Resin Hood Lock Member with Metal Bracket for Impact Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle hood lock structures face issues where the hood lock member breaks upon impact, whether made of metal or resin, leading to unintended hood opening during collisions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body front structure featuring a bumper beam with a resin-made hood lock member, a metal hood lock bracket, and a connecting member that attaches the hood lock to the bumper beam, ensuring the hood lock member remains intact during impacts and allows for controlled hood opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the hood lock member is made of resin to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but the hood lock member may break due to impact during collision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure where a resin hood lock member is combined with a metal reinforcing plate. The resin provides lightweight properties while the metal plate embedded within it provides high strength and impact resistance, creating a composite component that achieves both weight reduction and collision reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire hood lock member from heavy metal, the patent applies metal reinforcement only in specific critical areas where impact forces are most likely to occur. This localized reinforcement provides necessary strength while maintaining overall weight reduction benefits of the resin construction.
2Strength
If the hood lock member is made of metal to prevent breakage, then strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a hybrid composite component combining metal and resin materials. The metal reinforcing plate provides the necessary strength properties while the resin matrix provides lightweight characteristics, achieving a balance between strength and weight that neither material could achieve alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal reinforcement is strategically placed only in areas requiring high strength, allowing the majority of the hood lock member to remain lightweight resin construction. This localized approach provides necessary strength while minimizing weight increase.
3Device complexity
If the hood lock is directly attached to the resin hood lock member, then device complexity is reduced, but the hood lock member breaks under impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates a metal reinforcing plate within the resin hood lock member to create a composite structure that inherently provides the necessary strength. This internal reinforcement eliminates the need for complex external attachment structures while maintaining structural integrity under impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The hood lock member is segmented into different material zones - a resin outer structure and an embedded metal reinforcing plate. This segmentation allows each material to perform its optimal function while working together as an integrated component.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle body front structure comprises a bumper beam provided in a front portion of a vehicle body, a hood lock member provided on a rear side and an upper side of the bumper beam, and a hood lock provided on an upper side of the hood lock member and configured to engage with a hood so that the hood can be opened/closed. The hood lock member is made of a resin. A hood lock bracket made of a metal is attached to the hood lock member. The hood lock is attached to the hood lock bracket. The hood lock bracket and the bumper beam are connected by a connecting member.