JP2005335655A - Tonneau cover apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tonneau cover apparatus which can hold a grip board in two holding states, i.e., in the horizontal and vertical directions in a nonuse time, and also is excellent in manipulability because complicated manipulation is not necessary when the tonneau cover sheet and the grip board are stored by winding them and are used by drawing out them. <P>SOLUTION: An upper (lower) cushioning engaging member capable of being engaged with a slit shape aperture of a storing case is integrally formed with a locking hook, which is locked and is fixed to an locking device provided on a side portion of a baggage chamber in the case of developing the tonneau cover sheet. In addition, the upper cushioning engaging member is provided with a recessed groove formed thereon, the recessed groove having a curvature approximately equal to that of a thick wall portion of an upper edge of the case, and the surface of the lower cushioning engaging members is formed so as to have stepwise changed tilting angles, and the lower edge of the case projects from the upper edge of the case in the direction of drawing out the tonneau cover sheet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a tonneau cover device that shields a luggage compartment of a vehicle.

Conventionally, in a hatchback type automobile in which the luggage compartment is not partitioned from the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment is provided at the rear part of the rear seat, the cargo placed in the luggage compartment is not visually recognized from the outside. A tonneau cover device comprising a tonneau cover sheet that shields the entire chamber and a cylindrical case that winds and stores the tonneau cover sheet is provided.

In this type of tonneau cover device, a winding shaft to which one end edge portion of the tonneau cover sheet is fixed is rotatably supported in the storage case, and the winding shaft is rotated and biased in the winding direction so that the tonneau cover sheet is Winding can be stored. The tonneau cover device is provided near the rear portion of the rear seat of the luggage compartment, and is configured to cover the cargo compartment by allowing the tonneau cover sheet to be pulled out from the slit-shaped opening formed in the storage case.

For the purpose of preventing the drawer end of the tonneau cover sheet from being taken up inside the drawer end of the tonneau cover sheet by providing a grip portion for grasping by hand and by forming it larger than the drawer opening. The plate-shaped gripping board is coupled to improve operability. In addition, the back door that forms the rear end of the cargo compartment usually has a curved shape on the rear side, so it is possible to cover the entire cargo compartment by making the grip board a shape corresponding to this shape. It can be set as a simple structure.

When using the tonneau cover device, hold the gripping part formed on the gripping board, pull out the tonneau cover sheet from the drawer opening of the storage case against the urging force of the take-up shaft, and attach it to both ends of the gripping board. The hook is locked to a locking device provided on the side of the luggage compartment, and the expanded state of the tonneau cover sheet is maintained and fixed.

Since such a grip board is made of a molded body such as resin having a certain thickness, when the tonneau cover sheet is wound and stored, the grip board hangs down due to its own weight, and when the vehicle travels, the grip board is stored due to vibration or the like. There was a problem that abnormal noise was generated due to interference with the case.

A configuration for solving the above-described problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the tonneau cover device described in this document, a latch is provided on the grip board, and an engagement hole into which the latch is fitted is formed in a cap that covers both ends of the case. By fitting the stopper and the engagement hole, the grip board can be held horizontally, and the above problem can be solved. It is also possible to switch to the holding state in which the grip board is hung vertically.

However, in the tonneau cover device described in Patent Document 1, the engaging member that engages with the cap on the grip board, and the engaging member that engages with the engaging member is attached to the cap attached to both ends of the case. It was necessary to form a hole, and there was a problem that the number of processing steps increased and the cost increased.

A configuration for solving the above problems is disclosed in Patent Document 2 (FIG. 5). In the tonneau cover device described in this document, a pair of locking tools for engaging with a locking portion provided on the vehicle when the tonneau cover sheet 20 is extended and maintaining the extended state are provided at both ends of the grip board. In addition to the first engagement portion that engages with the locking portion of the vehicle, each of the stoppers is integrally formed with a second engagement portion 21 that engages with the slit-like opening 22 of the case. The slit-shaped opening 22 is formed so as to be elastically deformable in the direction of widening the opening width, and the second engaging portion 21 is engaged by being fitted while elastically deforming the slit-shaped opening. Without the need to increase the number of components, the holding board can be held horizontally to prevent drooping. A groove 23 into which the upper edge portion of the slit-like opening is fitted is formed on the upper surface of the second engagement portion 21, and a stopper 24 that contacts the case surface is provided on the lower surface of the second engagement portion 21. By forming, secure fixation is possible.
JP 10-44870 (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-215984) JP 2000-289529 (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-102136)

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, in order to maintain and fix the grip board horizontally so that it does not hang down, the slit-shaped opening of the case is elastically deformed to fit the engaging portion, and the slit is elastically deformed. It is configured to be fixed with an elastic clamping force due to the restoring force of the shape opening, and when removing the locking tool, it is necessary to elastically deform and expand the slit-shaped opening of the case. It is anticipated that the locking tool is damaged, or that the engagement is loosened due to wear of the locking tool or a decrease in the elastic force of the case opening, resulting in abnormal noise. In addition, since the stopper that abuts the surface of the storage case is formed in the engaging part, when you want to make the most of the cargo space, consider taking down the grip board vertically to secure the space. If it is used hanging down, the stopper may interfere with the case or baggage, causing abnormal noise or damage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a holding board in which a locking hook that can be locked to a locking device provided on a side of a luggage compartment when a tonneau cover sheet is extended is coupled to one edge of the tonneau cover sheet. By attaching the engaging member that engages the slit-shaped opening provided in the storage case to the locking hook, the holding board can be held in two types in the horizontal and vertical directions when not in use. In the tonneau cover device, when retracting and storing the tonneau cover sheet and the gripping board and using the tonneau cover sheet and pulling it out, the engaging member is disengaged without elastically deforming the slit-like opening of the storage case, and the gripping board is horizontally and An object of the present invention is to provide a tonneau cover device that can be switched and held vertically and has excellent operability that does not require a complicated operation.

In order to achieve the above object, a tonneau cover device according to claim 1 includes a tonneau cover sheet that shields a cargo compartment at the rear of the vehicle, and a winder so that the tonneau cover sheet can be wound and housed through a slit-like opening. A tonneau cover device comprising a case incorporating a winding shaft provided with a rotation urging means in a direction, and a grip board is coupled to a tip of the tonneau cover sheet, and when the tonneau cover sheet is extended, the luggage compartment side A locking hook that can be locked to a locking device provided in the section is attached to both ends of the gripping board, and the locking hook has an engaging means including upper and lower buffering engaging members. The upper edge of the case and the upper cushioning member of the engaging means are engaged with each other and the lower edge of the case and the engaging means at the time of winding and storing the tonneau cover sheet Lower cushioning and member abuts, characterized in that taking the first gripping board supporting state for supporting the gripping board horizontally.

In addition, when the tonneau cover sheet is wound and stored, the second gripping board that supports the gripping board in the vertical direction by contacting the case and the lower buffer engagement member in place of the first gripping board support state. It is set as the structure which takes a support state selectively (Claim 2).

A concave groove having a curvature similar to the thick part of the case upper edge formed at the opening edge of the case is formed in the upper buffer engagement member (Claim 3). It is set as the structure (Claim 4) which stuck the soft skin material to the contact part.

At the time of winding and storing the tonneau cover sheet, the tonneau cover sheet and the grip board are pulled into the case by the rotation urging means provided on the winding shaft, and the lower cushioning engagement member comes into contact with the lower edge of the case so that the upper (lower) ) The surface of the lower cushioning member is inclined at different angles stepwise so that the cushioning engagement member and the grip board change the track and the concave groove of the upper cushioning engagement member fits into the upper edge of the case. The shape is defined (claim 5).

Further, in the slit-like opening of the case, the case is formed such that the case lower edge thick part is positioned to protrude in the tonneau cover sheet drawing direction from the case upper edge thick part ( Claim 6).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the tonneau cover sheet is extended, it is engaged with the engaging portion provided on the side of the vehicle, and the engaging hook for maintaining and fixing the extended state of the tonneau cover sheet is attached to the grip board. By providing an upper (lower) buffer engagement member that engages with the slit-shaped opening of the case, the holding board can be held and fixed horizontally, and a new fixing device for the holding board or a lock can be provided. It is possible to prevent sagging without the need for parts such as receiving parts. For this reason, it is possible to prevent abnormal noise generated by the gripping board hanging down during traveling and interfering with the case or the luggage.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to selectively take the second support state in which the grip board is positioned vertically instead of the first support state in which the grip board is fixed horizontally when the tonneau cover sheet is stored. Yes, it is possible to expand the cargo space and load larger items.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first supporting state of the grip board, the concave groove having a curvature similar to the thick part of the case upper edge formed at the opening edge of the case is the upper buffer engaging member. In the first supporting state of the gripping board, by increasing the contact area between the thick part of the upper edge of the case and the upper buffering engagement member, a more secure and firm engagement is possible. Can be supported horizontally and stably.

According to the invention of claim 4, a flexible skin material is stuck to the contact portion of the buffer engagement member to the case, and when the tonneau cover sheet is wound and stored, the skin material is Plays the role of a cushion, and when the buffer engagement member comes into contact with the case, it absorbs the impact and prevents unpleasant hitting sound, and prevents the buffer engagement member and the case from being damaged or deformed. It is possible to do. Further, in the second support state in which the grip board is held vertically, the skin material adhered to the buffer engagement member plays a role of a cushion that absorbs an impact, and noise is generated due to rattling during vehicle travel. The effect which prevents is obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the buffer engagement member has a shape in which the vertical width becomes narrower as it approaches the case, and the lower buffer engagement member abutting surface is inclined at various angles. Therefore, the buffer engagement member and the grip board are wound and accommodated in the case while changing the trajectory, and the storage case and the upper (lower) buffer engagement member are not required to be deformed. The concave groove of the upper buffer engagement member fits into the thick part of the case upper edge of the case, and the upper (lower) buffer engagement member engages with the slit-shaped opening of the case, so that the grip board can be held horizontally. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that the engagement becomes loose or the buffer engagement member is damaged due to repeated use in the conventional fitting structure with elastic deformation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the slit-like opening of the case, the case lower edge thick part is positioned so as to protrude from the case upper edge thick part in the tonneau cover drawing direction. At the time of storage, the lower buffer engaging member comes into contact with the thicker portion of the lower edge of the case first, so that the inclined surface formed on the lower buffer engaging member is wound up while being in contact with the thicker portion of the lower edge of the case. Since the engagement member and the holding board are wound up while drawing a track corresponding to the inclined surface formed in the lower buffer engagement member, the upper buffer member and the case upper edge thick wall portion do not interfere with each other. Since the upper edge thick portion can be fitted into the formed concave groove, the holding board can be surely placed in the horizontal support state without deforming the engaging member or the case.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a tonneau cover device according to the present invention. The tonneau cover device 1 is provided behind the rear seat in the rear luggage compartment of the vehicle, and the tonneau cover sheet 4 wound and accommodated in the case 5 is gripped by the grasping board 2 and pulled out toward the rear of the vehicle, and the locking device provided on the vehicle side The tonneau cover sheet 4 is maintained in a stretched state by locking the locking hook 3 (not shown), and the cargo compartment is shielded so that the cargo placed in the cargo compartment is not visible from the outside of the vehicle. Can do.

The case 5 is formed by extruding a metal such as aluminum into a cylinder having a length substantially equal to the interior width of the automobile, and both ends of the cylindrical extrudate are formed by TPO (olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer). It is formed by fitting a cap 11 made of a thermoplastic resin such as the above or various rubbers. A winding shaft to which one end edge portion of the tonneau cover sheet 4 is coupled is incorporated inside the case 5, and both ends of the winding shaft are pivotally supported by the cap 11. The winding shaft has a winding mechanism that is biased in the winding and storing direction of the tonneau cover sheet 4. A recess (not shown) having the same size as that of the cap 11 is provided in the automobile compartment, and the tonneau cover device 1 is mounted and used in a luggage compartment by fitting the cap 11 into the recess. The tonneau cover device 1 is configured to be detachable.

In the case 5, a slit-like opening 6 larger than the width of the tonneau cover sheet 4 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the case 5. The tonneau cover sheet 4 is made of a flexible and light-shielding material such as vinyl chloride leather, and one end edge thereof is fixed to a winding shaft built in the case 5, and the other end edge opposite to the end edge is a rear of the cargo compartment. A hard resin grip board 2 having a shape along the edge is fixed. The grip board 2 not only facilitates the pulling out of the tonneau cover sheet 4, but also allows the non-rectangular luggage compartment rear portion to be covered along the shape of the back door as described above. Further, the grip board 2 is made thicker than the slit-shaped opening 6 or the length of the grip board 2 is made longer than the slit-shaped opening 6 so that the grip board 2 can be It also plays a role of a stopper that prevents it from being pulled into the 5. When the tonneau cover sheet 4 is wound and stored, the buffering engagement member formed on the locking hook 3 attached to both ends of the gripping board 2 and the slit-shaped opening 6 are engaged with each other, thereby holding the gripping board 2 horizontally. The first holding board is supported.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view (a) and a front view (b) of the locking hook 3. The holding board is sandwiched and fixed by the support part upper piece 3a and the support part lower piece 3b, and the locking hook 3 is attached and fixed to the holding board by inserting a screw into the screw hole 3e and fixing it. An upper buffer engaging member 7 and a lower buffer engaging member 8 are integrally formed on the locking hook 3, and the upper (lower) buffer engaging member engages with the slit-like opening 6. The upper buffer engagement member 7 and the lower buffer engagement member 8 are formed integrally from the support portion upper piece 3 a and the support portion lower piece 3 b of the locking hook 3, respectively. It is formed to bulge in the direction to be. Further, in order to maintain the extended state in which the tonneau cover sheet 4 is pulled out from the case 5 in the locking hook 3, a locking groove 3c and a locking portion that can be locked to a locking device provided on the vehicle side. 3d is integrally formed. The locking hook 3 is preferably made of a material having excellent strength characteristics, wear resistance and fatigue resistance, such as POM (polyacetal), PP (polypropylene), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate).

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. One end of the tonneau cover sheet 4 is coupled to a winding shaft 9 urged in the winding direction, and the other end is coupled to the grip board 2. The case 5 is provided with a screw groove 10 for fixing the cap 11 attached to both ends of the case 5. The edge of the case 5 constituting the opening of the case 5 is integrally formed with a thick part (case upper edge thick part 5a, case lower edge thick part 5b) having a curvature. After the upper buffer engaging member 7 bulges from the locking hook 3 and bends downward once, the tip in the bulging direction protrudes upward to form a convex portion 7b. As a result, a relative portion is formed in front of the convex portion 7b. A concave groove 7a is formed. At this time, the concave groove 7a is formed so as to have a curvature similar to that of the case upper edge thick portion 5a, and the upper edge thick portion 5a and the concave groove 7a engage with each other, thereby enabling reliable fixing. It has become.

Further, the outer surface of the lower buffer engagement member 8 has a shape inclined in an upward direction, and the slit opening 6 is formed by the winding force of the winding shaft 9 when the tonneau cover sheet 4 is wound and stored. The inclined surface of the lower shock-absorbing engagement member 8 formed on the locking hook 3 wound together with the tonneau cover sheet and the case lower edge thick portion 5b come into contact with each other, and along the inclined surface, The upper (lower) buffer engagement member moves until it reaches the engagement position with the case opening. Here, the inclined surface of the lower buffer engaging member has a shape composed of a plurality of inclined surfaces having different angles in stages, and therefore, the locking hook 3 changes the direction while the slit-shaped opening 6 changes. Therefore, the upper (lower) buffer engagement member can be engaged with the slit-shaped opening without elastically deforming the opening or the engagement member of the case.

At this time, the case 5 is formed in the slit-shaped opening 6 of the case 5 such that the case lower edge thick portion 5b is positioned so as to protrude from the case upper edge thick portion 5a in the drawing direction of the tonneau cover sheet 4. Therefore, when the tonneau cover sheet 4 is wound and stored, before the upper buffer engagement member 7 and the case upper edge thick portion 5a abut, the lower buffer engagement member 8 and the case lower edge thick wall Since the portion 5b abuts, the tip end portion of the upper buffer engagement member 7 is caught by the thick portion at the upper edge of the case and cannot reach the engagement position, and the holding board 2 is in a normal holding state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such a problem that it is held at a halfway position. In addition, a flexible skin material 12 is attached to the contact surface of the lower cushioning engagement member 8 with the case lower edge thick portion 5b, and the case lower edge thick portion 5b during winding and storing. When it comes into contact with the vehicle, it plays the role of a cushion, so that it is possible to prevent the generation of unpleasant hitting sound, and also to prevent the generation of noise due to rattling when the vehicle is running in the second holding board support state. As the skin material 12, various nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, leather skin materials and the like can be used, and it is particularly suitable to use a nonwoven fabric. Since the nonwoven fabric has a small friction coefficient on the surface, smooth sliding is ensured when the lower buffer engagement member 8 slides while contacting the case lower edge thick portion 5b, and is used in the tonneau cover device of the present invention. Suitable for

4 (a), 4 (b), and 4 (c), the grip board 2, the locking hook 3, and the upper (lower) buffer engagement members 7 and 8 are wound and stored from the usage state, and the first The mode until the gripping board support state of FIG. 4 is switched to the second gripping board support state from the first gripping board support state in FIGS. 4D, 4E, and 4F. showed that.

The use state of the tonneau cover device, that is, the grasping board 2 is grasped, the tonneau cover sheet 4 is pulled out from the case 5, and the engaging grooves 3c and the engaging portions 3d of the engaging hooks 3 attached to both ends of the grasping board 2 are arranged on the vehicle side. From the state where the tonneau cover sheet 4 is held in the extended state by being locked by the provided locking device, it is grasped with the grip board 2 by hand, and the lock between the locking device and the locking hook 3 is released and the hand is released. Is released, the tonneau cover sheet 4 is automatically wound by the winding force of the winding shaft 9. Here, since the grip board 2 is integrated with the tonneau cover sheet 4, the grip board 2 is pulled in the direction of the case 5, so that the case lower edge thick portion 5 b and the lower end portion of the lower buffer engagement member 8 are engaged. Abut against each other (FIG. 4A).

At this time, the case lower edge thick part 5b protrudes more in the pulling-out direction of the tonneau cover sheet 4 than the case upper edge thick part so that the upper buffer engagement member 7 and the case upper edge thick part 5a do not contact each other. And the positional relationship among the case upper edge thick part 5a, the case lower edge thick part 5b, and the winding shaft is set to the tip of the lower buffer engagement member 8 during winding and storing. It is optimally designed from the relationship with the weight of the grip board so that the portion and the case lower edge thick wall portion come into contact as shown in the figure.

In order to move from the state of FIG. 4 (a) along the slope formed stepwise on the outer surface of the lower buffer engagement member by the winding force of the winding shaft 4, the upper buffer engagement A convex portion 7b formed at the tip of the member 7 goes inward of the case upper edge thick portion 5a into the case, and the concave groove 7a and the case upper edge thick portion 5a are fitted together to form a first holding board. The support state can be taken (FIGS. 4B and 4C).

In order to switch from the first holding board support state to the second holding board support state in which the holding board is suspended vertically, the end portion of the holding board 2 is lifted, and the case upper edge thick portion 5a The upper buffer engagement member 7 is disengaged from the concave groove 7a (FIG. 4 (d)), and the lower buffer engagement member 8 and the case are connected to the case lower edge thick portion 5b and the outer periphery of the case. Then, the grip board 2 is pulled down (FIG. 4 (e)) and positioned so as to be in the second grip board support state of FIG. 4 (f).

It is the perspective view which showed the embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view and front view of the latching hook of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the AA line of FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the aspect which an up-and-down buffer engagement member engages with slit-shaped opening. It is sectional drawing which showed the engagement state of the conventional tonneau cover apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tonneau cover apparatus 2 Holding board 3 Locking hook 3a Support part upper piece 3b Support part lower piece 3c Locking groove 3d Locking part 3e Screw hole 4 Tonneau cover sheet 5 Case 5a Case upper edge thick part 5b Case lower edge thick part 6 Slit-shaped opening 7 Upper buffer engagement member 7a Concave groove 7b Convex part 8 Lower buffer engagement member 8a Tip part 9 Winding shaft 10 Thread groove 11 Cap 12 Skin material

Claims (6)

A tonneau cover sheet that shields the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle, and a case with a built-in winding shaft provided with a rotation biasing means in the winding direction so that the tonneau cover sheet can be wound and stored through the slit-shaped opening; A tonneau cover device comprising: a grip board is coupled to a tip of the tonneau cover sheet, and a locking hook that can be locked to a locking device provided on the side of the luggage compartment when the tonneau cover sheet is unfolded. The holding hook is attached to both ends of the holding board, and the engaging hook has an engaging means for the case, and the engaging means engages with a slit-like opening provided in the case. And the case upper edge engaging member in the slit-like opening engages with the upper buffer engaging member in the slit-like opening when the tonneau cover sheet is wound and stored. The edge thickness meat portion engages and the lower cushioning engagement member of the engagement means, vehicle tonneau cover device characterized by taking the first gripping board supporting state for horizontally supporting said gripping board. At the time of winding and storing the tonneau cover sheet, instead of the first holding board support state, a second buffering board support that supports the holding board in a vertical direction by contacting a lower buffer engagement member on the outside of the case The vehicle tonneau cover device according to claim 1, wherein a state can be selectively taken. The vehicular tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a concave groove having a curvature similar to that of the thick portion at the upper edge of the case is formed in the upper buffer engagement member. The vehicular tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flexible skin material is attached to a contact portion of the buffer engagement member with the case. 2. The tonneau cover device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the lower buffer engagement member with the case is inclined to change the angle stepwise. 2. The case is formed in the slit-like opening of the case so that the case lower edge thick part is positioned to protrude in the tonneau cover sheet drawing direction from the case upper edge thick part. A vehicle tonneau cover device according to claim 1.

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