Vehicle hinge pillar and fender insulator
View Patent ↗A motor vehicle has a hollow space between a front pillar and a fender. A noise insulator panel is mounted within and fills the hollow the hollow space between the pillar and the fender panel to block and absorb the communication of noise to the weather strip that seals the door to the pillar. The noise insulator panel includes a housing portion of compressible foam material with a base wall that is oversized to fit in compression between the pillar and the fender panel to block the communication of noise and a sidewall that extend forwardly from the base wall to define a cavity facing the engine and tires. An absorber portion fills the open cavity of the housing portion. The absorber portion is made of a fibrous material that is secured within the cavity of the housing portion and acts to absorb noise.
1. In motor vehicle the combination comprising:
a vehicle body structure having a front pillar;
a vehicle door hingedly mounted on the pillar for swinging movement between open and closed positions;
a weather strip mounted on the pillar and engaged by the door when the door is in the closed position;
a fender mounted on the vehicle body structure forward of the vehicle door, the fender being spaced outwardly from the front pillar to define a hollow space, and the fender extending forward from the pillar adjacent a vehicle engine and a vehicle tire so that engine noise and tire noise is communicated into the hollow space;
and a noise insulator panel mounted within and filling the hollow space between the pillar and the fender so as to block and absorb the communication of noise to the weather strip;
the noise insulator panel including:
a housing portion of compressible foam material with a base wall that fits in compression between the pillar and the fender to block the communication of noise and a sidewall that extends forwardly from the base wall to define a cavity facing forwardly toward the engine and the tire, and
an absorber portion that fills the cavity of the housing portion, said absorber portion being a fibrous material that is secured within the cavity of the housing portion and acts to absorb noise.
2. The combination of claim 1 further comprising both the base wall and the sidewalls of the housing portion being oversized in relation to the hollow space between the pillar and the fender to assure compressive engagement of the housing portion between the pillar and the fender.
3. The combination of claim 1 further comprising the fender having a top wall and a bottom wall, and the housing portion of the insulator panel having a top wall and a bottom wall respectively engaging with the top wall of the fender and the bottom wall of the fender.
4. The combination of claim 3 further comprising the housing portion being oversized in relation to the distance between the top wall and the bottom wall of the fender to assure compressive engagement of the housing portion with the top wall of the fender and bottom wall of the fender.
5. In motor vehicle the combination comprising:
a vehicle body structure having a front pillar;
a vehicle door hingedly mounted on the pillar for swinging movement between open and closed positions;
a weather strip mounted on the pillar and engaged by the door when the door is in the closed position;
a fender mounted on the vehicle body structure forward of the vehicle door, the fender being spaced outwardly from the pillar to define a hollow space, the fender having a top wall and a bottom wall defining the top and bottom of the hollow space between the pillar and the fender, the hollow space extending forward from the pillar and adjacent a vehicle engine and a vehicle tire so that engine noise and tire noise is communicated into the hollow space;
and a noise insulator panel mounted within and filling the hollow him him space between the pillar and the fender so as to block and absorb the communication of noise to the weather strip;
the noise insulator panel including:
a housing portion of compressible foam material with a base wall that fits in compression between the pillar and the fender and a housing portion top wall and a housing portion bottom wall that fit in compression between the top wall of the fender and bottom wall of the fender so that the housing portion blocks the communication of noise, the housing portion also having a sidewall that extends forwardly from the base wall to define a cavity that faces forwardly toward the engine and the tire, and
an absorber portion that fills the forwardly facing cavity of the housing portion, said absorber portion being a fibrous material that is secured within the cavity of the housing portion and acts to absorb noise.