JP2007276544A - Aerodynamic fin device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move a fin main body in simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: In the aerodynamic fin device 10, a fin main body 22 is held at a storage position by energization force of an energization member while a vehicle 12 advances straight. As the vehicle 12 turns, the fin main body 22 provided on a door on the opposite side to the turning direction of the vehicle 12 moves to a projection position against the energization force of the energization member due to centrifugal force F3. At this time, the vehicle 12 rolls in the direction of arrow A due to centrifugal force F2, so that high pressure is generated below the fin main body 22 (as illustrated with dots) to add aerodynamic force to the fin main body 22 in such a direction as to restrict the rolling of the vehicle 12 (as illustrated with arrow F4). Rolling of the vehicle 12 is thus restricted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an aerodynamic fin device for improving running stability of a vehicle such as an automobile.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a high-speed stabilization device for an automobile has been devised that suppresses rolling that occurs when a vehicle receives a crosswind by an aerodynamic fin provided along the front-rear direction on the roof of the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). reference). In this high-speed stabilizer, the aerodynamic fin is configured to be moved by the driving force of the actuator between a protruding position protruding from the surface of the roof and a storage position stored in a recess formed in the roof.
JP-A-6-156326

  However, since the aerodynamic fin is moved by the actuator as described above in the high-speed stabilizing device having the above configuration, the overall configuration of the device is complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an aerodynamic fin device capable of moving a fin body with a simple configuration in consideration of the above facts.

  The aerodynamic fin device according to the first aspect of the present invention is movable between a protruding position protruding from the side surface of the vehicle and a storage position stored inside the vehicle and is always urged to the storage position. A fin body is provided that generates an aerodynamic force in a direction that suppresses rolling of the vehicle by moving to the protruding position against the urging force by a centrifugal force acting on itself during turning.

  The storage position according to claim 1 may be a position where the entire fin body is retracted from the side surface of the vehicle, or a position where a part of the fin body protrudes from the side surface of the vehicle. Any position is acceptable.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is traveling straight, the fin body is held at the retracted position by the urging force, and when the vehicle turns, the fin body moves to the protruding position by the centrifugal force acting on itself. The aerodynamic force is generated in a direction that suppresses rolling of the vehicle. For this reason, a special mechanism for moving the fin body is unnecessary and the configuration is simple.

  An aerodynamic fin device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the aerodynamic fin device according to the first aspect, wherein the fin body is provided so as to be inclined rearwardly with respect to the vehicle and interfere with a traveling wind of the vehicle. It is characterized by generating lift.

  In the invention described in claim 2, since lift is generated in the fin body, rolling of the vehicle can be more positively suppressed.

  An aerodynamic fin device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the aerodynamic fin device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the fin body is provided at a vehicle front-rear direction central portion of the vehicle side portion. Yes.

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the fin body is provided in the vehicle front-rear direction center portion of the vehicle side, that is, a position close to the center of gravity of the vehicle, the rolling of the vehicle is stably performed (the vehicle is caused to perform an unnecessary behavior). Without).

  An aerodynamic fin device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the aerodynamic fin device according to the second aspect, wherein the fin body is provided on the vehicle front side of the vehicle side portion.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since lift is generated in the fin body provided on the vehicle front side of the vehicle side portion when the vehicle is turning, pitching generated in the vehicle by turning can be suppressed.

  As described above, in the aerodynamic fin device according to the present invention, the fin body can be moved with a simple configuration.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a left side view of a vehicle (automobile) 12 to which an aerodynamic fin device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the aerodynamic fin device 10. In the figure, the arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction, the arrow FR indicates the vehicle front direction, and the arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

  The vehicle 12 according to the first embodiment has two doors 14 on both the left and right (vehicle width direction) sides, and the aerodynamic fin device 10 is provided on each of the four doors 14. As shown in FIG. 3A, the aerodynamic fin device 10 is a long plate-like fin body 22 disposed immediately above the door impact beam 20 between the inner panel 16 and the outer panel 18 of the door 14. have. The fin body 22 is horizontally attached to the vehicle 12 in a state where the longitudinal direction thereof is in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12, and a through hole 24 formed in the outer panel 18 and a door molding attached to the outer panel 18. 26 is inserted into a through-hole 28 formed in 26. The fin body 22 is slidable in the vehicle width direction.

  On one end in the longitudinal direction and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the fin body 22, a spring shaft 30 formed in a columnar shape is provided at one end in the width direction facing the inside of the vehicle 12. As shown in FIG. 3A, the spring shaft 30 is formed in a stepped columnar shape having a small diameter portion 32 and a large diameter portion 34, and the tip of the small diameter portion 32 is fixed to the fin body 22. . A torsion coil spring 36 is provided on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 32. One end of the torsion coil spring 36 is in contact with the edge of the through hole 24 of the outer panel 18, and the other end in the axial direction is in contact with the large-diameter portion 34. The fin body 22 is urged toward the inside of the vehicle 12 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 36, and the large-diameter portion 34 abuts against a stopper (not shown) so that the storage position (FIG. 3A and FIG. The position shown in B) is held. In a state where the fin body 22 is held at the retracted position, the fin body 22 is retracted to the inside of the door 14, and as shown in FIG. The front surface of the fin body 22 is configured to coincide with the design surface of the vehicle 12.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 12 turns to the right as shown in FIG. 4 (see the arrow R), as shown in FIG. Is applied with a centrifugal force F1 directed outward in the vehicle width direction. When this centrifugal force F1 is greater than the urging force of the torsion coil spring 36, the fin body 22 moves outward in the vehicle width direction, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the centrifugal force F <b> 1 is held in a state of moving to a protruding position protruding from the surface of the door molding 26 (the position shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B). . Similarly, when the vehicle 12 turns to the left, the fin body 22 provided on the door 14 on the right side of the vehicle 12 is moved to the protruding position.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the aerodynamic fin device 10 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, when the vehicle 12 is traveling straight (see t <b> 1), the fin body 22 is held in the retracted position by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 36. Yes.

  When the vehicle 12 turns left (see t2), the fin body 22 provided on the door 14 on the right side (outside of the turn) of the vehicle 12 moves to the protruding position against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 36 by the centrifugal force F3. To do. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle 12 rolls in the direction of arrow A (upwardly to the left) by the centrifugal force F2, so that high pressure is generated on the lower side of the fin body 22 (see the dot portion). ), Aerodynamic force (reaction force due to air resistance) in the direction of suppressing (canceling) rolling of the vehicle 12 is generated in the fin body 22 (see arrow F4). Thereby, rolling of the vehicle 12 is suppressed.

  When the vehicle 12 returns straight (see t3), the fin body 22 of the door 14 on the right side of the vehicle 12 that has moved to the protruding position as described above is moved to the retracted position by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 36.

  When the vehicle 12 turns to the right (see t4), the fin body 22 provided on the door 14 on the left side (outside of the turn) of the vehicle 12 moves to the protruding position against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 36 by the centrifugal force F1. To do. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle 12 rolls in the direction of arrow B (upwardly to the right) by the centrifugal force F5, so that a high pressure is generated below the fin body 22 (see dot portion). ), Aerodynamic force (reaction force due to air resistance) in the direction of suppressing (canceling) rolling of the vehicle 12 is generated in the fin body 22 (see arrow F6). Thereby, rolling of the vehicle 12 is suppressed.

  When the vehicle 12 returns straight (see t5), the fin body 22 of the door 14 on the left side of the vehicle 12 that has moved to the protruding position as described above is moved to the retracted position by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 36.

  Here, in FIG. 9A, the relationship between the centrifugal force generated in the fin body 22 provided in the door 14 on the left side of the vehicle 12 and the time when the vehicle 12 turns to the right is shown by a diagram. FIG. 9B shows the relationship between the amount of protrusion of the fin body 22 and time in a diagram corresponding to FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9C shows the roll rate of the vehicle 12. The relationship between time and time is shown by the diagrams corresponding to FIGS. 9A and 9B. In FIG. 9C, the case where the aerodynamic fin device 10 is activated is indicated by a dotted line, and the case where the aerodynamic fin device 10 is not activated is indicated by a solid line.

  From FIG. 9C, when the aerodynamic fin device 10 is operated, that is, when the vehicle 12 turns, the fin body 22 is moved to the protruding position, and aerodynamic force in a direction to suppress rolling generated in the vehicle 12 due to the turning is generated. In this case, it can be seen that the roll rate of the vehicle 12 is reduced.

  As described above, in the aerodynamic fin device 10 according to the first embodiment, the fin body 22 is automatically moved from the retracted position to the protruding position by the centrifugal force when the vehicle 12 turns, so that the configuration is simple. In addition, since an actuator or the like for moving the fin body 22 is unnecessary, the installation space can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the weight can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the aerodynamic fin device 10 according to the first embodiment, the fin body 22 is stored in the retracted position when the vehicle 12 is traveling straight, that is, when the aerodynamic force is not required, so that the air resistance coefficient of the vehicle 12 is unnecessary. The increase can be suppressed.

  In addition, the aerodynamic fin device 10 (fin body 22) according to the first embodiment is configured such that the door 14 of the vehicle 12 (the center in the vehicle front-rear direction on the side of the vehicle), that is, the center of gravity of the vehicle 12 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the rolling of the vehicle 12 can be stably suppressed (without causing the vehicle 12 to perform an unnecessary behavior).

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that configurations and operations that are basically the same as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 10 is a left side view of a vehicle 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 10, illustration of the door molding 26 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience of explanation. In the vehicle 50, the right side portion has the same configuration as the left side portion.

  The vehicle 50 has basically the same configuration as that of the vehicle 12 according to the first embodiment, but in this vehicle 50, the fin body 22 of the aerodynamic fin device 10 is inclined downwardly with respect to the vehicle 50. And is configured to generate lift by interfering with the traveling wind of the vehicle 52. For this reason, in this embodiment, rolling of the vehicle 52 can be more positively suppressed.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 11 shows a left side view of a vehicle 60 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 11, illustration of the door molding 26 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience of explanation. In the vehicle 60, the right side portion has the same configuration as the left side portion.

  The vehicle 60 has basically the same configuration as that of the vehicle 12 according to the first embodiment, but the front end and the rear end of the side of the vehicle 60 are in the vicinity of a belt line molding (not shown). An aerodynamic fin device 10 is provided for each. The fin body 22 of the aerodynamic fin device 10 provided at the rear end portion of the vehicle 60 is provided horizontally with respect to the vehicle 60. On the other hand, the aerodynamic fin device 10 provided at the front end portion of the vehicle 60 and the fin body 22 of the aerodynamic fin device 10 provided at each door 14 are provided so as to be inclined rearward with respect to the vehicle 60. It is configured to generate lift by interfering with the traveling wind of the vehicle 52. Moreover, the inclination angles of these fin bodies 22 are set so as to become gentler toward the vehicle rear side, and the fin bodies 22 arranged on the vehicle front side generate larger lift.

  In this embodiment, not only rolling of the vehicle 60 can be suppressed, but also the fin body 22 on the front side of the vehicle generates a large lift, so that when the vehicle 60 is pitched by turning (the front side outside the turning of the vehicle 52 is This pitching can be suppressed even when the vehicle is depressed, and the running state of the vehicle 60 can be further stabilized.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 12 is a left side view of a vehicle 70 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 12, illustration of the door molding 26 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience of explanation. In the vehicle 70, the right side portion has the same configuration as the left side portion.

  In this vehicle 70, the aerodynamic fin device 10 having basically the same configuration as that of the aerodynamic fin device 10 according to the first embodiment includes the upper and lower body panels of the door 14 (the door upper parting and the locker vicinity), and It is provided on the upper body panel of the front and rear fenders. Also in this embodiment, rolling of the vehicle 70 can be suppressed by aerodynamic force generated in each fin body 22 (see FIG. 13).

  In the aerodynamic fin device 10 according to the first to fourth embodiments, the fin body 22 is biased to the retracted position by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 36. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. Instead of the torsion coil spring 36, another elastic body may be used. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which connects a weight to a fin body via a wire etc. and urges | biases a fin body to a storing position with this weight.

  In the aerodynamic fin device 10 according to the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment, the fin body 22 is moved between the protruding position and the storage position by sliding with the centrifugal force. Not limited to this, the fin body 22 may be moved between the protruding position and the storage position by rotating around the support shaft by centrifugal force.

1 is a left side view of a vehicle to which an aerodynamic fin device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view showing composition of an aerodynamic fin device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. The fin body of the aerodynamic fin apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is shown in the state arrange | positioned in the retracted position, (A) is a 3-3 sectional view of (B), (B) is a perspective view. It is. It is a top view showing the state where the vehicle concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention is turning right. The fin body of the aerodynamic fin apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is shown in the state arrange | positioned in the protrusion position, (A) is a 5-5 sectional view taken on the line, (B) is a perspective view. It is. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the travel locus | trajectory of a vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, a roll attitude | position, and the aerodynamic force which arises in a fin body. It is the figure which looked at the state which the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is turning to the left from the vehicle rear side. It is the figure which looked at the state which the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is turning rightward from the vehicle rear side. (A) is a diagram showing the relationship between the centrifugal force generated in the fin body provided on the door on the left side of the vehicle when the vehicle turns to the right and time, and (B) is the amount of protrusion of the fin body and time. FIG. 4C is a diagram corresponding to (A) showing the relationship, and (C) is a diagram corresponding to (A) and (B) showing the relationship between the roll rate of the vehicle and time. It is a left view of the vehicle which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a left view of the vehicle which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a left view of the vehicle which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the state which the vehicle which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention is turning rightward from the vehicle rear side.

Explanation of symbols

10 Aerodynamic fin device 12 Vehicle 22 Fin body

Claims (4)

  It is movable between a protruding position protruding from the side of the vehicle and a storage position stored inside the vehicle and is always urged to the storage position, and resists the urging force by centrifugal force acting on itself when the vehicle turns. Then, the aerodynamic fin device includes a fin body that moves to the protruding position and generates aerodynamic force in a direction that suppresses rolling of the vehicle.   The aerodynamic fin device according to claim 1, wherein the fin body is provided so as to be inclined rearwardly with respect to the vehicle, and generates lift by interfering with a traveling wind of the vehicle.   The aerodynamic fin device according to claim 1, wherein the fin body is provided in a vehicle front-rear direction center portion of a vehicle side portion.   The aerodynamic fin device according to claim 2, wherein the fin body is provided on a vehicle front side of a vehicle side portion.

Images