COVER FOR REAR SPOILER OF MOTOR VEHICLE LIMITING AERODYNAMIC DRAG

Abstract

COVER FOR REAR WING OF MOTOR VEHICLE LIMITING AERODYNAMIC DRAG The present invention relates to a cover (14) for a motor vehicle (1), made of an extensible material and intended to envelop at least a part of the bodywork of the motor vehicle, said cover comprising two edges (14.1, 14.2) respectively provided with an elastic band intended to ensure support with the corresponding part of the bodywork, remarkable in that the elastic band corresponding to a primary support means, said cover further comprising a secondary support means to the bodywork at at least one of said two edges, and in that said two edges comprise a first edge configured to hook onto a rear wing (2) of the motor vehicle, and a second edge configured to attach to a tailgate (10), so as to cover the rear wing while said motor vehicle is moving.(Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 2).

Description

Title of the invention: COVER FOR REAR SPOILER OF MOTOR VEHICLE LIMITING AERODYNAMIC DRAG Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, more particularly the field of rear spoilers for motor vehicles. Prior art

[0002] Automobile manufacturers are increasingly adapting to a growing demand for style, leading to the integration of rear spoilers with prominent lines in several motor vehicle models. For example, some vehicles conventionally integrate floating blade spoilers to improve road performance and provide a sporty aesthetic prized by certain motorists.

[0003] However, the disadvantage of rear spoilers, especially those with an opening with the roof of the vehicle, lies in an unfavorable and uncontrolled aerodynamic drag. This type of design compromises the overall aerodynamics of the motor vehicle, leading to an increase in the drag coefficient SCx and, consequently, an increase in the vehicle's consumption.

[0004] Patent document US 7,213,870 B1 discloses a fin having an adjustable angle of attack and departure by means of an extension actuator arranged in an internal part of the fin, the latter being covered with an extensible fabric making it possible to create a continuous external geometry and adapt to changes in the shape of said fin.

[0005] However, the solution proposed by the document does not make it possible to effectively overcome the disadvantages linked to the rear spoilers mentioned above. Indeed, the spoiler disclosed by the document is rather configured to improve the performance of the motor vehicle, and does not make it possible to reduce the aerodynamic drag that can be generated during the rolling of said vehicle. Statement of the invention

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the aforementioned state of the art. More particularly, the invention aims to provide a simple and economical solution for limiting the aerodynamic drag created by the rear spoilers of motor vehicles.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a cover for a motor vehicle, made of an extensible material and intended to envelop at least part of the body of the motor vehicle, said cover comprising two edges respectively provided with an elastic intended to ensure support with the corresponding part of the body, remarkable in that the elastic corresponding to a primary support means, said cover further comprising a secondary support means to the body at at least one of said two edges, and in that said two edges comprising a first edge configured to hook onto a rear spoiler of the motor vehicle, and a second edge configured to attach to a tailgate, so as to cover the rear spoiler while said motor vehicle is traveling.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the secondary holding means to the bodywork comprises at least one self-gripping closure strip fixed to the cover adjacent to the first edge and / or the second edge.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the at least one self-gripping closure strip comprises a self-gripping closure strip extending over at least one half of a total transverse extent of the cover at the first edge, and / or comprises between two and four self-gripping closure strips distributed uniformly along the total transverse extent of the cover at the second edge.

[0010] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a spoiler at the rear and in the extension of a roof of said vehicle, remarkable in that said motor vehicle further comprises a cover according to the invention.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the fin comprising: - an upper aerodynamic face and a lower aerodynamic face opposite said upper aerodynamic face; and - a leading edge at the front of the upper and lower aerodynamic faces, said spoiler forming an air passage opening between the roof and the leading edge, and the cover is attached to the spoiler so as to completely cover said spoiler and close said air passage opening when the motor vehicle is moving.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the fin further comprising: - means of attachment to the roof of the motor vehicle, at two transverse ends of the upper and lower aerodynamic faces, the elastic of the first edge of the cover being inserted into a gap at a junction between the roof and said means of attachment of the spoiler.

[0013] According to one embodiment, said motor vehicle further comprises a tailgate provided with an opening rear window, the cover covering the spoiler and the rear window in the open position of said rear window.

[0014] Advantageously, in the open position, the rear window extends substantially pa- joining the lower aerodynamic face of the spoiler.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the elastic of the second edge is inserted into an internal part of the tailgate of the motor vehicle in line with an upper edge of said tailgate configured to receive a lower end of the opening rear window in the closed position of said opening window.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the lower end of the opening rear window stretches the cover longitudinally towards the rear, when the opening rear window is in the open position.

[0017] The invention also relates to a method for reducing the consumption of a motor vehicle, remarkable in that said motor vehicle being according to the invention, and comprising a tailgate provided with an opening rear window, said method comprising mounting the cover on the motor vehicle with the following steps: - attaching the first edge of the cover to the fin; and - opening of the opening rear window; and - attaching the second edge of the cover to the tailgate of the motor vehicle, so as to extend a trailing edge of the spoiler longitudinally towards the rear of the motor vehicle by means of said cover, and to minimize the aerodynamic drag while said motor vehicle is traveling.

[0018] The measures of the invention are advantageous in that the cover makes it possible to extend the trailing edge of the spoiler longitudinally towards the rear in order to considerably reduce aerodynamic turbulence in the wake of the motor vehicle. The mounting of the cover on the motor vehicle thus makes it possible to ensure a considerable gain in SCx, which results in an increase in autonomy of at least 20 km while the motor vehicle is running.

[0019] Furthermore, the cover according to the invention is inexpensive, and the assembly and disassembly operations are easy and ergonomic. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] [Fig-1] represents a rear perspective view of a motor vehicle according to the invention, equipped with a spoiler at the rear and in the extension of its roof;

[0021] [Fig.2] is a schematic illustration representing a sectional view along a longitudinal axis crossing the motor vehicle of [Fig.l] at right angles to a fixing of the spoiler to the roof, the spoiler as well as a rear window of said vehicle being covered by a cover made of extensible material according to the present invention. Detailed description

[0022] [Fig.l] represents a rear perspective view of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention, equipped with a spoiler 2 at the rear and in the extension of its roof 4.

[0023] For the purposes of the description, reference will be made to a direct orthonormal reference frame XYZ conventionally used in automobile design, in which the X axis designates the front-rear longitudinal direction of the vehicle, oriented towards the rear, the Y axis designates the transverse direction and is oriented towards the right of the vehicle, the Z axis designates the vertical direction, and is oriented upwards.

[0024] The spoiler 2 preferably corresponds to a floating spoiler extending over an entire transverse extent of the roof 4, and comprising an upper aerodynamic face 2.1 and a lower aerodynamic face 2.2 opposite said upper aerodynamic face 2.1.

[0025] Preferably, the spoiler 2 comprises a leading edge 2.3 oriented longitudinally towards the front of the motor vehicle 1 and also comprises a trailing edge 2.4 oriented towards the rear. In this configuration, the spoiler 2 forms an air passage 6 between the roof 4 and the leading edge 2.3.

[0026] The fin 2 further comprises means 8 for fixing to the roof 4 which are arranged, preferably, in line with two transverse ends (along the Y axis) of the aerodynamic faces 2.1 and 2.2 so as to form junctions 8.1 with the roof 4.

[0027] In an alternative not shown, the fin 2 can be split into two fins via additional fixing means arranged in a central part at the rear of the roof 4.

[0028] The motor vehicle 1 comprises a tailgate 10 provided with an opening rear window 12, the latter being shown in [Fig.l] in a closed position in which a lower portion 12.1 of said window 12 is connected to an upper edge 10.1 of the tailgate 10.

[0029] Advantageously, the invention proposes a solution allowing the reduction of consumption of the motor vehicle 1 and ensuring an increase in the autonomy of the latter. In this respect, the present invention proposes a cover made of extensible material (shown only in [Fig.2]) in the form of a “sock” type cover, which attaches directly to the motor vehicle 1 in the rear part, so as to completely cover the spoiler 2 (including the opening 6), and to extend its trailing edge 2.4 longitudinally towards the rear. Such an assembly makes it possible to ensure a considerable reduction in the aerodynamic drag downstream of the spoiler 2 when the motor vehicle 1 is moving. The shape and the means for holding the cover on the vehicle will be detailed according to [Fig.2].

[0030] [Fig. 2] is a schematic illustration representing a sectional view along a longitudinal axis crossing the motor vehicle 1 at right angles to a fixing 8 of the spoiler 2 to the roof 4.

[0031] It can be seen that the cover 14 completely covers the fin 2 as well as the rear window 12 in the open position. For this purpose, the cover 14 comprises a first edge 14.1 attached to the spoiler 2, and a second edge 14.2 attached to the tailgate 10, and preferably attached at its upper edge 10.1.

[0032] The extensible material forming the cover 14 preferably corresponds to a flexible mesh fabric formed from polyester, advantageously having elastic characteristics. Thus, the extensible cover can advantageously adapt to any type and shape of fin.

[0033] Advantageously, the two edges 14.1, 14.2 respectively comprise an elastic band making it possible to ensure primary retention of the cover 14 on the corresponding part of the bodywork of the motor vehicle 1 (the spoiler 2 and the tailgate 10, respectively). Alternatively, the two edges 14.1, 14.2 may also be comprised in a single elastic peripheral edge of the cover 14.

[0034] Preferably, the mounting of the cover 14 on the motor vehicle 1 comprises a first step of attaching said cover 14 by inserting the elastic of the first edge 14.1 into a gap at the junction 8.1 between the roof 4 and the fixing means 8 of the spoiler 2 at its two transverse ends (visible in [Fig.l]) and / or at central fixing portions in the case of the presence of two rear spoilers according to the alternative described above.

[0035] Advantageously, the attachment of the cover 14 to the fin 2 is carried out manually.

[0036] The assembly of the cover 14 also comprises a step of opening the rear window 12 towards its open position ensured by two lateral jacks 16 in an opening travel D, as illustrated in [Fig.2], with in contrast, the closing position 12' of the rear window 12 shown in dotted lines.

[0037] The assembly then requires passing beyond the lower end 12.1 of the rear window 12 to attach to the tailgate 10. It can be seen that in this configuration, the lower end 12.1 stretches the cover 14 longitudinally towards the rear. Such stretching makes it possible to extend the trailing edge 2.4 of the spoiler longitudinally towards the rear while the motor vehicle 1 is moving. This extension is advantageously at least 100 mm and can be up to 400 mm.

[0038] In this regard, the elastic of the second edge 14.2 is inserted in line with the upper edge 10.1 and is preferably attached to an internal part 10.2 of the tailgate 10 which may correspond to an interior trim of the tailgate 10 or to a frame contour of the rear window 12. The second edge 14.1 may be attached to a lower face of the internal part 10.2 (as visible in [Fig.2]) or to an upper face of said internal part 10.2.

[0039] Advantageously, in addition to the primary support provided by the elastic at the two edges 14.1 and 14.2, the cover 14 is securely attached to the vehicle at car 1 by a secondary holding means preferably comprising one or more self-gripping closure strips 18 corresponding to loop and hook closures, commonly referred to as: “Velcro®”, and will be referred to as Velcro strips 18 in the present description.

[0040] It is understood that each Velcro strip 18 comprises a set composed of two strips cooperating to ensure support, one strip of which is preferably fixed by stitching to the cover 14 and the other corresponding strip is fixed to the element of the motor vehicle, preferably by gluing or by screwing, or by any other suitable support means.

[0041] Preferably, the cover 14 according to the invention comprises between two and four Velcro strips 18 fixed adjacent to the second edge 14.2, and more preferably comprises three Velcro strips 18 distributed uniformly along a total transverse extent (along the Y axis of [Fig.l]) of the cover 14 at the second edge 14.2, in order to guarantee a homogeneous fixing of the cover 14 over the entire transverse width of the internal part 10.2.

[0042] Alternatively, the secondary means for holding the cover 14 to the vehicle may comprise any other holding system allowing rapid manual assembly and disassembly, while securing the primary elastic holding of the cover on the motor vehicle 1, for example, with straps, pins, wing nuts, etc.

[0043] The cover 14 may also comprise one or more Velcro strips (not shown) at the first edge 14.1, making it possible to fix said cover 14 to the fin 2. The Velcro strip(s) may be directly sewn onto the elastic of the edge 14.1 in order to hide them under the upper face 2.1 at the junction 8.1, or may be arranged near the first edge 14.1 in line with the upper aerodynamic face 2.1. In this configuration, each corresponding Velcro strip may be mounted in a visible manner on said upper face 2.1.

[0044] Preferably, the cover 14 comprises a single Velcro strip attached closely to the first edge 14.1 and extends over at least half of the total transverse extent of the cover 14 at the first edge 14.1, and more preferably extends over approximately the entire extent of said first edge 14.1 corresponding to the total width of the upper face 2.1 of the fin 2.

[0045] The cover 14 according to the invention extends along the transverse axis over the entire width of the opening rear window 12, and this, in such a way as to completely cover the opening of said window 12 while the motor vehicle 1 is driving, so as to secure the objects that can be stored inside the passenger compartment and prevent them from being lost while driving.

[0046] For this purpose, the cover 14 preferably comprises a substantially rectangular with two side edges (not shown), in addition, first and second edges 14.1, 14.2, fitting and covering the rear uprights (D uprights) which form the frame of the rear window 12.

[0047] The invention makes it possible to reduce consumption and increase the autonomy of the motor vehicle 1 when driving, simply by installing the cover 14, which sufficiently extends the trailing edge of the spoiler 2 in order to considerably reduce aerodynamic turbulence in the wake of the vehicle.

[0048] Thus, during long journeys, for example, on a motorway, the cover 14 makes it possible to ensure a considerable gain in SCx, which results in an increase of at least 20 km in the autonomy of the motor vehicle 1 while the latter is running. Advantageously, after the motor vehicle 1 has been running, the dismantling of the cover 14 is an easy and ergonomic operation.

Claims

Claims

1. Cover (14) for a motor vehicle (1), made of an extensible material and intended to envelop at least a part of the bodywork of the motor vehicle (1), said cover (14) comprising two edges (14.1, 14.2) respectively provided with an elastic band intended to ensure a hold with the corresponding part of the bodywork, characterized in that the elastic band corresponds to a primary holding means, said cover further comprising a secondary holding means to the bodywork at at least one of said two edges (14.1, 14.2), and in that said two edges (14.1, 14.2) comprise a first edge (14.1) configured to hook onto a rear spoiler (2) of the motor vehicle (1), and a second edge (14.2) configured to attach to a tailgate (10), so as to cover the rear spoiler (2) while said motor vehicle (1) is moving.

2. Cover (14) according to claim 1, wherein the secondary bodywork holding means comprises at least one hook and loop fastener strip (18) fixed to the cover (14) adjacent to the first edge (14.1) and / or the second edge (14.2).

3. A cover (14) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one hook and loop fastener strip (18) comprises a hook and loop fastener strip (18) extending over at least one half of a total transverse extent of the cover (14) at the first edge (14.1), and / or comprises between two and four hook and loop fastener strips (18) distributed uniformly along the total transverse extent of the cover (14) at the second edge (14.2).

4. Motor vehicle (1) comprising a spoiler (2) at the rear and in the extension of a roof of said vehicle (1), characterized in that said motor vehicle (1) further comprises: - a cover (14) according to one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 4, wherein the spoiler (2) comprises: - an upper aerodynamic face (2.1) and a lower aerodynamic face (2.2) opposite said upper aerodynamic face (2.1); and - a leading edge (2.3) in front of the upper aerodynamic faces (2.1) and lower (2.2), said spoiler (2) forming an air passage opening (6) between the roof (4) and the leading edge (2.3), and the cover (14) is attached to the spoiler (2) so as to completely cover said spoiler (2) and close said air passage opening (6) when the motor vehicle (2) is moving.

6. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the spoiler (2) further comprises: - fixing means (8) to the roof (4) of the motor vehicle (1), at two transverse ends of the upper (2.1) and lower (2.2) aerodynamic faces, the elastic of the first edge (14.1) of the cover (14) being inserted in a clearance at a junction (8.1) between the roof (4) and said fixing means (8) of the spoiler (2).

7. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a tailgate (10) provided with an opening rear window (12), the cover (14) covering the spoiler (2) and the rear window (12) in the open position of said rear window (12).

8. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 7, wherein the elastic of the second edge (14.2) is inserted into an internal part (10.2) of the tailgate (10) of the motor vehicle (1) in line with an upper edge (14.1) of said tailgate (10) configured to receive a lower end (12.1) of the opening rear window (12) in the closed position of said opening window (12).

9. A motor vehicle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the lower end (12.1) of the opening rear window (12) longitudinally stretches the cover (14) rearwardly when the opening rear window (12) is in the open position.

10. Method for reducing the consumption of a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said motor vehicle (1) being according to one of claims 4 to 9, and comprising a tailgate (10) provided with an opening rear window (12), said method comprising mounting the cover (14) on the motor vehicle (1) with the following steps: - hooking the first edge (14.1) of the cover (14) to the spoiler (2); - opening the opening rear window (12); - attaching the second edge (14.2) of the cover (14) to the tailgate (10) of the motor vehicle (1), so as to extend a trailing edge (2.4) of the spoiler (2) longitudinally towards the rear of the vehicle au- motor vehicle (1) by means of said cover (14), and to minimize the aerodynamic drag during rolling of said motor vehicle (1).

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