Elastic Hood Latch Structure for Vibration-Resistant Utility Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing utility vehicles face challenges in maintaining the hood securely closed, especially in off-road conditions, due to large vibrations and impact resistance issues with traditional locking mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The utility vehicle incorporates a locking section made entirely of an elastic material, allowing the hood to be firmly fixed at the closed position through its elasticity, with a configuration that includes a support and holes for the locking section to pass through, and a fitting body that extends along the holes to maintain the hood's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional locking section is used to keep the hood closed, then the structure can provide mechanical strength, but the locking section cannot firmly keep the hood closed under large vibrations and impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The locking section is changed from a rigid structure to an elastic material structure, fundamentally changing the physical parameter of the material from rigid to flexible. This allows the locking section to deform elastically under vibration and impact while maintaining its locking function, thereby improving reliability under harmful vibrational and impact conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses elastic material for the entire locking section, which can be considered as utilizing material properties that combine flexibility and strength. The elastic material allows the locking section to absorb impact energy through deformation while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between mechanical strength and vibration resistance.
2Reliability
If a complex locking mechanism is used to ensure firm hood closure, then the hood can be securely kept closed, but the configuration becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex mechanical locking mechanism and replaces it with a simple elastic material-based locking section. The elastic material inherently provides both the locking function and the necessary durability through its material properties, eliminating the need for complex mechanical components while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic locking section serves itself by using its own elasticity to provide both the locking force and the impact absorption capability. The single-component elastic structure automatically adapts to vibrations and impacts without requiring additional control mechanisms or complex adjustments, thereby achieving simple configuration with high reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The elastic locking section effectively keeps the hood closed with improved impact resistance and simplicity, reducing the risk of unintentional opening due to vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
a locking section (20) entirely made of an elastic material and capable of keeping the hood (2) at the closed position
Data Source
AI summary
A utility vehicle includes a driving section on which an occupant rides, a hood changeable in position between a closed position where the hood blocks a storage space forward of the driving section and an open position where the storage space is exposed, and a locking section entirely made of an elastic material and capable of keeping the hood at the closed position.