DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of inner panel for vehicle hoods.
DEFINITION
Head Injury Criterion (HIC) – The term ‘head injury criterion’ hereinafter in the provisional specification refers to a criterion which is a measure of head injury to a person, typically a pedestrian, arising due to an impact with a vehicle.
Hood – A hinged cover over the engine of motor vehicles
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Pedestrian safety is of utmost importance in vehicles. The most prominent area in a vehicle, where a pedestrian comes in contact with the vehicle during an unavoidable situation, is the front end of the vehicle. The front end of the vehicle includes a grill, a bumper, head lamps and a vehicle hood. The vehicle hood is a cover hinged to the vehicle, and provides access to the engine compartment in the vehicle. During an impact, a pedestrian may bend over the surface of the hood, due to which he may suffer from a head injury. If there are any components in the engine compartment which are at close proximity to an inner surface of the hood, the pedestrian may suffer a grievous injury to his head.
Conventionally, a certain gap is maintained between the inner surface of the hood and the components disposed in the engine compartment to reduce the severity of impact with the pedestrian. However, addition of components in the engine compartment, such as a degassing tank, air cleaner units, air coolers, reduces the gap between the hood and the engine components. To counter the gap reduction, stiffness of the hood is reduced. However, this results in undesirable higher Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values at the impact zones of the hood. Another conventional way to tackle the aforementioned problem is to use a hood panel having a full absorption inner panel. However, such panels are heavy and increases overall weight of the vehicle.
Therefore, there is felt a need of a hood assembly for a vehicle that alleviates the abovementioned drawbacks of the conventional hoods in vehicles.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an inner panel for a vehicle hood that offers optimum resistance to reduce severity of impact with a pedestrian.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an inner panel for a vehicle hood that has lower Head Injury Criterion (HIC) value.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to the field of inner panel for vehicle hoods and discloses an impact absorbing inner panel for a vehicle hood comprising an operative top side and an operative bottom side with the operative top side fixed to the bottom surface of the hood. Further disclosed is a plurality of voids and a plurality of ribs that lie interspersed amongst the voids with the ribs defined at locations above the vehicle components and disposed below the inner panel for providing energy pathways for dissipation of impact of an object on the hood.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the ribs is located above a component whose top surface is at a height which is local maxima amongst heights at which the top surfaces of the various components under the inner panel are disposed.
In an embodiment, the voids and the ribs are disposed in an operative rear half of the inner panel.
In an embodiment, the inner panel has a honeycomb structure.
In one embodiment, the ribs and the voids have varying dimensions.
In an embodiment, the hood covers an engine compartment. In another embodiment, the hood covers a battery compartment.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the ribs is provided with a vertical extension.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the ribs has a depression along the longitudinal dimension thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
An inner panel for a vehicle hood, of the present disclosure, will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a bottom view of an inner panel of the vehicle hood, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – inner panel
110 – body
115 – voids
118 – ribs
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
The present disclosure envisages an impact absorbing inner panel (hereinafter referred to as inner panel) for a vehicle hood, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The inner panel is now described with reference to Figure 1. The inner panel 100 comprises a body 110 with an operative top side and an operative bottom side. The operative top side is fixed to the bottom surface of the vehicle hood (not shown in figure). A plurality of voids 115 is configured within the extents of the inner panel 100. The voids 115 are configured on the inner panel 100 in a way that the portion of the inner panel 100 without the voids 115 covers at least one vehicle component disposed operatively beneath the inner panel 100, for example a degassing tank or an air cleaner.
A plurality of ribs 118 is interspersed amongst the voids 115 that are configured on the inner panel 100. The plurality of ribs 118 is strategically configured so as to provide an energy pathway for shock dissipation of impact of an object on the hood.
Preferably, the ribs 118 are defined in a portion of the inner panel 100 that is disposed operatively above a component disposed beneath the inner panel 100. Particularly, each of the ribs 118 is located above a component whose top surface is at a height which is a local maximum amongst heights at which the top surfaces of the various components under the inner panel 100 are disposed.
The thickness of the inner panel 100 is determined as per the application. In an embodiment, the thickness of the wall of the pocket 115 ranges from 140 mm to 190 mm.
In an embodiment, the voids 115 and the ribs 118 are disposed in an operative rear half of the inner panel 100. The plurality of ribs 118 and the plurality of voids 115 have varying dimensions. In an embodiment, the inner panel 100 has a honeycomb structure.
Each of the ribs 118 is provided with a vertical extension. Preferably, each of the ribs 118 has a depression along the longitudinal dimension thereof. In an embodiment, the cross-section of the ribs is U-shaped. The bottommost surface of the rib comes into contact with the top surface of the component underneath and as the energy of impact is further transferred through the rib, the rib deforms as its bottommost surface is lifted up. Thus, the vertical extension in each rib 118 is provided to provide the desired path of impact absorption.
The inner panel 100 is configured in such a way that the chance of fatal injury to a pedestrian when the vehicle collides with the pedestrian is minimized. The inner panel 100 is configured to absorb the impact of collision, and to resist the operative bottom side of the inner panel 100 coming in contact with any of the vehicle components beneath the inner panel 100. This prevents the head of the pedestrian from fatal injury.
A plurality of ribs 118 is interspersed amongst the voids 115 that are configured on the inner panel 100. The plurality of ribs 118 is strategically configured so as to provide an energy pathway for shock dissipation of impact of an object on the hood.
In an embodiment, the height of the rib 118 is in the range of 30 mm to 40 mm, whereas the width of the rib 118 is in the range of 150 mm to 190 mm. The rib angle with respect to one of the components beneath the rib 118 ranges from 15º to 25º. It should be noted that the dimensions provided hereinabove are to be considered only as examples, and they do not limit the scope and ambit of the present disclosure.
In an embodiment, the hood covers an engine compartment. In another embodiment, the hood covers a battery compartment.
It was observed that the hood assembly of the present disclosure offers drastically reduced Head Impact Criterion (HIC) value as compared to conventional hood inner panels.
In an embodiment, the HIC value of the hood assembly of the present disclosure was observed to be 1084 in a particular zone of the hood assembly, wherein the HIC value was 3278 for a conventional hood in the same zone. In another embodiment, the HIC value of the hood assembly of the present disclosure was observed to be 734 in another zone of the hood assembly, wherein the HIC value was 3278 for a conventional hood in the same zone.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of an inner panel of a hood of a vehicle that:
• absorbs shocks arising due to impact of an object on the hood;
• reduces severity of impact and injury to a pedestrian; and
• has lower Head Injury Criterion (HIC) value.
The foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. An impact absorbing inner panel (100) for a vehicle hood, said inner panel (100) comprising:
a. an operative top side (102) and an operative bottom side (104), said operative top side (102) fixed to the bottom surface of the hood;
b. a plurality of voids (115); and
c. a plurality of ribs (120) interspersed amongst said voids (115), said ribs (120) defined at locations above the vehicle components (125) and disposed below the inner panel (100) for providing energy pathways for dissipation of impact of an object on said hood.
2. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said ribs (118) is located above a component whose top surface is at a height which is local maxima amongst heights at which the top surfaces of the various components under said inner panel (100) are disposed.
3. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner panel (100) has a honeycomb structure.
4. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ribs (118) have varying dimensions.
5. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voids (115) have varying dimensions.
6. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said ribs (118) is provided with a vertical extension.
7. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said ribs (118) has a depression along the longitudinal dimension thereof.
8. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hood covers an engine compartment.
9. The vehicle hood inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hood covers a battery compartment.