Hinge assembly

#The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for fastening a hinged cover on a vehicle body.

#“Active pedestrian protection” for protecting pedestrians in the event of collisions with motor vehicles is becoming increasingly important in the development of modern motor-vehicle models. One aspect here involves a hinged cover, frequently the hood (also referred to as “engine hood”), having to be opened up to a certain height when a collision sensor—arranged for example in the bumper—of the vehicle registers a collision with a pedestrian, so that the pedestrian involved in this accident sustains the smallest possible amount of injury.

#In the case of so-called “active” deployment of a relevant hinge, the hinge is actuated, for example, by way of an actuator using a propellant charge, in order for it to be possible for the hinge to be deployed quickly enough for the pedestrian to be protected to the intended extent by virtue of the hinged cover opening quickly. It is usually the case here that the actuator raises first of all that part of the hinge which is connected to the body—and frequently comprises a four-joint mechanism—and only then does it raise that part of the hinge which is connected to the hinged cover, following corresponding separation of the two hinge parts from one another, or once the hinge parts have been unlatched from one another.

#FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the hinge assembly according to the invention in a first locking position.

#FIG. 2 is a sectional view of this first embodiment taken along line II-II from FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment of the hinge assembly according to the invention in a second locking position.

#The present invention is described hereinbelow on the basis that the first hinge part is a four-joint hinge, although of course the invention is not restricted thereto. In order to facilitate further explanation, it is assumed, for the sake of simplicity, that a hinge assembly according to the invention is used for fastening a hood of a motor vehicle and is illustrated in the figures more or less as it is arranged on a motor vehicle which is ready for use and is located on a planar surface. It is therefore the case here that the vehicle body is arranged at the “bottom”, whereas the hinged cover/hood is located at the “top”. Therefore, “bottom” and “top” refer to the hinge assembly, irrespective of how this is, or can be, arranged in precise terms in space. Information such as “right(-hand)” and “left(-hand)” refer to a vertical view of the drawing plane.

#FIG. 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of the hinge assembly 10 according to the invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of this first embodiment taken along line II-II from FIG. 1. The left-hand upper part of FIG. 1 illustrates, in the foreground, a first securing part 22 in the form of a main link and, behind this, a third securing part 24 (see FIG. 2) in the form of a long link of a four-joint hinge 20 or of a first hinge part. This four-joint hinge 20 typically has its lower region fastened on the body of a motor vehicle. The right-hand part of FIG. 1 illustrates, in the foreground, a second hinge part 30 in the form of an upper hinge part, which is fastened to the hood of the motor vehicle and is articulated on the four-joint hinge 20 by means of a connecting joint 50. FIG. 1 shows—as does FIG. 2—the four-joint hinge 20 and the upper hinge part 30 in a first locking position, corresponding to a position of the two hinge parts when the motor vehicle is in normal use.

#As is clear, in particular looking further at FIG. 2, a locking action in the first locking position is caused by a bolt 40 establishing a mechanical coupling between the upper hinge part 30—or, more precisely, the end 32 thereof, which is located on the left in FIG. 1 and serves as a second securing part—and the main link 22. For this purpose, the bolt 40 passes through a downwardly open slot 33 of the second securing part 32 and a through-hole 23 of the main link 22. A reliable mechanical locking action between these two elements is ensured in that a helical spring 42, supported on a stop flange 43 of the bolt 40 on the one hand and on the main link 22 on the other, forces the bolt 40 to the right in FIG. 2, wherein the stop flange 41, which is provided at the left-hand end of the bolt 40, butts against a stop end 34 of the upper hinge part 30 and prevents the bolt 40 from moving to the right. Therefore, the main link 22, the long link 24, the bolt 40, the helical spring 42 arranged thereon and the upper hinge part 32 form a deployment-securing device.