JP7148584B2 - vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an engine room of an automobile is covered with a bonnet hood (also called "bonnet" or "hood") so that it can be opened and closed. When opening the bonnet hood, first, the bonnet open lever arranged in front of the driver's seat or the like is operated to raise the hood. Next, the bonnet hood can be opened by inserting a finger into the gap between the bonnet hood and the grille to operate the latch lever (see Patent Document 1, for example).

WO2012/160793

In the vehicle front body structure of Patent Document 1, when the bonnet open lever is operated to raise the bonnet (2), the gap between the bonnet (2) and the grill (6) is narrow. The structure makes it difficult to know where the operation part of the latch (22) on the side is.

Therefore, the user had to put his finger into the engine compartment through the gap between the bonnet (2) and the grille (6) and grope for the operating portion of the latch (22) to operate it. As described above, the operating portion of the latch (22) of the vehicle front body structure of Patent Document 1 and the operating portion of the latch lever of the conventional automobile have the problem that the position of the operating portion is difficult to understand and the operation is difficult. rice field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front structure that makes it easier to recognize the position of a latch lever.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle front structure comprising a hood protector attached to a bonnet hood of a vehicle and a latch lever for unlocking the bonnet hood, wherein the hood protector is , an upstanding wall hanging down from a lower front end portion of the bonnet hood, and an opening formed in the upright wall for exposing an operating portion of the latch lever, the upright wall becoming closer to the rear of the vehicle as it approaches the opening. and an end portion of the inclined portion on the side of the operation portion is positioned rearward of the operation portion.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle front part structure which can make it easy to recognize the position of a latch lever can be provided. Further, the vehicle front structure of the present invention is particularly effective in a structure in which the hood latch is displaced to either the left or the right from the center of the vehicle.

1 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; It is the bottom view which looked at the front-end part of the bonnet hood in which the hood protector was installed from the downward direction. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an installed state of the hood protector, and is an enlarged perspective view of a main part seen from the lower front side. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a main part showing a state when the bonnet open lever is operated to raise the bonnet hood;

A vehicle front structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. In the embodiments, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.
In the embodiment of the present invention, "front" means the front side of the vehicle 1, "rear" means the rear side of the vehicle 1, "top" means the vertically upper side, "bottom" means the vertically lower side, and "left and right" means the vehicle. 1 on the vehicle width direction side.

<Vehicle>
First, before describing a vehicle front structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 may be any vehicle having a bonnet hood 2 that opens and closes a motor room 11 at the front of the vehicle body, and its type and type are not particularly limited.
A passenger car will be described below as an example of the vehicle 1 .

<Vehicle front structure>
As shown in FIG. 2 or 3, the vehicle front structure 100 includes a bonnet hood 2, a striker 23, a hood protector 3, a latch operating mechanism 4, a latch lever 41, and a grille 5 at the front of the vehicle. I have.

<Motor room>
As shown in FIG. 1, the motor room 11 is a housing space in which a traveling motor, an engine, and the like are housed. A motor room 11 is formed in the front portion of the vehicle body. Around the motor room 11 are a bonnet hood 2 arranged above, a grille 5 arranged on the front side, front fenders 12 arranged on the left and right sides, a cowl top (not shown) arranged on the rear side, and Partition walls (not shown) are arranged.

<bonnet hood>
As shown in FIG. 1 , the bonnet hood 2 is a lid member that opens and closes the motor room 11 . The bonnet hood 2 is of a forward-opening type centered on a hood hinge (not shown) installed at the rear end. As shown in FIG. 2, the bonnet hood 2 includes a hood skin 21 forming the upper surface of the hood, a reinforcing hood frame 22 provided on the lower surface side of the hood skin 21, and a striker 23 attached to the hood frame 22. , is equipped with The peripheral portion of the bonnet hood 2 is formed by bending the flange portion 21a of the hood skin 21 inwardly so as to wrap the peripheral portion of the hood frame 22 by hemming, and then welding the joint portion 2a to form the hood skin 21 and the hood frame. 22 and are integrated.

A joint portion 2a shown in FIG. 2 indicates a weld bead formed when the hood skin 21 and the hood frame 22 are welded together. The joint portion 2a is arranged to face a convex portion 3j formed at the front end portion of the lateral wall portion 3a of the hood protector 3. As shown in FIG.

<Food Skin>
The hood skin 21 is the outer panel forming the upper surface of the bonnet hood 2 . The hood skin 21 is made of, for example, a thin rolled steel plate. As shown in FIG. 2, a gap S1 is formed between the flange portion 21a at the front end of the hood skin 21 and the upper end of the grill 5. As shown in FIG. Therefore, a gap S1 is formed between the front end of the bonnet hood 2 and the grill 5 so that the front end of the bonnet hood 2 does not hit the grill 5 when the bonnet hood 2 is closed. ing. The gap S1 serves as an inlet through which the running wind a flows while the vehicle 1 is running.

<Food frame>
The hood frame 22 is an inner panel arranged inside the motor room 11 of the bonnet hood 2 . The hood frame 22 is made of, for example, a thin rolled steel plate with reinforcing portions (not shown) formed in various places.

<Striker>
As shown in FIG. 2, the striker 23 is a locked member that is locked to the striker lock portion 41b of the latch lever 41 of the latch operating mechanism 4. As shown in FIG. The striker 23 includes a striker base 23a fixed to the hood frame 22 and a substantially U-shaped striker main body 23b projecting from the striker base 23a.

<Hood protector>
The hood protector 3 is a member that protects the operator's fingers from heat when opening and closing the bonnet hood 2 heated by the heat of the engine in the motor room 11 . Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the striker 23 also functions as a guide member for guiding the finger to the position (opening portion 3c) where the operation portion 41a can be operated when the user operates the latch lever 41. have. The hood protector 3 is made of, for example, a resin member extending in the vehicle width direction. The hood protector 3 is attached to the front lower portion of the bonnet hood 2 of the vehicle 1 with fasteners (not shown). The hood protector 3 includes a lateral wall portion 3a, a standing wall portion 3b, an open portion 3c, a stepped portion 3d, a guide portion 3e, a vertical surface 3f, an inclined portion 3g, a convex R-shaped surface 3h, and a concave R-shaped surface. It has a surface 3i and a convex portion 3j (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the hood protector 3 has a horizontal lateral wall portion 3a and a substantially vertical standing wall portion 3b, and is formed in a substantially inverted L shape when viewed in vertical cross section.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lateral wall portion 3a is a portion extending horizontally along the lower surface of the front end portion of the hood frame 22 in the vehicle width direction. The lateral wall portion 3a is fixed to the lower surface of the front end of the hood frame 22 by means of fixtures (not shown) arranged at appropriate intervals in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the front end portion of the lateral wall portion 3a has a protruding portion 3j formed in a semicircular shape when viewed in longitudinal section.

The convex portion 3j is opposed to the joint portion 2a provided on the flange portion 21a of the hood skin 21 with a gap S2 interposed therebetween. Since the gap S2 is formed to be smaller than the thickness of the flange portion 21a and the thickness of the lateral wall portion 3a, the structure is such that traveling wind a is less likely to enter and wind pressure is less likely to be received. Therefore, the vehicle 1 can suppress the generation of wind noise caused by the running wind entering from the gap S1 between the hood skin 21 and the grill 5 flowing into the gap S2 while the vehicle 1 is running.

The hood protector 3 has a convex portion 3j protruding downward from the lower surface of the lateral wall portion 3a at the front end of the lateral wall portion 3a. and the grille 5, the touch feeling of the finger and the nail inserted from between the grill 5 is good. The convex portion 3j is formed as a small semicircular projection in cross section that bulges downward from the lower surface of the lateral wall portion 3a to a height H1. It is possible to prevent getting caught.

As shown in FIG. 2, the standing wall portion 3b is a vertical wall portion that hangs from the rear end of the horizontal wall portion 3a while being slightly inclined downward to the rear side. Between the hood protector 3 and the grille 5, the running wind a flowing from the inlet (gap S1) flows along the lateral wall portion 3a and the vertical wall portion 3b, and flows downward in the direction of the radiator (not shown) (arrow a direction) is formed.
Further, the standing wall portion 3b guides a finger inserted from between the hood skin 21 and the grill 5 when operating the operating portion 41a to the guide portion 3e that can guide the operating portion 41a to the open portion 3c where the operating portion 41a can be operated. It also works as a wall. As shown in FIG. 3, the standing wall portion 3b includes an opening portion 3c, a stepped portion 3d, a guide portion 3e, a vertical surface 3f, an inclined portion 3g, a convex R-shaped surface 3h, and a concave R-shaped surface 3i. and are formed.

The opening portion 3c serves as a mark of the position where the operation portion 41a can be operated by inserting the finger into the opening portion 3c when the user operates the operation portion 41a of the latch lever 41 with the finger. is. The open portion 3c is a notched groove formed in a portion located in front of the latch lever 41 in the standing wall portion 3b. When the user raises the bonnet hood 2 by operating the bonnet open lever (not shown) in front of the driver's seat, the user puts his or her finger through the gap S1 (see FIG. 5) between the bonnet hood 2 and the grille 5. The latch lever 41 can be operated by inserting it into the open portion 3c. The open portion 3c is formed by cutting the standing wall portion 3b to expose the operating portion 41a of the latch lever 41. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stepped portion 3d is a portion formed in a stepped shape at a rightward position within the open portion 3c. The stepped portion 3d is formed continuously from the position (open portion 3c) where the operation portion 41a can be operated to the adjacent position on the right side. For this reason, the stepped portion 3d is designed so that the user can feel that the operation portion 41a can be operated by slightly moving the finger for operating the latch lever 41 into the left open portion 3c. act as a landmark.

<Guide part>
The guide portion 3e is positioned so that the operating portion 41a of the latch lever 41 can be operated by a finger inserted through the gap S1 between the bonnet hood 2 raised by operating the bonnet open lever (not shown) and the grille 5. It is a guide surface for leading to the portion 3c. The guide portion 3e is composed of a vertical surface 3f formed on the standing wall portion 3b, an inclined portion 3g, a convex R-shaped surface 3h, a concave R-shaped surface 3i, and an open portion 3c. The guide portion 3e extends along the operation direction on the upstream side in the operation direction of the operation portion 41a (right side in FIG. 4 (left side in the vehicle width direction)).

<Vertical surface>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vertical surface 3f of the guide portion 3e is a surface formed along the vehicle width direction and substantially flat in the vertical direction. The vertical surface 3f is formed from the convex R-shaped surface 3h to the left end of the standing wall portion 3b.

<Incline>
The inclined portion 3g has the open portion 3c near the right side when the user operating the latch lever 41 slides his/her finger from the left end side of the surface of the guide portion 3e toward the open portion 3c (direction of arrow b). This is a mark that can be detected by the touch of a finger. An end portion of the inclined portion 3g on the side of the operation portion 41a is arranged at a position behind the operation portion 41a. The inclined portion 3g is inclined toward the rear of the vehicle as it approaches the open portion 3c. Therefore, when the user slides his/her finger along the vertical surface 3f, the inclined portion 3g guides the finger to the rear side of the operation portion 41a. Therefore, the finger naturally comes into contact with the operating portion 41a.

<Convex R-shaped surface>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the convex R-shaped surface 3h is a curved surface that is convex toward the front side of the vehicle. The convex R-shaped surface 3h is formed between the front end (left end) of the inclined portion 3g and the vertical surface 3f so that the user can guide his/her finger from the left end of the guide portion 3e toward the open portion 3c (arrow b direction) to prevent fingers from getting caught. The convex R-shaped surface 3h is formed on the opposite side (left side) of the opening 3c with respect to the concave R-shaped surface 3i protruding rearward in bottom view, and is relatively close to the opening 3c. It is formed in a suitable position.

<Concave R-shaped surface>
As shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the concave R-shaped surface 3i is a curved surface that is concave toward the front side of the vehicle. The recessed R-shaped surface 3i is formed at a position adjacent to the inclined portion 3g on the open portion 3c side. The concave R-shaped surface 3i is formed at the rear end portion of the inclined portion 3g, and is formed at a position behind the operation portion 41a when viewed from the bottom. Therefore, when the user slides the finger from the left end side of the surface of the guide portion 3e toward the open portion 3c (direction of arrow b), the user can move the finger into the open portion 3c by getting over the concave R-shaped surface 3i. It serves as a mark that can be understood by the feel of the finger. The radius R1 of the convex R-shaped surface 3h is larger than the radius R2 of the concave R-shaped surface 3i (R1>R2). In this manner, the convex R-shaped surface 3h is formed on the left side of the inclined portion 3g and the concave R-shaped surface 3i is formed on the right side of the inclined portion 3g. When it is closed, it can be slid on the surface of the guide portion 3e without discomfort.

<Latch operating mechanism>
The latch operating mechanism 4 is a device for locking and unlocking the striker 23 of the bonnet hood 2 with the striker lock portion 41 b of the latch lever 41 . The latch operating mechanism 4 includes a lock device (not shown), a latch base 42, a latch lever 41, a support shaft 43, a spring member 44, a cable 45, and the like.
A lock device (not shown) is a device that locks the engagement of the striker 23 .

The latch lever 41 is an operating member for unlocking the bonnet hood 2 . The latch lever 41 is arranged behind the standing wall portion 3b.
The latch base 42 is a plate member bolted to the radiator support 6 .
The support shaft 43 is a shaft that rotatably supports the latch lever 41 and the latch lever 41 .
The spring member 44 is a compression coil spring that biases the latch lever 41 in a direction to engage the striker 23 .

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the cable 45 is connected to a bonnet open lever (not shown) arranged in front of the driver's seat or the like, and the other end is connected to the latch lever 41 to open the bonnet open lever (not shown). ) to the latch lever 41.

<Grill>
As shown in FIG. 2, the grille 5 is a front grille for taking running wind a into the motor room 11 and causing the running wind a to flow toward a radiator (not shown). The grill 5 is composed of an outer member 51 and an inner member 52 provided behind the outer member 51 . The grille 5 is fixed to the upper surface of a bumper (not shown) with bolts (not shown).

≪Action≫
The vehicle front structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is basically constructed as described above. Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

When opening the bonnet hood 2 shown in FIG. 1, first, a bonnet open lever (not shown) arranged in front of the driver's seat or the like is operated. Then, the cable 45 shown in FIG. 3 pulled by the bonnet open lever (not shown) meshes with the striker 23 to release the lock device (not shown) locking the striker 23 .

The striker 23 shown in FIG. 4 rises together with the bonnet hood 2 and engages with the striker lock portion 41b of the latch lever 41 to hold the bonnet hood 2 shown in FIG. 5 in a slightly raised position. Next, the user inserts his/her finger through the gap S1 between the bonnet hood 2 and the grille 5 . Then, the user's finger hits against the standing wall portion 3b. The user moves the finger that hits the standing wall portion 3b along the standing wall portion 3b to the rear surface side, and as shown in FIG. Slide it sideways (in the direction of arrow b).

Then, the user's finger first comes into contact with the convex R-shaped surface 3h. The user can feel that the finger is in the vicinity of the right side of the open portion 3c by contacting the convex R-shaped surface 3h. When the user further slides the surface of the guide portion 3e in the direction of the operation portion 41a (the direction of the arrow b), the user can operate the operation portion 41a by sliding the inclined portion 3g and the concave R-shaped surface 3i. It can be guided into the open portion 3c. When the finger is moved into the open portion 3c, the bonnet hood 2 can be opened by operating the latch lever 41 with the finger.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user slides the rear surface of the standing wall portion 3b from the right side toward the open portion 3c (direction of arrow c), the finger slides to a position where it contacts the stepped portion 3d. , it can be grasped that the open portions 3c are adjacent to each other. Further, by sliding rightward (in the direction of arrow c), the operation portion 41a can be moved into the operable open portion 3c to operate the latch lever 41. As shown in FIG.

Thus, the present invention comprises the hood protector 3 attached to the bonnet hood 2 of the vehicle 1 and the latch lever 41 for unlocking the bonnet hood 2, as shown in FIGS. In the vehicle front structure 100, the hood protector 3 includes an upright wall portion 3b hanging down from the lower front end portion of the bonnet hood 2, and an open portion formed in the upright wall portion 3b for exposing the operating portion 41a of the latch lever 41. The standing wall portion 3b has an inclined portion 3g that inclines toward the rear of the vehicle as it approaches the open portion 3c. is also behind.

According to this configuration, the vehicle front structure 100 of the present invention forms the open portion 3c in the hood protector 3 to expose the operation portion 41a of the latch lever 41, thereby recognizing the position of the latch lever 41. This makes it easier to operate the latch lever 41 . The vertical wall portion 3b has an inclined portion 3g that inclines toward the rear of the vehicle as it approaches the open portion 3c. The user's hand can be smoothly guided to the operation portion 41a of the latch lever 41. - 特許庁Therefore, the user can easily open the bonnet hood 2 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inclined portion 3g is provided on the side of the open portion 3c, and has a concave R-shaped surface 3i curved so as to form a concave shape toward the vehicle front side, and an inclined portion 3g on the side opposite to the open portion 3c. and a convex R-shaped surface 3h that is provided and curved so as to be convex toward the front side of the vehicle.

According to this configuration, the guide portion 3e has the concave R-shaped surface 3i on the side of the opening portion 3c of the inclined portion 3g, and the convex R-shaped surface 3h on the opposite side of the opening portion 3c of the inclined portion 3g. Thus, when sliding the surface of the guide portion 3e with a finger, the finger can be slid without discomfort. Moreover, since the hood protector 3 has the concave R-shaped surface 3i and the convex R-shaped surface 3h, it is possible to avoid interference with peripheral parts and efficiently use the installation space.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the radius R1 of the convex R-shaped surface 3h is larger than the radius R2 of the concave R-shaped surface 3i (R1>R2).

According to this configuration, the radius R1 of the convex R-shaped surface 3h is formed to be larger than the radius R2 of the concave R-shaped surface 3i. can be guided to the operation portion 41a side.

[Modification]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide portion 3e is arranged on the left side of the open portion 3c, and the stepped portion 3d is arranged on the right side of the open portion 3c. It may be arranged on the right side of the portion 3c and the stepped portion 3d may be arranged on the left side of the open portion 3c.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 2 bonnet hood 3 hood protector 3b vertical wall 3c open portion 3d inclined portion 3e guide portion 3h convex R-shaped surface 3h
3i Concave R-shaped surface 3i
4 Latch Actuation Mechanism 41 Latch Lever 41a Operation Part 100 Vehicle Front Structure R1 Radius of convex R-shaped surface R2 Radius of concave R-shaped surface

Claims (3)

A vehicle front structure comprising a hood protector attached to a bonnet hood of a vehicle and a latch lever for unlocking the bonnet hood,
The hood protector has an upright wall portion hanging down from a lower front end portion of the bonnet hood, and an open portion formed in the upright wall portion for exposing an operation portion of the latch lever,
The standing wall portion has an inclined portion that inclines toward the rear of the vehicle as it approaches the open portion,
The vehicle front structure, wherein an end portion of the inclined portion on the side of the operation portion is located rearward of the operation portion. The inclined portion is
A concave R-shaped surface provided on the opening side and curved so as to be concave toward the front side of the vehicle;
A convex R-shaped surface provided on the opposite side of the opening portion and curved so as to be convex toward the front side of the vehicle;
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, characterized by comprising: The radius R1 of the convex R-shaped surface is larger than the radius R2 of the concave R-shaped surface (R1>R2)
The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, characterized in that:

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