VEHICLE HOOD LOCKING DEVICE

Abstract

A hood locking device (100) for a vehicle, comprising: a housing (110) having entry guide recesses (113, 114) at a front portion (111) and a rear portion (112) of the housing (110) respectively to allow the entry of a closer (10); a first support shaft (121) and a second support shaft (122) respectively disposed on both sides of the inlet guide recesses (113, 114), both ends of the first support shaft (121) and the second support shaft (122) being supported on the front portion (111) and the rear portion (112) of the housing (110); a claw (130) rotatably connected to the first support shaft (121) in the housing (110) and configured to catch and restrict the closer (10) entering an interior of the housing (110) or to release the restriction of the closer (10); a pawl (140) rotatably connected to the second support shaft (122) in the housing (110) and configured to restrict the claw (130) or release the restriction of the claw (130); a safety hook (150) rotatably connected to the second support shaft (122) in the housing (110) and configured to limit the opening of a hood by catching the striker (10) which is lifted after the restriction by the claw (130) is released; and a safety lever (160), one end of which is rotatably mounted on a third support shaft (123) arranged in the housing (110), the safety lever (160) comprising: a user manipulation section (162) extending to an outside of the housing (110); and a pressing portion (163) for pressing a lower portion of the safety hook (150) to rotate the safety hook (150) in a direction to release the restriction during a rotating operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to a hood latch device for a vehicle capable of restraining a hood of the vehicle or releasing the restraint of the hood.BACKGROUNDA vehicle includes a hood for opening or closing an upper portion of an engine compartment. A rear side of the hood is pivotally connected to a vehicle body, and a front side thereof is engaged with a hood latch device mounted on the vehicle body. The hood latch device may restrict the hood by locking a striker mounted on a lower side of the hood, and release the restriction of the hood by unlocking the striker to open the hood.A typical hood latch device may include a claw for locking a striker practically, a pawl for restricting the claw or releasing the restriction of the claw, a safety hook for restricting the opening of a hood by hooking with the striker raised after the release from the restriction of the claw upon opening the hood, and a safety lever connected to the safety hook so that a user rotates the safety hook to finally release the restriction of the hood. Such a hood locking device is described, for example, in KR 10 2017 0 007 973 A.The opening operation of the hood by the hood latch device is performed by a first step of catching the striker in the safety hook when the hood is raised after the latch of the striker by the claw is released according to a manipulation of a user for opening the hood, the user being located on the driver seat of a vehicle, and a second step of releasing the restraint of the striker by the safety hook by the direct manipulation of the safety lever by the user after the opening of the hood according to the first step.However, such a hood latch device is not only bulky, but also has a complicated appearance on the front surface because the safety hook and the safety lever are installed in an exposed state on the front surface of a housing of the hood latch device, and shafts rotatably supporting the safety hook and the safety lever and a spring provided on the shaft for rotating the safety lever are exposed in a state protruding from the front surface of the housing.Further, such a hood latch also has disadvantages in that durability is deteriorated by corrosion and the like because safety hooks, springs and shafts are exposed outside the housing.Further hood locking devices are disclosed in KR 10 2017 0 097 367 A or KR 10 2002 0 050 642 A.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a hood latch device for a vehicle that enables a fine appearance on the front side, reduces the volume, and improves the durability.According to an aspect of the present invention, a hood latch device for a vehicle includes: a housing having entry guide recesses formed at a front portion and a rear portion of the housing, respectively, to allow entry of a striker; a first support shaft and a second support shaft disposed at both sides of the entry guide recesses, respectively, while both ends of both the first support shaft and the second support shaft are supported at the front portion and the rear portion of the housing; a claw rotatably connected to the first support shaft in the housing and configured to catch and restrict or release the restriction of the striker entering an interior of the housing; a pawl rotatably connected to the second support shaft in the housing and configured to restrict the pawl or release the restriction of the pawl; a safety hook rotatably connected to the second support shaft in the housing and configured to restrict the opening of a hood by catching the shutter raised after the restriction by the pawl is released; and a safety lever having an end rotatably supported on a third support shaft disposed inside the housing, the safety lever including a user manipulation portion extending to an outside of the housing; and a pressing portion for pressing a lower portion of the safety hook to rotate the safety hook in a direction for releasing the restriction during a rotating operation.The third support shaft may be disposed at a lower side at an intermediate portion between the first support shaft and the second support shaft, the safety lever may include a lateral extension portion extending in a lateral direction of the housing from the third support shaft in the housing, and the pressing portion may be provided at an upper side of the lateral extension portion to press and rotate a lower end of the safety hook.The user manipulation portion of the safety lever may laterally extend from the lateral extension portion to the outside of the housing by passing through the front portion of the housing.The safety hook may include a protective cover portion covering both sides of a portion connected to the second support shaft and a portion in contact with the pressing portion.The protective cover portion may be integrally connected to the safety hook by injection molding of a resin materialThe hood latch device may further include a support plate installed in the housing to divide the inside of the housing into a space in which the claw and the pawl are installed and a space in which the safety hook and the safety lever are installed, and configured to support the first support shaft, the second support shaft, and the third support shaft.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and / or other aspects of the invention will become apparent and more readily understood from the following description of the embodiments in combination with the accompanying drawings, of which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of the internal components in a state where a housing of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is removed; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of the internal components in a state where the housing of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is removed; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 1 ; FIG. 6 is a front view of internal components of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which a claw restricts a striker; FIG. 7 is a rear view of the state of FIG. 6 ; FIG. 8 is a rear view of the internal components of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which the striker that is raised is caught in a safety hook; and FIG. 9 is a front view of the internal components of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which the safety hook is rotated by the manipulation of a safety lever to release the striker from the latch.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONHereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way, and the size of the components may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration.FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of a hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of the hood latch device for a vehicle. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of the internal components in a state where a housing of the hood latch device for a vehicle is removed, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of the internal components in a state where the housing is removed. Further, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 1.Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a hood latch device 100 may be installed on a vehicle body of a front portion of an engine compartment of a vehicle to latch or unlatch a striker 10 mounted on a hood (not shown). The hood latch device 100 may include a housing 110, a first support shaft 121, a second support shaft 122, a third support shaft 123, a pawl 130, a pawl 140, a safety hook 150, and a safety lever 160.The case 110 may be provided in the form of a rectangular box. The housing 110 may be fixed to the vehicle body such that a front portion 111 faces the front of the vehicle and a rear portion 112 faces the rear of the vehicle. An upper portion of the housing 110 is partially opened so that the striker 10 connected to the hood of the vehicle may enter the housing 110 and an upper side of the safety hook 150 may be exposed. The front portion 111 and the rear portion 112 of the housing 100 are formed with entry guide recesses 113 and 114 to allow the striker 10 to enter. The entry guide recesses 113 and 114 may be gradually narrowed from the upper portion to the lower portion so that the striker 10 may be guided to the engagement position located at approximately the center of the housing 110.The first support shaft 121 and the second support shaft 122 are disposed parallel to each other on both sides of the entry guide recesses 113 and 114 of the housing 110. Both ends of the first support shaft 121 and the second support shaft 122 are supported by the front portion 111 and the rear portion 112 of the housing 110, respectively. The third support shaft 123 is installed below the central portion of the housing 110 between the first support shaft 121 and the second support shaft 122 while being parallel to the first support shaft 121 and the second support shaft 122. As illustrated in FIG. 1, one end of the third support shaft 123 is fixed to the front portion 111 of the housing 110 and extends rearward in the housing 110 by a predetermined length.One end of the claw 130 is rotatably mounted on the first support shaft 121 inside the housing 110. The claw 130 is provided with a restricting groove 131 at a free end side so that the claw 130 can restrict or release the shutter 10 entering the inside of the housing 110. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, a first torsion spring 132 is installed on the first support shaft 121 to apply a rotational force to rotate the pawl 130 in a direction in which the restraint of the striker 10 is released.As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, one end of the pawl 140 is rotatably mounted on the second support shaft 122 in the interior of the housing 110. The pawl 140 extends downward from the second support shaft 122, and a hood opening cable 142 is connected to a lower end of the pawl 140. The hood opening cable 142 may be connected to a hood opening lever (not illustrated) provided at the driver seat side of the vehicle. The pawl 140 restrains the pawl 130 by catching a free end of the pawl 130 with a jaw 141 of the pawl 140 in a state where the pawl 130 locks the striker 10. Accordingly, the pawl 140 may maintain the restraint of the striker 10 by the pawl 130 or release the restraint of the striker 10 by releasing the restraint of the pawl 130 by the rotation. A second torsion spring 143 is installed on the second support shaft 122 to rotate the pawl 140 in a direction in which the pawl 130 is restricted.As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, the safety hook 150 is rotatably mounted on the second support shaft 122 inside the housing 110. The safety hook 150 has, on its upper side, a locking portion 151 for limiting the opening of the hood by catching the striker 10 which is raised after releasing the restriction by the claw 130. The locking portion 151 may be exposed at an upper portion of the housing 110. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a third torsion spring 153 is installed on the first support shaft 121 to rotate the safety hook 150 in a direction of locking the striker 10. The safety hook 150 has a spring connecting portion 152 extending from the portion connected to the second support shaft 122 to the first support shaft 121 to install the third torsion spring 153.As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 9, one side of the safety lever 160 is rotatably supported on the third support shaft 123 inside the housing 110. The safety lever 160 includes a user manipulation portion 162 extending from the inside of the housing 110 to the outside of the housing 110 to be manipulated by a user, and a pressing portion 163 for pressing a lower portion of the safety hook 150 upward to rotate the safety hook 150 in a direction of unlocking the striker 10 when the user manipulates and rotates the user manipulation portion 162. The securing lever 160 further includes a lateral extension portion 161 extending from the portion connected to the third support shaft 123 in the housing by a predetermined length to a lateral direction of the housing 110, and the pressing portion 163 may be formed to protrude upward on the upper side of the lateral extension portion 161 to press the lower end of the safety hook 150 at the lower portion of the safety hook 150 to rotate the safety hook 150.As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the user manipulation portion 162 of the safety lever 160 may extend from the lateral extension portion 161 to the outside of one side of the housing 110 by passing through the front portion 111 of the housing 110. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a fourth torsion spring 164 is installed on the third support shaft 123 to apply a rotational force to the safety lever 160 so that the safety lever 160 is normally held in a state of being rotated downward.Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, a support plate 170 for supporting the first support shaft 121, the second support shaft 122, and the third support shaft 123 may be installed in the housing 110. The support plate 170 may be installed to divide the inside of the housing 110 into a space in which the claw 130 and the pawl 140 are installed and a space in which the safety hook 150 and the safety lever 160 are installed.Referring to FIG. 5, one end of the third support shaft 123 supporting the safety lever 160 may be fixed to the front portion 111 of the housing 110, and the other end thereof may be fixed to the support plate 170 inside the housing. The lateral extension portion 161 of the securing lever 160 is positioned at a lower portion of the safety hook 150 in the housing 110 so that the pressing portion 163 presses the safety hook 150 upward.As mentioned above, the hood latch device 100 according to the present embodiment can reduce the volume in the front-rear direction because the securing lever 160 is supported by the third support shaft 123 in the inside of the housing 110 and the lateral extension portion 161 of the securing lever 160 is positioned at a lower portion of the safety hook 150. Further, the hood latch device 100 can provide a pleasing appearance of the front portion 111 as illustrated in FIG. 1, because the third support shaft 123 does not protrude outward from the front portion 111 of the housing 110 and the lateral extension portion 161 of the safety lever 160 is positioned in the housing 110 so as not to be exposed. Moreover, the hood latch device 100 may reduce corrosion to increase durability because most components are positioned in the housing 110.Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the safety hook 150 may include a protective cover portion 155 covering both sides of a portion connected to the second support shaft 122 and a portion in contact with the pressing portion 163 of the safety lever 160. The protective cover portion 155 may be connected to the safety hook 150 by injection molding a resin material in the method of manufacturing the safety hook 150 in an integrated manner.The protective cover portion 155 prevents the pressing portion 163 of the safety lever 160 from directly contacting the safety hook 150, so that the noise caused by the friction between the metals can be reduced and the durability can be increased by preventing the corrosion of the contact portions. Further, the protective cover portion 155 covers both sides of the safety hook 150 so that the safety hook 150 does not directly contact the front portion 111 of the housing 110 and the support plate 170, thereby reducing friction noise.Next, the operation of the hood latch device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.FIG. 6 is a front view of the internal components of the hood latch device illustrating a state in which the claw limits the striker. FIG. 7 is a rear view of the state of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a rear view of the internal components of the hood latch device, illustrating a state in which the striker that is raised is caught in the safety hook. FIG. 9 is a front view of the internal components of the hood latch device illustrating a state in which the safety hook is rotated by the manipulation of the safety lever to release the striker from the latch.Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, when the striker 10 enters the restricting position of the hood latch device 100, the pawl 130 is rotated to catch and restrict the striker 10, and the pawl 140 catches the free end of the pawl 130 to maintain the restriction of the striker 10.In the state of FIG. 7, when a user manipulates the hood opening lever (not illustrated) to pull the hood opening cable 142, the restriction of the claw 130 is released by the rotation of the pawl 140, and the claw 130 is rotated upward by the rotational force of the first torsion spring 132 to release the restriction of the striker 10, as illustrated in FIG. 8.After releasing the restriction by the claw 130, the striker 10 is raised and caught by the safety hook 150, thereby restricting the rise of the striker. The safety hook 150 prevents the hood 150 from being opened by limiting the ascent by hooking with the striker 10 even when the claw 130 releases the limitation of the striker 10.In the state of FIG. 8, when the user operates the safety lever 160, the pressing portion 163 of the safety lever 160 presses the lower end of the safety hook 150 upward as illustrated in FIG. 9. Accordingly, the safety hook 150 is rotated in a direction of releasing the restriction of the striker 10, and finally the restriction of the hood can be released.As can be seen from the above, the hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention can reduce the volume in the front-rear direction because the securing lever is supported by the third support shaft in the inside of the housing and a portion of the securing lever is positioned at a lower portion of the securing hook.Further, the hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide a pleasing appearance of the front portion because the third support shaft does not protrude outward from the front portion of the housing and the lateral extension portion of the safety lever is positioned in the housing so as not to be exposed.Further, the hood latch device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may reduce corrosion to increase durability because most components are positioned in the housing.

Claims

A hood latch device (100) for a vehicle, comprising: a housing (110) having entry guide recesses (113, 114) respectively at a front portion (111) and a rear portion (112) of the housing (110) to allow entry of a striker (10); a first support shaft (121) and a second support shaft (122) respectively disposed at both sides of the entry guide recesses (113, 114), wherein both ends of the first support shaft (121) and the second support shaft (122) are supported at the front portion (111) and the rear portion (112) of the housing (110); a pawl (130) rotatably connected to the first support shaft (121) in the housing (110) and configured to catch and restrict or release the catch (10) entering an interior of the housing (110); a pawl (140) rotatably connected to the second support shaft (122) in the housing (110) and configured to restrict or release the restriction of the pawl (130); a safety hook (150) rotatably connected to the second support shaft (122) in the housing (110) and configured to restrict opening of a hood by catching the catch (10) raised after the restriction is released by the pawl (130); and a safety lever (160) one end of which is rotatably supported on a third support shaft (123) disposed in the housing (110), the safety lever (160) comprising: a user manipulation portion (162) extending to an outside of the housing (110); and a pressing portion (163) for pressing a lower portion of the safety hook (150) to rotate the safety hook (150) in a direction for releasing the restriction during a rotation operation.The hood latch device according to claim 1, wherein the third support shaft (123) is disposed on a lower side at an intermediate portion between the first support shaft (121) and the second support shaft (122), wherein the safety lever (160) has a lateral extension portion (161) extending in a lateral direction of the housing (110) from the third support shaft (123) in the housing (110), and wherein the pressing portion (163) is disposed on an upper side of the lateral extension portion (161) and presses and rotates a lower end of the safety hook (150).The hood latch device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user manipulation portion (162) of the safety lever (160) extends laterally from the lateral extension portion (161) to the outside of the housing (110) by passing through the front portion (111) of the housing (110).The hood latch device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the safety hook (150) includes a protective cover portion (155) covering both sides of a first portion connected to the second support shaft (122) and a second portion in contact with the pressing portion (163).The hood latch device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover portion (155) is integrally connected to the safety hook (150).The hood latch device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a support plate (170) disposed in the housing (110) to divide the inside of the housing (110) into a first space in which the claw (130) and the pawl (140) are installed and a second space in which the safety hook (150) and the safety lever (160) are installed, wherein the support plate (170) supports the first support shaft (121), the second support shaft (122), and the third support shaft (123).

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