System for opening a front hood of a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (20) for automatically opening a front hood (11) of a vehicle (10), having an actuator (21) which is designed to produce a movement of the front hood (11) and a load receiving means (22) which is designed to receive a load of the front hood (11).

Description

[0001] System for opening a front hatch of a vehicle

[0002] The invention relates to a system for opening a front hood of a vehicle, comprising an actuator configured to effect a movement of the front hood and a load-carrying device configured to receive a load from the front hood. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle having such a system.

[0003] In contrast to conventional combustion engine vehicles, in which the combustion engine is concealed or protected by a hood or bonnet, an electric vehicle typically has an electric motor and / or drivetrain located beneath the vehicle floor. This allows for additional storage space in the front of such an electric vehicle, which can be closed off with the hood.

[0004] Electric actuators for bonnets can be arranged vertically or horizontally. Spindle actuators are typically used for actuation. These actuators feature an integrated mechanical spring that supports the main load of the bonnet, while a motorized actuator overcomes the required manual force to move the bonnet. The pivot points for such spindle actuators must be selected so that the provided levers are sufficient to support the bonnet in both the closed and open positions, and that the necessary force exerted by the spindle actuators during opening is as uniform as possible.

[0005] Against this background, it is an object of the invention to improve an opening mechanism for a front hood of a vehicle. In particular, an opening mechanism is to be improved to enable improved positioning of such an opening mechanism in a vehicle, particularly with reduced installation space. This object is achieved by a system for the automated opening of a front hood of a vehicle with the features of claim 1 and a vehicle having such a system with the features of claim 7. The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments of the invention.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a system for the automated opening of a front hatch of a vehicle is provided, comprising an actuator configured to effect a movement of the front hatch, and a load-carrying means configured to receive a load of the front hatch or to support it against the vehicle, wherein the actuator can be arranged at a distance from the load-carrying means.

[0007] Because the load-carrying device can absorb a load, weight, or weight force of the hood, support it against the vehicle, or compensate for it, the actuator can be relieved. This allows the actuator to be used at least essentially exclusively to effect kinetic action on the hood. In other words, the system enables a functional and spatial separation of the kinematics and kinetics for opening the hood. The actuator can thus be made smaller and / or lighter, and in particular, it is possible to arrange the actuator and load-carrying device independently of one another in a vehicle.

[0008] A front hood can also be referred to as a bonnet or radiator hood and represents an outer cover of the vehicle, which is typically arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in front of a windshield. In this case, the front hood is in particular an openable and closable component in the front area of ​​a vehicle body and can be designed to close a vehicle area in which an engine and / or luggage storage can be arranged. In the sense of the present invention, automated opening is in particular an opening movement of the front hood which can take place without a person applying force. For this purpose, an operating element in the form of a button, voice and / or gesture control can be used to trigger an opening or an opening process. In this way, for example, a control signal can be output to the actuator so that it causes or can cause a movement of the front hood.

[0009] A movement of the front flap is, in particular, an opening movement of an edge of the front flap arranged opposite at least one hinge axis from a closed position to an open position, so that an area concealed by the front flap becomes accessible. For this purpose, the front flap can be or can be attached to the vehicle, for example, by means of a hinge, in particular a four-joint hinge, to enable such an opening movement of the front flap.

[0010] An actuator is, in particular, a drive unit designed to convert an electrical signal, for example, from a front flap control, into a mechanical movement. An actuator can be designed as a hydraulic, pneumatic, and / or electromechanical actuation mechanism and is, in particular, designed to effect or at least support the movement of the front flap from an initial position to an end position, in particular continuously.

[0011] A load-handling device is in particular designed to receive a load or strain, in particular in the form of a weight force of the front flap, in particular in such a way that a proportion of the total weight force of the front flap is absorbed, in particular substantially completely, by the load-handling device, so that a weight force of the front flap acting on the actuator is reduced and the front flap can be moved by means of the actuator in a state of equilibrium. The actuator and the load-handling device are each designed to be fastened to the front flap at one end, in particular so that it can rotate about a (hinge) axis. At the opposite end, the actuator or the load-handling device is designed to be fastened to the vehicle and in particular to a vehicle body or a vehicle frame in a likewise rotatable or pivotable manner in order to pivot the front flap, in particular during movement orto support against the vehicle in an open state.

[0012] The invention is based, among other things, on the idea of ​​functionally separating a spindle drive or a spring support, or splitting it into two components, so that the support of the front flap is taken over by a functional component, namely the load-bearing device, thus relieving the load on the actuator and allowing it to be positioned in the available installation space, especially under an unfavorable or suboptimal lever. This makes it possible to provide an opening mechanism that ensures a balanced opening movement even in tight installation space situations.

[0013] In the context of the present invention, a spaced-apart arrangement means, in particular, that the actuator and the load-handling device are separate components that can be arranged independently of one another in or on the vehicle, without being physically directly connected. This allows the actuator and load-handling device to be placed separately from one another in an available installation space, enabling convenient placement, particularly in confined spaces.

[0014] In one embodiment, the load-handling device is mechanically operable. The load-handling device, for example a spring element, can have a pneumatic or hydraulic actuating device configured to absorb a force or weight emanating from the front flap, particularly in the axial direction, so that the weight that must be applied by the actuator to move the front flap can be reduced.

[0015] In one embodiment, the load-handling device is configured to support the front flap against the vehicle. For this purpose, the load-handling device can be connected, for example, to the front flap via an articulated connection and to the vehicle via another articulated connection, such that a weight force, particularly a vertical force, is transferred or introduced to the vehicle by the load-handling device and thus does not need to be absorbed by the actuator. The articulated connections can form articulation points on the front flap or on the vehicle. This allows the actuator to be designed smaller, as the load or stress that must be absorbed or overcome by it can be reduced.

[0016] In one embodiment, the load-bearing device is configured to at least substantially completely absorb the load of the front flap or to support it against the vehicle. In this case, a design load of the load-bearing device can be an operating load during operation or during the opening movement.

[0017] In one embodiment, the actuator is electrically operable. In particular, a signal from a front flap control can be used to activate an electrical mechanism configured to effect the movement of the front flap. The actuator can, for example, comprise an electric motor with a gearing configured to effect a lateral movement by axially displacing at least two elements relative to one another.

[0018] In one embodiment, the actuator is configured to perform a linear movement. This allows the hood to open. The hood is connected to the vehicle, in particular, via at least one rotatable joint or hinge to enable a rotational movement around the hinge axis and to move the hood at a predetermined angle around the axis.

[0019] According to a further aspect, a vehicle is proposed comprising a system as described herein, wherein the actuator and the load-carrying device are each connected at one of their ends to the front flap and at one of their other ends to a chassis and / or a body of the vehicle. Articulated connections can be used, in particular, to provide the connection to the vehicle components. The desired movement of the front flap can be achieved through the articulated connection of the actuator and / or the load-carrying device.

[0020] Particularly in electrically powered vehicles, the available installation space in the front area of ​​the vehicle is limited, so that a conventional arrangement of, for example, a one-piece hood opening device, which is located particularly near an A-pillar of the vehicle, cannot easily be accommodated in the front area of ​​the vehicle. The proposed system, by splitting the functions and components in two, enables the opening mechanism to be accommodated in such a limited installation space.

[0021] In one embodiment, the actuator is arranged at a distance from a hinge axis of the front lid. In this case, it can be provided that the actuator and / or the load-bearing means is arranged on a hinge element which connects the front lid and the vehicle in order to stabilize the front lid or the chassis or the vehicle body. In other embodiments, it can be provided that a separate stabilizing element is used in order to prevent possible deformation of the front lid due to the forces applied during the opening movement. In one embodiment, a connection point of the actuator to the chassis and / or the body of the vehicle is spaced at least 30 cm from an A-pillar of the vehicle in a vehicle longitudinal direction.By functionally separating the load-bearing mechanism by means of the load-bearing device and the movement-generating mechanism by means of the actuator, the latter can be positioned away from a hood hinge mounted in the A-pillar area, as the force required to open the hood can be reduced by the load transfer. The spacing from the A-pillar allows for optimized use of the installation space in the front of the vehicle.

[0022] In one embodiment, the actuator and the load-handling device are arranged at a distance from one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle and / or in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in particular in a vertical direction of the vehicle. In the closed position and / or the open position, the actuator and load-handling device can be arranged parallel to one another and / or offset at an angle to one another. In some embodiments, one actuator and one load-handling device can be provided on each side of the vehicle. In other embodiments, asymmetrical arrangements can be provided, for example, to accommodate spatial conditions.

[0023] Further advantages and possible applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the figures.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention with a system according to the invention for the automated opening of a front flap of a vehicle.

[0025] Fig. 2 shows a second representation of the embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention from Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a third representation of the embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle 10 with a front flap 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The front flap 11 is connected to the vehicle 10 by means of a hinge 13, which can rotate about the hinge axis. The vehicle 10 also has a system 20 or an opening mechanism for automatically opening the front flap 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0028] An actuator 21 of the system 20 is configured to cause the front flap 11 to move, and a load-carrying device 22 is configured to receive a load or a weight force of the front flap 11 or to support it against the vehicle 11. The actuator 21 and the load-carrying device 22 are arranged at a distance from one another in a vehicle longitudinal direction L.

[0029] In the closed position of the front lid 11 shown in Fig. 1, the actuator 21 and the load-handling device 22 are shown in a retracted position and in a lying position. Both the actuator 21 and the load-handling device 22 are each connected at one end to the front lid 11 and at another end to the vehicle 10 or chassis or body of the vehicle. The illustration shows that the actuator 21 is spaced apart in a longitudinal direction from the hinge axis 13 of the front lid 11 and from an A-pillar of the vehicle 10. The A-pillar 12 is a vertical vehicle support that encloses a windshield and a front roof area of ​​the vehicle. The A-pillar 12 is illustrated merely symbolically here. Fig. 2 shows a further schematic side view of the vehicle 10 from Fig. 1, wherein the front lid 11 is shown in an open position.

[0030] During the opening movement, the load-carrying means 22, which can in particular be operated mechanically, can support the front flap 11 or the load of the front flap 10 against the vehicle 10 via connection points 22a, 22b via which the load-carrying means 22 is connected to the front flap 11 or the vehicle 10, and hold it in the open position.

[0031] The actuator 21 is, in particular, electrically operable and configured to perform a linear opening movement, whereby the front flap 11 can be moved from the closed position to the open position. The actuator 21 is also connected to the front flap 11 or the vehicle 10 via connection points 21a, 21b. The spaced-apart arrangement of the actuator 21 and the load-carrying device 22 allows for improved use of the installation space within the vehicle.

[0032] Fig. 3 shows a schematic plan view of the vehicle 10 from Figures 1 and 2, depicting a symmetrical arrangement of two actuators 21 and two load-handling devices 22. The longitudinal axes of the actuators 21 and the load-handling devices 22 form an angle and are offset from one another in a transverse direction Q of the vehicle. This allows for optimized use of installation space within the vehicle 10.

[0033] List of reference symbols

[0034] 10 vehicles

[0035] 11 Front flap

[0036] 12 A-pillar 13 Hinge

[0037] 20 System or opening mechanism

[0038] 21 Actuator

[0039] 21a Connection point of the actuator with the front flap

[0040] 21b Connection point of the actuator with the vehicle 22 Load handling device

[0041] 22a Connection point of the load-handling device with the front flap

[0042] 22b Connection point of the load-handling device to the vehicle

[0043] L Vehicle longitudinal axis

[0044] Q Vehicle transverse axle

Claims

Patent claims 1 . System (20) for the automated opening of a front flap (11) of a vehicle (10), comprising an actuator (21) which is configured to effect a movement of the front flap (11), and a load-carrying means (22) which is configured to receive a load of the front flap (11), wherein the actuator (21) can be arranged at a distance from the load-carrying means (22).

2. System (20) according to the preceding claim, wherein the load-carrying means (22) is mechanically operable.

3. System (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the load-carrying means (22) is arranged to support the front flap (11) against the vehicle (10).

4. System (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the load-bearing means (22) is arranged to at least substantially completely bear the load of the front flap (11).

5. System (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (21) is electrically operable.

6. System (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (21) is arranged to perform a linear movement.

7. Vehicle (10) comprising a system (20) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (21) and the load-carrying means (22) are each connected at one of their ends to the front flap (11) and at another of their ends to a chassis and / or a body of the vehicle (10).

8. Vehicle (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the actuator (21) is arranged at a distance from a hinge axis (13) of the front flap (11).

9. Vehicle (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein a connection point (21a, 21b) of the actuator (21) with the chassis and / or the Body of the vehicle (10) is spaced at least 30 cm from an A-pillar (12) of the vehicle (10) in a vehicle longitudinal direction (L).

10. Vehicle (10) according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the actuator (21) and the load-carrying means (22) are arranged at a distance from one another in a vehicle transverse direction (Q) and / or in a vehicle longitudinal direction (L).

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