US 6,883,627 B1Granted

Engine hood for motor vehicles for the protection of pedestrians

AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC

InventorsBradley Staines, Bettina Veith, Thilo Roeth

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Abstract

An engine hood for motor vehicles possesses a deformable head impact zone for the protection of pedestrians in the event of a collision with the motor vehicle. The engine hood is composed of two or more load-bearing shells and has a flexural strength profile which is low adjacent the edges and increases continuously toward the middle of the hood. At the same time, the engine hood has a uniform mass distribution ovcr the entire surface. Consequently, irrespective of the position the engine hood, the same characteristic for the head impact is achieved everywhere. The advantageous embodiment of the engine hood provides a reinforcing panel with regularly arranged beads, at most three beads forming a junction point so as to reduce local rigidities.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An engine hood for a motor vehicle having a body, the engine hood having a deformable head impact zone for the protection of pedestrians in the event of a collision with the motor vehicle and comprising an outer shell and an inner shell, the engine hood being supported relative to the body at bearer regions adjacent at least two opposite edge regions of the engine hood, wherein the engine hood has a flexural strength profile in the head impact zone, the flexural strength profile varying over both a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension of the engine hood according to the following:

adjacent the bearer regions, a flexural strength predominantly lower than or equal to a first value;
in a middle region of the engine hood, a flexural strength predominantly higher than or equal to a second value, the second value being greater than the first value;
and
in intermediate regions between the bearer regions and the middle region, a flexural strength predominantly higher than the first value and lower than the second value.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.