JP4563860B2 - Tonneau cover device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tonneau cover device that shields a cargo space behind a rear seat in a one-box type automobile such as a hatchback or a station wagon.

  In a one-box type vehicle equipped with a luggage compartment space behind the rear seat, a shielding means such as a tonneau cover device may be provided for the purpose of preventing the cargo loaded in the luggage compartment space from being visually recognized from outside the vehicle. Many. The tonneau cover device has a flexible sheet-like cover and a shaft around which the cover is wound. The shaft is biased by a spring member or the like in the direction of winding the cover, and is disposed in a tonneau cover case that can store the cover wound on the shaft.

  The tonneau cover case is usually arranged near the front end of the cargo space, and therefore near the rear seat, and the user pulls out the cover and pulls the end to the locking portion provided near the rear edge of the cargo space. By hooking, the upper part of the cargo space can be covered with a cover. At this time, when the rear seat has a reclining function, it is necessary to provide a space between the seat back of the rear seat and the tonneau cover case so that the seat back does not get caught on the tonneau cover case when reclining. For this reason, in the state where the seat back is raised, the space between the seat back and the tonneau cover case and the back of the cargo space can be seen from the space. Conventionally, in order to shield such a space, a method of attaching a separately formed sheet-like or plate-like sub-cover to a tonneau cover case is known.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the tonneau cover device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disposed in a tonneau cover case 22 that winds and houses the main cover 21 so as to cover the space above the rear seat. A sub cover 23 is attached. The sub-cover 23 has a plate-like movable portion 24 that can swing around a shaft (not shown) at the rear of the seat back 26 of the rear seat. The movable portion 24 is urged to rotate, the rear end thereof is in contact with the back surface of the seat back 6, and swings following the reclining of the seat back 26.

  However, in the configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1, many members such as a shaft for oscillating support and a spring member for biasing are necessary, and the structure of the entire tonneau cover device becomes complicated. Also, it takes time to assemble. As described above, providing the sub-cover increases the weight, man-hours, and cost of the tonneau cover device. In addition, the tonneau cover device is preferably removable when it is not necessary to load a load or when a large load that cannot be covered by the cover is loaded. In this case, the plate-like sub cover and the tonneau cover case are preferably attached. In the integrated configuration, it is difficult for the user to attach and remove, and there is also a problem that it is inconvenient because a large space is required to store the removed tonneau cover device.

  As one measure for solving the above problems, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 2. In this technique, as shown in FIG. 7, a flexible sheet-like sub-cover 30 is used to shield the space between the seat back and the tonneau cover case 40. A thick edge 31 is formed on one edge of the sub cover 30, and the thick edge 31 can be inserted from the side on the outer surface of the tonneau cover 40, and the opening on the seat back side is thick. A concave groove 41 that is narrower than the meat edge 31 is formed. Therefore, the sub cover 30 can be attached to the tonneau cover case 40 by inserting the thick end edge 31 into the concave groove 41 and fitting the end caps 44 to both ends of the tonneau cover case 40. The sub-cover 30 is stretched over a space between the sub-cover 30 and the seat back by inserting an opening 34 formed on the seat back side into a leg portion of the headrest of the rear seat. Since the sub-cover 30 is formed of a flexible seat, when the seat back is reclined, the sub-cover 30 is bent and the reclining operation is not hindered.

In the configuration of Patent Document 2, parts such as a shaft and a spring member are unnecessary, and the number of parts is reduced and the structure is simplified. In addition, the attaching operation of the sub-cover 30 can be simplified because it is not necessary to use a special tool, and the storage property is improved.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-89367 Japanese Patent No. 3313295

  Although the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above can achieve a simplified structure as compared with the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 as described above, the attachment of the sub-cover 30 There is room for improvement in terms of workability. That is, the concave groove 41 and the thick edge 31 of the sub-cover 30 inserted into the groove 41 are relatively long over the width of the automobile, and the insertion work along this long direction is not necessarily workable. Not good. Moreover, the operation | work which attaches the opening 34 of the sub cover 30 to the leg part of a headrest, etc. is complicated in the point that it is necessary to remove a headrest once, and there exists room for improvement.

  In particular, when the tonneau cover device is appropriately removed and reattached, the user needs to perform the work of attaching the sub cover to the rear seat side, and from the viewpoint of convenience, improvement of the attachment and removal work is desired. . Regarding the attachment of the sub cover 30 to the rear seat side, it is conceivable to improve the workability by using an engaging means such as a hook. In this case, however, the number of parts and the weight of the tonneau cover device increase. Leading to an increase in manufacturing man-hours.

  Further, when the sub cover 30 is made of a flexible seat, there is a concern that when the seat back is reclined, the sub cover 30 is bent and wavy, so that the appearance is not so good. The configuration of Patent Document 2 also has room for improvement in this respect.

  The present invention has a configuration in which a tonneau cover for shielding a luggage compartment located behind the rear seat is wound and stored, and a shield for shielding a space for allowing reclining between the storing portion of the tonneau cover and the rear seat. In a tonneau cover apparatus in which a member is attached to a storage portion of a tonneau cover, an object is to simplify the attachment structure of the shielding member, to easily attach and remove the shielding member, and to improve the appearance.

In order to achieve the above object, a tonneau cover device according to the present invention includes a tonneau cover for shielding an upper part of a cargo space provided behind a rear seat of an automobile, a tonneau cover case for winding and accommodating the tonneau cover, and a tonneau cover case. A releasably attached shielding member, which is urged to rotate by a string spring attached to the attachment end portion of the shielding member and brought into contact with the back surface of the seat back of the rear seat for reclining operation of the seat back A shielding member that swings following , and the shielding member is attached to the tonneau cover case by being fitted to the mating structure portion provided on the outer surface of the tonneau cover case . The string spring has a concave groove and a locking projection formed on the inner surface of the concave groove. Is characterized that you have held in the groove against the shielding member to the inner surface of the groove.

  According to this configuration, the structure for attaching the shielding member for shielding the space between the tonneau cover case and the seat back necessary for the reclining of the rear seat to the tonneau cover case is simplified, and the attaching and detaching operations are performed. Can be simplified. Since the attaching and detaching operations are simple, the tonneau cover device can be removed as appropriate and can be conveniently stored in a compact space. Further, since the shielding member swings to follow the reclining operation of the seat back, the shielding member itself can be prevented from being deformed by the following operation, and the appearance can be maintained well.

According to the configuration of this, the same helical spring, the rotation biasing the shielding member of the shielding member, because it utilizes both the attachment by fitting, to reduce the number of parts and manufacturing steps, manufacturing cost Can be reduced.

Further, in the tonneau cover device of the present invention, the concave groove is formed on the side surface of the tonneau cover case, and in the shielding member, the upper surface of the portion adjacent to the concave groove and the upper surface of the tonneau cover case are located on the same plane. possible way, can be configured to have a stepped portion between the portion located outside of the part and a concave groove which is disposed in the groove. According to this configuration, the upper surface of the shielding member and the upper surface of the tonneau cover case are usually adjacent to each other in the same plane, and the tonneau cover case and the shielding member appear to be integrated to improve the appearance. be able to.

  The shielding member can be configured to swing downward as the seat back is tilted. In this case, the shielding member is preferably curved so as to be convex upward. Thereby, when the rear seat is reclined, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the occurrence of a catch between the seat back and the shielding member and hindering the operation. Moreover, since the edge part by the side of a rear seat of a shielding member becomes a structure which faces below, the effect | action which makes it difficult to look in a luggage compartment more is also acquired.

  According to the present invention, since the shielding member is configured to be attached to the tonneau cover case by being fitted in the fitting structure portion provided on the outer surface of the tonneau cover case in the direction toward the tonneau cover case, the attachment structure is simplified. In addition, the attachment / detachment work can be facilitated. Further, since the shielding member swings and follows the reclining operation of the rear seat, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the shielding member due to the following operation and to maintain a good appearance.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a tonneau cover device 1 according to the present embodiment as seen from above, with a part of a tonneau cover case 3 broken away, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views.

  The tonneau cover device 1 has a tonneau cover case 3 in which a sheet-like tonneau cover 6 is wound around a take-up shaft 8 and can be stored. Although not shown in detail, the take-up shaft 8 is provided with a mechanism made of a spring member or the like that urges the take-up shaft 8 to rotate in the direction in which the tonneau cover 6 is taken up.

  The tonneau cover case 3 can be made of a metal such as aluminum or various resin materials in a predetermined shape by injection molding or extrusion molding. The tonneau cover case 3 is hollow so as to accommodate the tonneau cover 6, has a cylindrical shape slightly longer than the width of the tonneau cover 6, and has an elongated opening 3 a extending substantially over the entire length for pulling out the tonneau cover 6. Have. Further, end caps 4 that shield openings at both ends of the hollow portion are fitted to both ends of the tonneau cover case 3 in the length direction.

  The tonneau cover case 3 has a length that extends over almost the entire width of the automobile, and is attached by engaging the end caps 4 at both ends with locking portions provided on the side walls of the automobile. Therefore, the end cap 4 is preferably formed of a flexible resin, or preferably has a structure in which a nonwoven fabric or the like is adhered to the surface, thereby providing a buffering function and between the side wall locking portions. The occurrence of problems such as rubbing and generation of unpleasant noises for passengers can be suppressed.

  Although not shown in detail, a board that is wider than the length of the opening 3a of the tonneau cover case 3 or thicker than the width of the opening 3a can be integrally attached to the tonneau cover 6 at the end of the tonneau cover case 3. . Therefore, this board is caught in the opening of the case when the cover is wound up. The board can be provided with a handle so that it can be grasped by hand, whereby the user can easily grasp the board and pull out the tonneau cover 6.

  Although not shown, in the present embodiment, the tonneau cover device 1 is used in a one-box type vehicle in which a rear portion of a rear seat having a reclining function can be used as a cargo space. In this automobile, the tonneau cover case 3 is located at a height slightly below the lower ends of the side window and the rear window, at a predetermined distance from the back of the seat back so as not to hit when the seat back is tilted behind the rear seat. The opening 3a is attached to the rear. The tonneau cover 6 is pulled out from the opening 3a of the tonneau cover case 3 attached in this manner, and the engaging portion provided on the above-described end board of the tonneau cover 6 is provided near the rear end of the cargo space. The upper part of the cargo space can be covered with the tonneau cover 6 by being hooked on the stop. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the baggage from being viewed through the window from the outside of the automobile.

  The tonneau cover device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a shielding member 2 that can be attached to and detached from the tonneau cover case 3 and covers an upper portion of the space between the tonneau cover case 3 and the seat back of the rear seat. The shielding member 2 is a plate-like member having a certain rigidity, and can mainly include a base material formed by injection molding or the like from a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. It is preferable to stick a skin material made of a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric on the outer surface of the shielding member 2, thereby improving the design as an interior material.

  As will be described later, the shielding member 2 can swing around one edge attached to the tonneau cover case 3 when the seat back of the rear seat is tilted. At this time, in the present embodiment, the rear seat is a divided seat that can recline the seat back divided in the width direction of the automobile, and the shielding member 2 is configured to each seat accordingly. Divided into multiple parts to accommodate the back.

  A string spring 5 is attached to one edge of each shielding member 2 at three locations near both ends in the width direction and near the center in the example shown in FIG. As shown in more detail in FIG. 4, the coiled spring 5 has pins 7 inserted in the hollow portion in the center, and both ends of the pin 7 are protrusions positioned on both sides of the stringed spring 5 of the shielding member 2. It is attached to the shielding member 2 by being inserted into a hole 2b formed in 2a. Both ends of the string spring 5 are arm portions 5a and 5b extending substantially linearly.

  On the other hand, the tonneau cover case 3 is formed with a concave groove 3b for attaching the shielding member 2 to the side surface facing the rear seat. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the concave groove 3b is formed by an extension 3c of the upper wall of the tonneau cover case 3 and an inclined portion 3d extending downward from the upper wall toward the rear seat side, The cross section has a wedge shape. A locking projection 3e is formed near the lower end of the inclined portion 3d.

  In this configuration, the shielding member 2 is fitted into the concave groove 3b by using the elastic force of the string spring 5. That is, in the fitted state, as shown in FIG. 3, one arm portion 5b of the coiled spring 5 is in contact with the inclined portion 3d of the concave groove 3b and the end portion is in contact with and held by the locking projection 3e. The other arm portion 5 a is in contact with the bottom surface of the shielding member 2. At this time, the portion of the projecting portion 2a of the shielding member 2 is brought into contact with the inner back portion of the concave groove 3b where the extension portion 3c and the inclined portion 3d intersect by the biasing force of the string spring 5, thereby shielding the shielding member 2. The member 2 is held in a state attached to the tonneau cover case 6. According to the configuration that uses the elastic force to fit in this way, even when the attachment and detachment is repeated and the arm portion 5b and the recessed groove 3b are worn slightly, a stable attachment state can be maintained. Even if there is some manufacturing tolerance, it is possible to prevent the fitting from becoming tight or loose.

  Further, in the state of being attached as described above, the shielding member 2 is urged to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. Thereby, the shielding member 2 is maintained in a position where the attachment end portion 2c extending into the groove 3b extends substantially horizontally along the extension 3c of the groove 3b in a state where no force is applied. It has become.

  At this time, in order to effectively obtain the urging force by the string wound spring, the string wound spring 5 is preferably attached to the concave groove 3b in an elastically deformed state as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the string spring 5 has the other arm portion 5b positioned above the arm portion 5a that contacts the lower surface of the shielding member 5 when no force is applied. It is supposed to be. From this state, the coiled spring 5 is elastically deformed, and as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the arm portion 5b is tilted downward in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. Rotate until it reaches the extended position. In this state, the string spring 5 is fitted in the concave groove 3b as shown in FIG.

  A step portion is formed at the boundary between the attachment end portion 2c and the general surface portion 2d beyond the attachment end portion 2c, and the upper surface of the general surface portion 2d is the upper surface of the attachment end portion 2c by the thickness of the extension portion 3c of the tonneau cover case 3. Higher. Therefore, in the state where the attachment end portion 2c is maintained substantially horizontal as described above, the upper surface of the tonneau cover case 3 and the upper surface of the general surface portion 2d are adjacent to each other in substantially the same plane, thereby The tonneau cover case 3 and the shielding member 2 can be made to look like an integral member, and the appearance can be improved.

  The general surface portion 2d extends substantially straight and flat in the vicinity of the tonneau cover case 3, and has a curved shape so as to face downward as it goes to the rear seat side. It is in contact with the back of the. Thus, according to the configuration in which the rear seat side of the shielding member 2 faces downward, even if the shielding member 2 is separated from the seat back, the gap between the shielding member 2 and the seat back is relatively lower. Further, because of the curved portion of the shielding member 2, the range of the position where the inside of the gap can be visually recognized becomes narrow, so that it is difficult to look into the cargo space from outside the vehicle.

  In this configuration, when the seat back of the rear seat is tilted, the shielding member 2 is swung in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 3 against the urging force of the string spring 5. In the present embodiment, the shielding member 2 can swing over a range of α = about 45 ° as shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the movable range of the rear seat reclining. When the seat back is set up, the shielding member 2 swings in the clockwise direction of FIGS. 2 and 3 by the biasing force of the string spring 5 to follow the swing of the seat back. At the time of such a follow-up operation, the portion on the rear seat side of the general surface portion 2d of the shielding member 2 has a curved shape as described above, so that a catch or the like occurs between the shielding member 2 and the seat back. It is possible to prevent the reclining operation of the seat back and the operation of the shielding member 2 following the obstruction from being obstructed, and the shielding member 2 can smoothly follow the swing of the seat back and smoothly swing. .

  According to the tonneau cover apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above, the shielding member 2 can be easily attached and detached without requiring a special tool by fitting one edge of the shielding member 2 to the tonneau cover case 3. . When the shielding member 2 follows the seat back, the shielding member 2 is a hard plate-like member. The appearance can be kept good without becoming. Moreover, since it is not necessary to attach the shielding member 2 to the seat back side, the attachment and detachment operations are also simplified in this respect. Moreover, since the tonneau cover apparatus 1 of this embodiment can attach and remove the shielding member 2 easily, when the tonneau cover apparatus 1 is removed, the shielding member 2 can be removed and stored compactly. Reinstalling the tonneau cover device 1 is easy and convenient.

  This embodiment is an example of the present invention, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in this embodiment, the structure with which the shielding member 2 was provided with two or more by the width direction of the motor vehicle was shown. That is, for example, if the rear seat is divided into two symmetrically, the tonneau cover device 1 is provided with two symmetrical shielding members 2. For example, when the rear seat is divided into two so that the width ratio is 3: 7, the tonneau cover device 1 is provided with two shielding members 2 having a width ratio of 3: 7. In this manner, the shielding member 2 is divided in accordance with the divided rear seats, so that when one of the divided sheets is tilted, only the corresponding shielding member 2 swings, and the seat back and the shielding are provided. A gap is formed between the members 2 so that the luggage compartment can be prevented from being seen through the gap, and the appearance can be kept good. However, the shielding member 2 may be a single member when the rear seat is not a divided sheet or when priority is given to the simplification of the structure of the tonneau cover device 1 even if it is a divided sheet.

  The swinging range α of the shielding member 2 is not limited to 45 °, and can be appropriately set according to the reclining range of the rear seat. The setting of the swinging range of the shielding member 2 can be adjusted by the shape and size of the groove 3b and the elastic force of the coiled spring 5, thereby rationalizing the cost and weight of each component. However, the swing range may be set large so that it can be applied to various automobiles.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the chord spring 5 attached to the shielding member 2 is used to cause the shielding member 2 to follow the reclining operation of the seat back is shown, but other elastic members may be used. The elastic member may be provided on the tonneau cover case 3 side. That is, for example, a configuration in which a leaf spring for biasing the shielding member 2 upward is attached in the concave groove 3b, or a configuration in which a part of the shielding member 2 can be elastically deformed, is used. It is conceivable that the structure can be swung by its own elastic deformation.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic force of the string spring 5 is also used to fit the shielding member 2 to the tonneau cover case 3. In this configuration, the string spring 5 is used for both the rotation urging of the shielding member 2 and the stabilization of the fitting so that the shielding member 2 follows the operation of the seat back, and thus for each application. This is preferable in that the number of parts and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced as compared to using separate members. However, the shielding member 2 can be attached to the tonneau cover case 3 without using the elastic member for biasing the rotation, that is, at one end of the shielding member 2, the concave groove 3b of the tonneau cover case 3 is formed. It is good also as a structure which provided the part of the structure fitted with such a fitting structure part. Even in this configuration, the effect of the present invention that allows the shielding member 2 to be easily attached to the tonneau cover case 3 by fitting is maintained.

The partially broken top view which looked at the tonneau cover apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention from upper direction. AA sectional view taken on the line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1. The figure which shows the attachment part of the string winding spring of the tonneau cover apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the attachment method to the tonneau cover case of the shielding member of the tonneau cover apparatus of FIG. The perspective view of the tonneau cover apparatus of a prior art example. The perspective view of the tonneau cover apparatus of another prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tonneau cover apparatus 2 Shielding member 2b Hole 2c Attachment edge part 2d General surface part 3,40 Tonneau cover case 3a Opening 3b, 41 Groove 3c Extension part 3d Inclination part 3e Locking protrusion 4,44 End cap 5 String spring 5a, 5b Arm Part 6 Tonneau cover 7 Pin 8 Winding shaft 21 Main cover 22 Case 23, 30 Sub cover 24 Movable part 26 Seat back 31 Thick end 34 Opening

Claims (3)

A tonneau cover for shielding the upper part of the cargo space provided behind the rear seat of the automobile;
A tonneau cover case for winding and accommodating the tonneau cover;
A shielding member detachably attached to the tonneau cover case, and is urged to rotate by a string-wound spring attached to an attachment end portion of the shielding member to be brought into contact with the rear surface of the seat back of the rear seat, It includes a shielding member that swings following the reclining operation of the seat back, and
The shielding member is attached to the tonneau cover case by fitting into a fitting structure portion provided on the outer surface of the tonneau cover case ,
The fitting structure portion has a concave groove and a locking projection formed on the inner surface of the concave groove, and the string-wound spring is held in the concave groove with one end contacting the locking projection, The tonneau cover apparatus which presses the said shielding member against the inner surface of the said ditch | groove, and is hold | maintained in the said ditch | groove . The concave groove is formed on a side surface of the tonneau cover case, and the shielding member is configured such that the upper surface of the portion adjacent to the concave groove and the upper surface of the tonneau cover case can be located on the same plane. and has, tonneau cover device of claim 1, having a step portion between the outer the arrangement portion of the disposed portion and the recessed groove in said groove. The shielding member, the swings downward as will defeat the seat back, has a curved shape so as to convex upward, the tonneau cover device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images