JP2010132022A - Fender protector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure suitable rigidity while achieving light weight of a fender protector. <P>SOLUTION: The fender protector 11 mounted to a wheel house of an automobile is formed by a synthetic resin. A front side part 21, i.e., a reinforcement part is formed at a front side of a circular arc-like protector body 12 of the fender protector 11. The front side part 21 is provided with end edge parts 22, 22 at both sides extending in a vertical direction; and an intermediate part 23 positioned between the mutual end edge parts 22, 22. The end edge parts 22, 22 are provided on a circular arc-like surface of first curvature. The intermediate part 23 is provided on a circular arc-like surface of second curvature larger than the first curvature so as to be swelled from the end edge parts 22, 22 to an outer peripheral side. A portion of a large thickness dimension is reduced to attain light weight. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fender protector that is attached to, for example, an automobile fender and protects the fender.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a fender protector that is attached to a wheel house inside a fender of an automobile, covers the wheel, and protects the fender from pebbles jumping up due to the rotation of the wheel is used. This fender protector is integrally formed by, for example, injection molding of a resin, and bends in a semicircular arc shape, a front extending portion extending from the front end of the curved portion to the front side, and a rear end from the rear end of the curved portion. In addition to a rear extension portion that extends, various ribs are provided to ensure rigidity, reduce weight, and ensure good mounting workability.

  For example, a thick attachment portion is provided on the outer side of the curved portion on the side opposite to the engine room, but in consideration of the appearance, the attachment portion is attached to the vehicle body with a limited number of clip attachment portions. Therefore, when the vehicle travels, the curved surface of the curved portion, particularly the curved surface on the front side of the vehicle body, is easily bent due to wind pressure, and needs to be firmly attached so that the clip does not come off.

In this respect, a rib extending along the circumferential direction is provided on the front side portion of the curved portion of the fender protector, and a plurality of thick ribs having a vertical direction in the width direction and a longitudinal direction in both sides are arranged in a vertical direction. A configuration for obtaining rigidity and strength is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-44458 (FIG. 2)

  As described above, a structure is provided in which a rib extending along the circumferential direction is provided on the front side portion of the curved portion of the fender protector, and a plurality of thick ribs having a vertical direction in the width direction and a lateral direction in the longitudinal direction are arranged in the vertical direction. Then, the required rigidity can be obtained, but if a large number of thick ribs are provided, the amount of resin required for molding increases, and it is not easy to reduce the mass and the manufacturing cost. Moreover, when rigidity becomes large too much, the installation operation | work to the vehicle body of a fender protector will become complicated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the fender protector which can ensure appropriate rigidity, aiming at weight reduction.

  The fender protector according to claim 1 is a fender protector that is attached to a vehicle and includes a plate-like protector main body that faces the outer peripheral surface of the wheel and curves along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface. Is provided with at least a reinforcing portion provided with an intermediate portion extending along the circumferential direction and edge portions continuous to both side portions of the intermediate portion, and the intermediate portion includes the edge portions on both sides. It is provided to bulge to the outer peripheral side with respect to the wheel with respect to the virtual plane connecting the two.

  And in this structure, the rigidity required in the state attached to the vehicle is easily ensured by bulging an intermediate part to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, the thick portion provided for improving the rigidity is reduced, and the weight reduction and the reduction of the manufacturing cost are facilitated. Further, by reducing the thick portion, when attaching the fender protector to the vehicle, the fender protector can be appropriately deformed, and the mounting workability to the vehicle is improved.

  The fender protector according to claim 2 is the fender protector according to claim 1, wherein the edge portions on both sides have a curved plate shape located on the same circular arc surface having the first curvature, It has a curved plate shape located on an arc surface having a second curvature larger than the first curvature.

  And in this structure, while combining a curved board along two circular arc surfaces, while improving intensity | strength easily, manufacturing cost is reduced with a simple structure.

  The fender protector according to claim 3 is the fender protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the edge portion on both sides and the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the intermediate portion are respectively It is formed to be 1/6 or more of the dimension along the vehicle width direction.

  And in this structure, by making the dimension of the width direction of the edge part of both sides and the dimension of the vehicle width direction of the intermediate part into 1/6 or more of the dimension of the reinforcement part in the vehicle width direction, respectively, the edge A structure composed of three parts, a part, an intermediate part, and an edge part is substantially secured, and the rigidity is effectively improved.

  The fender protector according to claim 4 is the fender protector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fender protector is attached to a wheel house of the vehicle, and the reinforcing portion is provided at a front side portion of the protector main body. It is what was done.

  In this configuration, the front side portion of the protector main body portion is required to reduce the weight compared to the configuration that secures rigidity in the thick portion by providing a reinforcing portion in the portion that receives wind pressure when the vehicle travels. The fender protector can be firmly attached to the vehicle while ensuring rigidity.

  According to the fender protector of the present invention, the rigidity required when attached to the vehicle can be easily secured by causing the intermediate portion to bulge to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, the thick portion provided for improving the rigidity can be reduced, and the weight reduction and the manufacturing cost can be easily reduced. Further, by reducing the thick portion, when the fender protector is attached to the vehicle, the fender protector can be appropriately deformed, and the workability of attaching to the vehicle can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fender protector of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  3 to 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body constituting a vehicle. The vehicle body 1 includes a bumper portion 2 located at a front end portion and a fender portion 3 continuing to the rear side of the bumper portion 2. Yes. A front wheel house 5 is formed by being surrounded by the bumper portion 2 and the fender portion 3 at the side of the front engine room. A tire 10 serving as a front wheel is provided in the wheel house 5. Is arranged. The wheel house 5 is provided with a fender protector 11 facing the outer peripheral surface of the tire 10, that is, covering the rear from the front of the tire 10 through the upper side, and is attached to the vehicle body 1. In the following description, directions such as front and rear and up and down will be described with reference to the straight direction of the vehicle body 1. In FIG. 1, arrow F is the front, arrow W is the lateral direction of the vehicle, and arrow A is the outer periphery of the tire 10. The circumferential direction along the plane, arrow B, indicates the outer circumferential side that is the side opposite to the tire 10 along the radial direction, ie, the radial direction, about the axis of the tire 10.

  The fender protector 11 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin by injecting an elastically deformable synthetic resin, for example, a resin material such as polypropyne or polyethylene into a mold. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the fender protector 11 includes a substantially semicircular or substantially U-shaped protector main body portion 12 in a side view facing the wheel, and a front end portion of the protector main body portion 12. A flat front fan-shaped front mounting portion 14 called a lower surface that is bent and substantially horizontally extended, a rear mounting portion 15 that extends substantially horizontally from the rear end of the protector main body portion 12, and a protector main body A side mounting portion 16 which is a vehicle body mounting surface extending from one side of the front portion of the portion 12, and a flange-like bumper matching portion 17 extending from the other side of the front portion of the protector main body portion 12. It is integrally formed. For example, the total length of the fender protector 11 in the front-rear direction, that is, the dimension from the front end of the front mounting part 14 to the rear end of the rear mounting part 15 is 1080 mm, the height dimension is 800 mm, and the vehicle width direction dimension. Is set to 330 mm.

  The protector body 12 and the attachment parts 14, 15, 16 are provided with a plurality of stop points 18, 14a, 15a, 16a, respectively, and these stop points 18 use a fixture such as a clip or a screw. Or it is attached to the vehicle body 1 by fitting or the like. For example, with respect to the front side portion of the fender protector 11 shown in FIG. 1, the stop point 18 of the protector body 12 is fixed to the fender portion 3, and the stop point 14 a of the front attachment portion 14 is fixed to the bumper portion 2. A stop point 16 a of the part mounting portion 16 is fixed to a vehicle body panel 3 a provided in the fender portion 3. In this state, the bumper aligning portion 17 located outside the vehicle body 1 is held in contact with the bumper flange 2a provided in the bumper portion 2 so as to be placed thereon.

  The protector body 12 has a thickness of about 1 mm, for example, 0.8 mm or more and 1.3 mm or less, excluding a thick portion, and a distance from the outer peripheral surface of the tire 10. In consideration of ensuring (clearance), as shown in FIG. 4, it is arcuate or substantially U-shaped in a side view, so to speak, a front standing part standing on the front end side and a rear standing part standing on the rear end side And a top portion connecting the front upright portion and the rear upright portion. Further, the protector main body 12 is a curved plate portion whose radial cross section centered on the axis of the tire 10 is basically arc-shaped.

  And also about the front side part 21 as a reinforcement part located in the front standing part of the front side of the protector main-body part 12, like the other parts, the thickness dimension of a board is 1 mm except the part formed thickly. As shown in FIG. 7, the edge portions 22 and 22 located on both sides in the vehicle width direction are curved on a circular arc surface continuous with other portions. Although formed as a plate portion, an intermediate portion 23, which is a curved plate portion located on an arc surface having a larger curvature than the other portions, swells on the outer peripheral side in a portion sandwiched between these edge portions 22 and 22. It is formed out.

  That is, the front side portion 21 is positioned on the arc surface of the same first curvature R1 along the imaginary plane 25 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. An intermediate portion 23 located on the arc surface of the second curvature R2 (R2> R1) larger than the curvature of the first curvature R1 and extending along the circumferential direction is combined to form a composite shape of large and small R. ing. The intermediate portion 23 swells to the outer peripheral side of the end edge portions 22 and 22, that is, the virtual surface 25, and is formed to protrude from the virtual surface 25 to the outer peripheral side by about 10 mm to 15 mm, for example. .

  Further, the dimension L1, L2, L3 along the vehicle width direction of the edge portions 22, 22 and the intermediate portion 23 on both sides is equal to each other, that is, about one third of the total width of the front side portion 21, for example, It is set to 110 mm (L1 = L2 = L3 = 110 mm).

  The front side portion 21 is formed with a single bead portion 27 as a thick rib. The bead portion 27 is thicker than the adjacent portion, that is, a solid bead, which is so-called solid bead, protrudes to the outer peripheral side, and is formed at the middle in the vertical direction of the front side portion 21 and at the approximate center. The bead portion 27 is formed continuously with the entire width of the front side portion 21, as shown in FIG. 8, with the vehicle width direction, that is, the direction intersecting and orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the intermediate portion 23 as the longitudinal direction. . The cross-sectional shape of the bead portion 27 has the largest protruding dimension on the upper side in consideration of die cutting, for example, 2 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

  The front side portion 21 is set in a region where the circumferential inclination of the outer peripheral surface with respect to the vertical direction of the protector main body portion 12 is 60 degrees or less.

  In FIG. 9, the result of having measured rigidity with the amount of deflection | deviations at the time of pressing a mass and a center part with the fender protector 11 provided with the front side part 21 of this Embodiment, and the comparative example 1 and the comparative example 2 is shown. (a) is the present embodiment, (b) is Comparative Example 1, and is provided with six intermediate bead portions 30 extending in the horizontal direction without providing the intermediate portion 23, and (c) in the vertical direction. 3 is a comparative example 2 in which three convex bead portions 31, 32, 32 protruding to the outer peripheral side having different lengths are provided apart from each other. Here, assuming that Comparative Example 1 is a reference (100%), in Comparative Example 1, rigidity is ensured by a large number of bead portions 30, but the mass is large. In Comparative Example 2, although the mass can be as small as 54%, the beads 31, 32, and 32 are deformed so as to open, and the displacement amount is as large as 199%, making it difficult to improve the rigidity. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the mass can be reduced to 64% and the displacement amount is also reduced to 43%, so that appropriate rigidity is ensured while achieving weight reduction, that is, weight reduction and rigidity are ensured. It was found that both can be secured.

  As described above, according to the fender protector 11 of the present embodiment, the front side portion 21 that is a composite shape of curved surfaces with different curvatures, in which the edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 are overlapped, is provided. On the other hand, it is possible to easily ensure the appropriate rigidity required when attached to the vehicle. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, traveling wind C introduced from the opening 2b of the bumper portion 2 is blown onto the front side portion 21 of the fender protector 11 provided in a state where the front wheel house 5 stands up. It is a part that is prone to deformation or breakage due to stepping stones. Here, if a large number of thick ribs or the like are provided, the rigidity is improved, but the mass is increased, the manufacturing cost is increased, and if the rigidity is excessively increased, the work of attaching the fender protector 11 to the wheel house 5 is performed. It becomes difficult. In this respect, the front side portion 21 of the fender protector 11 of the present embodiment has a curved surface with a large and small curvature that bulges forward, so that the load applied from the front is dispersed by wind pressure, stepping stones, etc. It is easy for the vehicle body 1 to secure sufficient strength and rigidity without touching or dropping off the tire 10 by simply providing one bead portion 27 whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle width direction. Can be attached firmly.

  And since the size and number of solid bead portions 27 that are thick portions can be reduced, the weight can be reduced by reducing the mass, the amount of resin used can be reduced, and the molding cycle can be shortened. It is possible and the manufacturing cost can be easily reduced. Furthermore, since the size and number of solid bead portions 27 can be reduced, the rigidity is not increased more than necessary, and the fender protector 11 can be deformed by appropriately twisting, etc., coupled with weight reduction, the wheel The attachment workability attached to the house 5 can be improved. In particular, since the front side portion 21 of the fender protector 11 can be reduced in weight, the front side portion hangs down at the time of work, so that no extra force is required for the assembly, and the assembly work to the vehicle body 1 can be facilitated. Further, the vehicle body 1 can reduce the weight of the front part of the front wheel tire 10, so that the running performance can be improved.

  Further, since the end edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 are all curved surfaces that bulge toward the front, even if deformation occurs due to the traveling wind C or the like, the fender protector 11 and the tire 10 Contact can be suppressed.

  Further, the configuration in which the intermediate portion 23 bulges to the outer peripheral side can make the projecting dimension smaller than the ribs necessary for obtaining the same rigidity, and can reduce the draft angle during molding by the mold. Therefore, the cost required for the mold equipment can be suppressed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the front side portion 21 is a curved plate shape whose end edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides are located on the same circular arc surface having a first curvature formed continuously with the other portions of the protector main body portion 12. The intermediate portion 23 has a curved plate shape positioned on an arc surface having a second curvature larger than the first curvature, and is a simple combination of curved plates along two arc surfaces. Because of the configuration, the strength and rigidity can be reliably improved without increasing the thickness dimension, the required strength can be secured easily, the structure is simple, the resin flow balance during molding is good, and the so-called uneven thickness is easily And air tightness can be suppressed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the inner surface of the protector main body 12 facing the tire 10 can be made into a smooth shape, and as shown in FIG. 5, the flow of the air D flowing into the wheel house 5 is not hindered and the air resistance is reduced. it can.

  In addition, since the dimensions in the vehicle width direction of the end edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 are equal to each other by one third, the rigidity of the end edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 is ensured, respectively. Stiffness can be improved.

  In addition, the dimension along the vehicle width direction of these edge parts 22, 22 and the intermediate part 23 shall be 1/6 or more of the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the front side part 21 of the protector main-body part 12, respectively. Thus, a structure composed of three portions, that is, the end edge portion 22, the intermediate portion 23, and the end edge portion 22, can be substantially ensured, and rigidity can be effectively ensured. For example, when the width dimension of the front side part 21 of the protector main body 12 is 330 mm, the width dimension L3 of the intermediate part 23 is set to 55 mm, which is 1/6 of the front side part 21, as shown in FIG. The width dimensions L1 and L2 of the portions 22 and 22 can be 137.5 mm, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the width dimension L3 of the intermediate part 23 is set to 220 mm, which is two thirds of the front side part 21, and the width dimensions L1 and L2 of the end edge parts 22 and 22 are each 6 minutes. 1 can be 55 mm.

  That is, when the dimension along the vehicle width direction of each end edge portion 22 is less than 1/6, the front side portion 21 is substantially the same as the intermediate portion 23, and rigidity is ensured. Although it is difficult, by making the size of each end edge portion 22 to be one sixth or more, a structure composed of three parts of the end edge portion 22, the intermediate portion 23, and the end edge portion 22 is substantially secured. The rigidity can be effectively secured. Further, when the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the intermediate part 23 is less than 1/6, the intermediate part 23 has the same function as a simple ridge, but the dimension of the intermediate part 23 is set to 1/6 or more. By doing so, it is possible to ensure the rigidity by the surface protruding to the outer peripheral side, and it is possible to effectively ensure the rigidity.

  In the above-described embodiment, the end edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 are each curved surfaces along the arc surface, but are not limited to this configuration.

  For example, the edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides are curved plates located on the same arc surface having the first curvature, and the edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides are substantially on the same arc surface. By providing a curved plate located at the position, the required strength can be ensured without increasing the thickness dimension, and the curvature of the edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides can be made slightly different from each other. It is also possible to reduce the stopping points 18 and 16a by adjusting the strength, in this case, the self-shape holding force.

  For example, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the curvature of the edge 22 on the right side of the edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides may be set larger than the curvature of the edge 22 on the left side. In this configuration, the self-shape holding force of the end edge portion 22 on the right side with a large curvature is improved, and the setting points of the stop points 18 located on the right side of the fender protector 11 can be reduced. Similarly, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the curvature of the edge 22 on the left side of the edge portions 22 and 22 on both sides may be set larger than the curvature of the edge 22 on the right side. . In this configuration, the self-shape holding force of the end edge portion 22 on the left side with a large curvature is improved, and the set points of the stop points 16a located on the left side of the fender protector 11 can be reduced. Thus, it can be set as appropriate whether the curvature of one of the end edge portions 22 on both sides is made larger.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the intermediate portion 23 is bulged from the edge portions 22 and 22 located on the arc surface of the first curvature R1 by the curved surface portion 23a of the second curvature R2, In other words, the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate portion 23 can be cut so that the curved surface portions 23a are connected to each other by a flat plate portion 23b. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the intermediate portion 23 can be formed in a wave-like curved shape while being positioned on the outer peripheral side from the virtual surface 25 formed by the end edge portions 22 and 22.

  In the above-described embodiment, the bead portion 27 is provided with one bead portion 27 extending in both side directions. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a plurality of bead portions 27 may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the bead portion 27 shown in FIG. 1 and the like, a second bead portion 35 can be provided in parallel to the bead portion 27.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the one-stage intermediate portion 23 is bulged from the end edge portions 22, 22. However, the intermediate portion 23 bulged in a plurality of steps may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the first intermediate portion 37 bulges from the edge portions 22 and 22 to the outer peripheral side, and further, the second intermediate portion 38 extends from the first intermediate portion 37 to the outer peripheral side. It can also be bulged.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the reinforcing portion is provided in the portion located on the front side of the protector main body portion 12 to form the front side portion 21, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the reinforcing portion is provided in the other portion of the protector main body portion 12. It can also be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, with respect to the rear standing part which is a part standing on the rear side of the protector main body part 12, end edge parts 22 and 22 and an intermediate part 23 are formed, and the reinforcing part 40 is formed. It can also be provided. Furthermore, for example, the end edge portions 22 and 22 and the intermediate portion 23 may be formed on the entire circumference or substantially the entire circumference along the longitudinal direction of the protector main body portion 12 to form a reinforcing portion.

  Moreover, about the part which provides a reinforcement part, compared with another part, thickness dimension can be formed large, and while improving rigidity, the fluidity | liquidity of the resin at the time of shaping | molding can also be ensured reliably. For example, when the thickness dimension of the other part is 1 mm, a part or all of the thickness dimension of the front side portion 21 of each embodiment described above may be about 1.5 mm or 2.0 mm. it can.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the fender protector 11 can be configured by combining a plurality of members formed separately, in addition to forming the entirety integrally. Further, the fender protector 11 can also be applied to a wheel house for a wheel other than the front wheel, for example, a wheel house for a wheel other than an automobile.

  The present invention relates to a fender protector disposed, for example, in a wheel house of a front wheel of an automobile.

It is a partial perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is a perspective view of a fender protector same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the fender protector same as the above to the vehicle. It is a side view which shows the state which attached the fender protector same as the above to the vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attached the fender protector same as the above to the vehicle. It is II sectional drawing of FIG. 1 which shows a fender protector same as the above. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. 1 which shows a fender protector same as the above. It is III-III sectional drawing of FIG. 1 which shows a fender protector same as the above. It is explanatory drawing explaining the effect | action of a fender protector same as the above, (a) is this Embodiment, (b) is the comparative example 1, (c) is the comparative example 2. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the II-II equivalent position of FIG. 1 which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is a perspective view of the position equivalent to II-II of Drawing 1 which shows other embodiments of a fender protector of the present invention. It is a partial perspective view which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is a partial perspective view which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention. It is a partial perspective view which shows other embodiment of the fender protector of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Car body constituting the vehicle 5 Wheel house
10 Tire as a wheel
11 Fender protector
12 Protector body
21 Front side as reinforcement
22 Edge
23 Middle part
25 Virtual plane
40 reinforcement

Claims (4)

A fender protector attached to a vehicle having a plate-like protector body that faces the outer peripheral surface of the wheel and curves along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface,
The protector main body includes a reinforcing portion provided at least in part with an intermediate portion extending along the circumferential direction and end edges continuous to both sides of the intermediate portion,
The fender protector, wherein the intermediate portion is provided so as to bulge to the outer peripheral side with respect to the wheel from a virtual surface connecting the edge portions on both sides. The edge portions on both sides form a curved plate located on the same arc surface having the first curvature,
The fender protector according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion has a curved plate shape located on an arc surface having a second curvature larger than the first curvature. The dimension along the vehicle width direction of the edge part on both sides and the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the intermediate part are each formed to be one sixth or more of the dimension along the vehicle width direction of the reinforcing part. The fender protector according to claim 1 or 2. The fender protector is attached to the wheel house of the vehicle
The fender protector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided at a front side portion of the protector main body portion.

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