Vehicle body underside air flow controller

• US 7,717,494 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagahama, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US11/918,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20090085371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 961/801, 961/805
• US Class Current: 296/180.5
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/02 Streamlining the undersurfaces B62D35/005, B62D35/007, B62D35/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/02 by aerodynamic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/82 Elements for improving aerodynamics
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

There is provided a vehicle-body underside airflow controller capable of obtaining an optimum aerodynamic performance by detecting vehicle speed and by controlling a rise angle of an under-cover (10) corresponding to the vehicle speed by driving actuators (14) so that a road clearance of the under-cover (10) becomes H2 and the rise angle thereof becomes α2 when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed (when high speed) and by driving the actuators (14) so that the road clearance of the under-cover (10) becomes H1 and the rise angle thereof becomes α1 when the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined vehicle speed (when low speed).

Claims

1. A vehicle-body underside airflow controller comprising:

an aerodynamic member attached to the underside of a vehicle-body at the rear of a vehicle such that a rise angle formed between a part inclined upward on the rear side of the vehicle when seen from the side of the vehicle is changeable and that applies force to the vehicle by an airflow flowing at the underside;

changing means for changing the rise angle by moving the vehicle-rear side of the aerodynamic member in the vertical direction of the vehicle;

detecting means for detecting at least one state of the vehicle among vehicle speed, pressure generated by the airflow at the underside of the aerodynamic member and occurrence of rolling of the vehicle; and

control means for controlling the changing means such that the rise angle becomes smaller than the predetermined angle from the initial position of the predetermined angle at a speed higher than a predetermined speed of the vehicle when the aerodynamic performance by means of the aerodynamic member is required on the basis of a result detected by the detecting means.

2. The vehicle-body underside airflow controller according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the changing means when the vehicle normally runs when the detecting means detects the pressure as the state of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle-body underside airflow controller according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the changing means so as to change the right and left-side aerodynamic member independently when the detecting means detects an occurrence of rolling of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle-body underside airflow controller according to claim 1, further comprising vehicle height detecting means for detecting vehicle height, wherein the road clearance of the aerodynamic member is changeable, the changing means further changes the road clearance of the aerodynamic member, and the control means controls the changing means so as to change the road clearance of the aerodynamic member on the basis of the detected result of the vehicle height detecting means.

5. The vehicle-body underside airflow controller according to claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic member comprises an under-cover for protecting the underside of the vehicle-body across a width direction of the underside of the vehicle-body.

6. A vehicle-body underside airflow controller comprising:

an aerodynamic member attached to the underside of a vehicle-body at the rear of a vehicle such that a rise angle formed between a part inclined upward on the rear side of the vehicle when seen from the side of the vehicle is changeable and that applies force to the vehicle by an airflow flowing at the underside;

changing means for changing the rise angle by moving the vehicle-rear side of the aerodynamic member in the vertical direction of the vehicle;

detecting means for detecting vehicle speed and released state of the airflow flowing along the aerodynamic member; and

control means for controlling the changing means such that the rise angle becomes smaller than the predetermined angle from the initial position of the predetermined angle at a speed higher than a predetermined speed of the vehicle when the aerodynamic performance by means of the aerodynamic member is required on the basis of a result detected by the detecting means.