Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-05
2001-07-10
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C180S069100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257657
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular hood apparatus including a hood sufficiently deformable in a lifted position to absorb an impact of an obstacle on the hood.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known vehicular hood apparatuses provided on vehicles. These apparatuses are arranged such that a hood of the apparatus is lifted a given amount and then held in a lifted position when the vehicle hits an obstacle. The hood thus lifted provides increased possible amount of downward deformation thereof. That is, the hood held in the lifted position can be deformed more downwardly. Thus, when the vehicle hits the obstacle and the obstacle is thereby thrown onto the hood held in the lifted position, the hood can greatly absorb an impact of the obstacle thereon. One example of such a vehicular hood apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI 10-258774 entitled “LIFTING TYPE HOOD”. The disclosed apparatus has a construction as shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
hereof.
FIG. 9
shows a vehicular hood apparatus
100
having a hood
108
closed.
The vehicular hood apparatus
100
includes a bracket
102
attached to a vehicle body
101
of a vehicle. In the bracket
102
, there is formed an elongated guide aperture
102
a
. A link
105
has a lower end portion supported by a lower pin
103
. The lower pin
103
is disposed to move along a longitudinal direction of the aperture
102
a
. The link
105
has an upper end portion connected to a hood arm
107
through an upper pin
106
. A lock piece
111
is mounted to the bracket
102
in such a manner as to pivot on a stationary pin
110
. Between the lock piece
111
and the bracket
102
, there is mounted a coil spring
114
. The spring
114
normally urges a claw
112
of the lock piece
111
in such a direction that the claw
112
is engaged with the upper pin
106
.
With the upper pin
106
thus engaged with the claw
112
of the lock piece
111
, the upper pin
106
is retained in a U-shaped groove
102
b
formed in the bracket
102
. The link
105
is thus fixed to thereby prevent the closed hood
108
from rattling vertically.
On the other hand, when the claw
112
of the lock piece
111
is disengaged from the upper pin
106
, the link
105
is unfixed. The hood
108
is then lifted a given amount in a manner as discussed below.
Reference is made to FIG.
10
. The hood
108
is placed in a lifted position.
When the vehicle hits an obstacle, an actuator (not shown) is operated to apply a lifting force to the hood
108
. At the same time, an unlock force F is exerted on the lock piece
111
, as indicated by an arrow. The lock piece
111
then pivots on the stationary pin
110
, as indicated by an arrow A, to thereby disengage the claw
112
from the upper pin
106
. The link
105
is therefore unfixed.
Subsequently, the upper pin
106
is raised together with the hood
108
, as indicated by an arrow B, while the lower pin
103
moves along the guide aperture
102
a
, as indicated by an arrow C. Consequently, the hood
108
is lifted the given amount. By thus lifting the hood
108
, it becomes possible to provide the hood
108
with increased possible amount of downward deformation thereof. Therefore, when the vehicle hits the obstacle and the obstacle is thereby thrown onto the hood lifted in the above-described manner, the hood can greatly absorb an impact of the obstacle thereon.
However, the upper pin
106
should be locked with the claw
112
of the lock piece
111
so as to prevent the closed hood
108
from rattling, as shown in FIG.
9
. The lock piece
111
and the spring
114
for holding the lock piece
111
in a locked state are thus required.
The lock piece
111
in the locked state should be brought to an unlocked state when the vehicle hits the obstacle. Therefore, there is required an operation mechanism for bringing the lock piece
111
to the unlocked state.
For this reason, the number of parts for the apparatus
100
is inevitably increased. This increases a cost of the apparatus
100
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular hood apparatus formed by a small number of parts to reduce the cost thereof.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular hood apparatus including a hood positioned at a front part of a vehicle, wherein when the vehicle hits an obstacle, the hood is lifted a predetermined amount and then held in a lifted position, the apparatus comprising: a link mechanism interposed between the hood and a vehicle body frame of the vehicle, the mechanism being extended and contracted in correspondence to upward and downward motions of the hood; and a temporal fastening member strengthened to such an extent as to be cut when the link mechanism is extended, wherein when the link mechanism is contracted, the temporal fastening member fastens the contracted link mechanism to a side of the vehicle body so as to prevent the contracted link mechanism from rattling.
In a preferred form of the present invention, the link mechanism comprises: a bracket mounted on the vehicle body frame; a hood arm mounted to the hood; a lower link pivoting on a lower pin through which one end portion of the lower link is attached to the bracket; an upper link pivoting on an upper pin through which one end portion of the upper link is attached to the hood arm; and a connecting pin through which another end portion of the lower link is connected to another end portion of the upper link, the lower link and the upper link pivoting towards and away from each other on the connecting pin.
Preferably, the temporal fastening member may include a cutout-formed portion to be cut off. It therefore becomes possible to readily cut the member by cutting off the cutout-formed portion.
The member fastens the contracted link mechanism to the side of the vehicle body. By thus providing the member alone, it becomes possible to prevent the hood from rattling. This reduces the number of parts for preventing the rattling of the hood. Further, by solely cutting the member, it becomes possible to extend the link mechanism. Thus, there is no need to provide any separate member for extending the link mechanism. This reduces the number of parts for extending the link mechanism.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3709316 (1973-01-01), Glance
patent: 4572314 (1986-02-01), Anguera
patent: 4753475 (1988-06-01), Mochida
patent: 1455679 (1969-03-01), None
patent: 4445327C1 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 9-315266 (1996-05-01), None
patent: 10-258774 (1997-03-01), None
patent: 11-34925 (1997-07-01), None
Patent Abstracts of Japan, 10007026A, Jan. 13, 1998; Car Vody Rear Part Structure of Automobile.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, 09240510A, Sep. 16, 1997; Body Rear Part Structure of Automobile.
Specification of Application No.: 09/611,930.
Specification of Application No.: 09/611,249.
Specification of Application No.: 09/613,125.
Specification of Application No.: 09/619,323.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Pape Joseph D.
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