FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to an impact energy absorber for hood of vehicle, and, in particular, to an impact energy absorber in 5 vehicle hood hinge region to absorb impact energy thus protecting head of pedestrian and reducing injury to pedestrian upon impact. In more particularly, the present subject matter relates to structure of an impact energy absorber provided in the region of the vehicle hood hinge for reducing pedestrian head injury during head collision pedestrian with hood/bonnet of the vehicle. 10
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002] A hood of vehicle is provided at front end of the vehicle to cover the engine compartment of the vehicle. The hood contributes in adding aesthetics to the vehicle. Generally, the hood is mounted on the front portion of the vehicle with hinges at two ends, i.e., right side and left side. There can be two types of 15 hinges, i.e., single joint hinge and multi joint hinge.
[003] The hood protects head of pedestrian from direct hitting with hard components, such as engine, battery in the engine compartment. When the vehicle hits the pedestrian from front, the vehicle impacts knee, leg, and abdominal region of the pedestrian. The frontal impact may elevate and/or flip the pedestrian such 20 that the pedestrian's head strikes the vehicle's hood or windshield. The head impact with the hood or windshield may be fatal if the head suffers high energy impact. When the pedestrian is flipped on the hood of the vehicle, head of the pedestrian hits indirectly via the hood against a hard member, such as an engine, battery, cooling system, junction box, and hood hinge that is provided at least 25 partly below the vehicle. Magnitude of the head impact injury depends on the area of impact on the front part of the vehicle. Further, the area of impact is influenced by many components, such as outer panel of hood, inner panel of hood, hinge reinforcement of hood, hinge region, fender, wiper system and cowl area.
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[004] Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate hood hinge assembly with collapsible bracket to absorb head impact energy during head impact of pedestrian with hood hinge region of the vehicle as known in the art. The hood of vehicle is generally a closure which is placed over engine compartment. Further, rear end of the vehicle hood connected to the vehicle body by special hood hinges. The hinge assembly 5 has collapsible hinge bracket 101 and dog leg hinge arm 102. The collapsible hinge bracket 101 is mounted on lower front base 105 of the vehicle body, specifically cowl panel. The dog leg hinge arm 102 is attached to the lower part of the vehicle hood 104. The dog leg hinge arm 102 is mounted on the inner panel of the hood 104 with mounting bolts 103 at plurality of locations, specifically, at two 10 locations. The collapsible hinge bracket 101 is pivotally connected with the dog leg hinge arm 102 to allow up and down movement along the pivot axis. During the head impact of the pedestrian on the area of hinge on the hood of vehicle, the impact force pushes the hood in downward direction for absorption of impact force. The collapsible bracket 101 collapse to absorb the impact energy. . 15
[005] Fig. 3 illustrates hood hinge assembly with space between hood and vehicle body to absorb impact energy during head impact of the pedestrian with hood hinge region of the vehicle as known in the art. In another structure of the vehicle hood, the hood of vehicle is generally to the vehicle body by normal hood hinges. The hinge assembly has non-collapsible hinge bracket 201 and hinge arm 20 202. The non-collapsible hinge bracket 201 is mounted on lower front base 205 of the vehicle body, specifically cowl panel. The hinge arm 202 is positioned in between upper and lower part of the vehicle hood 204. The hinge arm 202 is mounted on the inner panel of the vehicle hood 204 with mounting bolts 203 at plurality of locations, specifically, at two locations. The non-collapsible hinge 25 bracket 201 is pivotally connected with the hinge arm 202 to allow up and down movement along the pivot axis. During the head impact of the pedestrian on the area of hinge on the hood of vehicle, the impact force pushes the hood in downward direction for absorption of impact force. In order to absorb the head impact energy, there is a gap 206 provided in between the lower surface of the 30 inner panel of vehicle hood 204 and the vehicle body 205. However, the gap 206
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with vehicle body 205 is very less and it restrict downward movement of the hinge arm 202 and head of the pedestrian hits the hard component with high impact force magnitude. Due to low impact energy absorbing capabilities of the present hinge assembly, the head of the pedestrian incur injuries with high injury values. 5
[006] Nowadays, the regulation on pedestrian protection mandates that the vehicle hood be configured to attenuate injury to the pedestrian when the pedestrian is struck by the vehicle and fallen on the hood.
[007] In order to satisfy the regulation, several systems have been proposed for protecting the pedestrian head during the impact. In one system, a sufficient gap 10 between the vehicle hood member and its underlying components is suggested to absorb impact energy. However, the gap between the vehicle hood and vehicle body above the threshold limit is difficult and give the vehicle design constraints, such as aerodynamics and styling. In another suggested system, a deformable collapsible hinge bracket is provided in the hinge assembly for reducing the 15 impact of the pedestrian head on area of the vehicle hood hinge.
[008] Pedestrian safety being an important concern with an ever increasing number of vehicles on roads which thereby forces government to bring Pedestrian safety regulation norms. Hood hinge area is one of the most critical areas to meet the HIC (Head Injury Criteria). It becomes more challenging when the same is to 20 be incorporated in existing vehicle structure ensuring minimum changes to surrounding part structure. The current structure of the hood does not comply with required HIC in hinge region. Further, there is no sufficient space available for hinge arm movement on impact. Due to small gap between the lower part of the vehicle and the vehicle body, the head of the pedestrian directly hits the hinge arm 25 onto the panel leading to increased injury values. The biggest problem in the existing vehicle structures is to make them safe for pedestrian without changing the layout and structure of the vehicle. Another challenge is to maintain the cost and weight of the vehicle while ensuring safety of the pedestrian head.
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[009] To reduce or eliminate the possibility of severe injury resulting from a pedestrian hood strike or to reduce Head injury, several systems have been suggested to increase the gap between the lower part of the hood and the vehicle and provide a collapsible bracket in the hinge assembly. However, these systems require changes in aerodynamics/styling intent as well as the rigidity of the 5 vehicle hood. Further, these systems require structural changes in the vehicle which increases the cost and rigidity of the vehicle. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop an impact energy absorber that overcomes the foregoing and other problems and disadvantages as mentioned. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an impact energy absorber that can be more simple and inexpensive, and 10 which can be placed in the existing structures of the vehicle to fulfill the regulations of the pedestrian safety.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[0010] The principal object of the present invention is to provide an impact energy absorber to absorb head impact energy on hood of the vehicle and reduces 15 injuries to head of pedestrian.
[0011] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a deformable reinforcement bracket which deforms in specified manner to absorb the impact energy during head impact with the hood of the vehicle.
[0012] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a deformable 20 reinforcement bracket over mounting area of hinge arm in between outer panel and inner panel of the vehicle hood.
[0013] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide an impact energy absorber which deforms in a specified manner to absorb head impact energy and prevents/slows/delay down movement of hinge arm movement towards cowl 25 panel/vehicle body below hinge arm and reduce the magnitude of head injuries to pedestrian.
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[0014] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an impact energy absorber which is simple and inexpensive, and efficiently absorbs the head impact energy on hood hinge without causing major injury to head of the pedestrian.
[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an impact energy absorber which can be implemented in existing vehicles without any structural 5 modifications.
[0016] Yet another object of the present invention is to make existing vehicles pedestrian safe by implementing the impact energy absorber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0017] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a deformable reinforcement 10 in vehicle hood assembly for reducing the impact of pedestrian head injuries during impact of the pedestrian head with vehicle hood, in particularly, to vehicle hood hinge region which is one of the hardest joint on the vehicle hood area. The vehicle hood assembly has vehicle hood, two hood hinge assemblies, a deformable reinforcement and hood striker reinforcement along with hood striker. 15 The vehicle hood is combination of vehicle hood outer panel and vehicle hood inner panel. The vehicle hood covers complete engine compartment. The vehicle hood inner panel of the vehicle hood provides strength and rigidity to the vehicle hood outer panel and the other child parts. The vehicle hood is pivotally connected with the vehicle body through the hinge assembly for up and down 20 movement about horizontal pivot axis to open and close position of engine compartment in the vehicle, respectively. The hinge assembly has hinge arm and non-collapsible hinge bracket. The non-collapsible hinge bracket is mounted on the vehicle body, specifically cowl top penal. The hinge arm is mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel from one end and pivotally connected with the non-25 collapsible bracket at other end. Similarly, another hinge assembly is provided on the other end of the vehicle hood to allow pivot movement of the vehicle hood. The deformable reinforcement is positioned over the hinge arm mounting area. The deformable reinforcement is provided in between the vehicle hood outer panel and the vehicle hood inner panel. Further, the deformable reinforcement is 30
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mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel. Furthermore, the deformable reinforcement is attached with inner surface of the vehicle hood outer panel with sealant points. When head of the pedestrian hits the hood hinge area, the deformable reinforcement deforms in specified manner to absorb impact energy applied by the head. While absorbing the head impact energy during collision, the 5 deformable reinforcement slows down the impact of hinge arm movement towards the vehicle body in downward direction and reduces the magnitude of impact energy. The deformable reinforcement has optimized shape and structure to absorb head impact energy efficiently. The deformable reinforcement absorbs the head impact energy at the hood hinge region and reduces the injuries cause to 10 head of the pedestrian.
[0018] In another embodiment of the present subject matter, structure of the deformable reinforcement is illustrated. The deformable reinforcement is in ‘∩’ shape and made from a single sheet material. The ‘∩’ shape deformable reinforcement has two side walls and one horizontal surface in between two side 15 walls. Further, stiffness of the ‘∩’ shape deformable bracket can be changed by changing vertical wall radius in between the side walls and horizontal surface. The deformable reinforcement has a plurality of slots on horizontal surface to allow plastic deformation for absorption of head impact energy. The plurality of slots is provided across width of the horizontal surface of the deformable reinforcement. 20 The deformable reinforcement has horizontal bent flanges at both the side walls of the ‘∩’ shape deformable reinforcement. Further, the horizontal bent flanges extend outwardly at an angle from the side walls. The deformable reinforcement is mounted on the vehicle hood with bent flanges. The bent flanges have a vertical wall angle with the side walls of the deformable reinforcement to provide required 25 stiffness and rigidity in the structure. The deformable reinforcement has an overhang portion which is not supported by the side walls to cover larger head form area in order to increase area of effectiveness during pedestrian head impact. Further, the overhang portion can be increased and decreased based on the requirement. The plurality of slots and overhang portion allows plastic 30 deformation of the deformable reinforcement in a specified manner in downward
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direction to absorb head impact energy. The deformable reinforcement deforms to absorb the impact energy and reduces the impact of head injuries of pedestrian.
[0019] In order to further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative 5 only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally 10 effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with 15 embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0021] Fig. 1, and 2 illustrate hood hinge assembly with collapsible bracket to absorb head impact energy during head impact of pedestrian with hood hinge region of the vehicle as known in the art; 20
[0022] Fig. 3 illustrates hood hinge assembly having non-collapsible hinge bracket with space between hood and vehicle body to absorb impact energy during head impact of the pedestrian with hood hinge region of the vehicle as known in the art;
[0023] Fig. 4 illustrates structure of deformable reinforcement, in accordance with 25 an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0024] Fig. 5 illustrates top view of the deformable reinforcement, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
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[0025] Fig. 6 illustrates side views of the deformable reinforcement, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0026] Fig. 7 illustrates front view of the deformable reinforcement, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter; and
[0027] Fig. 8 illustrates vehicle hood assembly with the deformable reinforcement 5 over the mounted hinge arm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0028] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and 10 methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0029] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a deformable reinforcement in vehicle hood assembly for reducing the impact of pedestrian head injuries 15 during impact of the pedestrian head with vehicle hood, in particularly, to vehicle hood hinge region which is one of the hardest joint on the vehicle hood area. The vehicle hood assembly has vehicle hood, two hood hinge assemblies and a deformable reinforcement. The vehicle hood is combination of vehicle hood outer panel and vehicle hood inner panel. The vehicle hood outer panel covers complete 20 engine compartment. The vehicle hood inner panel of the vehicle hood provides strength and rigidity to the vehicle hood. The vehicle hood is pivotally connected with the vehicle body through the hinge assembly for up and down movement about horizontal pivot axis to open and close position of engine compartment in the vehicle, respectively. The hinge assembly has hinge arm and non-collapsible 25 hinge bracket. The non-collapsible hinge bracket is mounted on the vehicle body, specifically cowl top panel. The hinge arm is mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel from one end and pivotally connected with the non-collapsible bracket at other end. Similarly, another hinge assembly is provided on the other end of the
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vehicle hood to allow pivot movement of the vehicle hood. The deformable reinforcement is positioned over the hinge arm mounting area. The deformable reinforcement is provided in between the vehicle hood outer panel and the vehicle hood inner panel. Further, the deformable reinforcement is mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel. Furthermore, the deformable reinforcement is attached with 5 inner surface of the vehicle hood outer panel with sealant points. When head of the pedestrian hits the hood hinge area, the deformable reinforcement deforms in specified manner to absorb impact energy applied by the head. While absorbing the head impact energy during collision, the deformable reinforcement slows down the impact of hinge arm movement towards the vehicle body in downward 10 direction and reduces the magnitude of impact energy. The deformable reinforcement has optimized shape and structure to absorb head impact energy efficiently. The deformable reinforcement absorbs the head impact energy at the hood hinge region and reduces the injuries cause to head of the pedestrian.
In another embodiment of the present subject matter, structure of the deformable 15 reinforcement is illustrated. The deformable reinforcement is in ‘∩’ shape and made from a single sheet material. The ‘∩’ shape deformable reinforcement has two side walls and one horizontal surface in between two side walls. Further, stiffness of the ‘∩’ shape deformable bracket can be changed by changing vertical wall radius in between the side walls and horizontal surface. The deformable 20 reinforcement has a plurality of slots on horizontal surface to allow plastic deformation for absorption of head impact energy. The plurality of slots is provided across width of the horizontal surface of the deformable reinforcement. The deformable reinforcement has horizontal bent flanges at both the side walls of the ‘∩’ shape deformable reinforcement. Further, the horizontal bent flanges 25 extend outwardly at an angle from the side walls. The deformable reinforcement is mounted on the vehicle hood with bent flanges. The bent flanges have a vertical wall angle with the side walls of the deformable reinforcement to provide required stiffness and rigidity in the structure. The deformable reinforcement has an overhang portion which is not supported by the side walls to cover larger head 30 form area in order to increase area of effectiveness during pedestrian head impact.
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Further, the overhang portion can be increased and decreased based on the requirement. The plurality of slots and overhang portion allows plastic deformation of the deformable reinforcement in a specified manner in downward direction to absorb head impact energy. When the impact takes place at one location, say, front side of the reinforcement part, one few front slots take active 5 part to absorb the impact energy and gets deformed, while the rest of the slots remain unmoved/inactive thus adding the advantage of part behaving as a set of multiple small reinforcement deformable brackets placed adjacent to each other, instead of one single bracket. The deformable reinforcement deforms to absorb the impact energy and reduces the impact of head injuries of pedestrian. 10
[0030] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those 15 skilled in the art that by devising various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the 20 concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the 25 following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
[0031] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject 30
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matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0032] Fig. 4 illustrates structure of deformable reinforcement, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The present deformable 5 reinforcement 400 is in ‘∩’ shape and made from a single sheet material. The ‘∩’ shape deformable reinforcement 400 has two side walls 401, 402 and one horizontal surface 403 in between two side walls 401, 402. The horizontal surface 403 has curved profile to provide stiffness to the deformable structure. Further, the curved profile of the horizontal surface 403 can be optimized by changing 10 vertical wall radius 407 in between the side walls 401, 402 and the horizontal surface 403. The deformable reinforcement 400 has a plurality of slots 404 on the horizontal surface 403 to allow plastic deformation for absorption of head impact energy. The plurality of slots 404 is provided across width of the horizontal surface 403 of the deformable reinforcement 400. The deformable reinforcement 15 400 has horizontal bent flanges 405, 406 at end of the side walls 401, 402, respectively. Further, the horizontal bent flanges 405, 406 extend outwardly at an angle 408 from the side walls 401, 402, respectively. The deformable reinforcement 400 is mounted on the vehicle hood with the horizontal bent flanges 405, 406 with the help of weld spots. The angle 408 between the side walls 401, 20 402 and bent flange 405, 406 is to be optimized to ensure sufficient strength while at the same time provides enough flexibility to deform during head impact. The minimum angle 408 is in range of 3° ~ 5° considering both the minimum requirements for manufacturing as well as striking balance between part stiffness and flexibility requirements. The same can be achieved through CAE analysis to 25 meet desired performance. The vertical wall angle 408 can be optimized as per the requirement of the vehicle and stiffness of the reinforcement 400. Further, the vertical wall angle 408 between the side walls 401, 402 and the bent flanges 405, 406 provides stiffness and rigidity to the deformable reinforcement 400. The deformable reinforcement 400 has an overhang portion 409 which is not 30 supported by the side walls 401, 402. The overhang portion 409 is provided in the
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deformable reinforcement 400 to cover larger head form area in order to increase area of effectiveness during pedestrian head impact. Further, the overhang portion 409 can be increased and decreased based on the requirement. The plurality of slots 404 and the overhang portion 409 allows plastic deformation of the deformable reinforcement 400 in a specified manner in downward direction to 5 absorb the head impact energy. The plurality of slots 404 are provided on the curved profile of the horizontal surface 403 which initiates bending of the deformable reinforcement 400 in a specified manner in downward direction upon application of impact energy. The deformable reinforcement plastically deforms to absorb the impact energy and reduces the impact of head injuries to the 10 pedestrian.
[0033] Further, the number of slots in the plurality of slots 404 and size of the overhang portion 409 can be optimized as per the dimensions of the vehicle and the hood hinge arm region. Further, the vertical radius 407 between the side walls 401, 402 and the horizontal curved surface 403 can be optimized as per the 15 requirements of the vehicle. Similarly, the vertical wall angle 408 between the side walls 401, 402 and the horizontal bent flange 405, 406 can be optimized as per the requirements of the vehicle. For example, the vehicles which are big in size and shape accordingly the size of the deformable reinforcement 400 increases. Further, size of the deformable reinforcement 400 also depends on the 20 gap between outer panel and inner panel of the vehicle hood. Also, based on specific vehicle requirements, the wall angle 408, radius 407, number of slots 404, etc., is to be decided to strike a balance between manufacturing, part strength, part flexibility and performance to achieve the desired HIC results in the hood hinge region. When the impact takes place at one location, say, front side of the 25 reinforcement part, one few front slots from the plurality of slots take active part to absorb the impact energy and gets deformed, while the rest of the slots remain unmoved/inactive thus adding the advantage of part behaving as a set of multiple small reinforcement deformable brackets placed adjacent to each other, instead of one single bracket. 30
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[0034] Fig. 5 illustrates top view of the deformable reinforcement, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. As explained in figure 4, the deformable reinforcement 400 has two horizontal bent flanges 405, 406 extending from the side walls. The deformable reinforcement 400 is mounted on inner panel (detailed explanation is provided in figure 8) of the vehicle hood with the 5 horizontal bent flanges 405, 406. The horizontal bent flanges 405, 406 can be mounted by any known means, such as spot welding and gas welding in the automobile industry. Fig. 6 illustrates the side views of the deformable reinforcement 400 which clearly shows the overhang portion 409. The overhang portion 409 covers more head impact area in the vehicle hood. The overhang 10 portion 409 overcomes the requirement of base area for mounting of bent flanges of the deformable reinforcement. As the inner panel of the vehicle hood has very less space for mounting of the hinge arm and the deformable reinforcement. By providing the optimized overhang portion 409 eliminates the requirement of base area for mounting. Further, shape of the overhang portion 409 can be optimized as 15 per the requirement and available space in between the inner panel and the outer panel of the vehicle hood. Fig. 7 illustrates the front view of the deformable reinforcement, in accordance with the present subject matter. The present view clearly illustrates the ‘∩’ shape of the deformable reinforcement 400. Further, the ‘∩’ shape of the deformable reinforcement 400 has bent flanges 405, 406 which 20 extend horizontally outward from the side walls 401 402 of the deformable reinforcement 400. The horizontally bent flanges 405, 406 help to mount the deformable reinforcement 400 on inner surface of the inner panel of the vehicle hood over the hinge arm mounted area.
[0035] Fig. 8 illustrates vehicle hood assembly with the deformable reinforcement 25 over the mounted hinge arm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The vehicle hood assembly disclosed herein has a deformable reinforcement for reducing the impact of pedestrian head injuries during impact of the pedestrian head with vehicle hood, in particularly, over vehicle hood hinge region which is one of the hardest point on the vehicle hood area. The vehicle 30 hood assembly 800 has vehicle hood 801, two hood hinge assemblies and a
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deformable reinforcement 803. The vehicle hood 801 is combination of hood outer panel 801a and hood inner panel 801b. The vehicle hood 801 covers complete engine compartment. The vehicle hood outer panel 801a is visible from outside of the vehicle. The vehicle inner panel 801b is connected with inner surface of the vehicle hood outer panel 801a. The hood inner panel 801b of the 5 vehicle hood provides strength and rigidity to the vehicle hood. The vehicle hood 801 is pivotally connected with the vehicle body 804 through the hinge assembly 802 for up and down movement about horizontal pivot axis to open and close the engine compartment with the vehicle hood 801 in the vehicle. The hinge assembly 802 has a hinge arm 802a and non-collapsible hinge bracket 802b. The non-10 collapsible hinge bracket 802b is mounted on the vehicle body 804, specifically cowl top panel 804. The hinge arm 802a is mounted on the inner panel 801b of the vehicle hood 801 from one end and pivotally connected with the non-collapsible bracket 802b at other end. Similarly, another hinge assembly is provided on the other end of the vehicle hood 801 to allow pivot movement of the 15 vehicle hood 801. The deformable reinforcement 803 is positioned over the hinge arm 801a mounting area in the vehicle hood inner panel 801b. When the impact takes place at one location, say, front side of the reinforcement part, one few front slots take active part to absorb the impact energy and gets deformed, while the rest of the slots remain unmoved/inactive thus adding the advantage of part behaving 20 as a set of multiple small reinforcement deformable brackets placed adjacent to each other, instead of one single bracket.
[0036] The deformable reinforcement 803 is provided in between the vehicle hood outer panel 801a and the vehicle hood inner panel 801b. Further, the deformable reinforcement 803 is mounted on inner surface of the vehicle hood 25 inner panel 801b. The deformable reinforcement 803 is spot welded at a plurality of locations 805 on the inner surface of the vehicle hood inner panel 801b over the mounting area of the hinge arm 802a in the vehicle hood inner panel 801b. It should be note that deformable reinforcement 803 can be mounted by any other known joining means, such as gas welding, screw and bolt. Further, the alternate 30 joining means depend on the vehicle requirement and thickness of the metal sheet
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of the deformable reinforcement. Furthermore, the deformable reinforcement 803 is attached with inner surface of the vehicle hood outer panel 801b with sealant at plurality of points 806.
[0037] When head of the pedestrian hits the hood hinge area, the deformable reinforcement 803 plastically deforms in specified manner according to plurality 5 of slots to absorb impact energy applied by the head. While absorbing the head impact energy during collision, the deformable reinforcement 803 slows down the impact of hinge arm movement towards the vehicle body 804 in downward direction and reduces the magnitude of impact energy. The deformable reinforcement has optimized shape and structure to absorb head impact energy 10 efficiently. The deformable reinforcement 803 absorbs the head impact energy at the hood hinge region and reduces the injuries cause to head of the pedestrian. The complete part does not play a role to absorb energy when impacted at different locations. When the impact takes place at one location, say, front side of the reinforcement part, one few front slots take active part to absorb the impact 15 energy and gets deformed, while the rest of the slots remain unmoved/inactive thus adding the advantage of part behaving as a set of multiple small reinforcement deformable brackets placed adjacent to each other, instead of one single bracket.
[0038] The present deformable reinforcement reduces Head Injury Criteria (HIC) 20 score at the hood hinge region. The structure of the present deformable reinforcement allow better energy absorbing capabilities during head impact at the hood hinge region. The deformable reinforcement plastically deforms in a specified manner according to the plurality of slots and overhanging portion to provide better HIC values. 25
[0039] It is easy to manufacture and assemble the present deformable reinforcement in the existing vehicles. There is no requirement to change the current structure of the existing vehicles so there is no modification cost. Further, there is no requirement to change the current layout. The present deformable reinforcement can be implemented in the existing vehicle to make the existing 30
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vehicles safe for pedestrian. The present deformable reinforcement in the vehicle hood assembly meets the required HIC score for complying pedestrian safety regulations. The present deformable reinforcement is light weighted so addition of deformable reinforcement does not add too much extra weight to the vehicle. Further, the present deformable reinforcement does not need any special welding 5 facilities. Therefore, the present deformable reinforcement can be implemented in the existing vehicle using existing facilities.
[0040] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps 10 or components. The present invention contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Plural structural components or steps can be provided by a single integrated structure or step. Alternatively, a single 15 integrated structure or step might be divided into separate plural components or steps. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of 20 the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature. 25
[0041] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/component 30
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of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.

We claim:
1. A vehicle hood assembly (800) for absorbing pedestrian head impact energy during collision of vehicle with pedestrian, the vehicle hood assembly (800) comprising:
a vehicle hood outer panel (801a); 5
a vehicle hood inner panel (801b), wherein the vehicle hood inner panel (801b) is connected with the vehicle hood outer panel (801a);
a hinge arm (802b) is mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel (801b) at one end and other end of the hinge arm is riveted on hinge bracket for up and down movement of the vehicle hood assembly (800) about horizontal 10 pivot axis;
characterized in that
a deformable reinforcement (400, 803) is positioned over the mounted hinge arm (802b) between the vehicle hood outer panel (801a) and the vehicle hood inner panel (801b), wherein the deformable reinforcement 15 (400, 803) is mounted on the vehicle hood inner panel (801b).
2. The vehicle hood assembly (800) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable reinforcement (400, 803) is in ∩ shape.
3. The vehicle hood assembly (800) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the 20 deformable reinforcement (400, 803) has horizontal bent flanges (405, 406) extend from side walls (401, 402) of the deformable reinforcement (400, 803) at an angle.
4. The vehicle hood assembly (800) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the 25 deformable reinforcement (400, 803) has a plurality of slots (404) on horizontal surface to allow plastic deformation of the deformable reinforcement (400, 803) during collision.
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5. The vehicle hood assembly (800) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable reinforcement (400, 803) has an overhang portion (409) to cover larger head form area in order to increase area of effectiveness during head impact of the pedestrian.
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6. The vehicle hood assembly (800) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable reinforcement (400, 803) is attached with inner surface of the vehicle hood outer panel (801a) with help of sealant.
7. A ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) for absorbing pedestrian head 10 impact energy during collision of vehicle with pedestrian at vehicle hood hinge region, the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) comprising:
a plurality of slots (404) provided on horizontal surface to allow plastic deformation of the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) during collision. 15
8. The ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) has horizontal bent flanges (405, 406) extend from side walls (401, 402) of the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) at an angle (408). 20
9. The ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) has an overhang portion (409) to cover larger head form area in order to increase area of effectiveness during head impact of the pedestrian. 25
10. The ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400) has optimize vertical wall radius (407) which depends on stiffness of the ∩ shape deformable reinforcement (400).