JP2003063444A - Hinge structure of front panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support a front panel so that it can be lifted with sufficient opening and enhance the appearance of a cab. SOLUTION: A hinge structure of a front panel comprises a hinge bracket 22 a base end of which is attached to a cowl outer panel 14; a cowl garnish 17 for garnishing the cowl outer panel while covering the hinge bracket; and a hinge arm 23 one end of which is attached to an upper end of a front panel 18 which is provided along a lower edge of the cowl garnish. A pivotal attaching point at the hinge bracket of the hinge arm is provided in the vicinity of a lower end of the cowl garnish and the hinge arm has a small arm 23b and an arm body 23c. The small arm 23b is formed on the other end side of the hinge arm so as to extend along an inner surface of the cowl garnish or the hinge bracket at the closing time of the front panel while the arm body 23c is formed into an almost half arc continuing the small arm so as to swell on the cowl outer panel side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hinge structure for a hoistable front panel provided on the front surface of a cab such as a cab-over type truck.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a vehicle such as a cab-over type truck, a front panel is attached to the front of the cab so as to be openable and closable in order to facilitate inspection and maintenance of equipment and the like. The front panel constitutes the relatively vertical front of the cab,
Unlike the hood of a relatively flat passenger car, it must be opened in front of the cab at a relatively large angle. For this reason, the other end of the hinge arm, one end of which is attached to the front panel, is pivotally attached to the outside of the cab. Here, a general conventional hinge structure will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, a front window 2 is provided on an upper front portion of a cab 1 of a truck, and a lower edge of the front window 2 is an upper edge of an outer panel 3. It is composed of The outer panel 3 has a cowl outer panel 4 provided along the lower edge of the front window 2 in the vehicle width direction, and a front panel 6 provided below the cowl outer panel 4, and the front window 2 is made of glass. 7 is fitted. The front panel 6 is attached so as to be capable of jumping up via a pair of hinge arms 8, and the upper ends of the hinge arms 8 are pivotally attached to handles 9 that are symmetrically attached to the cowl outer panel 4. A weather strip 4a is provided at the lower edge of the cowl outer panel 4 that overlaps with the upper portion of the front panel 6 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. When the front panel 6 is closed, the weather strip 4a is an inner surface of the front panel 6. It comes in close contact with the top edge to prevent rainwater from entering.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional hinge structure comprising the hinge arm 8 and the handle 9 cannot be used for the cab 1 which does not require the handle 9 to be attached to the cowl outer panel 4. .
It is also conceivable to attach a bracket pivotally attaching the other end of the hinge arm 8 to the cowl outer panel 4 instead of the handle, but the bracket and the upper end of the hinge arm 8 are exposed to the outside of the cab 1, and the appearance of the cab 1 is shown. There was a problem that deteriorated the appearance. Further, in the conventional hinge structure in which the other end of the hinge arm 8 is pivotally attached to the outer surface of the cowl outer panel 4, even if the weather strip 4a is provided at the lower edge of the cowl outer panel 4, the hinge arm 8 is closed when the front panel 6 is closed. As a result, the weather strip 4a is crushed, and a pair of substantially triangular gaps are formed on both sides of the hinge arm 8. There is also a problem that rainwater or the like enters through the gaps. An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge structure for a front panel that can improve the appearance of the cab by covering the entire hinge arm.

[0004]

The invention according to claim 1 is
As shown in FIG. 1, a hinge bracket 22 having a base end attached to a cowl outer panel 14 provided along the lower edge of the front window 12, and a hinge bracket 22.
A cowl garnish 17 for covering the cowl outer panel 14 and a hinge arm 23 having one end attached to an upper end of a front panel 18 provided along a lower edge of the cowl garnish 17, and the other end of the hinge arm 23. Is a hinge structure of the front panel, which is pivotally attached to the tip of the hinge bracket 22 so that the front panel 18 can be flipped up to the cowl outer panel 14. The characteristic configuration is that the hinge arm 23 has a pivotal attachment point in the hinge bracket 22 near the lower end of the cowl garnish 17, and the hinge arm 23 is attached to the inner surface of the cowl garnish 17 or the hinge bracket 22 when the front panel 18 is closed. A small arm 23b formed on the other end side of the hinge arm 23 so as to follow, and an arm body 23c formed in a substantially semi-arcuate shape following the small arm 23b so as to bulge toward the cowl outer panel 14 side. It is in.

In the hinge structure of the front panel described in claim 1, the front panel 18 is flipped up as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and reaches the open state as shown by the two-dot chain line. In this case, the small arm 23b that constitutes the hinge arm 23 rotates about the other end from the state along the inner surface of the cowl garnish 17 or the hinge bracket 22, and the arm body 23c formed following the small arm 23b has its center. The front panel 18 is flipped up by rotating in a semi-circular shape. On the other hand, when the front panel 18 is closed, the hinge bracket 22 and the hinge arm 23 are covered with the cowl garnish 17 and the front panel 18. Therefore, it is possible to improve the external appearance compared with the conventional hinge structure in which a part of the hinge structure is exposed to the outside.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, which is the hinge bracket 22 of the hinge arm 23.
Small arm 2 from the pivot point to the arm body 23c
This is a hinge structure of the front panel in which the connection distance of 3b corresponds to the radius of the half arc of the arm body 23c. In the hinge structure for the front panel according to the second aspect, when the front panel 18 is opened, one end of the arm body 23c rotates near the lower edge of the cowl garnish 17 along the semi-circular arc thereof and the front panel 18 is opened. The front panel 18 can be flipped up with a sufficient opening.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, a front window 12 is provided on the front upper portion of a cab 11 of a truck 10, which is a vehicle, and a cowl top 13 is provided at a lower edge of the front window 12 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cowl top 13 includes a cowl outer panel 14 and a dash panel 15 which is a cowl inner panel forming a closed cross section with the cowl outer panel 14. This cowl outer panel 14
The upper edge and the upper edge of the dash panel 15 are joined to each other. Weather strip 13 on the front window 12
The glass 16 is fitted in via a.

On the other hand, the cowl outer panel 14 has a cowl garnish 1 for decorating the cowl outer panel 14.
7 is attached by a clip 19 (FIG. 2). The cowl garnish 17 is formed so as to bulge toward the front of the cab 11, and is spaced from the front of the cab 11 with the cowl outer panel 14 by a predetermined distance.
Mounted on. Below the cowl garnish 17, a front panel 18 is provided along the lower edge of the cowl garnish 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 18 is provided via a hinge device 21, and the hinge device 21 includes a hinge bracket 22 having a base end attached to the cowl outer panel 14 and one end attached to an upper end of the front panel 18. And a hinge arm 23.
The hinge bracket 22 is covered with the cowl garnish 17, and the other end of the hinge arm 23 is attached to the hinge bracket 2.
A front panel 18 is pivotally attached to the tip of the cowl 2 and is attached to the cowl outer panel 14 so as to be flipped up.

The front panel 18 is formed by pressing a steel plate, and the outer panel 1 is formed by pressing a steel plate.
8a and the inner panel 18b joined to the inner surface (FIGS. 1 and 2). A large-diameter hole (not shown) is formed in the center of the inner panel 18b, and the entire peripheral edge of the inner panel 18b is joined to the entire peripheral edge of the outer panel 18a. That is, the entire outer peripheral edge of the outer panel 18a is folded along the entire outer peripheral edge of the outer panel 18a to form a folded-back portion 18c, and the outer panel 18a and the folded-back portion 18c sandwich the entire outer peripheral edge of the inner panel 18b for hemming. . On the other hand, at the lower edge of the cowl garnish 17 facing the upper edge of the front panel 18, a weather strip 28 is provided extending in the vehicle width direction. The weather strip 28 is provided on the inner surface of the front panel 18 when the front panel 18 is closed. It is configured to be in close contact with the folded portion 18d at the upper edge. Weather strip 28 is cowl garnish 1
It is fixed to the lower edge of 7 with an adhesive, a double-sided adhesive tape, a clip, or the like.

The hinge bracket 22 is formed by bending the base end attached to the cowl outer panel 14.
This base end is attached to the cowl outer panel 14 by a bolt 24 and a nut 26. Hinge bracket 22
Is formed so that its tip is near the lower end of the cowl garnish 17, and a through hole 22 a is formed at the tip of the hinge bracket 22. On the other hand, the hinge arm 23 is a small arm 23b formed on the other end side of the hinge arm 23.
And an arm body 23c formed following the small arm 23b. The arm body 23c has a substantially semi-arcuate shape so that the small arm 23a bulges toward the cowl outer panel 14 side along the hinge bracket 22. Is formed.

The small arm 2 which is the other end of the hinge arm 23
An insertion hole (not shown) is formed at the other end of 3b. With the other end of the small arm 23b superposed on the tip of the bracket 22, the hinge pin 27 is inserted into the through hole 22a and the insertion hole.
Is inserted into the hinge bracket 23 so that the other end of the hinge arm 23 is pivotally attached to the tip of the hinge bracket 22.
The pivot point of the hinge bracket 22 is provided near the lower end of the cowl garnish 17. The connection distance of the small arm 23b from the pivot point of the hinge bracket 23 of the hinge arm 23 to the arm body 23c in this embodiment is configured so as to correspond to the radius of a half arc of the arm body 23c.

A bulging portion 18d protruding toward the dash panel 15 is formed on the upper portion of the inner panel 18b (FIGS. 1 and 4), and a through hole 18e (FIG. 1) is formed in the bulging portion 18d. It Further, a nut 18f (FIG. 1) is welded to the surface of the bulging portion 18d facing the outer panel 18a so as to face the through hole 18e. Hinge arm 23
Is formed by die casting of aluminum alloy, and an arm mounting hole 23a is formed at one end of the hinge arm 23 continuous with the arm body 23c so as to face the through hole 18e. The arm mounting hole 23a formed at one end of the arm body 23c is formed in the inner panel 18 of the front panel 18.
One end of the hinge arm 23 is fixed to the front panel 18 by screwing the bolt 35 into the nut 18f via the arm attachment hole 23a and the through hole 18e while facing the through hole 18e of b.

In the hinge structure of the front panel thus constructed, the hinge bracket 22 and the hinge arm 23 are covered with the cowl garnish 17 and the front panel 18 when the front panel 18 is closed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance of the cab 11 as compared with the conventional hinge structure in which a part of the hinge structure is exposed to the outside. Further, since the hinge bracket 22 and the hinge arm 23 are covered with the cowl garnish 17 and the front panel 18, the weather strip 28 provided at the lower edge of the cowl garnish 17 is closed when the front panel 18 is closed.
The weather strip 28 is not crushed by the folds 3 and the folded portion 1 at the upper edge of the inner surface of the front panel 18.
It is possible to effectively prevent intrusion of rainwater and the like by closely contacting with 8d.

The front panel 18 is attached to the cowl outer panel 14 so as to be flipped up. That is, the front panel 18 is flipped up as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and reaches the open state as shown by the two-dot chain line. In this case, the small arm 23b forming the hinge arm 23 rotates about the other end from the state along the hinge bracket 22, and the arm main body 23c formed following the small arm 23b rotates in accordance with the semicircular arc shape. . Here, the pivot point of the hinge arm 23 on the hinge bracket 22 is provided near the lower end of the cowl garnish 17, and the connecting distance of the small arm 23b from the pivot point on the hinge bracket 22 of the hinge arm 23 to the arm body 23c is the arm. Since it is configured to correspond to the radius of the semi-circular arc of the main body 23c, one end of the arm main body 23c rotates near the lower edge of the cowl garnish 17 along the semi-circular arc when the front panel 18 is opened. Flip up the panel 18. The rotation of the arm body 23c is performed by the small arm 23.
It is possible for b to rotate from the state along the hinge bracket 22 to abut on the cowl garnish 17, so that the front panel 18 can be flipped up with a sufficient opening. In this embodiment, the front panel 18 can be flipped up at an angle of about 130 degrees.

In the above embodiment, the small arm 23
Although a is formed along the hinge bracket 22, the small arm 32b is formed on the front panel 18 as shown in FIG.
It may be formed on the other end side of the hinge arm 23 along the inner surface of the cowl garnish 17 in the closed state.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the pivot point of the hinge bracket of the hinge arm is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the cowl garnish, the hinge bracket and the hinge are not closed when the front panel is closed. The arm is covered by a cowl garnish and a front panel. As a result, the appearance can be improved as compared with the conventional hinge structure in which a part of the hinge structure is exposed to the outside. Also, since the hinge bracket and hinge arm are covered by the cowl garnish and the front panel, if a weather strip is provided at the lower edge of the cowl garnish, it will not be crushed by the hinge arm when the front panel is closed, and this weather strip will not be crushed. When the front panel is closed, it can come into close contact with the front panel and effectively prevent the entry of rainwater and the like.

The hinge arm has a small arm formed at the other end of the hinge arm along the inner surface of the cowl garnish or along the hinge bracket when the front panel is closed, and a small arm so as to bulge toward the cowl outer panel side. Since it is configured to have an arm body that is formed in a substantially semi-arcuate shape following the arm, when the front panel is opened, the small arm that constitutes the hinge arm will move from the state along the inner surface of the cowl garnish or the hinge bracket. The other end of the arm rotates around the other end, and the arm body formed following the small arm rotates in accordance with the semicircular arc shape to flip up the front panel. In this case, by making the connecting distance of the small arm from the pivot point of the hinge bracket of the hinge arm to the arm body correspond to the radius of the half arc of the arm body, the front panel can be flipped up with sufficient opening. Become.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3 showing a hinge structure of a front panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cab including a hinge structure of its front panel.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, in which a small arm is formed along the inner surface of the cowl garnish.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional hinge structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 front window 14 cowl outer panel 17 cowl garnish 18 front panel 22 Hinge bracket 23 Hinge arm 23b small arm 23c arm body

Claims (2)

[Claims] A hinge bracket (22) having a base end attached to a cowl outer panel (14) provided along a lower edge of a front window (12), and the hinge bracket (22).
A cowl garnish (17) for covering the cowl outer panel (14) and a hinge arm having one end attached to the upper end of the front panel (18) provided along the lower edge of the cowl garnish (17) ( 23), and the other end of the hinge arm (23) has the hinge bracket (2
2) is a hinge structure of a front panel pivotally attached to the tip of the front panel (18) so that the front panel (18) can be flipped up to the cowl outer panel (14), and the hinge bracket (22) of the hinge arm (23). ) Is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the cowl garnish (17), the hinge arm (23), the inner surface of the cowl garnish (17) or the hinge bracket (23) in the closed state of the front panel (18). 22) along the hinge arm (23)
And a small arm (23b) formed on the other end side of the small arm (23b) so as to bulge toward the cowl outer panel (14) side.
A hinge structure for the front panel, characterized in that the hinge structure has an arm body (23c) formed in a substantially semi-circular shape. 2. The hinge bracket (2) of the hinge arm (23).
Small arm from the pivot point in 2) to the arm body (23c)
The hinge structure for a front panel according to claim 1, wherein a connection distance of (23b) corresponds to a radius of a half arc of the arm body (23c).