Vehicle pop-up hood device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764711-B2
Application number	US-201515115815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle pop-up hood device includes: a hinge base that is fixed to a vehicle body; a first arm that is pivotably connected to the hinge base; and a second arm that is fixed to a vehicle rear side end portion of a front hood and is pivotably connected to the first arm. Further, the vehicle pop-up hood device includes: an actuator that is provided between the first arm and the second arm, and that, by being operated, pivots the second arm with respect to the first arm; and a connecting portion that, at a time of completion of operation of the actuator, is set in an operating state in which the connecting portion restricts movement of the second arm with respect to the hinge base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle pop-up hood device comprising:
a hinge base that is fixed to a vehicle body;
a first arm that is pivotably connected to the hinge base;
a second arm that is fixed to a vehicle transverse direction outer side end portion at a rear portion of a hood, and is pivotably connected to the first arm, and that, by being pivoted with respect to the first arm, moves the vehicle transverse direction outer side end portion at the rear portion of the hood toward a vehicle upper side;
an actuator that is provided between the first arm and the second arm, and that, by being operated, pivots the second arm with respect to the first arm and raises the hood up from a closed position to a raised position; and
a connecting portion whose one end portion is connected to the hinge base and whose other end portion is connected to the second arm, and that, at the closed position of the hood, is set in a stored state, at a time of completion of operation of the actuator, the connecting portion being set in an operating state in which the connecting portion restricts movement of the second arm toward the vehicle upper side with respect to the hinge base.

2. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 1 , wherein, at a time when the first arm is pivoted with respect to the hinge base in a non-operating state of the actuator, the connecting portion is switched from the stored state to a pivoting restricting state, and restricts a range of pivoting of the hood.

3. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is structured to include
a first link that structures one end side of the connecting portion and that is pivotably connected to the hinge base,
a second link that structures the other end side of the connecting portion and that is pivotably connected to the second arm, and
a connecting shaft that is provided at one of the first link and the second link and that is pivotably supported at a connection hole formed in the other of the first link and the second link.

4. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 3 , wherein
the connecting portion has a displacement mechanism that permits displacement toward the vehicle upper side at the other end portion of the connecting portion, and
when a predetermined load toward the vehicle upper side is applied to the other end portion of the connecting portion by the hood that has been raised to the raised position, the displacement mechanism operates and permits displacement toward the vehicle upper side at the other end portion of the connecting portion, and permits movement of the second arm to an upper limit position that is further toward the vehicle upper side than the raised position.

5. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 4 , wherein the displacement mechanism is structured to absorb vibration energy of the hood due to the other end portion of the connecting portion being displaced from the raised position to the upper limit position.

6. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 5 , wherein
the displacement mechanism is structured to include the connecting shaft, and a groove portion that is formed in the other of the first link and the second link and whose one end portion communicates with the connection hole, and
in the operating state, the groove portion is disposed so as to extend in a vehicle vertical direction, and a width dimension of the groove portion is set to be smaller than a diameter dimension of the connecting shaft.

7. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 6 , wherein
the displacement mechanism has a holding hole that is formed at the other end portion of the groove portion, and
at the upper limit position, the connecting shaft is held by the holding hole.

8. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 6 , wherein, at the displacement mechanism, sliding resistance of the connecting shaft with respect to the groove portion when the connecting shaft moves from the other end of the groove portion to the one end of the groove portion, is set to be lower than sliding resistance of the connecting shaft with respect to the groove portion when the connecting shaft moves from the one end of the groove portion to the other end of the groove portion.

9. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 4 , wherein
the displacement mechanism is made to be a surplus length portion that is formed at at least one of the first link and the second link, and
at a time of operation of the displacement mechanism, displacement toward the vehicle upper side at the other end portion of the connecting portion is permitted due to the surplus length portion plastically deforming.

10. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 3 , wherein
the actuator is disposed at a vehicle transverse direction one side with respect to the first arm and the second arm, and
the connecting portion is disposed at a vehicle transverse direction other side with respect to the first arm and the second arm.

11. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 10 , wherein
the hinge base is disposed at the vehicle transverse direction other side with respect to the connecting portion,
a region of connection with the second arm at the second link is disposed adjacent to a region of connection of the actuator and the second arm, and
an interconnection portion, that extends in a vehicle transverse direction and interconnects length direction both end portions of the first link, is formed at a length direction intermediate portion of the first link.

12. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 3 , wherein
a stopper is provided at the connecting portion, and
in the operating state, pivoting of the first link and the second link toward a side opposite the stored state is limited by the stopper.

13. The vehicle pop-up hood device of claim 12 , wherein
the other end portion of the second link is connected to the second arm by a connecting pin, and
given that a line, that passes-through an axial center of the connecting pin as seen in a side view and runs along a vehicle vertical direction, is made to be an imaginary reference line,
in the stored state, the connecting shaft is disposed at a vehicle longitudinal direction one side with respect to the imaginary reference line, and, in the operating state, the connecting shaft is disposed at a vehicle longitudinal direction other side with respect to the imaginary reference line.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Narita Sotaro
• Uozumi Yoshinori

Classifications

• E05Y2900/536

  Hoods · CPC title

• E05F5/022

  specially adapted for vehicles, e.g. for hoods or trunks · CPC title

• E05D3/186

  Scissors hinges, with two crossing levers and five parallel pins · CPC title

• B62D25/12

  Parts or details thereof (locks E05B, {E05B83/16; devices for holding open E05C17/00, e.g. while carrying oversize objects E05C17/042}; hinges E05D; counterbalancing means E05F; {checks, stops, buffers E05F5/00; } springs, {e.g. pneumatic springs} F16F) · CPC title

• E05F3/16

  with friction brakes · CPC title