Streamlining device for the rear part of a vehicle.

The invention relates to an air guiding device at the rear of a vehicle, especially a passenger car, extending in Fahrzeugquer- and longitudinal direction, wherein at least one as seen in the direction of travel behind opposed end region of the spoiler extends to form an approximately V-shaped gap to an underlying building wall.

A known air guiding of the aforementioned type (DE-GM 72 40 740) is attached to a building wall, a rear end portion of the spoiler is carried away from the building wall and projects beyond sections. The construction of the wall-facing side of the rear end portion extends approximately at right angles to the building wall.

On vehicles with such a design air guidance has been found in a disadvantageous manner, that occur when driving through a certain kind of automatic car washes either damage to the spoiler or the washing brush is set by the contour of the building wall and the spoiler. In the latter state, the washer switches off automatically, without stopping the washing process. Such disturbances occur in particular in washing systems where the washing operation is performed by a preliminary phase and a return phase of the washing brushes and the washing brush in each of the two phases only in a single direction is respectively movable.

Object of the invention is to make a spoiler at the rear of a vehicle such that when driving through a car wash neither spoiler nor damage the washer system is undesirable decommissioned.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1. Further, embodying the invention advantageously features include the dependent claims.

The advantages achieved by the invention can be seen in the fact that on the one hand damage to the spoiler can be avoided by the pivotable configuration of the spoiler when driving through an automatic car wash, and that on the other hand, the washer does not automatically shut off during the washing process. Because the washing brush is pressed from below against the spoiler, whereupon the latter is pivoted upwards and forwards in a drag-able, so that a forward movement of the washing brush is always guaranteed. After passing through the washing brush the spoiler is returned by a return means automatically downwards into its operating position.

A provided on the spoiler locking ensures that the spoiler is pivoted until a defined force; at road-induced shocks it remains against it in its intended location.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and is explained in more detail below.

It shows<ul><li>Fig. 1 is an oblique view from the rear, on the rear area of ​​a passenger car with an air-guiding device</li><li>Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the air guiding device,</li><li>Fig. 3 is a plan view of a hinge of the air guiding device in a larger scale,</li><li>Fig. 4 is a view in direction of arrow R of Fig. 3,</li><li>FIG. 5 a side view of the spoiler,</li><li>Fig. 6 is a section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 3,</li><li>Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through the air guiding device and another embodiment of a hinge,</li><li>Fig. 8 is a section along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7,</li><li>Fig. 9 shows a section according to the line IX-IX of Fig. 7,</li><li>FIG. 10 is a view in the direction of arrow S, with the spoiler facing hinge half,</li><li>corresponding to FIG. 11 is a view FIG. 10 with the hinge half body side fixed.</li></ul>

A passenger car 1 has at the rear 2 to an aerodynamically designed spoiler device 3, which extends in the vehicle transverse direction over a substantial part of the vehicle width. A seen in the direction A lying at the rear end portion 4 of the air guiding device 3 extends to form a generally V-shaped gap 5 to an underlying structure wall 6 (Fig. 1 and 5).

The hatchback-like structure extending wall 6 is formed according to FIG. 1 through a provided with a rear window 7 tailgate. 8 The rear lid 8 is at the top attached to a roof 9, the bottom of a member made of elastic material end portion 10 and on the two longitudinal sides by side parts 11, 12th

Thus a mounted about a transverse horizontal axis washing brush 13 is fixed in its movement in the direction of travel A not in V-shaped gap 5 between a bottom 14 of the rear end portion 4 and the building wall 6 when driving through an automatic car wash, the spoiler 3 is mediated by at least a hinge 15 rotatably hinged to the body panel 6, such that the air-guiding device 3 under the action of moving in the direction of travel a washing brush 13 upwardly into a drag-reducing position B can be pivoted (Fig. 5). A substantially horizontally oriented hinge axis 16 of the hinge 15 is seen in the direction of travel A, adjacent the front end of the air guiding 3rd

Preferably, two spaced apart hinges 15 arranged between the air guiding structure 3 and wall 6 are provided, the hinge axes 16 aligned with each other. The hinges 15 are mounted in the region of laterally outer support portions 17 of the air guiding device 3, wherein each support portion 17 is guided to a lateral frame member 18 of the tailgate 8 (Fig. 9).

Between the two support portions 17 of the air guiding device 3 runs at a distance to the underlying rear window 7 and has an airfoil-like design in the profile cross section.

According to a first embodiment (Figs. 3 and 4) which each hinge 15 has two hinge halves 19, 20 which, viewed in their direction of travel A, the front ends 21, 22 are connected rotatably with each other through the intermediary of an approximately horizontally oriented hinge pin 23. The fixed hinge half 19 is connected by means not shown in detail fasteners to the tailgate 8, whereas 20 projects into a recess 24 of the spoiler 3 and held there by screws 25 in position, the pivotable hinge half (Fig. 6).

In the side view (Fig. 4), the knuckle 19 has an approximately straight course on; the other hinge half 20 on the other hand is composed of several angularly juxtaposed legs 26, 27th A first portion 28 of the leg 26 is aligned approximately parallel to the hinge half 19, whereas a second portion 29 extends at an acute angle to the hinge half 19 and rises obliquely upwards. The other leg 27 of the knuckle 20 is directed obliquely downwards, with a free end 30 of the leg 27 is moved toward a rear end 31 of the hinge half 19th

In the plan view seen both hinge halves 19, 20 may for example rectilinear or, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, be formed angularly. In the latter case, the two hinge pin 23 extending through the connected ends 21, 22 of the hinge halves 19, 20 with a lateral distance to the field to which the hinge halves 19, 20 are fixed with the air guiding 3 and the tailgate eighth

Between the hinge half 19 and the hinge half 20, a retractor 32 is provided, whereby after passing through the washing brush 13, the air guiding device 3 is returned automatically downwards into its operating position C. The retractor 32 is formed as shown in FIG. 6 by a tension spring 33, which runs approximately parallel to the portion 29 of the knuckle 20 and engages on the one hand to the fixed hinge half 19 and the other hand on the pivotable hinge half 20.

One end of the tension spring 33 is hooked on a ring eyelet 34, adjacent the hinge axis 16, and is formed integrally with the hinge half 19th The opposite rear end of the tension spring 33 cooperates with a pin 35 which is provided in the upper region of the leg 27 of the hinge half 20th The transversely extending bolt 35 connects with two spaced apart wall sections 36, 37 of the leg 27 between the two wall portions 36, 37 is a recess 38 is provided.

The pivoting movement of the spoiler 3 is limited by a tether 39 which extends partly within the spring 33 and is attached to the eyelet 34 and the bolt 35th The eyelet 34 has locally a slot 40 for inserting the retaining cable. 39

To pivoting movements of the spoiler 3 while driving - for example, by uneven road surfaces - to prevent a disengageable locking device 41 is provided on each hinge 15th The locking device 41 comprises a hook-shaped fixed support member 42, which cooperates with a further movable support member 43 of the other hinge half 19, wherein the movable support member 43 is tensioned by means of a compression spring 44 against the other support member 42nd The hook-shaped support member 42 is formed integrally with the leg 27 of the movable hinge half 20th

The support member 43 is composed of a lever 45 and a slider 46th The slider 46 is in the locking position D of the locking device 41 to the support member 42 in operative connection. The lever 45 is pivoted at one end to the hinge half 19th For this purpose 19 two spaced-apart bearing eyes 47 are provided on the hinge half, between which a bearing portion 48 of the lever 45 is received through the intermediary of an axle 49th An adjacent to the lever 45 to the bearing portion 48 arranged stop 50 is supported on the underlying hinge half 19th This ensures that the support member 43 can only pivot in the direction of travel A. The slider 46 is viewed in the vertical direction, adjustable attached to the lever 45th For this purpose, a hole 51 is provided on the lever 45, which has a larger diameter than a threaded portion guided through 52 of a receiving mandrel 53. One end of the arbor 53 is screwed into a threaded hole 54 of the slider 46th An opposite, conically formed portion of the receiving mandrel 53 receives one end of the compression spring 44th The other end of the compression spring 44 cooperates with a car parked receiving portion 55 of the hinge half 19th

In Figs. 7 to 11 a further embodiment of a pivotally mounted at the rear spoiler 3 is shown. For the articulation of this spoiler device 3, a hinge 56 is provided, which consists of hinge halves 57 and 58th The two hinge halves 57, 58 are rotatably connected to each other in a direction A as viewed in the front area lying through the intermediary of a hinge pin 59th The secured to the spoiler device 3 hinge half 57 is formed as an angle lever, wherein a substantially horizontally oriented lever arm 60 is screwed from below to the air-guiding device 3 (Fig. 6). The other, approximately vertically extending and doubly angled lever arm 61 is connected at its free end 62 with a gas spring 63, which is aligned in the operating position C of the spoiler 3 is approximately parallel to the lever arm 60 of the hinge half 57th

The lever arm 61 has adjacent the hinge pin 59 in an obliquely led away downward ridge 64, followed by a longitudinally directed, running in the direction of section 65 connects, which is parked at its front end obliquely downward. A front pivot point 66 of the gas spring 63 is in the direction of travel A seen earlier than the hinge pin 59th

The fixed to the tailgate 8 hinge half 58 is formed approximately in a straight line and has a slot opening 67 for passing the parked down the lever arm 61 of the other hinge half 57 in its front region.

The vertical parked lever arm 61 also passes through a recess 68 of the tailgate 8 (Fig. 7).

The rear pivot point 69 of the gas spring 63 is provided on the rear lid 8 and that on an upright wall portion 70. The gas spring 63 is hidden in a channel-shaped cavity 71 is disposed between the pivotable tailgate 8 and a fixed, body-side frame 72nd

In this second embodiment, the gas spring 63 simultaneously takes over the function of a return and arresting. In the operating position of the spoiler C 3, the gas spring 63 its maximum lift on. When pivoted-spoiler 3 (position B), the piston rod 73 of the gas spring 63 is largely retracted into the cylinder 74th

In both embodiments the air-guiding device 3 is pivoted about a Winkelcc greater than 90 °, such that the underside 14 of the rear end portion 4 is moved over a vertical plane EE addition to the front.

The spoiler 3 has as shown in FIG. 5 on a rigid foam core 75 which is surrounded on all sides except for the niche area 24 of a thin, soft foam Edition 76.