Electric Bonnet Latch Actuator Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for motor vehicle front hoods, which use Bowden cables to operate the hood latch, face practical limitations due to space constraints in the engine compartment and require significant physical effort from operators, making them impractical for manufacturing and operation.
Innovation Solution
A safety device with an electrical drive system that includes a catch with pre-ratchet and main ratchet positions, a bayonet latching system, and a switch-controlled mechanism, allowing for easier operation and reduced physical effort, as well as improved component arrangement within the engine compartment by eliminating the need for a Bowden cable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a Bowden cable is used to operate the hood latch from the vehicle interior, then the hood can be unbolted mechanically, but the engine compartment space is reduced and the operator must exert considerable physical effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical Bowden cable system with an electrical drive mechanism. The electrical drive (5) with electromotor (6) actuates the catch (4) directly through electrical signals from a switch (19), eliminating the need for a long mechanical cable run through the engine compartment. This substitution reduces physical effort for the operator while freeing up engine compartment space.
Solution Approach 2:
The Bowden cable and its routing through the engine compartment are completely extracted from the system. By removing this mechanical transmission element and replacing it with an electrical actuation system, the patent eliminates the space-consuming cable pathways while maintaining the hood latch operation functionality.
2Ease of manufacture
If a Bowden cable is routed through the engine compartment to connect the vehicle interior to the front hood latch, then mechanical operation is achieved, but space for other components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical drive system replaces the mechanical Bowden cable transmission, allowing the switch (19) to be positioned anywhere accessible to the driver without requiring physical cable routing through the engine compartment. This provides greater flexibility in component arrangement and maximizes available space for other engine components.
3Reliability
If the catch is locked in the main ratchet position, then the front hood remains securely closed, but manual release requires significant effort
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical drive (5) with electromotor (6) substitutes for manual mechanical force to actuate the catch (4). The electromotor provides sufficient force to overcome the ratchet lock mechanism reliably, maintaining secure closure during normal operation while enabling easy electrical release when needed, without requiring the operator to exert significant physical effort.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety device for a motor vehicle includes a bonnet with an open and closed position, a bonnet lock with a lock retainer and a rotary latch, and an electric drive which shifts the rotary latch from a main locking position into a preliminary locking position. The lock retainer has an actuator, wherein in a first position of the actuator and in the preliminary locking position of the rotary latch, the lock retainer engages with the rotary latch and the bonnet is locked, and in a second position of the actuator, the lock retainer is released by the rotary latch and the bonnet is unlocked. The bonnet is coupled to the actuator such that in the preliminary locking position of the rotary latch a displacement of the bonnet towards the closed position of the bonnet causes a displacement of the actuator from the first position into the second position.