Fender Liner

Abstract

To provide a fender liner that has a simple structure capable of immediately discharging water or pebbles splattered by a tire, and absorbing noise arising from the tire during travel.SOLUTION: A fender liner 10 that covers an upper part of a wheel includes an internal component 1, and an external component 2 fixed to the internal component 1 while being superposed on at least part of the periphery 111 of the internal component 1. A communication pipe 7 is formed to extend in a circumferential direction between the internal component 1 and external component 2 and communicate with a space on the side of the wheel and a space on the side of a vehicle body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a fender liner that covers the upper part of a wheel.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a large number of air chambers having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape are formed on the outer peripheral surface of a fender liner, and the air chambers and a wheel house are communicated by through holes, so that a Helmholtz type resonator having the air chambers as resonance chambers and the through holes as openings of the resonance chambers is provided. This fender liner can absorb noise generated from a tire during traveling by the Helmholtz type resonator provided in this way.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] <000​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The fender liner disclosed in Patent Document 1 can absorb noise generated from the tires during driving using a Helmholtz resonator. However, this fender liner has a complex structure with numerous air chambers on its outer surface, which increases costs. Furthermore, this fender liner has a structure that makes it difficult for water, pebbles, etc., that are bounced up by the tire and enter the air chambers through the through holes to be discharged from the air chambers. This raises concerns that water accumulated in the air chambers may cause corrosion and rust of the parts, or that pebbles, etc., that enter the air chambers may generate abnormal noises.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a fender liner that has a simple structure, is capable of immediately discharging water, pebbles, and other debris splashed up by the tires, and is also capable of absorbing noise generated from the tires during driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The fender liner according to the present invention is a fender liner that covers the top of a wheel, It features a roughly semi-cylindrical arch section. Internal parts and At the rear end of the outer surface of the arch portion The inner component is fixed in an overlapping state. It has an arc section. Equipped with external parts, A substantially semi-cylindrical groove is formed at the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the arch portion, recessing radially inward and extending circumferentially. The arc portion is fixed in a state where it overlaps the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the arch portion, so that the arc portion covers the groove. A connecting pipe is formed between the inner part and the outer part, extending in the circumferential direction and connecting the space on the wheel side and the space on the vehicle body side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This invention has a simple structure that allows for the immediate discharge of water, pebbles, and other debris splashed up by the tires, while also being able to absorb noise generated from the tires during driving. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the fender liner of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the fender liner of the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <First Embodiment> The fender liner 10 of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The arrows FR, UP, and RH shown in the following drawings indicate the forward (direction of travel), upward, and right directions of the vehicle, respectively. The opposite directions of each arrow FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear, downward, and left directions of the vehicle, respectively. When the directions front / back, left / right, and up / down are simply used in the following description, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front / back direction of the vehicle, the left / right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and the up / down direction of the vehicle.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fender liner 10. As shown in Figure 1, the fender liner 10 comprises an inner part 1 and an outer part 2. The inner part 1 consists of a substantially semi-cylindrical arch portion 11, a side wall portion 12 positioned inward in the vehicle width direction, and a front flange portion 13. A substantially semi-cylindrical groove 14 is formed at the rear end of the outer circumferential surface 111 of the arch portion 11, recessing radially inward and extending circumferentially. The outer part 2 consists of an arc portion 21 fixed to the inner part 1 in a state where it is superimposed on the rear end of the outer circumferential surface 111 of the arch portion 11 of the inner part 1, a side wall portion 22 positioned inward in the vehicle width direction, and a rear flange portion 23.

[0012] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. Figure 2 also shows the tire 3 and body panel 4, which are not depicted in Figure 1. In Figure 2, the tire 3 is shown by a dashed line and the body panel 4 is shown by a double dashed line. The tire 3 is the right-side wheel of the vehicle. The fender liner 10 covers the top of the tire 3 and forms the right-side wheel arch of the vehicle. A wheel well 5 is formed radially inside the fender liner 10 as the space on the tire 3 side. The body panel 4 is positioned radially outside the fender liner 10, and a rear space 6 is formed between the fender liner 10 and the body panel 4.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the arc portion 21 of the outer component 2 is fixed to the inner component 1 in a state where it is overlapped with the rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface 111 of the arch portion 11 of the inner component 1. As a result, the arc portion 21 of the outer component 2 covers the groove 14. Therefore, a communication pipe 7 that communicates the wheel house 5 and the rear space 6 is formed between the inner component 1 and the outer component 2. For this reason, a Helmholtz type resonator in which the rear space 6 is used as a resonance chamber and the communication pipe 7 is used as an opening of the resonance chamber is formed in the fender liner 10. The fender liner 10 allows the noise generated from the road surface contact position of the tire 3 during driving to enter from the communication pipe 7 into the rear space 6, and by utilizing the rear space 6 and the communication pipe 7 as a Helmholtz type resonator, the noise generated from the tire 3 can be absorbed. The fender liner 10 can reduce the noise that can be heard by the occupants in the vehicle interior by absorbing the noise generated from the tire 3 during driving in this way.

[0014] Regarding the frequency f that the Helmholtz type resonator absorbs sound, when the speed of sound is c, the volume of the resonance chamber is V, the cross-sectional area of the passage of the communication pipe extending from the resonance chamber is S, and the length of the communication pipe is L, the following relationship of Equation 1 holds.

[0015]

Equation

[0016] Therefore, in the fender liner 10, by appropriately setting the value of the volume of the rear space 6, the value of the cross-sectional area of the passage of the communication pipe 7, and the value of the length of the communication pipe 7, the frequency of the noise absorbed by the Helmholtz type resonator can be adjusted.

[0017] Also, regarding the noise generated from the tire 3 during driving, it is known that the sound pressure becomes particularly high in the vicinity of the position where the tire 3 contacts the road surface and on the rear side of the contact position. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 1 to 2, the fender liner 10 can increase the sound absorption effect by providing the communication pipe 7 at a position close to the road surface on the rear side of the fender liner 10.

[0018] Furthermore, by providing the communication pipe 7 at the rear part of the fender liner 10 in this way and fixing the outer part 2 in a state where it is overlapped with the rear part of the outer peripheral surface 111 of the arch part 11 of the inner part 1, the rigidity of the rear part of the fender liner 10 can be improved.

[0019] And the fender liner 10 is composed of two parts, the inner part 1 and the outer part 2. By fixing the outer part 2 to the inner part 1 to form the communication pipe 7, it is possible to provide a Helmholtz type resonator, so it has a simpler structure compared to the fender liner disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0020] And since the communication pipe 7 provided so as to extend in the circumferential direction in the fender liner 10 is inclined, even if water, small stones, etc. splashed up by the tire 3 enter the communication pipe 7, they can be immediately discharged downward from the communication pipe 7. In particular, by providing the communication pipe 7 at the rear part of the fender liner 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the inclination of the communication pipe 7 becomes larger, so it becomes easier to discharge water, small stones, etc. Further, even when water accumulates on the outer peripheral surface 111 of the arch part 11 of the inner part 1 due to factors such as dew condensation, the water can be discharged from the communication pipe 7. Therefore, the fender liner 10 can suppress the corrosion and rust generation of the parts.

[0021] In this way, the fender liner 10 has a simple structure and can immediately discharge water, small stones, etc. splashed up by the tire 3, and can absorb the noise generated from the tire 3 during driving.

[0022] Incidentally, the fender liner 10 may further improve the sound absorption effect by attaching a fiber material such as Sinsulate (registered trademark) to the outer peripheral surface 111 of the arch part 11 of the inner part 1.

[0023] <Second Embodiment> Next, the fender liner 20 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. The fender liner 20 of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the fender liner 10 of the first embodiment, except that three connecting pipes 7a to 7c are provided between the inner part 1a and the outer part 2, and a partition wall 15 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a. Therefore, components identical to those of the fender liner 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0024] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fender liner 20. As shown in Figure 3, the fender liner 20 comprises an inner part 1a and an outer part 2. The inner part 1a consists of a substantially semi-cylindrical arch portion 11a, a side wall portion 12 positioned inward in the vehicle width direction, and a front flange portion 13. At the rear end of the outer circumferential surface 111a of the arch portion 11a, three substantially semi-cylindrical grooves 14a to 14c are formed, recessed radially inward from the arch portion 11a and extending circumferentially. The three grooves 14a to 14c are arranged parallel to each other in the vehicle width direction. A partition wall 15 is provided on the outer circumferential surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a. When the fender liner 20 is attached to the vehicle body, the partition wall 15 contacts the vehicle body panel 4, and three resonance chambers 6a to 6c are formed in the rear space 6 between the fender liner 20 and the vehicle body panel 4.

[0025] The arc portion 21 of the outer part 2 is fixed to the inner part 1a in a state where it overlaps with the rear end of the outer peripheral surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a. As a result, the arc portion 21 of the outer part 2 covers the three grooves 14a to 14c, and a connecting pipe 7a connecting the wheelhouse 5 and the resonance chamber 6a, a connecting pipe 7b connecting the wheelhouse 5 and the resonance chamber 6b, and a connecting pipe 7c connecting the wheelhouse 5 and the resonance chamber 6c are formed between the inner part 1a and the outer part 2. Therefore, a Helmholtz resonator composed of the resonance chamber 6a and the connecting pipe 7a, a Helmholtz resonator composed of the resonance chamber 6b and the connecting pipe 7b, and a Helmholtz resonator composed of the resonance chamber 6c and the connecting pipe 7c are formed in the fender liner 20.

[0026] The fender liner 20 utilizes these three Helmholtz resonators to absorb noise generated from the tires 3 during driving, thereby reducing the noise audible to occupants inside the vehicle. Furthermore, by providing these three Helmholtz resonators, the fender liner 20 can enhance the sound absorption effect by increasing the degree to which noise generated from the tires 3 during driving penetrates the Helmholtz resonators. In addition, the fender liner 20 can adjust the frequency of noise absorbed by the Helmholtz resonators by appropriately setting the volume values ​​of the resonance chambers 6a to 6c, the cross-sectional area values ​​of the passages of the connecting pipes 7a to 7c, and the lengths of the connecting pipes 7a to 7c.

[0027] Furthermore, by providing three connecting pipes 7a to 7c at the rear of the fender liner 20 in this manner, and fixing the outer part 2 to the rear of the outer peripheral surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a in a superimposed state, the rear rigidity of the fender liner 20 can be further improved compared to the fender liner 10 of the first embodiment.

[0028] Furthermore, the fender liner 20 is composed of two parts, an inner part 1a and an outer part 2, and a Helmholtz resonator can be provided by fixing the outer part 2 to the inner part 1a to form three connecting pipes 7a to 7c, thus having a simpler configuration compared to the fender liner disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0029] Furthermore, since the three connecting pipes 7a to 7c, which are provided in the circumferential direction of the fender liner 20, are all inclined, even if water or pebbles splashed up by the tire 3 enter the connecting pipes 7a to 7c, they can be immediately discharged downwards from the connecting pipes 7a to 7c. In particular, by providing the connecting pipes 7a to 7c at the rear of the fender liner 20 as shown in Figure 3, the inclination of the connecting pipes 7a to 7c is increased, making it even easier to discharge water and pebbles. In addition, even if water accumulates on the outer surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a due to factors such as condensation, the water can be discharged from the three connecting pipes 7a to 7c. As a result, the fender liner 20 can suppress the occurrence of corrosion and rust on the parts.

[0030] Thus, the fender liner 20 has a simple structure that allows for the immediate discharge of water, pebbles, and other debris splashed up by the tire 3, while also absorbing noise generated from the tire 3 during driving. The number of connecting pipes formed between the inner part 1a and the outer part 2 may be other than 3, such as 2 or 4. Alternatively, the partition wall 15 may not be provided on the outer circumferential surface 111a of the arch portion 11a of the inner part 1a, and the wheelhouse 5 and the rear space 6 may be connected by multiple connecting pipes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1, 1a Inner parts, 2 Outer parts, 3 Tires, 4 Body panels, 5 Wheelhouses, 6 Rear space, 6a, 6b, 6c Resonance chambers, 7, 7a, 7b, 7c Connecting pipes, 10, 20 Fender liners, 11, 11a Arch section, 12 Side wall section, 13 Front flange section, 14, 14a, 14b, 14c Grooves, 15 Partition wall, 21 Arc section, 22 Side wall section, 23 Rear flange section, 111, 111a Outer surface.

Claims

[Claim 1] A fender liner that covers the top of the wheel, It comprises an inner part having a roughly semi-cylindrical arch portion, and an outer part having an arc portion that is fixed to the inner part in a state where it overlaps with the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the arch portion, At the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the arch portion, a substantially semi-cylindrical groove is formed that is recessed radially inward of the arch portion and extends circumferentially. The fender liner is characterized in that the arc portion is fixed in a state where it overlaps the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the arch portion, so that the arc portion covers the groove, and a connecting pipe is formed between the inner part and the outer part, extending in the circumferential direction and connecting the space on the wheel side and the space on the vehicle body side.

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