Patent Application
20230014189
The present disclosure relates generally to an active aerodynamic surface assembly for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a movable exterior vehicle component configured to sense an aerodynamic force and to adjust position based upon the aerodynamic force.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In view of increased consumer demand for motor vehicles with improved fuel efficiency as well as improved road handling, a greater emphasis is now placed on designing modern vehicles with improved aerodynamics. In an effort to reduce aerodynamic drag and lift, it is known to equip motor vehicles with a movable exterior component, such as a deployable airfoil, commonly referred to as a spoiler, that is moveable between a retracted (i.e. stowed) position and an extended (i.e. deployed) position, typically in response to a vehicular operating characteristic such as, for example, the vehicle road speed. In most systems, the deployable spoiler is driven between its stowed and deployed positions by a powered drive unit. A number of other factors besides speed can impact the aerodynamic forces on the vehicle and thus the optimal position of the active aerodynamic surface assembly.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide an active aerodynamic surface assembly for a vehicle that includes an exterior surface disposed over a force sensor that is responsive to an aerodynamic force applied to the exterior surface, and which also includes an actuator that is configured to move the exterior surface in response to the aerodynamic force applied to the exterior surface.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
With initial reference to
With continued reference to
The active spoiler assembly 10 includes the moveable exterior component 44 that in the present embodiment is an air deflector or spoiler panel, which has a leading edge 37 and two laterally-spaced end surfaces 36A, 36B. The leading edge 37 of the moveable exterior component 44 defines a second side of the driver side channel opening 30A and a second side of the passenger side channel opening 30B. The moveable exterior component 44 is moveable relative to the body 14 of the motor vehicle 12 and is located adjacent a trailing edge 19 of the vehicle 12. For example, the moveable exterior component 44 may move relative to the covers 30, 32, 34 between a non-deployed or “Stowed” position (shown in
When moveable exterior component 44 is located in its stowed position, it is retracted relative to the trailing edge 31, with laterally-spaced end surfaces 36A, 36B aligned generally flush with inner edge surfaces 38, 40 of edge covers 32, 34, and the leading edge 37 is positioned closer the trailing edge 31 of the top cover 30. However, air flowing over roof 16 is permitted to flow through the driver side channel opening 30A and passenger side channel opening 30B, under moveable exterior component 44 and be discharged from a driver side channel exit 37A and passenger side channel exit 37B located at trailing edge 19. According to another embodiment, the leading edge 37 of moveable exterior component 44 can be moved in close proximity to the top cover 30, thereby closing channels 30A, 30B.
As also shown in
The actuator 50 is configured to move the movable exterior component 44 in response to the aerodynamic force F applied to the movable exterior component. In some embodiments, and as shown in
In some embodiments, the controller 56 may be configured to adjust a position of the movable exterior component 44 to maintain a set amount of aerodynamic force F applied thereto. The set amount of aerodynamic force F may be adjusted based on one or more factors, such as speed of the vehicle 12, steering position or cornering force, and/or an operating mode of the vehicle as well as by the aerodynamic force F detected by the force sensors 46 evaluated by the controller 56 in the form of the force signal 58 (discussed in more detail below). In some embodiments, the set amount of aerodynamic force F may be adjusted manually by a driver of the vehicle 12. In some embodiments (e.g. in some modes or in some conditions), the controller 56 may be configured to adjust a position of the movable exterior component 44 to a predetermined position. The predetermined position may be set or adjusted based on one or more factors, such as speed of the vehicle 12, steering position or cornering force, and/or an operating mode of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the predetermined position may be adjusted manually by a driver of the vehicle 12.
The controller 56 may be configured to use a control loop, such as a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) or a proportional-integral (PI) control loop, using the force signal 58 to generate the command signals 60 the actuators 50. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 56 may employ other techniques, such as a lookup table, to determine the command signals 60 to the actuators 50. The controller 56 may take into account other factors besides the aerodynamic force F, such as speed, acceleration, steering position, and/or cornering force, in determining a setting for the position of the movable exterior component 44 and/or for determining a desired amount of aerodynamic force F that the movable exterior component 44 should have at any given time.
In some embodiments, and as shown in
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2020/051712 | 12/11/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62950547 | Dec 2019 | US |
