Vehicle Front Lid Latch With Manual Emergency Release Cable
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing front lid latch apparatuses for vehicles require complex and cumbersome external power supply devices for emergency opening, compromising user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A front lid latch apparatus with a mechanical mechanism featuring a pawl lever, latch lever assembly, safety lever, and emergency lever, allowing for easy emergency release through a manually operable emergency release cable, enabling quick and simple unlocking of the front lid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external power supply device is used for emergency opening, then the front lid can be opened in emergency conditions, but the operation becomes complicated and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the emergency release function from the electric actuator system and creates an independent mechanical release mechanism. The manual release cable is directly connected to the latch lever assembly, allowing it to be operated independently of the electric actuators and control systems. This extraction enables emergency opening without requiring external power supply devices, thereby maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual release cable acts as an intermediary mechanism that directly transmits user input force to the latch lever assembly. This mechanical intermediary bypasses the complex electric actuator system and control electronics, providing a simple and direct path for emergency release operation. The cable mechanism translates user pulling motion into latch lever movement, achieving reliable emergency opening with minimal operational complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a mechanical emergency release mechanism is added, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the emergency release function with the existing latch lever assembly structure. The manual release cable is integrated into the latch lever assembly, sharing common components such as the pivot axis and mounting points. This merging approach allows the emergency release mechanism to be operated independently while utilizing the existing structural framework, thereby improving ease of operation without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch lever assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the primary latching mechanism operated by electric actuators and the emergency release mechanism operated by the manual cable. This multi-functionality allows the same structural components to handle both normal operation and emergency release, reducing the need for separate dedicated emergency release components and thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment front lid latch apparatus for a vehicle includes a pawl lever movable between an engaging position and a disengaging position by a first actuator, a latch lever assembly movable between a first hold position and a first releasable position by a movement of the pawl lever, a safety lever movable between a second hold position and a second releasable position by a second actuator, and an emergency lever operatively connected to the pawl lever and the safety lever, and movable between a first position and a second position by a manually operable emergency release cable.