JP7727615B2 - Pop-up hood device for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle pop-up hood device that pops up the front end of a vehicle's front hood toward the vehicle's upper side, and in particular to a vehicle pop-up hood device that includes a mechanism for returning the front hood, once it has been lifted, to its original stored position.

In order to mitigate injury to pedestrians' heads and other parts of the body, vehicle pop-up hood devices have been proposed that lift (pop up) the vehicle's front hood in the event of a collision with a pedestrian. One example of such a vehicle pop-up hood device is described in Patent Document 1.

This type of vehicle pop-up hood device includes: (a) a front hood lifting device disposed on the vehicle underside of the front hood and operable to move the front hood from a closed position toward the vehicle's upper side; (b) a hood locking device disposed on the vehicle underside of the front hood and engaging a hood striker attached to the front hood so that the hood locking device can move toward the vehicle's upper side together with the front hood; (c) a base member that supports the hood locking device so that the hood locking device can move toward the vehicle's upper side; and (d) a first stopper member that is movable between an engaged position in which the hood locking device engages with a vehicle underside portion of the hood locking device when the hood locking device is moved toward the vehicle's upper side and a disengaged position in which the hood locking device does not engage with the vehicle underside portion of the hood locking device, and that limits the movement of the hood locking device toward the vehicle's lower side when in the engaged position.

Before the front hood lifting device is activated, the hood striker attached to the front hood is engaged with the hood locking device, holding the front hood in a closed, stored position. When the front hood lifting device is activated, the hood locking device moves together with the front hood toward the upper side of the vehicle relative to the base member, and the front hood is pumped up.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-124717

The conventional vehicle pop-up hood device described in Patent Document 1 above can also activate in the event of a minor collision with an object other than a pedestrian, such as an animal or a guide post. However, if the vehicle is driven with the front hood pumped up, visibility is reduced and wind pressure can cause the front hood to flap, making driving safety unsafe. Another problem is that returning the front hood to its original retracted position requires dangerous work outside the vehicle.

The present invention was made against the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a pop-up hood device for a vehicle that allows a pop-up front hood to be returned to its original stored position by operating it from inside the vehicle cabin.

The gist of the present invention is a pop-up hood device for a vehicle that includes: (a) a front hood lifting device disposed on the vehicle underside of the front hood and that, when activated, moves the front hood from a closed position toward the vehicle's upper side; (b) a hood locking device disposed on the vehicle underside of the front hood, to which a hood striker attached to the front hood is engaged and that is movable toward the vehicle's upper side together with the front hood; (c) a base member that supports the hood locking device so that it can move toward the vehicle's upper side; and (d) a first stopper member that is movable between an engaged position in which it engages with a vehicle underside portion of the hood locking device when the hood locking device is moved toward the vehicle's upper side and a disengaged position in which it does not engage with the vehicle underside portion of the hood locking device, and that, when in the engaged position, limits the movement of the hood locking device toward the vehicle's lower side; and (e) a movement limit release operating member that transmits an operating force to the first stopper member to move the first stopper member from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

In the vehicle hood lock device of the present invention, when an operating force for moving the first stopper member from the engaged position to the disengaged position is transmitted to the first stopper member by the movement restriction release operating member, the first stopper member, which had previously restricted the movement of the hood lock device toward the lower side of the vehicle, is moved to the disengaged position. This allows the hood lock device to move toward the lower side of the vehicle, causing the hood lock device to descend due to the weight of the front hood and the hood lock device, and the front hood to move toward the lower side of the vehicle and close. Therefore, a popped-up front hood can be returned to its original stored position by operating it from inside the vehicle.

Preferably, the system includes a biasing device that constantly applies a biasing force to the first stopper member moving from the disengaged position to the engaged position, and the movement restriction release operating member transmits the operating force to the first stopper member against the biasing force of the biasing device. This has the advantage that the first stopper member can automatically return from the disengaged position to the engaged position, eliminating the need for a return operation.

Preferably, the first stopper member is disposed on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device and, when the hood lock device is moved toward the vehicle's upper side, restricts the movement of the hood lock device toward the vehicle's lower side by engaging with a portion on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device and on one side of the vehicle width direction relative to the portion where the hood striker is engaged. As a result, when the hood lock device is moved toward the vehicle's upper side, the first stopper member engages with a portion on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device and on one side of the vehicle width direction relative to the portion where the hood striker is engaged, so that the hood lock device is held in the position where it has moved toward the vehicle's upper side.

Preferably, the first stopper member comprises a longitudinal rod-shaped member whose front and rear ends are guided horizontally by a pair of guide devices provided on the base member and which is biased toward the front end by the biasing device, with the front end engaging with a portion of the hood lock device below the vehicle. As a result, the rod-shaped member is guided at its front and rear ends by a pair of guide devices and is supported at two points, so that movement of the hood lock device below the vehicle is stably restricted even if it is subjected to vibrations or impact loads that occur when driving at high speeds or on rough roads.

Preferably, the base member is provided with a fixed hook that can rotate between an engaged position where a fixed pin fixed to the lower end of the hood locking device is engaged and an unengaged position where the fixed pin is not engaged, and the fixed hook is rotated from the engaged position to the unengaged position in synchronization with the movement restriction release operating member moving from the engaged position to the unengaged position. This prevents the hood locking device from hitting the fixed hook, and allows it to be easily lowered by the weight of the front hood and hood locking device.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a second stopper member that is disposed on the other side of the hood locking device in the vehicle width direction and that limits movement of the hood locking device to the other side in the vehicle width direction when the hood locking device engaged with the first stopper member abuts against it. As a result, movement of the hood locking device to the other side in the vehicle width direction is restricted when the hood locking device abuts against the second stopper member, thereby restricting movement of the hood locking device downward toward the vehicle and tilting of the hood locking device to the other side in the vehicle width direction, and thereby restricting rocking, i.e., vibration, of the front hood.

1 is a front view schematically showing a vehicle pop up hood device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a front perspective view of the vehicle pop-up hood device shown in FIG. 1, showing a state before the actuator of FIG. 1 is activated. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the hood lock device of FIG. 2. 2 is a front perspective view of the vehicle pop-up hood device shown in FIG. 1, showing a state after the actuator of FIG. 1 has been activated. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the hood lock device of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the components of the vehicle pop up hood device shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a first stopper member of the vehicle pop up hood device shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

A vehicle pop-up hood device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 7. In each figure, the upward direction of the vehicle is indicated by the z axis, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by the xf axis and xr axis, and the left and right directions of the vehicle in the transverse direction (vehicle width direction) by the yl axis and yr axis. Furthermore, in the following description, when the terms "front-rear," "left-right," and "up-down" are used simply, they refer to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the left and right directions of the vehicle in the transverse direction (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction of the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle pop-up hood device 10 includes a hood locking device 14 that holds the front hood 12 from the closed position (the original stored position shown by the solid line) to the raised position (the pop-up position shown by the dashed line). The vehicle pop-up hood device 10 also includes a pair of left and right actuators 16 that function as front hood lifting devices that, when activated, move the front hood 12 from the closed position to the raised position. As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the vehicle pop-up hood device 10 also includes a base member 18 that supports the hood locking device 14, a fixing device 20 that fixes the hood locking device 14 in the closed position (the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), and a fixing release device 22 (see FIG. 1) that releases the fixing of the hood locking device 14 by the fixing device 20 in response to the operation of the actuator 16. The vehicle pop-up hood device 10 also includes a restriction device 24 that includes a first stopper member 72 that restricts the movement of the hood locking device 14 toward the bottom of the vehicle after the pair of left and right actuators 16 have completed operation, and a movement restriction release operation member 26 (see Figure 4) that transmits the operating force of a movement restriction release operation to the first stopper member 72, thereby releasing the restriction placed on the hood locking device 14 toward the bottom of the vehicle by the first stopper member 72 and allowing the hood locking device 14 to lower. Below, we will explain their configuration and then their operation.

(Configuration of front hood 12)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the front hood 12 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction and has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view of the vehicle. The front hood 12 opens and closes a power unit compartment (not shown) from above the vehicle, housing a power unit. The rear end of the front hood 12 is pivotally supported by a pair of hood hinges (not shown) located on the left and right sides. A hood striker 28 is fixed to a central portion of the front end of the front hood 12 in the vehicle width direction. The hood striker 28 is engaged with a hood locking device 14 located in the central portion of the front end of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction, thereby holding the front hood 12 in a closed position, i.e., a normal stowed position.

The hood striker 28 is made from a round steel bar that is roughly U-shaped when viewed from the side of the vehicle, with the upper side open. The lower end of the hood striker 28 forms a locking portion 28A that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when the front hood 12 is closed.

(Configuration of the hood lock device 14)
2 and 3, the hood locking device 14 has a generally vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle. A locking recess 30 for locking the hood striker 28 is formed in the center of the upper part of the hood locking device 14 in the vehicle width direction. This locking recess 30 is open on the upper side of the vehicle and has a generally U-shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle.

A fixing pin 32 is joined to the center of the lower end of the hood locking device 14 in the vehicle width direction, and engages with a fixing hook 62 of the fixing device 20, which will be described later. The hood locking device 14 also has a pair of guide pin insertion holes 36 through which a pair of guide pins 34 (see Figures 4 and 5) are inserted, respectively. These guide pin insertion holes 36 are elongated holes with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction, and are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. The guide pins 34 are inserted through the guide pin insertion holes 36 and guide pin insertion holes 48 (see Figures 4 and 5) formed in the base member 18, which will be described later, thereby supporting the hood locking device 14 on the base member 18 so that it can move up and down.

The hood locking device 14 also includes a latch 38 that holds the hood striker 28 at the depthwise end of the locking recess 30. The hood locking device 14 also includes an auxiliary lever 40 that is rotatably attached around a pin 42. The auxiliary lever 40 engages with the locking portion 28A of the hood striker 28 provided on the front hood 12, thereby preventing the front hood 12 from opening accidentally. The hood locking device 14 also includes a first lever 44 that is tilted when an operating force is input via a cable (not shown). When the first lever 42 is tilted, the first lever 44 disengages from the latch 38, releasing the latch 38 from holding the hood striker 28.

A stopper member engagement rib 46 is formed on the outer (left) side of the hood lock device 14 in the vehicle width direction, extending vertically with the vehicle width direction as its thickness direction. The left surface of this stopper member engagement rib 46 serves as an advancement restriction surface 46a against which the front end of a first stopper member 72 (described below) abuts, restricting the advancement of the first stopper member 72. The lower end of the stopper member engagement rib 46 serves as a vehicle lower portion 14a that abuts against the first stopper member 72.

(Configuration of base member 18)
The base member 18 is formed by pressing a steel plate material or the like. The base member 18 is formed in a rectangular plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction and with the plate thickness direction in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5 , the base member 18 is formed with a pair of guide pin insertion holes 48 through which the pair of guide pins 34 are respectively inserted. The guide pin insertion holes 48 are formed in an elongated hole shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the up-down direction, similar to the guide pin insertion holes 36 formed in the hood lock device 14.

The base member 18 also has a plurality of mounting holes 50 formed therethrough, through which fixing screws (not shown) are inserted. The fixing screws inserted into the mounting holes 50 are threaded into threaded holes (not shown) formed in a radiator support provided at the front end of the vehicle, thereby fixing the base member 18 to the radiator support while positioned centrally in the vehicle width direction between the pair of left and right actuators 16.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the base member 18 is formed with a base claw 52 as a second stopper member that is positioned close to the hood locking device 14 on the right side of the hood locking device 14 when it is raised relative to the base member 18. This base claw 52 is inclined downward as it moves toward the left when viewed from the front of the vehicle.

(Configuration of actuator 16)
As shown in Figure 1, the actuator 16 is provided on the right and left sides of the hood lock device 14 in the vehicle width direction, and this actuator 16 includes a cylinder portion 54 formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a pipe portion 58 fixed to a bracket 56 formed in a plate shape and inserted into the cylinder portion 54.

A micro gas generator (not shown) is fixed to the pipe section 58. When gas generated in the micro gas generator is supplied to the cylinder section 54, the pressure inside the cylinder section 54 increases, causing the cylinder section 54 to move upward relative to the pipe section 58.

A fixing screw 60 is inserted into the bracket 56 of the actuator 16, and this fixing screw 60 is threaded into a screw hole formed in the radiator support (not shown), thereby fixing the actuator 16 to the radiator support. Note that the location to which the actuator 16 is fixed is not limited to the above, and it may be fixed to another location on the vehicle body, for example.

When the front hood 12 is in the closed position, the front hood 12 and the cylinder portion 54 of the actuator 16 are spaced apart. When the actuator 16 is activated, the cylinder portion 54 rises and the upper end of the cylinder portion 54 comes into contact with the front hood 12. When the cylinder portion 54 rises further, the front hood 12 is moved from the closed position to the raised position (the pop-up position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1).

(Configuration of fixing device 20)
As shown in Figure 4, the fixing device 20 is composed of a fixing pin 32 fixed to the center of the lower end of the hood lock device 14 in the vehicle width direction, a fixing hook 62 rotatably supported on the base member 18, and a torsion spring 64 that biases the fixing hook 62 in a direction to rotate it to one side.

The fixed hook 62 is formed in a block shape with a predetermined thickness in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The longitudinal middle portion of the fixed hook 62 is rotatably supported on the base member 18 via a support pin 68. One longitudinal end of the fixed hook 62 is an L-shaped engagement portion 62a. When the engagement portion 62a engages with the fixed pin 32 (as shown in FIG. 2), the hood locking device 14 is locked in the closed position. In contrast, when the fixed hook 62 is rotated and the engagement portion 62a and the fixed pin 32 are no longer engaged, the hood locking device 14 can move toward the upper side of the vehicle. The torsion spring 64 biases the fixed hook 62 counterclockwise when viewed from the front of the vehicle. The other longitudinal end of the fixed hook 62 is a cable locking portion 62b to which one end of a first fixed hook operating cable 66, which constitutes part of the lock/release device 22 described below, is locked.

(Configuration of the fixing release device 22)
1, the lock release device 22 is configured to include a first fixed hook operating cable 66 and a link mechanism 70 that operates in conjunction with the operation of the actuator 16 and to which the other end of the fixed hook operating cable 66 is connected. When the actuator 16 is operated, the link mechanism 70 is activated and the first fixed hook operating cable 66 is pulled, causing the fixed hook 62 to rotate about the support pin 66 from an engaged position where it engages with the fixed pin 32 to a disengaged position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4, thereby releasing the lock of the hood lock device 14 from the base member 18.

(Configuration of the restriction device 24)
As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the limiting device 24 is movable between an engaged position in which it engages with a portion of the hood locking device 14 below the vehicle when the hood locking device 14 is moved toward the upper side of the vehicle, and a disengaged position in which it does not engage with the portion of the hood locking device 14 below the vehicle, and includes a first stopper member 72 that limits the movement of the hood locking device 14 below the vehicle in the engaged position, and a coil spring 74 as a biasing device that constantly biases the first stopper member 72 toward the engaged position.

As shown in Figure 7, the first stopper member 72 comprises a longitudinal rod-shaped main body 72a and a pair of first and second guide devices 76 and 78 that horizontally guide the front and rear ends 72b and 72c of the main body 72a, respectively, and is constantly biased toward the front end 72b by a coil spring 74. The front end 72b of the main body 72a of the first stopper member 72 protrudes toward the right of the vehicle and engages with the vehicle lower portion 14a of the hood lock device 14.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the first guide device 76 is composed of a horizontally elongated guide hole 76a formed through the base member 18, and a guide arm 72d that protrudes upward from the front end 72b of the elongated rod-shaped main body 72a and is bent toward the base member 18 to be inserted into the guide hole 76a. The second guide device 78 is composed of a guide bracket 78b formed by bending a portion of the left side of the base member 18 at a right angle and having a rectangular guide hole 78a formed therethrough, through which the rear end 72c of the main body 72a is inserted.

When the movement of the hood locking device 14 toward the bottom of the vehicle is restricted by the first stopper member 72 of the restricting device 24, the hood locking device 14 attempts to tilt to the right, with the front end portion 72b of the first stopper member 72 as a fulcrum. However, this tilt is restricted when the hood locking device 14 abuts against the base claw 52 formed on the base member 18.

The first stopper member 72 has a longitudinal rod-shaped main body 72a, with a locking arm 72e protruding downward from the position where the guide arm 72d at the front end 72b protrudes upward. An outer cable locking recess 78c is formed in the guide bracket 78b.

The base member 18 has an arc-shaped through-hole 18a centered on the rotation center of the fixed hook 62, and the inner cable locking portion 80 protrudes from the engaging portion 62a of the fixed hook 62 through the through-hole 18a to the back surface of the base member 18. Additionally, an outer cable locking bracket 82 is fixed to the base member 18, protruding in the opposite direction to the protruding direction of the guide bracket 78b. An outer cable locking recess 82a is formed in the outer cable locking bracket 82.

(Configuration of the movement restriction release operation member 26)
The movement restriction release operating member 26 includes a first stopper member operating cable 84 that transmits the operating force of the movement restriction release operation to the first stopper member 72, thereby releasing the restriction on movement of the hood lock device 14 toward the lower side of the vehicle imposed by the first stopper member 72, and a second fixed hook operating cable 86 that transmits the operating force of the movement restriction release operation to the fixed hook 62, thereby avoiding interference between the fixed hook 62 and the fixed pin 32 and allowing the hood lock device 14 to descend due to the weight of the front hood 12 and the hood lock device 14 itself.

The first stopper member operating cable 84 is composed of an outer cable 84a, one end of which is engaged in the outer cable engaging recess 78c of the guide bracket 78b, and an inner cable 84b, which runs vertically through the outer cable 84a and has one end engaged with the engaging arm 72e that protrudes downward from the longitudinal rod-shaped main body 72a of the first stopper member 72. The other ends of the outer cable 84a and inner cable 84b are each connected to a front hood closing operating device (not shown) located inside the vehicle cabin, and the first stopper member 72 is moved against the biasing force of the coil spring 74 by the operating force transmitted from the front hood closing operating device.

The second fixed hook operating cable 86 is composed of an outer cable 86a, one end of which is engaged in the outer cable engaging recess 82a of the outer cable engaging bracket 82, and an inner cable 86b, which runs vertically through the outer cable 86a and has one end engaged in the inner cable engaging portion 80 of the fixed hook 62. The other ends of the outer cable 86a and inner cable 86b are connected to the front hood closing operating device (not shown) installed inside the vehicle cabin, and the operating force transmitted from the front hood closing operating device moves the fixed hook 62 from an engaged position where it engages with the fixed pin 32 to a disengaged position (position shown by the dashed line in Figure 4) where it does not engage with the fixed pin 32. In other words, the fixed hook 62 can be moved to the position shown by the dashed line in Figures 4 and 5 so as not to interfere with the fixed pin 32, which descends along with the hood locking device 14.

In the vehicle pop-up hood device 10 configured as described above, the hood locking device 14 is raised and the front hood 12 is popped up when the fixing hook 62 is disengaged from the fixing pin 32. This can also be triggered by a minor collision with an animal, a guide post, or other object other than a pedestrian. In this case, driving with the front hood in a pumped-up state reduces visibility and can cause the front hood to flap due to wind pressure, making driving safety unsafe. Another problem is that returning the front hood to its original stowed position requires dangerous work outside the vehicle.

In such a case, when a front hood closing operating device (not shown) installed inside the vehicle cabin is operated, the operating force transmitted from the front hood closing operating device moves the first stopper member 72 against the biasing force of the coil spring 74, and the fixed hook 62 is removed from the movement trajectory of the fixed pin 32, avoiding interference with the fixed pin 32. As a result, the hood locking device 14 is lowered by the weight of the front hood 12 and the hood locking device 14 itself, and the front hood 12 is moved to its original closed position.

In the vehicle hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, when the movement restriction release operating member 26 transmits an operating force to the first stopper member 72 to move the first stopper member 72 from an engaged position, in which it engages with the hood lock device 14, to a disengaged position, in which it does not engage with the hood lock device 14, the first stopper member 72, which had previously restricted the movement of the hood lock device 14 downward, is moved to the disengaged position. This allows the hood lock device 14 to move downward, causing the hood lock device 14 to descend due to the weight of the front hood 12 and the hood lock device 14, and the front hood 12 to move downward and close. Therefore, the popped-up front hood 12 can be returned to its original stowed position by operating it from inside the vehicle.

Furthermore, the vehicle hood lock device 10 of this embodiment includes a coil spring (biasing device) 74 that constantly applies a biasing force to the first stopper member 72 moving from the disengaged position to the engaged position, and the movement restriction release operating member 26 transmits this operating force to the first stopper member 72 against the biasing force of the coil spring 74. This has the advantage that the first stopper member 72 can automatically return from the disengaged position to the engaged position, eliminating the need for a return operation.

In addition, according to the vehicle hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, the first stopper member 72 is disposed on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device 14, and when the hood lock device 14 moves upwards on the vehicle, it engages with a portion on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device 14 and on one side of the vehicle width direction relative to the portion where the hood striker 28 is engaged, thereby restricting the movement of the hood lock device 14 downwards on the vehicle. As a result, when the hood lock device 14 is moved upwards on the vehicle, the first stopper member 72 engages with a portion on the vehicle underside of the hood lock device 14 and on one side of the vehicle width direction relative to the portion where the hood striker 28 is engaged, so that the hood lock device 14 is held in the position where it has moved upwards on the vehicle.

Furthermore, according to the vehicle hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, the first stopper member 72 comprises a longitudinal rod-shaped member 72a whose front and rear ends are guided horizontally by a pair of first and second guide devices 76 and 78 provided on the base member 18, and which is biased toward the front end by a coil spring (biasing device) 74, with the front end 72b engaging with a portion of the hood lock device 14 below the vehicle. As a result, the rod-shaped member 72a is guided at its front end 72b and rear end 72c by the pair of guide devices 76 and second guide device 78, and is supported at two points. Therefore, even if vibrations or impact loads that occur during driving are applied, movement of the hood lock device 14 below the vehicle is stably restricted.

In addition, according to the vehicle hood locking device 10 of this embodiment, the base member 18 is provided with a fixed hook 62 that can rotate between an engaged position where it engages the fixed pin 32 fixed to the lower end of the hood locking device 14 and an unengaged position where it does not engage the fixed pin 32. The fixed hook 62 is rotated from the engaged position to the unengaged position in synchronization with the movement restriction release operating member 26 moving from the engaged position to the unengaged position. This prevents the hood locking device 14 from hitting the fixed hook 62, and allows it to be easily lowered by the weight of the front hood 12 and hood locking device 14.

In addition, the vehicle hood locking device 10 of this embodiment further includes a base claw (second stopper member) 52 that is positioned on the other side of the vehicle width relative to the hood locking device 14 and that restricts movement of the hood locking device 14 to the other side in the vehicle width direction when the hood locking device 14 engaged with the first stopper member 72 abuts against it. As a result, movement of the hood locking device 14 to the other side in the vehicle width direction is restricted when the hood locking device 14 abuts against the base claw 52, thereby restricting movement of the hood locking device 14 downward toward the vehicle and tilting of the hood locking device 14 to the other side in the vehicle width direction, and thereby restricting rocking, i.e., vibration, of the front hood 12.

One embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention can also be applied in other forms.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, operation of the movement restriction release operating member 26 disengages the first stopper member 72 from the hood locking device 14 via the first stopper member operating cable 84, and simultaneously operates the fixed hook 62 via the second fixed hook operating cable 86 from an engaged position where it can interfere with the fixed pin 32 to a non-interfering position where it does not engage with the fixed pin 32. However, it is not necessary to operate the fixed hook 62 via the second stopper member operating cable 86 from an engaged position where it can interfere with the fixed pin 32 to a non-interfering position where it does not engage with the fixed pin 32. A certain effect can be achieved simply by allowing the front hood 12 and hood locking device 14 to be lowered by their own weight until the fixed pin 32 of the hood locking device 14 abuts the fixed hook 62.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the movement restriction release operating member 26 transmits the operating force to the first stopper member 72 via the first stopper member operating cable 84 and to the fixed hook 62 via the fixed hook operating cable 86, but it may also transmit the operating force via an electric wire connected to a solenoid.

The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but this is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

10: Vehicle pop-up hood device 12: Front hood 14: Hood lock device 18: Base member 20: Fixing device 22: Fixation release device 24: Restriction device 26: Movement restriction release operation member 28: Hood striker 52: Base claw (second stopper member)
62: Fixed hook 72: First stopper member 74: Coil spring (biasing device)
76: First guide device

Claims (6)

a front hood lifting device that is disposed on a vehicle lower side of the front hood and that moves the front hood from a closed position toward an upper side of the vehicle by being actuated;
a hood locking device that is disposed below the front hood, engages a hood striker attached to the front hood, and is movable together with the front hood toward the upper side of the vehicle;
a base member that supports the hood lock device so that the hood lock device can move upwardly of the vehicle;
a first stopper member that is movable between an engagement position in which the hood locking device engages with a portion of the hood locking device below the vehicle when the hood locking device is moved toward the upper side of the vehicle and a disengagement position in which the hood locking device does not engage with the portion of the hood locking device below the vehicle, and that limits movement of the hood locking device toward the lower side of the vehicle when the hood locking device is moved toward the upper side of the vehicle,
a movement restriction release operation member that transmits an operation force to the first stopper member to move the first stopper member from the engaged position to the disengaged position, a biasing device that constantly applies a biasing force to the first stopper member from the disengaged position to the engaged position,
2. The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the movement restriction release operating member transmits the operating force to the first stopper member against the biasing force of the biasing device. 2. The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first stopper member is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the hood lock device, and when the hood lock device is moved upward toward the vehicle, it engages with a portion on the vehicle lower side of the hood lock device that is on one side in the vehicle width direction of a portion where the hood striker is engaged, thereby restricting movement of the hood lock device downward toward the vehicle. 3. The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the first stopper member comprises a longitudinal rod-shaped member whose front and rear ends are guided horizontally by a pair of guide devices provided on the base member and which is biased toward the front end by the biasing device, and wherein, in the engaged position, the front end engages with a portion of the hood locking device on the underside of the vehicle. The base member is provided with a fixing hook that is rotatable between a locking position where a fixing pin fixed to a lower end of the hood lock device is latched and a non-locking position where the fixing pin is not latched,
2. The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fixed hook is rotated from the engaging position to the disengaging position in synchronization with the movement of the movement limit release operating member from the engaging position to the disengaging position. 4. The pop-up hood device for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a second stopper member that is disposed on the other side of the hood locking device in the vehicle width direction and that limits movement of the hood locking device to the other side in the vehicle width direction when the hood locking device engaged with the first stopper member comes into contact with the second stopper member.