Vehicular hood device

Details Vehicular hood device Vehicular hood device

2001-07-17

2003-04-29

Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)

Motor vehicles

With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...

Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...

C180S068200, C016S371000, C016S374000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06554093

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicular hood devices and, more particularly, to a vehicular hood device designed to lift a hood to enable sufficient deformation of the hood for impact absorption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known vehicular hood devices include those designed to lift a hood by a predetermined amount and hold it at the lifted position when a traveling vehicle collides with an obstacle. The lift of the hood increases the downward deformable amount, thereby making it possible to increase the amount of energy absorption upon collision. An example of such a vehicular hood device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-10-258774 entitled “JUMP-UP HOOD”. This example hood device will be explained with reference to
FIG. 25
hereof.
In
FIG. 25
, the.conventional hood device
200
is shown in its closed state. The vehicular hood device
200
includes a bracket
202
mounted on the vehicular body
201
, a guide hole
202
a
formed in the bracket
202
, a link
205
having a lower end attached in the guide hole
202
a
through a lower pin
203
, and a hood arm
207
to which an upper end of the link
205
is coupled through an upper pin
206
.
The bracket
202
is attached to a lock piece
211
via a fixing pin
210
. A tension spring
214
is hooked to the lock piece
211
so that a pawl
212
of the lock piece
211
is pressed on the upper pin
206
.
This holds the upper pin
206
in a U-groove
202
b
of the bracket
202
thereby preventing the link
205
from rising. By the prevention against rise in the link
205
, the hood
208
in the usual time can be prevented from floating and hence chattering of the hood
208
.
Meanwhile, in the event the vehicle collide with an obstacle, the pawl
212
of the lock piece
211
is disengaged from the upper pin
206
to make free the link
205
thereby making it possible to lift the hood
208
up to a predetermined rise position. With reference to the next figure, explanation is made on the example to lift the hood
208
.
Reference is made next to
FIG. 26
showing the conventional vehicular hood device
200
in a state of raising the hood
208
. When the vehicle collides with an obstacle, an actuator (not shown) operates to apply a lift force to the hood
208
. Simultaneously, an unlock force F is applied to the lock piece
211
as shown at an arrow, to rotate the lock piece
211
about the fixing pin
210
as shown at an arrow (a). The pawl
212
of the lock piece
211
is disengaged from the upper pin
206
to make free the link
205
.
Due to this, the upper pin
206
rises matched to the hood
208
as shown at the arrow (b) while the lower pin
203
moves along the guide hole
202
a
as shown at an arrow (c). As a result, the hood
208
is lifted by a predetermined amount to increase the downward deformable amount of the hood
208
and hence the absorption amount of collision energy.
However, in order to eliminate the chatter of the hood
208
in the usual time, the upper pin
206
must be locked by the pawl
212
of the lock piece
211
. Thus, required are the lock piece
211
as well as the tension spring
214
to hold the lock piece
211
in its lock position.
In order to lift the hood
208
upon collision of the vehicle, the lock piece
211
in the lock position must be operated to an unlock position. For this reason, there is a need for an operation mechanism to operate the lock piece
211
into an unlock state.
Accordingly, there is increase in the number of parts for the vehicular hood device
200
. This in turn constitutes a factor of mount-up of cost.
In the meanwhile, generally, there are cases for a vehicle, such as an automobile, where the hood is opened in the usual state in order for maintenance or inspection in the engine compartment. In the vehicular hood device
200
, when the hood
208
is opened, there is a necessity of keeping the upper pin
206
in a state held in the U-groove
202
b
of the bracket
202
. In this state, a hood lock mechanism (not shown) at the front of the hood
208
is operated to release the locking and open the hood
208
about the upper pin
206
as an axis as shown at an arrow. This allows for engine compartment maintenance and inspection.
Herein, in order to conduct engine compartment maintenance and inspection, the hood
208
in opening is halted in a predetermined position and the hood
208
is restricted in opening not to be opened furthermore. For restricting the opening of the hood
208
, there is a need to provide hood opening-prevention means as an exclusive member. This however results in hindrance to the size and weight reduction in the vehicular hood device
200
.
In addition, there is known as a vehicular hood device of this kind, for example, a “vehicular hood device” in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 315266/1997, the art of which will be explained in the next figure.
In
FIG. 27A
, when the vehicle collides against an obstacle, the rod
301
of the actuator
300
starts to rise as shown at an arrow. The rod
301
is attached to rod holding means
302
(stopper piece
303
, compression spring
304
and holding piece
305
) wherein the stopper piece
303
is extended outside of the rod
301
by the compression spring
304
.
In
FIG. 27B
, the rod
301
is further raised so that the stopper piece
303
abuts against a housing
300
a
of the actuator
300
and the stopper piece
303
enters a groove
306
of the rod
301
.
In
FIG. 27C
, the rod
301
is projected to its upper limit to lift the hood (not shown) by a predetermined amount. Simultaneously, the stopper piece
303
gets over the housing
300
a
of the actuator
300
, and the stopper piece
303
extends from the groove
306
to the outside of the rod
301
.
Due to this, the stopper piece
303
abuts against a surface of the housing
300
a
to hold the rod
301
at the upper limit, thereby holding the hood at a position lifted by a predetermined amount.
However, in order to hold the hood in the position lifted by a predetermined amount, the rod holding means
302
must be structured by the stopper piece
303
, the compression spring
304
and the holding piece
305
to assemble the stopper piece
303
, the compression spring
304
and the holding piece
305
in the groove
306
of the rod
301
. This accordingly complicates the structure of the vehicular hood device.
Meanwhile, because the rod
301
is comparatively thin, it takes time to form a groove
306
in the thin rod
301
or assemble the stopper piece
303
, compression spring
304
and holding piece
305
in the groove
306
. Accordingly, it is difficult to enhance the producibility of the vehicular hood devices, which raises a factor of cost increase.
On the other hand, it is to be considered that, when the vehicle collides with an obstacle to lift the hood at its rear part by a predetermined amount, an urge force be acted upon the hood in a direction of from the front to rear of the vehicle. In this case, there is a fear of moving of the hood because the rear part thereof is in float. For this reason, there is a fear that the hood at the rear part nears toward the front windshield by a required amount or more. It is desired to provide a structure not to near the rear part of the hood toward the front windshield by a required amount or more.
With such a structure, the vehicular hood device is further complicated in structure resulting in a factor of mount-up of cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular hood device which is capable of reducing a number of parts and suppressing the increase in cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular hood device reduced in size and weight.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular hood device which is capable of holding the hood at a lifted position by a simple structure and preventing the lifted hood from approaching the windshield beyond a predetermined amount by a simple structure.
According to a first

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