Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-09
2001-05-29
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S182100, C180S271000, C180S069210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237992
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pedestrian safety device and in particular to a pedestrian safety device for automotive vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In modern motor car design, for visibility, aerodynamic and styling reasons, it is desirable that the hood line is kept as low as possible. As a result, there is generally very little clearance between the hood and the engine bay contents of the automotive vehicle. Consequently, the hood will provide very little cushioning effect when impacted by a pedestrian during an accident. Pedestrian safety performance can be improved by increasing the clearance of the hood. Therefore a device is necessary to raise the hood when impacted by a pedestrian.
EP 0630801 B1 discloses a vehicle hood which is hinged at its leading edge and which is releasable latched at its trailing edge. Both the hinge mechanism and the latch mechanism by which the hood is attached to the vehicle are arranged to cause the whole hood to lift along its full length when the forward edge of the hood is impacted by a pedestrian during an accident. The hinge and latch mechanism disclosed in the above patent specification refer to a hood which is hinged at its leading edge, but it is not applicable to a hood which is hinged at its trailing edge.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian safety device for rearward hinged hoods, with none of the above mentioned drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a pedestrian safety device for a rearward hinged hood, which will enable the leading edge of the hood to cushion the pedestrian impact while raising the trailing edge of the hood.
In accordance with the present invention a pedestrian safety device includes a hood hinged to the vehicle body by means of a pair of hinge assemblies, said hinge assemblies being located at the trailing edge of the hood. The hinge assemblies lift the hood upward in response to a pedestrian impact and lock the hood in a deployed position, whereby said hood is latched to a safety module at the leading edge of the hood. The safety module comprises an upper front cross-member attached to the body structure by two safety module pivots disposed at its left-hand side and right-hand side. In normal operating conditions rotation of the safety module around a vehicle transverse axis is restrained by two shear pins located at the right-hand side and the left-hand side of the safety module, each between a safety module and vehicle body. Both shear pins are located in front of the safety module pivots relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis. The dimension of a shear pin and the distance of a shear pin to a safety module pivot are arranged such that in case of a pedestrian impact at the leading edge of the hood the shear pins fail at a predetermined load so that the safety module is released to rotate around the vehicle transverse axis.
Bump stops are attached to the pedestrian safety module on its upper side at the rear edge, the bump stops also lie backwards to the safety module pivots in such a way that in case of a pedestrian impact, when the safety module starts to rotate, the rear edge of the module hits the hood and lift it up, while the hood is pushed down by the pedestrian impact force at its leading edge, so that as a result the hood starts to rotate around a vehicle's transverse axis. Thus the leading edge of the hood is lowered during an impact which causes a cushion for the pedestrian during the accident.
The hinge assembly has a lower hinge bar and an upper hinge bar linked together with a safety pivot. Both hinge bars are restrained to rotate about the safety pivot by a shear pin, which is located between both hinge bars in normal operation mode. The hinge bars are released to rotate about the safety pivot in a safety operation mode when said shear pin fail due to an overload during pedestrian impact. Then the trailing edge of the hood can lift upward and the hood is locked by the hinge assembly in a position which is determined by the geometry of the hinge assembly.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3709316 (1973-01-01), Glance
patent: 4753475 (1988-06-01), Mochida
patent: 197 10 417-A1 (1998-09-01), None
patent: 0509690-A1 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 0630801-A1 (1994-12-01), None
patent: 58-221773 (1983-12-01), None
Ford Global Technologies Inc.
Pape Joseph D.
Smith Gary A.
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