Vehicle Trunk Emergency Release Locking System with Speed-Dependent Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional emergency release systems for vehicle trunks face challenges in meeting safety standards, particularly in preventing trunk lid opening during high speeds due to improper actuation or air flow, while also ensuring easy release at lower speeds and complete opening when stationary, often requiring costly electromagnetically powered drives and experiencing high load cycles.
Innovation Solution
An emergency release locking system with a rotary latch, catch hook, and an actuator controlled by a vehicle control unit, utilizing microswitch sensors to detect speed and system position, and an electrically powered servo motor to manage the catch hook's release, ensuring the catch hook remains engaged at high speeds and releases at lower speeds, reducing load cycles and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an emergency release system is provided to allow trunk opening at low speeds, then safety for trapped persons is improved, but the risk of unintended opening at high speeds increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking element transitions from a static mechanical block to a dynamically controlled component that can be actively positioned by the actuator based on real-time speed feedback from the sensor, enabling adaptive response to changing vehicle conditions
Solution Approach 2:
A sensor detects the vehicle's speed and provides feedback to the control unit, which then activates or deactivates the actuator to position the blocking element appropriately, creating a closed-loop control system that responds to actual operating conditions
2Reliability
If an electromagnetically powered actuator is used to block the catch hook at high speeds, then safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electromagnetic actuators with a simpler mechanically operated blocking element that can be positioned by a less complex actuator, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining safety functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking element is designed as a simple, inexpensive mechanical component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed, reducing the overall cost of the safety system
3Reliability
If a blocking element is provided to prevent lid opening above certain speed, then safety is improved, but the ease of operation for emergency release deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking element is designed to be dynamically positionable rather than fixed, allowing it to be moved out of the way when the actuator is activated, thereby enabling easy emergency release operation when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves as an intermediary mechanism that, when activated by the sensor detecting low speed or emergency conditions, moves the blocking element to allow catch hook release, facilitating easy operation when safety conditions permit
Data Source
AI summary
An emergency release locking system for a trunk lid, with a lid lock and a catch device which has a catch hook and in the case of the opened rotary latch limits the opening movement of the lid, with an emergency release system disposed in the trunk, and with an actuator that is controlled by a control unit of the vehicle and drives a blocking element, which above a predetermined or predeterminable recommended speed of the vehicle stops at least the releasing action of the emergency release system on the catch hook of the catch device. The control unit is assigned, apart from a sensor unit for detecting the current driving speed of the vehicle, one sensor unit each for detecting the current operating position of the emergency release system and of the catch hook of the catch device.