vehicle
By positioning the hood lock rearward on the radiator support upper and dispersing impact loads through a bracket plate and extending portions, the collision reaction force is reduced and durability improved in vehicle collision tests.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-11
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle collision tests measure high collision reaction forces when a spherical test instrument collides with a hood that has a hood lock on its rear, necessitating a reduction in these forces.
The hood lock is positioned rearward from the center of the radiator support upper, offsetting the impact load to reduce the measured collision reaction force by allowing the hood lock to tilt backward, and the impact load is dispersed through a bracket plate and extending portions to the radiator support upper, enhancing durability.
The solution effectively reduces the collision reaction force measured by the test instrument and improves the durability of the hood lock and radiator support against closing and collision loads.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicles.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle including a vehicle body having a front compartment, a hood for opening and closing the front compartment, a radiator disposed in the front compartment, a radiator support extending in the left - right direction along the upper edge of the radiator, and a hood lock for locking the hood at a position where the front compartment is closed.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] As one of the vehicle collision tests, a test is known in which a spherical test instrument (impactor) is made to collide with the hood and the collision reaction force acting on the test instrument is measured. In this test, it is required to reduce the collision reaction force acting on the test instrument. However, when the test instrument collides with the hood, if there is a hood lock on the back of the hood, the measured collision reaction force will be relatively large. This specification provides a new technology that can mitigate such an event.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] The vehicle disclosed herein comprises a vehicle body having a front compartment; a radiator disposed in the front compartment; a radiator support upper that constitutes part of the vehicle body and extends laterally along the upper edge of the radiator; a hood that is pivotably connected to the vehicle body and is movable between an open position that opens the front compartment and a closed position that closes it; and a hood lock that is fixed to the radiator support upper and locks the hood in the closed position. The hood lock is located rearward from the center of the radiator support upper in the front-rear direction.
[0006] When a test instrument is struck against a hood, if a hood lock is present on the rear of the hood, the impact load is transmitted to the hood lock via the hood. The hood lock is fixed to the radiator support upper, but it is offset to the rear in the front-to-back direction relative to the radiator support upper, which extends in the left-to-right direction. As a result, the impact load transmitted to the hood lock displaces it so that it tilts backward. Consequently, the reaction force acting from the hood lock to the hood, i.e., the impact reaction force measured by the test instrument, is reduced.
[0007] Details of the technology disclosed herein and further improvements are described in the following "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention". [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This shows a side view of the front of the vehicle 100 of the embodiment. [Figure 2] A perspective view of the area around the hood lock 20 is shown. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view along line III-III. [Figure 4] This figure shows a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 3 when a collision test is performed on vehicle 100 of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] In one embodiment of this technology, the hood lock may be fixed to the rear surface of the radiator support upper via a bracket plate. With this configuration, when a load is applied to the hood lock in a direction that is inclined downward and towards the rear of the vehicle, the bracket plate of the hood lock is more likely to detach from the rear surface of the radiator support upper. As a result, the impact reaction force measured by the test equipment can be further reduced.
[0010] In one embodiment of this technology, the bracket plate may have a main body extending vertically and a pair of extending portions extending forward from the main body on both sides of the hood lock in the left-right direction. In this case, the pair of extending portions may be fixed to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. When the hood moves to the closed position, a load is applied to the hood lock from above. With this configuration, the pair of extending portions transmit the load when the hood is closed to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. As a result, the durability against the load when the hood is closed can be improved.
[0011] In one embodiment of this technology, the main body of the bracket plate has a first region fixed to the rear surface of the radiator support upper, a second region located above the first region and to which the hood lock is fixed, and an inclined portion interposed between the first region and the second region, wherein the inclined portion is displaced forward toward the second region so that the second region is located above the radiator support upper, and the pair of extending portions may extend from the second region to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. With this configuration, the inclined portion transmits the load when the hood is closed to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. As a result, the durability against the load when the hood is closed can be improved.
[0012] In one embodiment of this technology, the radiator support upper may have a first member having a hat-shaped cross section that is open at the bottom, and a second member that closes the hat-shaped cross section from below the first member. With such a configuration, the radiator support upper has a closed cross section shape. As a result, the rigidity of the radiator port upper can be improved, and the durability against load when the hood is closed can be improved.
[0013] (Examples) Figure 1 shows a front side view of the vehicle 100 of the embodiment. The vehicle 100 comprises a body 2, front wheels 5, a radiator 6, a hood 10, and a hood lock module 20. The vehicle 100 is, for example, an electric vehicle. In the coordinate system of Figure 1, "FR" indicates the forward direction of the vehicle. "UP" indicates the upward direction of the vehicle. "LH" indicates "left" when viewed from the rear to the front of the vehicle. The meaning of the coordinate system is the same in subsequent figures.
[0014] A front compartment 4 is provided at the front of the vehicle body 2. The front compartment 4 is a space for housing various equipment of the vehicle 100. A hood 10 is positioned above the front compartment 4. The hood 10 is connected to the vehicle body 2 so as to be able to swing around a hinge 9 in the direction indicated by arrow S1. Therefore, the hood 10 can move between an open position L1 and a closed position L2. When the hood 10 is in the open position L1, the area above the front compartment 4 is open. When the hood 10 is in the closed position L2, the area above the front compartment 4 is closed.
[0015] In this embodiment, the front compartment 4 of the vehicle 100 houses, for example, a radiator 6 and a hood lock module 20. The radiator 6 is a device for cooling, for example, the vehicle 100's drive motor and power converter (both not shown). The radiator 6 is fixed inside the front compartment 4 by a radiator support upper 8. The radiator support upper 8 is a member that extends laterally (i.e., from front to back in Figure 1) inside the front compartment 4. Both ends of the radiator support upper 8 in the lateral direction are connected to the side walls of the front compartment 4 (i.e., the vehicle body 2). In other words, the radiator support upper 8 constitutes part of the vehicle body 2. The hood lock module 20 is a mechanism for locking the hood 10 in the closed position L2. The hood lock module 20 is located above the radiator support upper 8.
[0016] The detailed structure of the radiator support upper 8 and the hood lock module 20 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the area around the hood lock module 20 within the front compartment 4. The hood lock module 20 comprises a hood lock 22, a base plate 27, a bracket plate 30, and a pin 26. A notch 24 is formed in the hood lock 22. The hood lock 22 is rotatably connected to the base plate 27 by the pin 26. The base plate 27 is secured to the bracket plate 30 by two screws 28. As a result, the hood lock 22 rotates around the pin 26, as indicated by arrow R1.
[0017] The bracket plate 30 comprises a main body 32 and a pair of extensions 34L and 34R. The main body 32 of the bracket plate 30 extends vertically and protrudes forward (i.e., to the left side of the paper in Figure 2) at its center in the left-right direction. The pair of extensions 34L and 34R are located on both sides of the main body 32 in the left-right direction. The pair of extensions 34L and 34R extend forward from both ends of the main body 32 in the left-right direction. The pair of extensions 34L and 34R have a symmetrical shape. The lower ends of the pair of extensions 34L and 34R are fixed to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8 by welding.
[0018] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 2. The hood 10 comprises an outer panel 15 and an inner panel 16. The outer panel 15 is a sheet metal part that forms the exterior of the hood 10. The inner panel 16 is a sheet metal part that reinforces the inside of the outer panel 15, and a striker base 14 is provided at its front. A striker 14s is provided at the lower end of the striker base 14. The striker 14s is formed from a pipe with a circular cross-section and has a U-shape in side view. When the hood lock 22 rotates around the pin 26 while the hood 10 is in the closed position L2, the lower end of the striker 14s is positioned within the notch 24 of the hood lock 22. As a result, upward movement of the striker 14s is restricted, and the hood 10 is locked in the closed position L2.
[0019] The hood lock 22 extends toward the striker 14s from the rear of the radiator support upper 8. That is, the hood lock 22 is located behind the center C1 in the front-to-back direction (i.e., the left-to-right direction in the plane of Figure 3) of the radiator support upper 8.
[0020] The radiator support upper 8 is a shaped member whose cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 3 extends in the left-right direction. The radiator support upper 8 includes a first member 8f and a second member 8s. The first member 8f has a cross-sectional shape that protrudes upward at the center in the front-rear direction. That is, the first member 8f has a hat-shaped cross-section and its lower part is open. The second member 8s is a flat sheet metal part welded to the lower surface of the first member 8f. That is, the second member 8s covers the first member 8f from below the first member 8f. As a result, the radiator support upper 8 has a closed cross-section. Thereby, the rigidity of the radiator support upper 8 is improved. In particular, when the hood 10 moves from the open position L1 and closes the front compartment 4, the closing load F1 including the self-weight of the hood 10 is transmitted to the radiator support upper 8 via the striker 14s and the hood lock module 20. By forming a closed cross-section by the first member 8f and the second member 8s of the radiator support upper 8, the durability of the radiator support upper 8 against the load when the hood 10 is closed can be improved.
[0021] Also, to the right of FIG. 3, an enlarged view of the bracket plate 30 of the hood lock module 20 is shown. The main body 32 of the bracket plate 30 includes a first region 32f, a second region 32s, and an inclined portion 32t. The first region 32f is fixed to the rear surface ⑧b of the radiator support upper 8 by welding. The second region 32s extends upward above the first region 32f. The second region <32s> is located behind the center C1. As described above, the hood lock 22 is fixed to the first region 32f by two screws 28. Each of the regions 32f and 32s is connected by the inclined portion 32t. The inclined portion 32t is displaced forward as it goes upward. That is, the inclined portion 32t is located forward as it goes toward the second region 32s. As a result, the second region 32s is located above the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8.
[0022] Furthermore, the right extending portion 34R extends forward from the second region 32s. As a result, the right extending portion 34R extends from the second region 32s to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8. Although not shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3, since the pair of extending portions 34L and 34R have symmetrical shapes with respect to each other, similarly, the left extending portion 34L also extends from the second region 32s to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8.
[0023] As described above, when the hood 10 moves to the closed position L2, a closing load F1 is applied to the hood lock module 20. By providing the main body 32 of the bracket plate 30 with the second region 32s that extends upward above the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8 and the inclined portion 32t that is displaced forward as it goes upward, the closing load F1 is transmitted to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8 via the second region 32s and the inclined portion 32t. By transmitting the closing load F1 to the radiator support upper 8 having high rigidity, damage to the hood lock module 20 due to the closing load F1 can be reduced. As a result, the durability of the hood lock module 20 against the closing load F1 of the hood 10 is improved. Furthermore, at this time, the closing load F1 is also transmitted to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8 via the pair of extending portions 34L and 34R. The main body 32 of the hood lock module 20 disperses the closing load F1 to the second region 32s, the inclined portion 32t, and the pair of extending portions 34L and 34R, and transmits it to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8. As a result, the durability of the hood lock module 20 and the radiator support upper 8 against the closing load F1 of the hood 10 is improved.
[0024] As described above, the hood lock module 20 is required to have durability against the closing load F1 of the hood 10. Here, as one of the collision tests performed on the vehicle 100, as shown in FIG. 4, a test is known in which a spherical impactor H1 is made to collide with the hood 10 and the collision reaction force acting on the impactor H1 is measured. In this test, it is required to reduce the collision reaction force acting on the impactor H1.
[0025] The hood 10 is tilted so that it displaces more downwards towards the front. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, when the impactor H1 collides with the hood 10 from above, the impactor H1 moves in a direction tilted downwards and towards the rear of the vehicle (i.e., to the right of the page in Figure 4), while applying a collision load F2 to the hood 10. As a result, the hood 10 deforms downwards, starting from the bending point P1.
[0026] The impactor H1 enters the front compartment 4, deforming the hood 10. As a result, the impactor H1 transmits a collision load F2 to the hood lock 22 via the hood 10. Here, as mentioned earlier, the hood lock 22 is located behind the center C1 of the radiator support upper 8. Therefore, when the collision load F2 is transmitted, the hood lock 22, together with the radiator support upper 8, is displaced to tilt backward, as shown by arrow R2 in Figure 4. That is, the hood lock 22 and the radiator support upper 8 rotate in the direction of arrow R2 due to the collision load F2.
[0027] As a result, the impactor H1 can be displaced beyond the hood lock 22 and further into the front compartment 4. Consequently, the energy required to displace the impactor H1 is gradually reduced. As previously mentioned, the radiator support upper 8 has high rigidity to improve the durability of the hood 10 against the occluding load F1. If the hood lock 22 is located forward of the center C1 of the radiator support upper 8, the impact load F2 can be transmitted to the radiator support upper 8 via the hood lock 22. In this case, the highly rigid radiator support upper 8 forcibly stops the displacement of the impactor H1. Consequently, a large impact reaction force acts instantaneously on the impactor H1.
[0028] In the vehicle 100 disclosed herein, the hood lock 22 is located behind the center C1 of the radiator support upper 8, so that the hood lock 22 is displaced to tilt backward by the impact load F2. As a result, the impactor H1 can be displaced further beyond the hood lock 22, and the energy required to displace the impactor H1 gradually decreases. Consequently, the impact reaction force measured at the impactor H1 can be reduced.
[0029] Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the hood lock 22 is fixed to the rear surface 8b of the radiator support upper 8 via a bracket plate 30. Therefore, when a collision load F2 is applied to the hood lock 22 from the front of the vehicle, the bracket plate 30 is more likely to detach from the rear surface 8b of the radiator support upper 8. As a result, the collision reaction force acting on the impactor H1 is further reduced.
[0030] The specific examples of the technology disclosed herein have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications of the above embodiments are listed below.
[0031] (Modification 1) The hood lock 22 may be fixed to the rear surface 8b of the radiator support upper 8 via the base plate 27. That is, the hood lock module 20 does not need to include the bracket plate 30.
[0032] (Modification 2) The base plate 27 does not need to have a pair of extensions 34L and 34R. In another modification, the pair of extensions 34L and 34R may be fixed to the front surface of the radiator support upper 8.
[0033] (Modification 3) The main body 32 of the bracket plate 30 does not have to have an inclined portion 32t. That is, the main body 32 may have a shape that extends linearly from the first region 32f. In that case, the pair of extending portions 34L and 34R may extend from the first region 32f to the upper surface 8u of the radiator support upper 8.
[0034] (Modification 4) The first member 8f of the radiator support upper 8 does not have to have a hat-shaped cross section. In another modification, the radiator support upper 8 does not have to include a second member 8s.
[0035] The technical elements described herein or in the drawings demonstrate technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0036] 2: Vehicle body 4: Front compartment 5: Front wheel 6: Radiator 8: Radiator support upper 8b: Rear side 8f: First component 8s: Second component 8u:Top surface 9: Hinge 10: Food 14: Striker Base 14s: Striker 15: Outer panel 16: Inner panel 20: Food lock module 22: Food Rock 24: Notch 26: Pin 27: Base plate 28: Screw 30: Bracket plate 32: Ontology 32f: First domain 32s: Second Domain 32t: Inclined section 34L, 34R: Extended in the department 100: Car tael C1: Center H1:インパクタ L1: Open location L2: Block position
Claims
1. A car body with a front compartment, The radiator located in the front compartment, A radiator support upper which constitutes a part of the vehicle body and extends in the left-right direction along the upper edge of the radiator, A hood is pivotably connected to the vehicle body and is movable between an open position that opens the front compartment and a closed position that closes it. The radiator support upper is fixed to the hood and includes a hood lock that locks the hood in the closed position, The hood lock is fixed to the rear surface of the radiator support upper via a bracket plate so as to be located behind the center of the radiator support upper in the front-rear direction. The bracket plate has a main body extending in the vertical direction and at least one extending portion extending forward from the main body. The at least one of the extended portions is fixed to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. vehicle.
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one extending portion comprises a pair of extending portions extending forward from the main body on both sides of the hood lock in the left-right direction.
3. The main body of the bracket plate is A first region fixed to the rear surface of the radiator support upper, A second region located above the first region and to which the hood lock is fixed, It has an inclined portion interposed between the first region and the second region, The inclined portion is displaced forward as it approaches the second region, such that the second region is located above the radiator support upper. The pair of extensions extend from the second region to the upper surface of the radiator support upper. The vehicle according to claim 2.
4. The radiator support upper is, A first member having a hat-shaped cross-section with an open bottom, The first member comprises a second member that closes the hat-shaped cross section from below, The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.