Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Hand operated
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2002-11-05
Luong, Vinh T. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Hand operated
C074S500500, C074S501600, C292S336300, C292S348000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06474190
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hood unlocking apparatus of an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, an automobile is equipped with a front hood installed at a front side where an engine is mounted and a rear hood installed at the trunk.
The front hood is generally equipped with a dual safety device. In other words, only after the hood is initially unlocked inside the automobile, the hood can be then lifted outside as illustrated in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 2
illustrates a position where a hood unlocking apparatus for initially unlocking the front hood is located inside an automobile. As illustrated, the hood unlocking apparatus is frontly located underneath a crash pad
12
, where a hood
2
is initially unlocked by a forward pulling of an unlock handle
18
. A hood unlocking apparatus shown in
FIG. 3
is coupled at a front lower part of the crash pad
12
holding various instruments with a housing
16
via a reinforcing member
14
, where the housing
16
is mounted with an unlock handle
18
having a restoring force by way of torsion spring
20
. The unlock handle
18
is connected to a cable
24
wrapping a wire
22
and when the unlock handle
18
is pulled, the wire
22
is successively pulled to open a hood (not shown).
The reinforcing member
14
is coupled to the housing
16
and the crash pad
12
by way of coupling members
26
and
28
.
However, there are problems in the conventional hood unlocking apparatus thus described in that, when the unlock handle
18
is pulled, the crash pad
12
is swung to adversely affect various instruments on the crash pad
12
, and in that the way the unlock handle
18
is connected therein with the wire
22
makes it difficult to work on assembling cables.
There is another problem in that a fuse box and an engine check point are positioned around the unlock handle
18
in some types of automobiles, such that it is difficult to operate the conventional hood unlock apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hod unlocking apparatus for an automobile adapted to enable an easy assembly and to prevent a crash pad from swinging, providing no adverse effect to instruments thereon.
In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided a hood unlocking apparatus of an automobile, the apparatus comprising:
an inner side panel, a fixing bracket mounted at the inner side panel, a rocking bracket rotably coupled to the fixing bracket, a handle mounted at the rocking bracket, restoring means for restoring the rocking bracket to its original place after the rocking bracket is rotated by manipulation, and a wire connected at one end thereof to the rocking bracket and connected at the other end thereof to a hood to cooperatively move according to rotary movement of the rocking bracket.
Protruders are respectively formed at both sides of the rocking bracket, each at a predetermined angle, as restricting means for restricting a rotating angle thereof when the rocking bracket is rotated relative to the fixing bracket. It is preferred to mount a bumper to the protruders in order to reduce contact noise generated by contact with the fixing bracket. The rocking bracket is formed with a handle and a tip end of the wire is connected to the rocking bracket via a cushioning member to smoothen manipulation of the handle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3601434 (1971-08-01), Fargo
patent: 3893207 (1975-07-01), Rudaitis et al.
patent: 4382482 (1983-05-01), Brandl et al.
patent: 4958536 (1990-09-01), Baumgarten
patent: 4991884 (1991-02-01), Cairns
patent: 6092845 (2000-07-01), Koenig
patent: 6234041 (2001-05-01), Larabet et al.
patent: 6264257 (2001-07-01), Meinke
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Luong Vinh T.
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