JP2016083957A - Vehicle pop-up hood device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promptly lift a hood.SOLUTION: In a vehicle pop-up hood device 20, a hinge arm 30 is rotatably connected to a hinge base 26. Furthermore, a front end section of a connecting arm 50 is rotatably connected to a front end section 30B of the hinge arm 30 by a second connecting pin 62, and a rear end section of the connecting arm 50 is rotatably connected to a front end section of a fixed arm 40 fixed to a rear end section of a hood 10 by a third connecting pin 64. With this configuration, when a rear end section of the fixed arm 40 is lifted up relatively to the hinge arm 30 by an actuator 70, the front end section of the fixed arm 40 is also lifted up relatively to the hinge arm 30 along a rotation locus L3. As a result, the depression of a front end section of the hood 10 that occurs when the hood 10 is lifted is suppressed, so that it is possible to promptly lift the hood 10 up to a lifting position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle pop-up hood device.

  A vehicle pop-up hood device described in Patent Document 1 below includes a fixing member (fixed arm) fixed to a hood, a second hinge portion (hinge base) fixed to a vehicle body, a second hinge portion, and a fixing member. And a swinging member (hinge arm) for connecting the two. The swing member is provided with a piston cylinder unit (actuator), and the piston of the piston cylinder unit is connected to the fixed member. Then, when the piston cylinder unit is operated, the piston lifts the fixing member, and the hood is lifted to the lifting position. In addition, there exists a thing described in the following patent document 2 as a pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles.

Japanese Patent No. 4887512 JP 2008-542123 A

  However, the vehicle pop-up hood device described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in the following points. That is, when the fixing member (hood) is lifted by the piston cylinder unit, the hood tends to rotate around the front end portion (the connecting portion between the fixing member and the swinging member) of the fixing member. For this reason, the hood is lifted so that the front end of the hood once sinks. Thereby, the lifting time of the hood may be increased.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle pop-up hood device that can quickly lift the hood in consideration of the above facts.

  The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 1 is connected to a hinge base fixed to the vehicle body at a vehicle lower side of a rear end portion of the hood, and rotatably connected to the hinge base by a first connecting portion at a rear end side. Hinged arm, a fixed arm fixed to the rear end of the hood, and spanned between the hinge arm and the fixed arm at a position on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the first connecting portion to operate. An actuator that lifts the hood to a lifted position, and is disposed on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the actuator, and is pivotally connected to the hinge arm by a second connecting portion and fixed by a third connecting portion. A connecting arm rotatably connected to the arm.

  In the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to the first aspect, the hinge base is fixed to the vehicle body at the vehicle lower side of the rear end portion of the hood. A hinge arm is rotatably connected to the hinge base by a first connecting portion on the rear end side of the hinge base. On the other hand, a fixed arm is fixed to the rear end of the hood. An actuator is bridged between the fixed arm and the hinge arm, and the actuator is disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the first connecting portion.

  Here, a connecting arm is disposed on the vehicle front side of the actuator, and the connecting arm is rotatably connected to the hinge arm by the second connecting portion and can be rotated to the fixed arm by the third connecting portion. It is connected to. That is, the front end side of the fixed arm is connected to the hinge arm via the connecting arm. For this reason, it can comprise so that the front end side of a fixed arm may be relatively moved to the vehicle upper side with respect to a hinge arm by relative rotation with respect to a hinge arm of a connection arm. Accordingly, when the fixed arm is lifted by the actuator, the front end side of the fixed arm is moved relative to the hinge arm relative to the vehicle upper side. As a result, the sinking of the front end of the hood is suppressed when the hood is lifted. Therefore, the hood can be quickly lifted.

  A vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to a second aspect is the invention according to the first aspect, wherein the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the third connecting portion.

  In the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to the second aspect, the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the third connecting portion. That is, the front end side of the connecting arm is pivotally connected to the hinge arm by the second connecting portion, and the rear end side of the connecting arm is rotatably connected to the fixed arm by the third connecting portion. For this reason, when the hood is lifted to the lifting position, the connecting arm is rotated about the second connecting portion on the front end side as the rotation center, so that the hood once moves to the rear side of the vehicle and then moves to the lifting position. Can be lifted. Thereby, since the hood moves in the direction in which the hood once leaves the pedestrian who falls on the hood when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle, the protection performance for the pedestrian can be improved.

  A vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to a third aspect is the invention according to the first aspect, wherein the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the third connecting portion.

  In the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to claim 3, the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the third connecting portion. That is, the rear end side of the connecting arm is pivotally connected to the hinge arm by the second connecting portion, and the front end portion of the connecting arm is pivotally connected to the fixed arm by the third connecting portion. For this reason, the physique (dimension of the vehicle front-back direction) of a hinge arm can be made small compared with the case where a 2nd connection part is arrange | positioned with respect to a 3rd connection part at the vehicle front side.

  A vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the hinge arm is formed with a long hole whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle front-rear direction. The second connecting portion is slidably connected to the long hole.

  In the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the second connecting portion is slidably connected to a long hole formed in the hinge arm. For this reason, when the fixed arm is lifted by the actuator, the connecting arm can be swung corresponding to the relative position of the fixed arm with respect to the hinge arm.

  According to the pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to the first aspect, the hood can be quickly lifted.

  According to the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus of the second aspect, for example, the protection performance against a pedestrian who falls on the hood can be improved.

  According to the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus of the third aspect, the physique of the hinge arm can be reduced.

  According to the pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to the fourth aspect, the connecting arm can be swung corresponding to the relative position of the fixed arm to the hinge arm.

It is a side view for demonstrating the setting position of the connection arm used for the pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this Embodiment. It is the typical side view seen from the vehicle width direction inner side which shows the front part of the vehicle to which the pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles concerning this embodiment was applied. It is the expanded side view which shows the whole pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles shown by FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the vehicle pop-up hood device shown in FIG. 3 is activated. It is a typical side view which shows the whole vehicle pop-up hood apparatus of a comparative example. (A) is a side view which shows the modification of the connection method of the 2nd connection pin and hinge arm shown by FIG. 3, (B) is the state which the pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles shown by (A) act | operated FIG.

  Hereinafter, the vehicle pop-up hood apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. An arrow FR and an arrow UP that are appropriately shown in the drawings indicate the vehicle front side and the vehicle upper side of the vehicle V to which the vehicle pop-up hood device 20 is applied, respectively. In the following description, when simply using front and rear and up and down directions, unless otherwise specified, front and rear in the vehicle front and rear direction and up and down in the vehicle up and down direction are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle pop-up hood device 20 is configured with a pop-up mechanism 22 as a main part. The pop-up mechanism 22 is provided below the both sides in the vehicle width direction at the rear end of the hood 10 that opens and closes the engine room ER (in FIG. 2, only the pop-up mechanism 22 arranged on the right side of the vehicle). Is shown). And the pop-up mechanism part 22 each arrange | positioned at the vehicle right side and the vehicle left side is comprised symmetrically in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, in the following description, the structure of the pop-up mechanism part 22 arrange | positioned at the vehicle right side is demonstrated, and description of the structure of the pop-up mechanism part 22 arrange | positioned at the vehicle left side is abbreviate | omitted.

  The pop-up mechanism 22 includes a hood hinge 24 that supports the hood 10 so that the hood 10 can be opened and closed, and an actuator 70 that operates when the pedestrian or other collision object collides. Hereinafter, the configuration of the hood 10 will be described first, and then each of the above configurations will be described.

(About food 10)
The hood 10 includes a hood outer panel 10A that constitutes a design surface, and a hood inner panel 10B that is disposed on the engine room ER side and reinforces the hood outer panel 10A. Combined by processing. In addition, the rear end side (rear part side) of the hood inner panel 10B bulges downward, whereby a bulge portion 12 is formed on the rear end side of the hood 10.

  A hood striker 14 is provided at an intermediate portion in the vehicle width direction at the front end portion of the hood 10, and the hood striker 14 projects downward from the hood 10. The hood striker 14 is formed in a substantially U shape that is opened upward in a side view, and the open end of the hood striker 14 is joined to the hood 10. And the lower end part of the food striker 14 is made into the latching | locking part 14A, and the latching | locking part 14A is extended in the front-back direction. In the state where the hood 10 closes the engine room ER (the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this position is hereinafter referred to as “closed position”), the hood striker 14 is engaged with the hood lock device 18. ing. Thereby, the front-end part of the hood 10 is being fixed to the vehicle body.

(About the hood hinge 24)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hood hinge 24 includes a hinge base 26, a hinge arm 30, a fixed arm 40, and a connecting arm 50. The hinge base 26 is formed in a substantially inverted L-shaped plate shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and is formed in a substantially V-shape that is opened obliquely forward and upward when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. The hinge base 26 includes a plate-like attachment portion 26A extending along the front-rear direction. The mounting portion 26A is disposed on the upper surface portion 16A of the cowl top side 16 that is the vehicle body side component, with the plate thickness direction being substantially vertical. The cowl top side 16 is provided on both sides of the cowl extending along the vehicle width direction between the rear end side of the hood 10 and the lower end portion of the windshield glass. The mounting portion 26A is fixed to the upper surface portion 16A by mounting bolts (not shown). Further, the hinge base 26 is provided with a support portion 26B, and the support portion 26B is bent upward from the inner end portion in the vehicle width direction of the mounting portion 26A, and is arranged with the plate thickness direction being substantially the vehicle width direction. .

  The hinge arm 30 is disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the hinge base 26 and is formed in a substantially inverted triangular plate shape in a side view. Specifically, the hinge arm 30 includes a lower end portion 30A, a front end portion 30B disposed on the front side and the upper side of the lower end portion 30A, and a rear end portion disposed on the rear side and the upper side of the lower end portion 30A in a side view. It is formed in a substantially inverted triangular plate shape with 30C as a vertex. Further, the rear end portion 30C of the hinge arm 30 is connected to the upper end portion of the support portion 26B of the hinge base 26 so as to be rotatable about the vehicle width direction as a first connection pin 60 as a “first connection portion”. Has been. Accordingly, the hinge arm 30 is configured to be rotatable around the axis of the first connecting pin 60.

  The lower end 30A of the hinge arm 30 is provided with a connecting shaft 32 that rotatably supports a lower end of an actuator 70 described later. The connecting shaft 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, and protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the hinge arm 30. Furthermore, the hinge arm 30 is provided with a shear pin 34 (see FIG. 3) at a position on the rear side of the front end portion 30B. The shear pin 34 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and extends from the hinge arm 30 to the vehicle width. Projected inward.

  The fixed arm 40 is formed in a plate shape that is bent in a substantially inverted L shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and is disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the hinge arm 30 and at the lower end of the hinge arm 30 when viewed from the side. It is arranged on the upper side with respect to 30A. Specifically, the fixed arm 40 includes an arm main body portion 42 arranged in parallel with the hinge arm 30 and a fixed portion 44 extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the arm main body portion 42. Has been. The fixing portion 44 extends substantially in the front-rear direction along the lower surface of the bulging portion 12 of the hood 10. The fixing portion 44 is fastened (fixed) to the bulging portion 12 by a weld nut (not shown) fixed to the upper surface of the bulging portion 12 and a hinge bolt (not shown) screwed to the weld nut. Yes.

  Further, the front end portion of the arm main body portion 42 is disposed on the rear side of the front end portion 30 </ b> B of the hinge arm 30. That is, the front end portion 30 </ b> B of the hinge arm 30 projects forward from the arm main body portion 42. A projecting portion 42A that projects downward in a side view is integrally formed at the front end portion of the arm main body portion 42. A third connecting pin 64 as a “third connecting portion” is fixed to the projecting portion 42 </ b> A with the vehicle width direction as an axial direction. When the hood 10 is in the closed position, the third connecting pin 64 is connected to the hinge arm 30. It is arranged on the rear side and the lower side with respect to the front end portion 30B (see FIG. 3).

  Further, a connecting shaft 46 for connecting a piston rod 76 described later is integrally provided at the rear end of the arm main body 42. The connecting shaft 46 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the arm main body 42, and is connected to the connecting shaft 32 of the hinge arm 30 in a side view. It is arranged on the upper side and the rear side. Furthermore, a hole 48 is formed in the arm main body 42 at a position corresponding to the shear pin 34 of the hinge arm 30, and the share pin 34 is inserted into the hole 48, so that the fixed arm 40, the hinge arm 30, Are combined.

  The connecting arm 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is disposed with the vehicle width direction being the plate thickness direction, and is disposed between the arm main body 42 of the fixed arm 40 and the hinge arm 30. That is, in the hood hinge 24, the hinge base 26, the hinge arm 30, the connecting arm 50, and the fixed arm 40 are arranged in this order from the vehicle width direction outer side to the vehicle width direction inner side.

  The front end portion of the connecting arm 50 is connected to the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 so as to be rotatable about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction by a second connecting pin 62 as a “second connecting portion”. Accordingly, the connecting arm 50 is configured to be rotatable relative to the hinge arm 30 around the axis of the second connecting pin 62.

  On the other hand, the rear end portion of the connecting arm 50 is connected to the protruding portion 42 </ b> A at the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 so as to be rotatable about the vehicle width direction as an axial direction by a third connecting pin 64. As a result, the fixed arm 40 is connected to the hinge arm 30 via the connection arm 50, and relative movement of the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 to the upper side with respect to the hinge arm 30 is allowed by the connection arm 50. . Specifically, when the fixed arm 40 moves upward relative to the hinge arm 30 (see the state shown in FIG. 4), the connecting arm 50 moves around the axis of the third connecting pin 64 with respect to the fixed arm 40. In addition to the relative rotation, the connecting arm 50 rotates relative to the hinge arm 30 upward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3) with the second connecting pin 62 as the rotation center. When the hinge arm 30 and the fixed arm 40 are connected by the connecting arm 50, the connecting arm 50 is disposed so as to be inclined downwardly toward the rear side in a side view when the hood 10 is closed (see FIG. 3).

  The hood hinge 24 configured as described above is essentially a hinge part for supporting the hood 10 so as to be openable and closable on the body (vehicle body), but in the present embodiment, the vehicle pop-up hood device 20 is used. It is also a component of That is, at the normal time, the relative movement and relative rotation of the fixed arm 40 and the connecting arm 50 with respect to the hinge arm 30 are restricted by the shear pin 34 and an actuator 70 which will be described later, and when the hood 10 is opened and closed, the hinge arm 30 and the fixed arm 40 and the connecting arm 50 are integrally rotated upward (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3) with the first connecting pin 60 as the center of rotation.

(About the actuator 70)
The actuator 70 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the fixed arm 40. The actuator 70 includes a cylinder 72 and a piston rod 76. The cylinder 72 is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape with an upper end opened. A cylinder connecting portion 74 is integrally provided at the lower end portion of the cylinder 72, and the cylinder connecting portion 74 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the vehicle width direction as an axial direction. The connecting shaft 32 of the hinge arm 30 is inserted into the cylinder connecting portion 74, and the lower end portion of the cylinder 72 is connected to the hinge arm 30 so as to be relatively rotatable.

  The piston rod 76 is a straight rod-like member and is accommodated in the cylinder 72 and is disposed coaxially with the cylinder 72. A piston (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the piston rod 76, and the piston is tightly accommodated in the cylinder 72.

  Further, a rod connecting portion 78 is integrally provided at the upper end portion of the piston rod 76, and the rod connecting portion 78 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the vehicle width direction as an axial direction. Then, the connecting shaft 46 of the fixed arm 40 is inserted into the rod connecting portion 78, and the upper end portion of the piston rod 76 is connected to the fixed arm 40 so as to be relatively rotatable. Thereby, the actuator 70 is bridged between the lower end portion 30 </ b> A of the hinge arm 30 and the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40, and the hinge arm 30 and the fixed arm 40 are connected by the actuator 70. Further, in this state, the actuator 70 is disposed on the rear side with respect to the connecting arm 50 and is inclined rearward as it goes upward in a side view (see FIG. 3).

  A gas generator (not shown) is accommodated in the cylinder 72. This gas generator is electrically connected to an ECU (control means) (not shown), and the ECU is electrically connected to a collision detection sensor that detects a collision with a collision object such as a pedestrian. This collision detection sensor is configured as a pressure tube type detection sensor as an example, a pressure tube disposed in a bumper reinforcement of a bumper (not shown), a pressure sensor provided at both longitudinal ends of the pressure tube, It is comprised including.

  Then, when the gas generation device of the actuator 70 is operated under the control of the ECU from the non-operating state of the actuator 70 (the state shown in FIG. 3), the gas generated by the gas generation device is supplied into the cylinder 72 and The piston rises along the axial direction of the cylinder 72 by the gas pressure. Accordingly, the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40 is lifted upward by the rod connecting portion 78 of the piston rod 76, and the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position (position shown in FIG. 4).

  In addition, a lock mechanism (not shown) is accommodated in the actuator 70, and the movement of the piston rod 76 that has moved to the lifting position is restricted by the locking mechanism, so that the hood 10 is held at the lifting position. ing.

(Regarding the setting position of the connecting arm 50)
Next, the setting position of the connecting arm 50 (the second connecting pin 62 and the third connecting pin 64) will be described with reference to FIG. That is, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, the position of the third connecting pin 64 (the rear end portion of the connecting arm 50) in the closed position of the hood 10 is the P1 position. Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the position of the third connecting pin 64 at the lifting position of the hood 10 is the P2 position. The lifting position of the hood 10 is lifted up to a target height (set height) with the rear end of the hood 10 as a target, with the front end of the hood 10 (the locking portion 14A of the hood striker 14) being the center of rotation. It is the position when. For this reason, the P1 position and the P2 position of the third connection pin 64 are determined based on the rotation locus L1 of the third connection pin 64 with the front end of the hood 10 as the rotation center (the line L1 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1). See). Note that the rotation locus L1 shown in FIG. 1 is exaggerated (smaller than the actual radius of curvature) for convenience.

  And the position which is equidistant from P1 position and P2 position of the 3rd connection pin 64 by side view is made into the setting position of the 2nd connection pin 62 (front end part of the connection arm 50). Specifically, an overhead line L2 that connects the P1 position and the P2 position of the third connecting pin 64 in a straight line is drawn. Further, an orthogonal line VL passing through a point C that is orthogonal to the overhead line L2 and bisects the overhead line L2 is drawn. And the 2nd connection pin 62 is set in the position on the orthogonal line VL in the front side with respect to the overhead line L2. The front-rear position of the second connecting pin 62 (that is, the length in the longitudinal direction of the connecting arm 50) is related to the relationship between the hood hinge 24 and its peripheral parts in various vehicles, and the hood 10 when the hood 10 is lifted. It is set appropriately according to the behavior and the like. As described above, in the state where the hood 10 is disposed at the closed position, the connecting arm 50 is disposed on the front side with respect to the actuator 70 and is inclined downward as it moves rearward in a side view. The second connecting pin 62 is arranged on the front side with respect to the third connecting pin 64.

  When the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position by the actuator 70, the fixed arm 40 is moved relative to the hinge arm 30 upward. At this time, the third connection pin 64 displaces the rear end portion of the connection arm 50 together with the front end portion of the fixed arm 40, and the connection arm 50 moves relative to the hinge arm 30 about the second connection pin 62. Thus, it is relatively rotated upward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1). That is, when the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position by the actuator 70, the rotation locus L3 of the third connection pin 64 with the second connection pin 62 as the rotation center (the line L3 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. The front end portion of the fixed arm 40 moves along the reference), and the entire fixed arm 40 and the rear end portion of the hood 10 move relative to the hinge arm 30 upward. At this time, the hinge arm 30 is set so as to hardly rotate relative to the hinge base 26.

  As described above, the rotation locus L1 is the rotation locus of the third connection pin 64 with the front end portion of the hood 10 as the rotation center, and the rotation locus L3 has the second connection pin 62 as the rotation center. It is a rotation locus of the 3rd connecting pin 64 to do. For this reason, the curvature radius of the rotation locus L3 is smaller than the curvature radius of the rotation locus L1. Thereby, when the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position, the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position while moving in the front-rear direction due to the difference in the radius of curvature. In contrast, the locking portion 14A of the hood striker 14 extends in the front-rear direction. For this reason, when the hood 10 is lifted, the front end portion of the hood 10 is configured to be movable with respect to the hood lock device 18 by the length of the front and rear of the locking portion 14A. Thereby, the movement of the hood 10 in the front-rear direction when the hood 10 is lifted is allowed.

  Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  The state shown in FIG. 3 is the non-operating state of the vehicle pop-up hood device 20. In this state, since the actuator 70 is in an inoperative state, most of the piston rod 76 is accommodated in the cylinder 72 of the actuator 70. Further, a rod connecting portion 78 at the front end portion of the piston rod 76 is rotatably connected to the connecting shaft 46 at the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40.

  From this state, when a collision object such as a pedestrian collides with the vehicle V, the collision detection sensor detects a front collision with the collision object, and a collision signal is output from the collision detection sensor to the ECU. The ECU determines whether or not the vehicle pop-up hood device 20 should be operated based on the input collision signal, and if it determines that the vehicle pop-up hood device 20 should be operated, an operation signal is output to the actuator 70. The As a result, the gas generation device of the actuator 70 is operated, and gas is supplied into the cylinder 72. When gas is supplied into the cylinder 72, the piston rod 76 moves in the axial direction toward the tip end side (that is, the upper side) in the axial direction of the cylinder 72 due to the gas pressure in the cylinder 72.

  Then, when the piston rod 76 moves in the axial direction upward, the shear pin 34 of the hinge arm 30 is broken, and the coupled state of the hinge arm 30 and the fixed arm 40 by the shear pin 34 is released. As a result, the fixed arm 40 moves upward relative to the hinge arm 30, and the hood 10 is lifted to the lifted position (see FIG. 4). Then, the movement of the piston rod 76 is limited by the lock mechanism of the actuator 70, and the hood 10 is held in the lifting position.

  Next, the behavior of the hood 10 when the hood 10 is lifted from the closed position to the lifting position will be described in comparison with the case where the hood hinge 24 of the comparative example shown in FIG. 5 is used. In FIG. 5, parts that are configured in the same manner as the present embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the comparative example hood hinge 24 shown in FIG. 5, the connecting arm 50 and the second connecting pin 62 in this embodiment are omitted. That is, the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 extends to the front side and is rotatably connected to the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 by the third connection pin 64.

  When the actuator 70 is operated in the comparative example, the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40 is lifted upward by the rod connecting portion 78 of the piston rod 76. At this time, since the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is rotatably connected to the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 by the third connection pin 64, the fixed arm 40 is hinged with the third connection pin 64 as the rotation center. An attempt is made to rotate relative to the arm 30 upward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5). As a result, the rear end portion of the hood 10 tends to rotate upward with the third connecting pin 64 as the rotation center as the fixed arm 40 rotates, so that the front end portion of the hood 10 moves downward (see FIG. 5). It sinks in the direction of arrow D).

  On the other hand, since the front end portion (hood striker 14) of the hood 10 is locked by the hood lock device 18, the front end portion of the hood 10 is not actually displaced downward. That is, the fixed arm 40 cannot rotate relative to the hinge arm 30 in the state in which the hinge arm 30 is still placed at the initial position (the position shown in FIG. 5). For this reason, the fixed arm 40 rotates relative to the hinge arm 30 upward while the hinge arm 30 rotates upward (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5) with the first connecting pin 60 as the rotational center. The rear end of the hood 10 is lifted upward.

  At this time, a rotational force about the third connecting pin 64 acts on the hood 10 by the actuator 70. For this reason, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the rear-end part of the food | hood 10 is lifted up, curving the food | hood 10 so that the front-back direction intermediate part of the food | hood 10 may protrude below in a side view. Thereby, in the hood hinge 24 of the comparative example, there is a possibility that the lifting time until the hood 10 is lifted from the closed position to the lifting position becomes longer than the target time. As a result, when the head of the pedestrian who falls on the hood 10 hits the hood 10, the lifting of the hood 10 may not be completed. In this case, in order to bring the lifting time closer to the target time, it is necessary to increase the output of the actuator 70 (gas pressure by the gas generator). As a result, the actuator 70 may be increased in size.

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end portion of the connecting arm 50 is rotatably connected to the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 by the second connecting pin 62. A rear end portion of the connecting arm 50 is rotatably connected to a front end portion of the fixed arm 40 by a third connecting pin 64. That is, the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is connected to the hinge arm 30 via the connecting arm 50. More specifically, the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is connected to the hinge arm 30 along the rotation locus L3 of the rear end portion (third connection pin 64) of the connection arm 50 with the second connection pin 62 as the rotation center. On the other hand, it is configured to be relatively movable upward.

  Therefore, when the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40 is lifted relative to the hinge arm 30 by the actuator 70, the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is also lifted relative to the hinge arm 30 (see FIG. (See the fixed arm 40 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). At this time, the rear end portion of the connection arm 50 is displaced upward together with the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 while rotating around the axis of the third connection pin 64. Further, the connecting arm 50 is rotated relative to the hinge arm 30 upward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) with the second connecting pin 62 as a rotation center. As a result, since the sinking of the front end portion of the hood 10 during the lifting of the hood 10 is suppressed, the hood 10 can be quickly lifted to the lifting position as compared with the comparative example. Therefore, the pedestrian's head that falls on the hood 10 can be brought into contact after the lifting of the hood 10 is completed. Thereby, the protection performance with respect to a pedestrian's head can be improved. Furthermore, since the hood 10 can be lifted quickly, it is not necessary to increase the output of the actuator 70 (gas pressure by the gas generator) as compared with the comparative example. Thereby, the enlargement of the actuator 70 can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position, the front end portion (third connection pin 64) of the fixed arm 40 is on the rotation locus L1 with the front end portion of the hood 10 as the rotation center. Placed in. For this reason, the hood 10 can be lifted to a target set height without increasing the stroke of the piston rod 76 of the actuator 70.

  That is, in the comparative example, as described above, when the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position, the hinge arm 30 rotates upward with the first connecting pin 60 as the rotation center, and the fixed arm 40 is hinge arm. It is rotated relative to 30. That is, at the lifting position of the hood 10, the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 is displaced rearward compared to the initial position. Thereby, in the lifting position of the hood 10, the hood 10 tends to be pulled (displaced) to the rear side, and there is a possibility that a gap between the hood 10 and the parts in the engine room ER cannot be secured. For this reason, it is necessary to lengthen the stroke of the piston rod 76 of the actuator 70 and lift the hood 10 to a target height.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the fixed arm 40 moves upward relative to the hinge arm 30, and at the lifting position of the hood 10, The connecting pin 64) is disposed on the rotation locus L1 with the front end of the hood 10 as the rotation center. For this reason, displacement of the lifting position of the hood 10 to the rear side with respect to the closed position of the hood 10 is suppressed. Therefore, the hood 10 can be lifted to a target set height without increasing the stroke of the piston rod 76 of the actuator 70 as compared with the comparative example. As a result, the actuator 70 can be prevented from becoming large in the longitudinal direction.

  In the present embodiment, the second connecting pin 62 is disposed on the front side of the third connecting pin 64. For this reason, when the hood 10 is lifted by the actuator 70, the rear end portion of the connecting arm 50 (the front end portion of the fixed arm 40) moves upward along the rotation locus L3, and the hood 10 is lifted to the lifting position. It is done. Specifically, the hood 10 is once moved to the rear side between the closed position and the lifting position and then lifted to the lifting position. For this reason, when the rear end portion of the hood 10 is lifted by the actuator 70, the hood 10 is once moved in the direction in which the pedestrian falls on the hood 10 in the direction of separating and then lifted to the lifting position. Thereby, the protection performance with respect to the pedestrian who falls on the hood 10 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the second connecting pin 62 is disposed on the front side of the third connecting pin 64, but the second connecting pin 62 may be disposed on the rear side of the third connecting pin 64. That is, although illustration is omitted, the second connecting pin 62 may be disposed so as to be positioned on the rear side and on the orthogonal line VL with respect to the overhead line L2. Further, in this case, the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30 is disposed on the rear side as compared with the present embodiment, and the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is protruded forward with respect to the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30. In addition, the front and rear positions of the connecting arm 50 may be set as appropriate so that the connecting arm 50 and the actuator 70 do not interfere with each other. Thereby, compared with this Embodiment, the physique (especially dimension of the front-back direction) of the hinge arm 30 can be set small. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to downsizing the installation space of the hinge base 24.

  In the present embodiment, the connecting arm 50 is connected to the hinge arm 30 by the second connecting pin 62 so as to be rotatable. However, the second connecting pin 62 is connected to the hinge arm 30 so as to be movable relative to the hinge arm 30. May be. For example, this modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B as a case where the second connecting pin 62 is disposed on the rear side of the third connecting pin 64. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, components that are configured in the same manner as in this embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  That is, as shown in this figure, in this modification, a substantially straight long hole 36 having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction is formed through the front end portion 30B of the hinge arm 30. The second connecting pin 62 is slidably connected to the long hole 36. And in the closed position of the food | hood 10, the 2nd connection pin 62 is arrange | positioned at the rear-end part (one end part) of the long hole 36. FIG.

  When the gas generator of the actuator 70 is activated, the rear end portion of the fixed arm 40 is lifted relatively upward with respect to the hinge arm 30 by the piston rod 76 as in the present embodiment. As a result, the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 is also lifted upward relative to the hinge arm 30. At this time, the front end portion of the connection arm 50 is displaced upward together with the front end portion of the fixed arm 40 while rotating around the axis of the third connection pin 64. Further, the connecting arm 50 rotates relative to the hinge arm 30 around the axis of the second connecting pin 62 while the second connecting pin 62 slides forward (in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 6A). Thereby, also in this modification, when the hood 10 is lifted by the actuator 70, the sinking of the front end portion of the hood 10 is suppressed, so that the hood 10 can be lifted quickly.

  In the above modification, the second connecting pin 62 (that is, the rear end portion of the connecting arm 50) slides forward along the long hole 36 as the fixed arm 40 moves upward relative to the hinge arm 30. To do. Therefore, when the fixed arm 40 is lifted upward with respect to the hinge arm 30 by the actuator 70, the connecting arm 50 can be swung in accordance with the relative position of the fixed arm 40 with respect to the hinge arm 30. Thereby, the hood 10 can be lifted to the lifting position so that the turning locus of the third connecting pin 64 when the hood 10 is turned is brought closer to the turning locus L1.

  In the above modification, the long hole 36 extends linearly in the front-rear direction. However, in order to correspond to the relative position of the fixed arm 40 with respect to the hinge arm 30, for example, the long hole 36 is slightly lowered downward in a side view. You may make it curve so that it may become convex.

  In the above modification, the second connection pin 62 is disposed on the rear side of the third connection pin 64, but the second connection pin 62 is disposed on the front side of the third connection pin 64 as in the present embodiment. It may be arranged. In this case, the second connecting pin 62 is disposed at the front end of the long hole 36 at the closed position of the hood 10.

  Further, in the above modification, a notch portion opened upward is formed at the front end portion (the other end portion) of the long hole 36, and when the hood 10 is lifted up, the second connecting pin 62 is You may comprise so that it may engage with the said notch part. Thereby, the movement of the second connecting pin 62 in the front-rear direction when the hood 10 is lifted up can be restricted by the notch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Hood 20 Pop-up hood apparatus 24 for vehicles Hood Hood 26 Hinge base 30 Hinge arm 36 Long hole 40 Fixed arm 50 Connection arm 60 1st connection pin (1st connection part)
62 2nd connection pin (2nd connection part)
64 3rd connection pin (3rd connection part)
70 Actuator

Claims (4)

A hinge base fixed to the vehicle body at the vehicle lower side of the rear end of the hood;
A hinge arm rotatably connected to the hinge base by a first connecting portion on the rear end side;
A fixed arm fixed to the rear end of the hood;
An actuator that is bridged between the hinge arm and the fixed arm at a position on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the first connecting portion, and lifts the hood to a lifted position by operating;
A connecting arm that is disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the actuator, is rotatably connected to the hinge arm by a second connecting portion, and is rotatably connected to the fixed arm by a third connecting portion;
Pop-up hood device for vehicles equipped with.   The vehicle pop-up hood apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the third connecting portion.   The vehicle pop-up hood device according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting portion is disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the third connecting portion.   4. The hinge arm is formed with a long hole whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the second connecting portion is slidably connected to the long hole. The pop-up hood apparatus for vehicles as described in a term.