JP2009166603A - Hood stopper structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To favorable support an impact load when a hood is closed, to absorb an impact load from the front of a vehicle body, and to use a platform including a radiator in common to vehicles different in aesthetic appearance. <P>SOLUTION: In this hood stopper structure 10, brackets 28R, 28L projecting from the upper surface of a radiator support upper part 22 to the upper side of the vehicle body comprise ridge lines 30, 32 along the vertical direction of the vehicle body, respectively, and have high rigidity against a load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. When impact loads are applied from the front of the vehicle body to the brackets 28R, 28L, these brackets absorb the impacts by being deformed to the rear of the vehicle body. Even if height dimensions of the brackets 28R, 28L are increased, the rigidity of the brackets 28R, 28L can be secured by the ridge lines 30, 32. Consequently, the hood stopper structure is adaptable to the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle (arrangement height of the hood). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile hood stopper structure.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a hood stopper structure for an automobile (see, for example, Patent Document 1), stopper means that functions as a cushioning material when the hood is closed is attached to an upper part of a shroud door upper (radiator support upper). This stopper means is composed of a stopper made of rubber or the like and a support bracket that supports this stopper. The stopper means absorbs impact energy when the hood is closed by elastic deformation of the stopper, and the pedestrian's head and the like When the vehicle collides with the hood from the front side of the vehicle body, the support bracket is deformed to reduce the impact at the time of the collision.
JP 2006-96254 A

  By the way, a vehicle body platform may be shared between vehicles having different appearance designs. In such a case, it is preferable to share the radiator support as a part of the platform. However, since the arrangement height of the hood varies depending on the appearance design of the vehicle, the distance from the hood to the radiator support upper varies depending on the vehicle type. For this reason, when providing a hood stopper structure in the upper part of a radiator support upper, it is necessary to change the height dimension of the above stopper means (support bracket) according to the arrangement | positioning height of a hood.

  Here, if the height of the hood is high, it is necessary to increase the height of the support bracket. Even in such a case, the rigidity of the support bracket against the impact load when the hood is closed and the front side of the vehicle body Therefore, it is necessary to satisfactorily balance the impact absorption (deformability) of the support bracket with respect to the impact load.

  In consideration of the above facts, the present invention can favorably support the impact load when the hood is closed, can absorb the impact load from the front side of the vehicle body, and also supports the radiator support between vehicles having different appearance designs. It is an object to obtain a hood stopper structure for an automobile that can be used in common with other platforms.

  The hood stopper structure for an automobile according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the radiator support upper to the vehicle body upper side, the lower end side is coupled to the radiator support upper, and the ridge line along the vehicle body vertical direction And is provided with a bracket that receives a downward impact load when the hood is closed.

  In the hood stopper structure for an automobile according to the first aspect, the bracket projecting upward from the upper surface of the radiator support upper has a ridge line along the vertical direction of the vehicle body. For this reason, this bracket has high rigidity with respect to the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and can favorably support the downward impact load of the vehicle body that is input when the hood is closed. Moreover, the lower end side of the bracket is coupled to the radiator support upper and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the radiator support upper. For this reason, when an impact is applied to the bracket from the front side of the vehicle body, the impact can be absorbed by the bracket being deformed to the rear side of the vehicle body. Even when the height of the bracket is increased, the ridgeline can ensure the rigidity of the bracket against the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, since the height of the bracket can be changed according to the vehicle exterior design (hood height), etc., the platform including the radiator support upper should be shared between vehicles with different exterior designs. Is possible.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hood stopper structure for an automobile according to the first aspect, wherein the bracket is provided in a pair in the vehicle width direction, and an upper end portion of each bracket. It is characterized by comprising a connecting member for connecting the two.

  In the automobile hood stopper structure according to the second aspect, the pair of brackets are attached to the upper portion of the radiator support upper side by side in the vehicle width direction, and the upper ends of the pair of brackets are connected by the connecting member. For this reason, even when the height dimension of the bracket is high, it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the bracket against the load in the vehicle width direction.

  A hood stopper structure for an automobile according to a third aspect of the present invention is the hood stopper structure for an automobile according to the first or second aspect, wherein the hood is attached to the radiator support upper and restrains the hood at a closed position. It is characterized by having a lock.

  In the hood stopper structure for an automobile according to claim 3, since the hood lock that restrains the hood at the closed position is attached to the radiator support upper, the load input to the hood lock when the hood is closed is input to the bracket. There is no. For this reason, the rigidity of a bracket can be reduced and simplification of a bracket can be achieved.

  A hood stopper structure for an automobile according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the hood stopper structure for an automobile according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the bracket has a load against a load from the front side of the vehicle body. A fragile portion for reducing the rigidity of the bracket is provided.

  In the automobile hood stopper structure according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the rigidity of the bracket against the load from the front side of the vehicle body is lowered by the weakened portion provided in the bracket. For this reason, since the bracket can be easily deformed by an impact load from the front side of the vehicle body, the impact can be effectively absorbed by this deformation.

  As described above, in the automobile hood stopper structure according to the first aspect of the invention, the impact load when the hood is closed can be well supported, and the impact load from the front side of the vehicle body can be absorbed well. In addition, the platform including the radiator support can be shared between vehicles having different appearance designs.

  In the automobile hood stopper structure according to the second aspect of the invention, the rigidity of the bracket against the load in the vehicle width direction can be ensured.

  In the automobile hood stopper structure according to the third aspect of the present invention, the rigidity of the bracket can be reduced, and the bracket can be simplified.

  In the automobile hood stopper structure according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the impact load from the front side of the vehicle body can be effectively absorbed.

  1 and 2 are partial longitudinal sectional views showing the structure of the front portion of a vehicle body 12 of an automobile 12 in which a hood stopper structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is employed. In the figure, an arrow FR indicates the vehicle body front direction, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle body upward direction, and an arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in these drawings, a hood 14 that closes an upper end opening (not shown) of the engine room is provided at the front of the vehicle body of the automobile 12 according to the present embodiment. The hood 14 includes a hood outer panel 16 that constitutes an outer surface of the vehicle body of the hood 14, and a hood inner panel 18 that is disposed on the inner side (back side) of the hood outer panel 16. And the front end edge of the hood inner panel 18 are joined together by hemming. A radiator support 20 to which a radiator (not shown) is attached is disposed below the front end portion of the hood 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the radiator support 14 includes a radiator support upper 22 and a radiator support lower 24 that are arranged vertically in parallel in the vehicle width direction, and right and left connecting both ends in the vehicle width direction in the vertical direction. It has a pair of side frames 26R, 26L and is formed in a frame shape. A front end portion of a front side member (not shown) is coupled to an outer end portion of each side frame 26R, 26L in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the radiator support 20 is attached to the front end portion of the platform of the vehicle body (not shown).

  The radiator support upper 22 includes an upper wall 22A, and a front wall 22B and a rear wall 22C that extend from the front and rear ends of the upper wall 22A toward the vehicle body lower side. It is formed in a U-shaped cross section that opens downward. A pair of left and right brackets 28 </ b> R and 28 </ b> L constituting the hood stopper structure 10 according to the present embodiment are attached to the upper portion of the radiator support upper 22. These brackets 28R, 28L are formed by bending a sheet metal into a U-shaped cross section (open cross-sectional shape), and are arranged symmetrically side by side in the vehicle width direction above the radiator support upper 22. Has been.

  These brackets 28R and 28L include a front wall 28A and a rear wall 28B that are opposed to each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a connecting wall 28C that couples the vehicle width direction inner ends of the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Both are basically formed in the same shape. However, the bracket 28R arranged on the right side of the vehicle body opens to the right side of the vehicle body, and the bracket 28L arranged on the left side of the vehicle body opens to the left side of the vehicle body (formed in a symmetrical shape on the left and right). .

  The front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B of each bracket 28R, 28L protrude below the connecting wall 28C from the vehicle body, and the radiator support upper 22 is sandwiched between the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B. The front wall 28A of each bracket 28R, 28L is joined to the front surface of the front wall 22B of the radiator support upper 22 by spot welding, and the rear wall 22B of each bracket 28R, 28L is connected to the rear wall 22C of the radiator support upper 22. It is joined to the rear surface by spot welding. Thereby, each bracket 28R, 28L is attached to the radiator support upper 22, and each bracket 28R, 28L protrudes from the upper surface of the upper wall 22A to the vehicle body upper side.

  In these brackets 28R and 28L, the connecting portion between the front wall 28A and the connecting wall 28C and the connecting portion between the rear wall 28B and the connecting wall 28C are bent at a substantially right angle. A pair of front and rear ridge lines 30 and 32 along the vertical direction of the vehicle body are provided (see FIG. 4). For this reason, these brackets 28R and 28L have high rigidity against the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

  Further, as described above, the brackets 28R and 28L have upper ends because the lower ends of the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B are coupled to the radiator support upper 22 and protrude from the radiator support upper 22 to the upper side of the vehicle body. When an impact load is input to the side from the front side of the vehicle body (see arrow F1 in FIG. 2), it is configured to deform (fall down) relatively easily toward the rear side of the vehicle body (two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). reference).

  On the other hand, a bumper retainer 34 for supporting a bumper cover 44 to be described later is provided on the vehicle body upper side of the brackets 28R and 28L described above. The bumper retainer 34 is a long member formed by bending a sheet metal, and is arranged with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction. The bumper retainer 34 includes an upper wall 34A, a front wall 34B and a rear wall 34C extending from the front and rear ends of the upper wall 34A toward the vehicle body lower side, and a lower end portion of the rear wall 34C from the vehicle body rear side. And a flange 34D extending toward the end, and spans between the upper end of the bracket 28R and the upper end of the bracket 28L.

  A coupling piece 28D extends from the upper end of the front wall 28A of each bracket 28R, 28L toward the rear side of the vehicle body. The coupling piece 28D is spot welded to the lower surface of the upper wall 34A of the bumper retainer 34. Are combined. Further, a connecting piece 28E extends from the upper end of the rear wall 28B of each bracket 28R, 28L toward the rear of the vehicle body, and this connecting piece 28E is spot welded to the lower surface of the flange 34D of the bumper retainer 34. Are combined. Thus, the upper end portion of the bracket 28R and the upper end portion of the bracket 28L are connected by the bumper retainer 34 in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper wall 34A of the bumper retainer 34 and the coupling piece 28D of the brackets 28R and 28L are inclined so as to rise gently toward the rear side of the vehicle body. The hood 14 is disposed substantially parallel to the front end portion.

  On the other hand, circular stopper mounting holes 36 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) are formed in the upper wall 34A of the bumper retainer 34 at both longitudinal ends thereof. These stopper mounting holes 36 are disposed immediately above the brackets 28R and 28L, and hood stoppers 38 are mounted in the stopper mounting holes 36, respectively. These hood stoppers 38 are formed in a cylindrical shape by an elastic material such as a rubber material or a resin material, and a screw groove (not shown) formed in the outer peripheral portion on the lower end side is formed in the hole edge portion of the stopper mounting hole 36. By screwing together, each stopper mounting hole 36 (bumper retainer 34) is attached.

  Each hood stopper 38 protrudes from the upper wall 34 </ b> A of the bumper retainer 34 to the upper side of the vehicle body, and each upper end surface faces the lower surface of the front end portion of the hood inner panel 18. At the front end of the hood inner panel 18, a stopper abutting portion 18 </ b> A that bulges downward on the vehicle body is provided at a position facing the upper end surface of each hood stopper 38. The stopper contact portions 18A collide with the upper end surfaces of the hood stoppers 38 when the hood 14 is closed, and a downward impact load is input to the hood stoppers 38 (see FIG. 1 arrow F2). The impact load is input to the brackets 28R and 28L via the hood stoppers 38 and the bumper retainer 34, and the hood stoppers 38 are elastically compressed and deformed in the vertical direction of the vehicle body by the impact load F1. For this reason, the elastic compression deformation of each hood stopper 38 absorbs the impact when the hood 14 is closed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a hood for restraining the hood 14 in a closed position (position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) between the brackets 28 </ b> R and 28 </ b> L above the radiator support upper 22. A lock 40 is provided. The hood lock 40 includes a hood lock base 42 attached to the radiator support upper 22, and a latch (not shown) is attached to the hood lock base 42. The latch engages with a striker (not shown) attached to the front end portion of the hood 14 when the hood 14 is closed, whereby the hood 14 is restrained to the closed position. .

  On the other hand, a bumper cover 44 made of a resin material is disposed on the vehicle body front side of the hood lock 40, the bumper retainer 34, the brackets 28R and 28L, and the radiator support 20 described above. The bumper cover 44 constitutes the exterior design of the automobile 10 and is formed in a shape that is integrally continuous with the hood outer panel 16.

  The upper end portion of the bumper cover 44 is provided with a fastening portion 44A that protrudes toward the rear side of the vehicle body. The fastening portion 44A is superimposed on the upper wall 34A of the bumper retainer 34. The fastening portion 44A, the upper wall 34A of the bumper retainer 34, and the coupling piece 28D of the brackets 28R and 28L are fastened by the bolt 46 and the nut 48, so that the bumper cover 44 connects the bumper retainer 34 and the brackets 28R and 28L. And is supported by the radiator support 20.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the hood stopper structure 10 configured as described above, the brackets 28R and 28L attached to the upper side of the radiator support upper 22 have ridge lines 30 and 32 along the vertical direction of the vehicle body. For this reason, these brackets 28R and 28L have high rigidity with respect to the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and the impact load downward (see arrow F2 in FIG. 1) input when the hood 14 is closed is good. Can be supported.

  In addition, the brackets 28R and 28L have lower ends of the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B coupled to the radiator support upper 22, and project from the upper surface of the radiator support upper 22 to the upper side of the vehicle body. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the collision body 50 collides with the front end of the automobile 12 and an impact load directed to the rear side of the vehicle body is input to the upper side of the brackets 28 </ b> R and 28 </ b> L (FIG. 2). In the arrow F1, the brackets 28R and 28L are deformed (fall down) toward the rear side of the vehicle body, so that the impact at the time of the collision can be absorbed.

  Further, in the hood stopper structure 10, even when the height dimensions of the brackets 28R and 28L are increased, the ridgelines 30 and 32 can ensure the rigidity of the brackets 28R and 28L with respect to the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. For this reason, since the height dimension of bracket 28R, 28L can be changed according to the external appearance design (arrangement height of the hood 14) of the motor vehicle 12, the height of the radiator support 20 according to the arrangement height of the hood 14. There is no need to change the dimensions (length dimensions of the side hoods 26R, 26L). Therefore, it is possible to share a platform including the radiator support 20 between vehicles having different appearance designs. This makes it easier to build and adjust the vehicle body and improve productivity.

  In the hood stopper structure 10, the upper ends of the brackets 28 </ b> R and 28 </ b> L arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction are connected in the vehicle width direction by the bumper retainer 34. For this reason, even when the height dimensions of the brackets 28R and 28L are high, the rigidity of the brackets 28R and 28L with respect to the load in the vehicle width direction can be ensured.

  Further, in this hood stopper structure 10, since the hood lock 40 that restrains the hood 14 at the closed position is attached to the radiator support upper 22, the load input to the hood lock 40 when the hood 14 is closed is affected by the brackets 28R, 28L and There is no input to the bumper retainer 34. Therefore, the rigidity of the brackets 28R, 28L and the bumper retainer 34 can be reduced, and the brackets 28R, 28L and the bumper retainer 34 can be simplified and reduced in weight. Further, since the hood lock 40 is disposed below the case where the hood lock 40 is attached to the bumper retainer 34, it is possible to ensure a long deformation stroke of the hood 14 when the collision body 50 collides.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a configuration is provided in which a center brace 52 is provided that connects the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support upper 22 and the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower 24 in the vehicle body vertical direction. It may be. In the case of this example, since the load input to the hood lock 40 when the hood 14 is closed can be supported by the center brace 52, the rigidity of the radiator support upper 22 can be reduced, and the radiator support upper 22 can be simplified. And weight reduction can be achieved.

  In the above embodiment, the bracket 28L may be configured as shown in FIG. 6 (although not shown, the same applies to the bracket 28R). In this modification, flanges 28F and 28G are provided on the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B of the bracket 28L on the side opposite to the connection wall 28C. The flange 28F provided on the front wall 28A protrudes toward the vehicle body front side, and the flange 28G provided on the rear wall 28B protrudes toward the vehicle body rear side. For this reason, ridge lines 62 and 64 are formed along the vertical direction of the vehicle body at the connection portion between the front wall 28A and the flange 28F and the connection portion between the rear wall 28B and the flange 28G. By adding 64, the rigidity of the bracket 28L with respect to the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is improved.

  Further, in this modified example, notches 54 and 56 are formed on the lower ends of the flanges 28F and 28G, and weak portions 58 and 60 are provided at positions corresponding to these notches 54 and 56, respectively. The fragile portions 58 and 60 are disposed at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the radiator support upper 22 in a state where the bracket 28L is attached to the upper portion of the radiator support upper 22. Therefore, in this modification, the rigidity of the bracket 28L with respect to the load from the front side of the vehicle body is reduced by these weak portions 58, 60, and when an impact load is input from the front side of the vehicle body to the bracket 28L. In this case, the deformation of the bracket 28L is promoted by the breakage of the fragile portions 58 and 60. Therefore, in this modified example, although the rigidity of the bracket 28L is improved by the addition of the ridges 62 and 64, the ease of deformation (impact absorbability) of the bracket 28L is ensured satisfactorily by the fragile portions 58 and 60. be able to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the above-described notches 54 and 56 may be omitted, and a hole 66 (a long hole here) may be formed on the lower end side of the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B. Even in this modified example, the periphery of the hole 66 (long hole) in the front wall 28A and the rear wall 28B becomes the fragile portion 68, so that the deformability (impact absorbability) of the bracket 28L is improved as in the above-described modified example. It can be ensured satisfactorily.

  Note that the configurations of the brackets 28R and 28L and the bumper retainer 34 are not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the weakened portion provided in the brackets 28R and 28L is provided on either the front wall 28B or the rear wall 28B. The setting can be changed as appropriate.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the vehicle body front part of the motor vehicle by which the hood stopper structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention was employ | adopted. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating the state which the collision body collided with the vehicle body front part of the motor vehicle. 1 is a perspective view of a radiator support configured by applying a hood stopper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the bracket which comprises the hood stopper structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the radiator support shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st modification of the bracket shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd modification of the bracket shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Automotive Hood Stopper Structure 14 Hood 22 Radiator Support Upper 28R, 28L Bracket 30, 32 Edge 34 Bumper Retainer (Connecting Member)
40 Food lock 58, 60 Vulnerable portion 68 Vulnerable portion

Claims (4)

  Protruding from the upper surface of the radiator support upper to the upper side of the vehicle body, the lower end side is coupled to the radiator support upper, and a ridge line is provided along the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and a downward impact load is input when the hood is closed. Automobile hood stopper structure with bracket.   2. The automobile hood stopper structure according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the brackets are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction, and a connecting member that connects an upper end portion of each bracket is provided.   The hood stopper structure for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a hood lock attached to the radiator support upper and restraining the hood at a closed position.   The hood stopper for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bracket is provided with a fragile portion that reduces the rigidity of the bracket against a load from the front side of the vehicle body. Construction.

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