Vehicle including embossed surface for improving aerodynamic characteristics, and front bumper member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859645-B2
Application number	US-202117526579-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2021
Priority date	Nov 17, 2020
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle including an embossed surface for improving aerodynamic characteristics includes a front bumper member provided at a lower portion of a front surface of a vehicle body of the vehicle. On a surface of a side surface portion of the front bumper member, the embossed surface having a directional pattern for assisting an airflow to direct in one direction along the surface is formed. The one direction is raised rearward relative to a front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle including an embossed surface for improving aerodynamic characteristics, the vehicle comprising:
a front bumper member provided at a lower portion of a front surface of a vehicle body of the vehicle,
wherein on a surface of a side surface portion of the front bumper member, an embossed surface including a directional pattern for assisting an airflow to direct in one direction along the surface is formed, and
wherein the one direction is raised rearward relative to a front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the embossed surface includes protruding portions that protrude from a base surface,
wherein the protruding portions includes elongated protrusions each having an elongated shape,
wherein the elongated protrusions respectively have short-sides and long-sides, the short-sides of the elongated protrusions direct in a first direction, and the long-sides of the elongated protrusions direct in a second direction,
wherein a first recessed portion that linearly extend along the second direction is formed between first ones of the elongated protrusions, the first ones of the elongated protrusions being adjacent each other in the first direction, and
wherein the first recessed portions linearly extend at an angle raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein second recessed portions are formed between second ones of the elongated protrusions, the second ones of the elongated protrusions being adjacent each other in the second direction, and
one of the second recessed portions is shifted with respect to another one of the second recessed portions in the second direction.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the second recessed portions are formed in a pattern in which the second recessed portions are bent in the first direction.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the second recessed portions are formed in a pattern in which the second recessed portions are bent in the first direction.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

8. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

9. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

10. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

11. A front bumper member to be provided at a lower portion of a front surface of a vehicle body of a vehicle, the front bumper member comprising:
an embossed surface formed on a surface of a side surface portion of the front bumper member,
wherein the embossed surface includes a directional pattern for assisting an airflow to direct in one direction along the surface,
wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is raised rearward relative to a front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

12. The front bumper member according to claim 11 , wherein the embossed surface includes protruding portions that protrude from a base surface,
wherein the protruding portions includes elongated protrusions each having an elongated shape,
wherein the elongated protrusions respectively have short-sides and long-sides, the short-sides of the elongated protrusions direct in a first direction, and the long-sides of the elongated protrusions direct in a second direction,
wherein a first recessed portion that linearly extend along the second direction is formed between first ones of the elongated protrusions, the first ones of the elongated protrusions being adjacent each other in the first direction, and
wherein the first recessed portions linearly extend at an angle raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

13. The front bumper member according to claim 12 , wherein second recessed portions are formed between second ones of the elongated protrusions, the second ones of the elongated protrusions being adjacent each other in the second direction, and
one of the second recessed portions is shifted with respect to another one of the second recessed portions in the second direction.

14. The front bumper member according to claim 12 , wherein the second recessed portions are formed in a pattern in which the second recessed portions are bent in the first direction.

15. The front bumper member according to claim 13 , wherein the second recessed portions are formed in a pattern in which the second recessed portions are bent in the first direction.

16. The front bumper member according to claim 11 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

17. The front bumper member according to claim 12 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

18. The front bumper member according to claim 13 , wherein the embossed surface is formed such that the one direction is maintained in a state of being raised rearward relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body even when a posture of the vehicle body is changed during traveling.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aoyanagi Hiroki
• Hata Hideki
• Sato Masaya

Classifications

• F15D1/005 Primary

  in the form of dimples · CPC title

• B62D35/007

  Rear spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D37/02

  by aerodynamic means · CPC title

• F15D1/12

  by influencing the boundary layer · CPC title

• B62D35/005 Primary

  Front spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title