Engine hood support device

Abstract

To provide an engine hood support device that can safely hold an engine hood in an open state without impairing workability.SOLUTION: An engine hood 3 is held in an open state by an engine hood support device 10 having an engagement portion 11 that allows engagement with a front end portion 4 of the engine hood 3 of an automobile 1, a fixing portion 41 that is fixed to a roof panel 7 of the automobile 1, and a belt 41 that is stretched between the engagement portion 11 and the fixing portion 31. Accordingly, there is no obstacle such as an engine hood holder (tension rod) between the engine hood 3 in the open state and a vehicle body, and thus the engine hood 3 can be held safely in the open state without impairing workability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine hood support device for holding an engine hood of an automobile in an open position. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, the engine hood of an automobile is supported in an open state using a hood support rod stored in the engine compartment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). On the other hand, in vehicles where the body of a vehicle has been distorted, such as in an accident, the engine hood may be supported in an open state using an engine hood holder (tension rod). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-313357 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if an engine hood holder (tension rod) is used to hold the engine hood in an open position, the engine hood holder can become an obstacle when measuring or correcting distortions in the vehicle body, reducing work efficiency. Also, if a worker or tool hits the engine hood holder, the engine hood holder may come off and the engine hood may fall.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an engine hood supporting device that can safely hold an engine hood in an open state without impairing workability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The engine hood support device of the present invention is an engine hood support device for supporting the engine hood of an automobile in an open state, and is characterized by having an engagement portion that engages with the automobile's engine hood, a fixing portion that is fixed to the automobile's roof panel or windshield, and a belt or rope that is stretched between the engagement portion and the fixing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an engine hood supporting device that can safely hold an engine hood in an open state without impairing workability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the engine hood is held in an open state using the engine hood support device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the present embodiment, showing a belt having adjustment holes formed therein. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the hook of the engagement portion is engaged with the support rod engagement hole of the engine hood. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an engine hood 3 of an automobile 1 being held in an open state using an engine hood support device 10 according to this embodiment. The automobile 1 is a front-engine vehicle in which an engine (not shown) is mounted in an engine compartment 2 at the front of the vehicle body. The engine is normally covered by an engine hood 3 (bonnet). The engine can be exposed as needed by lifting the front end 4 (the "left side" in FIG. 1) of the engine hood 3 and rotating the engine hood 3 around a hinge (not shown).

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the engine hood support device 10 has an engagement portion 11 that engages with the front end 4 of the engine hood 3, a fixing portion 31 that is fixed to the front end of the roof panel 7 of the automobile 1, and a belt 41 that has one end connected to the engagement portion 11 and the other end connected to the fixing portion 31.

[0011] The engagement portion 11 has a support plate 12 and a threaded shaft 16 that is threaded into a threaded hole 15 formed in the rear end of the support plate 12 (the "right side" in FIG. 1). A hook 17 that is engaged with a support rod engagement hole 6 formed in the inner panel of the engine hood 3 is joined to the upper end of the threaded shaft 16. On the other hand, a nut 18 that abuts against the upper surface 13 of the support plate 12 and a wing nut 19 that constitutes a double nut together with the nut 18 and abuts against the lower surface 14 of the support plate 12 are threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft 16.

[0012] The engagement portion 11 is provided on the upper surface 13 of the receiving plate 12 and has a scratch prevention sheet 20 that receives the front end 5 of the engine hood 3 (see FIG. 3). The scratch prevention sheet 20 is made of, for example, urethane resin. The receiving surface of the scratch prevention sheet 20 has a plurality of steps that extend in the width direction and have a wedge-shaped cross section, and are arranged in a wavy pattern in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the front end 5 of the engine hood 3 is received between the steps formed on the receiving surface of the scratch prevention sheet 20 so as not to shift in the front-to-rear direction.

[0013] The engagement portion 11 has a stay 21 whose rear end portion 22 is joined to the front end portion of the receiving plate 12 ("left side" in FIG. 1). The stay 21 has an intermediate portion 23 extending upward from the front end of the rear end portion 22, and a belt connection portion 24 extending forward from the upper end of the intermediate portion 23. In this embodiment, the angle between the rear end portion 22 and the intermediate portion 23 is 90 degrees, and the angle between the intermediate portion 23 and the belt connection portion 24 is also 90 degrees. Therefore, the rear end portion 22 of the stay 21 and the belt connection portion 24 are parallel to each other. These angles can be set as appropriate.

[0014] 1, the fixing part 31 has a vacuum pad 32 (suction pad) that adheres to the roof panel 7 of the automobile 1, a vacuum generator 33 that generates a vacuum between the vacuum pad 32 and an object (the "roof panel 7" in this embodiment), and a belt connection part 34 to which the other end of the belt 41 is connected. One end of a hose (not shown) is connected to the vacuum generator 33, and the other end of the hose is connected to an air supply source (not shown). For example, an existing vacuum lifter or the like can be used as the fixing part 31.

[0015] The belt 41 is a nylon lashing belt. The belt 41 has a length approximately 1.5 times the longitudinal length of the engine hood 3 of the automobile 1. The other end of the belt 41 (the "right side" in FIG. 1) is connected to the belt connection part 34 of the fixed part 31 by a known connecting tool. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the belt 41 (the "left side" in FIG. 1) is formed with a plurality of adjustment holes 42 (adjustment means) arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the belt connection part 24 of the stay 21 of the engagement part 11 is provided with a dedicated belt holder (not shown) having a pin that can be inserted into each adjustment hole 42 of the belt 41. Note that no metal eyelets are attached to each adjustment hole 42 of the belt 41.

[0016] Next, a procedure for holding the engine hood 3 of the automobile 1 in an open state using the engine hood supporting device 10 will be described. First, vacuum pad 32 (suction pad) is attached to the front end of roof panel 7 of automobile 1 by suction, and fixing part 31 is fixed to roof panel 7. Next, the other end of belt 41 is connected to belt connecting part 34 of fixing part 31 fixed to roof panel 7.

[0017] 3, with the front end 4 of the engine hood 3 raised, the hooks 17 of the engagement portion 11 are engaged with the support rod engagement holes 6 of the engine hood 3. Next, one end of the belt 41, which is connected to the belt connection portion 34 of the fixing portion 31, is connected to the belt connection portion 24 of the engagement portion 11.

[0018] At this time, by selecting an adjustment hole 42 (adjustment means) from the plurality of adjustment holes 42 of the belt 41 to be inserted into a pin of a belt holder (not shown), it is possible to adjust the length of the belt 41 stretched between the engagement part 11 and the fixed part 31, i.e., the opening degree of the engine hood 3. The front end 5 (see FIG. 3) of the engine hood 3 is supported by a scratch prevention sheet 20 provided on the support plate 12 of the engagement part 11.

[0019] Here, in the past, when measuring or correcting distortion in a vehicle body, for example, an engine hood holder (tension rod) was used to hold the engine hood in an open position, but the engine hood holder became an obstacle to the work, significantly reducing workability.

[0020] In contrast, in this embodiment, the engine hood 3 is held in an open state by an engine hood support device 10 having an engagement portion 11 that engages with the front end portion 4 of the engine hood 3 of the automobile 1, a fixing portion 41 that is fixed to the roof panel 7 of the automobile 1, and a belt 41 that is stretched between the engagement portion 11 and the fixing portion 31, so there is no obstacle such as an engine hood holder between the open engine hood 3 and the vehicle body. According to this embodiment, access to the engine compartment 2 is improved, and the workability can be improved when the engine hood 3 is open. Furthermore, since no metal eyelets (circular rings) are attached to the adjustment holes 42 (adjustment means) of the belt 41, the engine hood 3 can be prevented from being damaged when the belt 41 comes into contact with the engine hood 3. Furthermore, in the past, if a worker or tool hit the engine hood holder, there was a risk that the engine hood holder would come off and the open engine hood would fall. However, in this embodiment, the belt 41 is stretched above the engine hood 3, so that workers working below the engine hood 3 will not come into contact with the belt 41, ensuring safety when working with the engine hood 3 in an open state.

[0021] The embodiment is not limited to the above-described form, and can be configured as follows, for example. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 31 is fixed to the roof panel 31 of the automobile 1, but for example, the fixing portion 31 may be fixed to the windshield 8, that is, the windshield 8 may be sucked by a vacuum pad 32 (suction pad). In this embodiment, the hook 17 of the engagement portion 11 is engaged with the support rod engagement hole 6 of the engine hood 3, but it may also be engaged with, for example, another pressed hole formed in the inner panel of the engine hood 3. In this embodiment, a nylon lashing belt 41 is stretched between the engaging part 11 and the fixed part 31, but a rope or the like may be stretched instead of the belt 41. In this case, a dedicated rope holder is used to adjust the length of the rope stretched between the engaging part 11 and the fixed part 31. In this embodiment, the length of the belt 41 stretched between the engagement portion 11 and the fixed portion 31 is adjusted by selecting an adjustment hole 42 from among the multiple adjustment holes 42 (adjustment means) that is inserted into the pin of a dedicated belt holder, but the length of the belt 41 may also be adjusted using, for example, a buckle on a lashing belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 1 automobile, 3 engine hood, 7 roof panel, 8 windshield, 11 engagement part, 31 fixing part, 41 belt

Claims

1. An engine hood support device for supporting an engine hood of an automobile in an open state, an engagement portion that is engaged with an engine hood of an automobile; a fixing portion to be fixed to a roof panel or windshield of an automobile; A belt or rope stretched between the engaging portion and the fixing portion; An engine hood supporting device comprising:

2. 2. The engine hood support device according to claim 1, An engine hood support device characterized in that the fixing portion has a suction pad that is attached to the roof panel or windshield of the automobile, and a vacuum generating device that generates a vacuum within the suction pad.

3. 2. The engine hood support device according to claim 1, An engine hood support device comprising an adjustment means provided on the belt or rope for adjusting the distance between the engaging portion and the fixing portion.

4. 2. The engine hood support device according to claim 1, The engine hood support device is characterized in that the engagement portion includes a support plate that receives the front end of the engine hood on its upper surface, a hook provided on the support plate that engages with an engagement hole in the engine hood, and a scratch-resistant sheet provided on the upper surface of the support plate.

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