Active Hood Repositioning After Minor Vehicle Collisions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active hood systems in motor vehicles often leave the engine hood raised after a predicted or actual collision, preventing further vehicle travel and potentially leading to the deactivation of safety systems, thereby compromising traffic safety.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle system that includes a control device capable of detecting impending collisions using environment sensors and actuators to pivotally move wing elements, such as the engine hood or trunk lid, towards the vehicle body during a collision, and automatically return them to the neutral position based on collision severity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the engine hood is raised after a predicted collision, then protection against collision damage is improved, but the vehicle cannot continue traveling and the safety system may be deactivated
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the engine hood position based on real-time collision detection and severity assessment. After a minor collision, the hood is automatically returned to its neutral position, allowing the vehicle to continue traveling while maintaining safety system functionality. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the protective measure temporary and adaptive rather than permanent and fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device evaluates collision parameters (severity, type, location) and changes the hood position parameter accordingly. For minor collisions, the hood is returned to neutral position; for severe collisions, it remains raised. This parameter-based decision-making allows the system to maintain reliability while providing protection when needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the engine hood remains in the raised state after collision, then collision protection is maintained, but further vehicle travel is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic hood position control that adapts to collision severity. After minor collisions, the hood automatically returns to neutral position, restoring vehicle travel capability while maintaining collision protection for future events. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between protection and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system takes preliminary action by raising the hood before collision impact to prevent damage, then takes counter-action by returning it to neutral position after minor collisions to restore travel capability. This sequence of actions resolves the contradiction by providing temporary protection without permanent mobility restriction.
3Device complexity
If active hood systems are deactivated after collision, then system simplicity is improved, but general traffic safety is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The control device uses parameter-based decision logic to determine whether to deactivate the system. By evaluating collision severity parameters, the system maintains operation after minor collisions (preserving safety) while deactivating only after severe collisions (simplifying operation). This parameter-driven approach resolves the contradiction between system simplicity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from collision sensors to continuously assess whether the hood should remain raised or return to neutral position. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain safety through intelligent decision-making rather than simple deactivation, resolving the contradiction between operational complexity and safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle includes a body component and a wing element pivotably coupled to the body component such that the wing element pivots relative to the body component about a pivot axis between a neutral starting position and a first pivot position. A control device of the motor vehicle detects an impending collision of the motor vehicle with a collision object located in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. Upon detecting the impending collision, the control device automatically pivots the wing element toward the body component from the neutral starting position to the first pivot position. The control device of the motor vehicle evaluates a severity of the collision and, depending upon the severity, automatically pivots the wing element away from the body component from the first pivot position to the neutral starting position.