Vehicle Hood Hinge Cam Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle hood hinges have limited adjustment capabilities, requiring time-consuming iterative processes involving loose bolt holes, slots, and shims for precise alignment, often necessitating multiple installer iterations.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable hood hinge system utilizing cams and threaded fasteners for easy side-to-side and forward-backward adjustments, allowing for a larger range of adjustment and enabling single-person installation through open slots on the hood attachment member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If loose tolerance on bolt holes and slots are used for adjustment, then the hood position can be adjusted, but the installation process becomes very time-consuming requiring multiple iterations
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system incorporates adjustable components including cam buttons on rotation cams and threaded fasteners that allow dynamic repositioning of the hood attachment member relative to the body attachment member. This enables the installation team to fine-tune hood position without requiring loose tolerances or multiple iterations, resolving the contradiction between adjustability and installation time.
2Manufacturing precision
If shims are used to fine-tune hood fit, then alignment precision is improved, but the process requires removing and re-installing the hinge multiple times
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adjustment function from separate shim components and integrates it directly into the hinge structure through cam buttons and threaded fasteners. This eliminates the need for separate shim installation and removal steps, reducing installation complexity while maintaining alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam buttons and threaded fasteners serve as intermediary adjustment mechanisms between the hood attachment member and body attachment member. These intermediaries provide precise control over hood position without requiring the complex remove-and-reinstall process associated with traditional shims.
3Adaptability or versatility
If oversized slots are used for adjustment, then the range of adjustment is increased, but the structural integrity and precision are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system uses dynamic adjustment mechanisms (cam buttons on rotation cams, threaded fasteners) that allow precise positioning within a wide adjustment range. This eliminates the need for oversized slots that would compromise structural integrity, as the adjustable components provide both range and precision simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A hood hinge is disclosed herein. The hood hinge includes a body attachment member configured to be attached to a vehicle body, and a hood attachment member configured to be attached to a vehicle hood. The hood further includes a hinge mechanism connected to the body attachment member and the hood attachment member so as to enable hinged movement of the hood relative to the body. Also provided are methods for installing a hood in a vehicle. Many embodiments include structural features that make it easier to make small adjustments to the position of the vehicle hood relative to the vehicle body to ensure optimum fit.