Spatterdash apparatus

Abstract

To suppress a damage to a spatterdash when a vehicle is transported.SOLUTION: A spatterdash apparatus 16 includes: an elastically-deformable spatterdash 20 which is attached to a vehicle body lower part 12a, and which deflects a running airflow toward the wheels; and a fastening structure for holding the spatterdash 20 to the vehicle body lower part 12a in the folded state. The spatterdash 20 includes a fastening piece 28 at a lower edge. The fastening structure includes: a clip receiving portion 36 provided on the vehicle body lower part 12a; and a clip 34 to be engaged therewith. The fastening piece 28 is fastened to the vehicle body lower part 12a by the clip 34 engaged with the clip receiving portion 36 so as to hold the spatterdash 20 in the folded state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spats device that is provided on the underside of a vehicle body in front of the wheels. [Background technology]

[0002] Spats are known that are provided on the underside of a vehicle body in front of the wheels and deflect airflow directed toward the wheels. Patent Document 1 (see below) discloses spats (14a, 14b, 14c) provided in front of the front wheels (12) of a vehicle and a spats operating mechanism (16a, 16b, 16c) that moves the spats between an extended position and a retracted position. The spats operating mechanism moves the spats to a retracted position under predetermined conditions, such as when there is a high possibility of the vehicle traveling on a rough road, when backing up, or when towing a towed vehicle. By storing the spats when they do not need to be deployed, interference of the spats with the road surface is suppressed. The reference numerals in parentheses above are those used in Patent Document 1 (see below) and are unrelated to the reference numerals used in the description of the embodiments of the present application. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-118583 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to reduce damage to the vehicle body when the spats hit the road surface or a curb, the spats can be made of a deformable material such as rubber. In this case, it is necessary to prevent the spats from being damaged before the vehicle is delivered to the customer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The spats device according to the present invention is provided on the underside of the vehicle body in front of the wheels and includes elastically deformable spats attached to the underside of the vehicle body to deflect airflow toward the wheels as the vehicle moves, and a fixing structure provided near the spats on the underside of the vehicle body. The spats have a fixing piece at their lower edge that is fixed to the underside of the vehicle body by the fixing structure, and the fixing piece to the underside of the vehicle body keeps the spats in a folded state.

[0006] By keeping the spats folded, the ground clearance of the spats is increased, and damage to the spats is suppressed.

[0007] In the above-mentioned spats device, the fixing piece of the spats may have an engagement hole formed therein, and the fixing structure may include a clip receiving portion provided on the underside of the vehicle body, and a clip that passes through the engagement hole of the fixing piece and engages with the clip receiving portion to fix the fixing piece to the underside of the vehicle body. A fixing structure is provided that reliably fixes and holds the fixing piece to the underside of the vehicle body.

[0008] In addition, as another aspect of the fixing structure of the above-mentioned spats device, the fixing structure may have a receiving slit provided in the lower part of the vehicle body for receiving the fixing piece. A simple fixing structure for fixing the fixing piece is provided.

[0009] In the above-mentioned spats device, the spats may have a front wall arranged so that the upper edge is located forward of the lower edge, and left and right side walls arranged so as to extend rearward from both left and right side edges of the front wall, and fold lines may be formed on the left and right side walls to make the spats easier to fold. The fold lines make it easier to fold the spats. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The spats can be kept folded during transportation of the vehicle, and damage to the spats during transportation can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the front part of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the spats in a normal state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the spats device in a folded state. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing spats according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view showing the spats device in a state in which the spats shown in FIG. 5 are folded. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms indicating relative positions and orientations, such as front, rear, left, right, up, down, etc., refer to relative positions and orientations with respect to the vehicle. In addition, in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle, the side closer to the center line extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the side further away will be referred to as the outside in the vehicle width direction. In each drawing, the arrow FR points forward, the arrow UP points upward, the arrow LH points leftward, and the arrow OUT points outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the front of a vehicle 10. A spat device 16 is provided in a lower portion 12a of a vehicle body 12 (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle body lower portion 12a), particularly in front of a front wheel 14. The spat device 16 is arranged to hang down from the vehicle body lower portion 12a. The spat device 16 deflects airflow generated by the vehicle moving, particularly airflow 18 directed toward the front wheel 14, and diverts it away from the front wheel 14. The spat device 16 directs the airflow 18 downward. In addition, the spat device 16 may direct the airflow 18 to the side. The spat device 16 may be arranged immediately in front of the front wheel 14 in the vehicle body lower portion 12a. In other words, the spat device 16 may be arranged at the rear end of the vehicle body lower portion 12a, forward of the front wheel 14. The spats device 16 includes spats 20 that deflect the traveling airflow 18, and a fixing structure for holding the spats 20 in a folded state on the vehicle body lower part 12a. The spats 20 are made of a flexible material such as rubber, and do not substantially deform when subjected to the traveling airflow 18, but can be folded by being deformed by an operator or the like, as described below.

[0014] 2 is a perspective view that schematically illustrates spats 20. The spats 20 may be made of, for example, TPV (thermoplastic crosslinked elastomer), have a hardness of approximately 80Hs, and may be integrally molded with an overall thickness of approximately 3 mm. The spats 20 have a front wall 22 located at the front and facing forward, and two side walls 24 that extend rearward from the left and right side edges of the front wall 22, respectively. The spats 20 may have no wall at the rear and be open rearward.

[0015] The upper edge of the front wall 22 of the spats 20 is located forward of the lower edge. The front wall 22 of the spats 20 is curved so as to be convex forward in a cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle, but is not curved in a horizontal cross section. The front wall is not limited to this form, and may also be curved so as to be convex forward in a horizontal cross section, and may also be smoothly connected to the left and right side walls 24. The front wall may also be flat.

[0016] The side walls 24 of the spats 20 may be arranged so as to be perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle. The rear edges of the side walls 24 extend in the up-down direction. However, the side walls are not limited to this arrangement, and for example, the distance between the left and right side walls may be smaller at the front and larger at the rear.

[0017] The upper edge of the spats 20 is formed by the upper edges of the front wall 22 and the left and right side walls 24 to form a generally U-shape that opens rearward. An upper edge flange 26 is provided along this upper edge. The spats 20 are attached to the lower part 12a of the vehicle body at multiple locations on the upper edge flange 26 with fasteners (not shown) such as tapping screws.

[0018] A fixing piece 28 is provided at the lower edge of the spats 20, which is fixed to the vehicle body lower part 12a when the spats 20 are folded. The fixing piece 28 may be a long, narrow flat plate extending laterally so as to connect the lowermost rear edges of the left and right side walls 24. The front wall 22 may be connected to the fixing piece 28 at its lower edge. Alternatively, a substantially horizontally disposed bottom wall may be provided extending from the lower edge of the front wall 22 to the fixing piece 28. The lateral length of the fixing piece 28 may be shorter than the distance between the left and right side walls 24. An engagement hole 32 is formed in the fixing piece 28 and is used to fix the spats 20 to the vehicle body lower part 12a. Although two engagement holes 32 are shown, the number of engagement holes 32 may be other than two. The fixing piece 28 may be formed thicker than other parts of the spats 20 to obtain rigidity, or may be integrally formed with a metal plate by insert molding.

[0019] A trailing edge flange 30 may be provided along the trailing edge of the side wall 24 of the spat 20. The trailing edge flange 30 and the fixing piece 28 may be disposed in the same plane.

[0020] 3 and 4 are side views schematically showing the spats device 16 and the vehicle lower body 12a. Fig. 3 shows the spats device 16 in a normal state, and Fig. 4 shows the spats device 16 in a folded state.

[0021] The fixing piece 28 of the spats 20 is fixed to the vehicle lower body 12a by inserting a clip 34, which passes through the engagement hole 32, into a clip receiving portion 36 formed on the vehicle lower body 12a. This maintains the spats 20 in a folded state. The clip 34 and the clip receiving portion 36 form a fixing structure that fixes the fixing piece 28 to the vehicle lower body 12a. The clip 34 elastically deforms and engages with the clip receiving portion 36. The engaged clip 34 can be released by pulling the clip 34 or the fixing piece 28 to remove it from the clip receiving portion 36. The clip receiving portion 36 may be a bottomed hole as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Alternatively, it may be a through-hole formed in a plate material that constitutes the vehicle lower body 12a.

[0022] The side walls 24 of the spats 20 are formed with folds 38 to facilitate folding of the spats 20. The folds 38 form grooves in the surface of the side walls 24, thinning the thickness of the corresponding portions. When folding the spats 20, the grooves bend, facilitating folding. In FIG. 3, the folds 38A shown by solid lines are mountain folds that rise toward the front of the page, and the folds 38B shown by dashed lines are valley folds that sink toward the back of the page. The grooves forming one fold 38 may be formed on either the front or back surface of the side walls 24, or they may be formed on both surfaces. Furthermore, the grooves forming each fold 38 may all be formed on either the front or back surface of the side walls 24, or each fold 38 may be formed on a different surface.

[0023] The spats 20 are folded when a vehicle is driven onto or unloaded from a carrier. A worker folds the spats 20 before loading the vehicle onto the carrier. The worker pushes the lower edge of the spats 20 upward to align the engagement hole 32 of the fixing piece 28 with the clip receiving portion 36. The clip 34 is then pushed through the engagement hole 32 and into the clip receiving portion 36 to engage. The clip 34 maintains the spats 20 in a folded state against the force of the spats 20's elasticity. After the vehicle is unloaded from the carrier, the clip 34 is removed from the clip receiving portion 36. This returns the spats 20 to its original shape. By folding the spats 20, their height from the ground becomes greater than before they were folded. Folding the spats 20 can prevent the spats 20 from hitting ramps or road steps when loading or unloading the vehicle onto or from a carrier. The spats 20 may be folded not only immediately before loading but also at any time between the time of shipment from the factory and the time of loading. In addition, the spats 20 may be restored from the folded state at any time between the time of unloading and the time of handing over to the customer.

[0024] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing another embodiment of a spats device 50. The same components as those of the spats device 16 described above are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0025] The spats device 50 includes spats 52 having substantially the same configuration as the spats 20 of the spats device 16 described above. The spats 52 have fixing pieces 54 corresponding to the fixing pieces 28 of the spats 20. The fixing pieces 54 are fixed to the vehicle body lower part 12a when the spats 52 are folded. The fixing pieces 54 may be elongated flat plates extending laterally to connect the lowermost rear edges of the left and right side walls 24. The lateral dimension of the fixing pieces 54 may be shorter than the distance between the left and right side walls 24. The fixing pieces 54 may not be formed with engagement holes. Furthermore, the fixing pieces 54 may be formed thicker than other portions of the spats 52 to obtain rigidity, or may be formed integrally with a metal plate by insert molding.

[0026] A retainer 58 is disposed on the lower vehicle body 12a, forming a receiving slit 56 between itself and the underside of the lower vehicle body 12a. The retainer 58 may be a rod-shaped member with an L-shaped cross section. The retainer 58 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction extends along the left-right direction of the vehicle. A portion of the retainer 58 corresponding to one arm of the L-shape is fixed to the rearward-facing surface of the lower vehicle body 12a, and a portion corresponding to the other arm is disposed substantially parallel to the underside of the lower vehicle body 12a with a gap therebetween. This gap is the receiving slit 56 that receives the fixing piece 54. When the fixing piece 54 is inserted into the receiving slit 56, the fixing piece is held in the receiving slit 56 by friction. This maintains the spats 52 in a folded state. The retainer 58 that defines the receiving slit 56 and the lower vehicle body 12a surrounding it constitute a fixing structure that fixes the fixing piece 54 to the lower vehicle body 12a. When the fixing pieces 54 are pulled out of the receiving slits 56, the spats 52 return to their original shape due to their own elasticity.

[0027] In the spats 52 as well, creases may be formed on the side walls 24 in the same manner as in the spats 20 .

[0028] The spats devices 16, 50 are both provided for the front wheels 14, but may also be provided for the rear wheels in the same manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 10 vehicle, 12 vehicle body, 12a vehicle lower part, 14 front wheel, 16, 50 spats device, 18 running airflow, 20, 52 spats, 22 front wall, 24 side wall, 26 upper edge flange, 28, 54 fixing piece, 32 engagement hole, 34 clip, 36 clip receiving portion, 38 fold, 56 receiving slit, 58 retainer.

Claims

1. A spats device provided on the lower part of the vehicle body in front of the wheels, elastically deformable spats attached to the lower part of the vehicle body and deflecting airflow toward the wheels; a fixing structure provided near the spats on the lower part of the vehicle body; Including, the spats have a fixing piece at a lower edge that is fixed to the lower part of the vehicle body by the fixing structure, The spats device maintains the spats in a folded state by fixing the fixing piece to the lower part of the vehicle body.

2. The spats device according to claim 1, An engagement hole is formed in the fixing piece of the spats, The fixing structure includes a clip receiving portion provided on the lower part of the vehicle body, and a clip that passes through the engagement hole of the fixing piece and engages with the clip receiving portion to fix the fixing piece to the lower part of the vehicle body. Spat device.

3. 2. The spats device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing structure has a receiving slit provided in the lower part of the vehicle body for receiving the fixing piece.

4. The spats device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The spats have a front wall disposed such that an upper edge is located forward of a lower edge, and left and right side walls disposed so as to extend rearward from both left and right side edges of the front wall, The spats device has fold lines formed on the left and right side walls to make it easier to fold the spats.

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