A vehicle hood side opening device, vehicle and method

Abstract

This disclosure provides a vehicle hood side-opening device, vehicle, and method, relating to the field of vehicle technology. The device includes a first pneumatic strut, a second pneumatic strut, a left hood lock, a left hood latch, a right hood lock, and a right hood latch. A first end of the first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a second end is rotatably connected to the lower right side of the vehicle's hood. A first end of the second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a second end is rotatably connected to the lower left side of the vehicle's hood. The left hood lock is located on the upper left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the left hood latch is located on the lower left side of the vehicle's hood; the left hood lock and the left hood latch cooperate. The right hood lock is located on the upper right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the right hood latch is located on the lower right side of the vehicle's hood; the right hood lock and the right hood latch cooperate. This disclosure enables the hood to be opened from either the left or right side of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle technology, specifically to a vehicle hood side opening device, vehicle, and method. Background Technology

[0002] Since electric vehicles do not require an engine to be located in the front compartment, in order to meet users' growing storage needs, electric vehicles typically design the front compartment as a storage structure.

[0003] However, most electric vehicles still use the traditional design of gasoline-powered cars for their hood opening mechanism: the hood opens from the front of the vehicle. This requires passengers to walk to the front of the car and pull or push the hood to open it. This design didn't cause much controversy in the era of gasoline-powered cars because the front compartment mainly contained mechanical components such as the engine, and users didn't have a significant need to frequently open the hood. However, in the era of electric vehicles, the front compartment mainly houses storage space and the battery pack, lacking the complex mechanical components of gasoline-powered cars. In daily use, users may need to frequently open the hood to access items. The traditional front-opening hood requires users to walk to the front of the car, which not only causes inconvenience but may also increase operational difficulty and safety hazards. Especially in certain scenarios, such as when the vehicle is stationary in a narrow parking space or on a busy street, users need to walk around the vehicle to reach the front and open the hood, which not only increases the difficulty of operation but may also lead to accidents due to obstructed vision or insufficient space. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a vehicle hood side-opening device, vehicle, and method, enabling the hood to be opened from the left or right side of the vehicle, thus solving the operational inconvenience problem of opening the hood from the front. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, a vehicle hood side-opening device is provided, comprising a first pneumatic strut, a second pneumatic strut, a left hood lock, a left hood latch, a right hood lock, and a right hood latch; a first end of the first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper left side of the vehicle hood, and a second end is rotatably connected to the lower right side of the vehicle hood; a first end of the second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper right side of the vehicle hood, and a second end is rotatably connected to the lower left side of the vehicle hood; the left hood lock is located on the upper left side of the vehicle hood, and the left hood latch is located on the lower left side of the vehicle hood, the left hood lock and the left hood latch cooperating to fasten the left side of the hood to the left side of the hood; the right hood lock is located on the upper right side of the vehicle hood, and the right hood latch is located on the lower right side of the vehicle hood, the right hood lock and the right hood latch cooperating to fasten the left side of the hood to the right side of the hood.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the number of the first pneumatic struts is at least two, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle front compartment, the multiple first pneumatic struts are parallel to each other.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the number of the second pneumatic struts is at least two, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle hood, the multiple second pneumatic struts are parallel to each other.

[0008] In one possible implementation, both the left front cover lock and the right front cover lock are connected to a mechanical pull cable, which is used to unlock the left front cover lock and the right front cover lock.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the left hood lock and the left hood latch are rotatably connected at their engagement point to provide support for the left side of the vehicle hood when the hood is opened from the right side.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the right front hood lock and the right front hood latch are rotatably connected at their engagement point to provide support for the right side of the vehicle hood when the hood is opened from the left.

[0011] In one possible implementation, a left support rod is provided on the left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the left support rod; and / or, a right support rod is provided on the right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the right support rod.

[0012] Secondly, a vehicle is provided, the front compartment of which has storage space, and the vehicle is equipped with a side-opening device for the front hood provided in the first aspect.

[0013] Thirdly, based on the vehicle provided in the second aspect above, a method for opening the hood of a vehicle to the side is provided, including a left-side opening method, specifically including:

[0014] In response to the command to open the left side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the left hood latch unlocks the left hood latch.

[0015] The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the first pneumatic strut is greater than that of the second pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch.

[0016] When the first pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the left side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

[0017] One possible implementation also includes a right-side enabling method, specifically including:

[0018] In response to the command to open the right side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the right hood latch unlocks the right hood latch.

[0019] The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the second pneumatic strut is greater than that of the first pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch.

[0020] When the second pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the right side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this disclosure are as follows: This disclosure provides a vehicle hood side opening device, vehicle, and method. For electric vehicles with the hood designed as a storage space, the arrangement of the first and second pneumatic struts, combined with the cooperation of the left hood lock, the left hood latch, the right hood lock, and the right hood latch, allows the vehicle hood to be opened from left to right or from right to left. This facilitates the user to open the hood from the side of the vehicle to access items in the hood without having to walk to the front of the vehicle, thus improving access efficiency and convenience.

[0022] Advantages of this disclosure in additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle hood side opening device in the left-side open state according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle hood side opening device in the right-side open state according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram from another perspective of a vehicle hood side opening device in the left-side open state, provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the front hatch;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle's front compartment structure hidden behind the hood;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the front cover lock, front cover latch, and mechanical pull cable.

[0030] Among them, 100, vehicle; 101, hood; 102, front compartment; 103, front compartment storage box; 1, first pneumatic strut; 11, first pneumatic strut bracket; 12, second pneumatic strut bracket; 13, third pneumatic strut bracket; 14, fourth pneumatic strut bracket; 2, second pneumatic strut; 3, left hood lock; 4, left hood latch; 5, right hood lock; 6, right hood latch; 7, mechanical cable. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the embodiments of this disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in this disclosure, claims, and drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0033] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship conventionally understood in the art, and are only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this disclosure.

[0034] For ease of description, in this embodiment, the "left" and "right" directions are determined from the user's perspective inside the vehicle. That is, when the user is in the driver's seat and facing forward, the direction to the user's left is called "left," and the direction to the user's right is called "right." See also the appendix for further details. Figure 5 This image is a view from the top of the vehicle, which is opposite to the view from inside the vehicle. Therefore, the right side in this view is called "left", and the front cover lock structure located on the left side of the image is called "right front cover lock". The other structures are similar.

[0035] This disclosure provides a vehicle hood side-opening device. See also... Figures 1-5 The vehicle's hood side-opening device includes a first pneumatic strut 1, a second pneumatic strut 2, a left hood lock 3, a left hood latch 4, a right hood lock 5, and a right hood latch 6. This device is installed at the front compartment 102 of the vehicle 100 and connected to the hood 101, enabling the hood 101 to open laterally (left or right). The first end of the first pneumatic strut 1 is rotatably connected to the upper left side of the vehicle front compartment 102, and the second end is rotatably connected to the lower right side of the vehicle front hood 101; the first end of the second pneumatic strut 2 is rotatably connected to the upper right side of the vehicle front compartment, and the second end is rotatably connected to the lower left side of the vehicle front hood; the left front hood lock 3 is located on the upper left side of the vehicle front compartment, and the left front hood latch 4 is located on the lower left side of the vehicle front hood, and the left front hood lock 3 and the left front hood latch 4 cooperate to fasten the left side of the front compartment to the left side of the front hood; the right front hood lock 5 is located on the upper right side of the vehicle front compartment, and the right front hood latch 6 is located on the lower right side of the vehicle front hood, and the right front hood lock 5 and the right front hood latch 6 cooperate to fasten the left side of the front compartment to the right side of the front hood.

[0036] It should be noted that "upper" and "lower" here refer to the positional relationship under normal use. For example, the upper part of the front compartment means the direction of the front compartment away from the ground when the vehicle is stationary, that is, the side of the front compartment facing the hood. The lower part of the hood means the side of the hood facing downwards when it is in normal use (closed), that is, the side of the hood facing the front compartment.

[0037] For electric vehicles with a front cabin designed as storage space, the traditional forward-opening hood can be inconvenient for users when accessing items. This disclosure provides a side-opening hood device. Through a novel design, the hood opens to the side. By arranging the first and second pneumatic struts and cooperating with the left and right hood locks and latches, the hood can be flipped open from left to right or right to left. This allows users to easily access items in the front cabin from the side without having to walk to the front, improving efficiency and convenience. In some embodiments, a storage box 103 can be further provided within the front cabin 102 for convenient storage and organization of items.

[0038] In one possible implementation, there are at least two first pneumatic struts 1, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle's front compartment, the multiple first pneumatic struts 1 are parallel to each other to ensure even force distribution on the hood, allowing for smooth opening and closing. Similarly, there are at least two second pneumatic struts 2, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle's front compartment, the multiple second pneumatic struts 2 are parallel to each other. In this embodiment, there are two first pneumatic struts 1 and two second pneumatic struts 2. Through the four pneumatic struts arranged laterally, when the hood is opened laterally, the extension and retraction amounts of the first and second pneumatic struts are different, thereby achieving double-sided opening of the hood. Using double-sided pneumatic struts to achieve the opening action of the hood is simple in structure and easy to implement, which not only simplifies the operation process but also improves the opening efficiency.

[0039] See Figure 4The front hatch facing the front compartment is fixedly equipped with a first pneumatic strut bracket 11, a second pneumatic strut bracket 12, a third pneumatic strut bracket 13, a fourth pneumatic strut bracket 14, a left front hatch latch 4, and a right front hatch latch 6. The first and second pneumatic strut brackets 11 and 12 are rotatably connected to two first pneumatic struts, while the third and fourth pneumatic strut brackets 13 and 14 are rotatably connected to two second pneumatic struts. The left and right front hatch latches 4 and 6 are both irregularly shaped latches, with an overall U-shaped structure. The lower part of the irregularly shaped latch has a bend towards the outside of the front hatch, and the bottom of the irregularly shaped latch has an arc-shaped bulge. The bulge at the bottom of the irregularly shaped latch is used to engage with the hood lock. Firstly, it secures the hood to the front compartment on that side, and the irregular design ensures a tighter fit between the latch and the lock body. Secondly, when the hood is opened from the opposite side, the contact point between the irregularly shaped latch and the hood lock acts as a rotation axis for the hood, providing stable support for the hood when it is open. Specifically, based on the irregularly shaped latch design, the engagement point between the left hood lock and the left hood latch can be rotatably connected with the end of the left hood latch as an axis, providing support for the left side of the hood when it is opened from the right. Similarly, the engagement point between the right hood lock and the right hood latch can be rotatably connected with the end of the right hood latch as an axis, providing support for the right side of the hood when it is opened from the left.

[0040] The vehicle's front compartment features left and right hood locks, corresponding to the positions of the left and right hood latches, respectively. Both locks are equipped with mechanical cables for unlocking. (See also...) Figure 6 Taking the cooperation of the left front cover lock 3 and the left front cover latch 4 as an example, the top of the left front cover lock 3 has a locking groove. The left front cover latch 4 can extend into the locking groove and be locked in the locking groove by the locking pin at the top of the locking groove. The mechanical pull cable 7 can unlock the locking pin. Pulling the mechanical pull cable 7 resets the locking pin, and the left front cover latch 4 can disengage from the locking groove. Unlocking the left front cover lock by mechanical pull cable can be achieved using existing technology, which will not be elaborated here.

[0041] The front hood is locked on both sides by the left front hood lock, left front hood latch, right front hood lock, and right front hood latch, ensuring the safety of the front hood when it is closed.

[0042] To facilitate the installation of the first and second pneumatic struts, support rods for mounting the pneumatic struts are also provided on both sides of the vehicle's front compartment. Specifically, a left support rod is provided on the left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the left support rod; a right support rod is provided on the right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the right support rod. In this embodiment, for the two first and second pneumatic struts distributed front and rear, a support platform for mounting the pneumatic struts can be provided on the inner side of the front compartment near the vehicle's windshield, and the pneumatic struts away from the front of the vehicle are mounted on the support platform; a support rod is provided between the support platform and the outer shell of the front part of the vehicle for mounting the pneumatic struts near the front of the vehicle.

[0043] When using the aforementioned side-opening hood device, users can choose to open the hood from the left or right side as needed. When opening from the left, the first pneumatic strut extends longer while the second pneumatic strut extends shorter, causing the hood to open from left to right. Conversely, when opening from the right, the second pneumatic strut extends longer while the first pneumatic strut extends shorter, causing the hood to open from right to left. Throughout the operation, the user no longer needs to walk to the front of the car; a gentle pull or push from the side of the vehicle is all it takes to easily open the hood. Whether in a narrow parking space or on a busy street, this side-opening method allows users to access items more conveniently and quickly while maintaining safety, greatly improving operational ease of use.

[0044] The ingenious arrangement of pneumatic struts enables the smooth opening and closing of the front hatch. These struts possess strong supporting force and stable telescopic performance, allowing the front hatch to be quickly raised or lowered in a short time, ensuring smooth opening while preventing safety accidents caused by improper operation.

[0045] The precise fit between the lock and the latch ensures the safety of the hood when closed. The latch is made of high-strength material, offering excellent wear resistance and impact resistance, effectively preventing the hood from accidentally opening while driving.

[0046] This device is suitable for various models of electric vehicles, especially those with storage compartments in the front cabin. Using this device improves the passenger experience while ensuring the safety and stability of the front hatch when it is open and closed.

[0047] Based on the vehicle hood side opening device provided above, this disclosure further provides a vehicle with a storage space in the front compartment, and the vehicle hood side opening device provided above is provided in the front compartment to realize the opening of the hood to the left and right sides.

[0048] It should be noted that the above-mentioned vehicle concept is the same as the concept of a vehicle hood side opening device, and its specific implementation is the same as the implementation of an inflatable active air intake grille, which will not be repeated here.

[0049] Based on the vehicle provided above, this disclosure further provides a method for opening the hood of a vehicle from the side, including a left-side opening method and a right-side opening method.

[0050] The methods to enable the left side include:

[0051] In response to the command to open the left side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the left hood latch unlocks the left hood latch.

[0052] The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the first pneumatic strut is greater than that of the second pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch.

[0053] When the first pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the left side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

[0054] When the hood needs to be opened from the left, the user can first manually activate the left hood lock unlock button on the dashboard, which unlocks the left hood lock via a mechanical cable. After unlocking, the driver or passenger can get out of the vehicle and walk to the left side of the hood to manually lift it to the left. During the manual lifting of the hood, the first pneumatic strut has a longer extension stroke than the second pneumatic strut, allowing the hood to flip from left to right along the engagement point of the right-side irregular-shaped latch and the right-side irregular-shaped lock. Furthermore, the design of the different mounting points and extension strokes of the pneumatic struts ensures that the gravitational torque of the hood and the supporting force of the pneumatic struts are in a balanced state, thus achieving the effect of allowing the hood to hover in any position.

[0055] The principle behind opening from the right is the same as that from the left. Specifically, the methods for opening from the right include:

[0056] In response to the command to open the right side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the right hood latch unlocks the right hood latch.

[0057] The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the second pneumatic strut is greater than that of the first pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch.

[0058] When the second pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the right side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

[0059] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A side-opening device for a vehicle hood, characterized in that, The system includes a first pneumatic strut, a second pneumatic strut, a left front hood lock, a left front hood latch, a right front hood lock, and a right front hood latch. The first end of the first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the second end is rotatably connected to the lower right side of the vehicle's front hood. The first end of the second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the upper right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the second end is rotatably connected to the lower left side of the vehicle's front hood. The left front hood lock is located on the upper left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the left front hood latch is located on the lower left side of the vehicle's front hood. The left front hood lock and the left front hood latch cooperate to fasten the left side of the front compartment to the left side of the front hood. The right front hood lock is located on the upper right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and the right front hood latch is located on the lower right side of the vehicle's front hood. The right front hood lock and the right front hood latch cooperate to fasten the left side of the front compartment to the right side of the front hood. The left hood lock and the left hood latch are rotatably connected at their joints, providing support for the left side of the vehicle hood when it is opened from the right; the right hood lock and the right hood latch are rotatably connected at their joints, providing support for the right side of the vehicle hood when it is opened from the left.

2. The vehicle hood side opening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the first pneumatic struts is at least two, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle front compartment, the multiple first pneumatic struts are parallel to each other.

3. The vehicle hood side opening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the second pneumatic struts is at least two, and when the vehicle hood is fastened to the upper part of the vehicle front compartment, the multiple second pneumatic struts are parallel to each other.

4. The vehicle hood side opening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the left and right front cover locks are connected to mechanical pull cables, which are used to unlock the left and right front cover locks.

5. A vehicle hood side-opening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A left support rod is provided on the left side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a first pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the left support rod; and / or, a right support rod is provided on the right side of the vehicle's front compartment, and a second pneumatic strut is rotatably connected to the right support rod.

6. A vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle has a storage space in its front compartment, and the vehicle is equipped with a vehicle front hood side opening device as described in any one of claims 1-5.

7. A method for side-opening a vehicle hood, characterized in that, Including methods for opening from the left, specifically: In response to the command to open the left side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the left hood latch unlocks the left hood latch. The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the first pneumatic strut is greater than that of the second pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch. When the first pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the left side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

8. A method for side-opening a vehicle hood as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes the method to enable it on the right, specifically: In response to the command to open the right side of the hood, the mechanical cable at the right hood latch unlocks the right hood latch. The first pneumatic strut and the second pneumatic strut extend, and the extension of the second pneumatic strut is greater than that of the first pneumatic strut, causing the front hatch to flip along the engagement point between the right front hatch lock and the right front hatch latch. When the second pneumatic strut reaches its maximum extension, the right side of the vehicle's front hood is fully opened.

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