An active hinge device, an engine hood, and an automobile
By using an active hinge device to lift the hood and move it backward during a car collision, the problem of pedestrians hitting their heads on the windshield is solved, achieving effective pedestrian protection.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA FAW CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-01-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
AI Technical Summary
In a car collision, pedestrians' heads are prone to hitting the hood or windshield, causing serious injury. Current technology is unable to effectively reduce this injury.
Design an active hinge device including a hinge body connection base, a hinge lifting arm, a hinge rotating arm, an engine hood mounting bracket, and a lifting arm limiting arm. The lifting arm lifts the engine hood and moves it backward during a collision to block the windshield and provide a buffer zone to reduce pedestrian injury.
In the event of a collision, the engine hood moves backward to block the windshield, reducing the likelihood of a pedestrian's head hitting the glass, minimizing injury, and protecting pedestrian safety.
Smart Images
Figure CN117864057B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts technology, and more particularly to an active hinge device, an engine hood, and an automobile. Background Technology
[0002] As the industry develops, pedestrian protection has become a technology area that major OEMs are increasingly focusing on.
[0003] During a collision, if a pedestrian's head hits the engine hood outer panel above the hard point of the front bulkhead or the windshield, it will cause significant injury. The rigidity of the engine hood outer panel is much less than that of the front bulkhead and the windshield, allowing it to deform and absorb more energy during a collision. Increasing the vertical deformation distance or the horizontal rearward displacement distance of the engine hood outer panel during a collision can greatly reduce the injury effect when a pedestrian's head hits the engine hood outer panel, or reduce the possibility of a pedestrian's head hitting the windshield, thus reducing the injury effect. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides an active hinge device, an engine hood, and a vehicle. Upon collision, the hood, in conjunction with a lifter, raises the rear end to a certain height and displaces it a certain distance backward, providing a larger buffer area for the pedestrian's head. This reduces injury when the pedestrian's head collides vertically with the engine hood. Alternatively, when the pedestrian's head collides with the windshield, the rearward displacement of the engine hood partially obstructs the windshield, allowing the pedestrian's head to be blocked and deformed, absorbing energy and preventing a direct collision with the windshield. This effectively protects the pedestrian.
[0005] This invention proposes an active hinge device, including a hinge body connection base, a hinge lifting arm, a hinge rotating arm, an engine hood mounting bracket, and a lifting arm limiting arm.
[0006] One end of the hinge lifting arm is rotatably connected to one end of the hinge rotating arm, and the other end of the hinge lifting arm is slidably connected to the hinge body connecting base through a limiting protrusion. This allows the hinge lifting arm, hinge rotating arm, engine hood mounting bracket, and connected engine hood to move obliquely upward along the limiting groove on the hinge body connecting base when the engine hood is lifted by the lifter during a vehicle collision. This enables the engine hood to partially cover the windshield, reducing the possibility of pedestrians colliding with the windshield and minimizing vehicle-to-pedestrian injuries.
[0007] The other end of the hinged rotating arm is rotatably connected to the engine hood mounting bracket to enable the normal opening of the connected engine hood;
[0008] The lifting arm limiting arm is connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base, and the end of the lifting arm limiting arm can be limited to contact the side wall of the limiting protrusion. During normal driving, the lifting device will not work, so the hinge lifting arm will not be lifted by the lifting device. The lifting arm limiting arm maintains its initial position, limiting the oblique displacement of the limiting protrusion and preventing the hinge lifting arm from moving along the lifting arm lifting track of the hinge body connecting base. Only when the lifting device explodes and lifts the hinge lifting arm, the hinge lifting arm applies an oblique upward force to the lifting arm limiting arm. The limiting arm will release its limiting effect on the hinge lifting arm after the force reaches its upper limit, thus increasing the oblique backward lifting stroke and causing the engine hood to move a greater distance to the rear of the vehicle, which can cover part of the windshield area, thereby reducing the possibility of pedestrians colliding with the windshield.
[0009] The hinged body connecting base is entirely formed by sheet metal stamping. A lifting arm lifting rail is provided in the middle of the hinged body connecting base. The lifting arm lifting rail is set diagonally upward to provide an upward movement track for the limiting protrusion. The end of the limiting protrusion passes through the lifting arm lifting rail and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm lifting rail. The limiting protrusion can slide diagonally upward along the lifting arm lifting rail. The movement of the limiting protrusion will drive the hinge lifting arm, hinge rotating arm, engine hood mounting bracket and the connected engine hood to move diagonally upward along the limiting groove on the hinged body connecting base. This allows the engine hood to cover part of the windshield, reducing the possibility of pedestrians colliding with the windshield and reducing the injury to pedestrians caused by the vehicle.
[0010] A bushing is rotatably fitted on the circumferential side wall of the limiting protrusion. This bushing passes through the lifting arm's lifting slide rail and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm's lifting slide rail. The bushing, which is rotatably fitted with the limiting protrusion, can reduce the frictional resistance when the limiting protrusion initially moves obliquely upward, allowing the engine hood to quickly reach the lifting peak. This avoids the adverse consequence that frictional resistance would cause the limiting protrusion to prolong its movement time and fail to lift the engine hood into place more effectively.
[0011] The lower end of the lifting arm's lifting rail makes an angle of 30°-70° with the horizontal plane to limit the rear end of the engine hood from falling too quickly after lifting, thus preventing insufficient cushioning for pedestrian collisions. The lifting arm's lifting rail can be an elongated hole with its lower end making an angle of 30°-45° with the horizontal plane; alternatively, the lifting arm's lifting rail can be a curved hole composed of multiple curves, including a lower semi-circular arc surface, inner and outer arc surfaces in the middle, and a upper semi-circular arc surface. These components together form the curved hole. The tangent line at the lower left semi-circular arc surface where it connects with the lower end of the inner arc surface makes an angle of 30°-70° with the horizontal plane. The angle is 50°-70°. The design of this angle facilitates the rapid lifting of the engine hood. The angle between the tangent of the upper right semi-circular arc surface and the upper end of the inner arc surface of the curved hole and the horizontal plane is 0°-5°. The tangent at this point is close to horizontal to prevent the rear end of the engine hood from falling back quickly after being lifted, causing the pedestrian's head to still hit hard points such as the windshield. The near-horizontal curve also avoids the formation of a groove at the upper end of the curved hole, thus preventing the limiting protrusion from being limited by the groove and unable to slide back down along the curved hole under impact force, which would weaken the energy absorption of the engine hood. The process of the engine hood falling back after the pedestrian's head hits the engine hood is also a process of buffering the pedestrian's impact force. The curvature value of the two arc surfaces in the middle is 1.2±0.5rad.
[0012] The lifting arm limiting arm includes a limiting arm body, a limiting arm protrusion, and a quick-release limiting buckle. One end of the limiting arm body is integrally connected to the limiting arm protrusion, which contacts the side wall of the limiting protrusion. The limiting arm body is axially connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base. A quick-release limiting buckle is fixed through the outer edge of the shaft hole of the limiting arm body. The limiting arm body is limited and fixed to the plane of the hinge body connecting base by the quick-release limiting buckle. By quickly releasing and limiting the axially rotatable limiting arm body, the limiting arm protrusion contacts the side wall of the limiting protrusion, restricting the limiting protrusion from freely sliding obliquely upward.
[0013] The hinge body connecting base is made of a rectangular sheet. The right side of the hinge body connecting base is bent outward to form a first flange. One function of the flange is to increase the overall bending strength of the hinge body connecting base sheet. Another function is to cooperate with the hinge lifting arm to limit the excessive downward movement of the hinge rotating arm and prevent the engine hood from closing excessively. A clearance portion is provided between the upper right side of the hinge body connecting base and the upper end of the first flange to allow the engine hood clearance limit portion on the hinge lifting arm to rotate and avoid rotation. Corresponding to the clearance portion, the hinge lifting arm has an outwardly bent anti-clearance limit protrusion. The anti-clearance limit protrusion can contact the upper edge of the first flange to limit the excessive rotation and closure of the hinge lifting arm, hinge rotating arm, engine hood mounting bracket, and connected engine hood, thus protecting the internal structure of the engine compartment and the engine hood edging.
[0014] The hinge lifting arm and the hinge rotating arm are connected by an inwardly bent anti-over-opening limiting protrusion on the side wall. The hinge rotating arm is made of arc-shaped sheet material, and the upper and lower sides of the hinge rotating arm are provided with inwardly flanged to form a U-shaped groove structure. The flanged U-shaped groove structure increases the strength of the rotating arm, reduces the deformation of the hinge during use, and protects the engine hood from the surface difference between the matching surfaces. The anti-over-opening limiting protrusion can contact the upper end of the upper flanged to achieve the limiting function and prevent the engine hood from opening too much.
[0015] The engine hood mounting bracket includes a bracket body and a short arm connecting piece. The bracket body is made of a right-angled sheet. The right side wall of the right-angled sheet has a right-angle missing part to avoid the movement space of the short arm connecting piece. The two ends of the short arm connecting piece are rotatably connected to the side wall of the bracket body and the other end of the hinge rotating arm through hinge pins, so that the engine hood and the bracket body connected to it can perform normal opening and closing operations relative to the hinge rotating arm.
[0016] An engine hood includes a hood body and an active hinge device disposed on both sides of the rear portion of the inner surface of the hood body.
[0017] An automobile includes a body and an engine compartment, and also includes an engine hood, which is openable and fixed to the engine compartment by means of an active hinge mechanism.
[0018] Working principle
[0019] Upon collision, the lifters fixed to the left and right side walls at the rear of the cabin activate, lifting the hinged lifting arms upwards. The hinged lifting arms rotate counterclockwise around their pivot pins. Simultaneously, the limiting protrusions and bushings of the hinged lifting arms displace obliquely upwards along the lifting arm's lifting track. The limiting arm body of the lifting arm's limiting arm, under the force of the lifting arm bushing and limiting protrusions, begins to rotate counterclockwise around its own pivot pin, breaking the quick-release limiting buckle used for limiting. The quick-release limiting buckle is a plastic buckle. The engine hood mounting bracket, through the short arm connecting piece and the pivot pin, rotates relative to the hinged rotating arm, thus jointly achieving the rear end of the engine hood to rise obliquely upwards and backwards, partially obscuring the windshield.
[0020] Beneficial effects
[0021] This invention can, in conjunction with a lifter, raise the rear end of the engine hood to a certain height and displace it a certain distance backward during a collision, providing a larger buffer area for the pedestrian's head. This reduces injury when the pedestrian's head collides vertically with the engine hood. Alternatively, when the pedestrian's head collides with the windshield, the rearward displacement of the engine hood partially blocks the windshield, allowing the pedestrian's head to be blocked and deformed to absorb energy, thus preventing the pedestrian's head from colliding with the windshield and better protecting the pedestrian. Attached Figure Description
[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view structural diagram of the present invention.
[0023] Figure 2 This is a top view of the structure of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 4 This is a front view structural diagram of the present invention in its working state.
[0026] Figure 5 This is a rear view structural diagram of the present invention in its working state.
[0027] Figure 6 This is an enlarged structural schematic diagram of the hinge body connection base of the present invention.
[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the normal lifting of the engine hood in this invention.
[0029] In the picture:
[0030] 1. Hinge body connecting base; 11. Lifting arm lifting rail; 12. First flange; 13. Missing clearance section;
[0031] 2. Hinge lifting arm; 21. Limiting protrusion; 22. Anti-over-limiting cam; 23. Anti-over-opening limiting cam;
[0032] 3. Hinged rotating arm; 31. Flanged edge;
[0033] 4. Engine hood mounting bracket; 41. Bracket body; 411. Right-angle missing part; 42. Short arm connecting piece;
[0034] 5. Lifting arm limit arm; 51. Limit arm body; 52. Limit arm protrusion; 53. Quick-release limit buckle. Detailed Implementation
[0035] To make the technical problems solved by the present invention, the technical solutions adopted, and the technical effects achieved clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, not all of them.
[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The terms "first position" and "second position" refer to two different positions.
[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections or detachable connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.
[0038] Example 1
[0039] See Figures 1-5 , Figure 7 As shown, an active hinge device includes a hinge body connecting base 1, a hinge lifting arm 2, a hinge rotating arm 3, an engine hood mounting bracket 4, and a lifting arm limiting arm 5.
[0040] One end of the hinge lifting arm 2 is rotatably connected to one end of the hinge rotating arm 3, and the other end of the hinge lifting arm 2 is slidably connected to the hinge body connecting base 1 through the limiting protrusion 21.
[0041] The other end of the hinged rotating arm 3 is rotatably connected to the engine hood mounting bracket 4;
[0042] The lifting arm limiting arm 5 is connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base 1, and the end of the lifting arm limiting arm 5 can be limited to contact the side wall of the limiting protrusion 21.
[0043] The hinge body connecting base 1 is made of sheet metal stamping. A lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 is provided in the middle of the hinge body connecting base 1. The lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 is set obliquely upward. The end of the limiting protrusion 21 passes through the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11. The limiting protrusion 21 can slide obliquely upward along the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11.
[0044] The lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 forms an angle of 40° with the horizontal plane; the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 is an elongated hole, and the lower end of the elongated hole forms an angle of 40° with the horizontal plane.
[0045] The lifting arm limiting arm 5 includes a limiting arm body 51, a limiting arm protrusion 52, and a quick-release limiting buckle 53. The limiting arm body 51 is integrally connected to the limiting arm protrusion 52 at one end. The limiting arm protrusion 52 contacts the side wall of the limiting protrusion 21. The limiting arm body 51 is axially connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base 1. The quick-release limiting buckle 53 is fixed through the outer edge of the shaft hole of the limiting arm body 51. The limiting arm body 51 is limited and fixed to the plane of the hinge body connecting base 1 by the quick-release limiting buckle 53.
[0046] The hinge body connecting base 1 is a rectangular sheet. The right side of the hinge body connecting base 1 is bent outward to form a first flange 12. A missing clearance part 13 is provided between the upper right side of the hinge body connecting base 1 and the upper end of the first flange 12. The hinge lifting arm 2 is provided with an outwardly bent anti-passing limit protrusion 22 corresponding to the missing clearance part 13. The anti-passing limit protrusion 22 can contact the upper edge of the first flange 12.
[0047] The hinge lifting arm 2 and the hinge rotating arm 3 are connected by an inwardly bent anti-over-opening limiting protrusion 23 on the side wall; the hinge rotating arm 3 is made of arc-shaped sheet material, and the upper and lower sides of the hinge rotating arm 3 are provided with flanges 31 to form a U-shaped groove structure, and the anti-over-opening limiting protrusion 23 can be in contact with the upper end of the upper flange 31.
[0048] The engine hood mounting bracket 4 includes a bracket body 41 and a short arm connecting piece 42. The bracket body 41 is made of a right-angled sheet, and the right side wall of the right-angled sheet is provided with a right-angle missing part 411. The two ends of the short arm connecting piece 42 are respectively rotatably connected to the side wall of the bracket body 41 and the other end of the hinge rotating arm 3 through hinge pins.
[0049] Example 2
[0050] See Figures 1-7 As shown, an active hinge device differs from Embodiment 1 in that the lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 has an angle of 60° with the horizontal plane; the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 is a curved hole composed of multiple curves, which includes a lower semi-circular arc surface, inner and outer arc surfaces in the middle, and a upper semi-circular arc surface. The lower semi-circular arc surface, the inner and outer arc surfaces in the middle, and the upper semi-circular arc surface together form a curved hole composed of multiple curves. The tangent line at the lower left semi-circular arc surface and the lower end of the inner arc surface of the curved hole has an angle of 60° with the horizontal plane, the tangent line at the upper right semi-circular arc surface and the upper end of the inner arc surface of the curved hole has an angle of 3° with the horizontal plane, and the arc value of the two arc surfaces in the middle is 1.2 rad.
[0051] A bushing is rotatably fitted onto the circumferential side wall of the limiting protrusion 21. The bushing passes through the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11 and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail 11.
[0052] Example 3
[0053] An engine hood includes a hood body and an active hinge device disposed on both sides of the rear portion of the inner surface of the hood body.
[0054] Example 4
[0055] An automobile includes a body and an engine compartment, and also includes an engine hood, which is openable and fixed to the engine compartment by means of an active hinge mechanism.
[0056] Although the invention has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, all of which shall be within the scope of protection of the invention.
Claims
1. An active hinge device, characterized in that: Includes a hinged body connection base (1), a hinged lifting arm (2), a hinged rotating arm (3), an engine hood mounting bracket (4), and a lifting arm limiting arm (5); One end of the hinge lifting arm (2) is rotatably connected to one end of the hinge rotating arm (3), and the other end of the hinge lifting arm (2) is slidably connected to the hinge body connecting base (1) through the limiting protrusion (21). The other end of the hinged rotating arm (3) is rotatably connected to the engine hood mounting bracket (4); The lifting arm limiting arm (5) is connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base (1), and the end of the lifting arm limiting arm (5) can be limited to contact the side wall of the limiting protrusion (21); The hinge body connecting base (1) is made of sheet metal stamping. A lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) is provided in the middle of the hinge body connecting base (1). The lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) is set obliquely upward. The end of the limiting protrusion (21) passes through the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11). The limiting protrusion (21) can slide obliquely upward along the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11).
2. The active hinge device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bushing is rotatably fitted on the circumferential side wall of the limiting protrusion (21). The bushing passes through the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) and contacts the lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11).
3. The active hinge device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) has an angle of 30°-70° with the horizontal plane; the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) is a long strip hole, and the lower end of the long strip hole has an angle of 30°-45° with the horizontal plane; or, the lifting arm lifting slide rail (11) is a curved hole composed of multiple curves, which includes a lower semi-circular arc surface, a middle inner and outer arc surface and an upper semi-circular arc surface. The lower semi-circular arc surface, the middle inner and outer arc surfaces and the upper semi-circular arc surface together form a curved hole composed of multiple curves. The angle between the tangent of the lower left semi-circular arc surface and the lower end of the inner arc surface of the curved hole and the horizontal plane is 50°-70°. The angle between the tangent of the upper right semi-circular arc surface and the upper end of the inner arc surface of the curved hole and the horizontal plane is 0°-5°. The arc value of the two arc surfaces in the middle is 1.2±0.5rad.
4. The active hinge device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lifting arm limiting arm (5) includes a limiting arm body (51), a limiting arm protrusion (52), and a quick-release limiting buckle (53). One end of the limiting arm body (51) is integrally connected to the limiting arm protrusion (52), and the limiting arm protrusion (52) contacts the side wall of the limiting protrusion (21). The limiting arm body (51) is axially connected to the plane of the hinge body connecting base (1). The outer edge of the shaft hole of the limiting arm body (51) is fixed with a quick-release limiting buckle (53). The limiting arm body (51) is limited and fixed to the plane of the hinge body connecting base (1) by the quick-release limiting buckle (53).
5. An active hinge device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hinge body connecting base (1) is a rectangular sheet. The right side of the hinge body connecting base (1) is bent outward to form a first flange (12). A missing clearance part (13) is provided between the upper right side of the hinge body connecting base (1) and the upper end of the first flange (12). The hinge lifting arm (2) is provided with an outwardly bent anti-pass limit protrusion (22) corresponding to the missing clearance part (13). The anti-pass limit protrusion (22) can contact the upper edge of the first flange (12).
6. The active hinge device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hinge lifting arm (2) and the hinge rotating arm (3) are connected by an inwardly bent anti-over-opening limiting protrusion (23) on the side wall; the hinge rotating arm (3) is made of arc-shaped sheet material, and the upper and lower sides of the hinge rotating arm (3) are provided with flanges (31) to form a U-shaped groove structure, and the anti-over-opening limiting protrusion (23) can be in contact with the upper end of the upper flange (31).
7. The active hinge device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The engine hood mounting bracket (4) includes a bracket body (41) and a short arm connecting piece (42). The bracket body (41) is made of a right-angled sheet. The right side wall of the right-angled sheet has a right-angled missing part (411). The two ends of the short arm connecting piece (42) are rotatably connected to the side wall of the bracket body (41) and the other end of the hinge rotating arm (3) through hinge pins, respectively.
8. An engine hood, characterized in that: The device includes a cover and an active hinge device as described in any one of claims 1-7, the active hinge device being disposed on both sides of the rear portion of the inner surface of the cover.
9. A car, characterized in that: It includes the vehicle body and engine compartment, and also includes the engine hood as described in claim 8, wherein the engine hood is openable and fixed to the engine compartment by means of an active hinge device.