Vehicle Hood Hinge Separable Joint for Pedestrian Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle hood designs offer limited downward deflection during pedestrian impacts, leading to potential head trauma due to engagement with non-compliant under-hood components, and existing solutions are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A deployable hood apparatus with a hinge assembly and force exerting device that increases clearance between the hood and under-hood components by allowing the hood to pivot and deform upon impact, using a separable joint and force delivering mechanism to enhance pedestrian head impact protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hood is designed with limited downward deflection to engage under-hood components, then structural support is improved, but pedestrian head impact protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hood hinge assembly transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic separable connection. The separable joint allows the hinge to maintain structural support during normal operation but automatically disconnect during pedestrian impact, enabling the hood to deflect dynamically to protect pedestrians while preserving structural integrity during regular use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the mechanical state of the hinge connection from coupled to decoupled based on impact conditions. By modifying the connection parameter (coupled vs. decoupled state), the hood's deflection characteristics change from restricted to unrestricted, allowing adaptive response to different operational conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If complex mechanisms like multi-bar link hinges are used to increase hood deflection, then pedestrian head impact protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is divided into separate functional components: first and second hinge members providing mounting support, and a third hinge member providing pivoting motion. The separable joint between the second and third members creates a discrete failure point that simplifies the overall mechanism while achieving the desired deflection behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The separable joint is designed as a sacrificial element that disconnects during impact events. This disposable-like feature allows the hinge to function as a simple, low-cost mechanism that achieves complex protective behavior through controlled disconnection rather than through complicated multi-bar linkages.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the separable joint is designed to disconnect during impact, then pedestrian protection is improved, but hood mounting reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separable joint is pre-designed with specific disconnection characteristics that prevent unintended detachment during normal operation while ensuring automatic disconnection during impact. The joint's geometric and material properties are configured in advance to distinguish between routine vibrations/loads and genuine impact events, maintaining reliability under normal conditions while enabling protection during accidents.
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
The solution provides effective pedestrian head impact protection with a simple and cost-effective design that can be implemented in various hood mounting arrangements, increasing the gap between the hood and under-hood components to reduce head trauma.
Implementation Method 1
The third hinge member has a first end portion thereof pivotably attached to a second end portion of the first hinge member for allowing pivoting therebetween about a first pivot axis and has a second end portion thereof pivotably attached to a second end portion of the second hinge member for allowing pivoting therebetween about a second pivot axis.
Implementation Method 2
A separable joint is provided between the second and third hinge members. The separable joint couples the second hinge member to the third hinge member to inhibit pivotal movement therebetween about the second pivot axis. Sufficient force being exerted on at least one of the hinge members causes the second hinge member to become decoupled from the third hinge member at the separable joint thereby allowing pivoting between the second and third hinge members about the second pivot axis.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention relate to pedestrian head impact protection. In operation, during a pedestrian impact event with a vehicle, a pedestrian protection deployable hood apparatus configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention causes displacement of the hood at its hinge-carrying portion for enhancing clearance an underside of the hood and a topmost surface of under-hood components. Such embodiments of the present invention contribute to providing for pedestrian head impact protection in a manner that can be implemented with a variety of hood mounting arrangements, that is effective in its results, and that is simple to package in an under-hood environment.