Claims:
Having thus described the invention, what I claim is
1. In a vehicle including a body member having a closure member mounted thereon for swinging movement relative to said body member about a generally horizontal axis between a raised and a normal lowered position, a striker rigidly secured to one of said members, a retaining lever, means mounting said retaining lever on the other of said members for pivotal movement about an axis thereof between a first position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are freely relatively moveable permitting upward movement of said closure member from the normal lowered position thereof and a second position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are engageable to prevent such movement, frangible means rigidly connecting said retaining lever and said other member and maintaining said retaining lever in said first position thereof, and means operative upon longitudinal movement of said closure member from the normal lowered position thereof relative to said body member to fracture said frangible means and to pivot said retaining lever about said pivot axis thereof from said first to said second position so that swinging movement of said closure member toward said raised position is prevented.
2. In a vehicle including a body member having a hood member mounted thereon for swinging movement relative to said body member about a generally horizontal axis between a raised and a normal lowered position, a striker rigidly secured to one of said members, a retaining lever, means mounting said retaining lever on the other of said members for pivotal movement about an axis thereof between a first position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are freely relatively moveable permitting upward movement of said closure member from the normal lowered position thereof and a second position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are engageable to prevent such movement, spring means biasing said retaining lever toward said second position, and means operative upon longitudinal movement of said hood member from the normal lowered position thereof relative to said body member to fracture said frangible means, said spring means operative upon fracture of said frangible means to pivot said retaining lever about said pivot axis thereof from said first to said second position thereof so that swinging movement of said closure member toward said raised position thereof is prevented.
3. In a vehicle body, a hood member, means mounting said hood member generally at the forward marginal edge thereof on said body for swinging movement relative thereto between a raised and a normal lowered position about a generally horizontal axis, a striker rigidly secured to said hood member generally at the rear marginal edge thereof, a retaining lever including a cam edge, means mounting said retaining lever on said body for pivotal movement about an axis thereof between a first position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are freely relatively moveable permitting upward movement of said hood member from the normal lowered position thereof and a second position wherein said retaining lever and said striker are engageable to prevent such movement, spring means biasing said retaining lever toward said second position thereof, and a frangible pin rigidly connecting said body and said retaining lever and maintaining the latter in said first position thereof, said striker in the normal lowered position of said hood member being positioned adjacent said cam edge and operative upon rearward longitudinal movement of said hood member from the normal lowered position thereof relative to said body to engage said cam edge and fracture said frangible pin and said spring means operative upon such fracture to pivot said retaining lever about said pivot axis thereof from said first to said second position so that swinging movement of said hood member toward said raised position thereof is prevented.
Description:
This invention relates generally to vehicle bodies including hinged hood members and in particular to arrangements for positively maintaining a hood member in lowered position under abnormal conditions as arise during collisions.
The primary feature of this invention is that it provides a new and improved auxiliary holddown arrangement for a hood or other closure member. Another feature of this invention is that it provides an improved auxiliary holddown arrangement cooperable with either front- or rear-opening-type hood or closure members and which is inactive during normal opening and closing of the hood or closure member, yet is operative under abnormal conditions as during collisions to prevent undesirable movement of the hood or closure member toward raised position. Still another feature of this invention is that it provides an improved auxiliary holddown arrangement including a retaining lever pivoted on either a body member or the hood member and maintained in a fixed orientation relative thereto by a frangible connector and a striker on the other of the body and hood members which initiates fracture of the frangible connector upon rearward longitudinal movement of the hood member relative to the body member, which fracture is followed by movement of the retaining lever into a position wherein it is engageable with the striker to prevent swinging movement of the hood member toward the raised position thereof.
These and other features of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and from the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a partially broken away side elevational view of the forward portion of an automobile-type vehicle including an auxiliary holddown arrangement according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing the auxiliary holddown arrangement in the inactive position thereof;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by lines 3-3 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 but showing the auxiliary holddown arrangement in the operative or retaining position thereof; and
FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of FIG. 3 and showing a modified embodiment of the auxiliary holddown arrangement.
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an automobile-type vehicle has a body member 10 including a pair of front fender panels, of which only fender panel 12 is shown, a windshield 14 and a cowl structure 16. The engine compartment, not shown, forward of the cowl structure between the front fender panels is conventionally covered by a hood member 18 mounted on the vehicle body generally at the forward end of the engine compartment by any suitable hinge means for pivotal movement about a generally transverse horizontal axis between a raised position, not shown, wherein the engine compartment is exposed and a normal lowered position, FIG. 1, wherein the hood member conceals the engine compartment and lies in generally coplanar relationship with the upper marginal edges of the front fender panels. A conventional latching arrangement, not shown, releasably maintains the hood member in the normal lowered position thereof. Under severe abnormal conditions, as when frontal impact of the vehicle against another object strains the hood hinges and hood latch and forces the hood member longitudinally rearward relative to the body from the normal lowered position to a deformed position, an auxiliary holddown arrangement according to this invention and generally designated 20 functions to positively prevent movement of the hood member to the raised position thereof.
Referring more particularly now to FIGS. 2 and 3, cowl structure 16 at the forward portion thereof includes a recessed edge portion 22 extending transversely of the body and a vertically disposed portion 24 integral therewith. Fender panel 12 further includes a vertically disposed inner flange portion 26 at one side of the engine compartment. Hood member 18 conventionally includes an inner reinforcing panel 28 having vertical side portions 30 and a horizontal portion 32. A hood outer panel 34 is fixedly secured to the flange portion 32 of the inner reinforcing panel 28 by conventional means, as by welding.
In description now of the auxiliary holddown arrangement and with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, an L-shaped striker 36 with legs 38 and 40 is fixedly secured to the hood member and, in the normal lowered position of the latter, is oriented in a generally vertical plane extending transversely of the body. The leg portions 38 and 40 cooperate with the vertical portions 30 of the hood member to define a loop or generally U-shaped conformation in the plane of the striker.
A pivot stud 44 is fixedly secured to inner flange 26 and defines a generally horizontal axis on the body extending transversely thereof. A bifurcated retaining lever 46 having an arm 47 with a hook portion 48 thereon is mounted on the pivot stud 44 for pivotal movement thereabout between a first position, FIG. 2, and a second position, FIG. 4. A cam edge 50 is formed on the other leg of the retaining lever 46. In the first position of retaining lever 46 and with the hood member in the normal lowered position thereof, the plane of the striker member 36 and the plane of the retaining lever 46 intersect generally at right angles with the leg 38 of the former lying between the bifurcations and adjacent to cam edge 50 of the latter. The arm 47 and cam edge 50 assume generally vertical attitudes in the first position of the retaining lever so that the striker and retaining lever are freely moveable relative to each other, thus allowing normal pivotal movement of the hood member between raised and normal lowered position.
The retaining lever 46 is maintained in the first position by a frangible pin 54 which is rigidly attached at one end thereof to the inner flange 26 and at the other end to the retaining lever. As long at the rigid connection between the retaining lever and inner panel remains intact, normal operation of the hood member proceeds without interference.
In description now of the operation of the auxiliary holddown arrangement, in the normal lowered position of the hood member, flange portion 32 of inner reinforcing panel 28 rests generally over recessed edge portion 22 with a transversely extending section of vertical side portion 30 being normally longitudinally spaced from vertical cowl portion 24. Under abnormal conditions, as when the vehicle engages in severe frontal impact with another object causing the hood member to be forced longitudinally rearward relative to the front fender panels and the cowl structure, the spaced relationship between the vertical cowl portion 24 and the vertical side portion 30 permits a predetermined amount of unobstructed rearward longitudinal movement, the amount being sufficient to permit the leg portion 38 of the striker to contact cam edge 50 and develop a reaction thereon tending to rotate the retaining lever clockwise, FIG. 2, toward the second position thereof.
The frangible connection between the retaining lever 46 and inner flange 26 resists the force exerted by the striker on the cam edge 50 until that force attains a predetermined magnitude which is sufficient to fracture or shear the frangible pin 54. In practice, this force is relatively low, at a value of approximately 200 lbs. Following shearing of pin 54, the leg 38 of the striker functions during longitudinal movement of the hood member to pivot the retaining lever clockwise to the second position thereof, FIG. 4, wherein hook portion 48 of arm 47 occupies a position within the looped conformation of the striker 36 overlying the leg 38 thereof. In this orientation, with striker 36 still effectively engaged on cam edge 50, upward movement of the hood member is prevented by hooking engagement between the striker and the retaining lever.
In a modified embodiment, FIG. 5, of the auxiliary holddown arrangement according to this invention, a coil torsion spring 56 is mounted on pivot stud 44, with one end connected to the retaining lever and the other to inner flange 26, and biases the retaining lever toward the second position thereof. The frangible pin maintains the retaining lever in the first position against the bias of the spring until an abnormal situation occurs wherein the hood member is forced longitudinally rearward relative to the body member. The striker 36 then initiates fracture of the pin 54 as described hereinbefore. However, following such fracture, the spring becomes operative to rapidly rotate the retaining lever into the second position thereof, FIG. 4, wherein the hooked portion of the latter is engageable by the striker to prevent pivotal movement of the hood member toward the raised position thereof.
It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the auxiliary holddown arrangement according to this invention may be used with equal effectiveness in vehicle bodies having rear hinged hood or other closure members. In such embodiments the retaining lever and striker are interchangeably attached to the hood and body members generally at the forward edges thereof. Rearward longitudinal movement of the hood member relative to the body member initiates engagement between the striker and retaining lever, as described hereinbefore, which engagement and subsequent pivotal movement brings the retaining lever into a position wherein it is engageable with the striker to prevent upward movement of the forward edge of the hood member.