Patent Publication Number: US-2022227189-A1

Title: Vehicle body structure

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to vehicle body structure that includes a tow hook cover. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle body structure that includes a tow hook cover that is removably installed to a bumper fascia assembly of a vehicle. 
     Background Information 
     Pickup trucks, large sports utility vehicles and commercial vehicles often include tow hooks at a front end thereof. The tow hooks are typically rigidly fixed to a structural element of the vehicle, such as a frame element, and extend in a forward direction therefrom. Tow hooks generally have an industrial look as they are typically made of a high strength metal material. 
     SUMMARY 
     One object of the present disclosure is to provide a bumper fascia assembly with a tow hook cover in order to improve the appearance of a vehicle. 
     Another object is to provide a removable tow hook cover that serves as a shield that protects a tow hook of a vehicle when not in use. 
     In view of the state of the known technology, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle body structure with a front side member, a tow hook, a bumper assembly and a tow hook cover, The tow hook has an attachment end and a hook end. The attachment end is fixedly attached to the front side member and the attachment end extending away from the hook end. The bumper assembly is connected to the front side member and has at least one fascia panel. The tow hook cover is removably attached to the at least one fascia panel. The tow hook cover has an upright wall portion that defines an opening. At least a portion of the hook end of the tow hook extends through the opening such that the attachment end of the tow hook is at least partially concealed by the tow hook cover. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a vehicle that includes tow hooks and a bumper fascia assembly that includes an upper fascia member, a lower fascia member and a pair of tow hook covers installed to the bumper fascia assembly such that a portion of each of the tow hooks extends through a corresponding one of the tow hook covers in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a portion of the bumper fascia assembly showing one of the tow hook covers and the portion of the tow hook that extends through the one of the tow hook covers in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the bumper fascia assembly removed from the vehicle showing a rearward or concealed side of the upper fascia member, the lower fascia member and the pair of tow hook covers in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 3  of the bumper fascia assembly removed from the vehicle showing the rearward or concealed side of the upper fascia member, the lower fascia member and the pair of tow hook covers fully assembled in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of a lower portion of the vehicle with the lower fascia member removed showing the upper fascia member, one of the tow hooks, one of the tow hook covers and various elements of a vehicle body structure of the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the lower portion of the vehicle with the lower fascia member removed showing the upper fascia member, one of the tow hooks, one of the tow hook covers and various elements of the vehicle body structure of the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the vehicle body structure taken along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 2 , showing features of the tow hook and a portion of the tow hook cover in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear view of the lower portion of the vehicle with various elements of the vehicle body structure of the vehicle removed showing the upper fascia member, one of the tow hooks, one of the tow hook covers and in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of a portion of the bumper fascia assembly removed from the vehicle showing an opening defined by a recessed area of the upper fascia member and a recessed area of the lower fascia member in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  is another rear perspective view of the portion of the bumper fascia assembly removed from the vehicle showing an opening defined by the recessed area of the upper fascia member and the recessed area of the lower fascia member with one of the tow hook covers installed within the opening in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the tow hook cover removed from the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 12  is a rear view of the tow hook cover removed from the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of the tow hook cover removed from the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of the tow hook cover removed from the vehicle in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 15  is another rear perspective view of the portion of the bumper fascia assembly removed from the vehicle showing the tow hook cover installed within the opening defined by the recessed area of the upper fascia member and the recessed area of the lower fascia member with the tow hook shown in position extending through an opening in the tow hook cover in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the bumper fascia assembly and the tow hook taken along the line  16 - 16  in  FIG. 15 , showing relationship between the tow hook and the tow hook cover in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; and 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of the tow hook cover taken along the line  17 - 17  in  FIG. 12 , showing features of the tow hook cover in accordance with the exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will he apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  10  having a vehicle body structure  12  is illustrated in accordance with a first embodiment. The vehicle  10  can be any of a variety of vehicle designs, including an SUV (sports utility vehicle), off-road vehicle, and/or a pickup truck. 
     The vehicle body structure  12  of the vehicle  10  includes various structural elements. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1-4 , the vehicle body structure  12  includes tow hooks  14  and a front bumper fascia assembly  16  having tow hook covers  18 . The tow hooks  14  and the front bumper fascia assembly  16  are attached to the vehicle body structure  12  in a conventional manner. The front bumper fascia assembly  16  is part of a bumper assembly that includes at least a support member (not shown) and an energy absorbing member (not shown). The front bumper fascia assembly  16  covers and conceals the support member and the energy absorbing member of the front bumper assembly. Since support members and energy absorbing members of front bumper assemblies are convention structures, further description is omitted for the sake of brevity. 
     As shown removed from the vehicle  10  and the vehicle body structure  12  in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the front bumper fascia assembly  16  includes an upper fascia member  20 , a lower fascia member  22  and the pair of tow hook covers  18 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  show rearward (hidden) surfaces of the upper fascia member  20  and the lower fascia member  22  looking in a forward direction D F . 
     The tow hook covers  18  are described in greater detail below, following a description of the tow hooks  14  and the other elements of the front bumper fascia assembly  16 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , there are two tow hooks  14 , one on each side of the vehicle. Each tow hook  14  extends through an opening in the front bumper fascia assembly  16 , and as described further below, through an opening in a corresponding one of the tow hook covers  18 . The tow hooks  14  are included in vehicles such as pickup trucks, sports utility vehicles and commercial vehicles. In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle  10  is a pickup truck shown only from a front end thereof. 
     The tow hooks  14  are basically identical (except that they may have overall shapes and contours that are mirror images of one another). Therefore, description of only one tow hook  14  is provided herein below and applies equally to both tow hooks  14 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5-8 and 15 , the tow hook  14  is a member that is made of a strong, rigid metal such as steel or alloy. The tow hook  14  (both tow hooks  14 ) is provided on the vehicle  10  in order to tow or drag heavy objects for short distances via, for example, a chain can he hooked to the end of the tow hook  14 . Specifically, the tow hook  14  is conveniently located to tow or drag large objects such as other vehicles, logs, rocks, lumber or other large and/or heavy objects for a short distance without a trailer. Further, the tow hook  14  can also be used to secure the vehicle  10  to a trailer or flat-bed tow truck. 
     The tow hook  14  has a hook end  14   a  and an attachment end  14   b.  As shown in  FIGS. 6-7 and 15 , the hook end  14   a  has a large opening  14   c  that is sufficiently large so as to hook a chain onto the tow hook  14  or tie a large rope thereto. As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the attachment end  14   b  includes two fastener openings with heavy duty fasteners F 1  extending therethrough. The fasteners F 1  secure the tow hook  14  to a front side member  24  of the vehicle body structure  12 . 
     A description of the front bumper fascia assembly  16  is now provided with specific reference to  FIGS. 3-4 and 8-10 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  show a concealed or rearward facing surface of the upper fascia member  20 . The upper fascia member  20  includes many contoured surface portions. The upper fascia member  20  includes an upper section  20   a  that can include various openings that, for example, provide air flow into an engine compartment, and a lower section  20   b  that curves rearward under a forward portion of the engine compartment. Along the lower portion  20   b , the upper fascia member  20  includes a pair of recessed area  30 . The recessed areas  30  identical to one another, except that they are symmetrically shaped as mirror images of one another. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, only one recessed area  30  is described herein below. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3-4 and 8-10 , the recessed area  30  is shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain the tow hook cover  18 . Specifically, the recessed area  30  includes a first flange  32 , a second flange  34 , a first edge  36 , a second edge  38  and an upper edge. The first flange  32  is an outboard flange relative to a center of the vehicle  10 . The second flange  34  is an inboard flange relative to a center of the vehicle  10 . The first edge  36  extends upwardly from the first flange  32 . The second edge  38  extends upwardly from the second flange  34  but is slightly inclined. The upper edge  40  extends from upper end of the first edge  36  to the upper end of the second edge  38 . 
     The first flange  32  and the second flange  34  are generally horizontally oriented, but can have a slight inclination of between 1 and 15 degrees relative to horizontal such that forward ends thereof are higher than rearward ends thereof. The upper edge  38  includes a snap-fitting projection  42  that is positioned and dimensioned to engage the tow hook cover  18 , retaining it in place once installed in a manner described in greater detail below. 
     Overall, the recessed area  30  can include a variety of overall shapes and sized edges and flanges that confirm to the overall shape of the tow hook cover  18 , as described further below. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the lower fascia member  22  includes a forward edge  44  that includes recessed areas  46  that align with the recessed areas  30  of the upper fascia member  20  when assembled together. The lower fascia member  22  has a forward end that is inclined upward in the vehicle forward direction DF. The rearward portions of the lower fascia member  22  can be approximately horizontal and extend rearward beneath the engine compartment of the vehicle  10 . Therefore, rearward portions of the lower fascia member  22  not likely visible from the front of the vehicle  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Since the recessed areas  46  are identical to one another (except that they can have contours and shapes that are mirror images of one another), description of only one recessed area  46  is provided hereinbelow. 
     The recessed area  46  has an overall U-shape, as shown in  FIG. 3 , with a first edge  48 , a lower edge  50  and a second edge  52 . The first edge  48  is an outboard edge and the second edge  52  is an inboard edge with the lower edge extending therebetween. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 9  with the lower fascia member  22  and the upper fascia member  20  attached to one another, the recessed area  30  of the upper fascia member  20  and the recessed area  46  of the lower fascia member  46  together define an opening that receives the tow hook cover  18 . Further, the tow hook  14  also extends through the opening defined by the recessed area  30  and the recessed area  46 , with the front bumper fascia assembly  16  installed to the vehicle  10 . 
     A description of the tow hook cover  18  is now provided with specific reference to  FIGS. 3 and 7-17 . The tow hook cover  18  is basically a cup shaped member with an opening  60 , with the tow hook  14  extending through the opening  60 . 
     The tow hook cover  18  basically includes an upright wall portion  62 , a first side wall  64 , a second side wall  66  and a bottom wall  68 . The first side wall  64 , the second side wall  66  and the bottom wall  68  are all joined or formed together with the bottom wall  68  extending between lower ends of the first and second side walls  64  and  66 . The upright wall  62  is joined or formed with the first side wall  64 , the second side wall  66  and the bottom wall  68 , with the upright wall  62  being joined with forward edges of the first side wall  64 , the second side wall  66  and the bottom wall  68 . Further, the opening  60  is defined in the upright wall  62 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8, 10-12, 14 and 16-17 , the first side wall  64  has a hook shaped edge  70  and the second side wall  66  has a hook shaped edge  72 . More specifically, the hook shaped edges  70  and  72  are elongated edges that fit over the first flange  32  and second flange  34  of the recessed area  30  of the upper fascia member  20 . 
     In other words, the hook shaped edge  70  of the first side wall  64  of the tow hook cover hangs from the first flange  32  of the upper fascia member  20  and the hook shaped edge  72  of the second side wall  66  hangs from the second flange  34  of the upper fascia member  20 . 
     An upper end  74  of the upright wall portion  62  includes a flange  76  that is dimensioned and shaped to overlay a portion of the upper fascia member  20  (the at least one fascia panel). The flange  76  defines a slot  78 . The slot  78  is located and dimensioned to receive and retain the snap-fitting projection  42  with the tow hook cover installed to the upper fascia member  20 . 
     The tow hook cover  18  also includes a flexible member  80  located that is substantially within the opening  60  of the upright wall portion  62 . The flexible member  80  includes an attachment portion  82  that covers an inner edge of the opening  60  of the upright wall portion  62 . As shown in  FIGS. 2, 5-7 and 10-15 , the flexible member  80  also includes a first flap  84  that extends downward from an upper section of the attachment portion  82  such that the first flap  84  extends into the opening  13   c  in the hook end  14   a  of the tow hook  14 . The flexible member  80  further includes a second flap  86  that extends upward from a lower section of the attachment portion  82  such that the second flap  86  extends upward into the opening  14   c  in the hook end  14   a  of the tow hook  14 . 
     The tow hook cover  18  can be made of any of a variety of materials, such as metal, plastic, resin based polymers, or other suitable materials. In the depicted embodiment, the tow hook cover  18  is a molded member, with the upright wall portion  62 , first side wall  64 , the second side wall  66  and the bottom wall  68  all being molded as a single, unitary, monolithic element, Thereafter, the flexible member  80  is molded such that the attachment portion  82  of the flexible member  80  surrounds and covers all edges that define the opening  60  of the upright wall portion  62 . Further, the attachment portion  82 , the first flap  84  and the second flap  86  of the flexible member  80  are all molded simultaneously as a single, unitary, monolithic element. The flexible member  80  is preferably made of a flexible rubber-like material that has sufficient flexibility such that the first and second flaps  84  and  86  can be bent and moved out of the opening  14   c  of the tow hook  14 , but with sufficient resiliency such that the first and second flaps  84  and  86  remain in position extending into the opening  14   c  of the tow hook  14  in the absence of sufficient force. 
     The tow hook cover  18  is removably attached to the upper fascia member  20  via the snap-fitting projection  42 . Further, since the first and second flaps  84  and  86  of the flexible member  80  of the tow hook cover  18  extend into the opening  14   c  of the tow hook  14 , they too assist in retaining the tow hook cover  18  in place, once installed to the front bumper fascia assembly  16 . Further, a mastic, adhesive or double sided tape can be positioned between the first flange  32  and the hook shaped edge  70 , and, between the second flange  34  and the hook shaped edge  72 . The tow hook cover  18  is removably attached to the upper fascia member  20 . At least a portion of the hook end  14   a  of the tow hook  14  extends through the opening  60  of the tow hook cover  18  such that the attachment end  14   b  of the tow hook  14  is at least partially concealed by the tow hook covers  18 . 
     The tow hook covers  18  can be removed, if desired, when using the tow hooks  14  with a heavy duty or large chain (not shown). However, it is not necessary to remove one or more of the tow hook covers  18  when using the tow hook  14  or hooks  14  when dragging or towing a heavy object. 
     The various vehicle body structures, other than the tow hook covers and front bumper assembly, are conventional components that are well known in the art. Since such vehicle body structural elements are well known in the art, these structures will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the components can be any type of structure that can be used to carry out the present invention. 
     General Interpretation Of Terms 
     In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion.” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. Also as used herein to describe the above embodiment, the following directional terms “forward”, “rearward”, “above”, “downward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “below” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a vehicle equipped with the tow hook cover of the vehicle body structure. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a vehicle equipped with the tow hook cover of the vehicle body structure. 
     The term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section or part of a device includes structure that is constructed to carry out the desired function. 
     The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such features. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.