JP6656765B2 - Hinge structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge structure which is an opening / closing mechanism of an engine hood of an automobile.

  One of the safety evaluation standards for automobiles is a head injury value (HIC), which assumes an impact on a head when a pedestrian collides with an engine hood or a front window. Then, strength design of the vehicle is performed based on the safety evaluation criteria.

  By the way, the hood hinge which is an opening and closing mechanism of the engine hood plays a large role in the strength around the engine hood and the front window. Therefore, conventionally, a structure of a hood hinge that can reduce the impact received by the engine hood has been considered.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a position where the conventional hood hinge 102 is arranged. The hood hinges 102 are provided as a pair outside the engine hood 101 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the closer to the front window 106, the smaller the size can be. At this time, it is necessary to dispose them so as not to interfere with the fender.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing a conventional hood hinge 102 and its peripheral structure. A buffer 105 is provided on the hinge base (hinge lower) 103 side. The buffer portion 105 is arranged at a position where it can abut on the outer peripheral side rear of the hinge arm (hinge upper) 104. Thus, when a force that causes deformation occurs in the closing direction side of the engine hood, the shock can be absorbed by the hinge arm 104 that is deformed with the buffer portion 105 serving as a fulcrum.

  In addition, when a force is applied from the front of the vehicle body, since the rearward displacement of the hinge arm 104 is regulated by the fulcrum (the buffer portion 105), the hinge arm 104 is largely deformed in the curved area 104a to absorb the impact. Can be.

  Thus, by providing a fulcrum on the hinge base 103 that can contact the rear of the hinge arm 104, the direction of deformation can be controlled, and a shock from the front and a shock from above can be absorbed.

Japanese Patent No. 5246125

  When a pedestrian collides with the center of the engine hood, the hood hinge 102 is depressed on the center side, so that tension is generated in the hood hinge 102 inward in the vehicle width direction.

  Further, when a pedestrian collides directly above the hood hinge 102, a force is generated downward on the hinge base 103 of the hood hinge 102.

  However, in the configuration of the hood hinge 102 described above, the impact from the front and the upper side of the vehicle body can be reduced through the hinge arm 104, but the tension generated inward in the vehicle width direction via the hinge arm 104 and the hinge base When a downward force is directly applied to 103, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient cushioning effect.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge structure that can absorb a shock inward in the vehicle width direction and a shock from above with a hinge lower.

In order to achieve the above object, the hinge structure of the present invention comprises:
A hinge structure of an engine hood in which a hinge upper fixed to an automobile engine hood and a hinge lower fixed to a vehicle body side are pivotally supported with each other,
The hinge upper,
A stopper that is engaged with the hinge lower to define a fully open position of the engine hood;
The hinge lower is
A first vertical wall separated in a vehicle width direction with respect to a rotation locus of the stopper when the hinge upper rotates,
A second vertical wall, which is provided continuously from the first vertical wall via a bent portion and is located at a position where the first vertical wall interferes with the rotation locus of the stopper, and has a pivot axis with the hinge upper;
An opening is formed at least over the bent portion and the second vertical wall, and a rotation trajectory of the stopper is engaged with an inner edge of the opening formed on the second vertical wall.

  Further, in the hinge structure of the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, the hinge lower has at least two mounting portions in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a pivot axis of the hinge upper is between the two mounting portions in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Is characterized in that:

  As described above, according to the present invention, the rotation trajectory of the stopper of the hinge upper that passes through the opening intersects with the interference area of the second vertical wall at the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction when viewed from the vehicle width direction, and at the rear side. Intersects the first vertical wall. As a result, the stopper that approaches the hinge lower from the rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction by rotation can pass through the first vertical wall without interference, but is engaged with the second vertical wall to restrict the rotation of the hinge upper.

  That is, since the engagement position can be set to the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, even if the opening angle of the engine hood is set to a large value, the lift of the stopper in the closed state to the rear upper side is suppressed, thereby achieving a compact design. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the support structure (the first vertical wall) can be provided on the rear side of the vehicle body from the engagement position (the interference area of the second vertical wall), the strength balance in the front-rear direction is improved.

  Further, the weight can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the opening formed in the hinge lower.

  In addition to these effects, since the second vertical wall is provided continuously from the first vertical wall via the bent portion, the second vertical wall buckles at the bent portion extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to vertical input. Deformation is possible, and bending deformation is possible with respect to the load in the vehicle width direction. Thus, even on the hinge lower side, the impact on the inside in the vehicle width direction and the impact from above can be effectively absorbed.

  According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, the rotation center position of the hinge upper is set so as to be located between at least two mounting portions in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the hinge lower. It is stable against a load in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

It is a perspective view of a hood hinge concerning an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fully opened state of the hood hinge of FIG. 1. It is the side view which looked at the hood hinge of FIG. 1 from the rotation axis direction. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a deformed state when a force in a vehicle width direction is applied to a hinge lower of the hood hinge of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a deformed state when a force is applied to a hinge lower of the hood hinge of FIG. 1 from above. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a rear support structure of a hinge lower of the hood hinge of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning in the vehicle body of the conventional hood hinge. It is a side view of the conventional food hinge.

  Hereinafter, a hinge structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a hood hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a hood hinge (hinge structure) 1 includes a hinge upper 2 as a hinge arm and a hinge lower 4 as a hinge base.

  The hinge lower 4 has three mounting portions 10a, 10b, and 11a. Of these, the lower two mounting portions 10a and 10b are formed on the lower fixed end 10 for fixing the hinge lower 4 downward with respect to the vehicle body, and the other mounting portion 11a is provided at the rear of the vehicle body. The extended rear fixed end 11 is formed.

  The lower fixed end 10 is formed of a substantially horizontal plate-like member slightly inclined toward the front of the vehicle body. The inclined arrangement of the lower fixed end 10 will be described later. Above the lower fixed end 10, a stepped bent structure 14 is formed by three bent portions 14a, 14b, and 14c. In the hinge lower 4 according to the present embodiment, each of the bent portions 14a, 14b, and 14c is formed to be bent at a right angle. Then, a plate-shaped first vertical wall 6 extends upward from the bent portion 14c. Therefore, it can be said that the first vertical wall 6 extends in the vertical direction (may be substantially vertical) with respect to the lower fixed end 10.

  Above the first vertical wall 6, a bending structure 12 including two front bent portions 12 a and 12 b and a bending structure 13 including two rear bent portions 13 a and 13 b in the vehicle longitudinal direction are provided. A plate-shaped second vertical wall 8 on which the hinge upper 2 is pivotally supported is provided. The second vertical wall 8 is formed substantially parallel to the first vertical wall 6, as can be seen from FIG. That is, the second vertical wall 8 is formed so as to be offset inward in the vehicle width direction by the bent portions 12a, 12b, 13a, and 13b. Further, the second vertical wall 8 is provided with a lower-side pivot support 8s in which a pivot hole 8h for providing a pivot 21 in a direction perpendicular to the second vertical wall 8 is formed.

  As described above, the hinge lower 4 of the hood hinge 1 according to the present embodiment is formed by bending one plate-shaped member.

In the hinge lower 4, an opening 4a is formed in a region extending from the first vertical wall 6 to the second vertical wall 8 via the bent portions 12a, 12b, 13a and 13b. Bends 13a and 13b formed on the rear side are formed on an extension of the bends 12a and 12b on the vehicle body front side of the opening 4a. Therefore, since the bent parts 12a and 12b and the bent parts 13a and 13b can be formed simultaneously by bending, the processing is easy and the man-hour during manufacturing can be suppressed. These bent portions 12a, 12b, 13a and 13b are inclined toward the front side of the vehicle body. The operation of this configuration will be described later in detail.

  The opening 4a may extend at least between the bent portions 12a, 12b, 13a and 13b and the second vertical wall 8, and preferably the opening 4a also extends over the first vertical wall 6. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, it is desirable that the opening 4 a also extends over the first vertical wall 6 to facilitate buckling deformation.

  On the other hand, the hinge upper 2 is connected to a fender (not shown) at the time of opening from the upper pivot 2b pivotally supported inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the lower pivot 8s of the second vertical wall 8 of the hinge lower 4. A curved portion 2d extends to avoid interference. An upper fixed end 2a fixed to the engine hood is formed on the distal end side of the curved portion 2d. The arm portion 2m may include the curved portion 2d and the upper fixed end 2a. A stopper 2c having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the rear side of the upper-side pivot portion 2b by bending outward in the vehicle width direction.

  A pivot hole 2h for pivotal support is formed in the upper pivotal support 2b. A pivot 21 is provided in a pivot hole 8h provided in the second vertical wall 8 on the hinge lower 4 side, and the hinge upper 2 and the hinge lower 4 rotate. Therefore, the pivot 21 can be said to be the center of rotation of the hinge upper 2.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the hinge upper 2 has rotated to the fully open position.

  As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the opening 4 a provided in the hinge lower 4, the stopper 2 c is engaged with an inner edge of the opening 4 a formed in the second vertical wall 8 on the vehicle body front side. The interference area of the second vertical wall 8 with which the stopper 2c is engaged is shown as an engaging portion 8a. That is, the rotation trajectory of the stopper 2c is restricted by the inner edge of the opening 4a formed in the second vertical wall 8.

  The offset structure of the second vertical wall 8 with respect to the first vertical wall 6 of the hinge lower 4 is represented by an offset width W1 in FIG. The stopper 2c of the hinge upper 2 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction within a range smaller than the offset width W1. That is, the second vertical wall 8 adjacent to the rotation surface of the hinge upper 2 is basically arranged at a position where it interferes with the rotation trajectory of the stopper 2c. On the other hand, the first vertical wall 6 separated from the second vertical wall 8 by an offset width W1 larger than the projecting amount of the second vertical wall 8 and the stopper 2c is disposed at a position that does not interfere with the rotation locus of the stopper 2c. I have.

  Also, the first vertical wall 6 of the hinge lower 4 is formed from the lower fixed end 10 via a bent structure 14 (see bent portions 14a, 14b, and 14c in FIG. 1) formed in a step shape. As described above, in the hood hinge 1 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the offset width W1 described above, the offset width W2 of the bent structure 14 toward the vehicle width direction inside is also added to the lower fixed end 10 with respect to the lower side fixed end 10. This means that the two vertical walls 8 are offset.

  FIG. 3 is a side view of the hood hinge 1. FIG. 3A shows the hood hinge 1 with the engine hood closed, and FIG. 3B shows the hood hinge 1 with the engine hood fully opened. The mounting surface of the lower fixed end 10 is indicated by a dashed line. The inclination of the bent portion is also formed along the inclination of the mounting surface. The trajectory of the rotation of the stopper 2c of the hinge upper 2 is indicated by a dashed line 20.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the bent structure 12 formed on the front side of the vehicle body with respect to the opening 4a is formed farther away from the pivot 21 than the bent structure 13 formed on the rear side of the vehicle body. The dashed-dotted line 20 passes through a position closer to the pivot 21 than the bent structure 12 and farther than the bent structure 13. That is, the stopper 2c can pass without interfering with the first vertical wall 6 that is separated outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the rotation trajectory 20 on the rear side of the vehicle body, but on the vehicle body front side, can be offset inward in the vehicle width direction. It engages with an engaging portion 8a (interference area) forming the front inner edge of the opening 4a of the two vertical walls 8.

  More specifically, when the hinge upper 2 rotates from the state of FIG. 3A, the stopper 2 c rotates along the trajectory of the alternate long and short dash line 20. The distance of the stopper 2 c from the pivot 21 passes below the bent structure 13. Therefore, neither the second vertical wall 8 nor the bent structure 13 interferes. Even if the stopper 2c passes through the lowest point of the rotation trajectory 20, it still does not interfere anywhere. When further rotated, it engages with the inner edge of the opening 4 a provided in the second vertical wall 8.

  That is, a large opening angle of the hinge upper 2 can be obtained by engaging the locus of the stopper 2 c with the inner edge of the opening 4 a formed in the second vertical wall 8. By the way, the first vertical wall 6 is not disposed at a position where it interferes with the stopper 2c in the first place. Therefore, the first vertical wall 6 may not have the opening 4a in order to secure a rotation trajectory for engaging the stopper 2c with the inner edge of the opening 4a formed in the second vertical wall 8.

  In this manner, by setting the rotation position of the stopper 2c at the fully open position of the hinge upper 2 to the front side of the vehicle body, the height at which the stopper 2c is lifted to the rear upper side when the engine hood is closed can be suppressed low. The structure can be designed compactly.

  In general, if the rotation position of the hinge upper is biased forward of the fixed end with respect to the vehicle body, the position of the stopper that engages with the support structure that projects relatively rearward must also be retracted. As a result, the restricting position of the stopper becomes a high position, and the stopper in the closed state protrudes upward.

  Conversely, if the rotational position of the hinge upper is biased rearward from the fixed end with respect to the vehicle body, the strength at the open limit position tends to be low. In order to reinforce this, for example, if it is constituted by a thick member or provided with a rib, it is possible to increase the strength, but the function for absorbing shock may be impaired. .

  On the other hand, according to the hinge structure 1 of the present embodiment, even if the engaging position (engaging portion 8a) of the stopper 2c with respect to the hinge lower 4 is set to the front of the vehicle body, it is located rearward of the vehicle body from this engaging position. Since the support structure by the first vertical wall 6 can be provided, the configuration around the pivot point can be supported in a well-balanced manner. In particular, if the pivot 21 of the hinge upper 2 is located between the mounting portions 10a and 10b of the lower fixed end 10 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body as in the present embodiment, extreme impact against the vehicle front-rear direction can be obtained. It is stable without causing any unevenness in strength.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a deformed state when a force is applied to the hinge lower 4 inward in the vehicle width direction. Here, for convenience of explanation, the configuration around the hinge upper, the fastening bolt and the like is not shown, and only the hinge lower 4 is shown. In the drawing, the state before deformation is indicated by a dotted line, and the state after deformation is indicated by a solid line. Further, FIG. 4 shows a case where when the pedestrian collides with the central portion of the engine hood, the central portion is dented, so that an inward tension occurs in the hinge structure 1 in the vehicle width direction. The tension is indicated by the force F1 by the arrow.

In the hinge lower 4 of the hinge structure 1 of the present embodiment, the bent portions 12a, 12b, 13a, and 13b (see FIG. 1) forming the bent structures 12 and 13 are inclined forward to the vehicle body. Said. That is, since the bent structures 12 and 13 are formed along the direction in which the engine hood is inclined, when the center of the engine hood is depressed, the center axis direction in which the outer surface in the vehicle width direction turns due to deformation is defined by each bent portion. Is substantially parallel to the direction in which the extends, and is easily bent. As a result, the bending angle of each bending portion is easily changed, so that the deformation can be performed individually and the impact can be smoothly dispersed.

  Furthermore, the hinge lower 4 also has a step-like bending structure 14 between the lower fixed end 10 fixed to the vehicle body and the first vertical wall 6 formed as a vertical wall. As described above, since the lower fixed end 10 is arranged to be inclined toward the front side of the vehicle body, the extended bent structure 14 is also formed to be inclined to the same side as the engine hood. Therefore, when the center of the engine hood receives an impact that is depressed, in addition to the bending structures 12 and 13, the bending structure 14 also acts cooperatively, and it is possible to more effectively absorb the impact.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a deformed state when a force F2 from above is applied to the hinge lower 4. Here, as in the description of FIG. 4, only the hinge lower 4 is shown for convenience. Also, the state before deformation is represented by a dotted line, and the state after deformation is represented by a solid line, similarly to FIG.

  When a person collides directly above the hinge structure 1, the hinge lower 4 receives a pressing force such as a force F2 from above. In such a case, if the hinge lower 4 cannot be deformed, the impact on a person becomes strong. As described above, the hinge structure 1 according to the present embodiment has three bent structures 12, 13, and 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the bent structures 12, 13 and 14 can be smoothly deformed with respect to the force F1 acting in the vehicle width direction and can efficiently absorb the impact. It has a structure that is excellent in absorbing a shock against the force F2. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the bending structures 12, 13 and 14 has a structure in which buckling deformation is easily promoted at a portion extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to a force F2 acting in the vertical direction.

  At this time, the opening 4a formed over the first vertical wall 6, the bent structures 12, 13 and the second vertical wall 8 produces an effect that buckling deformation is more likely to occur. In the description of FIG. 3, the opening 4a does not need to be exerted on the first vertical wall 6 if the rotation trajectory 20 of the stopper 2c is merely secured, but in order to adjust the strength of the buckling deformation, the opening 4a is It is desirable to extend to the first vertical wall 6.

  As described above, the hinge lower 4 has a configuration capable of coping with the impact in the vehicle width direction and the impact in the vertical direction.

  Next, a configuration for more effectively realizing the shock absorbing effect of the bent structures 12, 13, and 14 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the rear support structure of the hinge lower 4. Here, similarly to FIGS. 4 and 5, for convenience of explanation, the illustration of the hinge upper 2 and other components is omitted.

  As described above, in the hood hinge 1 according to the present embodiment, even if the opening angle of the engine hood is set large, it is possible to suppress the stopper 2c for defining the fully open position from protruding greatly backward. (See FIG. 3). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to extend the rear support 16 behind the first vertical wall 6 greatly. The rear support portion 16 extends substantially horizontally to the rear of the vehicle body (in the direction indicated by the dashed line 24), and has a mounting portion 16a at the end that can be mounted to the lower surface of a fender (not shown).

  In FIG. 6, an arc 22 extending along a horizontal plane centered on the mounting portion 16a and an arc 23 extending along the vertical plane are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines. That is, when the tension toward the center of the engine hood is transmitted from the hinge upper 2 to the hinge lower 4 as described with reference to FIG. 22 can be deformed inward in the vehicle width direction.

  Further, as described with reference to FIG. 5, when a force is applied from above the hinge lower 4, the buckling deformation can be performed downward along the arc 23 in the vertical direction.

  Further, when a force is received from the front of the vehicle body, a reaction force is generated such that the rear support portion 16 stretches against the fender, so that the deformation is promoted along the arc 22 or the arc 23.

  As described above, according to the hinge structure 1 of the present embodiment, since the engagement structure of the stopper 2c can be set so that a rear space is formed in the hinge lower 4, the rear support portion 16 as shown in the figure can be provided. With this structure, the range in which the hinge lower 4 can be deformed can be defined so as to be promoted within a specific range, so that the shock absorbing action due to the deformation of the hinge lower 4 is stabilized. That is, rather than restricting the range of deformation by simply increasing the rigidity by using a lot of ribs and the like, the hinge lower 4 moves to a certain range without hindering the buckling deformation or tilting deformation of the hinge lower 4 for absorbing shock. Can be limited, so that a shock absorbing effect can be stably obtained.

  The configuration described in the above embodiment is an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and includes the following modifications.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the first vertical wall 6 and the second vertical wall 8 are both formed of plate members extending substantially vertically with respect to the lower fixed end 10. However, as long as the vertical wall extends in the vertical direction in a broad sense, the same effect can be obtained even with a configuration slightly inclined in the vehicle width direction.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration obtained by performing bending processing on a single plate material has been described as an example. However, as long as the hinge lower has an offset structure via the bent portion, the hinge lower can be configured by combining different members.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which both the bending structures 12 and 13 are formed by two bending portions has been described as an example. However, if an offset structure in the vehicle width direction can be formed, the number of bendings is reduced. There is no limitation.

  The hood hinge of the present invention can absorb an impact from above even on the hinge lower side, which is a hinge base, so that it is useful for a hood hinge disposed at any position below the engine hood or below the fender. It is.

1 Hood hinge (hinge structure)
2 Hinge upper 2a Upper fixed end 2b Upper pivot 2c Stopper 2m Arm 2h Axis hole 4 Hinge lower 4a Opening 6 First vertical wall 8 Second vertical wall 8a Engagement (interference area, inner edge)
8s Lower side pivot portion 8h Pivot hole 10 Lower side fixed end 10a, 10b Mounting portion 11 Rear side fixed end 11a Mounting portion 12 Bending structure 12a, 12b Bending portion 13 Bending structure 13a, 13b Bending portion 14 Bending structure 14a, 14b, 14c Bent part 16 Rear support part 16a Mounting part 20 One-dot chain line (rotation locus)
21 Axis 22, 23 Arc 24 One-dot chain line 100 Body 101 Engine hood F1, F2 Force W1, W2 Offset width

Claims (2)

A hinge structure of an engine hood in which a hinge upper fixed to an automobile engine hood and a hinge lower fixed to a vehicle body side are pivotally supported with each other,
The hinge upper,
A stopper that is engaged with the hinge lower to define a fully open position of the engine hood;
The hinge lower is
A first vertical wall separated in a vehicle width direction with respect to a rotation locus of the stopper when the hinge upper rotates,
A second vertical wall, which is provided continuously from the first vertical wall via a bent portion and is located at a position where the first vertical wall interferes with the rotation locus of the stopper, and has a pivot axis with the hinge upper;
A hinge structure, wherein an opening is formed at least over the bent portion and the second vertical wall, and a rotation trajectory of the stopper is engaged with an inner edge of the opening formed on the second vertical wall.   The hinge structure according to claim 1, wherein the hinge lower has at least two attachment portions in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and a pivot axis of the hinge upper is located between the two attachment portions in the vehicle longitudinal direction. .