JP7035838B2 - undercover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an undercover that achieves both protection of a vehicle from a road surface and protection of a pedestrian in the event of a frontal collision.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-244851 discloses a technique of absorbing an impact at the time of a pedestrian collision by providing a rib (protruding portion) on the front bumper of a vehicle and providing a notch on the rib.

Depending on the vehicle, an undercover made of a plate-like material may be provided under the front bumper to protect the vehicle from contact with the road surface and stone splashes (hereinafter, also referred to as road surface input). From the viewpoint of vehicle protection, it is desirable that the undercover is provided with ribs to increase the rigidity of the undercover. However, if the undercover is provided with ribs to increase the rigidity of the undercover, the undercover is less likely to be deformed, and there is a possibility that the legs (lower limbs) of the pedestrian may be damaged in the event of a pedestrian collision.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-244851

An object of the present invention is to provide an undercover that can achieve both protection of a vehicle from a road surface and protection of a pedestrian due to a frontal collision of a vehicle.

The present invention that achieves the above object is as follows.
(1) An undercover provided under the front bumper provided at the front of the vehicle.
At least a part of the vehicle in the front-rear direction is a convex shape that curves or bends in a convex shape toward the front and downward of the vehicle on the opposite side of the vehicle, or a linear shape with the convex height of the convex shape set to zero. It has a shape and
A rib projecting to the opposite side of the vehicle is provided on the outer surface of the cover, which is the back surface of the mounting surface to the vehicle, extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a fragile portion is provided in a part of the rib extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The undercover provided.

According to the undercover of (1) above, the following effects can be obtained.
(A) Since the ribs are provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the rigidity of the undercover can be increased as compared with the case where the ribs are not provided, which is advantageous in terms of vehicle protection against road surface input.

(B) Further, at least a part of the undercover in the vehicle front-rear direction is a convex shape that is convexly curved or bent toward the front and downward of the vehicle on the opposite side of the vehicle, or the height of the convex shape of the convex shape. It has a linear shape with zero, and a rib protruding on the opposite side of the vehicle is provided on the outer surface of the cover extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, when the road surface is input, the undercover is input from below, so that the undercover exerts a compressive force on the outer surface of the cover, which is the back surface of the mounting surface to the vehicle, and the ribs are compressed. On the other hand, since there is an input to the undercover from the front of the vehicle in the event of a pedestrian collision, a pulling force acts on the outer surface of the cover to pull the ribs. Here, a fragile portion is provided in a part of the extending direction of the rib. Therefore, when a pedestrian collides (when pulling), the ribs are torn from the fragile part and the strength decreases, so compared to when inputting the road surface (when compressing), when a pedestrian collides. The load required for deformation (damage) of the undercover can be set lower.

According to the above (a) and (b), the undercover can be provided with ribs to improve the vehicle protection performance from the road surface, while the ribs are vulnerable to set a low deformation load of the undercover in the event of a pedestrian collision. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both protection of the vehicle from the road surface and protection of pedestrians due to a frontal collision of the vehicle.

It is a partial perspective view of the vehicle provided with the undercover of the embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the undercover of the Example of this invention, and (a) is the sectional drawing in a normal time in which an external force is not acting. (B) is a cross-sectional view at the time of road surface input. (C) is a cross-sectional view at the time of a pedestrian collision.

Hereinafter, the undercover of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, UP indicates the upper side and FR indicates the front side of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the undercover (also referred to as an underguard) 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is an undercover provided under the front bumper 110 provided at the front portion of the vehicle 100.

The front bumper 110 is made of, for example, resin. The front bumper 110 is provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle vertical direction, and constitutes a front end portion (front end portion) in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, above the front bumper 110, a net-like or grid-like grill 120 for sending air to an engine or radiator (not shown) arranged behind the vehicle of the front bumper 110 is provided. There is. Further, an opening 111 for taking in air may also be provided in the vertical intermediate portion of the front bumper 110.

A metal bumper information 130 is arranged behind the vehicle of the front bumper 110 and the portion 112 connected to the lower side of the opening 111 and the opening 111. The bumper information 130 is provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. The cross-sectional shape of the bumper information 130 is, for example, a rectangle or a substantially rectangular shape, a "day" shape or a substantially "day" shape, and the like. An absorber 140 extending in the vehicle width direction is arranged behind the vehicle of the front bumper 110 and on the front side of the vehicle of the bumper information 130. The absorber 140 is not particularly limited, but is composed of a foamed resin material, and the foamed resin material is, for example, EPP (expanded polypropylene). The absorber 140 is supported by the bumper information 130.

The undercover 10 is provided to protect the vehicle 100 from road surface input. The undercover 10 is a plate-shaped material and is arranged at the lower part of the front part of the vehicle. The undercover 10 is arranged with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction. The undercover 10 is made of, for example, a resin. However, the undercover 10 may be made of metal such as aluminum.

The undercover 10 is attached to the vehicle outer surface 110a of the front bumper 110 by using bolts or the like (not shown). The mounting surface (vehicle side surface) 10a of the undercover 10 to the front bumper 110 may be in contact with the vehicle outer surface 110a of the front bumper 110 as a whole, and a part thereof is not in contact with the vehicle outer surface 110a of the front bumper 110. It may be.

The undercover 10 extends downward and rearward along the vehicle outer surface 110a of the front bumper 110 from the vertical intermediate portion of the portion 112 connected to the lower side of the opening 111 of the front bumper 110, and extends from the front portion of the vehicle 100. It constitutes the lower surface of. The upper end portion (vehicle front end portion) 11 of the undercover 10 is located in front of these vehicles at the same vertical position as the bumper reinforcement 130 and the absorber 140. The lower end portion (vehicle rear side end portion) 12 of the undercover 10 is located below the bumper reinforcement 130 and the absorber 140 and behind the vehicle.

The undercover 10 has a convex shape (including a substantially convex shape) that is convexly curved or bent toward the vehicle front and downward (direction away from the vehicle) on the side opposite to the vehicle 100 when viewed from the vehicle width direction. It has a convex portion 13. The shape of the convex portion 13 is such that the upward inclination angle increases toward the front of the vehicle, and may be formed only by the curved portion without abrupt angle change, and the plurality of bent portions may be formed. It may be formed by a (bent portion) and a straight portion (flat plate portion) connecting the bent portions, or may be formed including both the curved portion and the bent portion. Further, the convex portion 13 may be formed over the entire or substantially the entire undercover 10 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, or may be formed only at a part of the undercover 10. That is, the convex portion 13 may be formed in at least a part of the undercover 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

A rib 20 projecting from the undercover 10 on the opposite side of the vehicle 100 (in the direction away from the vehicle) is provided on the cover outer surface 10b, which is the back surface of the mounting surface 10a of the undercover 10 to the vehicle 100. The rib 20 is integrally formed with the undercover 10. The length (height) of the rib 20 in the protruding direction from the undercover 10 is larger than the plate thickness of the undercover 10.

The rib 20 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The ribs 20 may be continuously provided over the entire undercover 10 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, or may be provided only on a part of the undercover 10. When the rib 20 is provided only in a part of the undercover 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction, the rib 20 is provided including at least the convex portion 13 of the undercover 10.

Only one rib 20 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction may be provided on the undercover 10 in the vehicle width direction, or a plurality of ribs 20 may be provided on the undercover 10. In FIG. 1, a plurality of (two) ribs 20 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction, and each of the ribs 20 is provided at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the undercover 10 in the vehicle width direction. Shows.

The rib 20 is provided with a fragile portion 21 in a part of the extending direction in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The fragile portion 21 is a portion that becomes a starting point of breakage of the rib 20 by breaking or tearing when a pulling force in the vehicle front-rear direction (extending direction of the rib 20) acts on the rib 20. In the illustrated example, only one fragile portion 21 is provided in the vehicle front-rear direction, but a plurality of fragile portions 21 may be provided at intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction. Further, when a plurality of ribs 20 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction, the fragile portions 21 are similarly provided on the respective ribs 20 at the same positions in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vertical direction.

The fragile portion 21 is provided with a notch from the protruding end of the rib 20 (the tip opposite to the vehicle 100) toward the root side (vehicle 100 side) of the protruding direction, and the length of the rib 20 in the protruding direction. (Height) is provided by lowering the height as compared with the other rib 20 portions.

When the fragile portion 21 is composed of a notch, the notch extending from the protruding tip of the rib 20 toward the root of the rib 20 in the protruding direction may reach the root of the rib 20 (undercover 10). , Does not have to be reached. Further, when the fragile portion 21 is composed of a notch, the notch extending from the tip of the rib 20 in the protruding direction toward the base of the rib 20 in the protruding direction can be easily formed when the rib 20 is subjected to a pulling force in the vehicle front-rear direction. In order to damage the rib 20, it is desirable that the shape is tapered from the tip of the rib 20 in the protruding direction toward the base of the rib 20.

Here, the time of road surface input and the time of pedestrian collision will be described.
(I) At the time of road surface input As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), at the time of road surface input, there is an upward input F1 on the undercover 10 mainly from the lower side (including the front and the lower side of the vehicle). The input F1 deforms the convex portion 13 of the undercover 10 in a direction that reduces the height of the convexity (the height of the distance from the straight line connecting the front and rear ends of the undercover 10 in the cross section), and also in the vehicle front-rear direction. A compressive force F1a in the direction of reducing the total length acts on the extending rib 20.

(Ii) At the time of a pedestrian collision At the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian (see FIG. 2, a dummy and a leg impactor simulating a pedestrian's leg used in a pedestrian leg protection performance test) P, FIG. 3 ( As shown in a) and (c), there is an input F2 mainly from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle on the undercover 10. The convex portion 13 of the undercover 10 is deformed in the direction of increasing the height of the convex by the input F2, and the pulling force F2a in the direction of increasing the total length acts on the rib 20 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. ..

Next, the actions and effects of the examples of the present invention will be described.

(A) Since the rib 20 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the rigidity of the undercover 10 (flexural rigidity in the direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction) is increased as compared with the case where the rib 20 is not provided. It is advantageous in terms of vehicle protection against road surface input.

(B) Further, at least a part of the undercover 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction has a convex shape (convex shape portion 13) that is convexly curved or bent toward the front and downward of the vehicle on the opposite side of the vehicle 100. A rib 20 projecting to the opposite side of the vehicle 100 is provided on the outer surface 10b of the cover so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, since the undercover 10 is input from below when the road surface is input, a compressive force acts on the cover outer surface 10b, which is the back surface of the mounting surface 10a to the vehicle 100, on the undercover 10 (convex shape portion 13). A load is applied in the direction of reducing the curvature of the convex).) The rib 20 is compressed. On the other hand, since there is an input to the undercover 10 from the front of the vehicle during a pedestrian collision, a tensile force acts on the outer surface 10b of the cover (a load is applied in the direction of increasing the convex curvature of the convex portion 13). ) The rib 20 is pulled. Here, the fragile portion 21 is provided in a part of the extending direction of the rib 20. Therefore, at the time of a pedestrian collision (when pulling), the rib 20 is torn from the fragile portion 21 and the strength decreases, so that the pedestrian collision is compared with the case of road surface input (when compression). At times, the load required for deformation (damage) of the undercover 10 can be set lower.

According to the above (a) and (b), the rib 20 can be provided on the undercover 10 to improve the vehicle protection performance from the road surface, while the rib 20 has a low deformation load of the undercover 10 at the time of a pedestrian collision. Since the vulnerable portion 21 to be set is provided, it is possible to achieve both protection of the vehicle from the road surface and protection of pedestrians due to a frontal collision of the vehicle.

The fragile portion 21 is provided with a notch from the tip of the rib 20 in the protruding direction toward the root side (vehicle 100 side) in the protruding direction, and the length (height) of the rib 20 in the protruding direction is set to the other rib portion. Since it is provided by lowering the height as compared with the above, the fragile portion 21 can be provided on the rib 20 relatively easily. Further, the fragile portion 21 can be relatively easily provided at the rib position at the position where the undercover 10 is desired to be deformed in the event of a pedestrian collision.

In the embodiment of the present invention, there is an example in which at least a part of the undercover 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction has a convex shape (convex shape portion 13) that is convexly curved or bent in front of and downward of the vehicle on the opposite side of the vehicle 100. However, the portion of the undercover 10 that is the convex portion 13 is linear by reducing the height of the convexity (the height of the distance from the direct connecting the front and rear ends of the cross section) to zero. It may have a shaped shape.

10 Undercover 10a Undercover mounting surface 10b Cover outer surface 11 Undercover upper end 12 Undercover lower end 13 Convex shape 20 Rib 21 Vulnerable part 100 Vehicle 110 Front bumper 110a Front bumper vehicle outer surface 111 Opening 120 Grill 130 Bampari Information 140 Absorber

Claims (1)

It is an undercover provided under the front bumper provided at the front of the vehicle.
At least a part of the vehicle in the front-rear direction is a convex portion having a convex shape that curves or bends in a convex shape in front of the vehicle and downward toward the opposite side of the vehicle, and the shape of the convex portion is in front of the vehicle. The shape is such that the upward inclination angle increases as it goes.
A rib projecting to the opposite side of the vehicle is provided on the outer surface of the cover, which is the back surface of the mounting surface to the vehicle, extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the rib is provided including at least the convex portion. An undercover in which a fragile portion is provided in a part of the rib in the extending direction in the vehicle front-rear direction.

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