EP4688537A1

EP4688537A1 - Vehicle comprising body structure with anti-noise sealing component

Info

Publication number: EP4688537A1
Application number: EP24710043.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hongyan Yang; Yi Shi; Wenbiao YANG; Jianing Wang
Original assignee: Stellantis Auto SAS
Current assignee: Stellantis Auto SAS
Priority date: 2023-04-06
Filing date: 2024-03-05
Publication date: 2026-02-11
Also published as: WO2024208516A1; CN118770086A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle comprising a body structure with an anti-noise sealing component. The structure comprises: an outer panel; a C-pillar inner panel connected to an inner side of the outer panel and delimiting a body cavity with the outer panel, the C- pillar inner panel being provided with a mounting opening adapted to mount an environmental component; a wheel-house inner panel connected to a bottom of the C-pillar inner panel and to the inner side of the outer panel; and an anti-noise sealing component extending in the body cavity along the longitudinal direction adjacent to the bottom of the C-pillar inner panel, and tightly sandwiched between the outer panel and the C-pillar inner panel, the anti-noise sealing component comprising a sealing foam arranged at an outer side of the mounting opening and at least one baffle arranged in front of and/or behind the sealing foam.

Description

VEHICLE COMPRISING BODY STRUCTURE WITH ANTI-NOISE SEALING COMPONENT

RELATED FIELD

[0001] The present invention claims the priority of the Chinese application 202310363797.0 filed on April, the 06th of 2023 (06.04.2023), the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of a body structure of a motor vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle comprising a body structure with an antinoise sealing component.

BACKGROUND

[0003] With the continuous development of vehicle technology, passengers put forward higher requirements for vehicle comfort. NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) performance is a comprehensive indicator for evaluating vehicle quality, and can provide passengers with the most direct feelings. Thus, how to improve the NVH performance has attracted more and more attention from vehicle and component manufacturers.

[0004] In a vehicle structure, the bottom region of the corner window of the lateral-rear portion of the body is usually formed by connection of components such as an outer panel (i.e., a lateral-body outer panel), a C-pillar inner panel, a wheel-house inner panel, and a plurality of reinforcement panels. In order to prevent noise originating from wheels from being transmitted to the vehicle compartment, in particular to the ears of the passengers, via a body cavity between the outer panel and the C-pillar inner panel, it is generally necessary to provide an anti-noise sealing component in the body cavity.

[0005] However, in particular for some special vehicle models (for example, a large household vehicle with three rows of seats), the body structure in the bottom region of the corner window is complex, the presence of many environmental components (for example, a cover for a seatbelt reel, a reinforcement panel with a process notch, etc.) makes it very difficult to arrange an anti-noise sealing component, thus it is unable to provide an effective sealing solution for blocking wheel noise. SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure aims to overcome at least one of the defects presented in the prior art by providing a vehicle comprising a body structure with an anti-noise sealing component. More specifically, the vehicle according to the present disclosure can economically prevent wheel noise from being transmitted from the lateral-rear portion of the body to the vehicle compartment, thereby effectively improving the NVH performance of the vehicle.

[0007] To this end, the present disclosure provides a vehicle comprising a body structure, the vehicle having a longitudinal direction indicative for a direction of travel, the body structure comprising: an outer panel; a C-pillar inner panel connected to an inner side of the outer panel and delimiting a body cavity together with the outer panel, wherein the C-pillar inner panel is provided with a mounting opening adapted to mount an environmental component; a wheel-house inner panel connected to a bottom of the C-pillar inner panel and to the inner side of the outer panel; and an anti-noise sealing component extending in the body cavity along the longitudinal direction adjacent to the bottom of the C-pillar inner panel, and tightly sandwiched between the outer panel and the C-pillar inner panel, wherein the antinoise sealing component comprises a sealing foam arranged at an outer side of the mounting opening and at least one baffle arranged in front of and/or behind the sealing foam.

[0008] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing foam is a porous PU foam.

[0009] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the environmental component is fixed to the C-pillar inner panel around the mounting opening and protrudes into the body cavity, and the sealing foam is tightly sandwiched between the outer panel and the environmental component.

[0010] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the environmental component is a cover adapted to cover a seatbelt reel.

[0011] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the body structure further comprises at least one first reinforcement panel connecting the wheel-house inner panel to the outer panel along an edge of the wheel-house inner panel, and the at least one baffle is fixed to the at least one first reinforcement panel.

[0012] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one first reinforcement panel comprises a front reinforcement panel, a rear reinforcement panel and an upper reinforcement panel connecting the front reinforcement panel to the rear reinforcement panel, and the at least one baffle is fixed to each of the front reinforcement panel and the upper reinforcement panel.

[0013] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one baffle comprises a first baffle fixed to the front reinforcement panel and a second baffle fixed to the upper reinforcement panel, and the sealing foam is tightly sandwiched between the first baffle and the second baffle.

[0014] According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the body structure further comprises a second reinforcement panel connected to each of the outer panel, the C- pillar inner panel and the upper reinforcement panel and having a process notch, and the sealing foam fills the process notch.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the vehicle comprising the body structure with the antinoise sealing component according to the present disclosure has various beneficial effects, in particular: even if an environmental component exists in the lateral-rear portion of the body, wheel noise can be prevented from being transmitted towards the ears of the passengers through the combined use of the foam and the baffle, thereby improving the NVH performance of the vehicle and enhancing the sensory experience of the passengers. Moreover, the sealing solution of the present disclosure is low in cost and is easy to implemented, and thus can be widely used in various types of vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily understood through the following preferred embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a same reference numeral indicates a same or similar component.

[0017] FIG. l is a schematic view of an outer side of a lateral-rear portion of a body structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an inner side of the lateral-rear portion of the body structure.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of FIG. 2 with a seatbelt, a reel and its mounting bracket and cover omitted.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of FIG. 3 with a C-pillar inner panel and a wheel-house inner panel further omitted.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a cut-away perspective view of the lateral-rear portion of the body structure.

[0022] It is conceivable that the drawings are not only used to explain the present disclosure, but also help to define the present disclosure when necessary.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The implementation and usage of the embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it is conceivable that the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely intended to illustrate specific ways of implementing and using the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] In the specification, when describing structures and positions of components, the directional expressions such as "up", "down", "left", "right", "front" and "rear", "top", "bottom" are not absolute, but are relative. These directional expressions are appropriate when the components are arranged as shown in the accompanying drawings, but should be changed accordingly when the positions of the components in the drawings change. Besides, "inner" and "outer" are defined with reference to the inner and outer directions of the vehicle. For example, an "inner side" means a side facing the interior of the vehicle, and an "outer side" means a side facing the exterior of the vehicle.

[0025] Further, in the specification and the drawings, the X direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (i.e., the front-rear direction, also indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle), the Y direction corresponds to the transverse direction of the vehicle (i.e., the left-right direction at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the direction of travel), and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the vehicle (i.e., the up-down direction).

[0026] A preferred embodiment according to the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. [0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the lateral-rear portion of the body structure B of the vehicle according to the present disclosure comprises: an outer panel 10 (i.e., a lateral-body outer panel), a C-pillar inner panel 20 and a wheel-house inner panel 30. The upper portion of the outer panel 10 is provided with a corner- window opening 11 for mounting a comer window, and the corner-window opening 11 can be designed to have a triangular shape or a quadrangular shape as shown according to actual needs. The C-pillar inner panel 20 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the outer panel 10 at the substantially middle position (i.e., below the corner- window opening 11) of the outer panel 10 along the Z-direction, and delimits a body cavity A together with the outer panel 10 (see FIG. 5). The wheel-house inner panel 30 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the C-pillar inner panel 20 and to the inner side of the outer panel 10.

[0028] Moreover, the C-pillar inner panel 20 is provided with a mounting opening 21 adapted to mount an environmental component 94, and the environmental component 94 is for example a cover adapted to cover a seatbelt reel 92. More specifically, as particularly shown in FIG. 2, a seatbelt assembly 90 of the vehicle (e.g., a center-row seatbelt assembly for a vehicle with three rows of seats) mainly comprises: a seatbelt 91; a reel 92 arranged at one end of the seatbelt 91 to unfold or retract the seatbelt 91; a mounting bracket 93 fixed to the inner side of the C-pillar inner panel 20 at the position of the mounting opening 21 for mounting the reel 92 to the C-pillar inner panel 20; and a cover (i.e., the environmental component 94) fixed to the C-pillar inner panel 20 (e.g., fixed to the inner side of the C-pillar inner panel 20) around the mounting opening 21 and protruding into the body cavity A via the mounting opening 21 to cover the reel 92 from the outer side of the C-pillar inner panel 20.

[0029] As mentioned above, in order to prevent noise originating from the wheels from being transmitted upward (i.e., transmitted to the ears of the passengers) via the body cavity A, it is necessary to provide an anti-noise sealing component in the body cavity A of the body structure B. The anti-noise sealing component needs to be arranged to continuously extend over the entire length of the body cavity A substantially along the longitudinal direction X adjacent to the bottom of the C-pillar inner panel 20 and is tightly sandwiched between the outer panel 10 and the C-pillar inner panel 20, so as to completely block the upward transmission of the wheel noise. However, the arrangement of the anti-noise sealing component at this position is very difficult due to the presence of the environmental component 94 as described above. [0030] In order to overcome this defect, the anti-noise sealing component of the body structure B according to the present disclosure comprises a sealing foam 80 arranged at the outer side of the mounting opening 21 and tightly sandwiched between the outer panel 10 and the environmental component 94, and at least one baffle arranged in front of and/or behind the sealing foam 80. The sealing foam 80 is, for example, a porous PU (polyurethane) foam having a good sound absorption effect. The baffle comprises a frame fixed to the body structure B and a foam adhesive adhered to the frame and being capable of expanding upon heating to form a noise-blocking sealing layer in the body cavity A. In other words, according to the present disclosure, in fact, the sealing foam 80 is provided at the position where it is difficult to arrange a baffle due to the presence of the environmental component 94, and the upward transmission of the wheel noise is prevented by the combined use of the sealing foam 80 and the baffle.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, in particular as shown in FIG. 4, the body structure B further comprises at least one first reinforcement panel 40 fixedly connecting the wheel-house inner panel 30 to the outer panel 10 along the edge of the wheel-house inner panel 30, and the at least one baffle is fixed to the at least one first reinforcement panel 40. More specifically, the at least one first reinforcement panel 40 comprises, for example, a front reinforcement panel 41, a rear reinforcement panel 42 and an upper reinforcement panel 43 fixedly connecting the wheel-house inner panel 30 to the outer panel 10 respectively along the front edge, the rear edge and the upper edge of the wheel-house inner panel 30, the upper reinforcement panel 43 fixedly connects the front reinforcement panel 41 to the rear reinforcement panel 42, and the at least one baffle is fixed to each of the front reinforcement panel 41 and the upper reinforcement panel 43.

[0032] For example, the at least one baffle comprises a first baffle 60 and a second baffle 70. The frame of the first baffle 60 is snap-fitted to the top of the front reinforcement panel 41, such that the first baffle 60 fills the front portion of the body cavity A at this position in Z- direction after foaming. The frame of the second baffle 70 is snap-fitted to the upper surface of the upper reinforcement panel 43 in a flat shape, such that the second baffle 70 fills the middle and rear portions of the body cavity A at this position in Z-direction after foaming. The sealing foam 80 is tightly sandwiched between the first baffle 60 and the second baffle 70 along the X direction at the outer side of the mounting opening 21, such that the continuous arrangement of the first baffle 60, the sealing foam 80 and the second baffle 70 can completely block the upward transmission of the wheel noise via the body cavity A.

[0033] Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, in particular as shown in FIGs. 4 and 5, the body structure B further comprises a second reinforcement panel 50 fixedly connected to each of the outer panel 10, the C-pillar inner panel 20 and the upper reinforcement panel 43 and having a process notch 55 formed in a manufacturing process. More specifically, the second reinforcement panel 50 comprises: a body 51 extending substantially along the XZ plane and fixedly connected to the outer panel 10; a bending portion 52 bent and extending forward and inward from the front edge of the body 51; and a first fixing flange 53 and a second fixing flange 54 bent and extending respectively from the front edge and the lower edge of the bending portion 52, so as to be fixedly connected to the inner side of the C-pillar inner panel 20 and the upper surface of the upper reinforcement panel 43, respectively. The process notch 55 is located below the first fixing flange 53 and can be filled by the sealing foam 80 after the sealing foam 80 is arranged, thereby preventing the transmission of the wheel noise via the process notch 55.

[0034] It is conceivable that in the process of assembling the body structure B, firstly, the fixed connection of the panels can be realized by welding, and the first baffle 60 and the second baffle 70 can be arranged. Then, the first baffle 60 and the second baffle 70 are foamed by heating. Finally, the sealing foam 80 is disposed via the mounting opening 21 at the position of the mounting opening 21 where it is difficult to arrange the baffles. After the environmental component 94 is mounted, the sealing foam 80 is collectively delimited by the outer panel 10, the environmental component 94, the front reinforcement panel 41, the upper reinforcement panel 43, the first baffle 60, the second baffle 70, etc., and fills the gaps among these components, such that the upward transmission of the wheel noise is completely blocked by its continuous arrangement with the first baffle 60 and the second baffle 70.

[0035] The technical contents and features of the present disclosure have been disclosed above. However, it is conceivable that those skilled in the art can make various changes and improvements to the above-disclosed conception under the creative concept of the present disclosure, and all these various changes and improvements fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] The description of the above embodiments is exemplary rather than limitative, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising a body structure (B), the vehicle having a longitudinal direction (X) indicative for a direction of travel, wherein the body structure (B) comprises: an outer panel (10); a C-pillar inner panel (20) connected to an inner side of the outer panel (10) and delimiting a body cavity (A) together with the outer panel (10), wherein the C-pillar inner panel (20) is provided with a mounting opening (21) adapted to mount an environmental component (94); a wheel-house inner panel (30) connected to a bottom of the C-pillar inner panel (20) and to the inner side of the outer panel (10); and an anti-noise sealing component extending in the body cavity (A) along the longitudinal direction (X) adjacent to the bottom of the C-pillar inner panel (20), and tightly sandwiched between the outer panel (10) and the C-pillar inner panel (20), wherein the anti-noise sealing component comprises a sealing foam (80) arranged at an outer side of the mounting opening (21) and at least one baffle (60, 70) arranged in front of and/or behind the sealing foam (80).

2. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing foam (80) is a porous PU foam.

3. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the environmental component (94) is fixed to the C-pillar inner panel (20) around the mounting opening (21) and protrudes into the body cavity (A), and wherein the sealing foam (80) is tightly sandwiched between the outer panel (10) and the environmental component (94).

4. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 3, wherein the environmental component (94) is a cover adapted to cover a seatbelt reel (92).

5. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the body structure (B) further comprises at least one first reinforcement panel (40) connecting the wheel-house inner panel (30) to the outer panel (10) along an edge of the wheel-house inner panel (30), and wherein the at least one baffle (60, 70) is fixed to the at least one first reinforcement panel (40).

6. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one first reinforcement panel (40) comprises a front reinforcement panel (41), a rear reinforcement panel (42) and an upper reinforcement panel (43) connecting the front reinforcement panel (41) to the rear reinforcement panel (42), and wherein the at least one baffle (60, 70) is fixed to each of the front reinforcement panel (41) and the upper reinforcement panel (43).

7. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 6, wherein the at least one baffle (60, 70) comprises a first baffle (60) fixed to the front reinforcement panel (41) and a second baffle (70) fixed to the upper reinforcement panel (43), and wherein the sealing foam (80) is tightly sandwiched between the first baffle (60) and the second baffle (70).

8. The vehicle comprising the body structure (B) according to claim 6, wherein the body structure (B) further comprises a second reinforcement panel (50) connected to each of the outer panel (10), the C-pillar inner panel (20) and the upper reinforcement panel (43) and having a process notch (55), and wherein the sealing foam (80) fills the process notch (55).