Automobile wheel arches

Abstract

The application provides an automobile wheel arch, and the wheel arch body comprises a wheel arch outer plate and a wheel arch inner plate fixed to the inner plate surface of the wheel arch outer plate. The wheel arch inner plate comprises a middle front section fixedly connected with a front fender assembly side plate and a middle rear section fixedly connected with an automobile fender. The inner side arc-shaped edge of the wheel arch inner plate extends to the inner side of the automobile in the vehicle width direction and is provided with a supporting clasp. The lower edge of the front fender assembly side plate and the automobile fender extends to the vehicle width direction and is provided with a connecting clasp. The connecting clasp is lapped and fixed on the supporting clasp, so that the matching relationship between the automobile wheel arch and the automobile body is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automotive parts technology, specifically relating to an automotive wheel arch. Background Technology

[0002] Wheel arches, as exterior automotive components, are semi-circular protrusions from the fender above the tire. They are installed above the tire edge and conform to the bumper, fender, and side panels, serving functions such as aesthetics, reducing wind resistance, and scratch protection. Traditional wheel arch designs are single-layer injection molded panels, which are prone to surface shrinkage and other manufacturing defects. These defects are often concealed by adding textured patterns to the wheel arches, making them less noticeable to users. In recent years, with the booming development of the automotive industry, the requirements for vehicle styling and appearance quality have become increasingly stringent. Some manufacturers have adopted separate wheel arch bodies and brackets to improve product quality.

[0003] A patent titled "An Automobile Wheel Arch" (Patent No.: CN 110758276 A) discloses a wheel arch body and a bracket. The bracket is fixed to the wheel arch body by ultrasonic welding, resulting in a secure connection between the wheel arch body and the bracket. While the wheel arch body and bracket in this design are securely installed and unlikely to detach, their significant weight and the fact that they are only fixed to the side panel of the vehicle body via a first snap-fit ​​unit in the middle of the bracket make it difficult to ensure a proper fit between the wheel arch body edge and the vehicle body, and the clearance and mating surfaces are difficult to control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a car wheel arch, which aims to improve the matching relationship between the car wheel arch and the car body.

[0005] A type of automotive wheel arch includes an outer wheel arch plate and an inner wheel arch plate fixed to the inner side panel of the outer wheel arch plate. The inner wheel arch plate includes a front middle section fixedly connected to the front bumper assembly side plate and a rear middle section fixedly connected to the vehicle fender. The inner arc-shaped edge of the inner wheel arch plate extends into the vehicle along the vehicle width direction with a support clip. The lower edge of the front bumper assembly side plate and the vehicle fender extends along the vehicle width direction with a connecting clip, which overlaps and is fixed to the support clip.

[0006] In the above solution, the inner arc-shaped edge of the wheel arch inner plate extends into the vehicle along the vehicle width direction with a support clip, and the lower edge of the front bumper assembly side plate and the car fender extends along the vehicle width direction with a connecting clip. The connecting clip is overlapped and fixed on the support clip, improving the matching relationship between the car wheel arch and the car body. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly state from an external perspective of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the assembly state from the inside view of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the outer flange plate in this invention;

[0010] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the inner wheel arch plate from the outer side view in this invention;

[0011] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the inner side of the wheel arch inner plate in this invention;

[0012] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the mating structure between the inner wheel arch plate and the automobile fender in this invention;

[0013] Figure 7 This is an enlarged view of the mating structure of the pin and pin seat in this invention;

[0014] Figure 8 This is an enlarged view of the mating structure between the inner wheel arch plate and the side plate of the front bumper assembly in this invention;

[0015] Figure 9 This is a partial schematic diagram of the rear section of the inner flange plate in this invention;

[0016] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 Enlarged image;

[0017] Figure 11 This is an enlarged view of the structure of the fixing base in this invention; Detailed Implementation

[0018] First, it is necessary to explain the definition of orientation. In the width direction of the vehicle body, the side of the fender facing the passenger compartment is considered the inner or inner side, and the other side facing away from the passenger compartment is considered the outer or outer side. The front, rear, up, and down directions are consistent with the front, rear, up, and down directions of the vehicle, respectively.

[0019] like Figures 1-11 The illustration shows a car wheel arch, the wheel arch body 1 includes a wheel arch outer plate 10 and a wheel arch inner plate 20 fixed to the inner side plate of the wheel arch outer plate 10. The wheel arch inner plate 20 includes a front middle section 20a fixedly connected to the front bumper assembly side plate A and a rear middle section 20b fixedly connected to the car fender B. The inner arc-shaped edge of the wheel arch inner plate 20 extends into the car along the vehicle width direction with a support clip 21. The lower edge of the front bumper assembly side plate A and the car fender B extends along the vehicle width direction with a connecting clip C. The connecting clip C overlaps and is fixed on the support clip 21.

[0020] In the above scheme, the outer wheel arch panel 10 and the inner wheel arch panel 20 are fixedly connected to form the wheel arch body 1. The outer surface of the outer wheel arch panel 10 is a decorative surface, and the inner surface of the inner wheel arch panel 20 is fixedly connected to the front bumper assembly side panel A and the vehicle fender B, respectively. The outer wheel arch panel 10 does not require a connection structure to mate with the front bumper assembly side panel A and the vehicle fender B, thus ensuring the appearance quality of the outer surface of the outer wheel arch panel 10. The inner arc-shaped edge of the inner wheel arch panel 20 is along the vehicle width direction. A support clip 21 extends inwards from the vehicle side. A connecting clip C extends along the width of the vehicle from the lower edge of the front bumper assembly side panel A and the vehicle fender B. The connecting clip C overlaps and is fixed to the support clip 21. The support clip 21 is hung on the connecting clip C, which can ensure the stability of the inner wheel arch panel 20 and improve the matching relationship between the inner wheel arch panel 20 and the front bumper assembly side panel A and the vehicle fender B. In addition, it also provides a constraint and fixation function for the wheel arch trim panel assembly formed by the outer wheel arch panel 10 and the inner wheel arch panel 20.

[0021] Furthermore, a pre-positioning clip 11 is provided on the inner side plate of the outer wheel arch plate 10, which engages with the pre-positioning hole 23 on the inner wheel arch plate 20 for pre-positioning. A mesh-like welding surface 24 is arranged at intervals on the outer side plate of the inner wheel arch plate 20, and the outer wheel arch plate 10 and the inner wheel arch plate 20 are welded together through the welding surface 24.

[0022] The above scheme first uses the pre-positioning clip 11 on the inner side plate of the outer wheel arch plate 10 to engage with the pre-positioning hole 23 on the inner wheel arch plate 20 for pre-positioning. Then, the mesh-like welding surfaces 24 arranged at intervals on the outer side plate of the inner wheel arch plate 20 are welded and fixed to the outer wheel arch plate 10. The welding here includes the bonding of the outer wheel arch plate 10 and the inner wheel arch plate 20 with adhesive to ensure a fixed connection.

[0023] Furthermore, on the inner side panel of the middle and rear section 20b of the wheel arch inner plate 20, there are fixed seats 22 that protrude towards the inside of the vehicle at intervals. The fixed seats 22 include pin seats 221 and pins 222. The pins 222 are disposed on the pin seats 221 and pass through the fender B to fix the middle and rear section 20b of the wheel arch inner plate 20 to the fender B.

[0024] In the above solution, the front section of the inner wheel arch plate 20 is used to connect with the front bumper assembly side plate A. The front bumper assembly side plate A is an injection molded part, and it is difficult to provide a pin hole for the pin 222 to be inserted. Opening a fixing seat 22 on the front bumper assembly side plate A not only makes it difficult to guarantee reliability, rigidity and strength, but also easily leads to abnormal noise of the vehicle body and sinking of the front bumper assembly side plate A in the later stage of use. Therefore, in this solution, multiple fixing seats 22 protruding towards the inside of the vehicle are arranged at intervals on the inner side plate surface of the middle and rear section 20b of the inner wheel arch plate 20. The fixing seat 22 includes a pin seat 221 and a pin 222. Multiple pins 222 pass through the fender B to realize the connection between the middle and rear section 20b of the inner wheel arch plate 20 and the fender B.

[0025] like Figure 7 , 11 As shown, the pin seat 221 includes a pin plate 223 that engages with the pin 222. The surface of the pin plate 223 is parallel to the overall surface of the inner plate 20 of the wheel arch and is arranged at intervals. A section of the periphery of the pin plate 223 is separated from the inner plate 20 of the wheel arch and forms a strip-shaped hole area 224. The pin plate 223 has a U-shaped hole 225 with a constricted opening. The opening direction of the U-shaped hole 225 is perpendicular to the strip-shaped hole area 224 and the opening of the U-shaped hole 225 is connected to the middle of the strip-shaped hole area 224.

[0026] In the above scheme, the surface of the pin plate 223 is parallel to the overall surface of the inner wheel arch plate 20 and arranged at intervals to ensure that the axis of the pin 222 is perpendicular to the overall surface of the inner wheel arch plate 20. This ensures that when the inner wheel arch plate 20 is fitted with the car fender B, the pin 222 can be inserted vertically, preventing the pin 222 from being skewed. A section of the periphery of the pin plate 223 is separated from the inner wheel arch plate 20 and forms a strip-shaped hole area 224 for the pin 222 to be inserted. The pin 222 can gradually move from the strip-shaped hole area 224 into the U-shaped hole 225 and be inserted into the U-shaped hole 225 on the pin plate 223.

[0027] Preferably, the U-shaped holes 225 have at least one U-shaped hole 225 with different opening directions.

[0028] The wheel arch inner plate 20 in the above scheme is provided with multiple pin seats 221, and each pin seat 221 has a U-shaped hole 225. Because the U-shaped hole 225 has only one outlet and is constrained on three sides, when the opening directions of the multiple U-shaped holes 225 are different, after the wheel arch inner plate 20 is fixed to the car fender B, the multiple pins 222 can restrain each other, ensuring the connection stability between the wheel arch inner plate 20 and the car fender B. In other words, each pin 222 can be easily and independently inserted into its corresponding position. In the U-shaped hole 225, when the inner wheel arch plate 20 and the outer wheel arch plate 10 are assembled and the wheel arch body 1 is connected to the car fender B, if there is a tendency for the pin 222 in the U-shaped hole 225 at position N to separate from the U-shaped hole 225 along the opening direction, the hole walls of the U-shaped holes 225 at positions N1 and N2 and the pin 222 inside them form a blocking cooperation to limit the separation displacement between the pin 222 in the U-shaped hole 225 at position N and the U-shaped hole 225 at position N.

[0029] Preferably, the opening of the U-shaped hole 225 is aligned with the curvature direction of the inner wheel arch plate 20 at its location.

[0030] In the above scheme, the opening of the U-shaped hole 225 is aligned with the curvature of the inner wheel arch plate 20 at its location. Therefore, the opening directions of the multiple U-shaped holes 225 are different, and the blocking and limiting directions of all pins 222 and U-shaped holes 225 are different. This achieves the mutual restraint and limiting effect of all pin connections, ensuring the connection stability between the inner wheel arch plate 20 (i.e., the wheel arch body 1) and the vehicle fender B. Preferably, to further improve the connection stability between the inner wheel arch plate 20 and the vehicle fender B, the opening of the U-shaped hole 225 is aligned clockwise or counterclockwise along the curvature of the inner wheel arch plate 20, which can further enhance the mutual restraint among all pins 222. This scheme selects to point the openings of the U-shaped holes 225 on the front and rear sections of the middle and rear sections 20b to clockwise and counterclockwise directions along the curvature of the inner wheel arch plate 20, respectively, aiming to ensure a stable fit between the inner wheel arch plate 20 and the vehicle fender B.

[0031] like Figure 7 As shown, in order to vertically position the pin 22 on the pin seat 221 and ensure that the pin 22 and the inner wheel arch plate 20 are fixedly positioned along the axial direction of the pin 22, inner and outer clamping plates 2221 and 2222 are spaced apart at the tail end of the pin 222. Between the inner and outer clamping plates 2221 and 2222 is a pin neck 2223, which is placed within a U-shaped hole 225. The U-shaped hole 225 partially constrains the periphery of the pin neck 2223. The inner and outer clamping plates 2221 and 2222 are clamped on the end faces of the inner and outer end holes of the U-shaped hole 225. The thickness of the outer clamping plate 2222 matches the width of the strip-shaped hole region 224 to ensure that the outer clamping plate 2222 can smoothly pass through the strip-shaped hole region 224.

[0032] The front bumper assembly side plate A is provided with a front bumper boss A1, which abuts against the surface of the front middle section 20a. The mounting base 22 on the rear middle section 20b is provided with a side panel boss 226, which abuts against the surface of the fender B. The front bumper boss A1 and the side panel boss 226 cooperate to ensure that the wheel arch body 1 and the front bumper assembly side plate A and the fender B have the same clearance.

[0033] In the above scheme, the front bumper boss A1 abuts against the front section 20a, the side bumper boss 226 abuts against the fender B, and the front middle section 20a and the rear middle section 20b have the same fit clearance with the front bumper assembly side plate A and the fender B, which together control the surface difference quality of the wheel arch body 1 exterior surface.

[0034] Furthermore, a connecting clip 25 is provided on the upper edge of the inner side panel of the front section 20a of the wheel arch inner plate 20, and the wheel arch inner plate 20 is fixedly connected to the front bumper assembly side plate A through the connecting clip 25.

[0035] Preferably, the fixing seat 22 on the plate surface of the middle and rear section 20b is located on the back between the two mesh welding surfaces 24, ensuring that the fixing seat 22 has a uniform clamping spacing and does not affect the connection and fixation between the outer wheel arch plate 10 and the inner wheel arch plate 20. Preferably, in order to more accurately connect the outer wheel arch plate 10 and the inner wheel arch plate 20, the prepositioning hole 23 is located on the mesh welding surface 24.

Claims

1. A car wheel arch, the wheel arch body (1) comprising a wheel arch outer plate (10) and a wheel arch inner plate (20) fixed to the inner side plate of the wheel arch outer plate (10), wherein the wheel arch inner plate (20) comprises a front middle section (20a) fixedly connected to a front bumper assembly side plate (A) and a rear middle section (20b) fixedly connected to a car fender (B), characterized in that: The inner arc edge of the wheel arch inner plate (20) extends into the vehicle along the vehicle width direction and has a support clip (21). The lower edge of the front bumper assembly side plate (A) and the car fender (B) extends into the vehicle width direction and has a connecting clip (C). The connecting clip (C) is overlapped and fixed on the support clip (21). The inner side panel of the middle and rear section (20b) of the wheel arch inner plate (20) is provided with fixed seats (22) that protrude toward the inside of the vehicle at intervals. The fixed seat (22) includes a pin seat (221) and a pin (222). The pin (222) is set on the pin seat (221) and the pin (222) passes through the fender (B) of the vehicle and is fixedly connected to the middle and rear section (20b) of the wheel arch inner plate (20) and the fender (B). The pin seat (221) includes a pin plate (223) that engages with the pin (222). The surface of the pin plate (223) is parallel to the overall surface of the inner plate of the wheel arch (20) and is spaced apart. A section of the periphery of the pin plate (223) is separated from the inner plate of the wheel arch (20) and forms a strip-shaped hole area (224). The pin plate (223) has a U-shaped hole (225) with a constricted opening. The opening direction of the U-shaped hole (225) is perpendicular to the strip-shaped hole area (224) and the opening of the U-shaped hole (225) is connected to the middle of the strip-shaped hole area (224).

2. The automotive wheel trim of claim 1, wherein: The inner side of the outer wheel arch plate (10) is provided with a pre-positioning clip (11) that engages with the pre-positioning hole (23) on the inner wheel arch plate (20) for pre-positioning. The outer side of the inner wheel arch plate (20) is provided with a mesh-like welding surface (24) arranged at intervals. The outer wheel arch plate (10) and the inner wheel arch plate (20) are welded together through the welding surface (24).

3. The automotive wheel trim of claim 1, wherein: The U-shaped hole (225) has at least one U-shaped hole (225) with different opening directions.

4. The automotive wheel trim of claim 3, wherein: The opening of the U-shaped hole (225) is aligned with the curvature of the inner wheel arch plate (20) at its location.

5. The automotive wheel trim of claim 4, wherein: The tail end of the pin (222) is provided with inner and outer clamping plates (2221, 2222) spaced apart. Between the inner and outer clamping plates (2221, 2222) is the pin neck (2223). The pin neck (2223) is placed inside the U-shaped hole (225) and the inner and outer clamping plates (2221, 2222) are clamped on the end faces of the inner and outer end holes of the U-shaped hole (225).

6. The automotive wheel trim of claim 1, wherein: The front bumper assembly side plate (A) is provided with a front bumper boss (A1), which abuts against the front section (20a) plate surface. The middle rear section (20b) is provided with a side panel boss (226) on the mounting base (22), which abuts against the fender (B) plate surface. The front bumper boss (A1) and the side panel boss (226) cooperate to ensure that the wheel arch body (1) and the front bumper assembly side plate (A) and the fender (B) have the same fit clearance.

7. The automotive wheel trim of claim 1, wherein: A connecting clip (25) is provided on the upper edge of the inner side panel of the front section (20a) of the wheel arch inner plate (20), and the front section (20a) of the wheel arch inner plate (20) is fixedly connected to the front bumper assembly side plate (A) through the connecting clip (25).

8. The automotive wheel trim of claim 2, wherein: The back of the fixed seat (22) on the plate surface of the middle and rear section (20b) is located between the two grid welding surfaces (24), and the predetermined positioning hole (23) is located on the grid welding surface (24).

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