute or obtuse). In this case, the height of the stopper 204 may be higher than that of the projection 203.

[0038] A housing cover 210 may be attached to the upper surface of the housing 200, partially covering the rear portion R2, which includes the guide hole 201 and the stopper 204. The housing cover 210 may be configured to cover and seal the connecting joint 500 on the upper surface of the housing 200, protecting the connecting joint 500 from the external environment.

[0039] Coupling ribs 206 may be formed on the upper surface of the housing 200, which protrude to be coupled to the mounting projections 111 via coupling means. The coupling ribs 206 may be provided according to the positions and quantities of the mounting projections 111. In one embodiment, the coupling means may comprise screws or bolts.

[0040] The housing 200 may be provided with guide projections 205 extending from the rear region R2 to the front region R1 along the inner surface.

[0041] The air skirt 300 may be installed within the housing 200 to allow fore and aft reciprocating movement through the open front of the housing 200.

[0042] The air curtain 300 may include: a main body 310, a pair of guide portions 320 extending in parallel from both sides of the main body 310, and a connecting portion 330 extending from the center of the main body 310.

[0043] When the air dam 300 is retracted inside the housing 200, the main body 310 is positioned in the front area R1 of the housing 200, and the guide sections 320 and the connecting section 330 are positioned in the rear area R2. When the air dam 300 is extended forward from the housing 200, the main body 310 may be placed forward under the bumper cover BC, and the guide sections 320 and the connecting section 330 may be positioned in the front area R1.

[0044] Each of the paired guide portions 320 may be provided with a guide groove 321 that engages with the guide projections 205 provided inside the housing 200. The guide groove 321 may be provided as a structure extending longitudinally along the longitudinal direction of the guide portion 320. The pair of guide portions 320 may guide the forward and backward reciprocating movement of the main body 310 with the guide grooves 321 and the guide projections 205 engaged.

[0045] The connecting portion 330 may be disposed between the pair of guide portions 320 and extend parallel to the guide portions 320. The connecting portion 330 may be connected to the connecting joint 500, which will be described later.

[0046] The actuator 400 coupled to the housing 200 can generate force to drive the air skirt 300, which will be described later.

[0047] In one embodiment, the actuator 400 may be disposed within the housing 200 in the rear region R2 of the housing 200. The drive shaft 410 of the actuator 400 may be exposed through the through-hole 202.

[0048] The connecting joint 500 can connect the actuator 400 to the air apron 300 and transmit power from the actuator 400 to drive the air apron 300.

[0049] The connecting joint 500 may include a first joint 510 and a second joint 520 connected for mutual rotation.

[0050] The first joint 510 is connected at one end to the actuator 400 and at the other end to one end of the second joint 520. The second joint 520, which is rotatably connected at one end to the other end of the first joint 510, can be connected at the other end to the connecting portion 330 of the air skirt 300.

[0051] In one embodiment, the connecting joint 500 may be disposed on the upper surface of the housing 200. The connecting joint may be connected to the actuator 400 and the air skirt 300 by passing through the housing 200.

[0052] Specifically, the first joint 510 may be connected to the actuator 400 by inserting a rotation axis 511 into the through-hole 202 formed by passing through the upper surface of the housing 200. In this case, the rotation axis 511 may be inserted into the through-hole 202 while the first joint 510 is placed on the protrusion 203. The second joint 520 may be connected to the connecting portion 330 of the air dam 300 by inserting a connecting axis 521 into the guide hole 201 formed in the housing 200. The connecting axis 521 of the second joint 520 may reciprocate along the guide hole 201 while connected to the air dam 300.

[0053] The first joint 510 can be rotated about the rotation axis 511 while being spaced from the upper surface of the housing 200 by the height of the projection 203. The rotation range of the first joint 510 can be limited by the stop 204. That is, the first joint 510 can rotate within the angular range specified by the stop 204. The second joint 520 can reciprocate along the length of the guide hole 201 in articulated connection with the first joint 510.

[0054] The first joint 510 and the second joint 520 may be sealed by the housing cover 210 to protect them from the outside.

[0055] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing 200 is arranged obliquely downward toward the bottom of the bumper cover BC, and the air dam 300 is configured to be set in a forward direction under the bottom of the bumper cover BC in an oblique direction, whereby the lower space of the bumper cover BC can be blocked at the same level as the front portion of the bumper cover BC. This increases the effect of blocking air from the front surface of the bumper cover BC, which more effectively improves aerodynamic performance.

[0056] In addition, by blocking the lower space of the bumper cover BC with the set air dam 300 at the same level as the front surface of the bumper cover BC, the lower legs of pedestrians are effectively prevented from bending into the lower space of the bumper cover BC when colliding with pedestrians, which more effectively protects pedestrians.

[0057] The active air skirt device according to an embodiment of the invention is advantageous in terms of effectively improving the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle.

[0058] Various embodiments of the disclosure do not list all available combinations, but serve to describe a representative aspect of the disclosure, and descriptions of various embodiments may be applied independently or through a combination of two or more.

[0059] A number of embodiments have been described above. However, it should be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved by performing the described techniques in a different order and / or by combining components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit in a different way and / or by replacing or supplementing them with other components or their equivalents. Thus, other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

[0060] Although this disclosure has specific examples, it will be apparent from an understanding of the disclosure of this application that various changes in form and details may be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered as descriptive and not limiting. Descriptions of features or aspects in each example are to be considered applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Suitable results may be obtained by performing the described techniques in a different order and / or by combining components in a described system, architecture, apparatus, or circuit in a different way and / or by substituting or supplementing them with other components or their equivalents.Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is defined not by the detailed description but by the claims and their equivalents, and all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as belonging to the disclosure. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] KR 10-2024-0003593

[0001]

Claims

[1] Active air skirt device comprising: a housing having a through hole and a guide hole formed therein; a bracket configured to attach the housing to a bumper cover; an air skirt mounted within the enclosure and configured to reciprocate through an open front of the enclosure; an actuator coupled to the housing, the actuator configured to generate force; and a connecting joint configured to connect the actuator and the air skirt and to transmit the force of the actuator to the air skirt, wherein the housing is arranged obliquely to a lower part of the bumper cover in order to set the air apron obliquely forward under the lower part of the bumper cover. [2] Active air skirt device according to claim 1, wherein the bracket comprises: a first part extending vertically on a rear side of the bumper cover; and a second part which is bent at a lower end of the first part and extends obliquely forward under the lower part of the bumper cover, and wherein the housing is coupled to the second part. [3] The active air curtain device of claim 2, wherein the second part has a coupling recess formed therein in which the housing is coupled. [4] Active air skirt device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting joint comprises: a first joint connected at one end to the actuator; and a second joint pivotally connected at a first end to another end of the first joint and connected at a second end to the air skirt, and wherein the connecting joint is arranged on an upper surface of the housing and is connected to the air skirt through the housing. [5] The active air curtain device according to claim 4, wherein the guide hole has a slot-shaped structure extending linearly toward the open front of the housing, the slot-shaped structure being configured to receive a connecting axis of the second joint connected to the air curtain to reciprocate along the guide hole. [6] Active air skirt device according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising: a stop provided on the upper surface of the housing, the stop being configured to limit a rotation range of the first joint, wherein the stopper is formed by projecting in a structure partially surrounding the through hole into which a rotation axis of the first joint is inserted. [7] Active air skirt device according to one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising: a housing cover attached to the top surface of the housing to cover and seal the connecting joint. [8] Active air skirt device according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the air skirt comprises: a main body; a pair of guide sections extending parallel from both sides of the main body; and a connecting portion extending from a center of the main body, wherein the main body is placed towards the open front of the housing under the bumper cover, and whereby the air skirt is extended out of the housing in a forward direction. [9] An active air skirt device according to claim 8, wherein the pair of guide portions each comprises: a guide groove formed therein and configured to engage with guide projections provided within the housing. [10] The active air curtain device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the connecting portion is arranged in parallel between the guide portions, the connecting portion being configured to be connected to the connecting joint.

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