Deflector device for vehicle sunroof

Abstract

Provided is a deflector device for a vehicle sunroof, the deflector device having arms that can be reduced in size.　A deflector device 14 comprises: a pair of bases 31 that are attached to a pair of side members 16 extending in the front-rear direction; a pair of arms 32 that extend forward from the bases 31 and are turnably supported on the bases 31; a deflector blade 33 that bridges over the pair of arms 32 and is capable of moving between a release position where the deflector blade 33 projects upward from an opening 5 and an accommodation position where the deflector blade 33 is accommodated below the opening 5; and a pair of torsion coil springs 34 that bias the arms 32 upward. Coil sections 51 of the torsion coil springs 34 are disposed at locations which are rearward of the arms 32 and at which to overlap the arms 32 in the left-right direction.

Description

Deflector device for a vehicle sunroof

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a deflector device for a vehicle sunroof.

[0002] In a sunroof of an automobile, an opening formed in a fixed roof is opened and closed by the sliding movement of a movable panel back and forth. A deflector device for rectifying the wind flowing from the front to the rear of the opening is provided in the sunroof. The deflector device moves a deflector blade extending along the front edge of the opening between a deployed position in which the deflector blade protrudes upward from the opening of the fixed roof and a storage position in which the deflector blade is disposed below the opening of the fixed roof. When the opening of the fixed roof is opened, the deflector blade is disposed in the deployed position, and when the opening of the fixed roof is closed, the deflector blade is disposed in the storage position.

[0003] To move the deflector blade up and down, many deflector devices have a pair of arms having front ends connected to both left and right ends of the deflector blade, and a coil spring that biases the pair of arms upward. For example, the deflector device described in Patent Document 1 includes a holding portion that holds the coil spring and the rear end portion of the upper panel (arm). The rear end portion of the upper panel is rotatably held by the holding portion. The coil spring is held by the holding portion below the upper panel and in front of the rear end portion of the upper panel. When the upper panel rotates upward from the lower position by the biasing force of the coil spring, the deflector blade moves from the storage position to the deployed position.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-070150

[0005] However, in the deflector device described in Patent Document 1, the rear portion of the upper panel has a curved shape that protrudes upward so that the upper panel does not contact the coil spring when the upper panel is in the lower position. As a result, the upper panel is enlarged. Here, it is conceivable to arrange the coil spring on the side of the upper panel so that the coil spring does not overlap the upper panel in plan view and reduce the protrusion of the upper panel. However, with such a configuration, the deflector device is enlarged because the arms and the coil spring are arranged side by side in the width direction.

[0006] In view of the above background, the object of the present invention is to provide a deflector device for a vehicle sunroof that allows for miniaturization of the arm.

[0007] To solve these problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a deflector device (14) for a vehicle sunroof (2), comprising: a pair of bases (31) attached to a pair of side members (16) extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right edges of an opening (5) formed in a fixed roof (6); a pair of arms (32) extending forward from the bases and rotatably supported by the bases; a deflector blade (33) stretched across the pair of arms and extending in the left-right direction along the front edge of the opening, movable between an extended position protruding upward from the opening and a retracted position housed below the opening; and a pair of torsion coil springs (34) biasing the arms upward, wherein the coil portion (51) of each torsion coil spring is positioned behind the arm and overlapping with the arm in the left-right direction.

[0008] In this embodiment, when the deflector blade is in the deployed position, the arm is in the upper position, and when the deflector blade is in the retracted position, the arm is in the lower position. The coil portion of the torsion coil spring is positioned behind the arm and overlaps with the arm in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the arm is in the lower position, there is no coil portion below the arm. As a result, the arm can be made smaller compared to when there is a coil portion below the arm.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the side member has a rail groove (23) that is recessed downward and extends in the front-rear direction, the base is disposed within the rail groove and has a first side wall (42) facing the side of the coil portion in one direction in the left-right direction, and a protrusion (42e) projecting from the first side wall in the other direction in the left-right direction, the coil portion is disposed within the rail groove and pivotally supported by the protrusion of the base, its movement in the one direction is restricted by the first side wall, and its movement in the other direction is restricted by the wall of the rail groove on the other side.

[0010] According to this embodiment, the detachment of the coil section can be suppressed with a simple configuration without widening the width of the rail groove on both sides.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the deflector blade is in the housing position, the upper end of the arm is preferably at the same position as or lower than the upper end of the coil portion of the torsion coil spring.

[0012] According to this embodiment, the upper end of the arm is positioned at a low location, which allows the arm to be made smaller.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each torsion coil spring has a first spring arm (52) extending from one end of the coil portion and locked to the side member or the base, and a second spring arm (53) extending from the other end of the coil portion and locked to the arm, and when the deflector blade is in the housing position, each of the second spring arms of the torsion coil spring is engaged with the arm at the middle of the arm in the longitudinal direction.

[0014] The closer the engagement portion of the second spring arm is to the coil portion, the greater the force acting on the arm from the engagement portion of the second spring arm, while the torque generated by the second spring arm on the arm (the torque that lifts the deflector blade) decreases. The greater the force acting on the arm, the more easily the engagement portion of the arm and the second spring arm wear each other. On the other hand, the further the engagement portion of the second spring arm is from the coil portion, the longer the second spring arm becomes, and the more easily the second spring arm bends. As a result, the biasing force of the coil portion is less easily transmitted to the engagement portion of the second spring arm. According to this embodiment, by engaging the arm at the middle of the longitudinal direction of the arm, the engagement portion of the arm and the second spring arm can be made less prone to wear each other, and the biasing force of the coil portion can be efficiently transmitted to the arm as torque generated by the arm.

[0015] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each torsion coil spring has a first spring arm (52) extending from one end of the coil portion and locked to the side member or the base, and a second spring arm (53) extending from the other end of the coil portion and locked to the arm, and the second spring arm of each torsion coil spring preferably has an inclined portion (53a) that is inclined forward in the front-rear direction toward the first spring arm, an arm main portion (53b) that extends forward from the front end of the inclined portion along the corresponding arm, and an engaging portion (53c) that extends laterally from the front end of the arm main portion toward the corresponding arm and engages with the lower surface of the arm.

[0016] In this embodiment, the main arm portion of the second spring arm extends in the front-rear direction at a position close to the first spring arm. This reduces the space required to install the first and second spring arms compared to the case where the first and second spring arms extend in the front-rear direction at a distance from each other. Consequently, the deflector device can be miniaturized.

[0017] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sunroof deflector device that allows for miniaturization of the arm.

[0018] Schematic perspective view of a vehicle sunroof according to an embodiment Schematic plan view of the right front part of the sunroof device Perspective view of the deflector device Exploded perspective view of the main part of the deflector device Side view of the main part of the deflector device when the deflector blade is in the retracted position Side view of the main part of the deflector device when the deflector blade is in the deployed position

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The vehicle 1 of the embodiment is equipped with a vehicle sunroof 2. In the drawings and the following description, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are directions defined with reference to the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. In addition, the inward and outward directions are directions along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle sunroof 2 of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle sunroof 2 has a fixed roof 6 with a generally rectangular opening 5 formed at the front and a sunroof device 7 provided to close this opening 5.

[0021] The sunroof device 7 includes a front panel 11 that closes the front of the opening 5, a rear panel 12 that closes the rear of the opening 5, a sunroof frame 13 that supports the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12, a deflector device 14 that straightens the airflow from the front to the rear of the opening 5, and a sunshade (not shown). The front panel 11 is a movable panel that can move relative to the fixed roof 6, and the rear panel 12 is a fixed panel that cannot move relative to the fixed roof 6. The front panel 11 is slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the fixed roof 6, opening the front of the opening 5 by sliding it rearward and closing the front of the opening 5 by sliding it forward.

[0022] The sunroof device 7 is an outer slide type that tilts the front panel 11 up from a closed position that closes the front of the opening 5 and slides the upper part of the rear panel 12 backward. The sunroof device 7 is also equipped with a known tilting mechanism, such as a link mechanism or a cam mechanism, that tilts (tilts up or tilts down) the front panel 11.

[0023] The sunroof frame 13 is formed in a frame shape along the periphery of the opening 5 and is attached below the fixed roof 6 (on the passenger compartment side). The sunroof frame 13 has a pair of side members 16 (see Figure 2) that extend in the front-rear direction along the left and right side edges of the opening 5, a front member 17 (see Figure 2) that extends in the left-right direction along the front edge of the opening 5 and connects the front ends of the pair of side members 16, and a rear cross member (not shown) that extends in the left-right direction along the rear edge of the opening 5 and connects the rear ends of the pair of side members 16. The pair of side members 16 may be extruded products of aluminum or aluminum alloy material. The front member 17 and the rear cross member may be injection molded products of resin.

[0024] Figure 2 is a plan view of the right front part of the sunroof device 7. As shown in Figure 2, the side member 16 and the front member 17 are connected at the right front part of the sunroof device 7. The side member 16 has walls 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d that extend in the front-rear direction. A drainage groove 21 is formed between wall 16a and wall 16b. A guide rail 22 is formed between wall 16b and wall 16c. A rail groove 23 is formed between wall 16c and wall 16d.

[0025] The drainage channel 21 is located below the side edge of the opening 5 of the fixed roof 6. During rainy weather, water that seeps under the fixed roof 6 through the gap between the edge of the opening 5 of the fixed roof 6 and the front panel 11 drips into the drainage channel 21 and flows through the drainage channel 21 to be discharged outside the vehicle.

[0026] The guide rail 22 is provided to guide the front panel 11 when it is moved in the front-rear direction. Panel brackets (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction are attached to the lower surfaces of both the left and right sides of the front panel 11. Each panel bracket is connected to a front slider (not shown) and a rear slider (not shown). The guide rail 22 is formed in a channel shape. The guide rail 22 slidably supports the front slider and the rear slider. Therefore, the front panel 11 is slidably supported by the guide rail 22 via the panel brackets, the front slider and the rear slider. A drive cable (not shown) is connected to the rear slider. A cable guide (not shown) is formed inside the wall 16c to guide the drive cable connected to the rear slider.

[0027] The rail groove 23 supports the deflector device 14 and is used to guide the sunshade when it moves back and forth. The rail groove 23 is recessed downward between walls 16c and 16d and extends in the front-to-back direction. A groove 24 is formed at the bottom of the rail groove 23, extending in the front-to-back direction and recessed downward. The deflector device 14 is attached to the front of the rail groove 23.

[0028] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the deflector device 14. Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the deflector device 14. The deflector device 14 is formed symmetrically. As shown in Figure 3, the deflector device 14 comprises a pair of left and right bases 31, a pair of arms 32 extending forward from each of the left and right bases 31, a deflector blade 33 spanning the pair of arms 32 and extending left and right along the front edge of the opening 5, and a pair of torsion coil springs 34 that bias the pair of arms 32 upward. In the following, the right base 31, arm 32, and torsion coil spring 34 shown in Figures 2 and 4 will be described, and the description of the left base 31, arm 32, and torsion coil spring 34 will be omitted.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the base 31 has a bottom plate portion 41 whose surface faces up and down and extends front to back, and a first side wall 42 extending upward from the front and back edge extending to the right (outer) of the bottom plate portion 41. The base 31 may also have a second side wall 43 extending upward from the front and back edge extending to the left (inner) of the bottom plate portion 41. The bottom plate portion 41 has overhangs 41a that protrude in the left and right directions at its front and rear ends.

[0030] The first side wall 42 and the second side wall 43 are arranged parallel to each other. The first side wall 42 has a first wall portion 42a that engages with the rear end of the arm 32, a second wall portion 42b that faces the torsion coil spring 34, and a recess 42c that is recessed downward between the first wall portion 42a and the second wall portion 42b. The first wall portion 42a is located in front of the second wall portion 42b. The first wall portion 42a is provided with a through hole 42d that penetrates the first wall portion 42a in the left-right direction. The second wall portion 42b is provided with a protrusion 42e that projects to the left (inward, in other directions) in order to support the torsion coil spring 34. The second side wall 43 has a third wall portion 43a that engages with the rear end of the arm 32. The third wall portion 43a is located to the left (inward) of the first wall portion 42a. The third wall portion 43a is provided with a through hole 43b that penetrates the third wall portion 43a in the left-right direction.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the arm 32 is connected at its front end to the side of the deflector blade 33 and rotatably supported at its rear end by the base 31. The arm 32 has a bent portion 32a at its front end that bends to the left (inward), a widened portion 32b at the front where its width increases from side to side toward the front, and a bent portion 32c at the rear where its width decreases vertically toward the rear and it bends downward. The cross-section of the arm 32 perpendicular to the front-rear direction may be rectangular.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, a pair of projections 32d are provided on both the left and right sides of the rear end of the arm 32. The rear end of the arm 32 is positioned between the first wall portion 42a and the third wall portion 43a of the base 31, and the pair of projections 32d are fitted into the through hole 42d in the first wall portion 42a and the through hole 43b in the third wall portion 43a. As a result, the rear end of the arm 32 is rotatably supported by the first wall portion 42a and the third wall portion 43a of the base 31. In addition, the portion of the arm 32 that engages with the torsion coil spring 34 is designated as the engaged portion 32e.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the deflector blade 33 may be an injection-molded resin product formed in a forward-convex bow shape. The deflector blade 33 may also have a retaining member 33a attached to the upper edge of the arm 32 and extending to the left and right, and a foldable and unfoldable fabric 33b held by the retaining member 33a. The deflector blade 33 may be formed integrally with the arm 32. Alternatively, the deflector blade 33 may be formed separately from the arm 32.

[0034] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the torsion coil spring 34 has a coil portion 51, a first spring arm 52 extending from the left (inward) end of the coil portion 51, and a second spring arm 53 extending from the right (outward) end (other end) of the coil portion 51.

[0035] The coil section 51 is pivotally supported on the protrusion 42e of the base 31. The second wall 42b of the base 31 faces the outer side (one side in the left-right direction) of the coil section 51. The coil section 51 is positioned behind the arm 32 and overlaps with the arm 32 in the left-right direction.

[0036] The first spring arm 52 extends forward along the arm 32 from the left (inner) end of the coil portion 51. The second spring arm 53 has an inclined portion 53a that is inclined forward from the right (outer) end of the coil portion 51 toward the first spring arm 52 in the front-rear direction, an arm main portion 53b that extends forward along the arm 32 and the first spring arm 52 from the front end of the inclined portion 53a, and an engaging portion 53c that extends laterally toward the arm 32 from the front end of the arm main portion 53b and engages with the lower surface of the arm 32. The second spring arm 53 is locked to the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32 at its front end.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, a pair of bases 31 are attached to grooves 24 of a pair of side members 16. The left and right protruding portions 41a of the pair of bases 31 are locked inside the grooves 24. This restricts the movement of the bases 31 in the front-rear direction.

[0038] The coil section 51 is positioned within the rail groove 23 and pivotally supported by the protrusion 42e of the base 31 (see Figure 3). The movement of the coil section 51 outward (in one direction) is restricted by the first side wall 42 (see Figure 3), and its movement inward (in the other direction) is restricted by the inner (other direction) side wall 16d of the rail groove 23. This makes it possible to suppress the detachment of the coil section 51 with a simple configuration without widening the width of the rail groove 23.

[0039] In the torsion coil spring 34, the first spring arm 52 is locked to the rail groove 23 of the side member 16 (side member 16 or base 31). The engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 engages with the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32. The closer the engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 is to the coil portion 51, the greater the force acting from the engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 to the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32, while the torque generated by the second spring arm 53 on the arm 32 (the torque that the arm 32 uses to lift the deflector blade 33) decreases. The greater the force acting on the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32, the more likely the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32 and the engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 are to wear each other.

[0040] On the other hand, the further the engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 is from the coil portion 51 (the further forward it is), the longer the second spring arm 53 (more precisely, the portion from the outer end (other end) of the coil portion 51 to the engaging portion 53c) becomes, and the second spring arm 53 becomes more flexible. As a result, the biasing force of the coil portion 51 is less likely to be transmitted to the engaging portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 (the biasing force of the coil portion 51 is less likely to be transmitted to the arm 32 as torque generated by the arm 32).

[0041] In this embodiment, the second spring arm 53 engages with the arm 32 at its longitudinal intermediate portion. The longitudinal intermediate portion of the arm 32 is the portion of the arm 32 that extends 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the way from the rear end in the front-rear direction. This makes it difficult for the engaged portion 32e of the arm 32 and the engaged portion 53c of the second spring arm 53 to wear down each other, and the biasing force of the coil portion 51 is efficiently transmitted to the arm 32 as the torque generated by the arm 32.

[0042] In the second spring arm 53, the inclined portion 53a is inclined forward in the front-rear direction, approaching the first spring arm 52. As a result, the main arm portion 53b of the second spring arm 53 extends in the front-rear direction at a position close to the first spring arm 52. This allows for a smaller space to be provided for the first spring arm 52 and the second spring arm 53 compared to the case where the first spring arm 52 and the second spring arm 53 extend in the front-rear direction at a distance from each other. Therefore, the deflector device 14 can be miniaturized.

[0043] A pair of arms 32 are biased upward by a pair of torsion coil springs 34 and are rotatably supported by a pair of bases 31. As a result, the deflector blade 33, which is stretched across the pair of arms 32, moves to an extended position that protrudes upward from the opening 5. Also, when the pair of arms 32 are driven to a lower position by the front panel 11 which is moving forward, the deflector blade 33 moves to a retracted position that is housed below the opening 5. In other words, the deflector blade 33 is movable between the extended position and the retracted position.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part of the deflector device 14 when the deflector blade 33 is in the storage position. FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part of the deflector device 14 when the deflector blade 33 is in the deployed position. When the deflector blade 33 is in the deployed position, the arm 32 is located at the upper position, and when the deflector blade 33 is in the storage position, the arm 32 is located at the lower position. As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the coil portion 51 of the torsion coil spring 34 is disposed behind the arm 32 and at a position overlapping the arm 32 in the left - right direction. Therefore, when the arm 32 is in the lower position (see FIG. 5), the coil portion 51 does not exist below the arm 32. For this reason, the arm 32 can be made smaller compared to the case where the coil portion 51 exists below the arm 32.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, when the deflector blade 33 is in the storage position, the upper end of the arm 32 is at a position lower (the same or lower than the upper end) than the upper end of the coil portion 51 of the torsion coil spring 34. Thereby, since the position of the upper end of the arm 32 is arranged at a lower position, the arm 32 can be made smaller.

[0046] With the above, the description of the specific embodiment is finished, but the present invention can be widely modified and implemented without being limited to the above embodiment. For example, the second spring arm 53 may not be engaged with the arm 32 at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the arm 32. In the above embodiment, the second spring arm 53 has an inclined portion 53a inclined in a direction approaching the first spring arm 52 with respect to the front - rear direction toward the front, but the inclined portion 53a may be omitted. In addition, the specific configurations, arrangements, quantities, materials, angles, etc. of each member and part can be appropriately changed as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. On the other hand, not all of the components shown in the above embodiment are necessarily essential, and they can be appropriately selected.

[0047] 1: Vehicle 2: Sunroof for vehicle 5: Opening 6: Fixed roof 14: Deflector device 16: Side member 16a: Wall 16b: Wall 16c: Wall 16d: Wall 23: Rail groove 24: Groove 31: Base 32: Arm 33: Deflector blade 34: Coil spring 42: First side wall 42e: Protrusion 51: Coil section 52: First spring arm 53: Second spring arm 53a: Inclined section 53b: Main arm section 53c: Engaging section

Claims

1. A deflector device for a vehicle sunroof, comprising: a pair of bases attached to a pair of side members extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right edges of an opening formed in a fixed roof; a pair of arms extending forward from the bases and rotatably supported by the bases; a deflector blade stretched across the pair of arms and extending in the left-right direction along the front edge of the opening, movable between an extended position projecting upward from the opening and a retracted position housed below the opening; and a pair of torsion coil springs biasing the arms upward, wherein the coil portion of each torsion coil spring is positioned behind the arm and overlapping with the arm in the left-right direction.

2. The deflector device according to claim 1, wherein the side member has a rail groove that is recessed downward and extends in the front-rear direction, the base is disposed in the rail groove and has a first side wall facing the side of the coil portion in one direction in the left-right direction, and a protrusion projecting from the first side wall in the other direction in the left-right direction, the coil portion is disposed in the rail groove and pivotally supported by the protrusion of the base, its movement in the one direction is restricted by the first side wall, and its movement in the other direction is restricted by the wall of the rail groove on the other side.

3. The deflector device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the deflector blade is in the housing position, the upper end of the arm is at the same position as or lower than the upper end of the coil portion of the torsion coil spring.

4. The deflector device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each torsion coil spring has a first spring arm extending from one end of the coil portion and engaged with the side member or the base, and a second spring arm extending from the other end of the coil portion and engaged with the first spring arm, and when the deflector blade is in the housing position, each of the second spring arms of the torsion coil spring is engaged with the arm at the middle of the longitudinal direction of the arm.

5. The deflector device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each torsion coil spring has a first spring arm extending from one end of the coil portion and locked to the side member or the base, and a second spring arm extending from the other end of the coil portion and locked to the arm, and the second spring arm of each torsion coil spring has an inclined portion that is inclined forward in the longitudinal direction toward the first spring arm, an arm main portion that extends forward from the front end of the inclined portion along the corresponding arm, and an engaging portion that extends laterally from the front end of the arm main portion toward the corresponding arm and engages with the lower surface of the arm.

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