Adjustable rear spoiler

Abstract

To provide an adjustable rear spoiler capable of lowering the center of gravity of a vehicle and improving a CD value.SOLUTION: An adjustable rear spoiler comprises: a rear spoiler 2 extending above a vehicle body 8 in a vehicle width direction; a support plate 3 disposed at each side in the vehicle width direction of the rear spoiler 2 to support the rear spoiler 2 rotatably about a rotation axis 21 extending in the vehicle width direction; an electric motor 6 disposed below the support plate 3; and a link mechanism 7 which comprises a link 71 extending in a vertical direction and having an upper end connected to an end part in the vehicle width direction of the rear spoiler 2, and a lifting mechanism 72 for moving up and down the link 71 in the vertical direction by rotation of a rotor of the electric motor 6, and which can rotate the rear spoiler 2 about the rotation axis 21 by moving up and down the link 71 in the vertical direction by the rotation of the rotor. The electric motor 6 and the lifting mechanism 72 are disposed inside the vehicle body 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a variable rear spoiler for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a variable rear spoiler that can be raised and lowered by an electric motor and a link mechanism disposed near the rear spoiler. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-002148 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since a large force is applied to the rear spoiler when the vehicle is traveling at high speeds, a considerable amount of force is required to move the rear spoiler while traveling at high speeds. Therefore, a variable rear spoiler requires an electric motor that is large in size and weight and can generate a corresponding amount of torque to move the rear spoiler.

[0005] However, if a large and heavy electric motor and link mechanism are placed near the rear spoiler, as in the variable rear spoiler disclosed in Patent Document 1, the center of gravity of the vehicle equipped with the variable rear spoiler will become higher and the CD (Constant Drag) value, which is the coefficient of air resistance, will deteriorate.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a variable rear spoiler that can lower the center of gravity of a vehicle and improve the CD value. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The variable rear spoiler according to the present invention includes a rear spoiler extending in a vehicle width direction above a vehicle body; The rear spoiler includes a link mechanism including: support plates that are arranged on both sides of the rear spoiler in the vehicle width direction and that support the rear spoiler so that it can rotate around a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction; an electric motor arranged below the support plates; a link that extends in the vertical direction and has an upper end connected to the vehicle width direction end of the rear spoiler; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the link in the vertical direction by rotating a rotor of the electric motor, wherein the link mechanism can rotate the rear spoiler around the rotation axis by raising and lowering the link in the vertical direction by rotating the rotor, and the electric motor and the lifting mechanism are arranged inside the vehicle body.

[0008] The present invention can provide a variable rear spoiler that can lower the center of gravity of a vehicle and improve the CD value.

[0009] In one aspect of the variable rear spoiler according to the present invention, the spoiler comprises a cylindrical support pillar extending downward from the support plate, and a base plate having the electric motor fixed to one surface and the lifting mechanism attached to the other surface, wherein the support pillar has a through hole formed therein to allow the lifting mechanism to pass through the support pillar, and by fixing the base plate to the support pillar with the lifting mechanism inserted into the support pillar through the through hole, the electric motor is fixed to the outside of the support pillar, and the base plate closes the through hole to reinforce the support pillar.

[0010] According to this aspect, the strength of the support column having the through hole for passing the lifting mechanism therethrough can be improved.

[0011] In one aspect of the variable rear spoiler according to the present invention, the upper end of the link may be connected to the vehicle width direction end of the rear spoiler via a screw-type socket, and the socket may be able to be moved in the vertical direction by rotating the socket.

[0012] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce vertical positional deviation of the rear spoiler caused by variations in the link mechanism.

[0013] In one aspect of the variable rear spoiler according to the present invention, a biasing component may be provided that biases the link in a direction that pushes the link upward or in a direction that pulls the link downward.

[0014] According to this aspect, it is possible to suppress the rear spoiler from swinging up and down due to the influence of wind while the vehicle is traveling. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The present invention can provide a variable rear spoiler that can lower the center of gravity of a vehicle and improve CD values. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable rear spoiler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the front portion of the rear spoiler is lowered. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the front portion of the rear spoiler is raised. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a link mechanism of the variable rear spoiler of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a lifting mechanism of the link mechanism shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the shape of a through hole formed in a support pillar of the variable rear spoiler of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A variable rear spoiler 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The arrows FR, UP, and RH shown in the following drawings indicate the forward direction (direction of travel) of the vehicle, the upward direction, and the rightward direction, respectively. The opposite directions of the arrows FR, UP, and RH indicate the rearward direction, the downward direction, and the leftward direction of the vehicle, respectively. Hereinafter, when the terms "front-rear," "left-right," and "up-down" are used in the description, they refer to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction of the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable rear spoiler 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the variable rear spoiler 10 is provided at the rear of the vehicle with a main wing 1 and a rear spoiler 2 that extend in the vehicle width direction above the vehicle body. The variable rear spoiler 10 also includes a support plate 3 that supports the rear spoiler 2 so that the rear spoiler 2 is rotatable about a rotation axis 21 that extends in the vehicle width direction. One support plate 3 is disposed on each side of the main wing 1 and the rear spoiler 2 in the vehicle width direction. The variable rear spoiler 10 also includes a central support plate 4 that extends in the up-down and front-rear directions. The upper end of the central support plate 4 is fixed to the main wing 1, and the lower end is fixed to the vehicle body. Both ends of the main wing 1 in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the support plate 3. The main wing 1 is supported by the support plates 3 on both left and right sides and the central support plate 4.

[0019] The variable rear spoiler 10 is provided with cylindrical support pillars 5 extending downward from a support plate 3 on both sides in the vehicle width direction. The support pillars 5 are composed of a support pillar body 51 and a support pillar cover 52. The variable rear spoiler 10 also has an electric motor 6 and a base plate 61 on each of the left and right sides. The base plate 61 is fixed to the inner side of the support pillars 5 in the vehicle width direction, and the electric motor 6 is fixed to the inner side of the support pillars 5 in the vehicle width direction via the base plate 61.

[0020] The variable rear spoiler 10 is equipped with a link mechanism 7 for rotating the rear spoiler 2 around a rotation shaft 21. Fig. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the front portion of the rear spoiler 2 is lowered by the link mechanism 7. Fig. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the front portion of the rear spoiler 2 is raised by the link mechanism 7. Both Figs. 2 and 3 show the left support plate 3 and the support pillar 5 as viewed from the left side. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the link mechanism 7 is equipped with a link 71 that extends in the vertical direction and has an upper end connected to the end of the rear spoiler 2 in the vehicle width direction, and an elevating mechanism 72 that raises and lowers the link 71 in the vertical direction by rotation of the rotor of the electric motor 6.

[0021] The upper end of the link 71 is rotatably connected to the vehicle width direction end surface 22 of the rear spoiler 2 via a screw-type socket 73. The rotation shaft 21 of the rear spoiler 2 is disposed at the rear of the vehicle width direction end surface 22 of the rear spoiler 2. A vehicle width direction central portion 23 of the rear spoiler 2 protrudes rearward beyond the rear end of the support plate 3. The support plate 3 is formed with an arc-shaped through-hole 31 through which the portion of the socket 73 connected to the vehicle width direction end surface 22 of the rear spoiler 2 passes.

[0022] In addition to the lever 72a, the lifting mechanism 72 also includes components such as a pinion 72b and a driven gear 72c, which will be described later; however, the pinion 72b, the driven gear 72c, and other components are not shown in Figures 2 and 3. The variable rear spoiler 10 can raise and lower the link 71 up and down by rotating the lever 72a with the electric motor 6. By raising and lowering the link 71 up and down in this manner, the variable rear spoiler 10 can rotate the rear spoiler 2 around the rotation shaft 21 because the socket 73 connected to the vehicle width direction end surface 22 of the rear spoiler 2 rises and falls along the arc-shaped through-hole 31.

[0023] The pillar body 51 is composed of an inner plate 51a extending in the front-rear direction on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, a front side plate 51b extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the front end of the inner plate 51a, and a rear side plate 51c extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear end of the inner plate 51a. The support plate 3 extends upward from the inner plate 51a. As shown in FIG. 1, the pillar 5 has a rectangular cylindrical shape by fixing a pillar cover 52 having a substantially flat plate shape to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the pillar body 51. The lifting mechanism 72 is disposed inside the cylindrical pillar 5. Note that the pillar cover 52 is not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 so that the link 71 and lever 72a can be seen.

[0024] 2 and 3, the support plate 3 is disposed outside the vehicle body 8, and the support pillar 5 is disposed inside the vehicle body 8. The electric motor 6 fixed to the support pillar 5 and the lifting mechanism 72 disposed inside the support pillar 5 are both disposed inside the vehicle body 8. Note that a support plate cover (not shown) that covers the outer side in the vehicle width direction is fixed to the support plate 3, and therefore when the support plate cover is fixed to the support plate 3, the link 71 and the socket 73 are not exposed.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the right-side link mechanism 7. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the front portion of the rear spoiler 2 is lowered by the link mechanism 7. As with FIGS. 2 and 3, parts such as the pinion 72b and the driven gear 72c are not shown in FIG. 4 either. FIG. 4 also omits the main wing 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the lifting mechanism 72 of the link mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows the state before the base plate 61 is fixed to the support column 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the electric motor 6 is fixed to one surface of the base plate 61, and the lifting mechanism 72 is attached to the other surface.

[0026] The lifting mechanism 72 includes a lever 72a, a pinion 72b, a driven gear 72c, a shaft 72d, a link rotation shaft 72e, and a spiral spring 72f. The pinion 72b is connected to the rotor of the electric motor 6 and rotates integrally with the rotor of the electric motor 6. The pinion 72b and the driven gear 72c form a gear pair that mesh with each other. Therefore, when the rotor of the electric motor 6 rotates, the driven gear 72c rotates around the shaft 72d as a rotation axis. The shaft 72d is fixed to the driven gear 72c and the lever 72a. Therefore, the lever 72a rotates integrally with the driven gear 72c around the shaft 72d as a rotation axis. Furthermore, because the lever 72a is rotatably connected to the link 71 via the link rotation shaft 72e, the link 71 moves up and down when the lever 72a rotates. Because the lifting mechanism 72 has such a structure, the variable rear spoiler 10 can rotate the rear spoiler 2 by rotating the rotor of the electric motor 6 to raise and lower the link 71 up and down.

[0027] The spiral spring 72f is wound around the shaft 72d in a spiral shape and is a biasing component that biases the link 71 in a direction that pushes it upward. Because the spiral spring 72f biases the link 71 in a direction that pushes it upward in this way, the variable rear spoiler 10 can suppress the rear spoiler 2 from swaying up and down due to the influence of wind while the vehicle is traveling. Note that the spiral spring 72f may be a biasing component that biases the link 71 in a direction that pulls it downward, rather than a biasing component that biases the link 71 in a direction that pushes it upward. Even when the spiral spring 72f is a biasing component that biases the link 71 in a direction that pulls it downward, the variable rear spoiler 10 can suppress the rear spoiler 2 from swaying up and down due to the influence of wind while the vehicle is traveling.

[0028] When fixing the base plate 61 to the support pillar 5, a through hole 53 is required to insert the lifting mechanism 72 into the support pillar 5. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the shape of the through hole 53 formed in the inner plate 51a of the support pillar main body 51. When the base plate 61 to which the lifting mechanism 72 is attached is fixed to the support pillar 5, the base plate 61 closes the through hole 53 and reinforces the support pillar 5. Since the base plate 61 is fixed to the support pillar 5 in this way, the through hole 53 is closed and the support pillar 5 is reinforced, and therefore the variable rear spoiler 10 can improve the strength of the support pillar 5 in which the through hole 53 is formed.

[0029] Furthermore, the screw-in socket 73 can be moved up and down by manually rotating it. By rotating the socket 73 in this way to adjust the vertical position, the variable rear spoiler 10 can reduce vertical positional deviation of the rear spoiler 2 caused by variations in the link mechanism 7. For example, if the heights of the front ends of the rear spoiler 2 differ on the left and right due to variations in the left and right link mechanisms 7, the socket 73 can be rotated to adjust the heights of the left and right front ends of the rear spoiler 2 to match.

[0030] Furthermore, as already mentioned, the electric motor 6 and the lifting mechanism 72 are mounted inside the vehicle body 8. Therefore, the variable rear spoiler 10 can lower the center of gravity of the vehicle and improve the CD value compared to a variable rear spoiler in which the electric motor 6 and the lifting mechanism 72 are disposed near the rear spoiler 2. In this way, the variable rear spoiler 10 can lower the center of gravity of the vehicle and improve the CD value.

[0031] <Supplementary information on the embodiment> The variable rear spoiler of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the variable rear spoiler may be configured without the main wing 1 or the central support plate 4.

[0032] [Configuration of the invention] [Configuration 1] a rear spoiler extending in the vehicle width direction above the vehicle body; support plates disposed on both sides of the rear spoiler in the vehicle width direction and supporting the rear spoiler rotatably about a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction; an electric motor disposed below the support plate; a link mechanism including: a link extending in a vertical direction and having an upper end connected to an end of the rear spoiler in a vehicle width direction; and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the link in the vertical direction by rotation of a rotor of the electric motor, wherein the link mechanism is capable of rotating the rear spoiler around the rotation axis by raising and lowering the link in the vertical direction by rotation of the rotor; wherein the electric motor and the lifting mechanism are disposed within the vehicle body. [Configuration 2] The variable rear spoiler according to configuration 1, a cylindrical support column extending downward from the support plate; a base plate having the electric motor fixed to one surface and the lifting mechanism attached to the other surface; The support column is formed with a through hole through which the lifting mechanism can pass through the support column; A variable rear spoiler characterized in that by fixing the base plate to the support with the lifting mechanism inserted into the support through the through hole, the electric motor is fixed to the outside of the support, and the base plate closes the through hole to reinforce the support. [Configuration 3] The variable rear spoiler according to configuration 1 or 2, an upper end of the link is connected to an end of the rear spoiler in the vehicle width direction via a screw-type socket; A variable rear spoiler characterized in that the socket can be moved up and down by rotating the socket. [Configuration 4] The variable rear spoiler according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, A variable rear spoiler comprising a biasing member that biases the link in a direction that pushes the link upward or pulls the link downward. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 main wing, 2 rear spoiler, 3 support plate, 4 central support plate, 5 support pillar, 6 electric motor, 7 link mechanism, 8 body, 10 variable rear spoiler, 21 rotating shaft, 22 vehicle width direction end face, 23 vehicle width direction central portion, 31 through hole, 51 support pillar body, 51a inner plate, 51b front plate, 51c rear plate, 52 support pillar cover, 53 through hole, 61 base plate, 71 link, 72 lifting mechanism, 72a lever, 72b pinion, 72c driven gear, 72d shaft, 72e link rotation shaft, 72f spiral spring, 73 socket.

Claims

1. a rear spoiler extending in the vehicle width direction above the vehicle body; support plates disposed on both sides of the rear spoiler in the vehicle width direction and supporting the rear spoiler rotatably about a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction; an electric motor disposed below the support plate; a link mechanism including: a link extending in a vertical direction and having an upper end connected to an end of the rear spoiler in a vehicle width direction; and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the link in the vertical direction by rotation of a rotor of the electric motor, wherein the link mechanism is capable of rotating the rear spoiler around the rotation axis by raising and lowering the link in the vertical direction by rotation of the rotor; wherein the electric motor and the lifting mechanism are disposed within the vehicle body.

2. 2. The variable rear spoiler according to claim 1, a cylindrical support column extending downward from the support plate; a base plate having the electric motor fixed to one surface and the lifting mechanism attached to the other surface; The support column is formed with a through hole through which the lifting mechanism can pass through the support column; A variable rear spoiler characterized in that by fixing the base plate to the support with the lifting mechanism inserted into the support through the through hole, the electric motor is fixed to the outside of the support, and the base plate closes the through hole to reinforce the support.

3. 3. The variable rear spoiler according to claim 1 or 2, an upper end of the link is connected to an end of the rear spoiler in the vehicle width direction via a screw-type socket; A variable rear spoiler characterized in that the socket can be moved up and down by rotating the socket.

4. 4. The variable rear spoiler according to claim 3, A variable rear spoiler comprising a biasing member that biases the link in a direction that pushes the link upward or pulls the link downward.

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