Vehicle Hood Hinge Assembly with Directional Deformation Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinge assemblies for engine hoods of motor vehicles face challenges in balancing the need for high stiffness to minimize damage during vehicle impacts while also ensuring controlled collapse for pedestrian protection, as required by legal standards.
Innovation Solution
The hinge assembly incorporates a support element that allows deformation in one direction to facilitate controlled collapse and increases stiffness in another direction by limiting deformation, using a separate support element connected to the hinge substructure or body component, ensuring minimal damage to surrounding components during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hinge substructure is designed with high stiffness to prevent damage during vehicle impacts, then the strength and reliability of the hinge assembly is improved, but the ability to provide controlled collapse for pedestrian protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge substructure is divided into a rigid support element and a deformable hinge component. The support element provides stiffness and strength to prevent damage during vehicle impacts, while the hinge component can deform in a controlled manner to provide pedestrian protection. This segmentation allows the system to exhibit different mechanical behaviors under different loading conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the hinge assembly are assigned different mechanical properties. The support element is designed with high stiffness and strength to resist damage during vehicle impacts, while the hinge substructure in the deformation area is designed to be more compliant to enable controlled collapse for pedestrian safety. This local differentiation of mechanical properties resolves the contradiction between overall stiffness and localized deformability.
2Reliability
If the hinge substructure is designed to collapse in a controlled manner for pedestrian protection, then the safety for pedestrians is improved, but the stiffness required to prevent damage to vehicle components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is segmented into a deformable hinge substructure for pedestrian protection and a rigid support element for maintaining stiffness. During pedestrian impact, the hinge substructure deforms in a controlled manner to absorb energy and reduce injury, while the support element maintains structural integrity to prevent damage to vehicle components and attachment parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element acts as an intermediary between the deformable hinge substructure and the vehicle body. It allows the hinge substructure to deform for pedestrian protection while preventing the deformation from propagating to critical vehicle components, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of deformability and stiffness.
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
This design achieves improved stiffness in the required direction, preventing damage to vehicle components while allowing controlled deformation for pedestrian safety, thus meeting both stiffness and protection requirements effectively.
Implementation Method 1
at least one support element, which enables deformation of the hinge substructure in a first direction, in which the hinge substructure can be moved away from a limit stop area of the at least one support element. Due to the limit stop area, the at least one support element limits the deformation of the hinge substructure in a second direction opposite the first direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge assembly for an engine hood of a motor vehicle, having a hinge substructure, which can be attached to a body component of the motor vehicle, and having a hinge upper part, which can be attached to the engine hood. The hinge upper part is retained on the hinge substructure so as to pivot about a pivoting axis. The hinge assembly includes at least one support element, which enables deformation of the hinge substructure in a first direction, in which the hinge substructure can be moved away from a limit stop area of the at least one support element. The at least one support element limits deformation of the hinge substructure in a second direction opposite the first direction by means of the limit stop area. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle having at least one such hinge assembly.