Vehicle engine hood

Abstract

The vehicle engine hood comprises an outer panel, an inner panel arranged on the back side of the outer panel, a striker mounted on the inner panel and fixed to the vehicle engine hood relative to the vehicle body by engaging with the vehicle body, a reinforcing member located between the outer panel and the inner panel and mounted on a reinforcement target plate selected from the outer panel and the inner panel to reinforce the reinforcement target plate, the reinforcing member having a reinforcing member front side portion located on the front side compared with the rear end of the striker, and a reinforcing member rear side portion located on the rear side compared with the rear end of the striker, the reinforcing member front side portion having a protruding portion, the protruding portion protruding from the reinforcement target plate toward a plate other than the reinforcement target plate among the outer panel and the inner panel, i.e., a mating plate, from the reinforcement member rear side portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle engine hood. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there is a known vehicle hood that is included in a vehicle such as an automobile and is arranged at the front of the vehicle. In recent years, in addition to rigidity, impact resistance, and tensile rigidity, the vehicle hood has also been required to improve pedestrian protection performance in order to reduce damage to the head of a pedestrian when the head collides with the vehicle hood. The following patent document 1 discloses a vehicle hood structure that can improve pedestrian protection performance by absorbing the kinetic energy of the head when the head of a pedestrian collides with the vehicle hood from above.

[0003] The vehicle hood structure disclosed in the following patent document 1 includes a hood outer panel, a hood inner panel arranged on the back side (lower side) of the hood outer panel, a striker provided at the bottom wall portion of the front portion of the hood inner panel and locked by means of a hood locking mechanism of the vehicle body, a hood locking reinforcement component arranged between the hood outer panel and the hood inner panel to reinforce the vicinity of the setting position of the striker on the bottom wall portion of the hood inner panel, and an impact reinforcement component located between the hood outer panel and the hood locking reinforcement component to suppress deformation of the hood outer panel.

[0004] The engine hood locking reinforcement component includes a thick plate and a thin plate. The thick plate is overlapped and joined to the top of a portion near the location where the latch eye is set on the bottom wall of the engine hood inner panel, thereby improving the rigidity of the portion. The thin plate is joined to the rear end portion of the thick plate and extends from the rear end portion of the thick plate to the outer panel.

[0005] The impact reinforcement member is provided along the back surface of the hood outer panel in the range of front and rear of the striker. The front end of the impact reinforcement member is joined to the front end of the thick plate of the hood locking reinforcement member. In addition, the rear end of the impact reinforcement member is joined to the front end of the general surface of the center of the hood inner panel extending rearward from the upper end of the vertical wall portion, and the vertical wall portion is erected from the bottom wall portion of the hood inner panel behind the striker. In addition, the portion of the impact reinforcement member located slightly forward of the rear end is joined to the upper end of the thin plate of the hood locking reinforcement member.

[0006] Furthermore, in the vehicle hood structure of the following Patent Document 1, the rigidity of the thin plate of the hood locking reinforcement member is lower than the rigidity of the thick plate of the hood locking reinforcement member. Therefore, when a collision body such as a pedestrian's head hits the outer plate from the upper side at a position behind the striker, the thin plate deforms to absorb the kinetic energy of the collision body. With such a structure, pedestrian protection performance is improved.

[0007] However, in order to improve the pedestrian protection performance, the area in front of the rear end of the striker of the vehicle hood is different from the area in the rear of the rear end of the striker. Therefore, if the outer panel is reinforced only by the impact reinforcement member as in the vehicle hood structure of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to improve the pedestrian protection performance of the front area.

[0008] Specifically, in the evaluation of the pedestrian protection performance of the vehicle hood, the HIC (Head Injury Criteria) value is generally calculated based on the waveform of the acceleration applied to the head in the opposite direction of the collision when the head collides. The smaller the HIC value, the less likely the pedestrian's head will be injured even if it collides, and the higher the pedestrian protection performance is evaluated. In the aforementioned acceleration waveform, a primary acceleration peak is generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the outer panel, and then a secondary acceleration peak is generated when the head moves toward the inner panel and completely collapses the space between the outer panel and the inner panel. In order to reduce the HIC value and improve the pedestrian protection performance, it is effective to increase the aforementioned primary acceleration peak and reduce the aforementioned secondary acceleration peak.

[0009] The primary peak of acceleration can be increased as the inertial mass of the part where the pedestrian's head hits is larger and the rigidity of the outer panel around the part is higher. In the case where the outer panel of the vehicle hood is reinforced by an impact reinforcement member in the area in front of the rear end of the striker as in the aforementioned vehicle hood structure, the primary peak of acceleration can be slightly increased due to the reinforcement effect. However, since the impact point is the outer peripheral part of the vehicle hood, the inertial mass of the area in the front side is relatively small, and therefore the primary peak of acceleration cannot be made too large.

[0010] In addition, in the front part of the vehicle hood where the striker is provided, the closer to the front end, the smaller the interval between the outer plate and the inner plate becomes. Therefore, in the area forward of the rear end of the striker, the deformation stroke of the outer plate until the pedestrian's head collides with the outer plate and the space between the outer plate and the inner plate is completely collapsed, that is, the absorption stroke of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head when it collides is small. In addition, the striker is connected to the vehicle body and is fixed, so it is not expected that the plate in the area on the front side will deform to the side opposite to the outer plate (lower side) and increase the absorption stroke. Therefore, when the pedestrian's head collides with the area forward of the rear end of the striker, only the kinetic energy of the head is absorbed by the small absorption stroke between the outer plate and the inner plate. As a result, there are many cases where the head collides while still maintaining a large kinetic energy and a high secondary peak of acceleration is generated very sharply.

[0011] As described above, in the area forward of the rear end of the striker, it is difficult to significantly increase the primary peak of acceleration when a pedestrian's head collides with the vehicle, and it is difficult to reduce the HIC value because a very high secondary peak of acceleration is easily generated. As a result, it is difficult to improve the pedestrian protection performance in the area forward of the rear end of the striker.

[0012] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4479844. Summary of the invention

[0013] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle hood capable of appropriately improving pedestrian protection performance in regions both in front and in rear of a rear end of a striker according to the conditions of the respective regions.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle hood is a vehicle hood mounted on a vehicle body. The vehicle hood includes an outer panel, an inner panel, a striker, and a reinforcing member. The inner panel is arranged on the back side of the outer panel. The striker is mounted on the inner panel and engages with the vehicle body, thereby fixing the vehicle hood relative to the vehicle body. The reinforcing member is located between the outer panel and the inner panel, and is mounted on a reinforcement target plate selected from the outer panel and the inner panel to reinforce the reinforcement target plate. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing member front side portion located on the front side compared to the rear end of the striker, and a reinforcing member rear side portion located on the rear side compared to the rear end of the striker. The reinforcing member front side portion includes a protruding portion, and the protruding portion protrudes from the reinforcing member rear side portion toward a plate other than the reinforcing target plate among the outer panel and the inner panel, i.e., a mating plate, from the reinforcing member rear side portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing a state where the outer panel is removed from the vehicle hood according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the vehicle hood according to the first embodiment taken along the line II-II in FIG.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a perspective view of the outer panel reinforcement used for the vehicle hood according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 The figure is equivalent to the figure showing the behavior of the outer panel and the outer panel reinforcement when the striker hits the vehicle engine hood of the first comparative example at the striking point on the front side of the rear end of the striker. Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0019] Figure 5This is a diagram showing an acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor collides with the vehicle hood of the first comparative example at a striking point on the front side of the rear end of the striker.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing a state in which the impactor hits the vehicle hood of the first embodiment at a striking point on the front side of the rear end of the striker and the outer panel reinforcement contacts the base plate. Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0021] Figure 7 The striker hits the vehicle hood of the second comparative example at a striking point on the front side of the rear end of the striker and moves to the position where the striker touches the vehicle hood of the second comparative example. Figure 6 The state of the impactor in the same position is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0022] Figure 8 The diagram shows acceleration-displacement waveforms when the impactor hits the vehicle hood of the first embodiment at a striking point forward of the rear end of the striker and acceleration-displacement waveforms when the impactor hits the vehicle hood of the second comparative example in the same manner.

[0023] Fig. 9 The impactor hits the vehicle hood of the first embodiment at a striking point on the rear side of the rear end of the striker, and deforms in such a way that the outer panel and the outer panel reinforcement are dented. Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0024] Fig.10 The striker hits the vehicle hood of the third comparative example at a striking point further rearward than the rear end of the striker and moves to the position corresponding to the striker. Fig. 9 The state of the impactor in the same position is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0025] Fig.11 The diagram shows acceleration-displacement waveforms when the impactor collides with the vehicle hood of the first embodiment at a striking point behind the rear end of the striker and acceleration-displacement waveforms when the impactor collides with the vehicle hood of the third comparative example in the same manner.

[0026] Fig.12 The vehicle engine hood according to the second embodiment of the present invention is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0027] Fig.13 It is a perspective view of an outer panel reinforcement used for a vehicle hood according to a second embodiment.

[0028] Fig.14 The vehicle engine hood according to the third embodiment of the present invention is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0029] Fig.15 It is a perspective view of an inner panel reinforcement, a base plate, and a striker in an assembled state for a vehicle hood according to a third embodiment.

[0030] Fig.16 The vehicle engine hood of the first modified example of the present invention is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0031] Fig.17 It is a perspective view of an inner panel reinforcement, a base plate, and a striker in an assembled state for a vehicle hood according to a first modified example.

[0032] Fig.18 The vehicle engine hood of the second modified example of the present invention is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of .

[0033] Fig.19 It is a perspective view of an inner panel reinforcement, a base plate, and a striker in an assembled state for a vehicle hood according to a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0035] (First embodiment)

[0036] The vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is a component constituting a vehicle such as an automobile. The vehicle hood 1 is mounted on the vehicle body in such a manner that the engine room provided at the front of the vehicle body can be opened and closed. The vehicle hood 1 covers the upper part of the engine room when the engine room is closed. In the following description of the structure of the vehicle hood 1, front, back, left, and right mean the front, back, left, and right of the vehicle when the vehicle hood 1 is provided with the vehicle hood 1 and the engine room is closed. The left and right direction is equivalent to the width direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction). In addition, when only the width direction is recorded hereinafter, the width direction is equivalent to the width direction of the vehicle. In addition, the up and down of the vehicle hood 1 refers to the up and down when the vehicle hood 1 is closed. The directions of front and back, left and right, and up and down are shown in each of the drawings.

[0037] Vehicle engine hood 1 Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle body includes an outer panel 2 , an inner panel 4 , an inner panel reinforcement 6 , a base plate 7 , a striker 8 , and an outer panel reinforcement 10 .

[0038] The outer panel 2 forms the upper surface (outer surface) of the vehicle hood 1 when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room. The outer panel 2 of the first embodiment is an example of a reinforced panel of the present invention. The outer panel 2 is formed by press-forming a plate made of, for example, an aluminum material. The outer panel 2 has an outer peripheral portion 2a (see FIG. 1 ) that is firmly fixed to an outer side joint portion 12 of the inner panel 4 described later by a folding process (returning process). Figure 2 ). In addition, the outer panel 2 has a surface 2b that constitutes the upper surface (outer surface) of the vehicle hood 1 when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room, and a back surface 2c opposite to the surface 2b. When the head of a pedestrian collides from the front side of the outer panel 2, a primary peak of acceleration is generated in the acceleration-displacement waveform, and the outer panel 2 is deformed in a manner concave toward the inner panel 4. In addition, the front side of the outer panel 2 corresponds to the upper side of the outer panel 2 when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room. In addition, the back side of the outer panel 2 corresponds to the lower side of the outer panel 2 when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room.

[0039] The inner panel 4 constitutes the lower surface of the vehicle hood 1 when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room. The inner panel 4 of the first embodiment is an example of a matching panel of the present invention. The inner panel 4 is formed by press-forming a plate made of, for example, an aluminum material. The inner panel 4 is arranged on the back side of the outer panel 2 and joined to the outer panel 2. In other words, the inner panel 4 is arranged to face the back side 2c of the outer panel 2 and joined to the outer panel 2.

[0040] The inner plate 4 has an outer joint portion 12 (see Figure 1 )、the bottom 14、the connecting wall 15 (refer to Figure 2 ), inner joint 16.

[0041] The outer joint portion 12 is an annular portion constituting the outer periphery of the inner panel 4 and is joined to the outer periphery 2a of the outer panel 2 as described above. The outer joint portion 12 has a joint front end portion 12a located at the front end of the inner panel 4.

[0042] The bottom 14 is a portion constituting the bottom surface of the inner panel 4. The bottom 14 is arranged inside the annular outer joint portion 12 so as to form a plate shape along the annular shape of the outer joint portion 12. The bottom 14 is separated from the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2. The bottom 14 has a portion, namely, a front bottom 18, which is arranged adjacent to the rear of the joint front end portion 12a. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 is inclined to gradually move away from the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 as it moves from the front end toward the rear side. As a result, the distance between the outer panel 2 and the front bottom 18 increases toward the rear side. A bottom opening 18a is provided at the center of the front bottom 18 in the left-right direction, penetrating the front bottom 18 in the plate thickness direction.

[0043] In addition, hinge mounting portions 19 are provided at the positions near the left rear end and the right rear end of the bottom portion 14, respectively (see Figure 1 A hinge (not shown) is mounted on the hinge mounting portion 19. The vehicle hood 1 is connected to the vehicle body so that an upper opening of an engine room (not shown) of the vehicle body can be opened and closed via the hinge.

[0044] The connecting wall portion 15 is a portion connecting the outer joint portion 12 and the bottom portion 14 to each other. The connecting wall portion 15 is annular along the outer joint portion 12. The connecting wall portion 15 has a front connecting wall portion 20 (see FIG. 20 ) which is a portion connecting the rear end of the joint front end portion 12a and the front end of the front bottom portion 18 between the joint front end portion 12a and the front bottom portion 18. Figure 2 The front connecting wall portion 20 is generally inclined toward the rear from the rear end of the joint front end portion 12a as it approaches the front bottom portion 18. The front connecting wall portion 20 has a front connecting wall middle section 20a, and the front connecting wall middle section 20a is arranged substantially parallel to the front bottom portion 18 at a predetermined intermediate position between the joint front end portion 12a of the front connecting wall portion 20 and the front bottom portion 18.

[0045] The inner side joint part 16 protrudes from the bottom part 14 toward the outer panel 2 on the inner side of the annular bottom part 14. The inner side joint part 16 is joined to the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2. The inner side joint part 16 has a rising wall part 24 and a top wall part 26.

[0046] The rising wall portion 24 rises from the inner edge of the annular bottom portion 14 toward the outer plate 2 and is annular. The rising wall portion 24 has a front rising wall portion 28, which extends from the rear end of the front bottom portion 18 toward the outer plate 2, and connects the rear end of the front bottom portion 18 and the front end of the top wall portion 26. The front rising wall portion 28 is inclined toward the rear as it approaches the front end of the top wall portion 26. The front rising wall portion 28 has a front rising wall middle section 28a, which is arranged approximately parallel to the front bottom portion 18 at a predetermined intermediate position between the rear end of the front bottom portion 18 and the front end of the top wall portion 26.

[0047] The top wall portion 26 is a portion constituting the top surface (upper surface) of the inner joint portion 16. The top wall portion 26 is connected to the end edge of the annular upright wall portion 24 on the side opposite to the bottom 14. The top wall portion 26 is arranged along the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2 and is joined to the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2. By joining the top wall portion 26 to the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2, the outer panel 2 is supported by the inner panel 4 from the back side.

[0048] The inner panel reinforcement 6 is a plate-shaped member that is located between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 and is attached to the inner panel 4 to reinforce the inner panel 4. Specifically, the inner panel reinforcement 6 is a so-called hood lock reinforcement member that reinforces the portion around the striker 8 of the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4. The inner panel reinforcement 6 is arranged to cover the surface of the front bottom 18 facing the outer panel 2 in the portion around the bottom opening 18a of the front bottom 18, specifically, the range of the front bottom 18 covering the front and rear and left and right of the bottom opening 18a of the front bottom 18, and is joined to the surface. In this way, the inner panel reinforcement 6 is joined to the front bottom 18, thereby reinforcing the portion around the bottom opening 18a of the front bottom 18, in other words, the portion around the striker 8 attached to the front bottom 18 as described later. A reinforcement opening 6a that penetrates the inner panel reinforcement 6 in the plate thickness direction is provided at a portion of the inner panel reinforcement 6 corresponding to the bottom opening 18a.

[0049] The base plate 7 is a component that is connected to the striker 8. The base plate 7 is arranged on the surface of the inner plate reinforcement member 6 facing the outer plate 2 side and fixed to the surface. Figure 2 As shown, it has a base portion 7a, a front fixing portion 7b, and a rear fixing portion 7c.

[0050] The base portion 7a is a flat plate and is disposed on and fixed to the surface of the inner panel reinforcement 6 facing the outer panel 2. The base portion 7a is disposed to cover the front, rear, left, and right regions of the reinforcement opening 6a of the inner panel reinforcement 6.

[0051] The front fixing portion 7b is a portion of the front mounting portion 32 to be described later for fixing the striker 8. The front fixing portion 7b is semi-cylindrical and extends rightward from a position near the front end of the reinforcement opening 6a. The front fixing portion 7b bulges from the base portion 7a toward the outer plate 2, and on the other hand, is recessed on the side opposite to the outer plate 2.

[0052] The rear fixing portion 7c is a portion to which the rear mounting portion 34 described later is fixed to the striker 8. The rear fixing portion 7c is semi-cylindrical and extends to the left from a position near the rear end of the aforementioned reinforcement opening 6a. The rear fixing portion 7c bulges from the base portion 7a toward the outer plate 2, and on the other hand, is recessed on the side opposite to the outer plate 2.

[0053] The striker 8 engages with a latch of a locking device of a vehicle body (not shown) when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room, thereby fixing the vehicle hood 1 relative to the vehicle body in this state. The striker 8 is mounted to the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 via the inner panel reinforcement 6 and the base plate 7. The striker 8 has an engaging portion 30, a front extension portion 31, a front mounting portion 32, a rear extension portion 33, and a rear mounting portion 34.

[0054] The engaging portion 30 is a portion that engages with the latch (not shown) when the vehicle hood 1 closes the engine room. The engaging portion 30 extends in the front-rear direction away from the bottom opening 18a of the front bottom 18 toward the side opposite to the outer panel 2.

[0055] The front extension portion 31 extends from the front end portion of the engagement portion 30 toward the front bottom portion 18. The rear extension portion 33 extends from the rear end portion of the engagement portion 30 toward the front bottom portion 18. The end portion of the front extension portion 31 on the side opposite to the engagement portion 30 and the end portion of the rear extension portion 33 on the side opposite to the engagement portion 30 protrude toward the outer panel 2 through the bottom opening 18a and the reinforcement opening 6a, respectively.

[0056] The front side mounting portion 32 is a portion mounted on the front side fixing portion 7b of the base plate 7. The front side mounting portion 32 extends rightward from the end portion of the front side extension portion 31 on the side opposite to the engaging portion 30. The front side mounting portion 32 is arranged in a recess formed in the front side fixing portion 7b, and is fixed to the front side fixing portion 7b in this state.

[0057] The rear mounting portion 34 is a portion mounted on the rear fixing portion 7c of the base plate 7. The rear mounting portion 34 extends leftward from the end of the rear extension portion 33 on the side opposite to the engaging portion 30. The rear mounting portion 34 is arranged in a recess formed in the rear fixing portion 7c and is fixed to the rear fixing portion 7c in this state.

[0058] The front mounting portion 32 is fixed to the front fixing portion 7b and the rear mounting portion 34 is fixed to the rear fixing portion 7c, whereby the striker 8 is fixed to the base plate 7. The striker 8 is fixed to the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 via the base plate 7 and the inner panel reinforcement 6.

[0059] The outer panel reinforcement 10 is located between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4, and is a component mounted on the outer panel 2 to reinforce the outer panel 2. Specifically, the outer panel reinforcement 10 reinforces the range of the outer panel 2 facing the area from the front connecting wall portion 20 of the inner panel 4 to the front end portion of the top wall portion 26. The outer panel reinforcement 10 of the first embodiment is an example of a reinforcement component of the present invention. The outer panel reinforcement 10 is a so-called impact reinforcement component for improving the impact resistance of the outer panel 2. The outer panel reinforcement 10 is composed of a single plate material. The outer panel reinforcement 10 is configured so that it can be deformed toward the inner panel 4 together with the outer panel 2 when the head of a pedestrian or the like collides with the outer panel 2 from the front side.

[0060] The outer plate reinforcement 10 includes an outer plate reinforcement front side portion 10a located on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and an outer plate reinforcement rear side portion 10b located on the rear side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8. The outer plate reinforcement front side portion 10a is an example of a front side portion of a reinforcement member of the present invention, and the outer plate reinforcement rear side portion 10b is an example of a rear side portion of a reinforcement member of the present invention.

[0061] The outer panel reinforcement front side portion 10a includes a front side main body portion 36 and a front side joint portion 38. The front side main body portion 36 is arranged along the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2, and is joined to the back surface 2c via a mastic adhesive (not shown). The front side joint portion 38 extends from the front end of the front side main body portion 36 to the front side connecting wall middle section portion 20a of the inner panel 4. The front side joint portion 38 is joined to the front side connecting wall middle section portion 20a by rivet joining such as spot welding, FSW joining, or TOX joining (not shown).

[0062] The outer panel reinforcement rear portion 10b includes a rear main body portion 39 and a rear joint portion 40. The rear main body portion 39 is arranged to extend continuously from the front main body portion 36 to the rear side and along the back surface 2c of the outer panel 2, and is joined to the back surface 2c via a mastic adhesive (not shown). The rear joint portion 40 extends from the rear end of the rear main body portion 39 to the top wall portion 26 of the inner panel 4. The rear joint portion 40 is joined to a portion near the front end of the top wall portion 26 by caulking such as spot welding, FSW joining, or TOX joining (not shown).

[0063] In the first embodiment, the front body portion 36 and the rear body portion 39 constitute the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 for reinforcing the outer panel 2 over the front and rear range of the striker 8. The reinforcement body 41 is arranged approximately in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the front connecting wall portion 20 of the inner panel 4 to the front end of the top wall portion 26.

[0064] The reinforcement body 41 has a rib 42. The rib 42 is a part of the reinforcement body 41, and is a part that is recessed in a manner that protrudes toward the inner panel 4. With the help of the rib 42, the rigidity and strength of the reinforcement body 41 are improved. The rib 42 exists on both sides of the front side main body portion 36 and the rear side main body portion 39. That is, the rib 42 exists on both sides of the area on the front side of the striker 8 and the area on the rear side of the striker 8. In the first embodiment, the rib 42 includes a plurality of ribs 44 arranged in the front-to-back direction. The plurality of ribs 44 are respectively recessed in a manner that extends in a width direction (left-right direction) that is orthogonal to the front-to-back direction of the vehicle hood 1 and protrudes toward the inner panel 4. Each of these plurality of ribs 44 is separated from any of the inner panel 4, the inner panel reinforcement 6 and the base plate 7 in the up-down direction with a space therebetween.

[0065] The amount of protrusion of any rib 44 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is greater than the amount of protrusion of a rib 44 located rearward of the rib 44. That is, the more forwardly located the rib 44 is, the greater the protrusion becomes.

[0066] The plurality of ribs 44 include a front rib 44a, a middle rib 44b, and a rear rib 44c. The front rib 44a, the middle rib 44b, and the rear rib 44c are arranged in this order from front to rear.

[0067] The front rib 44a is provided on the front main body portion 36. The front rib 44a is an example of a protruding portion of the present invention. The front rib 44a is a rib 44 located at the frontmost side among the plurality of ribs 44 included in the reinforcement body 41. The front rib 44a protrudes from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 from the outer panel reinforcement rear portion 10b. Specifically, the front rib 44a protrudes toward the inner panel 4 compared with the portion of the intermediate rib 44b provided at the outer panel reinforcement rear portion 10b, the rear rib 44c, and the rear joint 40. In other words, the protrusion amount of the front rib 44a from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is greater than the protrusion amount of the intermediate rib 44b, the rear rib 44c, and the rear joint 40 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. The front rib 44a is designed so that when a pedestrian's head collides with the outer panel 2 from the front side at an impact point closer to the front side than the rear end 8a of the striker 8 and the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed toward the inner panel 4, the front rib 44a can first contact with the base plate 7, the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 and deform (can be crushed), thereby absorbing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head.

[0068] The intermediate rib 44b is provided across the front body 36 and the rear body 39. In addition, the rear rib 44c is provided on the rear body 39. The amount of protrusion of the intermediate rib 44b from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is greater than the amount of protrusion of the rear rib 44c from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. The rear rib 44c and the intermediate rib 44b both protrude less than the front rib 44a, so when the pedestrian's head hits the outer panel 2 from the front side at the striking point further to the rear than the rear end 8a of the striker 8 and the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed toward the inner panel 4, the contact is delayed relative to the base plate 7, the inner panel reinforcement 6 and the inner panel 4.

[0069] In addition, the reinforcement body 41 has a plurality of body joints 46, which are respectively provided at the front end of the reinforcement body 41 located in front of the front rib 44a, between the front rib 44a and the middle rib 44b, between the middle rib 44b and the rear rib 44c, and at the rear end of the reinforcement body 41 located in the rear of the rear rib 44c, and are respectively joined to the back surface 2c of the outer plate 2. The plurality of body joints 46 are joined to the back surface 2c of the outer plate 2 via a mastic adhesive (not shown) arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction (width direction) on each of the body joints 46.

[0070] In the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, in the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the front rib 44a as a protruding portion provided on the front side portion 10a of the outer panel reinforcement and the base plate 7 or the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the front side bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 are contacted to reduce the kinetic energy of the head until the secondary peak of acceleration is generated when the pedestrian's head hits, thereby reducing the secondary peak of acceleration. In addition, in the area on the rear side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the size of the absorption stroke of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head can be effectively used to reduce the secondary peak of acceleration. Therefore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the pedestrian protection performance in the area before and after the striker 8 can be improved.

[0071] Specifically, the pedestrian protection performance of the vehicle hood 1 is generally evaluated to be higher as the HIC value is lower. In order to reduce the HIC value, in the acceleration-displacement waveform representing the correlation between the displacement of the pedestrian's head in the collision direction and the acceleration in the opposite direction of the collision direction applied to the pedestrian's head when the pedestrian's head collides with the vehicle hood 1, the primary peak of acceleration generated at the start of the collision, that is, the moment when the pedestrian's head contacts the outer panel 2, is effectively increased, and the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides thereafter to completely collapse the space between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 is reduced.

[0072] However, the inertial mass of the portion of the vehicle hood 1 near the front end of the striker 8 is small, so it is difficult to increase the primary peak of acceleration. In addition, in the area of ​​the vehicle hood 1 that is closer to the front side than the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the gap between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 is small, so when the pedestrian's head collides, the outer panel 2 is deformed and the space between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 is completely collapsed, that is, the absorption stroke of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head is small. In addition, the striker 8 is fixed to the vehicle body, so in the area on the front side, it is not expected that the inner panel 4 will deform to the side opposite to the outer panel 2 and the aforementioned absorption stroke will increase. Therefore, the area of ​​the vehicle hood 1 that is closer to the front side than the rear end 8a of the striker 8 is not conducive to reducing the secondary peak of acceleration. In contrast, in the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the outer panel reinforcement front side portion 10a has the front side rib 44a as a protruding portion protruding from the outer panel 2 toward the inner panel 4 from the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10b. Therefore, in the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, when the pedestrian's head collides, the front side rib 44a contacts the front side bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 or the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the base plate 7 attached to the front side bottom 18, and applies acceleration in the direction opposite to the collision to the pedestrian's head until the space between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 is completely collapsed, thereby reducing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. Therefore, in the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides can be reduced.

[0073] In addition, in the area of ​​the vehicle hood 1 that is further rearward than the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the interval between the outer panel 2 and the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 becomes larger, and the aforementioned absorption stroke can be ensured to be larger. In addition, in the area on the rear side, the front side rising wall portion 28 of the inner panel 4 can be deformed to the side opposite to the outer panel 2, so the aforementioned absorption stroke can also be expected to increase due to the deformation of the front side rising wall portion 28. Therefore, in the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the front side rib 44a as a protruding portion provided at the front side portion 10a of the outer panel reinforcement located on the front side compared to the rear end 8a of the striker 8 protrudes from the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10b from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. In other words, the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10b does not protrude from the front side rib 44a. Therefore, the large absorption stroke of the area that is further rearward than the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be effectively utilized to absorb the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head over a long period of time in a state where the aforementioned reverse acceleration applied to the pedestrian's head is low. Therefore, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head is hit can be reduced in the area behind the rear end 8 a of the striker 8 .

[0074] As described above, according to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first embodiment, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides can be reduced according to the respective conditions of the area on the front side and the area on the rear side relative to the rear end 8a of the striker 8. As a result, the HIC value of the area on the front and rear sides of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced, thereby improving the pedestrian protection performance of the area on the front and rear sides.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, in the region on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the protruding portion that contacts the front side bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 or the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the base plate 7 attached to the front side bottom 18 and reduces the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head when the pedestrian's head collides is constituted by the front side rib 44a located at the front side portion 10a of the outer panel reinforcement of the plurality of ribs 44 constituting the rib 42. Therefore, the rigidity and strength of the outer panel reinforcement 10 can be improved by the rib 42, and the reinforcement effect of the outer panel 2 by the outer panel reinforcement 10 can be improved, and a part of the rib 42 can be used as the above-mentioned protruding portion to improve the pedestrian protection performance in the region on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8.

[0076] Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood 1, the outer panel 2 is inclined downward as it goes forward, so at the front portion of the vehicle hood 1 where the striker 8 is provided, that is, at the front portion of the vehicle hood 1 located on the front side of the inner panel 4 relative to the front side upright wall portion 28, the interval between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 becomes smaller as it approaches the front end of the vehicle hood 1, and as a result, the aforementioned absorption stroke becomes smaller, making it difficult to reduce the acceleration secondary peak. In contrast, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the protrusion amount of any rib 44 from the plurality of ribs 44 provided at the outer panel reinforcement 10 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is greater than the protrusion amount of the rib 44 located on the rear side relative to the any rib 44 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. Therefore, the protrusion amount of the front side rib 44a located on the front side of the plurality of ribs 44 is the largest. Therefore, in an area closer to the front end of the vehicle hood 1 where the secondary peak of acceleration is difficult to reduce, the front rib 44a can be made to contact the base plate 7 or the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 at an early stage when the pedestrian's head collides, thereby reducing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. As a result, the secondary peak of acceleration can be effectively reduced in an area closer to the front end.

[0077] In addition, the front rib 44a located at the frontmost side of the plurality of ribs 44 has the largest protrusion, that is, the depth of the depression of the front rib 44a is the largest among the plurality of ribs 44, thereby significantly improving the rigidity of the outer panel reinforcement 10 near the front rib 44a. As a result, the reinforcement effect of the outer panel 2 by the outer panel reinforcement 10 near the front end of the vehicle hood 1 can be made very high, the primary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head near the front end hits can be made larger, and the rapid drop in acceleration after the primary peak of acceleration is suppressed. Therefore, the amount of absorption of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head at the initial stage of the collision near the front end of the vehicle hood 1 can be increased, and the HIC value near the front end of the vehicle hood 1 can be further reduced. Therefore, the pedestrian walking performance near the front end of the vehicle hood 1 can be further improved.

[0078] Next, the specific deformation action of the vehicle hood 1 when the impactor 100 simulating the head of a pedestrian collides with a striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 of the vehicle hood 1 and when the impactor 100 collides with a striking point on the rear side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 are described, and the effect of improving the pedestrian protection performance mentioned above is described in more detail.

[0079] Figure 4 , the operation of the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 is shown when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first comparative example in which the rib 44 is not provided on the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 at the striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8. Figure 5The acceleration-displacement waveform of the collision is shown in FIG.

[0080] When the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first comparative example at the striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, at the time when the impactor 100 contacts the outer panel 2 ( Figure 4 In state A), the acceleration in the opposite direction of the collision direction applied to the impactor 100 increases and a broad acceleration primary peak P1 is generated in the acceleration-displacement waveform (refer to Figure 5 ). Afterwards, the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed in a manner of being recessed toward the inner panel 4, and at the moment when the reinforcement body 41 contacts the front side fixing portion 7b of the base plate 7 ( Figure 4 State B), that is, the moment when the impactor 100 hits the front fixing portion 7b of the substrate 7 via the outer plate 2 and the reinforcement body 41, the acceleration secondary peak P2 is generated at the acceleration-displacement waveform (refer to Figure 5 ). In addition, here, an example is shown in which the acceleration secondary peak P2 is generated when the impactor 100 hits the front fixing portion 7b of the substrate 7, but there is a case where the impact point is slightly deviated and hits other parts of the substrate 7, or the inner panel reinforcement 6, or the front bottom 18 of the inner panel 4. In this case, the acceleration secondary peak is also generated at the time of the collision.

[0081] During the deformation of the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 toward the inner panel 4, the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head is absorbed. However, in the region of the vehicle hood 1 on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the aforementioned absorption stroke, i.e., the stroke from the pedestrian's head contacting the outer panel 2 to the collision with the base plate 7, the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the inner panel 4 via the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 is small, so the kinetic energy is not absorbed much. That is, the pedestrian's head collides while still having a large kinetic energy, and as a result, a high secondary peak of acceleration is generated very sharply. Therefore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first comparative example in which the rib 44 is not provided on the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10, the HIC value of the region on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 becomes high, and the pedestrian protection performance of this region becomes low.

[0082] On the other hand, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the plurality of ribs 44 included in the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 include the front rib 44a as a protruding portion protruding toward the inner panel 4 at a position forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8. Therefore, when the pedestrian's head hits the outer panel 2 from the front side at the striking point forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 and the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed toward the inner panel 4, the front rib 44a is deformed in a manner of being crushed in contact with the base plate 7, the inner panel reinforcement 6, or the inner panel 4, thereby absorbing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. Therefore, the kinetic energy can be reduced to a certain extent until the front rib 44a is completely crushed and the pedestrian's head hits, and as a result, the secondary peak of acceleration generated at the moment of the pedestrian's head hitting can be reduced.

[0083] Specifically, Figure 6 , the state of the vehicle hood 1 at the moment when the impactor 100 simulating the head of a pedestrian collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment at the striking point forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed, and the front rib 44a contacts the front fixing portion 7b of the base plate 7. In addition, Figure 7 In the statement, Figure 6 Similarly, the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the second comparative example, and the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed, and the impactor 100 advances to the position where the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed. Figure 6 The state of the position of the impactor 100 with the same displacement amount as shown in FIG. The vehicle engine hood 1 of the second comparative example is that the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 has a plurality of ribs 44, but the protrusion amount of these ribs 44 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is uniform, which is the same as the protrusion amount of the middle rib 44b of the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first embodiment. And, Figure 8 In, like Figure 6 The acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment is represented by a solid line, and the acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the second comparative example is represented by a dotted line.

[0084] When the striker 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment at a striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , a peak P1 of acceleration is generated, after which the acceleration temporarily decreases and then increases again. Figure 8 From the moment C in Figure 6As shown, the front rib 44a contacts the front fixing portion 7b of the substrate 7, and the acceleration in the opposite direction to the collision direction applied to the impactor 100 further increases, the front rib 44a is crushed, and the kinetic energy of the impactor 100 is absorbed. As a result, the acceleration secondary peak P2 generated when the front rib 44a is completely crushed and the impactor 100 collides is similar to the acceleration secondary peak P2 generated when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first comparative example (see Figure 5 ) compared to the previous period.

[0085] In addition, the acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 hits the vehicle hood 1 of the second comparative example is similar to the acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 hits the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment. Figure 8 However, in the vehicle hood 1 of the second comparative example, the front rib 44a does not protrude toward the inner panel 4 like the front rib 44a of the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, so at the time of C, Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 4 , the front rib 44a has not yet contacted the front fixing portion 7b of the substrate 7. Figure 8 As shown, the acceleration does not increase sharply at the time C. In the second modified example, the acceleration is delayed until the front rib 44a contacts the front fixing portion 7b of the substrate 7 at the time D, and the acceleration increases sharply, and a high secondary peak of acceleration P2 is generated sharply compared with the case of the first embodiment. This is considered to be because the front rib 44a in the second comparative example is less collapsed than the front rib 44a in the first embodiment, and the absorption amount of the kinetic energy of the impactor 100 generated by the collapse of the front rib 44a is small. As a result, a high secondary peak of acceleration P2 is generated sharply compared with the secondary peak of acceleration P2 in the case of the first embodiment. That is, in the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first embodiment, the front rib 44a is not the only one provided in the area forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and the protrusion of the front rib 44a from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is larger than the protrusion of the middle rib 44b and the rear rib 44c from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. Thus, it is possible to suppress the rapid generation of a high secondary acceleration peak as in the case of the vehicle engine hood 1 of the second comparative example.

[0086] As described above, according to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first embodiment, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the impact point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced, so the HIC value of the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced, and as a result, the pedestrian protection performance in this area can be improved.

[0087] Fig. 9, the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment at a striking point behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed. Fig.10 In the statement, Fig. 9 Similarly, the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the third comparative example, and the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed, and the impactor 100 advances to the position where the outer panel 2 and the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed. Fig. 9 The state of the position of the impactor 100 shown in the third comparative example is that the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 has a plurality of ribs 44, but the protrusion amount of these ribs 44 from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4 is uniform, which is the same as the protrusion amount of the front side rib 44a of the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment. Fig.11 In, like Fig. 9 The acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment is represented by a solid line, and the acceleration-displacement waveform when the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the third comparative example is represented by a dotted line.

[0088] When the impactor 100 collides with the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment and the third comparative example at the striking point behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8, at the moment when the impactor 100 contacts the outer panel 2, Fig.11 As shown, a primary acceleration peak P1 is generated, and then, during the process in which the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed in a manner concave toward the inner panel 4, the acceleration applied to the impactor 100 in the opposite direction of the collision direction temporarily decreases. In addition, during the deformation of the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10, the inner panel 4 is also deformed due to the pushing force from the rear joint 40 of the outer panel reinforcement 10. Specifically, the inner panel 4 is deformed in a manner in which the front side upright wall portion 28 falls backward and the front portions of the front side upright wall portion 28 and the top wall portion 26 face the side opposite to the outer panel 2. Furthermore, according to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the third comparative example, Fig.11 The moment of E in Fig.10 As shown, the middle rib 44b contacts the inner panel reinforcement 6 and the rear rib 44c contacts the front standing wall 28 of the inner panel 4. Thus, the acceleration rise in the reverse direction applied to the impactor 100 does not rise sharply but generates a high secondary acceleration peak P2 to some extent.

[0089] On the other hand, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, at the time E described above, Fig. 9 As shown, the middle rib 44b and the rear rib 44c are not in contact with the inner plate reinforcement 6 and the front side rising wall 28 of the inner plate 4. Fig.11At the moment F in the figure, the middle rib 44b contacts the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the rear rib 44c contacts the front side rising wall 28 of the inner panel 4. As a result, the aforementioned reverse acceleration applied to the impactor 100 increases and generates the acceleration secondary peak P2. However, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the first embodiment, the timing of the middle rib 44b and the rear rib 44c contacting the inner panel reinforcement 6 and the front side rising wall 28 is delayed compared with the case of the third comparative example, so that the kinetic energy of the impactor 100 can be further absorbed and reduced until the contact. As a result, the acceleration secondary peak P2 generated in the first embodiment is lower than the acceleration secondary peak P2 generated in the third comparative example.

[0090] As described above, according to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the first embodiment, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the impact point behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced, so the HIC value of the area behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced, and as a result, the pedestrian protection performance in this area can be improved.

[0091] (Second embodiment)

[0092] Fig.12 2 shows a longitudinal section along the front-rear direction of a vehicle hood 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig.13 It is a perspective view of an outer panel reinforcement 10 used for a vehicle hood 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] According to the vehicle hood 1 of the second embodiment, the plurality of ribs 44 provided on the reinforcement body 41 of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction.

[0094] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the plurality of ribs 44 each include a rib front side portion 45a which is a portion located on the front side compared to the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and a rib rear side portion 45b which is a portion located on the rear side compared to the rear end 8a of the striker 8. In addition, the protrusion amount of the rib front side portion 45a from the outer plate 2 to the inner plate 4 is greater than the protrusion amount of the rib rear side portion 45b from the outer plate 2 to the inner plate 4. The rib front side portion 45a is an example of a protruding portion of the present invention. In addition, the rib front side portion 45a of the plurality of ribs 44 is an example of a rib front side portion constituting the front side portion of the reinforcement member of the present invention. The rib front side portion 45a is provided on the outer plate reinforcement member front side portion 10a. In addition, the rib rear side portion 45b of the plurality of ribs 44 is an example of a rib rear side portion constituting the rear side portion of the reinforcement member of the present invention. The rib rear side portion 45b is provided on the outer plate reinforcement member rear side portion 10b. The rib front side portion 45 a protrudes from the outer panel 2 toward the inner panel 4 from the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10 b.

[0095] In addition, the reinforcement body 41 is provided between adjacent ribs of the plurality of ribs 44, at the left end of the reinforcement body 41 located to the left of the leftmost rib 44 among the plurality of ribs 44, and at the right end of the reinforcement body 41 located to the right of the rightmost rib 44 among the plurality of ribs 44. The reinforcement body 41 has a plurality of body joint portions 46 respectively joined to the back surface 2c of the outer plate 2. The plurality of body joint portions 46 are joined to the back surface 2c of the outer plate 2 via a mastic adhesive (not shown) arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction on each of the body joint portions 46.

[0096] In the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the outer panel 2 is an example of a panel to be reinforced according to the present invention, the inner panel 4 is an example of a mating panel according to the present invention, and the outer panel reinforcement 10 is an example of a reinforcement member according to the present invention.

[0097] The structure of the vehicle hood 1 according to the second embodiment other than the above structure is the same as the structure of the vehicle hood 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0098] According to the vehicle hood 1 of the second embodiment, the outer panel reinforcement front side portion 10a has a rib front side portion 45a, which is a protrusion protruding from the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10b from the outer panel 2 to the inner panel 4. Therefore, in the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, the rib front side portion 45a contacts the front side bottom 18 of the inner panel 4 or the inner panel reinforcement 6 or the base plate 7 attached to the front side bottom 18 when the pedestrian's head collides with the space between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 completely, and applies acceleration in the opposite direction of the collision direction to the pedestrian's head, thereby reducing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. Therefore, the acceleration secondary peak generated at the moment when the space between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 4 is completely collapsed in the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced.

[0099] Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the second embodiment, the outer panel reinforcement rear side portion 10b does not protrude from the rib front side portion 45a, thereby effectively utilizing the large absorption stroke in the area behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and absorbing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head for a long time in a state where the above-mentioned reverse acceleration applied to the pedestrian's head is low. Therefore, the acceleration secondary peak generated when the pedestrian's head hits can be reduced in the area behind the rear end 8a of the striker 8.

[0100] As described above, according to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the second embodiment, the secondary peak of acceleration can be reduced in the area closer to the front side and the area closer to the rear side than the rear end 8a of the striker 8, respectively. As a result, the HIC value of the area on the front and rear sides of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be reduced to improve the pedestrian protection performance of the area on the front and rear sides.

[0101] Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the second embodiment, the rigidity and strength of the outer panel reinforcement 10 are improved by means of the plurality of ribs 44 constituting the ribs 42, thereby improving the reinforcement effect of the outer panel 2 based on the outer panel reinforcement 10, and the pedestrian protection performance of the area forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be improved by means of the rib front side portion 45a which is a part of each rib 44.

[0102] (Third embodiment)

[0103] Fig.14 The vehicle engine hood according to the third embodiment of the present invention is equivalent to Figure 2 sectional view of . Fig.15 It is a perspective view of an inner panel reinforcement, a base plate, and a striker in an assembled state for a vehicle hood according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] According to the vehicle engine hood 1 of the third embodiment, a protrusion is provided on the inner panel reinforcement 6, and the aforementioned protrusion is used to apply an acceleration in the opposite direction of the collision direction to the pedestrian's head when the pedestrian's head collides with the outer panel 2 at a striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 and the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed in a manner concave toward the inner panel 4.

[0105] Specifically, in the third embodiment, the inner panel 4 is an example of a reinforcement target panel of the present invention, the outer panel 2 is an example of a mating panel of the present invention, and the inner panel reinforcement 6 is an example of a reinforcement member of the present invention. The inner panel reinforcement 6 includes an inner panel reinforcement front side portion 6b located on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and an inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c located on the rear side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8. The inner panel reinforcement front side portion 6b is an example of a front side portion of a reinforcement member constituting the present invention. The inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c is an example of a rear side portion of a reinforcement member constituting the present invention.

[0106] Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood 1 of the third embodiment, the inner panel reinforcement front side portion 6b has a pair of inner panel reinforcement protrusions 52 protruding from the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c from the outer panel 2 toward the inner panel 4. The inner panel reinforcement 6 has a plate-shaped reinforcement base 51, and the plate-shaped reinforcement base 51 is provided on the surface of the inner panel 4 facing the outer panel 2 of the front bottom 18 so as to span the inner panel reinforcement front side portion 6b and the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c. The reinforcement base 51 is arranged along the surface of the inner panel 4 facing the outer panel 2 of the front bottom 18 and is fixed to the surface. The pair of inner panel reinforcement protrusions 52 protrude from the reinforcement base 51 toward the outer panel 2. The inner panel reinforcement protrusions 52 are an example of the protrusions of the present invention.

[0107] The reinforcement base 51 has a reinforcement opening 6a which is the same as the reinforcement opening 6a provided in the inner panel reinforcement 6 of the first embodiment. A pair of inner panel reinforcement protrusions 52 are provided separately on the left and right sides of the reinforcement opening 6a. Each inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is formed by a bending portion in which a portion of the plate material constituting the reinforcement base 51 is cut and the portion is bent from the reinforcement base 51 to the outer panel reinforcement 10 in a cantilever beam shape. In other words, the inner panel reinforcement 6 has a pair of rising portions extending from the reinforcement base 51 to the outer panel 2 at a position forward of the rear end 8a of the striker 8, and the inner panel reinforcement protrusions 52 are formed by the pair of rising portions. Each inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is formed such that a base end portion as one end thereof is connected to the reinforcement base 51, and a terminal end portion as the other end is a free end that can be displaced in a direction approaching the inner panel 4.

[0108] Specifically, each inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 has an inclined portion 52a and a terminal side portion 52b, wherein the inclined portion 52a extends obliquely relative to the reinforcement base 51 in a manner that approaches the outer panel reinforcement 10 as it moves away from the base end connected to the reinforcement base 51, and the terminal side portion 52b extends forward from the terminal end of the inclined portion 52a in a manner that is approximately parallel to the reinforcement base 51.

[0109] In the third embodiment, when the pedestrian's head hits the outer panel 2 from the front side at the striking point on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 and the outer panel 2 and the outer panel reinforcement 10 are deformed toward the inner panel 4, the outer panel reinforcement 10 contacts the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52, and the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is deformed and absorbs the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. As a result, after the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is completely crushed, the secondary peak of acceleration generated at the moment of the pedestrian's head collision can be reduced. Therefore, the pedestrian protection performance of the area on the front side of the rear end 8a of the striker 8 of the vehicle hood 1 can be improved.

[0110] In addition, the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c located at the rear side relative to the rear end 8a of the striker 8 does not protrude from the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 toward the outer panel 2, so that a large space can be ensured between the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion 6c and the outer panel reinforcement 10. Therefore, a large absorption stroke of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head that hits the pedestrian's head and generates the secondary peak of acceleration can be ensured. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head can be further reduced to generate the secondary peak of acceleration, and as a result, the secondary peak of acceleration can be reduced. Therefore, the pedestrian protection performance of the area of ​​the vehicle hood 1 that is more rearward than the rear end 8a of the striker 8 can be improved.

[0111] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is composed of a bending portion that is bent in a cantilever beam-like manner by a portion of the plate material of the inner panel reinforcement 6. Such a cantilever beam-like bending portion, in other words, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 whose terminal portion is composed of a rising portion as a free end, is easily deformed by a collision. The inner panel reinforcement 6 is a so-called engine hood locking reinforcement member. This engine hood locking reinforcement member is easy to become relatively thick from the viewpoint of ensuring rigidity, but in this case, as mentioned above, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is easy to deform by a collision, so it does not cause excessive deformation resistance caused by incomplete collapse of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52. Therefore, the increase of the secondary peak of acceleration caused by the incomplete collapse of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 can be suppressed.

[0112] (Variation Example)

[0113] The vehicle engine hood of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the vehicle engine hood described above. For example, the vehicle engine hood of the present invention can have the following structure.

[0114] For example, Fig.16 and Fig.17 As shown in the first modified example shown in FIG, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 may also stand up from the reinforcement base 51 at a position further forward than the front end of the striker 8. Specifically, in the first modified example, both sides of the portion located in the center in the width direction (left-right direction) in front of the striker 8 (in front of the base plate 7) in the plate constituting the inner panel reinforcement 6 are cut out, and the portion is bent, thereby forming a cantilever beam-shaped inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52.

[0115] In addition, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is not necessarily limited to the cantilever beam shape. Fig.18 and Fig.19 As shown in the second modified example shown in FIG. 1 , the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 may be fixed to the reinforcement base 51 at both the front end and the rear end. Specifically, in the second modified example, the portion of the plate constituting the inner panel reinforcement 6 located in front of the striker 8 (in front of the base plate 7) is bent in a shape so as to bulge toward the outer panel 2 as a whole in the width direction (left-right direction), thereby forming the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52. The rear end of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is connected to the portion of the reinforcement base 51 located on the rear side of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52, and the front end of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52 is connected to the portion of the reinforcement base 51 located on the front side of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion 52.

[0116] In addition, the protrusion of the reinforcing member of the present invention may be provided only in an area on the front side of the reinforcing member located in front of the rear end of the striker, which is located in front of the front end of the striker. In addition, the protrusion of the reinforcing member of the present invention may be provided only in an area between the rear end and the front end of the striker. In addition, the protrusion of the reinforcing member of the present invention may be provided from the area between the rear end and the front end of the striker to an area on the front side of the front end of the striker.

[0117] [Overview of Embodiments and Modifications]

[0118] The above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are summarized as follows.

[0119] The vehicle hood of the aforementioned embodiment and the aforementioned modified example is a vehicle hood mounted on a vehicle body. The vehicle hood includes an outer panel, an inner panel, a striker, and a reinforcing member. The inner panel is disposed on the back side of the outer panel. The striker is mounted on the inner panel and engages with the vehicle body, thereby fixing the vehicle hood relative to the vehicle body. The reinforcing member is located between the outer panel and the inner panel and is mounted on a reinforcement target plate selected from the outer panel and the inner panel to reinforce the reinforcement target plate. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing member front side portion located on the front side compared to the rear end of the striker, and a reinforcing member rear side portion located on the rear side compared to the rear end of the striker. The reinforcing member front side portion includes a protruding portion, and the protruding portion protrudes from the reinforcement target plate to a plate other than the reinforcement target plate, i.e., a mating plate, in the outer panel and the inner panel.

[0120] According to the vehicle engine hood, the contact between the protrusion of the front side portion of the reinforcing member and the mating plate or its attached member reduces the kinetic energy of the head to a level where a secondary peak of acceleration is generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the area in front of the rear end of the striker, thereby reducing the secondary peak of acceleration, and effectively utilizing the size of the absorption stroke of the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head in the area ...

[0121] Specifically, according to the vehicle engine hood of the aforementioned embodiment and the aforementioned modified example, the front side portion of the reinforcement member has a protrusion, and the protrusion protrudes from the rear side portion of the reinforcement member from the reinforcement target plate to the mating plate. Therefore, when the pedestrian's head collides with the area on the front side of the rear end of the striker, the outer plate is deformed and before the space between the outer plate and the inner plate is completely collapsed, the protrusion contacts the mating plate or its attached parts, and applies acceleration in the opposite direction of the collision direction to the pedestrian's head, thereby reducing the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head. Therefore, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the area on the front side of the rear end of the striker can be reduced.

[0122] In addition, in the area of ​​the vehicle hood that is more rearward than the rear end of the striker, generally, the interval between the outer plate and the inner plate becomes larger, and it is possible to ensure that the outer plate is deformed and the space between the outer plate and the inner plate is completely collapsed when the pedestrian's head collides with the pedestrian's head. Furthermore, in the area on the rear side, the inner plate can be deformed to the side opposite to the outer plate, so it is also possible to expect an increase in the absorption stroke caused by the deformation of the inner plate. Therefore, according to the vehicle hood of the aforementioned embodiment and the aforementioned modified example, the protrusion of the front side portion of the reinforcement member protrudes from the reinforcement target plate to the mating plate from the rear side portion of the reinforcement member, in other words, the rear side portion of the reinforcement member does not protrude toward the mating plate compared with the protrusion of the front side portion of the reinforcement member. Therefore, the timing of the rear side portion of the reinforcement member contacting the mating plate or its attached parts when the pedestrian's head collides with the area that is more rearward than the rear end of the striker can be delayed, and the large absorption stroke of the area that is more rearward than the rear end of the striker can be effectively utilized to absorb the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head for a long time in a state where the aforementioned reverse acceleration applied to the pedestrian's head is low. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the area behind the rear end of the striker.

[0123] As described above, according to the vehicle hood of the aforementioned embodiment and the aforementioned modified example, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides can be reduced according to the respective conditions of the area in front of the rear end of the striker and the area in the rear end, and as a result, the HIC value of the area in front of and behind the rear end of the striker can be reduced. Therefore, the pedestrian protection performance of the area in front of and behind the rear end of the striker can be appropriately improved according to the respective conditions of these areas.

[0124] It can also be that the aforementioned reinforcement object plate is the aforementioned outer panel, the aforementioned matching plate is the aforementioned inner panel, the aforementioned reinforcement component is an outer panel reinforcement member installed on the aforementioned outer panel to reinforce the aforementioned outer panel, the aforementioned outer panel reinforcement member has a rib, the rib is a part of the aforementioned outer panel reinforcement member, and is a part that is recessed in a manner protruding toward the aforementioned inner panel, the aforementioned rib exists on both sides of the front side portion of the aforementioned reinforcement component and the rear side portion of the aforementioned reinforcement component, and the aforementioned protrusion is composed of the part of the aforementioned rib located on the front side portion of the aforementioned reinforcement component.

[0125] According to this structure, the rigidity and strength of the outer panel reinforcement are improved by the rib, thereby improving the reinforcement effect of the outer panel based on the outer panel reinforcement, and a part of the rib is used as the aforementioned protrusion, which can improve the pedestrian protection performance of the area of ​​the vehicle hood that is closer to the front side than the rear end of the striker.

[0126] It may also be that the rib includes a plurality of rib portions arranged along the front-to-rear direction, each of the plurality of rib portions extending along a width direction orthogonal to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle engine hood and being recessed in a manner protruding toward the inner panel, the plurality of rib portions include a rib portion located at a front side portion of the reinforcing member, namely a front rib portion, and a rib portion located at a rear side portion of the reinforcing member, namely a rear rib portion, the protrusion being composed of the front rib portion, and an amount of protrusion of the front rib portion from the outer panel to the inner panel being greater than an amount of protrusion of the rear rib portion from the outer panel to the inner panel.

[0127] In this way, by utilizing a plurality of ribs arranged along the front-rear direction of the vehicle hood and extending in width directions orthogonal to the front-rear direction, a reinforcing member structure can be obtained in which the protruding portion of the front side portion of the reinforcing member protrudes from the rear side portion of the reinforcing member toward the mating plate from the reinforced target plate.

[0128] Preferably, an amount of protrusion of any one of the plurality of ribs from the outer panel to the inner panel is greater than an amount of protrusion of a rib located rearward of the any one of the ribs from the outer panel to the inner panel.

[0129] According to this structure, the secondary peak of acceleration generated when the pedestrian's head collides with the vehicle hood and is difficult to reduce can be effectively reduced in an area closer to the vehicle hood where it is difficult to reduce the secondary peak of acceleration. In the front part of the vehicle hood where the striker is provided, generally speaking, the closer to the front end of the vehicle hood, the smaller the interval between the outer plate and the inner plate becomes, so the aforementioned absorption stroke becomes smaller and it is difficult to reduce the secondary peak of acceleration when the pedestrian's head collides. In contrast, in this structure, the protrusion amount of the rib located at the frontmost side of the plurality of ribs can be maximized, so that in an area closer to the front end where it is difficult to reduce the secondary peak of acceleration, the rib at the frontmost side can be brought into contact with the mating plate or its attached parts at an early stage when the pedestrian's head collides, so that the kinetic energy of the pedestrian's head is reduced, and as a result, the secondary peak of acceleration can be effectively reduced.

[0130] It may also be that the rib extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle engine hood from a position closer to the front side than the striker to a position closer to the rear side than the striker, the rib having a rib front side portion and a rib rear side portion, the rib front side portion being located at the front side compared to the rear end of the striker and constituting the front side portion of the reinforcing component, the rib rear side portion being located at the rear side compared to the rear end of the striker and constituting the rear side portion of the reinforcing component, the protrusion amount of the rib front side portion from the outer panel toward the inner panel is greater than the protrusion amount of the rib rear side portion from the outer panel toward the inner panel.

[0131] In this way, the ribs extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle hood can provide a reinforcing member structure in which the protruding portion of the front side portion of the reinforcing member protrudes from the reinforcing member rear side portion toward the mating plate from the reinforced panel.

[0132] It may also be that the plate to be reinforced is the inner panel, the mating plate is the outer panel, the reinforcing member is an inner panel reinforcement that reinforces the range of the inner panel from a position closer to the front side than the striker to a position closer to the rear side than the striker, the inner panel reinforcement having an inner panel reinforcement front side portion located at the front side compared to the rear end of the striker and constituting the front side portion of the reinforcing member, and having an inner panel reinforcement rear side portion located at the rear side compared to the rear end of the striker and constituting the rear side portion of the reinforcing member, the inner panel reinforcement front side portion having an inner panel reinforcement protrusion, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion protruding from the inner panel toward the outer panel from the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion to constitute the protrusion.

[0133] According to this structure, the inner panel is reinforced from the position forward of the striker to the position rearward of the striker by means of an inner panel reinforcement, and a part of the inner panel reinforcement is used as a protrusion, thereby improving the pedestrian protection performance of the area forward of the rear end of the striker of the vehicle hood.

[0134] Preferably, the inner panel reinforcement has a reinforcement base and a rising portion, the reinforcement base is configured to be fixed to the inner panel along the inner panel, the rising portion extends from the reinforcement base toward the outer panel at a position forward of the rear end of the striker, and constitutes the inner panel reinforcement protrusion, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion has a base end portion and a terminal end portion, the base end portion is one end of the rising portion connected to the reinforcement base, and the terminal end portion is an end on the side opposite to the base end portion, and is a free end that can be displaced in a direction approaching the inner panel.

[0135] As described above, the inner panel reinforcement protrusion, which is composed of a rising portion whose terminal end is a free end, is easily deformed by a collision. Therefore, in this structure, even if the inner panel reinforcement is easily thicker from the viewpoint of ensuring rigidity, the hood lock reinforcement component does not cause excessive deformation resistance caused by the incomplete collapse of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion. Therefore, the increase of the acceleration secondary peak caused by the incomplete collapse of the inner panel reinforcement protrusion can be suppressed.

[0136] As described above, according to the above embodiment and the above modification, there is provided a vehicle hood capable of appropriately improving pedestrian protection performance in both regions on the front side and the rear side of the rear end of the striker according to the conditions of the respective regions.

Claims

1. A vehicle engine hood, the vehicle engine hood being mounted on a vehicle body, characterized in that: With outer panels, inner panels, strikers, and reinforcement parts, The inner plate is arranged on the back side of the outer plate. The striker is mounted on the inner panel and engages with the vehicle body, thereby fixing the vehicle hood relative to the vehicle body. The reinforcing member is located between the outer panel and the inner panel, and is mounted on a reinforcement target panel selected from the outer panel and the inner panel to reinforce the reinforcement target panel. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing member front side portion located in front of a rear end of the striker and a reinforcing member rear side portion located in rear of the rear end of the striker. The front side of the reinforcing member has a protruding portion, and the protruding portion protrudes from the reinforcing target plate toward a plate other than the reinforcing target plate among the outer plate and the inner plate, that is, a mating plate, from the rear side of the reinforcing member. The aforementioned plate to be reinforced is the aforementioned outer plate, The aforementioned matching plate is the aforementioned inner plate, The reinforcing member is an outer plate reinforcing member installed on the outer plate to reinforce the outer plate. The outer panel reinforcement has a rib, which is a part of the outer panel reinforcement and is a recessed portion protruding toward the inner panel. The ribs are present on both the front side of the reinforcing member and the rear side of the reinforcing member. The protrusion is formed by the portion of the rib located at the front side of the reinforcing member. An inner panel reinforcement member is provided which is mounted on the inner panel to reinforce the inner panel. The protruding portion is formed to be spaced apart from both the inner panel and the inner panel reinforcement in the protruding direction thereof.

2. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 1, wherein: The rib includes a plurality of rib portions arranged in the front-rear direction, each of the plurality of rib portions extending in a width direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the vehicle hood and being recessed so as to protrude toward the inner panel. The plurality of ribs include a rib located at the front side of the reinforcing member, namely a front rib, and a rib located at the rear side of the reinforcing member, namely a rear rib. The protruding portion is formed by the front rib portion. The protrusion amount of the front rib from the outer panel to the inner panel is greater than the protrusion amount of the rear rib from the outer panel to the inner panel.

3. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 2, wherein: An amount of protrusion of any one of the plurality of ribs from the outer panel to the inner panel is greater than an amount of protrusion of a rib located rearward of the any one of the ribs from the outer panel to the inner panel.

4. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 1, wherein: The rib extends from a position on the front side of the striker to a position on the rear side of the striker in the front-rear direction of the vehicle hood. The rib comprises a rib front portion located at the front side relative to the rear end of the striker and constituting the front portion of the reinforcing member, and a rib rear portion located at the rear side relative to the rear end of the striker and constituting the rear portion of the reinforcing member. The protrusion amount of the front side portion of the rib from the outer panel to the inner panel is greater than the protrusion amount of the rear side portion of the rib from the outer panel to the inner panel.

5. A vehicle engine hood, the vehicle engine hood being mounted on a vehicle body, characterized in that: With outer panels, inner panels, strikers, and reinforcement parts, The inner plate is arranged on the back side of the outer plate. The striker is mounted on the inner panel and engages with the vehicle body, thereby fixing the vehicle hood relative to the vehicle body. The reinforcing member is located between the outer panel and the inner panel, and is mounted on a reinforcement target panel selected from the outer panel and the inner panel to reinforce the reinforcement target panel. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing member front side portion located in front of a rear end of the striker and a reinforcing member rear side portion located in rear of the rear end of the striker. The front side of the reinforcing member has a protruding portion, and the protruding portion protrudes from the reinforcing target plate toward a plate other than the reinforcing target plate among the outer plate and the inner plate, that is, a mating plate, from the rear side of the reinforcing member. The aforementioned reinforcement target plate is the aforementioned inner plate, The aforementioned matching plate is the aforementioned outer plate, The reinforcing member is an inner panel reinforcing member that reinforces the inner panel from a position forward of the striker to a position rearward of the striker. The inner panel reinforcement has an inner panel reinforcement front side portion and an inner panel reinforcement rear side portion, the inner panel reinforcement front side portion is located at the front side compared to the rear end of the striker, constituting the reinforcement member front side portion, and the inner panel reinforcement rear side portion is located at the rear side compared to the rear end of the striker, constituting the reinforcement member rear side portion, The front side of the inner panel reinforcement has an inner panel reinforcement protrusion, and the inner panel reinforcement protrusion protrudes from the inner panel toward the outer panel from the rear side of the inner panel reinforcement to constitute the protrusion. An outer panel reinforcing member is provided which is mounted on the outer panel to reinforce the outer panel. The inner panel reinforcement member protruding portion is formed to be spaced apart from both the outer panel and the outer panel reinforcement member in the protruding direction thereof.

6. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 5, wherein: The inner panel reinforcement comprises a reinforcement base and a rising portion, wherein the reinforcement base is arranged along the inner panel and fixed to the inner panel, and the rising portion extends from the reinforcement base toward the outer panel at a position forward of the rear end of the striker to constitute the inner panel reinforcement protrusion. The aforementioned inner panel reinforcement protrusion has a base end portion and a terminal end portion, the aforementioned base end portion is one end of the aforementioned rising portion connected to the aforementioned reinforcement base portion, and the aforementioned terminal end portion is the end on the side opposite to the base end portion, and is a free end that can be displaced in a direction approaching the aforementioned inner panel.

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