JP-2026076078-A - Vehicle exterior panels

JP2026076078AJP 2026076078 AJP2026076078 AJP 2026076078AJP-2026076078-A

Abstract

[Problem] To improve the functionality of vehicle exterior panels. [Solution] A vehicle exterior panel that constitutes the body of a vehicle, comprising: an inner panel having an inner panel body and a plurality of inner side ribs protruding from the inner panel body toward the outside of the vehicle and extending along the direction of vehicle travel; an outer panel body made of resin that is superimposed on the outside of the vehicle relative to the inner panel; and an outer panel having outer side ribs protruding toward the inner panel from a position facing the inner side ribs and extending in the direction of vehicle travel, wherein the inner side ribs and outer side ribs facing each other are fixed together to form a composite rib, and an air passage is formed partitioned by adjacent composite ribs, the inner panel body and the outer panel body, and the air inlet from the outside to the air passage is provided on the vehicle exterior panel toward the front in the direction of vehicle travel, and the air outlet from the air passage to the outside is provided on the vehicle exterior panel toward the boundary with the mating body member. [Selection Diagram] Figure 5

Inventors

高橋一久
堀部人嗣
深川鋼司

Assignees

豊田合成株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20241023

Claims (4)

A vehicle exterior panel that is adjacent to the forward side in the direction of vehicle travel of a mating body member that constitutes a part of the body of the vehicle, and which constitutes another part of the body of the vehicle, An inner panel having an inner panel body and a plurality of inner side ribs that protrude outward from the inner panel body toward the outside of the vehicle and extend along the direction of vehicle travel, The outer panel comprises an outer panel body made of resin that is superimposed on the outer side of the vehicle relative to the inner panel, and a plurality of outer ribs that protrude toward the inner panel from positions on the outer panel body facing each of the inner ribs and extend along the direction of vehicle travel, The inner rib and the outer rib, which face each other, are fixed together to form a composite rib. Between the inner panel and the outer panel, an air passage is formed, partitioned by the adjacent composite ribs, the inner panel body, and the outer panel body. The air inlet from the outside to the air passage is provided in the vehicle's outer panel on the front side in the direction of vehicle travel. The air outlet from the air passage to the outside is a vehicle body panel provided at the end of the vehicle body panel on the mating body member side and facing the outside of the vehicle.
The aforementioned vehicle body is a hood, The aforementioned mating body member is the windshield. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned air outlet opens upward.
The material of the inner panel has a higher bending modulus than the material of the outer panel. The vehicle outer panel according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the composite rib has an impact-absorbing region in which the protruding height of the outer rib is higher than the protruding height of the inner rib facing it, and a reinforcing region in which the protruding height of the inner rib is higher than the protruding height of the outer rib facing it.
The vehicle exterior panel according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the inner panel is made of resin.

Description

This invention relates to vehicle body panels, such as hoods and fenders. In recent years, there has been a demand for improved fuel efficiency in internal combustion engine vehicles and improved energy efficiency in electric vehicles, which in turn necessitates a reduction in the overall weight of the vehicle. Various vehicle body panels, such as hoods and fenders, are relatively large components among the vehicle's constituent parts, and reducing the weight of these vehicle body panels can significantly contribute to reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. Conventional vehicle body panels were typically made of metal and were heavy components. In response to this, attempts are being made to reduce the weight of vehicles by using resin materials as at least part of the material for the vehicle's exterior panels. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), a type of resin material, as the material for the bonnet, or engine hood 20. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-117499 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a vehicle equipped with the vehicle body panels of the embodiment.This is a schematic diagram illustrating the vehicle body of the embodiment, partially cut out and viewed from above.This is a schematic diagram illustrating a side view of the vehicle body panel of the embodiment.This is a schematic diagram illustrating how the vehicle body panel of the embodiment is cut at position A-A in Figure 2.This is a schematic diagram illustrating how the vehicle body panel of the embodiment is cut at position B-B in Figure 2.This is a schematic diagram illustrating how air flows through the air passage of the vehicle body of the embodiment while the vehicle is in motion.This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the buffer zone in the vehicle body panel of the embodiment.This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reinforcing region in the vehicle body panel of the embodiment.This is a schematic diagram illustrating a typical conventional vehicle body panel. The vehicle body panel of the present invention is adjacent to a mating body member that constitutes a part of the vehicle body on the forward side in the direction of vehicle travel, and constitutes another part of the vehicle body, comprising an inner panel and an outer panel. The vehicle body of the present invention has a double-panel structure consisting of an inner panel and an outer panel. Within this structure, there is an air passage partitioned by a composite rib, to which the inner rib of the inner panel and the outer rib of the outer panel are fixed, and by the panel body portion of the inner panel and the panel body portion of the outer panel. With the vehicle body panel of the present invention, it is possible to straighten the air that passes through the air outlet and is blown out to the outside from the air passage along the air passage. In other words, the vehicle body panel of the present invention does not require fins that protrude significantly to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle exterior panel of the present invention does not impair the design of the vehicle. Furthermore, according to the vehicle exterior panel of the present invention, since it does not require fins that protrude significantly from the outside of the vehicle, there is no need to consider the rigidity of the fins themselves or their impact absorption performance. The vehicle body panels of this invention offer superior functionality through the combined efforts described above. The vehicle exterior panel of the present invention will be described below, component by component. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "x to y" described herein includes a lower limit x and an upper limit y. Furthermore, the numerical range can be constructed by arbitrarily combining these upper and lower limits, as well as the numerical values listed in the embodiments. Additionally, any numerical values arbitrarily selected from within the numerical range can be used as the upper and lower limits. The vehicle body panel of this invention is adjacent to a mating body member that constitutes a part of the vehicle body, on the forward side in the direction of vehicle travel, and constitutes another part of the vehicle body. As an example of a vehicle exterior panel of the present invention, a bonnet can be cited that moves toward and away from the windshield, which is a mating body member, in the direction of vehicle travel. Another example of a vehicle exterior panel of the present invention is a fender that moves toward and away from the door panel, which is a mating body member, in the direction of vehicle travel. Furthermore, the vehicle body panel of the present invention may be directly adjacent to the mating body member, or it may be adjacent via other members. For example, if the vehicle body panel is a hood and the mating body member is a windshield, other members such as sealing materials