Vehicle lower part structure

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle lower part structure that can improve aerodynamic characteristics around a front wheel.SOLUTION: A vehicle lower part structure includes: a front undercover 16 that forms the underside of a vehicle front part; a center undercover 18 that is arranged at an interval on the vehicle rear side of the front undercover 16; and a movable undercover 22 that is arranged straddling the front undercover 16 and the center undercover 18 and that can be in a stored state of being linearly arranged when viewed from the vehicle side and in an expanded state of having a downwardly protruding shape when viewed from the vehicle side and having a deformable portion 28 arranged on the front side of a front wheel 20 and further downward than in the stored state. A front connection portion 24B connected to the front undercover 16 is connected so as to be rotatable with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction, and the rear connection portion 26B is connected so as to be rotatable with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction and so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction within a range that overlaps with the center undercover 18 when viewed from the vehicle bottom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle undercarriage. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle airflow straightening device. This airflow straightening device includes air spats that are deployed in front of the vehicle's front wheels by rotating in a deployment direction and stored in the vehicle body by rotating in a storage direction, and a drive device that deploys the air spats. With the technology described in Patent Document 1 below, deploying the air spats prevents wind from hitting the front wheels while the air spats are stored ensures minimum ground clearance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-095561 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above technology, the area around the front wheels is open when the air spats are deployed, which may result in the desired aerodynamic characteristics not being achieved. Therefore, there is room for improvement in improving the aerodynamic characteristics around the front wheels while maintaining the vehicle's minimum ground clearance.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle underbody structure that can improve the aerodynamic characteristics around the front wheels while ensuring the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle undercarriage structure of the present invention described in claim 1 comprises: a front undercover that forms the underside of a front part of the vehicle; a center undercover that is arranged at a distance from the front undercover to the vehicle rear side; and a movable undercover that is arranged across the front undercover and the center undercover, extends from one end to the other end in the vehicle width direction, has a deformed portion in a central portion in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and is capable of being in a stored state in which it is arranged linearly in a side view of the vehicle; and a deployed state in which it has a downwardly convex shape in a side view of the vehicle and the deformed portion is arranged forward of the front wheels and further downward than in the stored state, wherein in the movable undercover, one of a front connection portion connected to the front undercover and a rear connection portion connected to the center undercover is connected to be rotatable about an axial direction that is the vehicle width direction, and the other of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion is connected to be rotatable about an axial direction that is the vehicle width direction and slidable in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction within a range that overlaps with the front undercover or the center undercover in a bottom view of the vehicle.

[0007] According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the movable undercover is disposed between the front undercover constituting the underside of the front part of the vehicle and the center undercover disposed on the vehicle rear side of the front undercover, and extends from one end to the other end in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the movable undercover constitutes the underside of the vehicle between the front undercover and the center undercover.

[0008] The movable undercover is provided with a deformation section in the center of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction, and is capable of deforming to assume a stored state and an unfolded state. The movable undercover is stored (in the unfolded state) by being arranged in a straight line when viewed from the side of the vehicle. This ensures a high minimum ground clearance. On the other hand, when the deformation section is arranged lower on the vehicle than when it is in the unfolded state when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the movable undercover is unfolded (in the unfolded state) with a downwardly convex shape.

[0009] The movable undercover is connected to the front undercover at a front connection portion and to the center undercover at a rear connection portion. One of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion is connected to be rotatable about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, and the other of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion is connected to be rotatable about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction and slidable in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction. Thus, when the movable undercover is moved from the stored state, one of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion rotates about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, while the other of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion slides toward one while rotating about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, the deformation portion moves toward the bottom of the vehicle and is deployed in a downwardly convex shape (enters the deployed state).

[0010] When the vehicle is traveling, wind passing under the front undercover and moving toward the rear of the vehicle strikes a portion of the movable undercover that is further forward of the deformation portion and is guided toward the lower side of the vehicle. In the deployed state, the deformation portion is located forward of the front wheels. Therefore, when the movable undercover is deployed while the vehicle is traveling, the inflow of wind into the wheelhouses is suppressed, improving the aerodynamic characteristics around the front wheels.

[0011] Furthermore, the other of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion is connected to the front undercover or the center undercover so as to be slidable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle within a range that overlaps the front undercover or the center undercover in a bottom view of the vehicle. Therefore, for example, when the front connection portion is slidably connected to the front undercover, the front connection portion slides while the front undercover and the front connection portion of the movable undercover overlap in a bottom view of the vehicle. Also, when the rear connection portion is slidably connected to the center undercover, the rear connection portion slides while the center undercover and the rear connection portion of the movable undercover overlap in a bottom view of the vehicle. In other words, the movable undercover is deployed without creating a gap between the front undercover and the center undercover. This prevents a decrease in aerodynamic characteristics due to airflow flowing into the gap. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention has the excellent effect of improving the aerodynamic characteristics around the front wheels. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a front portion of a vehicle to which the vehicle undercarriage structure according to the present embodiment is applied, taken along the vehicle longitudinal direction, showing a stored state of a movable undercover. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the movable undercover shown in FIG. 1 in an expanded state. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A vehicle underbody structure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Note that the arrows FR and UP shown as appropriate in each figure indicate the front and upper sides, respectively, of a vehicle to which the vehicle underbody structure is applied. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are used in the following description, they refer to front-rear in the vehicle front-rear direction, up-down in the vehicle up-down direction, and left-right in the vehicle left-right direction (width direction), respectively.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a front portion 14 of a vehicle 12 to which a vehicle undercarriage structure according to this embodiment is applied, cut along the vehicle longitudinal direction and viewed from the left side of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 12 includes a front undercover 16 that forms the underside of the front portion 14, and a center undercover 18 that is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the front undercover 16 with a gap therebetween. A front end portion 18A of the center undercover 18 is disposed in a position that overlaps with approximately the center of a front wheel 20 in a side view of the vehicle.

[0016] A movable undercover 22 is disposed between the front undercover 16 and the center undercover 18. The movable undercover 22 is disposed across the front undercover 16 and the center undercover in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The movable undercover 22 is movable between a stored state shown in FIG. 1 and an unfolded state shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] The movable undercover 22 includes a front cover 24 connected to the front undercover 16 and extending from one end to the other in the vehicle width direction, and a rear cover 26 connected to the center undercover 18 and extending from one end to the other in the vehicle width direction. Both the front cover 24 and the rear cover 26 are formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape in a plan view.

[0018] The movable undercover 22 also has a deformation portion 28 in the center in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The deformation portion 28 is made of flexible resin and is formed in a strip shape extending in the vehicle width direction. The deformation portion 28 is fixed to the underside of the rear end portion 24A of the front cover 24 and the underside of the front end portion 26A of the rear cover 26, respectively, and connects the front cover 24 and the rear cover 26 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. This prevents a gap from occurring between the front cover 24 and the rear cover 26 when viewed from the bottom of the vehicle.

[0019] A front end portion 24B of the front cover 24 is rotatably connected to the rear end portion 16A of the front under-cover 16 with the vehicle width direction as the axial direction. Specifically, a pair of left and right bearings 30 are fixed to both ends in the vehicle width direction on the underside of the rear end portion 16A of the front under-cover 16 (the bearing on the left side of the vehicle is not shown).

[0020] A front support shaft 32 extending along the vehicle width direction is provided at the front end portion 24B of the front cover 24. The front support shaft 32 is spanned between a pair of left and right bearings 30, so that the front cover 24 rotates around the front support shaft 32 while being supported by the bearings 30. The front end portion 24B of the front cover 24 corresponds to the front connecting portion in the present invention.

[0021] Furthermore, the rear end 26B of the rear cover 26 is rotatably and slidably connected to the front end 18A of the center undercover 18 with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction. Specifically, a pair of left and right guide rails 34 are fixed to both ends in the vehicle width direction on the underside of the front end 18A of the center undercover 18 (the guide rail on the left side of the vehicle is not shown). The guide rail 34 extends in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction and has a groove 34A (see FIG. 2) on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0022] A rear support shaft 36 is provided at the rear end 26B of the rear cover 26, extending along the vehicle width direction. Both ends of the rear support shaft 36 are slidably and rotatably supported by a pair of left and right guide rails 34. The guide rails 34 are positioned so that their front ends are substantially flush with the front end of the center undercover 18. This allows the rear support shaft 36 to slide within the groove 34A within a range that overlaps with the center undercover 18 in a bottom view of the vehicle. The rear end 26B of the rear cover 26 corresponds to the rear connecting portion in this invention.

[0023] 1, the rear support shaft 36 is located at the rear end of the groove 34A (see FIG. 2) of the guide rail 34. In this state, the front cover 24 and the rear cover 26 are substantially horizontal, and the movable under-cover 22 is arranged in a straight line when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0024] 2, the rear support shaft 36 is located at the front end of the groove 34A of the guide rail 34. At this time, the deformation portion 28 is located on the vehicle front side of the front wheel 20. Furthermore, in the unfolded state, the deformation portion 28 is located further downward than in the stowed state. As a result, in the unfolded state, the movable under-cover 22 has a downwardly convex shape in a side view of the vehicle.

[0025] In this embodiment, as an example, the movable under-cover 22 is moved from the stored state to the deployed state by a control device (not shown) when the speed of the vehicle 12 exceeds 70 km / h. Also, when the vehicle 12 stops, the movable under-cover 22 is returned from the deployed state to the stored state by the same control device. Note that the conditions under which the movable under-cover 22 is controlled are not limited to those described above. For example, the movable under-cover 22 may be deployed when the vehicle 12 is traveling on a highway and stored in other cases.

[0026] 1 and 2, in both the stored state and the deployed state, the gap between the front under-cover 16 and the center under-cover 18 is covered by the movable under-cover 22. In other words, the underside of the vehicle 12 is always covered regardless of the state of the movable under-cover 22.

[0027] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0028] According to the vehicle undercarriage structure of this embodiment, the movable undercover 22 constitutes the underside of the vehicle 12 between the front undercover 16 and the center undercover 18 .

[0029] 1, the movable under-cover 22 is stored (in a stored state) by being arranged in a straight line when viewed from the side of the vehicle, thereby ensuring a minimum ground clearance.

[0030] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the speed of the vehicle 12 exceeds 70 km / h, the movable under-cover 22 is deployed. At this time, the front end 24B of the front cover 24 rotates with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction. At this time, the rear end 26B of the rear cover 26 slides toward the front side of the vehicle while rotating with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction. As a result, the rear end 24A of the front cover 24, the front end 26A of the rear cover 26, and the deformed portion 28 move toward the lower side of the vehicle. In this way, the movable under-cover 22 is deployed in a downwardly convex shape (enters the deployed state).

[0031] The front cover 24 of the unfolded movable undercover 22 slopes downward toward the rear of the vehicle. As a result, when the vehicle 12 is traveling, wind passing under the front undercover 16 and moving toward the rear of the vehicle strikes the front cover 24 of the unfolded movable undercover 22 and is guided toward the lower side of the vehicle. In the unfolded state, the deformation portion 28 is disposed on the vehicle front side of the front wheel 20. Therefore, by having the movable undercover 22 in the unfolded state while the vehicle 12 is traveling, the inflow of wind into the wheel house (not shown) is suppressed, improving the aerodynamic characteristics around the front wheel 20.

[0032] Furthermore, the guide rail 34 is positioned so that its front end is at approximately the same position as the front end of the center undercover 18, and the rear support shaft 36 slides within a range that overlaps with the center undercover 18 when viewed from the bottom of the vehicle. As a result, the gap between the front undercover 16 and the center undercover 18 is covered by the movable undercover 22 in both the stored state and the deployed state. In other words, the underside of the vehicle 12 is always covered regardless of the state of the movable undercover 22. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in aerodynamic characteristics due to wind flowing into the gap.

[0033] [Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment] In the above embodiment, the rear end portion 26B of the rear cover 26 is described as being slidably connected to the center undercover 18, but this is not limited thereto, and the front connection portion may be slidably connected to the front undercover.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the movable undercover 22 is described as having the front cover 24 and the rear cover 26, which are connected by the flexible deformation portion 28, but this is not limiting. For example, the movable undercover may have three plate-like members arranged in the front-rear direction, and these plate-like members may be connected by a link mechanism so that the movable undercover has a convex shape on the bottom when in the deployed state. Also, the movable undercover may be made of a single flexible member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 12 vehicles 14 Front 16 Front under cover 18 Center under cover 20 front wheels 22 Movable undercover 24B Front end of front cover (front connection part) 26B Rear end of rear cover (rear connection part) 28 Deformation section

Claims

[Claim 1] a front undercover that forms the underside of the front part of the vehicle; a center undercover disposed on the vehicle rear side of the front undercover with a gap therebetween; a movable undercover that is disposed across the front undercover and the center undercover, extends from one end to the other in the vehicle width direction, has a deformation portion in the center in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and is capable of being in a stored state in which it is disposed linearly in a side view of the vehicle, and in an unfolded state in which it has a downwardly convex shape in a side view of the vehicle and the deformation portion is disposed forward of the front wheels and further downward than in the stored state; and In the movable undercover, one of the front connection portion connected to the front undercover and the rear connection portion connected to the center undercover is connected to be rotatable about an axial direction that is the vehicle width direction, and the other of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion is connected to be rotatable about an axial direction that is the vehicle width direction and slidable in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle within a range that overlaps with the front undercover or the center undercover in a bottom view of the vehicle. Vehicle undercarriage.

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