Vehicle cover for reducing hail damage

Abstract

To provide a simple vehicle cover for alleviating hail damage, that effectively alleviates hail damage.SOLUTION: A vehicle cover for alleviating hail damage is of the type in which a vehicle part to be protected against hail damage is covered with a half cover, and then, covered with an ordinary vehicle cover. At least a portion for covering a vehicle roof, of the half cover, is formed of an air bubble cushioning material. The air bubble cushioning material has a structure in which a plurality of air bubble cushioning materials of a 2-layer structure is superposed on one another.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle cover for reducing hail damage. More specifically, it relates to a vehicle cover that covers a half-cover on the part to be protected from hail damage of the vehicle and then covers it with a normal vehicle cover.

Background Art

[0002] Hail generally refers to spherical or块状 ice particles with a diameter of 5 mm or more that fall from cumulonimbus clouds. . Therefore, harder objects than we imagine fall from the sky. When hail pours down on a vehicle while it is running or parked outdoors, the vehicle body may be damaged.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A search of prior art documents concerning technologies for protecting vehicles from hail revealed the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1-4. Upon closer examination of these Patent Documents 1-4, it was found that the inventions that are the features of the present invention, such as the use of a half-cover for protection from hail damage, air cushioning material (air cap), and the number of sheets required to obtain an effective hail protection effect, are not disclosed.

[0005] If a vehicle is hit by hail while being driven or parked outdoors, and sustains damage such as dents to the vehicle body, it becomes a "hail-damaged vehicle." Most hail-damaged vehicles have dents in the exterior parts such as the hood, roof, or trunk lid due to hail hitting them. While the driving performance of a hail-damaged vehicle is not affected, its market value is significantly reduced due to the damage. Furthermore, because the dents cover the entire body of a hail-damaged vehicle, repairing them is time-consuming and expensive.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle cover that effectively reduces hail damage. Thus, the present invention aims to provide a simple vehicle cover for hail damage reduction that effectively reduces hail damage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle cover for mitigating hail damage according to the present invention is a vehicle cover for mitigating hail damage in which a half cover is placed over the part of the vehicle to be protected from hail damage, and then a regular vehicle cover is placed over it, wherein at least the portion of the half cover that covers the vehicle roof is made of bubble wrap.

[0008] Furthermore, the vehicle cover for reducing hail damage, the bubble wrap, and the vehicle hood, trunk lid, windshield, and rear window are further selected from the group consisting of 1 or 2. It is acceptable to cover the above.

[0009] Furthermore, the vehicle cover for reducing hail damage mentioned above, the bubble wrap used, is a two-layer bubble wrap material. It may also be a structure in which multiple layers are stacked on top of each other.

[0010] Furthermore, the vehicle cover for mitigating hail damage may be made of flame-retardant nonwoven fabric in the portion of the half-cover other than the bubble wrap. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view of the half-cover of the vehicle cover for hail damage mitigation according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the mesh pattern representing the areas of the half-cover that you want to protect especially from hail damage. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a graph of Table 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a graph simulating the relationship between kinetic energy during a hail collision and the dent in the vehicle, using the data from Table 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a graph that simulates the diameter of a hailstone based on the kinetic energy during a hail collision, which was obtained from the graph in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] This invention relates to a vehicle cover for mitigating hail damage. More specifically, it relates to a vehicle cover in which a half-cover is placed over the part to be protected from hail damage, and then a regular vehicle cover is placed over it. Accordingly, the following description will focus on embodiments relating to the half-cover, with reference to the attached drawings. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0013] [Overall structure] (shape) Figure 1 is a plan view of a half cover 10 according to an embodiment. A half cover is a type of car body cover that covers only the part of the vehicle that needs protection. In contrast, a full cover covers the entire vehicle. The external shape of the half cover 10 is determined based on the part of the vehicle that needs protection from hail damage. Therefore, it differs depending on the external shape of various vehicles.

[0014] In a sedan-type vehicle, generally, the part 2 that needs to be particularly protected from damage is at least the roof of the vehicle. Further, if desired, it may also include the bonnet (cover of the front engine room), the trunk lid (cover of the rear luggage compartment), etc. Further, the fender (the part covering the tire), the front and rear glass parts may be added to the part 2 that needs to be particularly protected from damage. In FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the part 2 that needs to be particularly protected from damage of the half cover 10 is represented by a mesh.

[0015] <00000​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The bubble cushioning material and the flame-retardant non-woven fabric that constitute the half cover 10 are joined by ordinary sewing. Note that the division between the area 2 of the bubble cushioning material and the area 4 of the flame-retardant non-woven fabric is determined through consultation with the automobile manufacturers for each vehicle type.

[0019] A plurality of strings or tapes 6 of a predetermined length are connected to the periphery of the half cover 10. This string or tape 6 is tied to a door knob or the like of a vehicle to temporarily fix the half cover 10 on the vehicle. Then, the whole is covered with a normal vehicle cover (not shown).

[0020] (Portion formed of bubble cushioning material) A bubble cushioning material is used for the portion 2 that needs to be particularly protected. Among bubble cushioning materials, those with bubbles about 7 to 32 mm in diameter on the surface are called air caps. The bubble cushioning material is a material in which the air pressure of the bubbles of the air cap absorbs impact, plays a role of cushioning, and protects the object to be protected from mechanical impact. There are Two-layer structure (single-sided) and three-layer structure (double-sided) two types of air caps prepared. The generally used two-layer structure Air caps are has bubbles only on the surface. Such an air cap has high flexibility and can be put along the curved surface of a vehicle. In this embodiment, the most standard grains two-layer structure bubble cushioning material with 10 mm bubbles is used. The diameter of the grain 10mm of bubbles attached to the two-layer structure bubble cushioning material is used.

[0021] The inventors et al. commissioned the Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Industrial Technology (KISTEC), a local public corporation, to conduct a simulation test on the anti-impact effect of the portion formed of the bubble cushioning material in advance, specifically, a drop ball test from a height of 2 m using steel balls.

[0022] The details of this simulation test (drop ball test) are as follows. Sample: Falling objects: Steel balls with three types of ball diameters (20, 30, 40 mm) Object to be protected: Trunk lid (steel plate) (Reference objects) Fender (aluminum plate), rear side glass (vehicles from company A and company B) Bubble wrap: One, two, or three layers of bubble wrap with 10mm diameter bubbles. 3 types Test conditions: A ball drop test is conducted in which a falling object is dropped from a height of 2m from the protected object. Measuring the depth of dents in an object.

[0023] Table 1 shows the results of the ball drop test on the trunk lid (steel plate). Figure 3 is a graph of the data in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0024] Table 2 shows the results of a ball drop test on a fender (aluminum plate) (for reference). [Table 2]

[0025] Table 3 shows the results of a ball drop test on the rear side window (vehicle of Company A) (for reference). [Table 3]

[0026] Table 4 shows the results of a ball drop test on the rear side window (of a vehicle from Company B) (for reference). [Table 4]

[0027] Table 1 and Figure 3 show that using at least two layers of bubble wrap with 10mm diameter bubbles reduces trunk lid dents to 0.2mm or less. Dents of 0.2mm or less are detectable using reflected light, but are almost invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, considering cost-effectiveness, it was decided to use two or more layers of bubble wrap.

[0028] Figure 4 is a graph simulating the relationship between kinetic energy during a hail collision and the dent of the vehicle, using the data from Table 1. The horizontal axis represents the kinetic energy [J] during the collision, and the vertical axis represents the dent. The depth of the material is measured in [mm].

[0029] The impact energy of a 20mm steel ball dropped from a height of 2m can be calculated from the mass of the steel ball, its falling velocity, the acceleration due to gravity, and the height. Similarly, 30 The collision energies for 20mm, 30mm, and 40mm steel balls obtained here were plotted on the horizontal axis, and the corresponding indentation data from Table 1 were plotted on the vertical axis to derive approximate formulas (for data without bubble wrap and with one bubble wrap layer). From Figure 4, it was found that placing one bubble wrap layer absorbs approximately 1.64 J of collision energy.

[0030] Figure 5 is a graph with the kinetic energy at impact on the horizontal axis and the diameter of the hail on the vertical axis. Since hail is ice, the relationship between the kinetic energy at impact and the diameter of the hail can be determined by calculating its mass. Figure 4 shows the results, which shows the amount of impact energy that one bubble wrap sheet can absorb. Since the gye is approximately 1.64 J, the corresponding hail diameter is approximately 24.4 mm. Therefore, it was found that by laying one layer of bubble wrap, the impact energy of hail up to approximately 24.4 mm can be absorbed without substantially causing dents in the vehicle. In this embodiment, however, two layers of bubble wrap were used to account for a safety factor.

[0031] In the above simulation tests, the kinetic energy imparted by the steel ball to the vehicle could be calculated. However, the strength (material, thickness, etc.) of the protected object (vehicle roof, etc.) varies greatly. On the other hand, the shape and size of the hail are unpredictable. Furthermore, since hail falls with wind and rain, its descent speed is also unpredictable. Therefore, this simulation test compared the case with and without bubble wrap, and the case with one bubble wrap sheet. laidThis merely confirms the theoretical effect in that case.

[0032] In the future, in the embodiment, a half cover with two layers of bubble wrap will be actually used to feel We need to collect real data and compare it with the data from this simulation test.

[0033] [Features, effects, etc.] In this embodiment, the following variations are possible.

[0034] (1) By separating the half-cover, which is placed over the part of the vehicle that needs to be protected from hail damage, from the regular vehicle cover that covers it, the half-cover does not absorb water, so it can be dried quickly when stored.

[0035] When a vehicle cover incorporates a component with a half-cover function compared to a standard vehicle cover, it is generally made of fabric, which absorbs rainwater and takes time to dry before storage. The vehicle cover for hail damage reduction according to this embodiment offers excellent workability when stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 2: Areas you want to protect in particular, 4: Other areas, 6: Straps, tapes, 10: Half cover

Claims

1. In a vehicle cover designed to mitigate hail damage, in which a half-cover is placed over the part of the vehicle to be protected from hail damage, and then a regular vehicle cover is placed over that, The aforementioned half cover is formed from at least a central portion in the vehicle width direction that covers the vehicle roof and other portions on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and the central portion and the other portions are sewn together to form a single unit. The aforementioned central portion has a structure in which two layers of bubble cushioning material are stacked, each having 10 mm diameter bubbles formed only on the film surface. The aforementioned other parts are made of flame-retardant nonwoven fabric, and the vehicle cover is designed to mitigate hail damage.

2. In the vehicle cover for hail damage mitigation described in claim 1, The aforementioned central portion further covers one or more selected from the group consisting of the vehicle hood, trunk lid, windshield, and rear window, and is a vehicle cover for mitigating hail damage.

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