GB2365394A

GB2365394A - Spare wheel mounting

Info

Publication number: GB2365394A
Application number: GB0009641A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger James Clay
Original assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG; MG Rover Group Ltd
Current assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG; MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-20
Filing date: 2000-04-20
Publication date: 2002-02-20
Also published as: GB0009641D0

Abstract

A mounting assembly for a spare wheel comprises a support 22, e.g. of rubber, interposed between the spare wheel 6 and a body panel of the vehicle. This arrangement allows the spare wheel to vibrate and absorb vibrations in the vehicle.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> Motor Vehicle Assembly The present invention relates to a motor vehicle assembly, and in particular to a motor vehicle assembly adapted to absorb vehicle vibrations.

It is known to provide various means to absorb vibrations arising in a motor vehicle through use of the motor vehicle. For example, vibrations can arise through interaction with the road surface, road wheel imbalance, engine excitation or through a combination of these and other factors.

It is desirable, not least for reasons of occupant comfort and that unnecessary vibration detracts from the perceived desirability of a motor vehicle, to reduce or eliminate unnecessary vibrations. Motor vehicle vibrations can be considered as existing in a number of modes, for example body torsion mode or body bending mode.

It is known in certain motor vehicles to so arrange the positioning and mounting of the motor vehicle battery such that it vibrates out of phase with the body torsion mode vibrations to cancel out or absorb these vibrations. It is to be noted that such arrangements are not adapted to take into account other modes of vibration such as body bending mode vibrations.

. Other solutions to the problem of reducing motor vehicle vibration modes include the use of a motor vehicle bumper as a modal mass to absorb vibrations and the use of strut top masses to absorb vibrations. However, in the body bending mode there is a large amount of energy to be absorbed, thereby requiring the use of large masses. The use of unnecessary mass in a motor vehicle is to be avoided since such use adversely affects ftiel consumption and thus the economy of running the motor vehicle.

It is known from JP 11198869 A to provide elastic bodies in a spare wheel well positioned to correspond to the oscillatory frequency of the motor vehicle. The elastic bodies

support the spare wheel in the motor vehicle. In this way various vibrations of the motor vehicle are suppressed.

It is fiirther known from JP 11094018 A to support a spare wheel from the underside of a vehicle by way of a support member. The support member comprises a spring and dashpot arrangement such that the principal vibrations of the system are reliably reduced. The use of the spare wheel means that the use of an additional mass, present only for such principal vibration reduction, becomes unnecessary.

It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides a further solution to the problem of the addition of an unnecessary mass to a vehicle solely to absorb vibrations. According to a first aspect of the present invention, we provide a mounting assembly for a spare wheel, the mounting assembly in use serving to secure the spare wheel to a motor vehicle, the mounting assembly comprising support means for the spare wheel, the support means allowing the spare wheel in use to vibrate to absorb body bending mode vibrations of the motor vehicle.

The use of the mounting assembly in this way allows the spare wheel to absorb body bending mode vibrations with the addition of very little mass to the motor vehicle.

Preferably, the support means comprises an elastorneric mounting, such as a rubber bush. It will be understood that by varying the shape and/or other properties of the mounting, the mounting can be tuned to best absorb the body bending vibrations of a particular motor vehicle. It will be further understood that the vibrations of the body bending moment will have different characteristic frequencies for different motor vehicles.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle includes a mounting assembly for a spare wheel in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, and a spare wheel.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows in diagrammatic cross section a mounting assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention; and Figure 2 shows a section of a motor vehicle in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, there can be seen a mounting assembly 2 in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention. The mounting assembly 2 comprises support means 4 for a spare wheel 6 and mounting means for releasably securing the spare wheel 6 to the support means. The mounting means comprises a sleeve 8 and a fastener 10 releasably engageable with the sleeve 8.

The sleeve 8 comprises a hollow shaft 12 and a flange 14 extending radially from a first end of the hollow shaft. An inner surface of the hollow shaft and the fastener 10 are preferably provided with complementary screw threads to enable the fastener 10 to be releasably secured to the sleeve 8. The flange 14 has a first outer surface 16 against which in use the spare wheel 6 will be secured, and a second inner surface 18.

The support means 4 is interference fit about the sleeve 8. The support means 4 comprises a first hollow shaft 20 having an outwardly directed radial flange 22 at a first end thereof. The support means 4 conveniently comprises a elastomeric material, such as a rubber. The flange 22 has a first outer surface 24 and a second inner surface 26. The second surface 18 of the flange 14 of the sleeve 8 and the first surface 24 of the flange 22 of the support means 4 are preferably in abutment.

An opening 30 is defined in a body panel 32 of a motor vehicle. The hollow shaft 20 of the support.rneans 4 is interference fit into the opening 30, such that the second surface 26 of the flange 22 of the support means 4 is in abutment with the motor vehicle body panel 32.

In use, the resilient nature of the support means 4 allows the spare wheel 6 to absorb at least a substantial part of the energy due to the body bending vibrations generated by the motor vehicle.

The mounting means 2 maintains the spare wheel 6 in a spaced relationship with the vehicle body panel 32 to prevent undesirable knocking of the spare wheel 6 against the vehicle body panel 32.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A mounting assembly for a spare wheel, the mounting assembly comprising support means for a spare wheel, the mounting assembly in use serving to secure the spare wheel to a motor vehicle, the mounting assembly comprising support means for the spare wheel, the support means allowing the spare wheel in use to vibrate to absorb body bending mode vibrations of the motor vehicle.
2. A mounting assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that the support means comprises an elastomeric mounting.
3. A mounting assembly for a spare wheel substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4 A motor vehicle characterised in that it incorporates a mounting assembly for a spare wheel in accordance with any previous claim.
5 A motor vehicle according to claim 4, characterised in that the mounting arrangement maintains the spare wheel in a spaced relationship from a vehicle body panel.
6. A mounting assembly according to claim 5, characterised in that the mounting assembly is coaxial with the spare wheel..
7. A motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the Figure 2 of the accompanymg drawings.