Hinge arrangement and motor vehicle with such a hinge arrangement for pivoting a front hood

Abstract

Hinge arrangement (6) for attaching a front hood (4) to a stationary body part (8) of a motor vehicle (2) with a lower hinge part (10) which is attached to the stationary body part (8) and which is pivotably connected via a pivot point (14) to a upper hinge part (12) which is attached to the front hood (4), wherein at least one deformation area of ​​the lower hinge part (10) acting in the upward direction of the vehicle is provided in the area of ​​the pivot point (14), wherein the lower hinge part (10) is manufactured in one piece, wherein a tension strut (18) is provided as a deformation area, characterized in that the lower hinge part (10) has a triangular force application surface (20), to the base (22) of which the tension strut (18) connects via a triangular connecting area (26) and in the apex of which opposite the base (22) the pivot point (14) is provided,wherein a triangular recess (16) with rounded corners is formed in the lower part of the hinge (10) below the force application surface (20) and immediately adjacent to the tension strut (18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a hinge arrangement for connecting a front hood to a fixed body part of a motor vehicle, comprising a lower hinge part that is fastened to the fixed body part and pivotably connected via a pivot point to an upper hinge part that is fastened to the front hood. At least one deformation region of the lower hinge part acting in the vertical direction of the vehicle is provided in the region of the pivot point. The lower hinge part is manufactured in one piece, with a tension strut being provided as the deformation region. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle with two such hinge arrangements.

[0002] Such hinge arrangements are well known in the art. The printed prior art according to DE 10 2020 102 639 A1, JP 2003-63 452 A, DE 10 2014 012 196 A1, JP H11-291 948 A, and DE 103 17 178 B3 are merely examples. They serve to securely and vibration-free support the hood of a motor vehicle when closed and also enable easy opening of the hood to access the engine compartment or trunk covered by the hood. In addition to these properties, the hood plays an important role in fulfilling legally stipulated pedestrian protection requirements. Certain HIC (Head Injury Criterion) values ​​must not be exceeded.To ensure this, it is known, for example from German patent DE 10 2007 059 086 B4, to equip a lower hinge section with two deformation zones which lower the upper hinge section and thus the front hood in the direction of the lower hinge section in the event of a pedestrian's head impact. The deformation zones acting in the vertical direction of the vehicle essentially consist of curved arm sections which are brought together at the pivot point on the upper hinge section. In the event of a head impact, the applied force deforms both deformation zones and thus lowers the pivot point downwards, causing the front hood to give way. While such a hinge arrangement basically meets the requirements, it is very complex and therefore expensive to design and manufacture.

[0003] From the generic German patent application DE 10 2020 113 606 A1, a one-piece hinge lower part is known that has a deformation area. This ensures that the hinge lower part is particularly inexpensive to manufacture. Assembly or the production of individual arm sections is no longer necessary. The provision of a tension strut ensures a precisely positioned closed position of the front hood, while fulfilling the legal requirements regarding pedestrian protection. However, in this case, the deformation area is constructed from a periscope slot with an adjoining tension strut. The slot also has a linear part and an expansion part. It should be clear that such a structure for achieving directional deformation is very complex and therefore expensive.

[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantage in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention in that the hinge lower part has a triangular force introduction surface, to whose base the tension strut is connected via a connecting area, and in whose tip, opposite the base, the pivot point is provided. This ensures optimal force introduction into the tension strut and thus reliable deformation of the tension strut in the vertical direction of the vehicle. According to the invention, the connecting area is also triangular.

[0006] Particularly advantageously, the hinge base is designed as a stamped part with a recess defining the tension strut. This makes the hinge base of the hinge assembly particularly cost-effective to manufacture, and modern stamping processes no longer require any further processing.

[0007] In a particularly advantageous manner, the tension strut has a maximum width of 10 mm and a maximum thickness of 3 mm in order to ensure the desired deformability and at the same time to have sufficient stability for supporting the front hood.

[0008] The invention is also achieved by a motor vehicle with two such hinge arrangements, wherein a front hood is hinged to two fixed body parts via the two opposite hinge arrangements.

[0009] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing, in which: Fig. 1 a perspective partially sectioned side view of a front hood of a motor vehicle, Fig. 2 a side view of the front hood Fig. 1 with a hinge arrangement in the non-deformed state, and Fig. 3 a side view of the front hood Fig. 1 with a hinge arrangement in the deformed state.

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a perspective side view of part of the front area of ​​a motor vehicle 2 with a front hood 4, which is hinged to a stationary body part 8 via a hinge arrangement 6. The hinge arrangement 6 essentially comprises a lower hinge part 10 and an upper hinge part 12. The front hood 4 is shown here in the closed state. To open it, it can be unlocked, for example, via a lever accessible in the vehicle compartment and opened with the aid of one or more hydraulic springs and by releasing a securing device. To assist this opening process, the lower hinge part 10 is pivotally connected to the upper hinge part 12 via a pivot point 14.

[0011] Fig. Figure 2 shows the lower hinge part 10 with the hinged front hood 4 in a normal, closed operating state. The upper hinge part 12 has been omitted for reasons of clarity. The lower hinge part 10 is designed as a stamped part, with a recess 16 being provided that defines a tension strut 18 on a side facing the pivot point 14. The tension strut 18 can have a maximum width of 10 mm and a maximum thickness of 3 mm and ensures the rigidity of the hinge arrangement 6 required for a closed position of the front hood 4, even in difficult operating situations (indicated by the upward-acting force arrow). In principle, the tension strut 18 must of course be designed so that it has the necessary rigidity.In addition, this tension strut 18 acts as a deformation area in the event of a pedestrian impact, in which, for example, the head hits the front hood 4 and it is legally prescribed that the front hood 4 must yield by a certain amount in order to avoid more serious head injuries.

[0012] Such a situation is in Fig. 3 by a downward force arrow onto the front hood 4, whereby the tension strut 18 is deformed. In order to further optimize the force introduction and the associated deformation of the tension strut 18 and the resulting lowering of the front hood 4, the lower hinge part 10 has a triangular force introduction surface 20, to whose imaginary base side 22 the tension strut 18 is connected in the area of ​​a leg 24. The leg 24 is facing away from the front hood 4 and connects the articulation point 14 with the tension strut 18. In a particularly advantageous manner, the connecting area 26 is also triangular in shape and thereby ensures that the force of the impact force is introduced into the tension strut 18 in the vertical direction of the vehicle (see also Fig. 2).

[0013] It should be clear that the front hood 4 is also hinged to a fixed body part on one of the opposite sides of the motor vehicle via a hinge arrangement 6 designed in this way, so that the front hood 4 is hinged overall via two hinge arrangements 6.

[0014] In addition to the illustrated embodiment, in which the width of the tension strut 18 is aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, it can also be configured differently, for example, in the transverse direction of the vehicle, in order to achieve additional stiffening of the hinge lower part 10 transversely to the vehicle. In this case, the deformation would not occur outward, but rather to the rear (relative to the vehicle).

Claims

[1] Hinge arrangement (6) for articulating a front hood (4) to a fixed body part (8) of a motor vehicle (2), comprising a hinge lower part (10) which is fastened to the fixed body part (8) and which is pivotably connected via a pivot point (14) to a hinge upper part (12) which is fastened to the front hood (4), wherein in the region of the pivot point (14) at least one deformation region of the hinge lower part (10) acting in the vehicle vertical direction is provided, wherein the hinge lower part (10) is manufactured in one piece, wherein a tension strut (18) is provided as the deformation region, characterized bythat the hinge lower part (10) has a triangular force introduction surface (20), to the base side (22) of which the tension strut (18) is connected via a triangular connecting region (26) and in the tip of which, opposite the base side (22), the articulation point (14) is provided, wherein in the hinge lower part (10) below the force introduction surface (20) and immediately adjacent to the tension strut (18) a triangular recess (16) with rounded corners is formed. [2] Hinge arrangement (6) according to claim 1, characterized by that the hinge lower part (10) is designed as a stamped part with the recess (16) defining the tension strut (18). [3] Hinge arrangement (6) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the tension strut (18) has a maximum width of 10 mm and a maximum thickness of 3 mm. [4] Motor vehicle with two hinge arrangements (6) according to one of the preceding claims and a front hood (4) which is hinged to two fixed body parts (8) via the two opposite hinge arrangements (6).

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