Vehicle hood

Abstract

To provide a vehicle hood which secures sufficient tensile rigidity while achieving reduction of the weight and secures good pedestrian protection performance to improve safety.SOLUTION: A vehicle hood includes: an outer panel 11; an inner panel 13; a lock member 15 configured to be engaged with a lock mechanism provided at a front part of a vehicle; and a lock reinforcement 17 which is provided at the inner panel 13 to reinforce a lock part 30, which is attached with the lock member 15, in the inner panel 13. The inner panel 13 has: a bottom surface part 21; an inner joint part 25 protruding from the bottom surface part 21 to the outer panel 11 side; and an inclined wall part 25a connecting the bottom surface part 21 with the inner joint part 25. The inclined wall part 25a has a cut and raised part 41 which is cut and raised toward the outer panel 11 to be joined to the outer panel 11. The lock reinforcement 17 has one end side support part 53a and the other end side support part 53b serving as support parts which extend to the outer panel 11 side and support the cut and raised part 41 from the opposite side of the outer panel 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a demand to improve the safety of vehicle occupants, and for this purpose, the strength of the vehicle body has been improved. On the other hand, against the backdrop of the intensification of problems such as global warming, the movement to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles has been accelerating. It is known that weight reduction of the vehicle body is effective for improving fuel efficiency.

[0003] In a vehicle hood disposed at the front of a vehicle such as an automobile, a dent reinforcement is provided to increase the tension rigidity on the front side of the hood. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses providing a support member between an outer panel and an inner panel that constitute a hood to transmit and disperse the load input to the outer panel during opening and closing of the hood to the inner panel. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle hood in which an outer panel reinforcement for reinforcing the outer panel and improving pedestrian protection performance is attached inside the outer panel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, when ensuring the tension rigidity of a wide area by a dent reinforcement, it is necessary to increase the size of the dent reinforcement. Further, when thinning the hood, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the dent reinforcement to ensure the tension rigidity.

[0006] On the other hand, in order to reduce vehicle weight, the thinning of vehicle hoods, along with the miniaturization or omission of dent reinforcement materials, is being considered. However, if dent reinforcement materials are omitted, the tension rigidity of the hood will decrease drastically, and the outer panel may dent due to the load when placing a hand on the front of the hood during car washing or closing the hood. Furthermore, simply omitting dent reinforcement materials reduces the deformation resistance during a collision, making it difficult to keep the head injury value (HIC value) low.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle hood that achieves weight reduction while ensuring sufficient tension rigidity and also provides good pedestrian protection performance, thereby improving safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This invention consists of the following configuration. A vehicle hood that is attached to a vehicle, The outer panel that constitutes the exterior of the aforementioned vehicle, An inner panel provided inside the outer panel, A locking member provided on the inner panel and engaged with a locking mechanism provided at the front of the vehicle, A locking reinforcement member provided on the inner panel and reinforcing the locking portion on the inner panel to which the locking member is attached, Equipped with, The inner panel has a bottom portion, an inner joint portion that protrudes from the bottom portion toward the outer panel, and an inclined wall portion that connects the bottom portion and the inner joint portion. The inclined wall portion has a cut-up portion that is cut and bent toward the outer panel and joined to the outer panel. The locking reinforcement member extends toward the outer panel and has a support portion that supports the cut-out portion from the side opposite to the outer panel. Vehicle hood. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight of a vehicle hood while ensuring sufficient tension rigidity and, moreover, improving safety by ensuring good pedestrian protection performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle hood according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle hood with the outer panel attached, along the line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front of the inner panel. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the section IV-IV in Figure 3, illustrating a vehicle hood with a different shape of locking reinforcement. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front perspective view of an inner panel equipped with a locking reinforcement of a different shape. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle hood 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle hood 100 with the outer panel 11 attached, along the line II-II in Figure 1.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle hood 100 according to the present embodiment includes an outer panel 11, an inner panel 13, a lock member 15, and a lock reinforcement 17. The vehicle hood 100 is a member that constitutes a vehicle such as an automobile, and is attached to the vehicle so as to be able to open and close the engine room at the front of the vehicle. In the following description, "front and rear" and "left and right" mean that the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle to which the vehicle hood 100 is attached is "front", the rear in the traveling direction is "rear", and one side in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction is "right", and the other side is "left". Also, "up and down" means up and down in the vertical direction when the vehicle hood 100 closes the engine room.

[0013] The vehicle hood 100 is configured by overlapping the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 13 with each other. In the state where the engine room is closed, the outer panel 11 constitutes the upper surface of the vehicle, and the inner panel 13 constitutes the inner surface of the engine room.

[0014] The outer panel 11 and the inner panel 13 are formed, for example, by press-forming a plate material made of an aluminum-based material. The outer panel 11 and the inner panel 13 are overlapped and joined to each other. The outer panel 11 is fixed to the inner panel 13 by hemming (folding back) the outer peripheral portion 11a thereof.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner panel 13 has a bottom surface portion 21, an outer peripheral joint portion 23, and an inner joint portion 25. The outer peripheral joint portion 23 is provided over the entire circumference of the bottom surface portion 21 so as to surround the periphery of the bottom surface portion 21, and protrudes upward on the side of the outer panel 11. The outer peripheral joint portion 23 is a portion that constitutes the outer periphery of the inner panel 13, and the outer peripheral portion 11a of the outer panel 11 is hemmed and joined to the outer peripheral joint portion 23.

[0016] The inner joint portion 25 is formed inside the bottom surface portion 21 and protrudes upward toward the outer panel 11 side. In a state where the outer panel 11 is assembled to the inner panel 13, mastic (not shown) is interposed between the inner joint portion 25 and the outer panel 11. A plurality of bead portions 27 that bulge downward on the side opposite to the outer panel 11 are formed on the inner joint portion 25. By forming these bead portions 27, the rigidity of the inner panel 13 is increased. These bead portions 27 extend in the left-right direction of the vehicle and are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Note that the number, shape, and extending direction of the bead portions 27 are appropriately selected according to the shape, size, etc. of the vehicle hood 100.

[0017] On both sides in the width direction (left-right direction) of the rear end side of the bottom surface portion 21, hinge reinforcing portions 29 are provided. Hinges (not shown) are attached to these hinge reinforcing portions 29. The vehicle hood 100 is assembled to the vehicle via the hinges attached to the hinge reinforcing portions 29 and is supported so as to be able to open and close the opening portion of the engine room at the upper part of the engine room.

[0018] On the front side of the inner panel 13 shown in FIG. 2, there is a lock portion 30 to which a lock member 15 and a lock reinforcing member 17 are attached. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the lock portion 30 is provided at the center in the width direction on the bottom surface portion 21 on the front side of the inner panel 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the lock member 15 is fixed to the inner panel 13 so as to protrude downward from the inner panel 13. The lock member 15 is engaged with a lock mechanism (not shown) provided at the front part of the vehicle in a state where the vehicle hood 100 closes the engine room. Thereby, the vehicle hood 100 is maintained in a state of closing the engine room of the vehicle. Note that, different from the present embodiment, a plurality of lock portions 30 may be provided, or they may be provided at a portion other than the center in the width direction on the bottom surface portion 21 on the front side of the inner panel 13.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front side of the inner panel 13. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional arrow view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

[0020] The locking member 15 shown in Figure 4 is formed in a substantially U-shape and has an engaging portion 15a at the tip end with which the latch (not shown) of the locking mechanism engages, and a pair of fixing portions 15b extending in the same direction from both ends of the engaging portion 15a toward the base end. The locking member 15 is made of, for example, steel. This locking member 15 is fixed to the inner panel 13 via a base plate 31, described later, with the engaging portion 15a facing downward relative to the inner panel 13, so as to protrude downward from the inner panel 13.

[0021] The locking member 15 has its end portion 15b fixed to the base plate 31 by welding or the like. The base plate 31 is made of, for example, a steel plate and is positioned on the upper side of the bottom surface portion 21 of the inner panel 13, on the bottom wall portion 51 of the locking reinforcement member 17, which will be described later. The base plate 31 is fastened together with the bottom wall portion 51 of the locking reinforcement member 17 to the bottom surface portion 21 of the inner panel 13 by fasteners 33 such as bolts and nuts, and is fixed to the inner panel 13.

[0022] The lock reinforcement member 17 is provided on the front side of the inner panel 13 and is positioned between the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 13. This lock reinforcement member 17 is attached to the inner panel 13 and reinforces the lock portion 30 to which the lock member 15 is attached on the front side of the inner panel 13. The lock reinforcement member 17 is formed, for example, by press molding a plate made of an aluminum-based material. In the following description of the configuration of the lock reinforcement member 17, left and right, front and back, and up and down have the same meanings as described above when the lock reinforcement member 17 is provided on the inner panel 13.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the inner panel 13 has a plurality of cut-out sections 41 on the inclined wall section 25a that connects the bottom surface section 21 and the inner joint section 25 on its front side. These cut-out sections 41 are formed at intervals in the width direction of the inner panel 13. These cut-out sections 41 are cut upward toward the outer panel 11 side. By forming these cut-out sections 41, holes 43 are formed in the inclined wall section 25a. The inner panel 13 is joined to the outer panel 11 via mastic 45 as shown in Figure 4, with each cut-out section 41 being connected. Note that one or more cut-out sections 41 are sufficient. Furthermore, if multiple cut-out sections 41 are provided, the spacing of these cut-out sections 41 in the width direction of the inner panel 13 may be uniform or uneven.

[0024] The lock reinforcement member 17 has a bottom wall portion 51 and a support portion 53a at one end and a support portion 53b at the other end. The lock reinforcement member 17 is attached to the inner panel 13 by fastening the bottom wall portion 51 together with the base plate 31 to the bottom surface portion 21 of the inner panel 13 using fasteners 33. Alternatively, the bottom wall portion 51 may be fixed to the bottom surface portion 21 of the inner panel 13 by spot welding.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the lock reinforcement member 17 of this embodiment has two support parts: a support part 53a at one end and a support part 53b at the other end. Each of the support parts 53a and 53b is configured to support the cut-up portion 41 from the side opposite to the outer panel 11. Specifically, each of the support parts 53a and 53b is connected to the rear end of the bottom wall portion 51 and extends toward the outer panel 11. In this embodiment, the support part 53a and 53b are provided at the same distance as the distance between the cut-up portions 41 of the inner panel 13, and are configured to support the two cut-up portions 41 in the center of the width direction of the inner panel 13. In addition, the support part 53a and 53b each have a connecting plate portion 55 at their respective ends. The joining plate portion 55 of the one-end support portion 53a and the other-end support portion 53b is joined to the cut-up portion 41 of the inner panel 13 by, for example, spot welding. When multiple one-end support portions 53a and other-end support portions 53b are provided, as in this embodiment, support portions may be provided for at least some of the cut-up portions 41, or support portions may be provided for all of the cut-up portions 41. In the case where support portions are provided for at least some of the cut-up portions 41, the cut-up portions 41 to which support portions are provided may be arbitrarily selected.

[0026] Thus, according to the vehicle hood 100 of this embodiment, the inner panel 13 has a cut-up portion 41 that is cut and bent toward the outer panel 11 and joined to the outer panel 11, and the locking reinforcement member 17 that reinforces the locking portion 30 in the inner panel 13 has a one-end support portion 53a and a other-end support portion 53b that extend toward the outer panel 11 side and support the cut-up portion 41. Therefore, without providing a dent reinforcement member to suppress deformation of the outer panel 11 due to load from above the vehicle hood 100, the outer panel 11 can be reinforced by the cut-up portion 41 of the inner panel 13 and the one-end support portion 53a and the other-end support portion 53b of the locking reinforcement member 17, thereby ensuring sufficient tension rigidity. This makes it possible to reduce weight by omitting the dent reinforcement member while ensuring sufficient tension rigidity.

[0027] Furthermore, in the initial stages of the collision, the support portion 53a at one end and the support portion 53b at the other end of the lock reinforcement member 17 act as deformation resistance, improving the primary acceleration peak. Then, in the latter half of the collision, the deformation resistance decreases because a hole 43 is formed in the inclined wall portion 25a of the inner panel 13 by forming the cut-up portion 41, thereby reducing the acceleration due to the collision. In this way, the head injury value (HIC value) can be kept low, ensuring good pedestrian protection performance and improving safety.

[0028] Furthermore, the inner panel 13 has multiple cut-out sections 41, and these sections 41 are supported by the one-end support section 53a and the other-end support section 53b of the lock reinforcement member 17. Therefore, the cut-out sections 41 of the inner panel 13 that are joined to the outer panel 11 at multiple locations are supported by the one-end support section 53a and the other-end support section 53b of the lock reinforcement member 17, thereby further increasing the tension rigidity of the outer panel 11.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the support portion 53a at one end and the support portion 53b at the other end of the lock reinforcement member 17 are configured to support the cut-up portion 41 in the widthwise center of the inner panel 13, where high tension rigidity is required. This makes it possible to secure high tension rigidity more efficiently while suppressing an increase in the weight of the lock reinforcement member 17.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the tip portions of the one-end support portion 53a and the other-end support portion 53b of the lock reinforcement member 17 were bent backward to form the joint plate portion 55. However, as shown in Figure 5, the joint plate portion 55A may be formed by bending the tip portions of the one-end support portion 53a and the other-end support portion 53b forward.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above embodiment of the vehicle hood 100, an example was given in which a locking reinforcement member 17 is provided that supports each of the multiple cut-up portions 41 in the central part in the width direction of the inner panel 13, i.e., a support portion 53a at one end and a support portion 53b at the other end. However, as shown in Figure 6, a locking reinforcement member 17 may be provided in which a single wide support portion 53c is formed on the rear edge of the bottom wall portion 51. In this locking reinforcement member 17, the single wide support portion 53c extends toward the outer panel 11, and the joining plate portion 55 at the end of this wide support portion 53c is joined to each of the two cut-up portions 41 of the inner panel 13. As a result, the two cut-up portions 41 in the central part in the width direction of the inner panel 13 are supported by the wide support portion 53c of the locking reinforcement member 17. According to the vehicle hood 100 equipped with this lock reinforcement 17, the structure of the lock reinforcement 17 can be simplified and its rigidity improved while providing good support for the multiple cut-out portions 41 of the inner panel 13.

[0032] Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It is also intended and within the scope of protection to be provided for the combination of each configuration of the embodiments, as well as for modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known technology.

[0033] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification: (1) A vehicle hood that is attached to a vehicle, The outer panel that constitutes the exterior of the aforementioned vehicle, An inner panel provided inside the outer panel, A locking member provided on the inner panel and engaged with a locking mechanism provided at the front of the vehicle, A locking reinforcement member provided on the inner panel and reinforcing the locking portion on the inner panel to which the locking member is attached, Equipped with, The inner panel has a bottom portion, an inner joint portion that extends from the bottom portion toward the outer panel, and an inclined wall portion that connects the bottom portion and the inner joint portion. The inclined wall portion has a cut-up portion that is cut and bent toward the outer panel and joined to the outer panel. The locking reinforcement material extends toward the outer panel and has a support portion that supports the cut-out portion from the opposite side of the outer panel, in a vehicle hood. In this vehicle hood, the inner panel has a cut-and-bent portion that is cut and bent toward the outer panel and joined to the outer panel, and the locking reinforcement material that reinforces the locking portion in the inner panel has a support portion that extends toward the outer panel side and supports the cut-and-bent portion. Therefore, sufficient tension rigidity can be ensured by reinforcing the outer panel with the cut-and-bent portion of the inner panel and the support portion of the locking reinforcement material, without providing dent reinforcement material to suppress deformation of the outer panel under load from above the vehicle hood. This makes it possible to achieve weight reduction by omitting dent reinforcement material while ensuring sufficient tension rigidity. Furthermore, in the initial stages of the collision, the support portion of the lock reinforcement acts as deformation resistance, improving the first-order peak of acceleration. In the latter half of the collision, the formation of the cut-and-bent portion creates holes in the inclined wall portion of the inner panel, reducing deformation resistance. This makes it easier to deform, reducing the acceleration caused by the collision. In this way, the head injury value (HIC value) can be kept low, ensuring good pedestrian protection performance and improving safety.

[0034] (2) The inner panel has a plurality of cut-out portions, The vehicle hood according to (1), wherein a plurality of the cut-up portions are supported by the support portion of the lock reinforcement material. According to this vehicle hood, the cut and bent sections of the inner panel, which are joined to the outer panel at multiple points, are supported by the support sections of the lock reinforcement material, thereby further increasing the tension rigidity of the outer panel.

[0035] (3) The vehicle hood according to (2), wherein the locking reinforcement member has a plurality of support portions that support at least a portion of the plurality of cut-up portions. This vehicle hood design allows for good support of multiple cut-and-bent sections of the inner panel while minimizing the weight increase of the lock reinforcement.

[0036] (4) The vehicle hood according to (2), wherein the locking reinforcement member has one support portion that supports a plurality of cut-up portions. This vehicle hood allows for a simplification of the lock reinforcement structure and improved rigidity, while also providing good support for the multiple cut-and-bent sections of the inner panel. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 11 Outer Panels 13 Inner Panel 15 Locking member 17. Lock reinforcement material 21 Bottom part 25 Inner joint 25a Slanted wall section 30 Locking part 41 Cutting and lifting section 53a One end side support part (support part) 53b Other end side support part (support part) 53c Wide support section (support section) 100 Vehicle Hood

Claims

1. A vehicle hood that is attached to a vehicle, The outer panel that constitutes the exterior of the aforementioned vehicle, An inner panel provided inside the outer panel, A locking member provided on the inner panel and engaged with a locking mechanism provided at the front of the vehicle, A locking reinforcement member provided on the inner panel and reinforcing the locking portion on the inner panel to which the locking member is attached, Equipped with, The inner panel has a bottom portion, an inner joint portion that extends from the bottom portion toward the outer panel, and an inclined wall portion that connects the bottom portion and the inner joint portion. The inclined wall portion has a cut-up portion that is cut and bent toward the outer panel and joined to the outer panel. The locking reinforcement member extends toward the outer panel and has a support portion that supports the cut-out portion from the side opposite to the outer panel. Vehicle hood.

2. The inner panel has a plurality of cut-out portions, Multiple cut-up portions are supported by the support portion of the lock reinforcement member. A vehicle hood according to claim 1.

3. The locking reinforcement member has a plurality of support parts that support at least a portion of the plurality of cut and bent parts, The vehicle hood according to claim 2.

4. The lock reinforcement member has one support portion that supports a plurality of cut and bent portions. The vehicle hood according to claim 2.

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