Under-cover

Abstract

An under-cover (10) is attached to a reinforcing plate (224) which is a lower surface of a vehicle body (20). The under-cover (10) includes: a bottom surface part (11); a rising part (131) that rises upward (+Z side) from the bottom surface part (11); a fixing surface part (132) that is continuous with the rising part (131), faces the reinforcing plate (224) which is a lower surface of the vehicle body (20), and is fixed to the reinforcing plate (224) which is a lower surface of the vehicle body (20) by a fastening member (134); and a first rib (14) that rises upward (+Z side) from the bottom surface part (11), extends vehicle forward (+X side) from the rising part (131), and abuts against the reinforcing plate (224) which is a lower surface of the vehicle body (20).

Description

Undercover

[0001] The present invention relates to an undercover for protecting the underside of a vehicle.

[0002] Undercovers that protect the underside of a vehicle are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The undercover described in Patent Document 1 has multiple mounting seats for mounting to the vehicle frame. The mounting seats include vertical wall portions that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the undercover in a conical cylindrical shape, and upper base portions that are connected to a reinforcement (a mounting target portion on the underside of the vehicle body) at the upper part of the vertical wall portions, and the upper base portions are fastened to the reinforcement with fastening members.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-205910

[0004] However, in the undercover described in Patent Document 1, a gap occurs between the bottom surface and the upper bottom surface that is attached to the underside of the vehicle. Therefore, when the undercover interferes with the ground, the bottom surface near the mounting seat is pushed upward, and a force acts in the opposite direction to the fastening direction of the fastening members that fasten the upper bottom surface to the underside of the vehicle, which may damage the fastening members or cause them to loosen and fall off.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an undercover that can prevent damage or detachment of fastening members due to interference with the ground.

[0006] An undercover according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a bottom surface portion, a rising portion rising upward from the bottom surface portion, a fixing surface portion that is continuous with the rising portion and faces an underside of a vehicle body, and is fixed to the underside of the vehicle body by a fastening member, and a first rib that rises upward from the bottom surface portion and extends from the rising portion in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and abuts against the underside of the vehicle body. By disposing the first rib in abutment against the underside of the vehicle body, deformation of the undercover is suppressed even if the undercover interferes with the ground, and damage or detachment of the fastening member can be suppressed.

[0007] A cross-sectional view showing an example of a vehicle body according to one embodiment of the present invention and an undercover attached to the underside of the vehicle body. A schematic plan view of a part of the vehicle body viewed from the -Z side in a state where the undercover is removed from the vehicle body in this embodiment. A schematic plan view of a part of the battery viewed from the -Z side in this embodiment. A plan view of the undercover of this embodiment viewed from the +Z side. A cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the fixed seat portion in this embodiment when cut along the XZ plane. A perspective view of the vicinity of the fixed seat portion of the undercover as viewed from the +Z side in this embodiment. A plan view of the vicinity of the fixed seat portion of the undercover as viewed from the +Z side in this embodiment.

[0008] An undercover according to one aspect of the present disclosure will now be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vehicle body 20 and an undercover 10 attached to the underside of the vehicle body 20. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the vehicle body 20 viewed from below (the ground side) with the undercover 10 removed from the vehicle body 20. Note that FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2. The undercover 10 is a member covering the underside of the vehicle body 20. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body 20 includes a sill 21 (side sill) constituting the vehicle frame, a battery 22 constituting the vehicle drive mechanism, and the like. An example configuration will be described in which the undercover 10 is disposed on the front side of the vehicle, covering the battery 22, extending between the sills 21 on both sides (only one side is shown in FIG. 1). Here, in the following description, the direction perpendicular to the vehicle and the ground is referred to as the Z direction, with the upward direction being the +Z side and the downward direction being the -Z side. The front-to-rear direction of the vehicle is defined as the X direction, the direction in which the vehicle moves forward (forward) is defined as the +X side, and the direction in which the vehicle moves backward (rearward) is defined as the -X side, and the X direction is perpendicular to the Z direction. The side of the vehicle is defined as the Y direction.

[0009] First, in this embodiment, the underside of the vehicle body 20 covered by the undercover 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the battery 22 as viewed from the -Z side, showing the battery 22 with the battery bottom plate 223 and reinforcing plate 224 of the battery 22 removed from FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, the battery 22 is disposed on the front side of the vehicle, sandwiched between the sills 21 on both sides. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the battery 22 includes a plurality of battery bodies 221 and a frame 222 that holds the battery bodies 221. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a battery bottom plate 223 on which the battery bodies 221 are placed is provided on the -Z side of the battery bodies 221 and the frame 222, and a reinforcing plate 224 to which the undercover 10 is fixed is fixed to the battery bottom plate 223. In this embodiment, the "underside of the vehicle body" in this disclosure refers to the reinforcing plate 224 disposed at the lowest part of the battery 22.

[0010] Next, the undercover 10 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 4 is a plan view of the undercover 10 as viewed from the +Z side. The undercover 10 has a bottom surface portion 11 that covers the center portion in the Y direction of the vehicle body 20, including the battery 22, and a flange 12 that is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface portion 11 on the ±Y sides and curved toward the +Z side toward the sill 21. The tip of the flange 12 forms a sill facing surface 121 that faces the underside 211 of the sill 21, and is fastened to the underside 211 of the sill 21 by, for example, screwing.

[0011] The bottom surface 11 of the undercover 10 is provided with multiple fixed seat portions 13A and 13B. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration in the vicinity of the fixed seat portion 13A taken along the XZ plane. Note that FIG. 5 shows a cross-section corresponding to the position of line B-B in FIG. 4, and the above-described FIG. 1 shows a cross-section corresponding to the position of line A-A of the fixed seat portion 13B in FIG. 4. Also, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the fixed seat portion 13A of the undercover 10 as viewed from the +Z side, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the vicinity of the fixed seat portion 13A of the undercover 10 as viewed from the +Z side. The fixed seat portions 13A and 13B each include a substantially conical cylindrical rising portion 131 that rises from the bottom surface 11 toward the +Z side, and a fixed surface portion 132 that is continuous with the +Z-side end of the rising portion 131. The fixed surface portion 132 is provided with a through-hole 133 that penetrates in the Z direction. Fastening members 134 are inserted into the through holes 133, thereby fixing the fixing surface portion 132 to the reinforcing plate 224. The fastening members 134 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, bolts and nuts that fasten the fixing surface portion 132 and the reinforcing plate 224 together, or may be configured to engage the fixing surface portion 132 and the reinforcing plate 224 with a clip.

[0012] Of the fixed seat portions 13A and 13B, the fixed seat portion 13A, which is located on the vehicle front side (+X side), is likely to interfere with the ground while the vehicle is traveling. For example, the ground may sink in a concave shape in the area where the left and right tires of the vehicle pass, forming ruts. If the ruts are deep, the area between the left and right ruts may become convex on the +Z side, potentially interfering with the center of the undercover 10. Conventional undercovers have a gap between them and the underside of the vehicle body (e.g., the reinforcing plate 224 of the battery 22 in this embodiment), which can cause deformation on the +Z side due to interference with the ground by the undercover 10, potentially resulting in damage or detachment of fastening members.

[0013] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the fixed seat portion 13A, which is disposed in the front (+X side) of the undercover 10, is provided with a first rib 14 that rises from the bottom surface portion 11 and extends from a rising portion 131 of the fixed seat portion 13A toward the +X side. The first rib 14 is formed so that its height from the bottom surface portion 11 (length in the Z direction) is the same as the length from the bottom surface portion 11 to the reinforcing plate 224. As a result, with the fixed surface portion 132 of the fixed seat portion 13A fixed to the reinforcing plate 224, the upper surface 141 (the surface on the +Z side) of the first rib 14 abuts against the reinforcing plate 224. In other words, the first rib 14 fills the gap between the bottom surface portion 11 and the underside of the vehicle main body 20.

[0014] Here, the second moment of area I of the first rib 14 is calculated by the following formula (1), and the section modulus Z is calculated by the following formula (2).

[0015]

[0016] h １ is the height of the first rib 14, and b １ is the width of the first rib 14 (length in the Y direction). In this embodiment, the height h １ But width b １ The first rib 14 is configured so that the distance between the first rib 14 and the first rib 14 is larger than h １ <b １ Compared to the case where the second moment of area I and the section modulus Z of the first rib 14 are increased, and it is possible to provide strong resistance to bending moments. As a result, even if the position where the fixed seat portion 13A of the undercover 10 is disposed interferes with the ground while the vehicle is moving forward, deformation of the undercover 10 is suppressed because the upper surface 141 of the first rib 14 abuts against the reinforcing plate 224.

[0017] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the position where the fixed seat portion 13A of the undercover 10 is disposed, the bottom surface portion 11 is provided with a slope 15 having an inclined surface that slopes toward the +Z side as it moves away from the rising portion 131. In other words, the slope 15 is provided so as to slope toward the -Z side as it moves from the bottom surface portion 11 toward the rising portion 131. Therefore, compared to when the slope 15 is not provided, the -Z side end of the rising portion 131 is located further toward the -Z side (closer to the ground). Therefore, the distance from the -Z side end of the rising portion 131 to the fixing surface portion 132 on which the fastening member 134 is disposed is longer, which can prevent the fastening member 134 from coming into contact with the ground or foreign objects on the ground (such as piling stones).

[0018] 5 to 7, the slope 15 is formed from the +X side to the ±Y side of the rising portion 131 of the fixed seat portion 13A. Here, the length L from the rising portion 131 of the slope 15 to the +X side end Ｘ is the length L from the rising portion 131 to the ±Y side end Ｙ is longer than the slope 15. By forming the slope 15 long on the +X side, the inclination angle of the slope of the slope becomes gentler. This makes it possible to release stress when the undercover 10 interferes with the ground, and to suppress deformation of the undercover 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first rib 14 is provided from the rising portion 131 to the +X side end of the slope 15. Therefore, even if the +X side of the slope 15 comes into contact with the ground, the provision of the first rib 14 at the contact position makes it possible to suppress deformation of the slope 15. Furthermore, by providing the first rib 14 along the slope 15 of the bottom surface portion 11, the height h of the first rib 14 １ As a result, as shown in equations (1) and (2), the geometrical moment of inertia I and the section modulus Z become larger, and deformation of the first rib 14 is further suppressed, and deformation of the undercover 10 is also suppressed.

[0019] Furthermore, the length L from the rising portion 131 to the ±Y side end of the slope 15 Ｙ is the length L from the rising portion 131 of the slope 15 to the +X side end ＸIn other words, the slope 15 is a portion of the bottom surface 11 of the undercover 10 that is convex toward the −Z side and increases air resistance, and it is preferable that the area of ​​this portion is small. In this embodiment, the length L of the slope 15 toward the ±Y side is Ｙ Since the slope 15 is short, the air resistance caused by the slope 15 can be reduced.

[0020] In this embodiment, the fixed seat portion 13A on which the first rib 14 is provided is disposed at a part of the front (+X side) of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first rib 14 and the slope 15 may also be provided on the other fixed seat portions 13B. For example, the first rib 14 and the slope 15 may be provided on all of the fixed seat portions 13A, 13B.

[0021] In this embodiment, the undercover 10 is further provided with second ribs 16. As shown in Fig. 4, the second ribs 16 are arranged in a net-like pattern so as to connect adjacent fixed seat portions 13A, 13B. By providing these second ribs 16, the surface rigidity of the undercover 10 can be improved and deformation of the undercover 10 can be suppressed.

[0022] The second rib 16 is sufficient to ensure the surface rigidity required for the undercover 10, and therefore has a height h from the bottom surface portion 11 smaller than that of the first rib 14. ２ is low, width b ２ As a result, a gap is provided between the second rib 16 and the underside of the vehicle body 20 (the reinforcing plate 224, the battery bottom plate 223, etc.), which can suppress abnormal noise caused by the second rib 16 contacting the underside of the vehicle body 20. ２ and width b ２ The width b of the first rib 14 is kept to a minimum, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the undercover 10. １ The width of the second rib b ２If the width b of the first rib 14 is narrower, the moment of inertia I and the section modulus Z of the first rib 14 cannot be increased as shown in the above formulas (1) and (2), and if the position where the fixed seat portion 13A of the undercover 10 is disposed interferes with the ground while the vehicle is moving forward, the first rib 14 may be deformed, and it may not be possible to suppress the deformation of the undercover 10. １ is the width b of the second rib ２ Because it is wider (its thickness is thicker than that of the second rib), the second moment of area I and the section modulus Z become larger, as shown in equations (1) and (2), and deformation of the first rib 14 is further suppressed, and deformation of the undercover 10 is also suppressed.

[0023] [Effects of the Present Embodiment] The undercover 10 of the present embodiment is attached to the underside (reinforcing plate 224) of the vehicle body 20. The undercover 10 includes a bottom surface 11, a rising portion 131 rising from the bottom surface 11 toward the +Z side, a fixing surface portion 132 that is continuous with the rising portion 131, faces the reinforcing plate 224, and is fixed to the reinforcing plate 224 by a fastening member 134, and a first rib 14 that rises from the bottom surface 11 toward the reinforcing plate 224 on the +Z side, extends from the rising portion 131 toward the +X side, and abuts against the reinforcing plate 224. As a result, even if the undercover 10 comes into contact with the ground while the vehicle is moving forward, the first rib 14 suppresses deformation of the undercover 10. This suppresses damage or detachment of the fastening member 134 that fastens the fixing surface portion 132 and the reinforcing plate 224 at the fixing seat portion 13A.

[0024] The undercover 10 of this embodiment further includes a second rib 16 that rises from the bottom surface portion 11 toward the +Z side and extends from the rising portion 131 in a direction different from that of the first rib 14. This increases the surface rigidity of the undercover 10 compared to when the second rib 16 is not provided, and makes it possible to suppress deformation of the undercover 10.

[0025] In the undercover 10 of this embodiment, the height h of the second rib 16 from the bottom surface portion 11 ２ is the height h of the first rib 14 from the bottom surface portion 11 １This makes it possible to prevent the second rib 16 from coming into contact with the underside of the vehicle body 20 (e.g., the reinforcing plate 224), and to prevent the generation of abnormal noise due to contact between the second rib 16 and the underside of the vehicle body 20.

[0026] In the undercover 10 of this embodiment, the bottom surface portion 11 has a slope 15 that slopes toward the +Z side as it moves away from the rising portion 131. The first rib 14 is provided from the rising portion 131 toward the +X side to the +X side end of the slope 15. As a result, even if the undercover 10 interferes with the ground, the gently sloping slope 15 can cushion the impact. Furthermore, because the first rib 14 is provided on the slope 15, even if the slope 15 interferes with the ground, the rigidity of the first rib 14 can suppress deformation of the slope 15. Furthermore, by providing the first rib 14 between the slope 15 and the reinforcing plate 224, the height of the first rib 14 can be made higher than when the slope 15 is not provided. In other words, the height h of the first rib 14 decreases from the +X end of the slope 15 toward the rising portion 131. １ In this case, the moment of inertia I and the section modulus Z of the first rib 14 can be increased as the position approaches the rising portion 131. Therefore, deformation of the first rib 14 and the slope 15 at positions closer to the rising portion 131 can be further suppressed, and damage and detachment of the fastening member 134 can be further suppressed.

[0027] In this embodiment, the slope 15 is provided from the +X side of the rising portion 131 to the ±Y side of the rising portion 131. The length L of the slope 15 from the rising portion 131 to the +X side end Ｘ is the length L from the rising portion 131 of the slope 15 to the ±Y side end Ｙ This allows the area of ​​the slope 15 to be reduced, and the air resistance caused by the formation of the slope 15 to be reduced.

[0028] [Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes the following modifications within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0029] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, as an example, the fixed seat portion 13A on which the first rib 14 is arranged is provided in the front (+X side) of the undercover 10, but as described above, the first rib 14 may also be provided in other fixed seat portions 13B of the undercover 10.

[0030] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, attention is focused on interference between the undercover 10 and the ground when the vehicle moves forward, and an example is given of a configuration in which the first rib 14 extends from the rising portion 131 to the +X side. However, in consideration of interference between the undercover 10 and the ground when the vehicle moves backward, a configuration in which a first rib 14 extending from the rising portion 131 to the -X side may be further provided. For example, a configuration in which the first rib 14 extends to the ±X sides of each fixed seat portion 13A, 13B may be used. Furthermore, a configuration in which the first rib 14 extending to the +X side is provided on the fixed seat portion 13A located on the +X side of the undercover 10, and the first rib 14 extending to the -X side is provided on the fixed seat portion 13B located on the -X side of the undercover 10 may be used.

[0031] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the reinforcing plate 224 attached to the battery bottom plate 223 of the battery 22 is illustrated as the underside of the vehicle body 20, and the undercover 10 is fixed to the reinforcing plate 224 as an example. However, this is not limiting. For example, in a vehicle that does not have a battery 22 or does not have a battery 22 disposed on the underside of the vehicle body 20, the floor panel of the vehicle may serve as the underside of the vehicle body 20, and the undercover 10 may be attached to the floor panel. In this case, the first rib 14 is provided from the bottom surface 11 of the undercover 10 to the floor panel and fills the gap between the undercover 10 and the floor panel. Furthermore, in the case of an engine vehicle, the undercover 10 may be attached to a suspension member disposed below the engine. In this case, the first rib 14 is provided from the bottom surface 11 of the undercover 10 to the suspension member and fills the gap between the undercover 10 and the suspension member. Furthermore, as described in Variation 2 above, the first rib 14 may be provided on the fixed seat portion 13B on the −X side of the undercover 10. In this case, the undercover 10 is fixed to the rear suspension member on the rear side of the vehicle by the fixed seat portion 13B. Therefore, the first rib 14 is provided from the bottom surface portion 11 of the undercover 10 to the rear suspension member, filling the gap between the undercover 10 and the rear suspension member.

[0032] [Variation 4] In the above embodiment, the second ribs 16 are provided across the fixed seat portions 13A, 13B, but this is not limiting. For example, the second ribs 16 may be provided in a position that can reinforce the surface rigidity of the undercover 10, and may be provided in a mesh pattern on the undercover 10 regardless of the fixed seat portions 13A, 13B. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the second ribs 16 on the undercover 10 are not essential, and the undercover 10 may not be provided with the second ribs 16. In this case, the undercover 10 may be reinforced with other reinforcing members.

[0033] [Modification 5] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the slope 15 is provided on the +X side of the fixed seat portion 13A, but in the present disclosure, the slope 15 is not essential, and a configuration in which the slope 15 is not provided may also be adopted.

[0034] Furthermore, although an example has been shown in which the slope 15 is provided from the +X side to the ±Y side, for example, the slope 15 may be configured to surround the periphery of the fixed seat portion 13A. That is, the slope 15 may also be configured to be provided on the −X side of the fixed seat portions 13A, 13B. In particular, when the first rib 14 is configured to be provided on the −X side of the fixed seat portions 13A, 13B as shown in Modification 2, it is preferable that the slope 15 is also provided on the −X side.

[0035] Furthermore, as the shape of the slope 15, the length L of the slope 15 in the Y direction is Ｙ is the length L in the X direction Ｘ Although an example in which the length L of the slope 15 in the Y direction is shorter than Ｙ is the length L in the X direction Ｘ The length may be the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0036] [Variation 6] In the above embodiment, Fig. 6 illustrates an example in which the +X side end of upper surface 141 of first rib 14 has a curved shape, but the shape of the +X side end of upper surface 141 of first rib 14 is not limited to the form in Fig. 6. For example, the +X side end of upper surface 141 of first rib 14 may not be curved, and the +X side end face of first rib 14 and upper surface 141 may intersect at a predetermined angle (for example, a right angle).

[0037] 10...undercover, 11...bottom surface portion, 12...flange, 13A...fixed seat portion, 13B...fixed seat portion, 14...first rib, 15...slope, 16...second rib, 20...vehicle body, 21...sill, 22...battery, 121...sill opposing surface, 131...rising portion, 132...fixed surface portion, 133...through hole, 134...fastening member, 141...upper surface of first rib, 224...reinforcing plate (lower surface of vehicle body).

Claims

1. An undercover attached to the underside of a vehicle body, comprising: a bottom surface; a rising portion rising upward from the bottom surface; a fixing surface portion continuing from the rising portion, facing the underside of the vehicle body, and fixed to the underside of the vehicle body by a fastening member; and a first rib rising upward from the bottom surface and extending from the rising portion in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and abutting the underside of the vehicle body.

2. The undercover according to claim 1, further comprising a second rib that rises upward from the bottom surface portion and extends from the rising portion in a direction different from that of the first rib, and the width of the first rib is wider than the width of the second rib.

3. The undercover according to claim 2, wherein the second rib rises from the bottom surface portion to a height lower than the first rib rises from the bottom surface portion.

4. An undercover as described in claim 1, wherein the bottom surface portion has a slope that slopes upward as it moves away from the raised portion, and the first rib is provided from the raised portion toward the front of the vehicle to an end of the slope.

5. An undercover as described in claim 4, wherein the slope is provided across the rising portion from the front side of the vehicle to the lateral side of the vehicle, and the length of the slope from the rising portion to the front end is longer than the length of the slope from the rising portion to the lateral end.

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