Vehicle undercover and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle undercover which enables improvement of a yield of a material of an original fabric press-molded, and to provide a manufacturing method of the vehicle undercover.SOLUTION: A vehicle undercover 1 covers a lower surface of a vehicle body and has a body 2 formed by a press-molded body having a surface shape. The vehicle undercover 1 has: a service hole 3 which is an opening penetrating through an area of a part of the body 2 in thickness direction and allows a worker to access to vehicle accessories; and a lid part 4 forming a divided portion of an inner area when a peripheral edge of the service hole 3 is set to a border and configured to cover at least a part of the service hole 3. The vehicle undercover 1 has: a lap part 5 where the lid part 4 is moved relative to the service hole 3 in a surface direction to cause a part of the inner periphery side of the service hole 3 and a part of the outer periphery side of the lid part 4 to overlap with each other; and a fixing part 6 which is fixed in a state that the lid part 4 overlaps with the body 2 in the lap part 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle under cover and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an engine under cover for a vehicle, a service hole is provided for oil change, inspection of equipment, etc. In the vehicle use state, the service hole is closed by a lid. The engine under cover is manufactured by various methods such as press molding and injection molding. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an engine under cover manufactured by injection molding. This engine under cover is formed integrally with a main body of the engine under cover provided with an inspection port and a lid portion for closing the inspection port.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, due to the strengthening of vehicle exterior noise regulations, the main body of the engine under cover and the lid covering the service hole are often made of a fiber material having sound absorption performance. An engine under cover using a fiber material is manufactured by press molding a material called a single ply. The lid for closing the service hole of the main body is formed with a larger area than the service hole in order to fix the outer peripheral portion thereof so as to overlap the main body. In this case, the lid is formed in a region different from the main body on the plane of the ply. Therefore, the size of the ply required for forming the engine under cover becomes large, and the material yield tends to deteriorate.

[0005] This invention was conceived in view of the above points, and aims to provide a vehicle under cover and a method for manufacturing the same that can improve the yield of raw material to be press-formed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One feature of a vehicle undercover that solves the above problems is a configuration that covers the underside of the vehicle body, comprising: a main body made of a press-formed surface; a service hole which is an opening that penetrates a part of the main body in the thickness direction, allowing access to vehicle equipment; a lid which is a separation portion of the inner region bounded by the periphery of the service hole and covers at least a part of the service hole; an overlapping portion in which a part of the inner circumference of the service hole and a part of the outer circumference of the lid overlap when the lid is moved relative to the service hole in the surface direction; and a fixing portion in which the lid is fixed in the overlapping position relative to the main body.

[0007] One of the features and advantages of the above configuration is that the main body of the press-formed vehicle undercover has a service hole, which is an opening that penetrates in the thickness direction. The molded body, which is the separated portion of the area inside this service hole, is used as a cover portion that covers at least a part of the service hole. The cover portion is positioned so that a part of its outer circumference overlaps with the inner circumference of the service hole in the main body, and is fixed to the main body at the overlapping portion. The overlapping portion prevents a gap from forming between the inner circumference of the service hole and the cover portion. In addition, the remaining opening of the service hole that is not covered by the cover portion has a small area, and the opening can be closed with a component that uses a limited area of ​​the raw material. Therefore, it is not necessary to mold a cover portion that has a larger area than the service hole outside the area of ​​the main body on the plane of the raw material. Thus, it is possible to improve the material yield while ensuring the function of the cover portion that covers the service hole in the main body.

[0008] Regarding the above-mentioned undercover for the vehicle, the service hole and the cover portion have a substantially rectangular shape with opposing long and short sides, and the cover portion may be configured such that at least a part of the service hole is covered at a position where it is moved along the plane of the main body portion in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole.

[0009] One of the features and advantages of the above configuration is that the service hole and the lid have a roughly rectangular shape with opposing long and short sides. That is, the service hole and the lid are narrower in width towards the short side. The lid is positioned in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole, and an overlapping portion is formed on the short side of the service hole and the lid, and the two adjacent sides. In other words, by shifting the lid, which is separated from the main body, in the planar direction from the position of the service hole, an overlapping portion can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole and the lid.

[0010] Regarding the above-mentioned undercover for the vehicle, the main body portion has a first stepped portion on the inner circumference side of the service hole in the wrap portion, which is set at a height difference relative to the surface of the main body portion, and the lid portion has a second stepped portion on the outer circumference side of the lid portion in the wrap portion, which is set at a height difference relative to the surface of the lid portion, and when the lid portion covers at least a part of the service hole, the height position of the surface of the lid portion and the height position of the surface of the main body portion may be aligned.

[0011] One of the features and advantages of the above configuration is that the main body has a first stepped portion on the inner circumference side of the service hole, and the lid has a second stepped portion on its outer circumference side. In the overlapping portion, the first and second stepped portions overlap in the thickness direction. By providing a difference in height in the overlapping portions of the main body and the lid, the service hole can be covered with the surface of the main body and the surface of the lid at the same height. In other words, the surface irregularities of the vehicle under cover can be reduced or minimized.

[0012] Regarding the above-mentioned under cover for the vehicle, the lid portion may have a configuration in which a convex insertion portion is provided on one side of the outer circumference of the lid portion and engages with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole.

[0013] One of the features and advantages of the above configuration is that the insertion portion provided on the outer circumference of the lid engages with the inner circumference of the service hole. This allows the lid to be temporarily assembled to the main body. Therefore, when fixing the lid to the main body at the fixing part, the position of the lid is stabilized, improving work efficiency.

[0014] One feature of a method for manufacturing a vehicle undercover is a method for manufacturing a vehicle undercover having a service hole that covers the underside of a vehicle body and allows access to vehicle equipment, and a lid that covers at least a portion of the service hole, comprising: a main body of the vehicle undercover made of a press-molded surface; a press molding step of forming the lid in an inner region bounded by the periphery of the service hole, which is provided in a portion of the main body; a separation step of separating the lid from the main body and opening the inner region bounded by the periphery of the service hole by penetrating the main body in the thickness direction; a lid placement step of moving the lid relative to the service hole in the surface direction so that a portion of the inner circumference of the service hole and a portion of the outer circumference of the lid overlap; and a lid fixing step of fixing the lid to the main body in the overlap.

[0015] One of the features and advantages of the above process is that the main body of the vehicle undercover is formed by press molding. The main body is provided with a service hole, which is an opening that penetrates in the thickness direction. The area inside this service hole is molded as a cover portion that covers at least a part of the service hole and is separated from the main body. The cover portion is fixed to the main body with a portion of its outer circumference overlapping the inner circumference of the service hole in the main body. An overlap portion is formed on the inner circumference of the service hole where the cover portion and the main body overlap. This prevents a gap from forming between the inner circumference of the service hole and the cover portion. In addition, the remaining opening of the service hole that is not covered by the cover portion has a small area, and a member to close the opening can be molded even in an area with a limited area of ​​raw material. Therefore, it is not necessary to mold a cover portion that has a larger area than the service hole outside the area of ​​the main body on the plane of the raw material. Thus, it is possible to improve the material yield while ensuring the function of the cover portion that covers the service hole in the main body.

[0016] Regarding the manufacturing method of the vehicle under cover described above, the service hole and the cover portion may be formed into a substantially rectangular shape having opposing long and short sides, and the cover portion may be positioned to cover at least a part of the service hole at a position moved along the plane of the main body portion in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole.

[0017] One of the features and advantages of the above process is that the service hole and the lid are formed into a roughly rectangular shape with opposing long and short sides. That is, the service hole and the lid are formed in a shape that narrows towards the short side. The lid is positioned in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole, and an overlap is formed on the short side of the service hole and the lid, and the two adjacent sides. In other words, by shifting the lid, which is separated from the main body, in the planar direction from the position of the service hole, an overlap can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole and the lid.

[0018] Regarding the manufacturing method of the above-described underbody cover for vehicles, the main body portion may have a first stepped portion formed on the inner circumference side of the service hole in the wrap portion relative to the surface of the main body portion, and the lid portion may have a second stepped portion formed on the outer circumference side of the lid portion in the wrap portion relative to the surface of the lid portion, and may be arranged so that when at least a part of the service hole is covered, the height position of the surface of the lid portion and the height position of the surface of the main body portion are aligned.

[0019] One of the features and advantages of the above process is that the main body has a first stepped portion formed on the inner circumference side of the service hole, and the lid has a second stepped portion formed on its outer circumference side. As a result, when the lid is positioned to cover at least a portion of the service hole, the first and second stepped portions overlap in the thickness direction, forming an overlapping portion. By creating a difference in height in the overlapping portions of the main body and the lid in this way, the service hole can be covered with the surface of the main body and the surface of the lid at the same height. In other words, the surface irregularities of the vehicle under cover can be reduced or minimized.

[0020] Regarding the manufacturing method for the vehicle under cover described above, the lid portion may have a convex insertion portion formed on one side of its periphery, and in the lid portion placement step, the lid portion may be temporarily assembled to the main body portion by engaging the insertion portion with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole.

[0021] One of the features and advantages of the above process is that an insertion part is provided on the outer circumference of the lid. The insertion part can engage with the inner circumference of the service hole. This allows the lid to be temporarily assembled to the main body. Therefore, when fixing the lid to the main body at the fixing part, the position of the lid is stabilized, improving work efficiency. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The present invention provides a vehicle under cover and a method for manufacturing the same, which can improve the yield of the raw material to be press-formed by the configuration or process of each of the above inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a schematic plan view of an under cover for a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a view showing a service hole and a lid portion during press forming of a main body portion of an under cover for a vehicle. [Figure 3] It is a view showing a state where the lid portion is relatively moved with respect to the service hole. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow IV direction on the hypotenuse of the service hole and the lid portion in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow V direction on the hypotenuse of the service hole and the lid portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow VI direction at the fixing portion in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow VII direction at the fixing portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] It is a view showing a cross section during press forming of a fixing portion according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a view showing a cross section of a fixing portion according to another embodiment in a state where the lid portion is relatively moved. [[ID=3l]] [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow X direction at the insertion portion in FIG. 2. [Figure 11] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow XI direction at the insertion portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow XII direction on the long side of the service hole and the lid portion in FIG. 2. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow XIII direction on the long side of the service hole and the lid portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 14] It is a view showing a state where an opening in FIG. 13 is blocked by an auxiliary member. [Figure 15] It is a schematic plan view of a service hole and a lid portion according to another embodiment. [[ID=SO]]

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] <Configuration of Under Cover for Vehicle> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As an example of the vehicle under cover of this embodiment, an engine under cover 1 will be described. The engine under cover 1 is mounted on the underside of the engine so as to cover the underside of the vehicle body and protect the engine. As shown in Figure 1, the engine under cover 1 comprises a main body portion 2, a service hole 3 provided in the main body portion 2 that allows access to vehicle equipment, and a cover portion 4 that covers at least a part of the service hole 3.

[0025] The main body 2 of the engine under cover 1 is composed of a three-dimensional surface-shaped fibrous molded body, which is press-molded from a raw material made of a fibrous base material. Examples of fibrous base materials include those containing a thermoplastic synthetic resin and a fibrous reinforcing material. The thermoplastic synthetic resin can be selected from olefins such as polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamides. The fibrous reinforcing material can be glass fiber, basalt fiber, carbon fiber, or natural fibers such as kenaf and bamboo, as appropriate.

[0026] Fiber substrates can be manufactured by known manufacturing methods, such as the dry method using needle punching or the wet papermaking method. Examples of fiber substrates include fiber substrates (LWRT = Low Weight Reinforced Thermoplastics) that use polypropylene fibers, a thermoplastic synthetic resin, as the binder fiber and glass fibers as the fiber reinforcement. Examples of fiber substrates that do not include fiber reinforcement include needle-punched nonwoven fabric substrates (molded nonwoven fabrics) that use polyethylene terephthalate fibers and binder fibers such as low-melting-point polyester fibers. Furthermore, these fiber substrates can be made into multilayered bodies by laminating them with nonwoven fabrics or films separately for purposes such as resistance to flying stones and smoothness.

[0027] The engine under cover 1 is equipped with a service hole 3 and a cover portion 4. The service hole 3 is an opening through which a portion of the main body portion 2 penetrates in the thickness direction, allowing access to vehicle equipment. The service hole 3 is a closed area surrounded by the main body portion 2. The cover portion 4 is a separate portion of the inner area of ​​the main body portion 2, bounded by the periphery of the service hole 3, and is a molded body made of the same fiber material as the main body portion 2.

[0028] The service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 have a roughly rectangular shape with opposing long sides 3a, 4a and short sides 3b, 4b. This shape may also be a roughly trapezoidal shape with long sides 3a, 4a and short sides 3b, 4b and adjacent hypotenuses 3c, 4c, as shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 3, the cover portion 4 is positioned so as to cover at least a part of the service hole 3. If the direction along the long sides 3a, 4a of the service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 is defined as the x-direction, and the direction intersecting the x-direction is defined as the y-direction, then the cover portion 4, separated from the main body portion 2, is positioned in the direction from the long side 3a to the short side 3b of the service hole 3, i.e., in the y-direction, along the plane of the main body portion 2. Since the width of the service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 narrows towards the short sides 3b, 4b, the overlap portion 5 is formed on the short sides 3b, 4b of the service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 and their adjacent hypotenuses 3c, 4c. The overlapping portion 5 is the area where a part of the inner circumference of the service hole 3 and a part of the outer circumference of the cover portion 4 overlap when the cover portion 4 is moved relative to the service hole 3 in the planar direction.

[0029] The inclination angle θ of the hypotenuses 3c and 4c of the service hole 3 and lid 4 is set arbitrarily. If the inclination angle θ is small, it is necessary to increase the amount of sliding s in the y direction in order to secure the width (lap amount w) of the overlap portion 5. On the other hand, if the inclination angle θ is large, it is easy to secure the lap amount w, but if the inclination angle θ is too large, the shape of the service hole 3 will be restricted. Therefore, the inclination angle θ of the hypotenuses 3c and 4c is set considering the balance between the lap amount w and the amount of sliding s. Then, by positioning the lid 4, which has been separated from the main body 2, in a position slid in the surface direction from its position during press molding, the overlap portion 5 can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole 3 and lid 4.

[0030] Note that the inclination angles θ of the two hypotenuses 3c and 4c may be the same, or they may be different angles. Also, of the two adjacent sides to the long sides 3a, 4a and the short sides 3b, 4b, only one side may be inclined, while the other side may not be inclined. In this case, the overlapping section 5 can be formed by moving the lid section 4 relative to the x-direction as well as the y-direction.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the main body 2 has a main body step portion 23 (first step portion) on the inner circumference side of the service hole 3 in the wrap portion 5. The main body step portion 23 is provided with a height difference relative to the height position of the surface 21 of the main body 2. The lid portion 4 has a lid step portion 24 (second step portion) on the outer circumference side of the lid portion 4 in the wrap portion 5. The lid step portion 24 is provided with a height difference relative to the height position of the surface 22 of the lid portion 4. For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 are provided such that the wrap portion 5 is recessed toward the vehicle body side A from the surfaces 21 and 22 of the main body 2 and the lid portion 4.

[0032] Here, if we define the height difference between the surface 21 of the main body 2 and the stepped portion 23 of the main body 2 as the step amount h1 of the main body 2, and the height difference between the surface 22 of the lid 4 and the stepped portion 24 of the lid 4 as the step amount h2 of the lid 4, then the step amount h1 of the main body 2 and the step amount h2 of the lid 4 are set to differ by the thickness of the lid 4. In the service hole 3 and the hypotenuses 3c and 4c of the lid 4 during press molding shown in Figure 4, the stepped portion 23 of the main body and the stepped portion 24 of the lid are at the same height, while the surface 21 of the main body 2 and the surface 22 of the lid 4 are at heights that differ by the thickness of the lid 4.

[0033] At the position after relative movement from the press-formed position (see Figures 2 and 4) (see Figures 3 and 5), the lid portion 4 covers at least a part of the service hole 3, and the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 overlap in the thickness direction to form the overlap portion 5. The surface 22 of the lid portion 4 and the surface 21 of the main body portion 2 are at the same height. The surfaces 21 and 22 of the main body portion 2 and the lid portion 4 do not necessarily have to be at the same position, but it is more preferable if they are aligned. In the overlap portion 5 at the hypotenuses 3c and 4c of the service hole 3 and the lid portion 4, the main body step portion 23 is located on the vehicle body side A, and the lid step portion 24 is located on the road surface side B.

[0034] As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the overlapping section 5 has fixing sections 6 to which the lid section 4 is fixed in an overlapping state with the main body section 2. The fixing sections 6 of the lid section 4 are provided at the four corners of the lid section 4. At the fixing sections 6, the main body step section 23 is located on the vehicle side A, and the lid step section 24 is located on the road surface side B. The main body step section 23 is set to the same step amount h1 at the overlapping section 5 and fixing section 6 at the hypotenuse 3c of the service hole 3. The lid step section 24 is also set to the same step amount h2 at the overlapping section 5 and fixing section 6 at the hypotenuse 4c of the lid section 4.

[0035] The fixing portion 6 is provided with mounting holes 25 and 26 that penetrate the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 in the thickness direction, and is fixed by fastening members 31. For example, bolts and nuts can be selected as fastening members 31. The mounting holes 25 of the main body portion 2 are provided corresponding to the position when the fixing portion 6 of the lid portion 4 slides in the y direction. In addition, the amount of slide s of the lid portion 4 is appropriately set according to the shape of the mounting holes 25 and 26 in the fixing portion 6 and the fastening members 31, and the overlap amount w is ensured. As shown in Figure 6, when press-formed, the fixing portion 6 is at the same height position as the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24. By setting the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 at the same height position during press-forming in this way, it is possible to prevent the material from being unnecessarily stretched at the boundary between the main body portion 2 and the lid portion 3 during press-forming, which would result in the generation of low-density areas. Alternatively, the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 may be arranged so that they are in contact with each other, eliminating the need for a waste area and allowing for a single trim line t. This allows the main body portion 2 and the lid portion 4 to be separated in a single trim. Furthermore, by eliminating the waste area, the area of ​​the lid portion 3 can be maximized, and the amount of wrap w can also be maximized.

[0036] As shown in Figure 9, the fixing portion 41 may also be configured to be fastened using a bolt 42 and a clip 43. The clip 43 is attached to the main body step portion 45, with one piece of the clip 43 positioned between the main body step portion 45 and the lid step portion 46. In this case, by setting the step amount h3 of the main body portion 2 at the fixing portion 41 to be greater than the step amount h1 of the main body portion 2 at the hypotenuse 3c of the service hole 3, the height positions of the surface 21 of the main body portion 2 and the surface 22 of the lid portion 4 are aligned. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, a waste area 47 is provided between the main body step portion 45 and the lid step portion 46 of the fixing portion 41 during press molding. That is, the main body step portion 45 and the lid step portion 46 of the fixing portion 41 are molded at different height positions with the waste area 47 in between.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the cover portion 4 has an insertion portion 7 on one side of its outer circumference that engages with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole 3. The insertion portion 7 is located in the center of the short side 4b of the cover portion 4 and has a convex shape in plan view. An engagement portion 8 corresponding to the shape of the insertion portion 7 is provided in the center of the short side 3b of the service hole 3. As shown in Figure 11, in the overlapping portion 5 where the insertion portion 7 and the engagement portion 8 overlap, the main body step portion 27 is located on the road surface side B, and the cover step portion 28 is located on the vehicle body side A. With this configuration, when covering the service hole 3 with the cover portion 4, the cover portion 4 can be temporarily assembled and then fixed to the main body portion 2.

[0038] In the insertion portion 7, since the lid step portion 28 is located on the vehicle body side A than the main body step portion 27, the step amount h4 of the lid portion 4 in the insertion portion 7 is set to be larger than the step amount h2 of the hypotenuse 4c of the lid portion 4. Also, as shown in Figure 10, in the insertion portion 7 and the engaging portion 8 during press forming, a discard area 34 is provided between the main body step portion 27 and the lid step portion 28. That is, the main body step portion 27 of the engaging portion 8 and the lid step portion 28 of the insertion portion 7 are formed at different height positions with the discard area 34 in between. The short side 4b of the lid portion 4 is separated from the main body portion 2 after press forming, and the discard area 34 around the insertion portion 7 is trimmed. In the insertion portion 7 and the engaging portion 8, instead of making the step amount h4 of the lid step portion 28 larger, the step amount h1 of the main body step portion 27 may be made smaller so that the insertion portion 7 engages with the engaging portion 8.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3 and 13, an opening 35 is created between the long side 3a of the service hole 3 and the long side 4a of the lid 4 by the amount of slide s. The opening 35 is closed by an auxiliary member 36 that is molded separately from the lid 4 (see Figure 14). The opening 35 is narrow compared to the total area of ​​the service hole 3 and has an elongated shape in the x direction. Therefore, the auxiliary member 36 can be molded using a relatively narrow area of ​​the same raw material in which the main body 2 is molded, such as the edge of the raw material, or an area outside the main body 2. In this way, the lid 4 and the auxiliary member 36 for covering the service hole 3 may be molded in the inner area and a limited area on the outside of the main body 2, respectively.

[0040] The main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24, which face each other across the opening 35, are formed at the same height during press molding. However, when the lid portion 4 slides to a certain position, the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 are at different heights by the thickness of the lid portion 4. Therefore, the auxiliary member 36 shown in Figure 14 has a step in the thickness direction to match the positional difference between the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24. The auxiliary member 36 is attached to either the main body portion 2 or the lid portion 4 by rivets, welding, or adhesive. If the auxiliary member 36 and the lid portion 4 are integrated, the service hole 3 can be opened wider when the lid portion 4 is removed, which is preferable from the viewpoint of accessing vehicle equipment. Also, if the area of ​​the remaining area not covered by the lid portion 4 is small, the opening 35 may be used as a ventilation opening without being blocked by the auxiliary member 36, etc.

[0041] The service hole and the cover may be configured to have a roughly rectangular shape with adjacent long and short sides. For example, as shown in Figure 15, the service hole 53 and the cover 54 are formed in a roughly rectangular shape. The cover 54 is configured to cover at least a portion of the service hole 53 in an orientation rotated along the plane of the main body 52. ​​The cover 54 is positioned rotated by approximately 90° from its press-formed position such that one long side 54a of the cover 54 overlaps with the short side 53b of the service hole 53, and a portion of the short side 54b of the cover 54 overlaps with a portion of the long side 53a of the service hole 53. As a result, overlapping portions 55 are formed on three sides of the cover 54 and on the three sides of the service hole 53 that overlap with them.

[0042] The outer circumference of the lid portion 54 has an insertion portion 57 that engages with the inner circumference of the service hole 53. The insertion portion 57 is located in the center of one of the longer sides 54a of the lid portion 54. The shorter side 53b of the service hole 53, which overlaps with the longer side 54a of the lid portion 54, is provided with an engagement portion 58 according to the shape of the insertion portion 57. The remaining opening 61 of the service hole 53 is closed by an auxiliary member 62. The auxiliary member 62 is attached to the main body portion 52 or the lid portion 54. For example, if the auxiliary member 62 is attached to the lid portion 54, fixing portions 56 may be provided at the four corners of the integrated lid portion 54 and auxiliary member 62, and the lid portion 54 may be fixed to the main body portion 52.

[0043] <Manufacturing process for vehicle undercovers> Next, a method for manufacturing the engine under cover 1 (vehicle under cover) according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, the engine under cover 1, which covers the underside of the vehicle body, has a service hole 3 that allows access to vehicle equipment and a cover portion 4 that covers at least a part of the service hole 3. The manufacturing process for the engine under cover 1 includes a press molding process, a separation process, a cover portion placement process, and a cover portion fixing process.

[0044] In the press forming process, the main body 2 of the engine under cover 1 is formed, referring to Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, a raw material made of a fibrous base material is heated and softened, then pressed while being cooled and sandwiched from both sides by a press die, thereby forming a fibrous molded body with a three-dimensional surface shape that conforms to the underside of the vehicle body. A service hole 3 is set in a part of the main body 2 made of this fibrous molded body, and the lid 4 is formed in the area inside the boundary of the periphery of the service hole 3. In the separation process, the lid 4 is separated from the press-formed main body 2. That is, the separated portion of the main body 2 penetrates in the thickness direction, and the area of ​​the service hole 3 opens up.

[0045] The service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 are formed in a roughly rectangular shape. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, they are formed in a roughly trapezoidal shape having opposing long sides 3a, 4a and short sides 3b, 4b, and adjacent hypotenuses 3c, 4c. The inclination angle θ of the hypotenuses 3c, 4c of the service hole 3 and the cover portion 4 is set arbitrarily, taking into consideration the balance between the slide amount s and overlap amount w of the cover portion 4. A body step portion 23 is formed on the inner circumference side of the service hole 3 in the main body portion 2. As shown in Figure 4, for example, the body step portion 23 on the hypotenuse 3c of the service hole 3 has a height difference with respect to the height position of the surface 21 of the main body portion 2, and is located on the vehicle body side A from the surface 21 of the main body portion 2. In addition, a cover step portion 24 is formed on the outer circumference side of the cover portion 4. The lid step portion 24 on the hypotenuse 4c of the lid portion 4 has a height difference relative to the height position of the surface 22 of the lid portion 4, and is located on the vehicle side A from the surface 21 of the main body portion 2.

[0046] The height difference between the surface 21 of the main body 2 and the stepped portion 23 of the main body 2 (step amount h1 of the main body 2), and the height difference between the surface 22 of the lid 4 and the stepped portion 24 of the lid 4 (step amount h2 of the lid 4) are set to differ by the thickness of the lid 4. As shown in Figure 4, at the service hole 3 and the hypotenuses 3c and 4c of the lid 4, the stepped portion 23 of the main body and the stepped portion 24 of the lid are at the same height position during press molding, while the surface 21 of the main body 2 and the surface 22 of the lid 4 are at height positions that differ by the thickness of the lid 4.

[0047] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, fixing parts 6 are provided at the four corners of the lid 4 for fixing it to the main body 2 at the overlapping part 5. The width of the overlapping part 5 is set to be wider than the hypotenuse 4c of the lid 4. As shown in Figure 6, during press forming, the main body step portion 23 and the lid step portion 24 of the fixing part 6 are formed adjacent to each other. The main body step portion 23 is set to the same step amount h1 at the overlapping part 5 and the fixing part 6 at the hypotenuse 3c of the service hole 3. The lid step portion 24 is set to the same step amount h2 at the overlapping part 5 and the fixing part 6 at the hypotenuse 4c of the lid 4. The lid step portion 24 of the fixing part 6 is provided with a mounting hole 26 that penetrates in the thickness direction to fix the lid 4 to the main body 2. In addition, the main body 2 is provided with a mounting hole 25 that penetrates the main body step portion 23 in the thickness direction, corresponding to the position where the fixing part 6 of the lid 4 moves in the y direction.

[0048] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the short side 4b on the outer circumference of the lid 4 is provided with an insertion portion 7 that engages with the short side 3b on the inner circumference of the service hole 3. The insertion portion 7 is formed as a convex shape extending in the y direction from the outer edge of the lid 4 at the center of the short side 4b. An engagement portion 8 corresponding to the shape of the insertion portion 7 is provided at the center of the short side 3b of the service hole 3. In the short sides 3b and 4b of the service hole 3 and the lid 4, a discarded area 34 is set between the main body step portion 27 and the lid step portion 28 to match the shape.

[0049] Furthermore, since the insertion portion 7 enters the vehicle body side A from the main body portion 2, the step amount h4 of the lid portion 4 becomes larger than the step amount h2 of the lid portion 4 at the hypotenuse 4c and the fixing portion 6 (see Figure 11). For this reason, the discard area 34 is press-formed in a stepped shape at the periphery of the insertion portion 7 so that the lid step portion 28 is located closer to the vehicle body side A than the main body step portion 27 (see Figure 10). Thus, when the height positions of the main body step portion 27 and the lid step portion 28 are different during press forming, the discard area 34 is set.

[0050] A trim line t is set at the boundary between the outer circumference of the lid portion 4 and the inner circumference of the service hole 3. After molding the main body portion 2, the lid portion 4 is separated and the service hole 3 is opened by cutting along the trim line t. In areas where a waste area is provided, two trim lines t are provided on either side of the waste area. In areas where molding is possible without providing a waste area, only one trim line t may be provided. For example, in the hypotenuses 3c and 4c of the service hole 3 and lid portion 4 shown in Figure 4, only one trim line t can be provided. By omitting the waste area in this way, the area of ​​the lid portion 3 can be increased, and the overlap amount w can also be increased.

[0051] In the lid placement process, the lid 4, separated from the main body 2, is moved relative to the service hole 3 in the planar direction. Referring to Figure 3, the lid 4 is positioned by sliding along the plane of the main body 2 in the direction from the long side 3a to the short side 3b of the service hole 3, i.e., in the y-direction. Then, a portion of the service hole 3 is covered by the lid 4, and an overlap portion 5 is formed where a portion of the inner circumference of the service hole 3 and a portion of the outer circumference of the lid 4 overlap. The height position of the surface 22 of the lid 4 and the height position of the surface 21 of the main body 2 are aligned. The amount of slide s of the lid 4 is set appropriately according to the need to ensure the overlap amount w and the shape of the mounting holes 25, 26 and fastening members in the fixing portion 6.

[0052] The overlapping section 5 is constructed by overlapping the main body step section 23 and the lid step section 24 in the thickness direction. At the service hole 3 and the hypotenuses 3c, 4c of the lid section 4 and the fixing section 6, the main body step section 23 is located on the vehicle body side A, and the lid step section 24 is located on the road surface side B (see Figures 5 and 7). The insertion section 7 engages with the engagement section 8 of the service hole 3. The main body step section 27 of the insertion section 7 is located on the road surface side B, and the lid step section 28 of the engagement section 8 is located on the vehicle body side A (see Figure 11). When the insertion section 7 enters the vehicle body side A from the main body section 2, the lid section 4 is temporarily assembled to the main body section 2.

[0053] In the lid fixing process, as shown in Figure 7, the main body 2 and the lid 4 are fixed together with bolts and nuts as fastening members 31 at the fixing part 6, which is provided with mounting holes 25 and 26. The fastening members are not limited to bolts and nuts and can be selected as appropriate. For example, as shown in Figure 9, bolts 42 and clips 43 may be used as fastening members.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3 and 13, an opening 35 remains between the long side 3a of the service hole 3 and the long side 4a of the cover portion 4, equal to the amount of slide s of the cover portion 4. The opening 35 is narrower than the total area of ​​the service hole 3 and has an elongated shape in the x direction. As shown in Figure 14, the entire service hole 3 can be covered by closing the opening 35 with an auxiliary member 36. The auxiliary member 36 may be press-molded using the area outside the main body portion 2 in the same raw material used to mold the main body portion 2. The auxiliary member 36 is attached to either the main body portion 2 or the cover portion 4, which are separated in the separation process, by rivets, welding, or adhesive. If the auxiliary member 36 and the cover portion 4 are integrated, the service hole 3 can be opened wider when the cover portion 4 is removed.

[0055] As shown in Figure 15, the service hole 53 and the lid 54 may be in a roughly rectangular shape having adjacent long sides 53a, 54a and short sides 53b, 54b. The roughly rectangular lid 54 is positioned to cover at least a portion of the service hole 53 in an orientation rotated along the plane of the main body 52. ​​For example, the service hole 53 and the lid 54 are formed in a roughly rectangular shape. The lid 54 is positioned in an orientation rotated by approximately 90° from its press-formed position such that one long side 54a of the lid 54 overlaps with the short side 53b of the service hole 53, and a portion of the short side 54b of the lid 54 overlaps with a portion of the long side 53a of the service hole 53. This forms overlapping portions 55 on three sides of the lid 54 and on the three sides of the service hole 53 that overlap with them.

[0056] An insertion portion 57 is molded on the outer circumference of the lid portion 54 to engage with the inner circumference of the service hole 53. The insertion portion 57 is located in the center of one of the longer sides 54a of the lid portion 54. An engagement portion 58 is provided on the shorter side 53b of the service hole 53 that overlaps with the longer side 54a of the lid portion 54, according to the shape of the insertion portion 57. The remaining opening 61 of the service hole 53 is closed with an auxiliary member 62. The auxiliary member 62 may be molded from the same raw material as the main body portion 52. Since the opening 61 is small compared to the entire service hole 53, it can be molded even in a relatively narrow area of ​​the raw material. The auxiliary member 62 is attached to the main body portion 52 or the lid portion 54. For example, the auxiliary member 62 may be attached to the lid portion 54 as a single unit, and fixing portions 56 may be provided at its four corners.

[0057] The engine under cover 1 (vehicle under cover) according to the above embodiment has a press-formed main body 2 and a service hole 3 which is an opening that penetrates the main body 2 in the thickness direction. The molded body, which is a separate portion of the area inside the service hole 3, is used as a cover 4 that covers at least a part of the service hole 3. The cover 4 is positioned so that a part of its outer circumference overlaps with the inner circumference of the service hole 3 of the main body 2, and is fixed to the main body 2 at an overlapping portion 5 where the cover 4 and the main body 2 overlap. The overlapping portion 5 prevents a gap from forming between the inner circumference of the service hole 3 and the cover 4. In addition, the remaining opening 35 of the service hole 3 that is not covered by the cover 4 has a small area, and the opening 35 can be closed with a material that uses a limited area of ​​the raw material. Therefore, it is not necessary to mold a cover 4 that has a larger area than the service hole 3 outside the area of ​​the main body 2 on the plane of the raw material. Thus, it is possible to improve the material yield while ensuring the function of the cover 4 that covers the service hole 3 of the main body 2.

[0058] The service hole 3 and cover portion 4 of the engine under cover 1 according to the above embodiment have a substantially rectangular shape with opposing long sides 3a, 4a and short sides 3b, 4b. That is, the service hole 3 and cover portion 4 have a shape in which the width narrows towards the short sides 3b, 4b. The cover portion 4 is positioned in the direction from the long side 3a to the short side 3b of the service hole 3, and the overlap portion 5 is formed on the short sides 3b, 4b of the service hole 3 and cover portion 4 and the adjacent diagonal sides 3c, 4c. In other words, by shifting the cover portion 4, which is separated from the main body portion 2, in the planar direction from the position of the service hole 3, the overlap portion 5 can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole 3 and cover portion 4.

[0059] In the roughly trapezoidal service hole 3 and cover portion 4, by setting the inclination angle θ of the hypotenuses 3c and 4c within an appropriate range, the overlap amount w of the overlap portion 5 can be secured while preventing the sliding amount s from becoming too large, and keeping the remaining opening 35 small. Furthermore, the service hole 3 is molded to a shape and size that allows for easy access to vehicle equipment while maintaining workability.

[0060] An insertion portion 7 is provided on the outer circumference of the lid portion 4. The insertion portion 7 engages with the inner circumference of the service hole 3. This allows the lid portion 4 to be temporarily assembled to the main body portion 2. Therefore, when fixing the lid portion 4 to the main body portion 2 at the fixing portion 6, the position of the lid portion 4 is stabilized, improving work efficiency. In addition, when attaching or removing the lid portion 4 while the engine under cover 1 is attached to the underside of the vehicle body, the lid portion 4 is less likely to fall off, maintaining workability.

[0061] The main body 2 has main body stepped portions 23, 27 (first stepped portion) on the inner circumference side of the service hole 3, and the lid portion 4 has lid stepped portions 24, 28 (second stepped portion) on its outer circumference side. In the overlap portion 5, the main body stepped portions 23, 27 and the lid stepped portions 24, 28 overlap in the thickness direction. By providing a difference in height in the portions of the main body 2 and the lid portion 4 that overlap the overlap portion 5 in this way, the service hole 3 can be covered with the surface 21 of the main body 2 and the surface 22 of the lid portion 4 at the same height. In other words, the unevenness of the road surface B of the engine under cover 1 can be reduced or decreased.

[0062] The service hole 53 and lid 54 shown in Figure 15 have a roughly rectangular shape with adjacent long sides 53a, 54a and short sides 53b, 54b. The lid 54 is rotated in the planar direction and positioned with its orientation changed relative to the service hole 53. As a result, the long side 54a of the lid 54 and the short side 53b of the service hole 53 form an overlapping portion 55. In other words, by separating the lid 54 from the main body 52 and positioning it with its orientation changed, the overlapping portion 55 can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole 53 and the lid 54.

[0063] In the manufacturing process of the engine under cover 1 (vehicle under cover) according to the above embodiment, the main body 2 is formed by press molding. The main body 2 is provided with a service hole 3, which is an opening that penetrates in the thickness direction. The area inside the service hole 3 is formed as a cover 4 that covers at least a part of the service hole 3 and is separated from the main body 2. The cover 4 is positioned so that a part of its outer circumference overlaps with the inner circumference of the service hole 3 of the main body 2 and is fixed to the main body 2. An overlapping portion 5 is formed on the inner circumference of the service hole 3 where the cover 4 and the main body 2 overlap. This prevents a gap from forming between the inner circumference of the service hole 3 and the cover 4. Furthermore, the remaining opening 35 of the service hole 3 that is not covered by the cover 4 has a small area, and a member for closing the opening 35 can be formed even in an area with a limited area of ​​raw material. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a cover 4 that has a larger area than the service hole 3 outside the area of ​​the main body 2 on the plane of the raw material. Therefore, it is possible to improve material yield while ensuring the function of the lid 4 that covers the service hole 3 of the main body 2.

[0064] In the press forming process, the service hole 3 and the lid 4 are formed into a roughly rectangular shape with opposing long sides 3a, 4a and short sides 3b, 4b. That is, the service hole 3 and the lid 4 are formed in a shape that narrows in width towards the short sides 3b, 4b. The lid 4 is positioned in the direction from the long side 3a to the short side 3b of the service hole 3, and the overlap portion 5 is formed on the short sides 3b, 4b of the service hole 3 and the two adjacent sides of the lid 4. In other words, by shifting the lid 4, which is separated from the main body 2, in the planar direction from the position of the service hole 3, the overlap portion 5 can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole 3 and the lid 4.

[0065] Furthermore, an insertion portion 7 is provided on the outer circumference of the lid portion 4. The insertion portion 7 can be engaged with the inner circumference of the service hole 3. This allows the lid portion 4 to be temporarily assembled to the main body portion 2. Therefore, when fixing the lid portion 4 to the main body portion 2 with the fixing portion 6, the position of the lid portion 4 is stabilized, improving work efficiency.

[0066] Furthermore, the main body portion 2 has stepped portions 23 and 27 (first stepped portions) formed on the inner circumference side of the service hole 3, and the lid portion 4 has stepped portions 24 and 28 (second stepped portions) formed on its outer circumference side. As a result, when the lid portion 4 is positioned to cover at least a part of the service hole 3, the stepped portions 23 and 27 of the main body and the stepped portions 24 and 28 of the lid overlap in the thickness direction to form an overlap portion 5. By providing a difference in height in the portions of the main body portion 2 and the lid portion 4 that overlap the overlap portion 5 in this way, the service hole 3 can be covered with the surface 21 of the main body portion 2 and the surface 22 of the lid portion 4 at the same height. In other words, the unevenness of the road-side surface B of the engine under cover 1 can be reduced or decreased.

[0067] As shown in Figure 15, the service hole 53 and the lid 54 may be formed into a roughly rectangular shape having adjacent long sides 53a, 54a and short sides 53b, 54b. The lid 54 is rotated in the planar direction and positioned with its orientation changed relative to the service hole 53. As a result, the long side 54a of the lid 54 and the short side 53b of the service hole 53 form an overlapping portion 55. In other words, by separating the lid 54 from the main body 52 and positioning it with its orientation changed, the overlapping portion 55 can be efficiently formed on three sides of the service hole 53 and the lid 54.

[0068] As described above, the engine under cover 1 is constructed in which the lid portion 4,54 is formed using the internal area of ​​the service holes 3,53 in the main body portion 2,52. Therefore, when the arrangement and shape of the service holes 3,53 are set, the arrangement and shape of the lid portion 4,54 during press molding are also set accordingly. Thus, even if the arrangement and shape of the service holes 3,53 differ, the design can be efficiently modified. As a result, the configuration of the service holes 3,53 and the lid portion 4,54 can be applied to various engine under covers (vehicle under covers). In other words, it is possible to reduce material waste and improve yield for vehicle under covers of various vehicle models.

[0069] The vehicle undercover and its manufacturing method according to the present invention are not limited to the appearance and configuration described in the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various other forms by various modifications, additions, deletions, and combinations of configurations without altering the essence of the present invention.

[0070] Vehicle undercovers are not limited to engine undercovers, but also include other undercovers for the underside of the vehicle. For example, they can be applied to floor undercovers, etc.

[0071] The underbody cover for the vehicle, including the engine underbody cover 1, is not limited to being made of a fiber material, but may also be a press-molded product made of a resin-based material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Engine under cover (vehicle under cover) 2 Main body 3 Service Holes 3a Long side of the service hole 3b Short side of the service hole 3c Hypotenuse of the service hole 4 Lid 4a Long side of the lid 4b Short side of the lid 4c The hypotenuse of the lid 5 Wrap section 6 Fixed part 7 Insertion part 21 Surface of the main body 22 Surface of the lid 23,27 Main body stepped section (first stepped section) 24,28 Cover step section (second step section)

Claims

1. A vehicle under cover that covers the underside of the vehicle body, The main body of the vehicle under cover is made of a press-formed body with a surface shape, A portion of the main body has an opening that penetrates in the thickness direction, which is a service hole that allows access to vehicle equipment, A separation portion of the inner region bounded by the periphery of the service hole, comprising a cover portion that covers at least a part of the service hole, By moving the lid relative to the service hole in the planar direction, a overlapping portion is formed where a part of the inner circumference of the service hole and a part of the outer circumference of the lid overlap. A vehicle under cover having a fixing portion in which the lid portion is fixed in an overlapping state with the main body portion in the wrap portion.

2. The under cover for a vehicle according to claim 1, The service hole and the cover have a roughly rectangular shape with opposing long and short sides. The lid portion is configured such that at least a portion of the service hole is covered at a position where it is moved along the plane of the main body portion in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole.

3. A vehicle under cover according to claim 1 or claim 2, The main body portion has a first stepped portion provided on the inner circumference side of the service hole in the wrap portion, relative to the surface of the main body portion. The lid portion has a second stepped portion provided on the outer circumference side of the lid portion in the wrap portion, relative to the surface of the lid portion. A vehicle under cover in which, when the cover covers at least a portion of the service hole, the height position of the surface of the cover and the height position of the surface of the main body are aligned.

4. A vehicle under cover according to claim 1 or claim 2, The cover portion has a convex insertion portion provided on one side of the outer circumference of the cover portion that engages with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole, and is an under cover for a vehicle.

5. The under cover for a vehicle according to claim 3, The cover portion has a convex insertion portion provided on one side of the outer circumference of the cover portion that engages with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole, and is an under cover for a vehicle.

6. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover that covers the underside of the vehicle body and has a service hole that allows access to vehicle equipment, and a cover portion that covers at least a part of the service hole, A press molding process comprising forming the main body of the vehicle under cover, which is composed of a press-molded body with a surface shape, and forming the lid portion in an inner region bounded by the periphery of the service hole provided in a part of the main body, A separation step involves separating the lid from the main body and creating an opening by penetrating the inner region, bounded by the periphery of the service hole, in the thickness direction of the main body. A lid placement step, wherein the lid is moved relative to the service hole in the planar direction, thereby forming an overlapping portion where a part of the inner circumference of the service hole and a part of the outer circumference of the lid overlap. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover, comprising a lid fixing step of fixing the lid portion to the main body portion in the wrap portion.

7. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover according to claim 6, The service hole and the cover are formed into a roughly rectangular shape having opposing long and short sides. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover, wherein the cover portion is positioned to cover at least a portion of the service hole at a location where it has moved along the plane of the main body portion in the direction from the long side to the short side of the service hole.

8. A method for manufacturing a vehicle undercover according to claim 6 or claim 7, The main body portion has a first stepped portion formed on the inner circumference side of the service hole in the wrap portion relative to the surface of the main body portion. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover, wherein the cover portion has a second stepped portion formed on the outer circumference side of the cover portion in the wrap portion, relative to the surface of the cover portion, and is positioned so that when at least a part of the service hole is covered, the height position of the surface of the cover portion and the height position of the surface of the main body portion are aligned.

9. A method for manufacturing a vehicle undercover according to claim 6 or claim 7, The aforementioned lid portion has a convex insertion portion formed on one side of its periphery, A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover, wherein in the lid placement step, the lid is temporarily assembled to the main body by engaging the insertion portion with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole.

10. A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover according to claim 8, The aforementioned lid portion has a convex insertion portion formed on one side of its periphery, A method for manufacturing a vehicle under cover, wherein in the lid placement step, the lid is temporarily assembled to the main body by engaging the insertion portion with a part of the inner circumference of the service hole.

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