Vehicle hood and bracket

Abstract

A vehicle hood (100) is provided with an outer plate (10), an inner plate (20), and a bracket (30), the bracket (30) being a folded plate member having a hat-shaped cross-section including a web (31), flanges (32, 33) rising from both ends of the web, and arms (34, 35) extending outward from upper ends (32A, 33A) of the flanges (32, 33), the bracket (30) being attached to the inner plate (20) such that the arms (34, 35) face the outer plate (10). The arm (35) includes an inverted U-shaped bulging portion (35A) extending outward from an upper end (33A) of the flange (33), and a tabulate outer end portion (35B) extending outward from an outer end of the bulging portion (35A).

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-194926 filed on November 16, 2023, the entire contents of which, including specification, claims, drawings, and abstract, are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle hood and a structure of a bracket mounted inside the vehicle hood. Background Art

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-220726 discloses a vehicle hood in which a fixing member with reduced strength is arranged between an outer panel and an inner panel. In the vehicle hood described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-220726, when an impact load is input from above the vehicle, the fixing member is damaged to absorb the impact load.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-22795 discloses a structure for fixing a pop-up hood device for a vehicle to a vehicle body via a corrugated plate-shaped impact absorbing member. In the structure described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-22795, when the hood of the vehicle is subjected to an impact load from above, the impact absorbing member is damaged to absorb the impact energy. Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, there are components that are sometimes fastened to the inner plate of the vehicle hood by bolts or the like. In this case, a portion of the bolt sometimes protrudes from the inner plate toward the outer plate, and the head impact piece contacts the bolt during the pedestrian protection test. Therefore, a structure of a bracket having a hat-shaped cross section arranged near the bolt fastening portion is studied. In this structure, the arm of the bracket supports the head impact piece during the pedestrian protection test, thereby preventing the head impact piece from contacting the bolt.

[0008] However, in the pedestrian protection test of the vehicle hood, the outer plate of the vehicle hood sometimes interferes strongly with the edge of the bracket due to the impact of the head impact part. In this case, the outer plate may break due to the edge of the bracket, and the edge of the bracket is exposed to the outside.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress the occurrence of breakage of an outer panel in a pedestrian protection test of a vehicle hood.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] The vehicle engine hood disclosed in the present invention comprises an outer panel, an inner panel, and a bracket arranged in a space between the outer panel and the inner panel, and the vehicle engine hood is characterized in that the bracket is a folded plate component with a hat-shaped cross-section, including a web, two flanges standing up from both ends of the web, and two arms extending outward from the upper ends of the flanges, and is mounted on the inner panel in a manner that each of the arms faces the outer panel, and at least one of the arms includes an inverted U-shaped bulge extending outward from the upper end of the flange, and a flat outer end portion extending outward from the outer end of the bulge.

[0012] According to this structure, the head impact piece contacts the bulge of the bracket via the outer plate at the same time as or before the head impact piece contacts the outer end of the bracket via the outer plate. As a result, the vehicle engine hood of the present disclosure can disperse the stress generated in the outer plate and suppress the outer plate from breaking. In addition, the vehicle engine hood of the present disclosure can suppress the edge of the outer end from being exposed to the outside.

[0013] In the vehicle hood of the present disclosure, a tangent line connecting a distal end of the outer end portion and a surface of the bulge portion facing the outer panel may be substantially parallel to a direction in which the outer panel extends.

[0014] Thus, the head impactor contacts the outer end portion and the bulge portion via the outer panel substantially simultaneously, so that stress generated in the outer panel can be dispersed and fracture of the outer panel can be suppressed.

[0015] In the vehicle engine hood of the present disclosure, the outer end portion may be inclined toward the lower direction of the vehicle as it goes toward the distal end. In addition, the inclination angle may be greater than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees.

[0016] Thereby, the outer end portion can be further deviated from the striking direction, and the stress generated in the outer plate in contact with the outer end portion can be further dispersed, thereby suppressing the outer plate from breaking.

[0017] The bracket disclosed herein is a bracket installed inside a vehicle engine hood, and is characterized in that the bracket is a folding plate member with a hat-shaped cross-section comprising a web, two flanges rising from both ends of the web, and two arms extending outward from the upper ends of the flanges, at least one of the arms comprising an inverted U-shaped bulge extending outward from the upper end of the flange and a flat outer end portion extending outward from the outer end of the bulge.

[0018] When the object collides with the arm in the direction toward the web, the object collides with the bulge, so the force applied to the outer end of the object can be reduced. In addition, owing to utilizing the arms on both sides to bear the object, it is possible to suppress the object from contacting with other objects such as the bolts configured in the web.

[0019] The vehicle hood of the present disclosure can suppress the outer panel from breaking in a pedestrian protection test. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the vehicle hood according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A perspective view of the structure of the bracket is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 Observed from the front of the vehicle Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the vehicle engine hood shown is Figure 1 AA profile.

[0023] Figure 4 The head impact piece enters from the upper direction. Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a vehicle hood shown.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood according to another embodiment as viewed from the front of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, the vehicle hood 100 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The vehicle hood 100 is a member that is disposed in front of the vehicle and covers the upper part of the front compartment that accommodates a drive device, etc., and opens and closes the front compartment. In addition, FR, UP, and RH shown in the respective figures respectively represent the front side, the upper side, and the right side of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle hood 100. In addition, the opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH represent the rear side, the lower side, and the left side. Hereinafter, when only the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions are used for description, unless otherwise specified, the front-back of the front-back direction, the left-right of the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the up-down direction of the vehicle are represented.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle engine hood 100 includes an outer panel 10, an inner panel 20, and a bracket 30 disposed in a space 15 between the outer panel 10 and the inner panel 20. The bracket 30 is mounted one at each of the left and right ends in front of the inner panel 20. In the following description, the bracket 30 mounted on the right side of the inner panel 20 is described. The bracket 30 mounted on the left side of the inner panel 20 is symmetrical with the bracket 30 mounted on the right side of the inner panel 20, so the description is omitted.

[0027] like Figure 2As shown, the bracket 30 is a folded plate member with a hat-shaped cross section composed of a web 31, left and right flanges 32, 33, and left and right arms 34, 35. The left and right flanges 32, 33 stand upward from left and right ends 31A, 31B of the web 31. The left and right arms 34, 35 extend from upper ends 32A, 33A of the left and right flanges 32, 33 toward the left and right outer sides.

[0028] The right arm 35 includes a bulging portion 35A, an outer end portion 35B, a front end portion 35C, and a rear end portion 35D. Figure 3 As shown, the bulge 35A is an inverted U-shaped portion extending outward from the upper end 33A of the right flange 33. The outer end 35B is a flat plate-shaped portion extending toward the right side from the right outer end of the bulge 35A. Figure 2 The front end portion 35C is a flat plate-shaped portion extending outward from the upper end 33A in front of the right flange 33. The rear end portion 35D is a flat plate-shaped portion extending outward from the upper end 33A in the rear of the right flange 33. Figure 2 As shown, the outer end portion 35B, the front end portion 35C, and the rear end portion 35D form a single plane, and the bulge portion 35A bulges so as to protrude upward from the single plane.

[0029] The left arm 34 includes a bulge 34A, an outer end 34B, a front end 34C, and a rear end 34D similarly to the right arm 35. The left arm 34 is symmetrical with the right arm 35 except that the width in the front-back direction is slightly narrower than that of the right arm 35. A bolt hole 38 is provided at the center of the web 31, through which a bolt 42 for fixing the metal fitting 40 is inserted.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the bracket 30 is mounted on the upper surface of the inner panel 20 by welding in such a manner that the left and right arms 34 and 35 face the outer panel 10 and the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 faces the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, a nut 43 is welded on the bolt hole 38 of the web 31. The metal device 40 is mounted on the lower surface of the inner panel 20. The metal device 40 is fixed to the lower surface of the inner panel 20 by screwing a bolt 42 that passes through the bolt hole (not shown) of the metal device 40 and the bolt hole 38 of the web 31 from the lower surface of the inner panel 20 into the nut 43. When the bolt 42 is screwed into the nut 43, the tip of the bolt 42 protrudes from the upper surface of the web 31 toward the outer panel 10.

[0031] like Figure 3 As shown, when the bracket 30 is installed on the inner panel 20, the tangent 81 extending in the vehicle width direction connecting the distal end on the right side of the upper surface of the outer end portion 35B in the vehicle width direction, i.e., the edge 35Q and the upper surface 35P of the bulge 35A opposite to the outer panel 10 is approximately parallel to the direction of the outer panel 10 extending in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] Furthermore, when the bracket 30 is mounted on the left side in front of the inner panel 20 , the bracket 30 is mounted in a bilaterally symmetrical manner with the bracket 30 mounted on the right side of the inner panel 20 .

[0033] Next, we will refer to Figure 4 Contact between the head impactor 90 and the bracket 30 when the head impactor 90 enters the vehicle hood 100 from an upper direction in the pedestrian protection test is described.

[0034] Figure 4 The solid line in shows a case where the head impact member 90 enters from the upper direction of the first position of the right end portion of the vehicle hood 100. In this case, as shown by the solid line, the head impact member 90 contacts the edge 35Q of the bracket 30 and the upper surface 35P of the bulge 35A via the first portion 10A of the right end portion of the outer panel 10. Therefore, the impact force generated by the collision of the head impact member 90 is dispersed to the edge 35Q and the bulge 35A. Therefore, the stress applied to the first portion 10A sandwiched between the edge 35Q and the head impact member 90 is reduced, and the fracture of the first portion 10A can be suppressed. In addition, the fracture of the first portion 10A can be suppressed, so the edge 35Q can be suppressed from being exposed to the outside of the outer panel 10. In addition, the head impact member 90 can be suppressed from contacting the bolt 42 or the nut 43 via the first portion 10A.

[0035] In addition, when the head impact member 90 enters a position slightly to the left of the first position, the head impact member 90 contacts the upper surface 35P of the bulge 35A via the first portion 10A before contacting the edge 35Q via the first portion 10A. And after the right arm 35 and the flange 33 are deformed and absorb the impact force, the head impact member 90 contacts the edge 35Q via the first portion 10A. Therefore, the stress applied to the first portion 10A sandwiched between the edge 35Q and the head impact member 90 can be reduced, and the breakage of the first portion 10A can be suppressed.

[0036] in addition, Figure 4 The dotted line in shows a case where the head impact member 90 enters from the upper direction of the second position slightly to the left side of the vehicle than the first position. In this case, as shown by the dotted line, the head impact member 90 contacts the upper surfaces 34P, 35P of the bulges 34A, 35A of the left and right arms 34, 35 of the bracket 30 via the second portion 10B of the outer panel 10. Thus, the left and right edges 34Q, 35Q can be prevented from contacting the second portion 10B, and thus the left and right edges 34Q, 35Q can be prevented from being exposed to the outside of the outer panel 10. In addition, the head impact member 90 can be prevented from contacting the bolt 42 or the nut 43 via the second portion 10B.

[0037] in addition, Figure 4The dashed line in shows a case where the head impact member 90 enters from the upper direction of the third position which is closer to the left side of the vehicle than the second position. In this case, as shown by the dashed line, the head impact member 90 contacts the upper surface 34P of the bulge 34A of the left arm 34 of the bracket 30 via the third portion 10C of the outer panel 10. In this case, the left edge 34Q can be prevented from contacting the third portion 10C, so that the left edge 34Q can be prevented from being exposed to the outside of the outer panel 10. In addition, the head impact member 90 can be prevented from contacting the bolt 42 or the nut 43 via the third portion 10C.

[0038] As described above, in the vehicle hood 100, the head impact member 90 contacts the bulge 35A of the bracket 30 via the outer panel 10 at the same time as or before the head impact member 90 contacts the outer end portion 35B of the bracket 30 via the outer panel 10. Thus, the vehicle hood 100 can disperse the stress generated in the outer panel 10 and suppress the breakage of the outer panel 10. In addition, the vehicle hood 100 can suppress the edge 35Q of the outer end portion 35B from being exposed to the outside.

[0039] Next, refer to Figure 5 A vehicle hood 110 according to another embodiment will be described. Figures 1 to 4 The same parts of the vehicle hood 100 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] like Figure 5 As shown, in the vehicle hood 110, the edge 35Q of the outer end 35B of the right arm 35 of the bracket 30 is inclined toward the vehicle lower direction. The inclination angle θ in the obliquely downward direction may be greater than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees.

[0041] In the vehicle hood 110 , the left arm 36 is a flat plate-shaped member extending from the upper end 32A of the left flange 32 toward the left side.

[0042] In the vehicle hood 110 described above, the edge 35Q of the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 is inclined in an oblique downward direction, so that the outer end portion 35B can be deviated from the impact direction of the head impact member 90, and the stress generated in the outer panel 10 in contact with the outer end portion 35B can be further dispersed to suppress the breakage of the outer panel 10.

[0043] Furthermore, since the left arm 36 is formed of a flat plate-shaped member, the bracket 30 can have a simple structure.

[0044] In the vehicle hood 100 described above, the outer end 34B of the left arm 34 and the outer end 35B of the right arm 35 may be inclined toward the vehicle lower direction as they go toward the edge 34Q. In this case, the downward inclination angle θ may be greater than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees.

[0045] In the above description, the bracket 30 is described as being mounted to the front right end portion of the inner panel 20 in a manner that the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 faces the outer side in the vehicle width direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 may be mounted to the rear right end portion of the inner panel 20 in a manner that the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 faces the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the bracket 30 may be mounted to the front center portion of the inner panel 20 in a manner that the outer end portion 35B of the right arm 35 faces the front of the vehicle.

[0046] Furthermore, as described above, when the bracket 30 is mounted on the left side of the inner panel 20 , the bracket 30 is mounted in a bilaterally symmetrical manner with the bracket 30 mounted on the right side of the inner panel 20 .

Claims

1. A vehicle engine hood comprising an outer panel, an inner panel, and a bracket arranged in a space between the outer panel and the inner panel, wherein the vehicle engine hood is characterized in that: The bracket is a folded plate member having a hat-shaped cross-section and including a web, two flanges rising from both ends of the web, and two arms extending outward from the upper ends of the flanges, and is mounted on the inner plate in a manner that each arm faces the outer plate. At least one of the arms includes an inverted U-shaped protrusion extending outward from an upper end of the flange, and a flat plate-shaped outer end portion extending outward from an outer end of the protrusion.

2. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 1, characterized in that: A tangent line connecting a distal end of the outer end portion and a surface of the bulge portion facing the outer plate is substantially parallel to a direction in which the outer plate extends.

3. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer end portion is inclined toward a lower direction of the vehicle as it goes toward the distal end.

4. The vehicle engine hood according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inclination angle of the outer end portion is greater than 0 degrees and is less than or equal to 40 degrees.

5. A bracket mounted inside a vehicle engine hood, characterized in that: The bracket is a folded plate member having a hat-shaped cross-section including a web, two flanges rising from both ends of the web, and two arms extending outward from the upper ends of the flanges. At least one of the arms includes an inverted U-shaped protrusion extending outward from an upper end of the flange, and a flat plate-shaped outer end portion extending outward from an outer end of the protrusion.

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