JP4072609B2 - Vehicle hood device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle hood device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle hood device that protects a pedestrian by lifting a predetermined amount of a vehicle hood that covers an upper portion of an engine room provided in the vehicle by a lifting means in an emergency.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When a traveling vehicle collides with a pedestrian at a predetermined speed, the lower body of the pedestrian may be struck by a bumper of the vehicle, and the pedestrian's head may collide with the surface of the hood. Thus, various vehicle hood devices have been proposed in order to reduce damage to pedestrians due to collisions.
[0003]
As an example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 9-315266 proposes a vehicle hood device that alleviates an impact caused by a pedestrian's secondary collision with a vehicle. The vehicle hood device includes a pedestrian collision detection unit that is provided on a vehicle body and detects a collision with a pedestrian, a hood lifting and holding unit that lifts the hood by a predetermined amount and holds the hood at the lifted position, and the pedestrian It comprises control means for operating the hood lifting and holding means when a pedestrian collides with the vehicle body by an output from the collision detection means.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 of JP-A-9-315266, the rod guide portion at the upper end of the cylinder to which the rod of the hood lifting and holding means is guided has a slight thickness. Therefore, when the hood lifting means is operated and the piston is lifted, the rod may be inclined in the lateral direction and the hood cannot be lifted or the lifting force may not be stable. Further, when the hood is open, when the lifting device is operated, the rod guide portion at the upper end of the cylinder has a small thickness, so that the rod and the piston may jump out of the cylinder.
[0005]
In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle hood apparatus that can stably hold a rod.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle hood device that protects a pedestrian by lifting a predetermined amount of a vehicle hood that can be opened and closed by a lifting means in an emergency, covering an upper part of an engine room provided at the front of the vehicle.
The lifting means has a cylinder and a rod that has a piston that moves up and down in the cylinder at the lower end and lifts the vehicle hood, and a thick-walled guide that guides the peripheral surface of the rod at the upper end of the cylinder. Means are provided ,
The vehicle hood device is characterized in that a clearance is provided between the cylinder and the piston so as to connect the lower end side space and the upper end side space of the piston in the cylinder .
The above object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular hood device that protects a pedestrian by lifting a predetermined amount of a vehicular hood that covers an upper portion of an engine room provided in the vehicle by a lifting means in an emergency.
The lifting means has a cylinder and a rod that has a piston that moves up and down in the cylinder at the lower end and lifts the vehicle hood, and a thick-walled guide that guides the peripheral surface of the rod at the upper end of the cylinder. Means are provided,
The rod is provided with a hole that communicates with the space on the upper end side of the piston in the cylinder, and the capillary communicates with the hole on the piston and communicates with the space on the lower end side of the piston in the cylinder. This is achieved by a vehicle hood device.
[0007]
According to the present invention, the rod in the cylinder is stably held by the thick guide means provided at the upper end of the cylinder even if the piston moves by a predetermined stroke.
Therefore, the hood lifting force is stabilized without the rod tilting laterally. Moreover, since the guide means at the upper end of the cylinder is thick, the rod and the piston do not jump out of the cylinder.
[0008]
The thick guide means defined in the present invention means that the rod guide portion of the guide means has a length of 3 mm to 25 mm.
[0009]
Here, as the guide means, for example, a thick cap may be separately provided at the upper end of the cylinder, or a thick small diameter portion may be provided integrally with the cylinder at the upper end of the cylinder. In addition, if it comprises so that a rod and a cap, a rod, a cap and a cylinder, or the small diameter part of a rod and a cylinder may be covered with a cover, a waterproof function can be exhibited.
[0010]
The vehicle hood device has a configuration in which the piston rod mechanism housed in the cylinder and the gas generating device housed in the cylinder are not arranged on the same straight line by operating the piston rod mechanism, for example, the cylinder is substantially L-shaped. By forming the piston rod mechanism and the gas generating device vertically in this way, a deep storage space is not required in the engine room, and a compact storage is possible.
[0011]
Also, a clearance is provided between the cylinder and the piston so that the space on the lower end side of the piston and the space on the upper end side in the cylinder communicate with each other, or a hole in the rod communicates with the space on the upper end side of the piston in the cylinder. When the rod is pushed back through the hood due to a collision or the like by providing a narrow tube that communicates with the hole in the piston and communicates with the space on the lower end side of the piston in the cylinder. The gas in the space can be released into the space on the upper end side to absorb the collision energy.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a modification of the vicinity of the gas generator of the vehicle hood device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view of a vehicle hood apparatus in which a hole and a thin tube are formed in a rod, and FIG. 5 is a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view of a vehicle hood apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5.
[0013]
The vehicle hood device according to the present embodiment is mounted in a hood capable of opening and closing an upper portion of an engine room provided at a front portion of a vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle hood apparatus of the present invention moves up and down in a substantially L-shaped cylinder 3 composed of a piston rod storage part 3a and a gas generator storage part 3f, and in the piston rod storage part 3a. A substantially cylindrical rod 7 having a disk-like piston 5 at its lower end, a cap 9 that covers the upper end 3c of the cylinder 3 and guides the rod 7, and mitigates the impact when the piston 5 hits the cap 9 A damper 6 that couples to the rod 7 and a substantially hemispherical cover 11 that is detachably attached to the cap 9, and a gas generator 13 that is housed in the gas generator housing 3 f and generates gas in the cylinder 3. And a connector 15 for connecting the gas generator 13 to a control device in the engine room.
[0014]
A plastic washer 17 and an O-ring 19 are provided at the lower end of the piston 5. Therefore, when the plastic washer 17 comes into contact with the stepped portion 3e of the cylinder 3, the downward movement of the piston rod mechanism is restricted.
[0015]
The cap 9 that covers the upper end 3c of the cylinder 3 has a large-diameter portion 9a that is screwed onto the outer periphery of the piston rod storage portion 3a, and a thick-walled portion that has a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion 9a and that the cover 11 is attached to the outer periphery. It is comprised from the small diameter part 9b. The small diameter portion 9b includes a through hole 9d for guiding the rod 7 with a sufficient guide surface (in this embodiment, the guide portion length is set to 15 mm), and a groove portion 9c provided on the outer periphery thereof. Yes.
[0016]
The cover 11 has a mounting recess 11a to be mounted on the cap 9 and a coupling recess 11b into which the head 7a of the rod 7 is press-fit. The mounting recess 11a is provided with a protrusion 11c protruding inward. Therefore, the protrusion 11c of the cover 11 and the groove 9c of the cap 9 are fitted together, so that the cover 11 is securely attached to the cap 9.
[0017]
By the way, the hood apparatus for vehicles which lifts a hood is attached to an engine room, a wiper motor attachment part, etc. Since this part is not in the passenger compartment, it becomes a place where rainwater, water from a car wash, etc. are transmitted. On the other hand, when the gas generator is used to drive the lifting means, according to the conventional vehicle hood device, the gunpowder gets wet and does not ignite, or water enters the cylinder and the rod stroke decreases. There was a case. However, according to the vehicle hood device of the present invention, as described above, since the cover 11 is securely attached to the head 7a of the rod 7 and the small diameter portion 9b of the cap 9, the sealing effect is enhanced and the waterproof effect is exhibited. it can. Therefore, even if water such as rain enters the hood, the water does not enter the cylinder 3 and the gas generator 13 can operate normally. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the cover 11 is mounted on both the rod 7 and the cap 9, the relative position between the rod 7 and the cap 9 is also determined naturally, and vibration during vehicle operation is determined. Occurrence of abnormal noise due to can be prevented.
[0018]
Note that the cover 11 may be provided with no protrusions, and an O-ring may be attached between the cover 11 and the cap 9 to enhance the sealing effect. Contrary to the present embodiment, the cap 9 may be provided with a protruding portion and the cover 11 may be provided with a groove portion so as to be fitted.
[0019]
The gas generator 13 is housed in a gas generator housing 3f that is perpendicular to the piston rod housing 3a. Therefore, since the gas generator and the piston rod mechanism are not arranged on the same straight line, a deep space is not required in the engine room, and the gas generator and the piston rod mechanism can be stored compactly. In addition, the gas generator 13 and the harness 14 are connected with a waterproof connector for waterproofing, or directly connected without a connector, and a resin is poured between the gas generator 13 and the harness 14 to be waterproof. It is preferable to configure to process.
[0020]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a waterproof process is performed by attaching a seal 54 between the gas generator housing 3f and a lid 51 screwed to the outer periphery of the gas generator housing 3f by a screw portion 55. You may make it carry out, and you may make it process waterproofing, such as sticking a waterproof seal to this screw part 55.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the present invention will be described.
When a traveling vehicle collides with a pedestrian, a known sensor provided in a bumper of the vehicle reacts, and the detection result of this sensor is output to a known control device. Then, by the action of this control device, the connector 15 attached to one end of the gas generator 13 is energized, and gas is generated from the gas generator 13 via the harness 14. With this gas, the piston 5 is pushed upward through the plastic washer 17 and the O-ring 19, whereby the rod 7 is pushed upward.
[0022]
Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the hemispherical cover 11 contacts the hood 20 and lifts the hood 20. Here, since the rod 7 is guided in a sufficient area in the through hole 9d of the small diameter portion 9b of the cap 9, the hood lifting force is stabilized without the rod 7 being inclined in the lateral direction.
[0023]
Further, the rod 7 and the piston 5 do not jump out of the cylinder 3 by the small diameter portion 9b. Further, the cover 11 having a hemispherical outer periphery prevents the rod 7 from directly hitting the hood 20, so that no noise is generated and the rod 7 does not make a hole in the hood 20 during the lifting operation.
[0024]
Furthermore, when the hood 20 is pushed back by a pedestrian colliding with the hood 20, by setting the diameters of the piston 5, the O-ring 19 and the cylinder 3 to a predetermined value , providing clearance for communicating the lower end of the space and the upper space of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3, it absorbs the collision energy outgassing between piston cylinder. In addition, the structure which does not use both the O-ring and the plastic washer is a space between the cylinder 3 and the piston 5 on the lower end side of the piston 5 between the cylinder 3 and the piston 5 by adjusting the diameters of the piston and the cylinder to predetermined values. By providing a clearance that communicates with the space on the upper end side, the gas in the space on the lower end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 can be released to the space on the upper end side to absorb the collision energy . Further, in the structure not using the O-ring, by adjusting the diameters of the cylinder and the plastic washer to a predetermined value, the space between the lower end side of the piston 5 and the upper end side between the cylinder 3 and the piston 5 are arranged. By providing a clearance that communicates with the space, it is possible to release the gas in the space on the lower end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 to the space on the upper end side to absorb the collision energy. Here, without adjusting the respective diameters, in Rukoto a groove, communicating with, and lower end of the space and the upper space of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 between the cylinder 3 and the piston 5 Clearance The gas in the space on the lower end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 may be released into the space on the upper end side to absorb the collision energy.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 4, the rod 7 is provided with a hole 21 that communicates with the space on the upper end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3, communicates with the piston 5 in the hole 21, and the lower end of the piston 5 within the cylinder 3. By providing the narrow tube 23 communicating with the space on the side, when the rod 7 is pushed down, the gas in the space on the lower end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 can be released to the space on the upper end side to absorb the collision energy. Here, even if the hole 21 is made in the rod 7 and the thin tube 23 is made in the piston 5, when the rod 7 is lifted in the piston raising direction, the rod 7 is lifted quickly, so that the viscous resistance is large and the gas does not leak. On the other hand, when the rod 7 is pushed down by the hole 21 and the thin tube 23, the gas in the space on the lower end side of the piston 5 in the cylinder 3 passes through the thin tube 23 and the hole 21 in the cylinder 3 by being relatively slowly lowered . Can escape into the space on the upper end side of the piston 5 and absorb the collision energy.
[0026]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicular hood apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with a threaded portion 33n at the upper end in the piston rod storage portion 33a of the cylinder 33, and the threaded portion 33n serves as a guide means. The cap 39 is screwed. Therefore, the rod 37 is guided in a sufficient area by the through hole 39d provided in the cap 39. Accordingly, the cap 39 prevents the rod 37 from inclining in the lateral direction, the hood lifting force is stabilized, and the rod 37 and the piston do not jump out of the cylinder 33 by this embodiment.
[0027]
Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicular hood apparatus of the present embodiment is not provided with a cap. Instead, a thick small-diameter portion as a guide means is provided at the upper end of the piston rod storage portion 43a of the cylinder 43. 43b is provided. The rod 47 is guided in a sufficient area by the through hole 43d provided in the small diameter portion 43b. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the rod 47 does not tilt in the lateral direction by the small diameter portion 43 b, the hood lifting force is stabilized, and the rod 47 and the piston do not jump out of the cylinder 43. As a method of connecting the cover 41 to the rod 47, for example, a screw 45 may be used as shown in FIG.
[0028]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Based on the meaning of this invention, a change, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. For example, the cover 11 may not be configured to directly abut on the hood and lift, but may be configured to fix and lift the cover to a support member or the like fixed to the hood.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the lifting means of the present invention has a cylinder and a rod that has a piston that moves up and down in the cylinder at the lower end and lifts the hood for the vehicle, and the peripheral surface of the rod is provided at the upper end of the cylinder. Since the thick guide means for guiding is provided, the rod in the cylinder is stably held even if the piston moves for a predetermined stroke. Therefore, the hood lifting force is stabilized without the rod tilting laterally. Moreover, since the guide means at the upper end of the cylinder is thick, the rod and the piston do not jump out of the cylinder.
Also, a clearance is provided between the cylinder and the piston so that the space on the lower end side of the piston and the space on the upper end side in the cylinder communicate with each other, or a hole in the rod communicates with the space on the upper end side of the piston in the cylinder. When the rod is pushed back through the hood due to a pedestrian collision or the like by providing a narrow tube that communicates with the hole in the piston and communicates with the space on the lower end side of the piston in the cylinder, the piston in the cylinder The collision energy can be absorbed by releasing the gas in the space on the lower end side into the space on the upper end side.
Furthermore, by covering the upper end of the cylinder with a cap and attaching a cover to the upper end of the cap and the rod, the sealing effect can be enhanced, and the relative position between the rod and the cap is naturally determined. Generation of abnormal noise due to vibration during operation can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a modified example in the vicinity of the gas generator according to the vehicle hood device.
3 is a state in which the vehicle hood device of FIG. 1 is activated.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood device in which a hole and a thin tube are formed in a rod.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle hood apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Cylinder 5 Piston 7 Rod 9 Cap 33 Cylinder 37 Rod 39 Cap 43 Cylinder 43b Small diameter portion 47 Rod

Claims (3)

In a vehicle hood device for protecting a pedestrian by lifting a predetermined amount of a vehicle hood that covers an upper part of an engine room provided in a vehicle by a lifting means in an emergency,
The lifting means has a cylinder and a rod that has a piston that moves up and down in the cylinder at the lower end and lifts the vehicle hood, and a thick-walled guide that guides the peripheral surface of the rod at the upper end of the cylinder. Means are provided ,
A hood device for a vehicle, wherein a clearance is provided between the cylinder and the piston so as to connect a space on the lower end side of the piston and a space on the upper end side in the cylinder . In a vehicle hood device for protecting a pedestrian by lifting a predetermined amount of a vehicle hood that covers an upper part of an engine room provided in a vehicle by a lifting means in an emergency,
The lifting means has a cylinder and a rod that has a piston that moves up and down in the cylinder at the lower end and lifts the vehicle hood, and a thick-walled guide that guides the peripheral surface of the rod at the upper end of the cylinder. Means are provided,
The rod is provided with a hole communicating with the space on the upper end side of the piston in the cylinder, and the capillary communicates with the hole on the piston and the space on the lower end side of the piston in the cylinder. A hood device for a vehicle, wherein: The vehicle hood apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a cap that covers an upper end of the cylinder; and a cover that is attached to the upper end of the cap and the rod.

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