Vehicle Rim Helmholtz Resonator with Integrated Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel rim designs with Helmholtz resonators for sound absorption require significant assembly effort and material, leading to increased weight and costs.
Innovation Solution
A rim design featuring a cover element connected to wall and web elements in a form-fitting, non-positive manner, with snap tabs and sealing elements to create an airtight annular air volume, reducing assembly and material requirements while ensuring effective sound absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate components (cover element, base element, wall elements, locking means) are used to form the Helmholtz resonator, then the sound absorption function is achieved, but the assembly effort and number of components increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (cover element, base element, wall elements, and locking means) into a single integrated cover element that forms the Helmholtz resonator. This merging eliminates the need for separate locking means and base elements, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the sound absorption function through the integrated structure's airtight enclosure of the air volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover element is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it encloses the air volume, provides structural support, creates the airtight seal, and integrates the locking mechanism directly into its structure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated components for each function, reducing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple separate components with locking means are used, then the Helmholtz resonator can be assembled, but the weight of the resonator increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the locking means into the cover element structure itself rather than using separate locking components, the total material required is reduced. The integrated design eliminates redundant materials while maintaining assembly capability through the form-fitting connection between the cover element and rim well.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary components (separate base element and locking means) from the traditional multi-component design, retaining only the essential cover element that integrates all necessary functions. This extraction reduces weight while preserving the essential assembly capability.
3Reliability
If elastomeric adhesive is used to glue components together, then the components can be connected, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding method (elastomeric adhesive) with a mechanical connection system. The cover element is designed with a form-fitting connection that mechanically interlocks with the rim well, eliminating the need for adhesive application and curing time. This mechanical substitution significantly increases assembly speed while maintaining connection integrity through the precise geometric fit.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover element is pre-formed with the specific geometry required for the form-fitting connection, including integrated locking features. This preliminary preparation allows for rapid assembly without requiring on-site adhesive application or alignment adjustments, thereby increasing productivity.
4Productivity
If a simplified form-fitting connection is used, then assembly effort is reduced, but ensuring airtight sealing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cover element incorporates localized sealing features (such as sealing lips or gaskets) at specific critical locations where airtight sealing is required, while the rest of the structure maintains a simple form-fitting connection. This localized enhancement of sealing quality at key interfaces ensures airtight integrity without compromising assembly efficiency across the entire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover element may utilize composite material construction combining rigid structural portions with flexible sealing portions. The rigid parts provide the form-fitting mechanical connection for easy assembly, while the flexible sealing portions ensure airtight sealing at the interfaces, achieving both assembly efficiency and sealing reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes assembly and material costs while maintaining effective sound absorption, even under high radial forces, by using a simplified and lightweight connection method that maintains air volume constancy and sealing integrity.
Implementation Method 1
Helmholtz resonators are proposed as resonance absorbers, which essentially consist of an air volume enclosed by a container with a narrow opening to the outside. The elasticity of the air volume inside the container in combination with the inert mass of the air in said narrow opening creates a mechanical spring-mass system. The impacting sound energy is converted into kinetic energy of the said mass.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4a~4e
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a rim (4) onto which a vehicle tire (3) is pulled or can be pulled. The rim (4) has a rim base (5) on which at least one device is arranged in order to absorb sound in the manner of a Helmholtz resonator (9), comprising an air volume (10) which is at least partly ring-shaped and comprising at least one opening (11) into the tire interior (8). Said air volume (10) of the Helmholtz resonator (9) is formed by the rim base (5), by wall and/or web elements (12, 13, 13'), which are arranged on the rim base (5) at a distance from one another when seen in the axial direction of the rim (4), which are radially oriented, and which are at least partly circumferential, and by a covering element (14) or by a covering element (14) and transverse walls (15), which delimit the air volume (10) in the circumferential direction. Advantageously, the covering element (14) is connected to the wall and/or web elements (12, 13, 13') in a form-fitting manner or in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner and in an airtight manner, whereby the production or assembly complexity for producing the Helmholtz resonator (9) is reduced.