Passive hood hinge for a vehicle

Abstract

Passive hood hinge for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge bracket (10) fixedly attached to a body of the vehicle; a hinge arm (20) having a front end connected to a hood and pivotable through an angle about a rear end thereof when the hood is opened or closed; a lowering link pin (14) inserted into a guide slot (12) formed at a rear end of the hinge bracket (10) to be lowered or raised therein; a lowering member (30) having a central portion hinged to the lowering member pin (14) and a rear end hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm (20); and Lowering link pin locking means (60) mounted around the guide slot (12) of the hinge bracket (10), the lowering link pin locking means (60) constraining the lowering link pin (14) to be located in an upper portion of the guide slot (12) during normal operating conditions of the hood, and the means enabling the lowering link pin (14) to be lowered towards a lower portion of the guide slot (12) when a hood element is deformed by a collision, characterized in that the lowering link pin locking means (60) comprises: a passive lever (62) having a rear end hinged to the hinge bracket (10) and supporting a lower portion of the lowering link pin (14) disposed in the upper region of the guide slot (12); and a stop bracket (64) having a front end hinged to the hinge bracket (10) and a rear end in surface contact with the passive lever (62) to limit rotation of the passive lever (62).

Description

BackgroundTechnical area

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a passive hood hinge for a vehicle, and more particularly to a passive hood hinge for a vehicle for mitigating an impact shock applied to a pedestrian colliding with the hood, thereby reducing injury to the pedestrian. background

[0002] As is known, a hood for a vehicle is attached to a vehicle body so as to be pivotable via a hinge assembly for opening or closing an engine compartment. The hinge assembly has a structure in which a plurality of connecting links are combined depending on the weight and strength of the hood.

[0003] If a collision occurs between a pedestrian and a vehicle, the pedestrian may fall onto the hood, and the pedestrian may sustain injuries, for example to the head, as a result of the impact if the pedestrian and the vehicle collide.

[0004] Accordingly, an active hood system has been used to reduce head injuries by deploying the hood during a vehicle-pedestrian collision, both to comply with pedestrian protection regulations and to increase the vehicle's purchasing incentive. However, since the active hood system increases the vehicle's manufacturing costs and weight, there is a need to develop another pedestrian protection system.

[0005] Therefore, a passive hood system was developed that lowers the hood to reduce the severity of pedestrian injury when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle, as opposed to the active hood system that pops the hood up. However, problems exist in that it can cause malfunction due to the lack of a collision detection component and an increase in vehicle weight.

[0006] In this regard, DE 10 2007 052 ​​379 A1 discloses a front hood hinge for articulated arrangement on a front hood of a vehicle, with a lower hinge wing that can be connected to a body component and an upper hinge wing that can be connected to a vehicle hood, wherein the upper and lower hinge wings are connected to one another via at least two links that are articulated at one end to the upper hinge wing.In order to provide a front hood hinge of the type mentioned at the outset which can be manufactured particularly cost-effectively, has a high level of functional reliability and requires only a small installation space, it is provided that at least one of the links is connected at the other end in an articulated manner to an overload link which is pivotably attached to the lower hinge wing in such a way that the overload link pivots relative to the lower hinge wing only when a predetermined load acting on the overload link is reached, whereby the overload link is moved from a normal position into an overload position.

[0007] Furthermore, from DE 103 19 366 A1 a front hood hinge with an integrated pedestrian protection actuator is known, wherein the actuator is provided with a first part and a second part arranged to be displaceable relative to the first part, with a locking device and an energy storage device which is connected between the first part and the second part, wherein a movement lever which is rotatably connected to the first part and to the second part in such a way that when rotated about two pivot points on the first and the second part, the second part is displaced relative to the first part from an initial position into an extended position, wherein the energy storage device is connected to the movement lever.

[0008] Furthermore, DE 102 12 514 A1 discloses a front hatch of a passenger car which is pivotably mounted on the vehicle body via two spaced-apart articulated supports. The articulated support has a four-bar linkage whose receiving part is fastened to the vehicle body. The four-bar linkage has a first pivot arm and a third pivot arm, which in turn are articulated to a support part to which the front hatch is fastened. A pivot plate is coaxially pivotally mounted on the bearing pin of the first pivot arm. This pivot plate has a locking recess and a curved groove into which a driver projecting from the first pivot arm engages. When the front hatch is moved from the closed position to the first open position, a pawl pivots into the locking recess, and a locking cam projecting from the first pivot arm ultimately rests on this pawl.Upon further pivoting of the front flap into the second open position, the locking pawl is displaced radially outward via the pivot plate such that the front flap can be pivoted upwards. Finally, DE 102 54 158 B4 discloses a device for opening a vehicle door in an accident situation, comprising an activatable actuator element having an energy storage device. In a non-accident situation, the vehicle door can be opened when the actuator element is in a non-activated state. Upon activation, the actuator element displaces an actuating element and thereby directly or indirectly causes the vehicle door to be opened in the accident situation. The vehicle door is opened with an uninterrupted chain of action from the actuator element to the vehicle door.

[0009] The information disclosed in this Background section is provided merely to facilitate understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be considered as an acknowledgement or any indication that this information constitutes prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. Summary of Revelation

[0010] The present invention was made in an effort to solve the above-described problems associated with the prior art and / or other problems. It is therefore an object to provide a passive hood hinge for a vehicle, wherein a collision is detected by deformation of a hood member without requiring a separate impact detection component, wherein a hinge arm and a lowering member, etc., connected to the hood member are lowered as the hood member is deformed, and wherein, simultaneously or subsequently, a damping force of a spring is applied to a transmission member connected to the hinge arm, so that an extent of injury to a pedestrian who collides with the hood can be substantially reduced by lowering the hood member and by the damping force of the spring.

[0011] The object is achieved by the features of claim 1. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a passive hood hinge for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge bracket fixedly attached to a body of the vehicle; a hinge arm having a front end connected to a hood and pivotable at an angle about a rear end thereof when the hood is opened or closed; a lowering link pin inserted into a guide slot formed at a rear end of the hinge bracket to be lowered or raised therein; a lowering link having a central portion hinged to the lowering link pin and having a rear end hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm; and lowering link pin locking means secured around the guide slot of the hinge bracket.wherein the lowering link pin locking means restricts the lowering link pin to be disposed in an upper portion of the guide slot during normal operating conditions of the hood, and wherein the means allows the lowering link pin to be lowered toward a lower portion of the guide slot when a hood element is deformed by a collision. The lowering link pin locking means comprises a passive lever having a rear end hinged to the hinge bracket and supporting a lower portion of the lowering link pin disposed in the upper region of the guide slot, and a stop bracket having a front end hinged to the hinge bracket and a rear end in surface contact with the passive lever to restrict rotation of the passive lever.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the lowering member connected to the lowering member pin, the hinge arm connected to the lowering member, and the transmission member connected to the hinge arm can be lowered together when the lowering member pin is lowered towards the lower portion of the guide slot.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment, the passive hood hinge according to the present invention may further comprise: a coil spring fixed to one side of the front end of the hinge bracket; and a shock absorbing bolt formed integrally or one piece with a central portion of the transmission member to protrude therefrom, wherein the shock absorbing bolt is in contact with an upper surface of one end of the coil spring to absorb a shock.

[0014] In yet another preferred embodiment, a stopper member may be integrally or one-piece formed on an upper end of the hinge bracket, the stopper member restricting a rotation angle of the front end of the lowering member when the lowering member is lowered.

[0015] In yet another preferred embodiment, the lowering link pin locking means may comprise: a passive lever having a rear end hinged to the hinge bracket and supporting a lower portion of the lowering link pin disposed in the upper region of the guide slot; and a stop bracket having a front end hinged to the hinge bracket and a rear end in surface contact with the passive lever to restrict rotation of the passive lever, wherein a restricting force of the stop bracket for restricting the passive lever is released by a lowering force of the lowering link in accordance with deformation of the hood member.

[0016] In yet another preferred embodiment, an arcuate cutout may be formed on a front side of the passive lever, and a convex restricting end in face contact with the cutout may be formed on a back side of the stopper bracket.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, a rotation restricting end supported on a bottom surface of the hinge bracket and restricting downward rotation of the stop bracket may be integrally or one-piece formed at a lower end of the stop bracket.

[0018] The present invention has at least the following effects.

[0019] First, an extent of injury to the pedestrian colliding with the hood can be remarkably reduced by first lowering the hood member and the hinge arm, the lowering link connected to the hinge arm, the transmission link, and the like to absorb an impact when the hood member is deformed by a collision with the pedestrian, and then absorbing the impact applied to the pedestrian by the damping force of the spring attached to the transmission link, the transmission link being connected to the hinge arm.

[0020] Second, absorbing the pedestrian impact can be achieved simply by detecting deformation of the hood element without additional means for sensing a collision with the pedestrian.

[0021] Thirdly, a reduced size and weight can be achieved compared to an existing active hood lock or active hood hinge.

[0022] Further aspects and preferred embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

[0023] The term "vehicle" or "vehicle-related" or other similar expression, as used herein, is understood to encompass motor vehicles in general, such as passenger vehicles, including sports utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and to include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels not derived from petroleum). As used herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more power sources, for example, a vehicle that is powered by both gasoline and electric energy.

[0024] The above and other features of the invention are discussed below. Short description of the drawings

[0025] The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are given below for illustrative purposes only and thus are not intended to be limiting of the present invention, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an exemplary passive hood hinge for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are right side views showing a state of normal operation of an exemplary passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 3A is a right side view illustrating a release operation of a passive lever of an exemplary passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with the present invention upon collision of a pedestrian with the vehicle; Fig. 3B an enlarged detail from Fig. 3A is; Fig. 4 is a right side view illustrating a lowering action of a lowering link pin of an exemplary passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with the present invention upon collision of the pedestrian with the vehicle; Fig. 5 is a view showing a lowering distance of the lowering link pin of an exemplary passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with the present invention upon collision of the pedestrian with the vehicle; and Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are a left side view and a perspective view illustrating an impact absorbing action of a coil spring by lowering a transmission member of an exemplary passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with the present invention upon collision of the pedestrian with the vehicle.

[0026] Reference numerals appearing in the drawings refer to the following elements discussed below: 10 Hinge bracket 12 guide slot 14 lowering link bolts 16 stop element 20 hinge arm 30 lowering link 40 transmission element 42 shock absorbing bolts 50 spiral springs 60 lowering link bolt locking device 62 passive lever 63 Excerpt 64 Stop bracket 65 convex constraint end 66 End of rotation restriction

[0027] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale, but rather provide a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrating the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, particular dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and environment of use.

[0028] In the figures, reference numerals refer throughout to the same or equivalent parts / components of the present invention. Detailed description

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to these exemplary embodiments. Rather, the invention(s) are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments which may be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0030] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary passive hood hinge for a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a hinge bracket fixedly attached to a body of a vehicle at an engine compartment, and reference numeral 20 denotes a hinge arm arranged between a hood member and the hinge bracket in a connecting manner so as to be pivoted at an angle when the hood member is opened or closed.

[0031] The hinge arm 20, whose front end is connected to the hood, is pivoted or rotated by an angle about a rear end thereof for opening or closing the hood element.

[0032] In some embodiments, the hinge bracket 10 comprises a horizontal panel attached to the body, and a vertical panel bent vertically or substantially vertically at a lateral end of the horizontal panel, with an elongated guide slot 12, such as a vertically elongated guide slot, formed at a rearward end of the vertical panel.

[0033] A lowering link pin 14 is inserted into the guide slot 12 of the hinge bracket 10 to be lowered or raised therein, and a central portion of a lowering link 30 is pivotally connected to the lowering link pin 14. Here, the term "pivoted" refers to a pivot connection by means of a hinge, a joint, a pin, or the like.

[0034] Specifically, in a state where the middle portion of the lowering member 30 is hinged to the lowering member pin 14, a front end of the lowering member 30 is formed as a free end, and a rear end of the lowering member 30 is hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm 20.

[0035] In some embodiments, a stopper member 16 is integrally formed on an upper portion of the hinge bracket 10 to protrude therefrom, contacting the front end of the lowering member 30 so as to be caught, the stopper member 16 serving as a restriction of the rotational angular movement of the front end of the lowering member 30 when the lowering member 30 is lowered.

[0036] A transmission member 40 for supporting the hinge arm when the hinge arm 20 is pivoted by an angle is fixed to a rear side of the hinge bracket 10, that is, to an opposite side with respect to a side on which the lowering member 30 is fixed, wherein a front end of the transmission member 40 is hinged to the front end of the hinge bracket 10 and the rear end of the transmission member 40 is hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm 20.

[0037] A coil spring 50 is fixed to the hinge bracket 10 at a predetermined location, that is, at a location around a point at which the front end of the transmission member 40 is hinged, one end of the coil spring being arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction.

[0038] In some embodiments, a shock absorbing pin 42 is integrally formed with the middle portion of the transmission member 40 to protrude therefrom, and a lower portion of the shock absorbing pin 42 is in contact with an upper surface of one end of the coil spring 50.

[0039] Therefore, when the shock absorbing bolt 42 presses on one end of the coil spring 50 due to an impact caused by a collision with the pedestrian as described above, the coil spring 50 exerts an elastic restoring force and provides shock absorption.

[0040] In this case, lowering link pin locking means 60 are fastened around the guide slot 12 of the hinge bracket 10, wherein the lowering link pin locking means 60 restricts the lowering link pin 14 such that it is normally positioned in an upper region of the guide slot 12, wherein the means enable the lowering link pin 14 to be lowered towards a lower region of the guide slot 12 when the hood element is deformed by a collision with the pedestrian.

[0041] In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, the lowering link pin locking means includes a passive lever 62 for supporting the lowering link pin 14 such that the lowering link pin 14 is normally located in the upper region of the guide slot 12, and a stop bracket 64 for limiting a rotation angle of the passive lever 62.

[0042] Specifically, a rear end of the passive lever 62 is hinged to the hinge bracket 10, a front end of the passive lever 62 supports a lower portion of the lowering link pin 14 disposed in the upper region of the guide slot 12, a front end of the stop bracket 64 is hinged to the hinge bracket 10, and at the same time, a rear end of the stop bracket 64 is in surface contact with the front side of the passive lever 62 to restrict a rotation angle of the passive lever 62.

[0043] Preferably, an arcuate cutout 63 is formed on the front side of the passive lever 62, and a convex restricting end 65 in surface contact with the cutout 63 is formed on the back side of the stop bracket 64.

[0044] A rotation restricting end 66 is formed integrally or in one piece at the lower end of the stop bracket 64, the rotation restricting end 66 being closely supported above a bottom surface of the hinge bracket 10 and restricting downward rotational angular movement of the stop bracket 64.

[0045] Accordingly, the downward angular movement of the passive lever 62 is normally restricted by the stop bracket 64 so that the passive lever 62 supports the lower portion of the lowering link pin 14 arranged in the upper region of the guide slot 12.

[0046] On the other hand, when the lowering force of the lowering link pin 14 caused by the deformation of the hood member upon collision with the pedestrian acts on the passive lever 62, the restraining force of the stop bracket 64 on the passive lever 62 is released, and consequently, the passive lever 62 is rotated or pivoted at a downward angle, so that the lowering link pin 14 is able to be lowered from the upper portion of the guide slot 12 toward the lower portion.

[0047] In the following, an operating procedure with respect to the passive hood hinge in accordance with the present invention as configured above will be described. Normal operation

[0048] Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are right side views illustrating a state of normal operation of the passive hood hinge for vehicles in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] As in Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, if a user opens the hood in the normal case (a situation in which neither a collision with the pedestrian nor a deformation of the hood member occurs), the hinge arm 20 connected to the hood member rotates by an angle while being extended in an opening direction, and then the lowering link pin 30 and the transmission link 40 rotate by an angle in the opening direction while supporting the hinge arm 20 about the hinge and pivot points, respectively.

[0050] Conversely, when the hood is closed, the hinge arm 20 connected to the hood element rotates through an angle to be folded and arranged horizontally or substantially horizontally above the hinge bracket 10. The lowering link pin 30 and the transmission link 40 rotate through an angle to be folded around the hinge points, respectively, in the closing direction of the hood.

[0051] At this time, a state is maintained in which the cutout 63 of the passive lever 62 and the convex restriction end 65 of the stop bracket 64 are in surface contact with each other, the downward rotational angular movement of the passive lever 62 is restricted by the stop bracket 64, so that the passive lever 62 supports the lower portion of the lowering link pin 14 arranged in the upper region of the guide slot 12. Actuation in case of collision with a pedestrian

[0052] Fig. 3 to 7 sequentially illustrate a pedestrian collision actuation sequence for the passive hood hinge for the vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

[0053] As in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B, if an impact is transmitted to the hinge arm 20 when the hood member is deformed by a collision with the pedestrian, the impact is also transmitted to the lowering link 30 connected to the hinge arm 20, so that a lowering force of the lowering link 30 is transmitted to the lowering link pin 14.

[0054] Then, when the lowering force transmitted to the lowering link pin 14 acts on the passive lever 62, a restricting force of the stop bracket 64 relative to the passive lever 62 is released and consequently the passive lever 62 is rotated downward at an angle.

[0055] That is, the lowering force of the lowering link pin 14 acting on the passive lever 62 becomes larger than the restricting force of the stop bracket 64 to restrict the passive lever 62, so that the restricting force of the stop bracket 64 is released relative to the passive lever 62, and the passive lever 62 is consequently pivoted at an angle in a downward direction.

[0056] Then, as it is in Fig. 4, the passive lever 62 is pivoted downward at an angle, whereby the lowering link pin 14 is displaced from the upper region to the lower region of the guide slot 12.

[0057] When the lowering link pin 14 is lowered into the lower region of the guide slot 12, the lowering link 30 connected to the lowering link pin 14, the hinge arm 20 connected to the lowering link 30 and the transmission link 40 connected to the hinge arm 20 are lowered together, so that finally the impact acting on the pedestrian is mitigated, firstly by lowering the hood element connected to the hinge arm upon collision with the pedestrian.

[0058] As in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the shock absorbing pin 42 of the transmission member 40, which is lowered simultaneously with the lowering member pin 14, exerts pressure on one end of the coil spring 50, so that an elastic restoring force from the coil spring 50 then mitigates the impact acting on the pedestrian.

[0059] In some embodiments, as in Fig.5, a downward movement distance / play of the lowering link 30 connected to the lowering link pin 14, the hinge arm 20 connected to the lowering link 30 and the transmission link 40 connected to the hinge arm 20 can be set to, for example, about 40 mm, wherein the downward movement distance (or play) can be adjusted depending on the designs of the hood and the hinge arrangement.

Claims

[1] Passive hood hinge for a vehicle, comprising: a hinge bracket (10) fixedly attached to a body of the vehicle; a hinge arm (20) having a front end connected to a hood and pivotable through an angle about a rear end thereof when the hood is opened or closed; a lowering link pin (14) inserted into a guide slot (12) formed at a rear end of the hinge bracket (10) to be lowered or raised therein; a lowering member (30) having a central portion hinged to the lowering member pin (14) and a rear end hinged to the rear end of the hinge arm (20); and Lowering link bolt locking means (60) mounted around the guide slot (12) of the hinge bracket (10), the lowering link bolt locking means (60) constraining the lowering link bolt (14) to be located in an upper portion of the guide slot (12) during normal operating conditions of the hood, and the means enabling the lowering link bolt (14) to be lowered toward a lower portion of the guide slot (12) when a hood element is deformed by a collision, characterized by that the lowering link bolt locking means (60) comprise: a passive lever (62) having a rear end hinged to the hinge bracket (10) and supporting a lower portion of the lowering link pin (14) disposed in the upper region of the guide slot (12); and a stop bracket (64) having a front end hinged to the hinge bracket (10) and a rear end in surface contact with the passive lever (62) to restrict rotation of the passive lever (62). [2] Passive hood hinge according to claim 1, wherein the lowering member (30) is connected to the lowering member pin (14), the hinge arm (20) is connected to the lowering member (30), and the transmission member (40) is connected to the hinge arm (20), these components being lowered together when the lowering member pin (14) is lowered towards the lower portion of the guide slot (12). [3] Passive hood hinge according to claim 1, further comprising: a coil spring (50) attached to one side of the front end of the hinge bracket (10); and a shock absorbing bolt (42) formed integrally or one piece with a central portion of the transmission member (40) to protrude therefrom, the shock absorbing bolt (42) being in contact with an upper surface of one end of the coil spring (50) to absorb a shock. [4] A passive hood hinge according to claim 1, wherein a stopper member (16) is integrally or one-piece formed on an upper end of the hinge bracket (10), the stopper member (16) restricting a rotation angle of the front end of the lowering member (30) when the lowering member (30) is lowered. [5] A passive hood hinge according to claim 1, wherein a restricting force of the stop bracket (64) for restricting the passive lever (62) is released by a lowering force of the lowering member (30) corresponding to a deformation of the hood member. [6] A passive hood hinge according to claim 1, wherein an arcuate cutout (63) is formed on a front side of the passive (62) lever, and a convex restricting end (65) in surface contact with the cutout (63) is formed on a back side of the stopper bracket (64). [7] A passive hood hinge according to claim 1, wherein a rotation restricting end (66) supported on a bottom surface of the hinge bracket (10) and restricting downward rotation of the stop bracket (64) is integrally formed at a lower end of the stop bracket (64).

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