Sealed Air-Flow Layer for Cabin Floor Noise Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing noise insulation structures for cabin floors in vehicles often increase weight and thickness to improve noise reduction, compromising the vehicle's overall performance and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A noise insulation structure featuring a floor carpet with a skin layer blocking airflow and a sound-absorption layer below, sealed by a foamed rubber-based seal member, which creates an air-flow layer that enhances noise absorption without increasing the carpet's thickness or weight, and is integrated with the floor panel to ensure effective resonance noise reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the thickness of sound-absorption material is increased to improve noise insulation, then the insulation property is improved, but the weight and height of the floor carpet increase greatly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the air layer from open to sealed, transforming it into an effective sound insulation component. By sealing the air-flow layer with a seal member, the air becomes a sound-insulating medium that reduces noise transmission without requiring additional sound-absorption material thickness, thereby avoiding weight increase while maintaining insulation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member acts as an intermediary element that creates a sealed air-flow layer between the skin layer and floor panel. This sealed air layer serves as an additional sound insulation barrier, working synergistically with the sound-absorption layer to reduce noise without increasing the overall carpet thickness or weight.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the thickness of sound-absorption material is increased to improve noise insulation, then the insulation property is improved, but the height of the cabin is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the air layer into a functional sound insulation component by sealing it. This allows the existing space between the skin layer and floor panel to be utilized effectively for noise reduction, eliminating the need to increase sound-absorption material thickness and thereby preserving the cabin height.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the pneumatic properties of trapped air by sealing the air-flow layer. The sealed air acts as a compressible sound insulation medium, providing noise reduction functionality without requiring additional material thickness, thus maintaining the original cabin height.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a sealed structure is created around the sound-absorption layer, then noise insulation effect is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member serves multiple functions simultaneously: it seals the air-flow layer to create sound insulation, provides structural support for the floor carpet assembly, and creates a barrier that prevents air and sound transmission. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member is implemented as a flexible sealing component that can conform to the floor panel surface and surround the sound-absorption layer. This flexible sealing approach provides effective noise insulation without requiring complex rigid structures, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.
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 solution effectively reduces noise transmission by 3.9 dB in the 400-1100 Hz frequency band while maintaining a lightweight and thin floor carpet, ensuring improved insulation and maintenance accessibility without excessive weight or cost.
Implementation Method 1
a sound-absorption layer which is made of a sound-absorption material and configured to allow an airflow therein
Implementation Method 2
the acoustic energy of the road noise can be more properly consumed by sealing a periphery of this air-flow layer, thereby making the air in the air-flow layer link vibrations of the floor panel with vibrations of a carpet skin properly
Data Source
AI summary
A floor carpet is placed on a floor panel forming a cabin floor surface. The floor carpet comprises a skin layer which is configured to block an airflow therethrough and a sound-absorption layer which is made of a sound-absorption material and configured to allow an airflow therein, the sound-absorption layer being provided below the skin layer to contact the floor panel at a lower face thereof. A space between the skin layer and the floor panel (a space portion where the sound-absorption layer is arranged) is sealed with a seal member which is configured to surround the sound-absorption layer. The seal member is pressed against the floor panel (tightly) by a pressing member which is fixed to a vehicle-body side with a fixing tool.