JP7129040B2 - Hinge arm of openable lid, method for manufacturing said hinge arm, and lid opening and closing mechanism provided with said hinge arm - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hinge arm that rotatably supports a lid for opening and closing an opening of a vehicle, such as a trunk lid and a hood (bonnet). More specifically, a hinge arm of an opening/closing type lid having an interference avoiding portion (curved portion) formed in a curved shape to avoid interference with a portion protruding from the vehicle body side that is interposed during the opening/closing operation, and the hinge The present invention relates to an arm manufacturing method and a lid opening/closing mechanism provided with the hinge arm.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a conventional vehicle trunk lid opening/closing mechanism viewed from the side (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In FIG. 2, the hinge arm 3 has one end rotatably supported by a hinge bracket 4 fixed to the vehicle body 1 side, and the other end to which the trunk lid 2 is attached and supports the trunk lid 2 so that it can be opened and closed. The figure shows a state in which the trunk lid 2 is fully open, and the hinge arm 3 is curved in a complicated curved shape to avoid interference with the member 8 protruding from the vehicle body 1 side. It can be seen that

When the trunk lid 2 is closed from the fully open state shown in FIG. 2, the hinge arm 3 rotates clockwise about the pivot point of the hinge bracket 4 and is accommodated in the trunk room. Normally, a pair of opening/closing mechanisms for such a vehicle trunk lid are provided on both the left and right sides of the trunk opening. When the trunk lid 2 is fully open as shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 9 (6+7) at the intermediate position of the hinge arm 3 is in contact with the trunk lid 2, restraining further movement of the trunk lid 2 in the opening direction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example of a common hinge arm in the prior art. Although the hinge arm 3 is a long integral arm including a curved portion, it supports a heavy trunk lid, so it is common to use a hollow pipe material (electric resistance welded pipe) that has an advantageous weight-to-rigidity ratio. is. In the illustrated example, a hollow rectangular bar having a rectangular cross section is used, but a pipe having another cross section (for example, a round bar) may be used. 3, the right side of the hinge arm 3 corresponds to the mounting portion of the trunk lid 2 (see FIG. 1), the left side corresponds to the pivotal support portion of the hinge bracket 4, and the curved portion of the hinge arm 3 is positioned between them. ing.

A bending machine (pipe bender) is generally used for bending the hinge arm 3 made of a hollow pipe material. In the bending machine, a pipe material is sandwiched between a groove provided around a disk-shaped molding tool and a pressing tool provided with the same groove located outside the groove, and either one is rotated hydraulically or electrically. The pipe material is bent along the periphery of the disk-shaped molding tool. In the example of the hinge arm 3 shown in FIG. 3, the tip X of the mounting portion at the right end serves as a processing reference, and from there, the first bending A is performed in the vicinity of the mounting portion, the second bending B is performed at the beginning of the curved portion, and so on. A total of four bending processes are applied, including a third bend C at the end portion of the curved portion and a fourth bend D near the pivot portion. In the example shown in FIG. 2, bending is performed at a total of 5 locations, but in general, the hinge arm is subjected to bending at 4 to 5 locations according to the required specifications. be.

In the example of the hinge arm 3 shown in FIG. 3, as described above, the shape is managed with the tip X on the right end of the drawing as a processing reference, and each bending is checked to see if there is any deviation in the bending position and bending angle from the processing reference. Verification in the processing department, necessary corrections are added, and it is completed. Even with such processing control, it is difficult to deliver all products in a lot within the design standards due to the nature of the bending machine. It is also a factor that is disadvantageous in terms of takt time because it is required to respond. In addition, the bending machine is generally an expensive device, and a large amount of investment would be required if it were to be made into a line (one worker) or fully automated.

Further, the hinge arm 3 needs to be provided with holes 10 (generally two places) for attaching the trunk lid and shaft holes 11 through which hinge pins for supporting the hinge bracket 4 pass. In order to prevent the hollow pipe material from collapsing during this hole processing, a metal core is inserted from the end of the hollow portion of the hinge arm 3 and a hole is formed by press working. At this time, the hinge arm may be straight, but if it is curved with a constant R, it is processed by inserting a curved core bar. In either case, since the hollow pipe material is press-drilled, extra labor is required for inserting and removing the mandrel from simple press-punching.

FIG. 4 shows an example of wiring of a wire harness 25 attached along a hinge arm (indicated by numeral 9 in FIG. 4) in the prior art. Depending on the model, there are cases where a license plate is attached to the trunk lid, and power supply is required to illuminate this at night. Other elements such as stop lamps, reversing lights, etc. may also be mounted in the trunk lid and require a power supply for these as well. For the wiring in such a case, a wire harness 25 is generally attached along the hinge arm 9 as shown in the drawing so as not to impede the loading and unloading of luggage into and out of the trunk room while maintaining the appearance. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the wire harness 25 is wired by being clipped at a plurality of locations.

Returning to FIG. 3, the conventional hinge arm 3 is often provided with a plurality of wire harness mounting holes 12 for fixing such wire harness mounting clips. In this case, since it is impossible to insert or take out the metal core from the hollow pipe hinge arm 3 due to its position and shape, mechanical drilling work such as drilling is required instead of press working. Since the hole is drilled through the hollow pipe material of the hinge arm 3, the stroke of the drill is long, and the drilling direction may be different. In addition, in cutting with a drill, cutting chips mixed with cutting oil adhere to the periphery of the machined hole, so measures such as air blowing may be required to remove them. In addition, extra work may be required, such as deburring to remove edges generated around the hole due to drilling. The hinge arm 3 also requires hole processing for mounting the stopper 16 shown in FIG. 3 and mounting hole processing for the link arm 15 that applies a biasing force to the torsion bar for assisting the operating force when opening and closing the trunk lid. It is

In the prior art, in order to improve the time and effort required for wiring the wire harness and to improve the appearance, the wire harness is wired along the hinge arm and then covered with a resin protector (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Alternatively, a notch (accommodating groove) is provided on one side of the hinge arm in the longitudinal direction and the wire harness is fitted therein (see, for example, Patent Document 3). However, these measures inevitably result in additional extra labor and costs.

JP 2016-101866 A JP-A-11-136830 JP-A-2000-193144 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-7986 JP-A-2001-63632

In the hinge arm according to the prior art, in which the mounting part, the bending part, and the pivoting part are integrally formed from a long hollow pipe material, the stability of quality, yield, takt time, and even There are many inherent problems that should be technically improved from various viewpoints such as additional hole drilling and increased capital investment, and there is a demand for a new hinge arm and its manufacturing method that can solve all of these problems. was

As described above, the present invention solves these problems seen in the prior art, enhances productivity, and provides a lid hinge arm capable of stable supply in terms of quality, and a lid opening/closing mechanism equipped with the hinge arm. and a method for manufacturing the hinge arm.

In the present invention, the conventional hinge arm, from the shaft supporting portion to the lid mounting portion, is integrally formed of a hollow pipe material. Then, the hinge arm is formed by combining these, and the above-mentioned problem is solved by making the curved portion after being divided into a simple curved shape that does not necessarily require bending processing. contains the following:

That is, one aspect according to the present invention is a hinge arm whose one end is rotatably supported by a hinge bracket fixed to a vehicle and whose other end supports a lid for opening and closing an opening of the vehicle, The hinge arm has a curved portion made of a hollow pipe material having a curved shape for avoiding interference with other members during the opening and closing operation of the lid, and a mounting portion made of sheet metal for mounting and supporting the lid. , and a sheet metal shaft support portion that is rotatably supported by the hinge bracket. A hinge arm characterized by

The curved portion may be a press-molded product in which a curved shape is formed by press working. In addition, even in the case of bending by bending, it is possible to obtain a curved shape that is easy to process. In addition, mounting holes for mounting other members to the hinge arm can be removed from the curved portion, and each mounting hole can be provided in either the mounting portion or the pivot portion.

At least one of the fixing between the bending portion and the mounting portion and the fixing between the bending portion and the pivot portion can be fixed by indirect spot welding or by laser welding.

Another aspect of the present invention is a lid opening/closing mechanism that rotatably supports a lid for opening/closing an opening of a vehicle with respect to a hinge bracket fixed to the vehicle, the lid opening/closing mechanism comprising: A lid opening/closing mechanism comprising a hinge arm having a curved portion for avoiding interference with other members during opening/closing operation of the lid, wherein the hinge arm is any one of the hinge arms described above. . At this time, a wire harness wiring for supplying electric power to a member attached to the lid may be inserted through the hollow portion of the curved portion made of the hollow pipe material.

Still another aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a hinge arm of an openable lid having a curved shape for avoiding interference with other members, wherein the hinge arm is formed with a curved portion located in the center. , a mounting portion fixed to one end of the curved portion to support the lid, and a pivot portion fixed to the other end of the curved portion and supported by a hinge bracket forming a rotation center of the hinge arm. The bending part is press-molded by bending a hollow pipe material using a press, and the mounting part and the shaft supporting part are formed by sheet metal press working, respectively. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a hinge arm, characterized by comprising each step of fixing by welding.

The hinge arm, which was integrally formed in the prior art, is divided into at least three elements, the bending portion, the mounting portion, and the pivot portion, and these are joined by welding or the like, so that the bending portion becomes an independent element. can be made into a simple curved shape that is easy to process. As a result, the bending process using a bending machine, which was a bottleneck in conventional technology such as a long tact time, can be replaced with a press process that is easy to process and stable in quality. be done. In addition, since the mounting portion and the pivot portion are separate elements, some or all of the holes for mounting other members such as lids, wire harnesses, stoppers, link arms, etc., which were provided in the hollow pipe in the prior art, can be can be provided on these other two elements, and there is a technical effect that part or all of the boring of the hollow pipe, which requires time and effort for processing, can be eliminated. Other technical effects of the present invention will be described later.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a lid opening/closing hinge arm according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of a conventional trunk lid hinge arm and peripheral members thereof. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an overall outline of another hinge arm according to the prior art; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a wiring example of a wire harness attached to a hinge arm in the prior art;

A hinge arm of an openable lid according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a hinge arm for an openable lid according to the present embodiment, and here shows an example of a hinge arm 30 for opening and closing a trunk lid of a vehicle. The configuration described below can be similarly applied to a lid opening/closing hinge arm that closes a hood or other openings. In FIG. 1, the hinge arm 30 according to the present embodiment includes a curved portion 31 having a curved shape located in the central portion of the drawing, and a sheet metal press-molded trunk fixed to one end of the curved portion 31 on the left side of the drawing. It is composed of at least three elements: a lid mounting portion 32 and a shaft support portion 33, which is also a press-molded sheet metal product and fixed to one end of the curved portion 31 on the right side of the drawing so as to be supported by a hinge bracket 40 on the vehicle body side. ing. In the illustrated example, a link arm 45 is attached to the shaft support portion 33 for applying a biasing force to a torsion bar that assists the operating force when opening and closing the trunk lid.

Among the above components, the curved portion 31 located in the center is a hollow pipe having sufficient rigidity to support the heavy trunk lid while avoiding interference with members protruding from the vehicle body side (not shown). made of wood. Here, a hollow square member (square pipe) having a rectangular cross section is used as the hollow pipe member, but a hollow round member (round pipe) may be used. In the hinge arm 30 according to the present embodiment, the attachment portion 32 and the pivot portion 33 are formed separately, so that the shape of the curved portion 31 can be a simple curved shape that gently bends as shown in the drawing. can. Specifically, each mounting angle of the mounting portion 32 fixed to the bending portion 31 and the pivotal support portion 33 is fixed at an angle close to a right angle with respect to the curve of the bending portion 31, and such a large mounting angle is fixed. By providing and fixing the hinge arm 30 with a bending effect necessary for avoiding interference with other members, the bent portion 31 itself in the middle can be obtained as in the prior art shown in FIG. There is no need to apply an extreme bending process, and the bending portion 31 that bends gently can be realized.

If it becomes possible to form the curved portion 31 into a simple circular arc shape as shown in FIG. Since the bending angle is relaxed, it becomes extremely easy to bend with a bending machine, leading to a reduction in tact time, as well as a reduction in bending variation, stable quality, and improved yield. Even if the curved portion 31 does not have a simple circular arc shape as shown in the drawing, and a somewhat complicated curved shape such that another inflection point appears in the middle of the bending as required, the degree of such curved shape is limited. Therefore, it can be easily dealt with by adding one or two bending points.

As a countermeasure completely different from this, and as a more preferable countermeasure, if the gently curved curved portion 31 according to the present embodiment is used, it is possible to improve workability without relying on a bending machine that is inferior in processing efficiency. It is possible to carry out bending by press molding with excellent durability. The curved portion 31 is not limited to the arc shape shown in FIG. 1, but as long as it has a shape in which the draft from the press mold is ensured and the mold can be released after press molding, another inflection point appears in the middle of the curve. Even the curved portion 31 that is complicated to some extent can be easily bent by pressing. If it is possible to switch from a single-purpose bending machine to a highly versatile press machine, it will be possible to improve the machine operating rate, further reduce the takt time, further stabilize the quality, and facilitate line organization through automation. You get a big advantage. It was impossible to form the complicated curved hinge arm according to the prior art as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by press working.

The mounting portion 32 and the shaft support portion 33, which are elements other than the curved portion 31 shown in FIG. are joined to the vicinity of each end of the curved portion 31 by indirect spot welding (symbol SW in FIG. 1). As described above, the attachment angle for welding can be appropriately determined according to the originally required specifications of the hinge arm 30 to avoid interference with other members. Note that indirect spot welding refers to when one electrode for butting and crimping two members together at the time of spot welding cannot be arranged like the hollow pipe material in this example, and an electrode is attached to another part of the hollow pipe material. It is a method of placing and welding, which is a conventionally known welding technique.

As an example of the prior art in which the hinge arm is divided and welded, a case is disclosed in which a member corresponding to the mounting portion 32 according to the present embodiment is formed as a separate element and welded to the curved portion (for example, See Patent Document 4.). However, in the example shown in Patent Document 4, the hinge arm including the curved portion does not have a shape that facilitates press working, and the pivotal support portion is not divided but is integrated with the curved portion. The configuration differs from the present invention in that holes (reference numeral 2 in FIG. 4) are left in the hollow pipe material. Also, the welding shown in Patent Document 4 seems to be carbon dioxide gas arc welding from the description and the display of the drawings, but this welding method is more likely to cause welding distortion than spot welding, and is not preferable in terms of forming the hinge arm. . However, even the fixing method in the present embodiment is not limited to indirect spot welding, and other fixing methods such as caulking, other single-sided welding methods such as laser welding, or, although not preferred, carbonate welding. Other welding methods including gas arc welding may be used.

As is clear from FIG. 1, the curved portion 31 of the hinge arm 30 according to the present embodiment is not drilled at all for attaching other parts. Since the mounting portion 32 is made of sheet metal, the mounting hole 32a for the trunk lid can be formed by punching at the same time as the pressing process. Simultaneously formed. This eliminates the additional step of drilling a hole by inserting a cored bar into the hollow portion of the hinge arm 31, resulting in efficiency. In addition, the stopper 46 (reference numeral 16 in FIG. 3) and the link arm 45 (reference numeral 15 in FIG. 3), which were conventionally attached to the hinge arm, are both attached to the shaft support portion 33 in the present embodiment shown in FIG. It is possible to completely eliminate the time-consuming associated work of drilling the curved portion 31 and removing chips and burrs after drilling.

In addition, since the mounting hole 32a of the trunk lid, the hinge pin hole 33a, the mounting of the stopper 46, and the mounting of the link arm 45 are moved from the curved portion 31 to either the mounting portion 32 or the shaft support portion 33, pins and screws are not required. The tip portion and the like do not protrude into the hollow portion of the curved portion 31 at all. In addition, complicated bending has been eliminated in terms of shape, and a simple shape such as a gentle circular arc has been added. will be able to As a result, processing of wire harness mounting holes in the hinge arm (reference numeral 12 in FIG. 3), post-processing such as deburring, grooves and protectors for wire harness protection, which are required in the prior art, are not required at all. Furthermore, due to the fact that the wire harness 50 is not attached to the bending portion 31, in the prior art, the hinge arm to which the wire harness 50 is attached and the hinge arm to which the wire harness 50 is not attached are separate left and right parts. The left and right can be made common, and there is also the advantage of eliminating the need for inventory management and part identification management.

The merits obtained by dividing the hinge arm 30 into the three elements as described above far outweigh the demerits associated with the addition of sheet metal processing and welding work caused by the division. Furthermore, since the wire harness is hidden from the outside, it maintains a neat and beautiful appearance when installed in the trunk room, and the protection and safety of the wire harness can be made more robust.

In addition to the above, according to the present embodiment in which the hinge arm 30 is divided, additional effects as described below can be obtained. First of all, the shape of the hinge arm according to the prior art usually requires different specifications for the bending portion, the mounting portion, and the pivot portion depending on the type of vehicle. This means that it is necessary to change the setup of the bending machine, which requires time and effort, including delicate adjustments, and to replace the molding tool each time. According to the hinge arm 30 according to the present embodiment, the simplest measure is to make the individual elements of the bending portion 31, the mounting portion 32, and the pivot portion 33 common to each vehicle type and fix them to the bending portion 31. Only the mounting angle of the mounting portion 32 and the shaft support portion 33 may be changed to match the required specifications for each vehicle type. For this reason, if necessary, the shapes of the curved portion 31, the mounting portion 32, and the shaft support portion 33 should be considered in advance so that they can be dealt with only by changing the mounting angle at the design stage. If the individual elements that make up the hinge arm 30 can be made common, it will be much easier to make arrangements for each type of vehicle simply by exchanging welding jigs.

Even if it is difficult to share the above, it is conceivable that the mounting portion 32 and the pivot portion 33 are shared, and only the central curved portion 31 needs to be replaced according to the vehicle type. At this time, the setup change can be completed only by exchanging the tooling of the press for processing the curved portion 31 and the tooling of the bending machine, which has become easier because the number of bending points has been greatly reduced. is greatly simplified compared to Depending on the case, it is conceivable that only the total length may be changed while the arc shape of the curved portion 31 remains unchanged between vehicle models. be done. On the contrary, it is of course conceivable to change only one or both of the mounting portion 40 and the shaft support portion 33 while using the curved portion 31 in common.

As a second incidental effect, it has been pointed out that, as a problem related to hinge arms in general, low-frequency vibration noise is generated near the driver's seat due to longitudinal vibration of the trunk lid (for example, , see Patent Document 5). As a countermeasure for this, Patent Document 5 applies high pressure to the hollow part of the hinge arm, lengthens the vertical side of the pipe by bulge processing (hydroforming), and increases the section modulus in this direction to prevent this vibration. I am assuming. According to the hinge arm 30 according to the present embodiment, in which the curved portion 31 is formed as a separate member, the curved portion 31 is bent in advance using a pipe material having long vertical sides, so that very special equipment is required. There is an advantage that such a countermeasure against vibration can be easily performed without requiring necessary bulge processing or the like. With the bending portion 31 according to the present embodiment, which does not require an extreme bending angle and number of times of bending unlike the conventional hinge arm, the vertical sides can be lengthened even when using a press or bending machine. Even a pipe material can be easily bent.

In the above description, all holes are removed from the curved portion 31 so as to facilitate processing, and although this is preferable, it is also possible to leave a part of the holes as necessary. For example, without inserting the wire harness into the hollow portion of the curved portion 31, it is not necessarily preferable, but it is also possible to perform hole processing as in the conventional art and to clip the wire harness.

Next, the present invention includes not only the hinge arm 30 shown in the above embodiment, but also a lid opening/closing mechanism provided with the hinge arm 30 and a method of manufacturing the hinge arm 30. FIG. The invention relating to the manufacturing method comprises a hinge arm 30 which is composed of a curved portion 31 located in the central portion, a trunk lid mounting portion 32 located at one end of the curved portion 31, and a vehicle body side portion located at the other end of the curved portion 31. It is divided into at least three elements, ie, the pivotal support portion 33 of the hinge bracket. The curved portion 31 is formed by bending a straight hollow pipe material cut to an appropriate length by press working, and the mounting portion 32 and the shaft support portion 33 are formed by sheet metal press working. It includes a step of coupling a mounting portion 32 and a pivot portion 33 to both ends of 31, respectively. The connection between flexure 31 and mounting portion 32 and pivot 33 may be indirect spot welding, or laser welding, or other welding or bonding methods known in the art.

The hinge arm of the opening/closing type lid, the lid opening/closing mechanism including the hinge arm, and the manufacturing method of the hinge arm according to the present invention are used to manufacture, sell, and utilize the hinge arm and the lid opening/closing mechanism including the hinge arm. It can be widely used in each industrial field that performs

30. hinge arm; 31. curved portion, 32 . mounting portion, 32a. mounting holes; 33. Axle 33a. hinge pin hole; 40. hinge bracket; 45. link arm; 46. stopper, 50 . wire harness wiring.

Claims (6)

One end is rotatably supported by a hinge bracket fixed to the vehicle side, and the other end supports a lid that opens and closes the opening of the vehicle. In a hinge arm with a link arm for imparting to
The hinge arm is
a curved portion made of a hollow pipe material having an arc-shaped curved shape for avoiding interference with other members during opening and closing operations of the lid;
a sheet metal mounting portion for mounting and supporting the lid;
It is composed of at least three elements including a sheet metal shaft support portion that is rotatably supported by the hinge bracket,
The mounting portion is fixed to one end of the curved portion, and the pivot portion is fixed to the other end of the curved portion in a state in which an opening of a hollow pipe material forming the curved portion is opened , and one end of the link arm is fixed to the curved portion. A hinge arm , which is rotatably attached to the shaft supporting portion, thereby enabling easy insertion of a wire harness into the hollow pipe member . 2. The hinge arm according to claim 1, wherein the curved portion is a press-molded product having a curved shape formed by press working. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of fixing the bending portion and the mounting portion and fixing the bending portion and the pivot portion is fixed by indirect spot welding or by laser welding. Hinge arm as described. A lid opening and closing mechanism that rotatably supports a lid for opening and closing an opening of a vehicle with respect to a hinge bracket fixed to the vehicle,
The lid opening/closing mechanism comprises a hinge arm having a curved portion for avoiding interference with other members during opening/closing operation of the lid,
A lid opening/closing mechanism, wherein the hinge arm is the hinge arm according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . 5. The lid opening/closing mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein a wire harness for supplying electric power to a member attached to the lid is inserted through a hollow portion of the curved portion made of a hollow pipe material. In a method for manufacturing a hinge arm of an openable lid having a curved shape for avoiding interference with other members,
The hinge arm is composed of an arc-shaped curved portion positioned in the center, a mounting portion fixed to one end of the curved portion for supporting the lid, and a hinge arm fixed to the other end of the curved portion to support the rotation center of the hinge arm. Consists of elements of a pivoting part pivotally supported by a formed hinge bracket and a link arm for appropriately applying a spring force for opening the lid according to the degree of opening of the lid ,
The bending portion is press-molded by bending a hollow pipe material using a press,
The mounting portion and the shaft support portion are each molded by sheet metal press working,
The mounting portion is welded to one end of the bending portion, and the shaft support portion is welded to the other end of the hollow pipe material constituting the bending portion with both openings opened , and
A method of manufacturing a hinge arm, comprising the steps of rotatably attaching one end of the link arm to the pivot .

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