Active hood system for a vehicle

Abstract

Active hood system for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge assembly (10) adapted to be mounted on each of the left and right sides of a hood (1) and to provide a hinge point at the time of opening or closing the hood; and an actuator (20) configured to support and lift the hinge assembly (10) and to lift the engine hood (1) by means of the hinge assembly (10); wherein the active hood system further comprises: a retractable link (14) having upper and lower ends, wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to a hinge arm (11) of the hinge assembly (10) which is attached to the engine hood (1), and wherein the lower end is adapted to be hinged to a mounting point of the actuator (20), wherein the retractable link (14), when the lower end is hinged to the mounting point of the actuator (20), is adapted to be rotated in connection with the engine hood (1), wherein, when the bonnet (1) is pushed down at the time of resetting the actuator (20) and the bonnet (1), the resetting link (14) is rotated about its lower end hinged part, at which the lower end of the resetting link (14) is connected to the attachment point of the actuator (20), wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged at a position behind the upper end hinge points of a first and second link (12, 13) hinged to the hinge arm (11), and wherein, at the time of retraction, the lower end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to the front part of an actuator body (22) serving as the attachment point of the actuator (20), the hinge point of the other end of the retractable link (14) being set to be below and in front of the lower end hinge points of the first and second link (12, 13).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION(a) Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to an active hood system for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to an active hood system for a vehicle that allows a user to easily reset the positions of an actuator and a hood that were actuated at the time of a pedestrian collision with minimal force. (b) Description of the associated technology

[0002] From DE 10 2005 019 048 A1, an active hood system for a vehicle is known, comprising: a hinge assembly configured to be mounted on each of the left and right sides of a hood and to provide a hinge point at the time of opening or closing the hood; and an actuator configured to support and lift the hinge assembly and to lift the hood by means of the hinge assembly;wherein the active hood system further comprises: a retraction link having upper and lower ends, wherein the upper end of the retraction link is pivotally connected to a hinge arm of the hinge assembly which is attached to the hood, and wherein the lower end is adapted to be pivotally connected to a mounting location of the actuator, wherein the retraction link, when the lower end is pivotally connected to the mounting location of the actuator, is adapted to be rotated in connection with the hood, wherein, when the hood is pushed downward at the time of retraction of the actuator and the hood, the retraction link is rotated about its lower end pivotally connected part at which the lower end of the retraction link is connected to the mounting location of the actuator;

[0003] DE 10 2004 061 073 A1 describes a pedestrian protection device in a motor vehicle.

[0004] DE 10 2004 002 213 A1 describes a pedestrian protection actuator with a reset device.

[0005] DE 197 12 961 A1 describes an arrangement of a front flap on a vehicle.

[0006] Generally, a vehicle has an engine compartment provided at its front part, and the engine compartment is opened or closed by a hood.

[0007] The hood is a component designed to block engine noise by shielding the engine compartment as well as to open and close the engine compartment, in which the hood is connected to the top of the engine compartment, usually at the left and right sides of its rear end, by means of hinge assemblies in such a way that the hood can be rotated about the hinge assemblies to open or close the engine compartment.

[0008] However, such a hood is known to cause serious injury to a pedestrian at the time of a collision. Therefore, an active hood system has recently been applied to such a hood, ensuring a space between the hood and the engine compartment in the event of a pedestrian collision, which can absorb the impact energy of the pedestrian.

[0009] The active hood system is a system for lifting a hood to protect a pedestrian at the time of a collision, and serves as a kind of a pedestrian protection safety device, which can both reduce the injury index of the pedestrian and absorb the impact of the pedestrian in a pedestrian collision accident.

[0010] In a conventional active hood system, when a sensor mounted on a bumper detects a collision with a pedestrian when a pedestrian collides with the bumper, a control unit operates an actuator in accordance with a detection signal of the sensor to lift the rear end of the hood so that a shock-absorbing space can be ensured between the hood and the engine compartment.

[0011] At this time, when the control unit receives the detection signal from the sensor and drives the actuator, then a hinge joint assembly is lifted by the actuator as it is driven, and at the same time, the rear end of the hood to which the hinge joint assembly is connected is lifted and in this way, it pushes up the pedestrian to absorb the impact of the pedestrian.

[0012] However, such a conventional active hood system has the following problem.

[0013] Different actuators are used in such an active hood system to lift the rear end of the hood, in which, after the active hood system is actuated, it is impossible for a user to manually return the actuators to their original positions, i.e., to the state before actuation.

[0014] That is, due to the excessive force usually exerted by springs that lift the rear end of the hood after the actuators are operated, it is difficult for a user to manually lower and close the raised hood, which deteriorates the user's comfort.

[0015] Such a problem is addressed with reference to Fig. 1, which shows a construction of a conventional hinge joint assembly, wherein, as shown in the drawing, an actuator 20 has springs 21 which exert a strong spring force to lift a relatively heavy engine hood at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, and a hinge joint assembly 10 having a four-bar linkage mechanism is provided between an engine hood (not shown) and the actuator 20.

[0016] The hinge joint assembly 10 comprises a hinge arm 11 which is fixed to the engine hood, and two links 12 and 13 which are provided between and connected to the hinge arm 11 and the actuator 20, in which the links 12 and 13 are lifted and rotated as the actuator 20 is driven, causing the rear end of the engine hood to be lifted, and at the same time the actuator 20 is lifted, causing the hinge arm 11 and the links 12 and 13 to be pushed upward.

[0017] To reset the actuator as described above after the actuator has been actuated, it is necessary to lower the hood so that the springs can be compressed. However, due to the excessive spring force, it is impossible for the user to directly lower the hood to compress the springs and simultaneously reset the actuator position. Consequently, the actuator can only be reset at a vehicle customer service (CS) or vehicle repair shop.

[0018] As a result, after the collision with a pedestrian and the activation of the active hood system, the vehicle should be moved to such a customer service (KS) for vehicles or a repair shop for vehicles in a state in which the hood is in the upright position, that is, the rear end of the hood is raised, and if the vehicle is driven in such a state, then the possibility of an accident is increased.

[0019] The above information disclosed in this Background Description section is provided only to facilitate understanding of the background of the invention and may therefore contain information that does not constitute prior art that is already known to those skilled in the art in this country. OVERVIEW OF REVELATION

[0020] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an active hood system for a vehicle which allows a user to reset an actuator actuated at the time of a collision with a pedestrian with little force.

[0021] The object is achieved by an active hood system having the features of claim 1 and a vehicle having the features of claim 6. Advantageous further developments can be found in the subclaims.

[0022] According to the invention, the present invention provides an active hood system for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge assembly mounted on each of the left and right sides of a hood to provide a hinge point at the time of opening or closing the hood; and an actuator for supporting and lifting the hinge assembly and for lifting the hood by means of the hinge assembly, wherein the active hood system further comprises: a retraction link having upper and lower ends, the upper and lower ends being respectively hinged to a hinge arm of the hinge assembly, which is attached to the hood, and to a mounting point of the actuator, so that the retraction link can be rotated in connection with the hood, and wherein,When the hood is pushed down at the time of retracting the actuator and the hood, the retracting link is rotated about its lower-end hinged portion, at which the lower end of the retracting link is connected to the actuator attachment point. The retracting links can reduce the user's force required to retract the actuator and the hood. The upper end of the retracting link is hinged at a position behind the upper end hinge points of a first and second link hinged to the hinge arm, and at the time of retracting, the lower end of the retracting link is hinged to the front part of an actuator body, which serves as the actuator attachment point.wherein the pivot point of the other end of the resetting link is set so that it is located below and in front of the lower end pivot points of the first and second links.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, the retractable link may be incorporated to connect the hinge arm and the actuator mounting location in an inclined direction.

[0024] In another exemplary embodiment, with reference to the front and rear of the body, the link for resetting may be hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm at the upper end thereof and hinged to the front attachment point of the actuator at the lower end thereof.

[0025] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the upper end of the retractable link may be hinged at a location behind one or more of the upper ends of the links of the hinged portions of the hinge joint assembly for interconnecting the hinge arm and the actuator.

[0026] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the lower end of the link for resetting to the body of the actuator may be hinged below and forward of one or more of the upper ends of the links of the hinged parts of the hinge joint assembly for interconnecting the hinge arm and the actuator.

[0027] According to the present invention, as described above, when a user pushes the front end of the hood of a vehicle in a state where the actuator has been operated and raised to protect a pedestrian at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, the retracting link serves as a lever, whereby the positions of the actuator and the hood can be lowered and retracted with little force.

[0028] Consequently, the user can easily reset the positions of the actuator and the hood, and can perform self-maintenance for a vehicle, thereby increasing the user's convenience and the marketability of the vehicle.

[0029] Since it is not necessary to drive the vehicle in a state where the hood is raised for recovery after the active hood system is operated, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of an accident occurring after the active hood system is operated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, which are illustrated by the accompanying drawings, which are given below for illustrative purposes only and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a hinge assembly of a conventional active hood system; Fig. 2 shows a construction of an active hood system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a state before actuation of an actuator; Fig. 3 shows the states of the actuator and the hinge assembly of the system actuated at the time of a collision with a pedestrian in the active hood system according to the embodiment; Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show a process of resetting the actuator in the active hood system in accordance with the embodiment in which Fig. 4 shows a state in which the hood is opened for reversing, and Fig. 5 shows a state in which a link for resetting is connected to an actuator at the time of resetting; and Fig. 6 is a view for describing a force for returning to the user in the active hood system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention to these exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0032] Additionally, it is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicle..." or other similar expressions, as used herein, includes motor vehicles in general, such as passenger cars including four-wheel drive off-road vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels produced from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more power sources, for example, both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

[0033] The present invention relates to an active hood system for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to an active hood system that allows a user to easily and with minimal force restore the positions of an actuator and a hood that were actuated at the time of a pedestrian collision.

[0034] In particular, the active hood system according to the present invention has a main characteristic that it further includes a retractable link that can assist a user to easily lower an actuator and a hood in a state where the actuator has been operated by serving as a lever when a user pushes the front end of the hood.

[0035] Fig. Fig. 2 shows a construction of an active hood system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a state before actuation of an actuator, and Fig. 3 shows the states of the actuator and the hinge assembly of the system actuated at the time of a collision with a pedestrian in the active hood system according to the embodiment.

[0036] In addition, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 shows a process of resetting the actuator in the active hood system in accordance with the embodiment in which Fig. 4 shows a state in which the hood is opened for reversing, and Fig. 5 shows a state in which a link for resetting is connected to an actuator at the time of resetting.

[0037] First, the active hood system includes: a hinge assembly 10 mounted on each of the left and right sides of the rear end of a hood to provide a hinge point at the time of opening and closing the hood; an actuator 20 installed to support and lift the hinge assembly; a pedestrian collision detection sensor (not shown) mounted on the bumper of the vehicle; and a controller (not shown) for driving the actuator by receiving a detection signal from the pedestrian collision detection sensor.

[0038] Here, the hinge joint assembly 10 has a hinge arm 11 which is fixedly attached to the bonnet (identified by reference numeral 1 at Fig. 6) and first and second connecting members 12 and 13 provided between and hinged to the hinge arm 11 and the actuator 20 at their opposite ends.

[0039] With this construction, when the actuator 20 is actuated by the control unit receiving a detection signal from the pedestrian collision detection sensor, the springs 21 are tensioned and at the same time the actuator 20 is lifted, thus lifting the hinge joint assembly 10 upward.

[0040] Fig. 3 shows a state in which the actuator 20 is actuated and the hinge joint assembly 10 is raised (i.e., the rear end of the engine hood is raised), wherein the existing elements of the four-bar linkage of the hinge joint assembly 10, i.e., the hinge arm 11, the first link 12, and the second link 13, are simultaneously raised due to the actuation of the actuator 20, thus raising the engine hood.

[0041] Meanwhile, in the active hood system according to the invention, the hinge joint assembly 10 is additionally provided with a retraction link 14, wherein the retraction link 14, by the lever principle, reduces the retraction force that must be applied by the user when the hood is pushed down for the purpose of retracting the actuator 20 and the hood.

[0042] The resetting link 14 is a member which conveniently allows the positions of the actuator and the hood to be relocated when the user directly pushes the front end of the hood in a state where the actuator 20 has been operated, the resetting link 14 lowers the hinge arm 11, the first link 12 and the second link 13 simultaneously by the lever principle while being rotated in association with the lowering of the hood.

[0043] Such a retractable link 14 is provided to connect the hinge arm 11 and the actuator 20. Specifically, the retractable link 14 is provided in such a manner that, at the time of retraction, the opposite ends of the retractable link 14 are pivotally connected to the hinge arm 11 and the actuator 20, respectively. With respect to the front and rear of the body and the hood, one end (upper end) of the retractable link 14 is pivotally connected to the rear end of the hinge arm 11, and the other end (lower end) is pivotally connected to the attachment point of the actuator 20.

[0044] At the time of resetting after operating the actuator 20, the front end of the hood is pushed down in the state in which the hood is lifted up to be opened (refer to Fig. 6), wherein the position of the hinge assembly 10 before pressing the front end of the hood in the same state in Fig. 4 is shown.

[0045] In addition, at the time of resetting, it is possible to use the resetting link 14 by separating the other end of the resetting link 14 from its pivot point on the hinge arm 11 and then pivoting the other end to the attachment point of the actuator 20, as shown in Fig. 5 shown.

[0046] At this time, one end (upper end) is preferably hinged to the hinge arm 11 at a position behind the hinge points at the upper end of the first and second links 12 and 13 which are hinged to the hinge arm 11.

[0047] In addition, at the time of retraction, the other end (lower end) of the retraction link 14 is hinged to the front part of the actuator body 22 serving as the attachment point of the actuator, in which the hinge point of the other end of the retraction link 14 is preferably set to be located below and in front of the hinge points at the lower ends of the first and second links 12 and 13.

[0048] It is possible to separate and reattach the other ends of the resetting link 14 by pulling out a hinge pin 14a from the hinge arm 11, and then reattach the other end to the attachment point of the actuator 20.

[0049] Referring to Fig. 5 it can be seen that the lower end hinged part of the set-back link 14 is arranged lower than the lower end hinged parts of the first and second links 12 and 13, and the lower end hinged part of the set-back link 14 is arranged in front of the lower end hinged part of the second link 13, which is arranged in front of the first link 11.

[0050] When the retracting link 14 is connected in this manner, the retracting link 14 connects the hinge arm 11 and the body 22 of the actuator 20 in the inclined direction in which the hinge arm 11 is pushed downward, so that when the user pushes the front end of the hood to retract after operating the actuator 20, the retracting link 14 can be rotated counterclockwise about its lower end hinged part, and thus the first link 12, the second link 13, and the actuator 20 are sequentially moved and lowered in conjunction with the retracting link 14 (the first and second links are each rotated counterclockwise about their lower end hinged parts).

[0051] Since the actuator 20 is lowered by overcoming the spring force of the springs when the hood and the retractor link 14 are lowered, the springs 21 are naturally compressed.

[0052] Since the retractable link 14 is rotated downward due to the movement of the hinge arm when the hood is lowered in this manner, the user can easily lower the hood, actuator, hinge arm, and individual links with less force. The functional effects of the retractable link are described below with reference to Fig. 6 are described.

[0053] In the present invention, the retraction link 14 performs a leverage action to reduce the retraction force to be exerted by the user. For example, assuming that the force required to compress the springs 21 of the actuator 20, i.e., the spring force, is 500 kgf, the retraction force to be exerted by the user to retract the active hood system can be calculated as follows: ∑M=0 F×B+W×A−500kgf×C=0 ∴F=500kgf×C−W×AB

[0054] Here, A is a distance from the upper end hinged part (pivot point) of the retracting link 14 to the center of gravity of the hood 1, B is a distance from the upper end hinged part of the retracting link 14 to the point of application of the force (retracting force) exerted by the user, and W is a load acting due to the dead weight of the center of gravity.

[0055] In addition, C is an eccentric distance between the point of application of the spring force of the actuator and the upper end hinged part of the retraction link 14, and F is a force to be exerted by the user on the hood 1 to retract the active hood system, i.e., a retraction force.

[0056] For example, assuming A=700 mm, B=1,100 mm, C=80 mm, and W=20 kgf (196.133 N) in Equation 1, F becomes 24 kgf (235.3596 N), which can be easily applied by the user to the application point on the hood. Consequently, with the help of the leverage of the resetting link, the positions of the springs, actuator, and hood can be returned to their original positions with little force.

[0057] Thus, the retracting link in accordance with the present invention serves as a lever, and the positions of the actuator and the hood can be lowered and retracted with little force when a user pushes the front end of the hood of a vehicle in a state where the actuator has been actuated and raised to protect a pedestrian at the time of a collision with a pedestrian.

Claims

[1] Active hood system for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge assembly (10) adapted to be mounted on each of the left and right sides of a hood (1) and to provide a hinge point at the time of opening or closing the hood; and an actuator (20) configured to support and lift the hinge assembly (10) and to lift the engine hood (1) by means of the hinge assembly (10); wherein the active hood system further comprises: a retractable link (14) having upper and lower ends, wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to a hinge arm (11) of the hinge assembly (10) which is attached to the engine hood (1), and wherein the lower end is adapted to be hinged to a mounting point of the actuator (20), wherein the retractable link (14), when the lower end is hinged to the mounting point of the actuator (20), is adapted to be rotated in connection with the engine hood (1), wherein, when the bonnet (1) is pushed down at the time of resetting the actuator (20) and the bonnet (1), the resetting link (14) is rotated about its lower end hinged part, at which the lower end of the resetting link (14) is connected to the attachment point of the actuator (20), wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged at a position behind the upper end hinge points of a first and second link (12, 13) hinged to the hinge arm (11), and wherein, at the time of retraction, the lower end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to the front part of an actuator body (22) serving as the attachment point of the actuator (20), the hinge point of the other end of the retractable link (14) being set to be below and in front of the lower end hinge points of the first and second link (12, 13). [2] The active hood system according to claim 1, wherein the retractable link (14) is installed to connect the hinge arm (11) and the attachment location of the actuator (20) in an inclined direction. [3] Active hood system according to claim 1, wherein with reference to the front and rear of the body, the link (14) for resetting is hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm (11) at the upper end thereof, and is hinged to the front attachment point of the actuator (20) at the lower end thereof. [4] An active hood system according to claim 3, wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged at a location behind one or more of the upper ends of the links of the hinged parts of the hinge joint assembly (10) for interconnecting the hinge arm (11) and the actuator (20). [5] An active hood system according to claim 3, wherein the lower end of the link (14) for resetting to the body of the actuator (20) is hinged below and forward of one or more of the upper ends of the links of the hinged parts of the hinge joint assembly (10) for interconnecting the hinge arm (11) and the actuator (20). [6] Vehicle with: a bonnet (1); a hinge assembly (10) adapted to be mounted on each of the left and right sides of the hood (1) and to provide a hinge point at the time of opening or closing the hood; and an actuator (20) configured to support and lift the hinge assembly (10) and to lift the engine hood (1) by means of the hinge assembly (10); the vehicle further comprising: a retractable link (14) having upper and lower ends, wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to a hinge arm (11) of the hinge assembly (10) which is attached to the engine hood (1), and wherein the lower end is adapted to be hinged to a mounting point of the actuator (20), wherein the retractable link (14), when the lower end is hinged to the mounting point of the actuator (20), is adapted to be rotated in connection with the engine hood (1), wherein, when the bonnet (1) is pushed down at the time of resetting the actuator (20) and the bonnet (1), the resetting link (14) is rotated about its lower end hinged part, at which the lower end of the resetting link (14) is connected to the attachment point of the actuator (20), wherein the upper end of the retractable link (14) is hinged at a position behind the upper end hinge points of a first and second link (12, 13) hinged to the hinge arm (11), and wherein, at the time of retraction, the lower end of the retractable link (14) is hinged to the front part of an actuator body (22) serving as the attachment point of the actuator (20), the hinge point of the other end of the retractable link (14) being set to be below and in front of the lower end hinge points of the first and second link (12, 13).

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