Deflector device and sunroof device

Abstract

To provide a deflector device of which a height can be easily adjusted and a cost is low, and a sunroof device comprising the same.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a deflector device and a sunroof device. The deflector device comprises: an upper body extending along a vehicle width direction; a pair of deflector arms extending along vehicle rear from both ends of the upper body in the vehicle width direction respectively, and in which the upper body vertically moves as the pair of deflector arms rotate around rear end parts thereof; a lower body which is attached to a front housing of the sunroof device, and extends along the vehicle width direction; and a mesh member which is formed separately from the lower body. A lower side edge of the mesh member is connected to the lower body by sewing or deposition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a deflector device and a sunroof device. In particular, it relates to a deflector device used for a sunroof device of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, there is a deflector device for a sunroof device as follows. When the sunroof device is closed, the deflector is in a stored state, and when the sunroof device is opened, the deflector is deployed, and the mesh member held between the upper body and the lower body of the deflector prevents air vibration caused by the entrainment of wind into the vehicle interior. The lower body of the deflector device is fixed to the sunroof device by engaging with the front housing of the sunroof device.

[0003] Specifically, referring to the prior art deflector device in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper body 120, the mesh member 123, and the lower body 122 are members integrally formed of resin. The lower body 122 includes a plurality of hook portions 130 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of locking groove members 131 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction are formed in the front housing 113. By locking each of the plurality of hook portions 130 to the locking groove member 131, the lower body 122 is attached to the front housing 113. By releasing the locking between the plurality of locking groove members 131 and the hook portions 130, the lower body 122 is removed from the front housing 113.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the conventional deflector device is made of resin in which the upper body, the mesh member, and the lower body are integrally formed in three parts, in order to adjust the height of the deflector device in the deployed state (that is, to adjust the length of the mesh member), it is necessary to open a new integral molding die, resulting in a problem of high manufacturing cost.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a deflector device that is easy to adjust in height and is low cost, and a sunroof device equipped therewith. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A deflector device according to one aspect of the present invention is used in a sunroof device for a vehicle and comprises an upper body extending along the vehicle width direction, a pair of deflector arms extending from both ends of the upper body in the vehicle width direction along the rear of the vehicle, wherein the upper body moves up and down as the pair of deflector arms rotate around their rear ends, a lower body mounted on the front housing of the sunroof device and extending along the vehicle width direction, and a mesh member integrally molded with the upper body and molded separately from the lower body, wherein the lower edge of the mesh member is connected to the lower body by sewing or welding.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the mesh member is integrally molded with the upper body and molded separately from the lower body, so the length of the mesh member can be easily changed to adjust the height of the deflector device in the deployed state, resulting in low costs. In addition, since the lower edge of the mesh member is connected to the lower body by sewing or welding, the integrated upper body and mesh part can be easily connected to the lower body.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, preferably, the front housing is provided with a plurality of bosses, and the lower body is provided with a plurality of holes, and the lower body is fixed to the front housing by the plurality of bosses being inserted into the plurality of holes, respectively.

[0009] This allows the lower unit to be easily secured to the front housing by inserting the multiple bosses on the front housing into the multiple holes.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, preferably, the lower body is made of PET material, and the upper body and the mesh member are made of resin.

[0011] As a result, the lower body is made of a relatively soft material compared to the integrally molded upper body and mesh member, allowing for good sewing or welding to the mesh member, and enabling the lower body to be easily fixed to the front housing.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, preferably, the lower body is composed of a plurality of separate members.

[0013] Furthermore, in the present invention, the lower body is preferably an integral part.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, the lower body is preferably attached to the front housing in a snap-type manner.

[0015] This allows the lower unit to be easily secured to the front housing.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a sunroof device comprising the above-described deflector device and a pair of guide rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and provided on both side edges of the roof opening in the vehicle width direction, wherein the rear ends of the pair of deflector arms are pivotally supported on the pair of guide rails.

[0017] According to the above configuration, the deflector device in the sunroof system can be easily adjusted in height and is also low in cost. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view illustrating the deflector device of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the deployed state of the deflector device of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the deployed state of the deflector device of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the deployed state of a conventional deflector device. [Figure 5] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the deployed state of a conventional deflector device.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, a deflector device provided in a sunroof device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0020] In the present embodiment, a sunroof device 1 is provided on the roof of a vehicle. The sunroof device 1 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and is provided at both side edges in the vehicle width direction of a roof opening 10, and includes a pair of guide rails 12 provided to face each other in the vehicle width direction, a front housing 13 provided to extend in the vehicle width direction and connecting front end portions of the pair of guide rails 12, a movable panel 11, and a deflector device 2.

[0021] A guide member (not shown) that supports the movable panel 11 moves rearward (hereinafter simply referred to as "rearward") in the vehicle front-rear direction along the pair of guide rails 12, so that the movable panel 11 moves rearward and the roof opening 10 is exposed and the sunroof device 1 is opened.

[0022] The deflector device 2 includes an upper main body 20, a pair of deflector arms 21, a lower main body 22, and a mesh member 23.

[0023] The upper main body 20 extends along the vehicle width direction, and the pair of deflector arms 21 extend rearward along the vehicle from both ends of the upper main body 20 in the vehicle width direction. As the pair of deflector arms 21 rotate about their rear end portions, the upper main body 20 moves up and down. More specifically, the rear ends of the pair of deflector arms 21 are pivotally supported by the front end portions of the pair of guide rails 12 via a shaft portion 26 extending in the vehicle width direction, whereby the rear end portions of the pair of deflector arms 21 are pivotally supported by the pair of guide rails 12, respectively.

[0024] The upper body 20 moves up and down according to the rotation of the pair of deflector arms 21. When the sunroof device 1 is closed, the upper body 20 is in the storage position and is stored below the movable panel 11. When the movable panel 11 moves backward and the sunroof device 1 opens, due to the biasing of an elastic biasing member (not shown), the deflector arm 21 rotates and the upper body 20 moves to the deployment position.

[0025] The lower body 22 is attached to the front housing 13 of the sunroof device 1 and extends along the vehicle width direction. More specifically, the lower body 22 is attached to and fixed to the front housing 13.

[0026] In this embodiment, the mesh member 23 is integrally formed with the upper body 20 and is formed separately from the lower body 22. More specifically, in this embodiment, the mesh member 23 and the upper body 20 are an integrally formed resin body, the lower body 22 is made of a PET material (thermoplastic polyester), and the lower edge 231 of the mesh member 23 is sewn or welded to the lower body 22, whereby the integrally formed body of the mesh member 23 and the upper body 20 is connected to the lower body 22.

[0027] Since the lower body 22 is made of a PET material and the upper body 20 and the mesh member 23 are made of resin, the lower body 22 is relatively soft in material compared to the integrally formed body of the upper body 20 and the mesh member 23, and the lower body 22 made of the PET material can be easily sewn or welded to the lower edge 231 of the mesh member 23.

[0028] The lower body 22 has an integral structure. More specifically, the lower body 22 has a plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of holes 30 are provided in the lower body 22. That is, a plurality of holes 30 arranged in the vehicle width direction penetrate vertically through the plate-shaped lower body 22, and the number and arrangement of the holes 30 can be set according to actual needs and are not limited.

[0029] Multiple bosses 31 are provided in the front housing 13, corresponding to each of the holes 30. These bosses 31 are arranged, for example, in a line in the vehicle width direction, and the lower body 22 is fixed to the front housing 13 by inserting each of the bosses 31 into the holes 30. Furthermore, by forming the holes 30 in the lower body 22, which is made of PET material, the fixing of the lower body 22 to the bosses 31 of the front housing 13 becomes more secure.

[0030] The operation of the deflector device will be explained below.

[0031] As the upper body 20 moves from the storage position to the deployed position, the mesh member 23 unfolds in a planar manner between the upper body 20 and the lower body 22. The mesh member 23 has a width dimension that is approximately corresponding to the roof opening 10, thereby straightening the air blown into the passenger compartment from the front of the vehicle through the roof opening 10 when the sunroof device 1 is opened, and preventing air vibrations caused by wind turbulence into the passenger compartment.

[0032] When the sunroof device 1 is closed, the movable panel 11 moves forward, pushing the deflector arm 21 and causing it to rotate downward. Consequently, the upper body 20 moves downward, and the mesh member 23 is retracted.

[0033] The deflector device 2 according to this embodiment can achieve the following technical effects.

[0034] (1) Since the mesh member 23 is integrally molded with the upper body 20, the length of the mesh member 23 can be easily adjusted without considering the lower body 22, making it easy to adjust the height of the deflector device 2. Furthermore, there is no need to create a new mold for the three-part integral molded body for each length of mesh member 23, and only one mold is needed. The height of the deflector device can be easily adjusted by either adjusting the length of the mesh member 23 by designing this mold, or by further processing the molded mesh member 23 by cutting or other means.

[0035] (2) Since the lower body 22 is made of PET material, it can be easily sewn or welded to the mesh member 23.

[0036] (3) The lower body 22 can be easily attached to and detached from the front housing 13 by inserting the multiple bosses 31 provided on the front housing 13 into the holes 30 opened in the lower body 22 made of PET material, or by pulling them out of the holes 30. Furthermore, because the lower body 22 is made of PET material, the engagement between the holes 30 of the lower body 22 and the bosses 31 of the front housing 13 is relatively strong.

[0037] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the lower body 22 is a single integrated structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The lower body 22 may be composed of multiple separate members, and by providing holes 30 in each separate member, the same effects and advantages as in the above embodiment can be achieved.

[0039] In the above embodiment, an insertion and removal fixing structure was described for the hole 30 of the lower body 22 and the boss 31 of the front housing 13. However, the mounting configuration of the lower body 22 and the front housing 13 is not limited to this, and the lower body 22 may be attached to the front housing 13 in a snap-type manner.

[0040] The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Designs that a person skilled in the art can obtain by making appropriate design modifications to these specific embodiments are included in the claims of the present invention, provided that they possess the features of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1. Sunroof device 10 Roof opening 11 Movable Panels 12 Guide rails 13 Front Housing 2. Deflector device 20 Upper body 21 Deflector Arm 22 Lower body 23 Mesh members 231 Lower edge 30 holes 31 Boss 26 Shaft section

Claims

1. A deflector device used in a vehicle's sunroof system, An upper body extending along the width direction of the vehicle, A pair of deflector arms extending from both ends of the upper body in the vehicle width direction along the rear of the vehicle, wherein the upper body moves up and down as the pair of deflector arms rotate around their rear ends, The lower body is attached to the front housing of the sunroof device and extends along the width direction of the vehicle, It comprises a mesh member which is integrally molded with the upper body and molded separately from the lower body, The lower body is made of PET material, the upper body and the mesh member are made of resin, and the lower body is made of a softer material than the integrally molded upper body and the mesh member. The lower edge of the mesh member is connected to the lower body by sewing or welding. A deflector device characterized in that the front housing is provided with a plurality of bosses, the lower body is provided with a plurality of holes, and the lower body is fixed to the front housing by the plurality of bosses being inserted into the plurality of holes, respectively.

2. The deflector device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower body is composed of a plurality of separate members.

3. The deflector device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower body is an integral part of the structure.

4. A deflector device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It comprises a pair of guide rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and provided on both side edges of the roof opening in the vehicle width direction, A sunroof device characterized in that the rear ends of the pair of deflector arms are each pivotally supported on the pair of guide rails.

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