EP0814224B1 - Hinge for a motor vehicle hood - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a hinge device for a hood. motor vehicle.

It relates more precisely to a device comprising, for connecting at the body of a vehicle each of two opposite lateral ends of an articulated part of a cover, two elements forming rods which are articulated on the body and on the hood constituting a quadrilateral deformable.

According to known devices of this type, the elements forming rods are rigid and their dimension and the location of their joints on the body and on the hood are such that the deformation of the quadrilateral when the hood is raised causes a displacement of the hinged part of the cover towards the free end thereof so as to prevent the edge of this articulated part from hitting a part neighboring.

Certain arrangements are sometimes provided to limit the hood raised to a suitable open position for current access to the contents of the compartment covered by the cover, while an upper position of the cover can be reached by means of additional means associated with the articulation device. These additional means increase the cost of producing the device and usually involve user action to cancel and to restore the hood lift limitation to its middle position.

Furthermore, a balancing or compensating spring is preferably attached to the articulation device to assist the maneuver lifting and possibly to keep the hood in position opened.

The invention aims to produce a hood articulation device which is simple while assisting lifting to an open position for everyday use, and allowing a wider opening occasional without action on additional means.

To this end, the device according to the invention is of the type mentioned above. connecting rod elements which are articulated on the body and on the cover in constituting a deformable quadrilateral, the cover being liftable low closing position in either of two stable positions aperture, respectively medium and superior; it is characterized by that one of the above elements being a rigid rod, the other element 5 is a telescopic balancer assisting the lifting of the hood up to the so-called average position where it reaches its maximum extension, while two stops integral with the body are suitable for maintaining respectively and alternatively the rigid rod in a first stable position where the cover can pivot on it between said positions low and medium, and in a second stable position where it maintains the cover in its upper position reached, from its position medium, by pivoting on the balancer in maximum extension.

• la biellette est plus proche que l'équilibreur du bord délimitant la partie articulée du capot ;
• l'axe des articulations étant transversal au véhicule, la biellette est, dans ses deux positions stables, inclinée respectivement vers l'avant et vers l'arrière au-dessus de son articulation sur la caisse, et vers le bord libre du capot en seconde position stable ;
• la biellette et l'équilibreur s'articulent sur un même support fixé à la caisse et sur un même charnon fixé au capot ;
• au moins l'une des deux butées est réalisée monopièce avec le support.

According to some interesting provisions of the invention:

• the rod is closer than the balancer of the edge delimiting the articulated part of the cover;
• the axis of the joints being transverse to the vehicle, the rod is, in its two stable positions, inclined respectively forwards and backwards above its articulation on the body, and towards the free edge of the hood in seconds stable position;
• the link and the balancer are articulated on the same support fixed to the body and on the same knuckle fixed to the hood;
• at least one of the two stops is produced one piece with the support.

• les figures 1 et 2 sont des vues latérales schématiques de la partie avant supérieure d'un véhicule automobile munie d'un capot représenté respectivement en positions d'ouverture moyenne et supérieure ;
• la figure 3 est une vue éclatée en perspective des pièces constitutives du dispositif ;
• les figures 4, 5 et 6 sont des vues latérales du dispositif, dans des positions correspondant respectivement à celles dites basse, moyenne et supérieure du capot.

An embodiment of the device according to the invention is described below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figures 1 and 2 are schematic side views of the upper front part of a motor vehicle provided with a cover shown respectively in middle and upper opening positions;
• Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of the device;
• Figures 4, 5 and 6 are side views of the device, in positions corresponding respectively to those called low, medium and upper cover.

We see in Figure 1 a part of a vehicle 1 of which a cover 2 has been raised from a low closing position 2b to a medium position 2m opening by pivoting about an axis A transverse to the vehicle and located near the lower edge of a windshield 3, while in Figure 2 the hood is shown in a top position 2s where its axis of pivoting was moved in A ', avoiding that at the end of lifting the edge rear 4 of the hood does not strike the windshield and / or a wiper blade 5 resting on it.

To this end, the rear edge 4 delimiting a so-called articulated part 6 of the cover provided with two opposite lateral ends 7, each of these is connected to the vehicle body 8, near a lower corner of the windshield 3, by an articulation device 9 visible in FIGS. 3 to 6.

This device comprises a rigid link 10 and a balancer telescopic 11 which are articulated on the same support 12 fixed to the body, and on the same knuckle 13 fixed to the cover by constituting a quadrilateral deforming when the hood is raised or lowered, as indicated below.

The link is articulated by transverse axes 15 and 16 respectively on the rear ends of the support 12 and the knuckle 13 thus being closer to the rear edge 4 of the cover than the balancer 11, of which the respective articulations with the support 12 and with the knuckle 13 consist of ball joints 17 and 18. The means for fixing the support and knuckle are for example screws, not shown, passing through holes 12a, 13a of these parts.

A rear stop 19 formed by folding a sheet metal constituting the support 12, and a front stop 20 fixed thereto by known means any are arranged so as to immobilize alternately and respectively the rod 10 in rear stable position (Figures 4 and 5) or in the stable front position (Figure 6).

The balancer contains, as known, a metal or gas spring tablet which tends to stretch by sliding to an extension maximum, determined by an internal stop, where the spring is still sufficiently constrained to support and maintain the hood in its middle (figure 5) and top (figure 6) opening positions.

The arrangement of axes 15 and 16 and ball joints 17 and 18 on the body 8 and on the cover 2 on the one hand, and the respective lengths of the link 10 and balancer 11 on the other hand, are such that the quadrilateral formed by the link and the balancer is deformed as shown below.

In the lower position 2b of the cover (FIG. 4), the balancer 11 is kept compressed by locking the hood in the closed position where the knuckle 13 is substantially horizontal; the balancer is very tilted and push back the knuckle 13 and the upper part of the link 10 thus maintained in a stable rear position against the stop 19.

S1 lifting of the cover after its unlocking, assisted or obtained by telescopic extension of the balancer 11, is carried out by pivoting on axis 16 (materializing the transverse axis A above) rod 10 still held in its rear stable position by the weight of the rear part of the hood and by the backward push of the balancer. This lifting reaches the middle position 2m opening (Figure 5) where the balancer 11 and the knuckle 13 are inclined substantially at 45 ° with respect to the horizontal and approximately perpendicular to each other; this 2m position is determined by the maximum extension of the balancer whose spring is still sufficiently constrained to maintain the hood.

S2 additional lifting of the hood to its position upper 2s (figure 6) is obtained by pushing the user towards the high on the free end 21 of the cover, which makes the rod 10 pivot towards the front on its axis 15 at the same time as the knuckle 13 pivots on the ball joint 18 connecting it to the balancer 11 still maintained at its extension maximum thanks to its sufficiently constrained spring; the knuckle and the balancer are almost vertical when the hood reaches its position upper 2s determined by immobilization of the rod 10 in its stable position before where it is in contact with the fixed stop 20.

The hood is lowered by exercising on its free end 21 sufficient downward push from the middle position 2m, to compress the balancer.

This device is inexpensive since the balancer is not added not at the quadrilateral but is part of it, and it allows manipulation easy hood, whether to obtain its current opening in medium position or an exceptional opening in the upper position. It can be applied to a rear trunk lid as well than a cover covering an engine compartment.

Claims (5)

1. Articulation device comprising, in order to connect to the body (8) of a vehicle each of the two opposite lateral extremities (7) of an articulated portion (6) of a bonnet (2), two members forming links (10, 11), which are articulated to the body (8) and to the bonnet (2), constituting a deformable quadrangle, it being possible to raise the bonnet from a low, closed position (2b) to one or other of two stable open positions, middle (2m) and high (2s) respectively,
      characterised in that one of the aforementioned members (10, 11) being a rigid link (10), the other member is a telescopic balancer (11) assisting the raising of the bonnet as far as the middle position (2m) where it reaches its maximum extension, while two stops (19, 20) integral with the body (8) are capable of keeping the rigid link (10), respectively and alternately, in a first stable position where the bonnet (2) can pivot on itself between said low (2b) and middle (2m) positions, and in a second stable position where it keeps the bonnet (2) in its high (2s) position achieved, starting from its middle position (2m), by pivoting on the balancer (11) at maximum extension.
2. Articulation device according to Claim 1,
      characterised in that the link (10) is closer than the balancer (11) to the edge (4) delimiting the articulated portion (6) of the bonnet (2).
3. Articulation device according to one of Claims 1 or 2,
      characterised in that, since the axis of the articulations (15-18) is transverse to the vehicle, the link (10) is, in its two stable positions, inclined respectively forwards and backwards above its articulation (15) to the body, and towards the free edge (21) of the bonnet in the second stable position.
4. Articulation device according to one of the preceding claims,
      characterised in that the link (10) and the balancer (11) are articulated to the same support (12) fixed to the body (8) and to the same hinge knuckle (13) fixed to the bonnet (2).
5. Articulation device according to Claim 4,
      characterised in that at least one (19) of the two stops (19, 20) is made in a single piece with the support (12).

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