front storage compartment under the hood

Abstract

An under-hood storage system for a vehicle includes an under-hood storage bay located in an under-hood area of the vehicle, and an under-hood assembly that closes the under-hood storage bay when in a closed position. The under-hood assembly includes an under-hood panel having a first portion formed of a first material, and a second portion surrounding the first portion that defines an outer periphery of the under-hood panel. The second portion is formed of a second material that is softer than the first material. One or more attachment features secure the under-hood panel to the under-hood assembly. The under-hood panel interengages with the under-hood storage bay to close the under-hood storage bay.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The subject disclosure relates to vehicles, and more particularly to a hood assembly of a motor vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a typical motor vehicle, an engine or other propulsion system components are located under a vehicle hood that extends forward of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. In recent years, vehicle manufacturers have placed storage compartments under the hood in an effort to increase the storage capacity of the overall vehicle. A closure panel is mounted on the bottom of the hood assembly such that when a user closes the hood, the closure panel covers the under-hood storage compartment, thus closing the compartment. In some configurations, it is desirable to seal the under-hood compartment from dust, moisture, and other contaminants. In those configurations, a seal, typically a bulb seal, is mounted to one of the compartment or the closure panel to provide the desired sealing when the vehicle hood is closed. SUMMARY

[0003] In one embodiment, an under-hood panel of a vehicle (a panel under a hood of the vehicle) includes a first portion formed of a first material, and a second portion surrounding the first portion, the second portion defining an outer periphery of the under-hood panel. The second portion is formed of a second material that is softer than the first material. One or more attachment features secure the under-hood panel to a hood assembly of the vehicle.

[0004] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion seals to an under-hood storage compartment (a storage compartment under the hood) when the hood assembly is in a closed position.

[0005] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion is attached to the first portion at the outer periphery of the first portion.

[0006] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion is attached to the first portion via a stake weld.

[0007] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the panel seal is configured to seal between the second portion and the first portion.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the panel seal is located in a panel groove of the second portion and extends toward the first portion.

[0009] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the one or more attachment features are located in the panel groove.

[0010] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the first portion is formed of a polypropylene material and the second portion is formed of an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer material.

[0011] In another embodiment, an under-hood storage system of a vehicle includes an under-hood storage bay located in an under-hood area of the vehicle, and an under-hood assembly that closes the under-hood storage bay when in a closed position. The under-hood assembly includes an under-hood panel having a first portion formed of a first material, and a second portion surrounding the first portion that defines an outer periphery of the under-hood panel. The second portion is formed of a second material that is softer than the first material. One or more attachment features secure the under-hood panel to the under-hood assembly. The under-hood panel interengages with the under-hood storage bay to close the under-hood storage bay.

[0012] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion seals to the under-hood storage bay when the under-hood assembly is in the closed position.

[0013] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion is attached to the first portion at the outer periphery of the first portion.

[0014] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion is attached to the first portion via a stake weld.

[0015] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the panel seal is configured to seal between the second portion and the first portion.

[0016] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the panel seal is located in the panel recess of the second portion and extends toward the first portion.

[0017] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the one or more attachment features are located in the panel recess.

[0018] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the first portion is formed of a polypropylene material and the second portion is formed of an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer material.

[0019] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion interengages with a bay edge of the under-hood storage bay.

[0020] In yet another embodiment, a method of enclosing an under-hood storage pod of a vehicle includes positioning an under-hood storage pod in an under-hood area of a vehicle and closing an under-hood assembly over the under-hood storage pod such that an under-hood panel of the under-hood assembly interengages with the under-hood storage pod to enclose the under-hood storage pod. The under-hood panel includes a first portion formed of a first material, and a second portion surrounding the first portion, the second portion defining an outer periphery of the under-hood panel. The second portion is formed of a second material that is softer than the first material. One or more attachment features secure the under-hood panel to the under-hood assembly.

[0021] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion is sealed to the under-hood storage pod to seal the under-hood storage pod.

[0022] Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments, the second portion interengages with a pod edge of the under-hood storage pod.

[0023] The present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0024] 1. An under-hood panel of a vehicle, comprising:

[0025] a first portion formed of a first material;

[0026] a second portion surrounding the first portion, the second portion defining an outer periphery of the under-hood panel, the second portion formed of a second material that is softer than the first material; and

[0027] one or more attachment features to attach the under-hood panel to an under-hood assembly of a vehicle.

[0028] 2. The under-hood panel of aspect 1, wherein the second portion is sealed to an under-hood storage pod when the under-hood assembly is in a closed position.

[0029] 3. The under-hood panel of aspect 1, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion at an outer periphery of the first portion.

[0030] 4. The under-hood panel of aspect 3, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion via a stake weld.

[0031] 5. The under-hood panel of aspect 1, further comprising a panel seal to seal between the second portion and the first portion.

[0032] 6. The under hood panel of Aspect 5, wherein the panel seal is disposed in a panel recess of the second portion and extends toward the first portion.

[0033] 7. The under hood panel of Aspect 6, wherein the one or more attachment features are disposed in the panel recess.

[0034] 8. The under hood panel of Aspect 1, wherein:

[0035] the first portion is formed of a polypropylene material; and

[0036] the second portion is formed of an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer material.

[0037] 9. An under hood storage system of a vehicle, comprising:

[0038] an under hood storage bay disposed in an under hood area of a vehicle; and

[0039] an under hood assembly that, when in a closed position, closes the under hood storage bay, the under hood assembly comprising an under hood panel having:

[0040] a first portion formed of a first material;

[0041] a second portion surrounding the first portion that defines an outer periphery of the under hood panel, the second portion formed of a second material that is softer than the first material; and

[0042] one or more attachment features to secure the under hood panel to the under hood assembly;

[0043] wherein the under hood panel interengages with the under hood storage bay to close the under hood storage bay.

[0044] 10. The under hood storage system of Aspect 9, wherein the second portion seals to the under hood storage bay when the under hood assembly is in a closed position.

[0045] 11. The under hood storage system of Aspect 9, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion at an outer periphery of the first portion.

[0046] 12. The under hood storage system of Aspect 11, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion via a stake weld.

[0047] 13. The under-hood storage system of Scheme 9, further comprising a panel seal to seal between the second portion and the first portion.

[0048] 14. The under-hood storage system of Scheme 13, wherein the panel seal is disposed in a panel groove between the second portion and the first portion and extends toward the first portion.

[0049] 15. The under-hood storage system of Scheme 14, wherein the one or more attachment features are disposed in the panel groove.

[0050] 16. The under-hood storage system of Scheme 9, wherein:

[0051] the first portion is formed of a polypropylene material; and

[0052] the second portion is formed of an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer material.

[0053] 17. The under-hood storage system of Scheme 9, wherein the second portion interengages with a bay edge of the under-hood storage bay.

[0054] 18. A method of enclosing an under-hood storage bay of a vehicle, comprising:

[0055] positioning an under-hood storage bay in an under-hood area of a vehicle; and

[0056] closing an under-hood assembly over the under-hood storage bay such that an under-hood panel of the under-hood assembly interengages with the under-hood storage bay to enclose the under-hood storage bay, the under-hood panel comprising:

[0057] a first portion formed of a first material;

[0058] a second portion surrounding the first portion that defines an outer perimeter of the under-hood panel, the second portion formed of a second material that is softer than the first material; and

[0059] one or more attachment features to secure the under-hood panel to the under-hood assembly.

[0060] 19. The method of Scheme 18, further comprising sealing between the second portion and the under-hood storage bay to seal the under-hood storage bay.

[0061] 20. The method of Scheme 18, wherein the second portion interengages with a bay edge of the under-hood storage bay.

[0062] The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure are readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0063] Other features, aspects, and details are described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings shown throughout the disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0064] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an engine hood assembly and an under-hood storage bay of a vehicle;

[0065] Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a closure panel of an engine hood assembly;

[0066] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a closure panel of an engine hood assembly taken at a center axis of the vehicle; and

[0067] Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the interface of the closure panel with the storage bay taken at a center axis of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0069] According to an example embodiment, a partial cross-sectional view of an engine hood assembly 10 for a vehicle is illustrated. The engine hood assembly 10 encloses an under-hood area 12 of the vehicle, which can contain, for example, an engine and / or other propulsion system components of the vehicle. The engine hood assembly 10 is movable between an open position and a closed position by moving the engine hood assembly 10 over one or more hinges 48. A storage bay 14 is located in the under-hood area 12 and is attached to, for example, a side frame 16 of the vehicle. The storage bay 14 is configured with a bay floor 18, and bay sidewalls 20 extending upwardly from the bay floor 18. In some embodiments, the bay floor 18 is generally rectangular, although other shapes of the storage bay 14 and bay floor 18 are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the storage bay 14 is formed from a polymer or composite material, while in other embodiments, the storage bay 14 is formed from a metallic material, such as stamped steel.

[0070] The engine hood assembly 10 includes one or more engine hood panels, such as an engine hood outer panel 22 and an engine hood inner panel 24 that is attached to the engine hood outer panel 22 by, for example, welding. A closure panel 26 is attached to the engine hood inner panel 24, and when the engine hood assembly 10 is in the closed position, such as Figure 1As shown, the closure panel 26 defines a cover for the storage bay 14. In some embodiments, the closure panel 26 seals the storage bay 14 to prevent water, dirt, and other contaminants from entering the storage bay 14.

[0071] Referring now to Figure 2 The closure panel 26 has a polymeric construction and has an inner portion 28, and an outer portion 30 that surrounds the inner portion 28 and bounds an outer periphery of the closure panel 26. The inner portion 28 is formed from a first material, and the outer portion 30 is formed from a second material that is different from the first material. In some embodiments, the second material is softer than the first material, has greater compressibility than the first material. For example, in one embodiment, the first material used to form the inner portion 28 is a polypropylene material, and the second material used to form the outer portion is an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) material that is in solid form, or as a closed cell or open cell foam material.

[0072] Referring to Figure 3 The outer portion 30 is attached to the inner portion 28 at a joint 32 that extends continuously along the outer periphery of the inner portion 28. In some embodiments, the outer portion 30 is attached to the inner portion 28 by stake welding that extends along the joint 32. Alternatively, the outer portion 30 can be attached to the inner portion 28 by adhesive, mechanical fasteners, or other securing means. In the illustrated embodiment, the stake welding extends continuously around the joint 32, while in other embodiments, the stake welding or other securing is discontinuous or intermittent along the joint 32. A foam seal 34 can be utilized in conjunction with or simultaneous with the joint 32 near the joint 32 to prevent contaminants from entering between the inner portion 28 and the outer portion 30 at the joint 32. In some embodiments, a sealing groove 36 is formed in the outer portion 30, and the foam seal 34 is disposed in the sealing groove 36 and extends between the outer portion 30 and the inner portion 28. Further, one or more closure fasteners 40 can be located in the sealing groove 36. The closure fasteners 40 are used to secure the closure panel 26 to the hood assembly 10.

[0073] Referring now to Figure 4 When the hood assembly 10 is in the closed position, the closure panel 26 defines a cover for the storage bay 14. The storage bay 14 has an outer edge 38 that extends outwardly from the bay sidewall 20 and defines an outer periphery of the storage bay 14. The closure panel 26 is positioned such that the outer portion 30 of the closure panel 26 is in contact with the outer edge 38 of the storage bay 14 when the hood assembly 10 is in the closed position. In some embodiments, the outer portion 30 can be compressed at the outer edge 38 to reinforce the seal of the storage bay 14 via the interface between the outer edge 38 and the outer portion 30.

[0074] The use of a softer second material to form the outer portion 30 of the closure panel 26 eliminates the need for a separate bulb seal to seal to the storage compartment. Further, the use of a softer second material allows the stiffness of the closure panel 26 to be adjusted by modifying, for example, the location and / or thickness of the outer portion 30. This allows performance optimization of the structure to meet vulnerable road user (VRU) requirements and other performance requirements.

[0075] While the foregoing disclosure has been described in reference to illustrative examples, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made and equivalents can be substituted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications can be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the central scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A lower hood panel for a vehicle, comprising: The first part formed from the first material; A second portion surrounding the first portion defines the outer periphery of the lower hood panel, the second portion being formed of a second material softer than the first material; as well as One or more attachment features extend through the second portion to attach the lower hood panel to the vehicle's hood assembly.

2. The under-hood panel of claim 1, wherein when the hood assembly is in the closed position, the second portion is sealed to the under-hood storage compartment.

3. The engine hood lower panel of claim 1, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion at the outer periphery of the first portion.

4. The engine hood lower panel of claim 3, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion via stud welding.

5. The engine hood lower panel of claim 1, further comprising a panel seal for sealing between the second portion and the first portion.

6. The engine hood lower panel according to claim 5, wherein the panel seal is disposed in the panel recess of the second portion and extends toward the first portion.

7. The engine hood lower panel according to claim 6, wherein one or more attachment features are disposed in the panel recess.

8. The lower hood panel according to claim 1, wherein: The first portion is formed of polypropylene material; and The second part is formed from ethylene-propylene-diene monomer materials.

9. A vehicle under-hood storage system, comprising: A storage compartment under the engine hood located in the area under the engine hood of the vehicle; as well as A hood assembly that, when in the closed position, closes the under-hood storage compartment, the hood assembly including a lower hood panel having: The first part formed from the first material; A second portion surrounding the first portion defines the outer periphery of the lower hood panel, the second portion being formed of a second material softer than the first material; as well as One or more attachment features extend through the second portion to secure the lower hood panel to the hood assembly; The lower hood panel engages with the lower hood storage compartment to close the lower hood storage compartment.

10. The under-hood storage system of claim 9, wherein the second portion is sealed to the under-hood storage compartment when the hood assembly is in the closed position.

11. The under-hood storage system of claim 9, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion at the outer periphery of the first portion.

12. The under-hood storage system of claim 11, wherein the second portion is attached to the first portion via a stud weld.

13. The under-hood storage system of claim 9, further comprising a panel seal for sealing between the second portion and the first portion.

14. The under-hood storage system of claim 13, wherein the panel seal is disposed in a panel recess between the second portion and the first portion and extends toward the first portion.

15. The under-hood storage system of claim 14, wherein one or more attachment features are disposed in the panel recess.

16. The under-hood storage system according to claim 9, wherein: The first portion is formed of polypropylene material; and The second part is formed from ethylene-propylene-diene monomer materials.

17. The under-hood storage system of claim 9, wherein the second portion engages with the edge of the under-hood storage compartment.

18. A method for sealing a storage compartment under the engine hood of a vehicle, comprising: The under-hood storage compartment is located in the area under the vehicle's engine hood. as well as The engine hood assembly is closed over the under-hood storage compartment such that the under-hood panel of the engine hood assembly engages with the under-hood storage compartment to seal it. The under-hood panel includes: The first part formed from the first material; A second portion surrounding the first portion, defining the outer periphery of the lower hood panel, the second portion being formed of a second material softer than the first material; and One or more attachment features extend through the second portion to secure the lower hood panel to the hood assembly.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising sealing the second portion and the under-hood storage compartment to seal the under-hood storage compartment.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second portion engages with the edge of the storage compartment under the engine hood.

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