FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] The present invention generally relates to a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle and a method for assembling and disassembling thereof. Particularly, the present invention relates to providing easy assembling and disassembling of the slidable underbody cover in two part form with minimal use of fasteners, thereby reducing man power for assembling and disassembling the underbody cover, cycle time for assembly of the underbody cover, and cost of fasteners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Presently, underbody covers are used in the four wheeler vehicles to protect the bottom parts of the vehicle from water, dust, dirt, small objects on the road etc. Presently, the methodology used in the industries for assembling the underbody covers involve lifting the vehicle with the help of conveyors, one person holds the under body cover and other person fastens the underbody cover to the vehicle. Similar, methodology is used for the removal or replacement of the underbody covers.

[003] A US Patent Application Number US9981701B2 discloses a vehicle understructure in which an underpanel is provided between left and right side sills provided in a vehicle, and a lower surface of the vehicle is formed by the underpanel. However, the cited art fails to disclose an easy assembling and disassembling of the underpanel, it requires the vehicle to be lifted. Further, the underpanel needs to be slid from underneath the vehicle.

[004] A PCT Patent Application Number WO2016035430A1 discloses a left under cover (21) and a right under cover (22) provided on the under panel (19). The under panel is disposed between left and right side sills provided in a vehicle, and a lower surface of the vehicle is formed by the under panel. And an undercover provided from below on the inside in the vehicle width direction from the side sill. The undercover can be lowered from the under panel during traveling, and the vehicle longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction. However, the cited art fails to disclose an easy assembling and disassembling of the underbody covers for a spaceframe structured vehicle along Y axis and without lifting the vehicle.
[005] While known prior arts have proven to be commercially acceptable for certain application, however they all are associated with certain disadvantages and hence require improvements. For an instance, both the prior arts does not involve assembly/disassembly of underbody covers for a spaceframe structured vehicle along Y axis and without lifting the vehicle.

In view of the above problems associated with the state of the art, there is a need of a cost effective, convenient a slidable underbody cover for a vehicle with easy assembling and dissembling capabilities.
OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

[006] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle and a method for assembling and disassembling thereof.

[007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle with minimal use of fasteners, thereby reducing the cost of the fasteners.

[008] Another objective of the present is to provide a convenient slidable underbody cover for a vehicle with easy assembling and disassembling capabilities, thereby reducing the man power, cycle time for assembly, and eliminating the use of conveyor for assembling and disassembling of underbody cover.

[009] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a slidable underbody cover for a vehicle, enabling easy replacement of the underbody cover in case of replacement/service.

[0010] Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, the aspects of the present invention are disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The present invention will be better understood after reading the following detailed description of the presently preferred aspects thereof with reference to the appended drawings, in which the features, other aspects and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing in which:

[0012] Figure 1A and Figure 1B illustrates components of the system in an assembled configuration;

[0013] Figure 2 illustrates snap fitting between a first underbody cover and a second underbody cover;

[0014] Figure 3 illustrates the underbody cover in an assembled configuration; and

[0015] Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrates the underbody cover in an disassembled configuration.

[0016] Reference numerals for the components of the present invention are enlisted herein:

Reference Numeral Component
100 Vehicle
110 Sill panel
115 Slot
120 Guide rail
125 First under body cover
130 cantilever hook
135 Second under body cover
140 Securing means
160 Footstep

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention relates to a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle (100) and a method for assembling and disassembling thereof which comprises of an underbody cover, a pair of slot (115) which is a cut out region in sill panels (110) located on lateral sides of the vehicle (100), a plurality of fasteners and fastening means, a guide rail (120) fastened/welded to the ends of each sill panel (110) on lateral sides of the vehicle (100) to guide the sliding of the underbody cover. The underbody cover comprises of first underbody cover (125) and second underbody cover (135) which further comprises of plurality of cantilever hook (130) on one end and plurality of securing means(140) on one end respectively, forming a snap fit between the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) when both the covers are pulled to bring the covers in contact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0018] The following detailed description and embodiments set forth herein below are merely exemplary out of the wide variety and arrangement of instructions which can be employed with the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. All the features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by similar other or alternative features performing similar or same or equivalent purposes. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, they all are within the scope of the present invention.

[0019] Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0020] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings but are merely used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention.

[0021] It is to be understood that the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0022] It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof.

[0023] The present invention generally relates to a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle (100) and a method for assembling and disassembling thereof. Particularly, the present invention relates to a slidable underbody cover for a spaceframe chassis vehicle , providing easy assembling and disassembling of the covers present in two part form with minimal use of fasteners, thereby reducing man power for assembling and disassembling the underbody cover, cycle time for assembly the underbody cover and cost of fasteners. The system of the present invention comprises of at least one pair of covers snap-fitted together to form an underbody cover for protecting essential parts of the powertrain and steering system of the vehicle.In an embodiment, the system of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1A and Figure 1B comprises of a pair of covers (125,135) snap-fitted together to form an underbody cover configured to protect the engine/battery of the vehicle (100), essential parts of the powertrain and steering system of the vehicle (100); a pair of slots (115) located in the sill panels(110) of the vehicle (100); a plurality of cantilever hook (130) on one cover and a corresponding plurality of recess/securing means (140) in the second cover for snap fitting of covers (125,135) in place; and footstep/frame (160) to cover the underbody cover & covering slots provided on the sill panel. The components of the system are explained herein detail:
a) Underbody cover – The underbody cover of the present invention is configured to protect the engine/battery and other essential parts of the powertrain and steering system of the vehicle (100). The underbody cover comprises of first underbody cover (125) configured to cover one side of the vehicle and second underbody cover (135) configured to cover the other side of the vehicle, which can be used interchangeably. The first underbody cover (125) comprises of L shaped projection which is fastened on one side with the sill panel of the vehicle (100) and connected to the second underbody cover (135) on the opposite side by a connecting means. The second underbody cover (135) comprises of L shaped projection which is fastened on one side with the sill panel of the vehicle (100) and connected to the first underbody cover (125) on the opposite side.

b) Slots – Each sill panel (110) attached/welded to the chassis on both the lateral sides of the vehicle (100) comprises of a slot (115), wherein the slot (115) in sill panel (110) located on one side of the vehicle (100) facilitates the entry or sliding of the first underbody cover (125) and slot (115) in sill panel (110) located on other side of the vehicle facilitates the entry of the second underbody cover (135). The size of the slot (115) is adjustable as per the dimensions of the covers (125,135), enabling the covers (125,135) to smoothly pass through the slot (115). Further, the size of slot varies according to the dimensions of the covers (125, 135).

c) Fasteners and fastening means – The fasteners and fastening means aid in the securing the underbody cover in place, preventing the movement of the covers (125,135). The fasteners and fastening means used in the present invention include such as, but not limited to, bolts, nuts, depression, protrusion, screws, nails, anchors. In an exemplary embodiment, the nuts used in the present invention includes weld nuts.

d) Guide rail – The present invention comprises of a plurality of guide rail (120) welded/ fastened to the ends of each sill panels (110) on lateral sides of the vehicle. The guide rails (120) are configured to guide the sliding of the covers (125,135) and secure the underbody cover in place.

e) Footstep – The footstep (160) is attached to sill panels (110) through fasteners. The footstep/frame (160) is configured to cover the underbody cover & mountings for underbody cover, thereby maintaining perceived quality of the vehicle.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the underbody cover is made up of composite material may be such as but not limited to glass reinforced plastic which acts as a good barrier for all impactors and provides an airflow path to the vehicle to improve aerodynamics.

[0025] In the exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the one end of first underbody cover (125) comprises of a plurality of cantilever hook and another end of the second underbody cover (135) comprises of a plurality of fastening means such that when the first and the second underbody cover (125 & 135) slides in though the slot (115) and comes in contact of each other, the fastener of the first underbody cover (125) becomes deflected and fits inside the fastening means on the second underbody cover (135), forming a snap fit. Such snap fit prevents disengaging of the underbody covers and acts as a mounting in the center.

[0026] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the present invention provides a method for assembling underbodycover . The method involves the following steps:
(a) placing a first underbody cover (125) in a slot located on a sill panel (110) on one side of the vehicle (100) and placing a second underbody cover (135) in a slot (115) located on a sill panel (110) on other side of the vehicle;
(b) sliding in the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) through the slots (115) located on each sill panel (110) on the lateral sides of the vehicle (100);
(c) pulling the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) in contact of each other, resulting in snap fitting of the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135);
(d) putting a fastener and fastening means inside each sill panel (110) attached on each extreme other free end of the first underbody cover (125) and extreme other free end of the second underbody cover (135) to fasten the underbody cover with the sill panel (110) of the vehicle (100);
(e) locking the fastener using fastening means, forming a assembled configuration of the underbody cover (125, 135); and
f) fastening the footsteps (160) with the sill panels (115) with the fastener and the fastening means.
[0027] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, the present invention also provides a method for disassembling the underbody cover (125, 135). The method involves following steps :
the fasteners and fastening meansof the footsteps (160) to the sill panels (110) positioned on the lateral side of the vehicle (100) are unlocked by an operator and the footsteps (160) are removed;
the operator unlocks the fasteners and fastening means of the underbody covers (125, 135) to sill panels (110); and
the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) are pulled apart disengaging the plurality of cantilever hook (130) and the plurality of securing means (140), resulting in disassembling the underbody cover (125, 135).
[0028] The various embodiments of the present invention provides following advantages:
• Lower number of assembling steps and components leads to optimized cost for production.
• The underbody cover (125,135) can be easily replaced in case of breakage as the steps of assemble and disassemble are reduced.
• The present invention also minimizes the use of the fasteners used is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the fasteners.
• The present invention improves aerodynamics of the vehicle.
• The present invention eliminates the need for conveyor, thereby reducing man power and production cost for assembling and disassembling the underbody cover
• The present invention reduces cycle time for assembling underbody cover.

[0029] While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.

WE CLAIM:

1. A system for slidable underbody cover for a vehicle (100) comprising:
• an underbody cover configured to protect the engine/battery, powertrain and steering system of the vehicle (100);
• a pair of slots (115) in a pair of sill panel (110) located on lateral sides of the vehicle (100);
• a guide rail (120) fastened to the ends of the sill panels (110) on lateral sides of the vehicle (100); and
• a pair of footsteps (160) configured to attach to the sill panels (110) through fasteners, said footstep (160) is configured to cover the underbody cover & mountings used thereby maintaining the perceived quality of the vehicle,
characterized in that,
the underbody cover comprises of a first underbody cover (125) configured to cover one side of the vehicle and a second underbody cover (135) configured to cover the other side of the vehicle;
the guide rails (120) are configured to guide the sliding of the covers (125,135) and secure the covers (125, 135) in place;
the slot (115) located in sill panel (110) on one side of the vehicle (100) facilitates entry of the first underbody cover (125) and slot (115) located in sill panel (110) on the other side of the vehicle (100) facilitates the entry of the second underbody cover (135);
the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) comprises of an L shaped projection with a plurality of fastening means on one end configured to fasten with the sill panels (110); and
the first underbody cover (125) comprises of a plurality of cantilever hook (130) on one end and the second underbody cover (135) comprises of a plurality of securing means(140) on one end, forming a snap fit between the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) when both the covers are pulled to bring the covers in contact.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the underbody cover is configured to fasten with the sill panels(110) of the vehicle through a fastener and fastening means.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the underbody cover is made up of glass reinforced plastic material selected from.

4. A method for assembling of the underbody cover as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps :
(a) placing the first underbody cover (125) in the slot (115) located on the sill panel(110) on one side of the vehicle (100) and placing the second underbody cover(135) in the slot (115) located on the sill panel (115) on the other side of the vehicle;

(b) sliding in the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) through the slots (115) located on each sill panel (110) on the lateral sides of the vehicle (100);

(c) pushing the first underbody cover(125) and the second underbody cover(135) towards each other till the cantilever hook (130) and securing means (140) engage each other , resulting in snap fitting of the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135);

d) putting the fastener and fastening means on each extreme other free end of the first underbody cover (125) and extreme other free end of the second underbody cover (135) to fasten the underbody covers with the sill panels (115) of the vehicle (100);
(e) locking the fastener using fastening means , forming an assembled configuration of the underbody cover; and
f) fastening the footsteps (160) with the sill panels (115) with the fastener and the fastening means.

5. The method for disassembling the underbody cover as claimed in claim 4, comprising the following steps:
a) the fasteners and fastening meansof the footsteps (160) to the sill panels (110) positioned on the lateral side of the vehicle (100) are unlocked by an operator and the footsteps (160) are removed;
b) the operator unlocks the fasteners and fastening means of the underbody cover to sill panels (110); and
c) the first underbody cover (125) and the second underbody cover (135) are pulled apart disengaging the plurality of cantilever hook (130) and the plurality of securing means (140), resulting in disassembling the underbody cover.