JP2010149603A - Hood lift-up device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hood lift-up device capable of effectively utilizing discharged fluid. <P>SOLUTION: The fluid discharged from the inside of a cylinder chamber 7d of the hood lift-up device 7 is discharged from a fluid discharge hole 7g formed in a movable part 7e and is acted on a hood 3, to suppress lowering of the hood 3. By effectively utilizing the fluid discharged to the outside, a buffer effect can be obtained when the sprung up hood 3 is lowered and is mounted on the movable part 7e. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle hood lift-up device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle hood lift-up device that pushes a hood upward at the time of a collision or the like is known.
JP 2005-24010 A

  However, in this type of vehicle hood lift-up device, the excess fluid is simply discharged and not used for anything.

  Then, an object of this invention is to obtain the hood lift-up apparatus for vehicles which can use effectively the fluid to discharge | emit.

  The main feature of the present invention is that the fluid discharged from the cylinder mechanism is applied to the hood to suppress the lowering of the hood.

  According to the present invention, by suppressing the lowering of the hood by applying a fluid, a buffering action can be obtained when the jumped hood is dropped and placed on the cylinder mechanism. That is, the fluid discharged to the outside can be effectively used.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a hood lift-up device according to the present embodiment, FIGS. 2 to 5 are side views showing respective stages at which the hood lift-up device operates, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a normal state where the lift-up device is not operating, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the hood lift-up device is extended and raising the hood, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the hood that has been bounced down and landed on the hood lift-up device, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hood lift-up device, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a part of the hood lift-up device, showing a state before full extension, and FIG. 9 is a view of the hood lift-up device. Some profiles A diagram illustrates a fully extended state. In each figure, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and WD indicates the vehicle width direction.

  A front compartment 2 that opens upward and serves as an engine room or a motor room is formed at the front portion of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, and a hood 3 that opens and closes the upper opening 2a is a hood hinge. It is attached to the vehicle body 4 via 5 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. The hood 3 is configured by hemming the outer panel 3a and the inner panel 3b.

  A pair of left and right hood hinges 5 are provided at a position on the vehicle rear side of the upper opening 2a of the vehicle body 4 (for example, a hood ridge member), and the hood 3 has a closed position for closing the upper opening 2a. The front edge 3d is supported so as to be rotatable between the open position where the front edge 3d is flipped up. The user releases the engagement between the hood 3 and the vehicle body 4 in the engagement mechanism 6 provided on the front edge 3d side of the hood 3, lifts the front edge 3d side of the hood 3, and opens the hood 3. . Note that the rotation axes of the left and right hood hinges 5 are substantially along the vehicle width direction and are arranged on substantially the same straight line.

  The hood hinge 5 is configured as a foldable link mechanism having link arms 5a and 5b, and is extendable in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, two link arms 5a and 5b are connected to each other in a substantially V shape so as to be capable of mutual rotation, and both ends of the V-shaped structure are connected to the vehicle body side bracket 5c and the hood side. By connecting with the bracket 5d in a rotatable state, the vertical distance between the vehicle body side bracket 5c and the hood side bracket 5d can be changed. That is, the hood 3 is attached to the vehicle body via the hood hinge 5 so as to be movable up and down. However, during normal use, both the link arms 5a and 5b are integrated with the hood side bracket 5d so that the hood hinge 5 does not extend (see FIG. 2).

  The vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a hood lift-up device 7 that pushes the hood 3 upward at the time of vehicle collision or collision detection. In this embodiment, a pair of left and right hood lift-up devices 7 are provided on the vehicle body 4 (for example, a hood ridge member) on the vehicle rear side of the upper opening 2a. It is arranged adjacent to the inside.

  The hood lift-up device 7 includes a cylinder mechanism 7a and a fluid delivery mechanism 7b. As shown in FIG. 4, a cylinder chamber 7d is formed in the main body portion 7c of the cylinder mechanism 7a. When a fluid is introduced into the cylinder chamber 7d from the fluid delivery mechanism 7b, the cylinder chamber 7d can be advanced and retracted. The movable part 7e accommodated in the container protrudes upward (from the hood 3 side) from the main body part 7c.

  In the present embodiment, the fluid delivery mechanism 7b is configured as an inflator that generates a nitrogen gas or the like by burning a built-in explosive by an electrical signal, and the cylinder mechanism 7a is configured as an air cylinder. That is, the working fluid is a gas. Further, the movable portion 7e has a nested structure, and a plurality of cylinders are connected so as to be extendable and contractible. A plate-like pressing pad portion 7f is provided at the tip of the movable portion 7e. The cylinder mechanism 7a and the fluid delivery mechanism 7b may be provided separately without being integrated.

  The control unit (for example, ECU or the like, not shown) is connected to the hood lift-up device 7 when a collision is detected or predicted by various sensors (for example, an acceleration sensor, an infrared sensor, etc., not shown) installed in the vehicle 1. An electric signal is sent to the fluid delivery mechanism 7b to operate the fluid delivery mechanism 7b. When the fluid is introduced from the actuated fluid delivery mechanism 7b into the cylinder chamber 7d through a fluid introduction passage (not shown), the movable portion 7e extends upward from the main body portion 7c and is extended by the pressing pad portion 7f. Is pushed upward (see FIG. 3).

  At this time, the hood 3 is engaged with the vehicle body 4 by the engagement mechanism 6 on the front edge 3d side. Therefore, the front edge 3d side of the hood 3 is not opened, and the engagement between the link arms 5a, 5b and the hood side bracket 5d is first released by the rising of the movable portion 7e, and the hood hinge 5 can be expanded and contracted. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 5, the rear edge 3 e side of the hood 3 moves upward.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the hood 3 is pressed by the inertia force by the inertial force by setting the ascending speed of the movable portion 7e to be relatively high and ensuring the maximum extension amount of the hood hinge 5 to be relatively large. It jumps up to a state separated from the portion 7f (see FIG. 4). After separating the pressing pad portion 7f, the hood 3 reaches the highest position, and then the hood 3 drops by gravity and rests on the pressing pad portion 7f of the movable portion 7e protruding in an extended state (see FIG. 5). ).

  In this way, in the present embodiment, when a collision is detected or predicted, the hood 3 is flipped up by the hood lift-up device 7 so that an object collides with the hood 3. It is possible to relieve the energy of collision between the hood 3 and the object by securing a larger stroke (amount of movement) of the hood 3.

  Here, with regard to the hood lift-up device 7 having such a configuration, when the inventor has repeatedly studied and studied, when the hood 3 descends and is placed on the movable portion 7e, the hood 3 as shown by a broken line in FIG. It has been found that the occurrence of a downward overstroke s may contribute to vibration of the hood 3 or a relatively large force may be applied between the hood 3 and the hood lift-up device 7. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber 7d is applied to the hood 3 so that the lowering of the hood 3 is suppressed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a fluid discharge hole 7g for discharging the fluid in the cylinder chamber 7d toward the hood 3 is formed in the cylinder mechanism 7a, and the gas discharged from the fluid discharge hole 7g is supplied to the cylinder mechanism 7a. The hood 3 (inner panel 3b) is sprayed onto the lower surface 3c.

  In addition, since the fluid is originally used for projecting the movable part 7e, it is desirable to ensure the projecting performance of the movable part 7e more reliably. Therefore, in this embodiment, the discharge passage 7h for the fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber 7d is closed and the protrusion displacement amount y is equal to or greater than the predetermined value y1 until the protrusion displacement amount y of the movable portion 7e reaches the predetermined value y1. A valve mechanism 8 is provided for opening the discharge passage 7h and discharging the fluid when it becomes.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the valve mechanism 8 is configured as a slide valve that switches between opening and closing by relative displacement between the movable portion 7e and the main body portion 7c. Specifically, a bulging portion 7m is provided on the base end side (the lower side of FIGS. 8 and 9) of the divided body 7i which is the foremost end of the nesting of the movable portion 7e, so A bottomed cylindrical portion 7k is formed in the divided body 7j, and the bulging portion 7m is accommodated so as to be able to reciprocate. Moreover, the hole 7p is formed in the division body 7i along the central axis. The tip end side of the hole 7p is a fluid discharge hole 7g shown in FIG. The hole 7p does not directly communicate with the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k that is a part of the cylinder chamber 7d, but communicates with the opening 7r that opens on the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 7m. On the other hand, in the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k, a communication groove 7s that connects the opening 7r and the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k is formed immediately before the bulging portion 7m hits the top wall 7n. The connecting groove 7s is formed in a band shape on the inner peripheral surface of the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k along the axial direction of the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k (the moving direction of the bulging portion 7m, the vertical direction in FIGS. 8 and 9). It is a groove. In the present embodiment, a discharge passage 7h is formed by the hole 7p, the opening 7r, and the communication groove 7s. The gap between the divided body 7i and the divided body 7j is sealed by a sealing member such as an O-ring 7v or packing.

  According to the valve mechanism 8 having such a configuration, by appropriately setting the position of the base end side edge 7t of the communication groove 7s, the bulging portion 7m comes into contact with the top wall 7n until it hits (FIG. 9). When the opening 7r and the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k communicate with each other in the section, while the bulging portion 7m is on the front side in the projecting direction (lower side in FIGS. 8 and 9), the opening 7r and the bottomed bottom The cylindrical portion 7k can be configured to be closed by the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 7m and the inner peripheral surface of the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k (FIG. 8).

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the movable portion 7e protrudes while extending until the protrusion displacement amount y reaches the displacement amount immediately before reaching the maximum protrusion length (predetermined value y1, see FIG. 4). When the fluid discharge passage 7h is closed by the valve mechanism 8, the fluid can be reliably filled in the cylinder chamber 7d, and the protrusion displacement amount y is equal to or greater than the predetermined value y1 (including the maximum displacement amount). In addition, the discharge mechanism 7h can be opened by the valve mechanism 8 to discharge the fluid from the fluid discharge hole 7g, and this can be applied to the hood 3 to suppress the lowering of the hood 3. In the configuration of FIGS. 8 and 9, the protrusion displacement amount y in a state where the lower surface of the bulging portion 7m and the edge 7t of the connecting groove 7s face each other is a predetermined value y1.

  According to such a configuration, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6, the hood 3 is placed on the pressing pad portion 7f as much as the lowering speed of the hood 3 is weakened immediately before the hood 3 is placed on the pressing pad portion 7f of the movable portion 7e. The downward overstroke s can be reduced. Note that it is not necessary to stop the lowering of the hood 3 by discharging the fluid, and it is sufficient that the lowering speed of the hood 3 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, when the valve mechanism 8 is switched from the open state to the closed state due to the lowering of the hood 3, the communication groove 7s and the bottomed cylindrical portion are moved along with the downward movement of the bulging portion 7m. The length of the communication opening 7u communicating with 7k, that is, the opening area gradually decreases. Therefore, in this case, the communication opening 7u functions as a variable orifice, and the bounce of the divided body 7i due to the sudden closing of the communication opening 7u and the sealing of the bottomed cylindrical portion 7k is suppressed. It is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of vibration in the hood 3 due to the bounce.

  In addition, after the lowered hood 3 is placed on the movable part 7e, the fluid is discharged from the cylinder chamber 7d through a discharge port different from the fluid discharge hole 7g, and the discharge state is appropriately set, thereby further buffering. You may comprise so that an effect | action may be acquired.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber 7d of the hood lift-up device 7 is applied to the hood 3 to suppress the lowering of the hood 3. Therefore, it is possible to effectively utilize the fluid that was simply discharged to the outside, and to obtain a buffering effect when the hood 3 that has been splashed descends and is placed on the movable portion 7e of the hood lift-up device 7. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of vibration in the hood 3 and the application of a relatively large force between the hood 3 and the hood lift-up device 7.

  In the present embodiment, the fluid discharge hole 7g for discharging the fluid in the cylinder chamber 7d toward the hood 3 is formed in the cylinder mechanism 7a. Since the cylinder mechanism 7a is located at a position close to the hood 3, according to such a configuration, the fluid is more efficiently applied to the hood 3 by a relatively simple configuration in which the fluid discharge hole 7g is formed in the cylinder mechanism 7a. It becomes easy to obtain an effect.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the discharge passage 7h of the fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber 7d is closed and the protrusion displacement amount y is equal to or greater than the predetermined value y1 until the protrusion displacement amount y of the movable portion 7e reaches the predetermined value y1. A valve mechanism 8 that opens the discharge passage 7h and discharges the fluid when it is reached is provided. Therefore, the fluid is not discharged until the movable part 7e protrudes to the intended state, and the movable part 7e can be protruded more reliably or more quickly.

  In the present embodiment, the valve mechanism 8 is configured as a slide valve that switches between opening and closing by the relative displacement between the movable portion 7e and the main body portion 7c. Therefore, the valve mechanism 8 can be obtained as a relatively simple configuration using the displacement of the movable portion 7e.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, the fluid is not necessarily a gas, and a liquid such as hydraulic oil or water can be used. An accumulator or the like can be used as the fluid delivery mechanism. Furthermore, the fluid can be applied to the hood from the discharge nozzle provided at a position away from the hood lift-up device.

  The fluid discharge hole can be provided in the main body. Further, the valve mechanism can be configured as another type of valve such as a poppet valve, and the configuration and setting position of the slide valve are not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a hood lift-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view showing the normal state where the food lift up device concerning the embodiment of the present invention is not operating. It is a side view which shows the state in the middle of the hood lift up apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention extending | stretching and raising a hood. It is a side view which shows the state which flipped up the hood with the hood lift up apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which the food | hood bounced up descend | falls and landed on the food lift up apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows an example of a time-dependent change of the amount of displacement of a hood. It is a perspective view of the food lift up apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hood lift up apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state before extending | stretching completely. It is a longitudinal section of a part of the food lift up device concerning the embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing the state fully extended.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 3 Hood 4 Car body 7 (For vehicles) Hood lift-up device 7a Cylinder mechanism 7b Fluid delivery mechanism 7c Body portion 7d Cylinder chamber 7e Movable portion 7g Fluid discharge hole 7h Discharge passage 8 Valve mechanism y Projection displacement y1 Predetermined value

Claims (4)

A vehicle hood lift-up device that pushes up a hood attached to a vehicle body so as to be movable up and down,
A cylinder mechanism for projecting the movable part by introducing fluid into the cylinder chamber formed in the main body part;
A fluid delivery mechanism for delivering fluid into the cylinder chamber;
With
A hood lift-up device for a vehicle, wherein fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber is applied to the hood to suppress the hood from descending.   The hood lift-up device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a fluid discharge hole for discharging the fluid in the cylinder chamber toward the hood is formed in the cylinder mechanism.   The discharge passage of the fluid discharged from the cylinder chamber is closed until the protrusion displacement amount of the movable part reaches a predetermined value, and the discharge passage is opened when the protrusion displacement amount exceeds the predetermined value. The hood lift up device for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2 provided with a valve mechanism which discharges fluid.   The hood lift-up device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the valve mechanism is a sliding valve that switches between opening and closing by relative displacement between the movable portion and the main body portion.

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