Patent Application
20160251033
This disclosure relates generally to energy absorbing/dissipating structures for motor vehicles. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a hood inner panel and assembly incorporating features to absorb/dissipate energy in a collision, and to reduce collision-induced rearward displacement of the hood structure causing damage to other elements of the vehicle.
Modern motor vehicles include a variety of safety features to protect occupants of the vehicle in the event of a collision, including such elements as safety belts, air bags, and bumpers. Other safety features are provided to provide as much protection as possible to a pedestrian in the event of a vehicle-pedestrian low speed collision (for example, less than 15 kph). As is known, such safety features typically include an energy absorber component. Such energy absorber components intended for impact protection in the event of a vehicle-to-pedestrian impact are typically provided as deformable elements, designed to absorb as much impact energy as possible early in the impact to maximize pedestrian protection to the extent possible.
Many jurisdictions now include as part of their safety regulations a requirement that vehicle hood assemblies be constructed to provide protection to the pedestrian in the event of a vehicle-pedestrian collision. However, typically the hood assembly includes at least an outer panel and an inner reinforcing panel to provide structural support for the hood assembly. Thus, in the case of the vehicle hood assembly, this consideration of pedestrian protection must be balanced against the structural requirements imposed on the hood assembly. In other words, a fully deformable hood assembly is not feasible.
The vehicle hood assembly is typically hingedly connected to other elements of the vehicle body and/or frame, such as the A-pillar, to allow access to the engine compartment. Even in a low speed frontal collision the hood assembly is displaced back towards the vehicle passenger cabin. Because the hood is connected to vehicle body and/or frame elements such as the A-pillar, the fenders, and/or the body side panels as the hood assembly is displaced damage to those side elements can occur.
Accordingly, a need is identified in the art for vehicle hood assemblies providing pedestrian protection, but also protection against undue damage to other elements of the vehicle body and frame, for example in the event of a low speed collision.
In accordance with the purposes and benefits described herein, in one aspect a hood assembly for a vehicle is described, which provides a controlled buckling pattern to dissipate energy of impact and to reduce rearward translation of the hood assembly in a frontal collision. The hood assembly includes at least an outer panel and an inner panel. The inner panel includes a plurality of slots or apertures defined in a portion of an edge thereof. The hood assembly is attached to a frame member of the vehicle by a hood hinge assembly as is known.
In embodiments, a first set of slots or apertures is disposed at a front right hand corner and a front left hand corner of the inner panel. In other possible embodiments, an additional set of slots or apertures is disposed along the right outer edge and the left outer edge of the inner panel. In yet another possible embodiment, at least one lateral groove is defined in the inner panel to provide at least one crest line in a portion of a width dimension of the inner panel.
In another aspect of the disclosure, a hood hinge assembly is attached at a first end to a portion of the hood assembly and attached at a second, opposed end to a frame member of the vehicle by one or more cooperating conical washers/nuts and serrated-head bolts. In embodiments, cooperating M6 conical washers/nuts and grade 10.9 M8 serrated-head bolts are used.
As will be appreciated, the slots or apertures are disposed to provide a controlled buckling of at least a left side edge and a right side edge of the hood assembly on receiving a frontal impact. The hood hinge assembly provides a fixed point of attachment for the hood assembly. With the optional inclusion of a crest line in the hood inner panel, a hood assembly is provided which deforms in a controlled fashion, dissipating the energy of a frontal impact and also reducing the tendency of the hood assembly to displace rearwardly causing damage to hood-adjacent vehicle elements such as the a-pillar, fender panels, body side panels, etc.
In the following description, there are shown and described several preferred embodiments of the described vehicle hood inner panel and hood assembly. As it should be realized, the hood assembly is capable of other, different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the hood inner panel/hood assembly as set forth and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the hood inner panel/hood assembly and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawing figures:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the hood inner panel/hood assembly, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.
Reference is now made to
In an alternative embodiment (see
In yet another alternative embodiment (see
As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, the described slots or apertures 14 and/or 20 defined in the material of the front right hand and left hand corners 16, 18 and/or the right hand and left hand sides 22, 24 of the hood inner panel 12 create a slight weakening of the integrity of the panel 12 at those sites, and so in the event of a low speed frontal collision a controlled buckling of the panel 12 will begin at the front right hand and left hand corners 16, 18 and/or along the right hand and left hand sides 22, 24. As the panel 12 buckles along the front right hand and left hand corners 16, 18 and/or the right hand and left hand sides 22, 24, the energy of the impact is absorbed and dissipated, reducing the force of the impact transmitted and also reducing the tendency of the right hand and left hand sides 22, 24 of the hood assembly 10 to displace rearwardly into adjacent elements of the vehicle.
With reference to
The skilled artisan will readily appreciate that by combination of the slots or apertures 14, 20 and the crest line 28, a controlled buckling/folding of the hood assembly 10 is encouraged in the event of a frontal impact. That is, on receiving a frontal impact a conventional hood assembly tends to remain relatively rigid, does not absorb/dissipate energy of impact well, and displaces rearwardly towards adjacent vehicle elements such as the a-pillar, body side panels, and vehicle fenders, causing damage thereto. This does not occur with the presently described hood assembly 10. Instead, a frontal impact will cause the vehicle hood assembly 10 described herein to first buckle in a controlled fashion along the right hand and left hand sides 22, 24 at initiating slots 14, 20 and centrally at the crest line 28, thus reducing rearward displacement.
Continuing, a hinge connection is provided between the hood assembly 10 and a frame element of a vehicle to which the hinge is secured that, in combination with the controlled buckling of the hood inner panel 12 described above, minimizes excessive travel of the hood assembly 10 into the vehicle frame element. In an embodiment, a hood hinge assembly is secured to the vehicle frame element by conical washers/nuts 30 and serrated-head bolts 32 (see
With reference to
As will be appreciated, by these attachments in combination with the buckling initiator slots or apertures 14, 20 and crest line 28 as described above, in a frontal collision a controlled buckling of hood assembly 10 is provided that reduces or minimizes the rearward displacement of the hood assembly 10, thus reducing or minimizing damage to hood-adjacent vehicle features such as the a-pillar 40, the vehicle fender (not shown), and the vehicle body side panels (not shown). By the described features, the hood assembly 10 contributes to managing direct impact force of a frontal low speed collision, reducing collateral damage to other elements of the vehicle and so reducing the expense of a collision.
The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
