JP2024034676A - Wheel house structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to suppress deterioration in the appearance of a wheel house in a cab tilt vehicle in which an apron on the frame side of the vehicle and a wheel house on the cab side come into pressure contact. [Solution] A wheel house 20 provided in the cab of a vehicle with a tilting cab, a mudguard 30 disposed on the rear side and below the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the wheel house 20 and provided on the frame of the vehicle, and an upper part of the mudguard 30. The wheel house 20 has a press-contact point 22 with which the upper edge 41 of the apron 40 is elastically press-contacted when the cab is not tilted; an opening 60 into which the tip portion 42 enters. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a wheel house structure installed in a cab tilt vehicle.

Vehicles such as trucks are equipped with mudguards behind and below the wheelhouses to prevent mud and sand from being kicked up during driving. Patent Document 1 discloses such a structure. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a mudguard that is composed of an upper mudguard (hereinafter also referred to as "apron") and a lower mudguard (hereinafter also simply referred to as "mudguard").

Note that if there is a gap between the top of the mudguard (the top of the apron in the technology of Patent Document 2) and the wheel house, mud, sand, etc. will be blown up from this gap above the wheel house. In order to suppress this, the upper part of the mudguard and the wheel house are structured so that they contact each other without any gaps.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-91474 JP2018-47768A

By the way, in the case of a vehicle with a tilting cab (cab tilt vehicle), the mudguard is fixed to the frame (for example, side rail) side of the vehicle, and the wheel house is provided on the cab side. In this case, in order to bring the apron provided at the top of the mudguard and the wheel house into contact with each other without any gaps, it is effective to have a configuration in which the upper edge of the apron overlaps and comes into elastic pressure contact with the lower surface of the wheel house. This ensures a tight seal inside the wheel house and prevents mud and water from spreading outside the wheel house (above the wheel house).

However, when the cab vibrates up and down while driving, the upper edge of the apron (especially the tip of the upper edge of the apron that comes into elastic pressure contact with the lower surface of the wheel house) rubs against the lower surface of the wheel house, causing wear marks on the lower surface of the wheel house. may be attached.
In such a case, there is a concern that when the cab is tilted up, wear marks on the lower surface of the wheel house will be exposed, resulting in a deterioration in appearance.

The present invention was devised in view of this problem, and is capable of suppressing deterioration in the appearance of the wheel house in a cab tilt vehicle in which the apron on the frame side of the vehicle and the wheel house on the cab side come into pressure contact. One of the purposes is to provide a wheel house structure.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized in the following aspects or application examples.
The wheel house part structure according to this application example includes a wheel house provided in the cab of a vehicle with a tilting cab, and a wheel house disposed on the rear side and below in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and provided in the frame of the vehicle. The wheel house includes a mudguard and an apron provided on an upper part of the mudguard, and the wheel house includes a pressure contact point to which an upper edge of the apron is elastically pressed when the cab is not tilted, and a pressure contact point formed at the pressure contact point. It is characterized by being provided with an opening or a recess into which the tip portion of the upper edge enters.

According to this application example, in the wheel house, an opening or a recess into which the tip of the upper edge enters is provided at the pressure contact point where the upper edge of the apron is elastically pressed when the cab is not tilted. This prevents the tip portion of the upper edge from coming into strong elastic pressure contact with the lower surface of the wheel house, thereby suppressing the occurrence of wear marks on the lower surface of the wheel house. Thereby, deterioration in the appearance of the wheel house can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, deterioration in the appearance of the wheel house can be suppressed.

1A is a diagram illustrating the structure of a wheel house section according to a first embodiment, in which (a) is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship of main parts of the wheel house section; FIG. The first sectional view and (c) are the second sectional views of section A in FIG. 1(a). 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a vehicle according to first and second embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part (mudguard part) of the wheel house part structure according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the upper edge of the apron of the wheel house structure according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the main part (lower surface of the wheel house) of the wheel house structure according to the first embodiment, in which (a) shows the entire lower surface of the wheel house, and (b) shows the main part of the wheel house. Shown enlarged. 6(a) is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship of the main parts of the wheel house portion; FIG. FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view schematically showing the main part (the lower surface of the wheel house) of the wheel house structure according to the second embodiment. 8(a) is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship of the main parts of the wheel house portion; FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view of section C in FIG. 8(a); FIG. It is. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the main part (lower surface of a wheel house) of the wheel house part structure concerning a comparative example, (a) shows the whole lower surface of a wheel house, (b) is an enlarged view of the main part of a wheel house. Shown.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example, and there is no intention to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not explicitly described in this embodiment. Each configuration of the embodiments described below can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit thereof. Moreover, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

In addition, attached to the arrows in the diagram, the front of the vehicle is shown as "FR", the rear of the vehicle is shown as "RR", the left side of the vehicle is shown as "LH", and the right side of the vehicle is shown as "RH". The upper direction is indicated by "UP" and the lower direction is indicated by "DW".

[1. First embodiment]
[1-1. Vehicle configuration]
As shown in FIG. 2, a vehicle 1 to which the wheel house structure according to the present embodiment is applied is a vehicle with a tilting cab (hereinafter also referred to as a "cab tilt vehicle"). In the cab tilt 1, the lower front end of the cab 4 is pivoted to the front ends of a pair of side rails 3, 3 that constitute a vehicle body frame (hereinafter also simply referred to as "frame") 2, and the lower part of the front end of the cab 4 is pivoted between the frame 2 and the cab 4. is equipped with a tilt mechanism (not shown). Normally, it is locked in the non-tilted state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and during maintenance or the like, it is tilted up as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2 and becomes the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

[1-2. Configuration of wheel house section]
The wheel house section 10 according to the present embodiment accommodates the front wheel 5, and includes a wheel house 20 provided inside the vehicle body of the fender section 4a of the cab 4, a mudguard 30 provided on the frame 2, and a wheel house 20 provided on the inside of the vehicle body of the fender section 4a of the cab 4. It has an upper apron (apron) 40 provided at the upper part, and a lower apron (apron) 50 at the lower part of the mudguard 30.

Note that this wheel house structure eliminates the gap between the upper apron 40 above the mudguard 30 and the wheel house 20, and also reduces the appearance due to wear marks on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 due to contact with the upper apron 40. The upper apron 40 is an essential component, but the lower apron 50 is not essential.However, the lower apron 50 also prevents mud thrown up by the front wheels 5 from scattering to the rear of the vehicle. It is an effective part for this purpose.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mudguard 30 is fixed to the side rails 3 corresponding to the left and right front wheels 5, 5, and an upper apron 40 and a lower apron 50 are fixed to the upper and lower parts of the mudguard 30, respectively.
In this embodiment, polypropylene (PP resin) is used for the mudguard 30, and EVA resin (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate copolymer resin) is used for the upper apron 40 and lower apron 50.

In the non-tilted state of the cab 4 shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 provided at the top of the mudguard 30 is in elastic pressure contact with the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 on the side of the cab 4 while overlapping. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1B, for example, the apron 40 and the wheel house 20 come into contact with each other without any gaps, ensuring airtightness within the wheel house section 10, and preventing mud and water from entering the wheel house section 10. This prevents it from spreading outside (above the wheel house section 10).

Generally, a portion 22 of the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 that is pressed against the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is a flat surface, and as shown in FIG. The edge portion 41 is elastically pressed into contact with the pressure contact portion 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 while overlapping the same.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is formed into a jagged shape consisting of a large number of tapered pieces 43. This jagged shape is for suppressing the rigidity of the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40. By suppressing the rigidity of the tip portion 42 in this manner, the upper edge portion 41 of the upper apron 40 comes to flexibly and elastically press against the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 while overlapping it. Therefore, even if the cab 4 shakes during driving and the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is displaced relative to the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40, a gap is less likely to occur between the apron 40 and the wheel house 20. Airtightness within the wheel house portion 10 can be ensured.

However, such relative displacement between the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 and the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 causes the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 to have a jagged shape at the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40. The tips 44 of the tapered pieces 43 come into frictional contact, and as shown in FIG. 9, wear marks 23 may be formed at the press contact points 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20. When the cab 4 is tilted up, the wear marks 23 are exposed when the wheel house 20 rotates as shown by the arrow in FIG. 9(a), resulting in a deterioration in appearance.

Therefore, in this embodiment, on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20, when the cab 4 is not tilted as shown in FIGS. , an opening 60 into which the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 enters is provided. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the opening 60 is formed in an oval shape when viewed from the front. The arrow shown in FIG. 5(a) indicates that the cab 4 is tilted up.

A plurality of openings 60 are formed corresponding to each of the jagged tapered pieces 43 formed at the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40. When the cab 4 tilts down, the tip 44 of each tapered piece 43 enters each opening 60 of the pressure contact point 22 of the descending wheel house 20 while being elastically deformed, as shown in FIG. 1(b). Each tapered piece 43 has a lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 around the opening 60 [lower surface 21 at the rear of the opening 60 (right side in FIG. 1(b))] and an upper surface 24 [front of the opening 60 (FIG. 1(b))]. the upper surface 24] on the left side of b).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, the vicinity of the base end 45 of each tapered piece 43 overlaps the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 at a location where the opening 60 is not formed in the pressure welding location 22. , Flexible and elastic pressure contact. Therefore, even if the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is displaced relative to the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 during driving, a gap is less likely to be generated between the apron 40 and the wheel house 20, and the inside of the wheel house portion 10 is Can ensure airtightness.

[1-3. Action and effect]
Since the wheel house portion structure according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is in elastic pressure contact with the pressure contact point 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 when the cab 4 is not tilted. An opening 60 is provided, and the tip 44 of the tapered piece 43 formed at the tip 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 enters into this opening 60, so that the tip 44 of the tapered piece 43 is connected to the wheel house 20. A strong elastic pressure contact with the lower surface 21 of is avoided. Therefore, the occurrence of wear marks 23 (see FIG. 9) on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is suppressed, and deterioration in the appearance of the wheel house 20 can be suppressed.

Further, each tapered piece 43 is sandwiched between the lower surface 21 and the upper surface 24 of the wheel house 20 around the opening 60, and the opening 60 at the pressure welding point 22 is formed near the base end 45 of each tapered piece 43. Since it is flexibly and elastically pressed while overlapping the parts that are not covered, it is possible to ensure sealing inside the wheel house part 10, and prevent mud and water from getting outside the wheel house part 10 (above the wheel house part 10). Diffusion is suppressed.

[2. Second embodiment]
[2-1. Vehicle configuration]
The vehicle 1 to which the wheel house structure according to the present embodiment is applied is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2, so the description thereof will be omitted here.

[2-2. Configuration of wheel house section]
The wheel house portion 10 according to this embodiment is provided with a recessed portion 70 instead of the opening 60 of the first embodiment. Except for this point, the overall configuration of the wheel house section is the same as that of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20, the upper apron 40 has a press-contact point 22 with which the upper edge 41 of the apron is elastically press-contacted when the cab 4 is not tilted. A recess 70 is provided into which the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 enters.

The recessed portion 70 is recessed from the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 and extends linearly in the direction in which the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 extends. The tip portion 42 (including each tapered piece 43 having a jagged shape) can enter. In this embodiment, the recessed portion 70 is formed into a planar shape with a bottom portion 71 parallel or substantially parallel to the press-contact portion 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 .

When the cab 4 tilts down, the tip portion 42 of the upper edge portion 41 enters the recessed portion 70 of the pressure contact point 22 of the descending wheel house 20 while being elastically deformed, as shown in FIG. 6(b). Each tapered piece 43 of the tip portion 42 overlaps the bottom portion 71 within the recessed portion 70 and is flexibly and elastically pressed against the bottom portion 71 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the vicinity of the base end 45 of each tapered piece 43 overlaps the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 around the concave portion 70 at the pressure welding point 22, and is flexibly elastic. Pressure contact. Therefore, even if the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is displaced relative to the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 during driving, a gap is less likely to be generated between the apron 40 and the wheel house 20, and the inside of the wheel house portion 10 is Can ensure airtightness.

[2-3. Action and effect]
Since the wheel house portion structure according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is in elastic pressure contact with the pressure contact point 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 when the cab 4 is not tilted. Since a recessed portion 70 is provided and the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 enters into the recessed portion 70, the tip 44 of the tapered piece 43 can be strongly elastically pressed against the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20. Avoided. Therefore, the occurrence of wear marks 23 (see FIG. 9) on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is suppressed, and deterioration in the appearance of the wheel house 20 can be suppressed.

In addition, since the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is overlapped and flexibly pressed against the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 in and around the recess 70, it is possible to travel easily. Even if the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20 is displaced relative to the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 at times, a gap is less likely to be formed between the apron 40 and the wheel house 20, and the airtightness within the wheel house portion 10 is improved. Can be secured. This suppresses mud, water splashes, and the like from spreading outside the wheel house section 10 (above the wheel house section 10).

[3. others]
The configuration of the embodiment described above is an example, and can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the first embodiment, the opening 60 is formed in an oval shape when viewed from the front, but the shape of the opening 60 is not limited to this.

Further, in the second embodiment, the recessed portion 70 has a bottom portion 71 formed in a planar shape that is parallel or substantially parallel to the press-contact point 22 on the lower surface 21 of the wheel house 20. It is not limited to. For example, the bottom 71 of the recess 70 may be inclined along the direction of the tip 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 so that the tip 42 overlaps the bottom 71 of the recess 70 at a shallower angle. good. As a result, the tip portion 42 of the upper edge 41 of the upper apron 40 is more flexibly pressed against the bottom 71 of the recessed portion 70 over a wide area, so that a gap is created between the apron 40 and the wheel house 20 when driving. It is possible to further suppress this.

Further, the shape of the tip portion 42 of the upper edge portion 41 is not limited to the jagged shape as shown in FIG. 3.

1 Vehicle (cab tilt vehicle)
2 Vehicle body frame (frame)
3 Side rail 4 Cab 4a Fender part of cab 4 5 Front wheel 10 Wheel house part 20 Wheel house 21 Bottom surface of wheel house 20 22 Pressure contact point of wheel house 20 23 Wear marks 24 Top surface of wheel house 20 30 Mud guard 40 Upper apron (apron)
41 Upper edge of upper apron 40 42 Tip portion of upper edge 41 of upper apron 40 43 Tapered piece with jagged shape 44 Tip of tapered piece 43 with jagged shape 45 Base end of tapered piece 43 50 Lower apron (apron)
60 Opening 70 Recess 71 Bottom of recess 70 FR Front of vehicle RR Rear of vehicle LH Left side of vehicle RH Right side of vehicle UP Upward DW Downward

Claims (1)

A wheel house provided in the cab of a vehicle whose cab tilts;
a mudguard disposed on the rear side and lower side of the wheel house in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and provided on the frame of the vehicle;
an apron provided on the top of the mudguard;
The wheel house includes a press-contact point to which the upper edge of the apron is elastically press-contacted when the cab is not tilted, and an opening or recess formed at the press-contact point into which the tip of the upper edge enters. A wheel house structure characterized by being equipped with.

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