GB2276413A

GB2276413A - Vehicle hood lock

Info

Publication number: GB2276413A
Application number: GB9305906A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Calder; David Vale
Original assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Current assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-22
Filing date: 1993-03-22
Publication date: 1994-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2013-03-22
Also published as: GB2276413B; GB9305906D0

Abstract

A locking mechanism 12 for releasably latching a striker 8, fixed to the hood 1 of an automobile vehicle, is mounted on one side of a mounting plate 11 and is shielded by means of a cover 18 which is fixed to a structural member 19 of the vehicle independently of the mounting plate 11. The shield or cover prevents ingress of rain, snow etc and also acts to protect against unauthorised operation. <IMAGE>

Description

Vehicle Hood Lock This invention relates to an arrangement for locking the hood (bonnet) of an automobile vehicle.

It is possible to totally encase the locking mechanism which latches a striker fixed to the hood. The case of such a hood lock comprises two pressed-metal half-casings which are fixed to each other. The case itself is fixed to the vehicle structure.

However, the more common type of hood lock is an open one, in which the locking mechanism is mounted on one side of a pressed-metal mounting plate, which is fixed to the vehicle structure, the cost of such a hood lock being about half the cost of an encased lock. It will be appreciated that both of the half-casings of an encased hood lock have to be securely and rigidly connected together in order to prevent rattling and possible separation due to vibration during driving.

Thus, open lock structures are standard features of all but relatively expensive vehicles. However, such hood locks have the disadvantage that ingress of snow below the hood may cause the locking mechanism to jam, thereby preventing release of the hood.

This may occur in the following way. Snow which is carried by the air flow entering through the openings in the grille or bumper fascia at the front of the vehicle tends to pass up through the aperture in the upper transverse member of the vehicle front end where the hood lock is provided and collect on the underside of the front part of the hood.-As the hood warms up, owing to an increase in the ambient temperature or owing to heat from the radiator, for example, lumps of compacted snow drop from the hood and may fall onto the locking mechanism.

If the ambient temperature falls again (e.g. during the night or when the vehicle is not being used), snow which has accumulated on the hood lock may freeze solid so that release of the locking mechanism is hindered or prevented.

Clearly, this problem could be overcome by using an encased lock. However, the general use of such an expensive lock would be unjustified except in inherently expensive vehicles or in vehicles which are to be used in conditions where snow is frequently encountered.

What is desired is an inexpensive hood locking arrangement which mitigates or overcomes the above-mentioned problem.

The present invention provides an arrangement for locking the hood of an automobile vehicle, the arrangement comprising a substantially upright mounting plate fixed to a structural member of the vehicle, a releasable locking mechanism for receiving and releasably latching a striker fixed to the hood, the locking mechanism being mounted on one side of the mounting plate, and a cover for shielding the locking mechanism, the cover being fixed to a structural member of the vehicle independently of the mounting plate.

The cover can thus act as an obstruction to lumps of snow falling from above the hood lock. In this way it is possible to prevent snow from building up in the locking mechanism to such an extent that release of the striker is prevented.

Since the cover is independent of the mounting plate, it can be less robust than the mounting plate, can be of a shape and size suitably selected in accordance with surrounding vehicle structures, and is therefore easy to manufacture.

A further advantage is that the cover can easily be arranged so as to impede or prevent unauthorised access to the locking mechanism, which might otherwise be reached through apertures provided for air flow in a bumper fascia. Again, the use of an encased lock would not be justified for this purpose, because in many situations access to the locking mechanism may be prevented by the vehicle structure, with some compromise in body styling.

The invention will be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial, exploded perspective view of the front of a vehicle; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section through part of the front of the vehicle, taken along a longitudinal median plane, and showing a hood lock and a cover in a first embodiment; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the combination of a hood lock and a cover, in a second embodiment; Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the cover shown in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a rear view of the lock shown in Figure 3, the mechanism being in its latching position, with the cover in phantom.

The front of the automobile vehicle illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 has a hood 1, a bumper 2, a radiator grille 3, and a radiator 4 mounted on a load-bearing structure 6 fabricated by welding various structural members together.

In front of the hood seal 7 the underside of the hood 1 carries a generally U-shaped striker 8 which cooperates with a hood lock 9 comprising a mounting plate 11 on which is mounted a locking mechanism 12 for receiving and releasably latching the striker 8. By way of example, Figure 5 shows a locking mechanism 12 comprising a spring-loaded pivotable latch 13 and a spring-loaded lever 14 for releasably retaining the latch 13 in the latching position, as shown. The lock 9 also includes a safety catch 16 (Figures 3 and 5) which is manually releasable and which cooperates with an auxiliary striker (not shown) on the hood 1 when the locking mechanism 12 is released.

The mounting plate 11 is fabricated of pressed steel sheet and is bolted (or otherwise fixed) to a central reinforcing strut 17 of the vehicle structure. The mounting plate 11 extends transversely of the vehicle and is substantially upright, being tilted upwardly and fowardly so as to be approximately parallel to the path followed by the striker 8 on closing the hood 1.

The locking mechanism 12 lies to the rear of the mounting plate 11, between the mounting plate 11 and a cover 18 which is fixed (e.g. welded) to a transverse member 19 forming part of the structure which supports the radiator 4. In this embodiment, the cover 18 is fabricated of pressed steel sheet (which need not be as thick as the plate 11) and is of relatively simple inverted L-shaped section, having a roof portion 21 which extends towards the mounting plate 11 and which has a recess 22 to allow passage of the striker 8, and a wall portion 23 which is fixed to the transverse member 19 and which extends downwards beyond the bottom of the mounting plate 11.

The cover 18 (particularly its roof portion 21) acts as an obstruction to snow and other material tending to fall onto the locking mechanism 12. As shown in Figure 2, the part of the locking mechanism which engages the striker 8 may project above the cover 18, since snow is unlikely to build up at this location to a sufficient extent to prevent unlatching of the striker 8.

The cover 18 (particularly its wall portion 23) impedes access to the locking mechanism 12 and thereby prevents unauthorised release of the mechanism. As can be seen from Figure 2, the cover 18 is out of contact with the locking mechanism 12 and the mounting plate 11, so that there is no risk of rattling noise.

A second embodiment of cover 28 is shown in Figures 3 to 5.

The cover 28 has a roof portion 29 which is slightly curved in the transverse direction and which has a recess 31 to allow passage of the striker 8, a rear wall portion 32 which has holes 33 for locating it with respect to corresponding projections (not shown) on an appropriate part of the transverse structural member of the vehicle facing the locking mechanism and which has a recessed region 34 accommodating a projecting end portion 14a of the lever 14 (Figure 5), and lateral flanges 36 which form a partial extension of the roof portion 29 and which extend from the wall portion 32 towards the mounting plate 11. Again the cover 28 is fabricated of pressed steel sheet which may be thinner than the plate 11.

As can be seen from Figures 3 and 5, unlike an encased lock the cover 28 does not need to have the same outline shape as the mounting plate 11, thus enabling reduction of the amount of material to be used. The lower edge of the wall portion 32 is approximately level with the bottom of the mounting plate 11, but the wall portion 32 extends over only part of the width of the mounting plate 11 just far enough for the flanges 36 to protect the locking mechanism 12 laterally. The roof portion 29 lies below the top of the mounting plate but shields most of the locking mechanism. The periphery 37 of the cover 28 is shaped so as to conform to the shape of the rear of the mounting plate 11 without interfering with the operation of the locking mechanism 12 and preferably without coming into contact with the mounting plate.

With this embodiment, protection against unauthorised access to the locking mechanism is further enhanced because of the extra coverage provided by the cover 28. As can be seen in Figure 1, the bumper 2 has relatively large openings for air flow as sometimes required for cooling and/or styling reasons, allowing access to the hood lock 9. With both of the covers described above, this problem is solved without necessitating a change in the vehicle body structure, e.g. the provision of additional ribs in the openings of the bumper.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the cover may be welded, bolted, rivetted, adhesively bonded, or otherwise fixed to the associated structural member. The cover may be made of another metal (e.g.

aluminium) or of plastics material. The shape of the cover may be modified, depending on the layout of the surrounding vehicle structure, so as to appropriately accommodate the mounting of the cover on the corresponding part of the vehicle structure which is close to the hood lock.

Claims

Claims:

1. An arrangement for locking the hood of an automobile vehicle, the arrangement comprising a substantially upright mounting plate fixed to a structural member of the vehicle, a releasable locking mechanism for receiving and releasably latching a striker fixed to the hood, the locking mechanism being mounted on one side of the mounting plate, and a cover for shielding the locking mechanism, the cover being fixed to a structural member of the vehicle independently of the mounting plate.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the cover comprises a roof portion extending towards the mounting plate and a wall portion extending downwards from the roof portion.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which the wall portion extends downwards at least as far as the bottom of the mounting plate.

An arrangement as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the roof portion lies below the top of the mounting plate.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, in which the wall portion extends over only part of the width of the mounting plate.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, in which the cover has lateral flanges extending from the wall portion towards the mounting plate.

7. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6, in which the wall portion is fixed to a structural member of the vehicle.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the cover has a thickness which is less than that of the mounting plate.

9. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the cover is made of pressed metal sheet.

10. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, in which the cover is fixed to a structural member extending transversely of the vehicle.

11. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, in which the cover is welded to the associated structural member.

12. An arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, in which the mounting plate extends substantially transversely of the vehicle.

13. An arrangement as claimed in claim 12, in which the locking mechanism is on the rear side of the mounting plate.

14. An arrangement for locking the hood of an automobile, substantially as described herein with reference to either of the two embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.