Frunk Hood Lamp Bracket Bridging Panels for Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hood designs for battery electric vehicles with front trunks (frunks) face limitations in packaging space and structural stiffness due to the absence of traditional engine components, restricting lamp placement and causing stress on panel joints.
Innovation Solution
A front trunk hood assembly with a lamp bracket forming a bridge between outer and inner panels, incorporating a sheet molding compound extension panel and recessed pocket to secure a horizontal light bar, offsetting stress from the striker and enhancing structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional hood design is used for battery electric vehicles, then frunk storage space is provided, but packaging space is limited and lamp mounting is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The hood assembly is segmented into multiple components: outer hood panel, inner hood panel, extension panel, and lamp bracket. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component for both storage space and lamp mounting flexibility, resolving the contradiction between frunk volume and mounting adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension panel projects forward from the hood component in a direction extending toward the front of the vehicle, adding a dimensional element that creates additional mounting surfaces and spatial flexibility for lamp installation without compromising frunk storage volume.
2Volume of moving object
If conventional hood design is used for battery electric vehicles, then frunk storage space is provided, but structural stiffness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hood assembly employs composite construction with outer hood panel, inner hood panel, and extension panel made from materials such as sheet molding compound. This composite structure provides enhanced structural stiffness and strength while maintaining the space required for frunk storage, resolving the contradiction between volume and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The lamp bracket is integrated to form a bridge between the outer hood panel and inner hood panel, merging multiple structural elements into a unified assembly that enhances overall structural stiffness while preserving frunk storage capacity.
3Ease of operation
If striker position is fixed on hood panel, then hood closure is achieved, but lamp mounting options are restricted and stress concentrates on panel joints
Solution Approach 1:
The extension panel acts as an intermediary structure between the striker and the hood panels, providing additional mounting points for the lamp and distributing stress away from the panel joints. This intermediary element resolves the contradiction between operational simplicity and structural strength by creating a stress-distributing framework.
4Illumination intensity
If lamp is mounted on conventional hood, then illumination is provided, but mounting locations are limited and structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The extension panel projects forward to create additional dimensional space for lamp mounting, allowing the lamp to be positioned on the extension panel rather than directly on the hood panels. This dimensional extension provides multiple mounting locations while maintaining hood structural integrity by distributing loads away from critical joint areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A front trunk (“frunk”) hood assembly is provided. The front trunk (“frunk”) hood assembly may comprise a hood component, comprising an outer hood panel and an inner hood panel, a lamp, a lamp bracket configured to secure the lamp. The lamp bracket may be configured to form a bridge between the outer hood panel and the inner hood panel. In preferred aspects, the front trunk hood assembly may further comprise i) a striker and ii) an extension panel coupled to the hood component and the striker. The front trunk hood assembly may be coupled to and/or a component of a vehicle.