EP1411191B1 - Opening device for the hood of a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An operating lever (6) which is hinged about a spindle (12) causes a slider (8) to move due to a rack and pinion arrangement (61,82). A lockable (7) pin (71) is attached to a locking finger (5) which according to position may slide through an aperture (42) in the cable plate (4) giving no effect to the lever or grip the cable plate and move the cable (2) to release the bonnet

Description

The present invention relates to a device for opening a hood of a motor vehicle comprising a frame adapted to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, a part mounted in translation in the frame adapted to fix the end of a cable of which the other end is fixed to another device for opening and closing the cover housed below the cover, a handle secured to the frame and adapted to exert a tensile force on the cable, a lock, a locking pin secured to the lock adapted to lock the handle relative to the frame.

It is particularly applicable to the opening of motor vehicle engine hood and, in particular, those of the cabriolet type vehicles.

The controls that open the bonnet of a motor vehicle currently existing are easily accessible when one is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The principles of these existing controls on cabriolet type vehicles, for example those using cables to open a lock fixed under the bonnet, do not prohibit access to the engine compartment when the vehicle is in the discovery configuration.

Such a compartment is therefore also accessible to a malicious person. The inconvenience that can then occur are numerous: battery theft, damage to all or part of the organs located under the bonnet, such as the engine ....

To avoid such access, many hood opening devices for a motor vehicle have already been proposed. So, the US Patent 3,796,075 discloses a mechanism for opening a bonnet lock comprising a frame screwed into the passenger compartment of the vehicle in which a sleeve-shaped handle can be slid inside which the opening cable is fixed. of the cover and is fixed a lock which allows the locking in translation of said slide.

Such a mechanism has several disadvantages: on the one hand, the user must exert a strong traction force to open the engine hood; on the other hand, a malicious person can use the handle to force the mechanism even when locking the lock and thus open the engine hood easily.

The object of the invention is then to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide an opening device of the type mentioned above in which the handle can not be used as a lever to force the opening of the engine hood even in the case of locked lock .

To do this, the invention relates to a device for opening a hood of a motor vehicle comprising a frame adapted to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, a part mounted in translation in the frame adapted to fix, in the mounting position of the opening device, the end of a cable whose other end is fixed to another device for opening and closing the cover housed below the cover, a handle secured to the frame and adapted for exerting a pulling force on the cable, a lock, a locking finger integral with the lock,
characterized in that the lock is mounted in a slide mounted in translation relative to the frame and whose translation is provided by the handle and in that the interlocking locking finger of the lock is pivotally mounted in the part itself mounted in translation in the frame, between a position where the locking finger does not translate said workpiece when the user pulls on the handle, and a position where the locking finger drives in translation said workpiece when the user pulls on the handle, said piece then exerting, in the mounting position of the opening device, a traction effect on the cable.

The invention thus proposes a lock which is not integral with the operating handle, which constitutes an additional safety compared with known devices. A malicious person can then use the handle to force the device and manage to open the lock located under the bonnet.

In addition, with a transformation of the rotational movement of the handle into a translation of the slide, the invention makes it possible to reduce the effort that the user must exert on the handle to open the hood.

Preferably, the handle is pivotally mounted around the slide in which the lock is mounted.

More preferably, the pivoting of the handle around the slide is provided by a pinion / rack mechanism implanted on the handle and the slide.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle comprises a curved end portion provided with a toothing reproducing the profile of a pinion portion and the slide has an end portion provided with a toothing complementary to that of the pinion and reproducing the profile of a rack part.

Preferably, the device according to the invention comprises a pivot axis mounted on the frame and around which is mounted the handle.

According to a advantageous characteristic of the invention, the part to which is fixed the cable is provided with a recess of circular section of diameter substantially equal to the length of the locking pin and opening on a rectangular section of the width of channel substantially equal to that of the locking finger.

Depending on the technical and / or economic constraints, the lock is of the mechanical or electrical type.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a device as described above in which the hood opened by the device is the engine bonnet of the vehicle.

The vehicle concerned can then be of the coupe-cabriolet type.

Advantageously, the frame of the device according to the invention is fixed on the dashboard or on the front wing liner.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective éclatée d'un dispositif selon l'invention en position verrouillée du capot;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective éclatée d'un dispositif selon l'invention en position déverrouillée du capot.

Other advantageous features will become apparent hereinafter on reading the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the following figures in which:

• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device according to the invention in the locked position of the cover;
• Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a device according to the invention in the unlocked position of the cover.

In Figure 1 there is shown a device for opening a bonnet according to the invention located inside the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

This device is constituted first of a frame 1 of parallelepipedal shape open U screwed directly on the dashboard of the vehicle by means of screws not shown.

This frame 1 is pierced with an opening to through which a cable 2 provided with a sleeve end 3 is slidable.

One end of this cable 2 is fixed to an opening control slide 4 of parallelepipedal shape complementary to that inside the frame 1.

This control slider 4 has at its center a substantially circular opening 41 which opens onto a groove of rectangular section 42 whose width is substantially equal to that of a locking pin 5.

This locking pin 5 has in its center a parallelepipedal shape extended at its ends by two symmetrical circular portions 51 such that the distance separating these two circular portions 51 is substantially equal to the diameter of the circular opening 41 of the control slide 4.

The frame 1 also has two identical hinges 11 each disposed on a lateral branch of the frame and between which is disposed a pivot axis 12.

A handle / control lever 6 is pivotally mounted about this pivot axis 12. This handle 6 has an end portion provided with a right toothing 61 which partially reproduces the profile of a pinion. It also has a circular opening 62 which allows access to a lock 7 whose lower part ends with a lug 71.

This lock 7 is in this embodiment a mechanical lock and the circular opening is of sufficient size to pass a key. This lock 7 is mounted in a circular opening 81 of a support slide 8 of generally parallelepipedal square shape and the lug 71 is housed by fitting into the locking finger 5.

This slider 8 has on one of its sides a right toothing partially reproducing the profile of a rack 82. This slider is placed on the top of the opening of the frame 1 and is slidable. Sliding, as will be described later, is caused by rotation of the handle 6 whose gear 61 meshes with that 82 of the slider 8 and thus causes the rearward translation of the slider 8.

The locking finger 5 integral with the lock 7 is adapted to lock the slide 4 relative to the slide 8.

The operation of the device will now be explained in detail.

When the lock 7 locks the locking finger 5, the latter is in a position perpendicular to the pivot axis 12 disposed on the frame, that is to say in the axis of the groove 42 of the opening control slide 4. When a person pulls on the handle / lever 6, its toothing 61 meshes with that of the support slide 82 of the lock which translates towards the rear of the frame (arrow f). The locking finger 5 secured to the lock is then driven into the groove.

The slider 4 for opening the hood remains fixed with respect to the frame (Figure 1). The slider 4 then exerts no traction force on the cable 2, the engine cover remains closed.

When a user wishes to open the engine cover, he opens the lock 7 so that the locking pin 5 rotates 90 ° and is arranged parallel to the pivot axis 12 (Figure 1). The user then pulls on the handle / lever 6 whose teeth 61 meshes with that of the slide 82 support of lock, which causes the translation of the locking finger to the rear (arrow f). The locking finger 5 then drives in translation also towards the rear (arrow f) the slide 4 opening control hood. This movement then causes a tensile stress on the cable 2, and the opening of the bonnet not shown.

It should be noted that the handle / lever 6 is always operable with the same amplitude whether it is in the locked position or not.

The invention which has just been described thus proposes a device for opening a vehicle hood which has few parts, which is reliable and compact.

Such a device can be implanted in the passenger compartment of any motor vehicle and in particular, the cabriolet and coupe-cabriolet type vehicles.

It goes without saying that many improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the lock shown 7 may be of the electric type and triggered remotely by the vehicle owner. This trigger can for example be made from a button on the key of the vehicle.

Claims (10)

1. Device for opening the bonnet of a motor vehicle comprising a frame (1) adapted to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, a part (4) mounted in translation in the frame adapted for fixing, in the position for mounting the opening device, the end of a cable (2) the other end of which is fixed to another device for opening and closing the bonnet housed below the bonnet, a handle (6) integral with the frame and adapted to exert a tractive effort on the cable (2), a lock (7), a locking pin (5) integral with the lock, characterised in that the lock is mounted in a slider (8) mounted in translation with respect to the frame and the translation of which is ensured by the handle (6) and in that the locking pin integral with the lock is mounted so as to pivot in the part (4), itself mounted in translation in the frame, between a position where the locking pin (5) does not drive said part (4) in translation when the user pulls on the handle (6), and a position where the locking pin (5) drives said part (4) in translation when the user pulls on the handle (6), said part (4) then exerting, in the position for mounting the opening device, an effect of traction on the cable (2).
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the handle is mounted so as to pivot about the slider in which the lock is mounted.
3. Device according to Claim 2, characterised in that the pivoting of the handle about the slider is ensured by a rack-and-piriion mechanism (61, 82) installed on the handle and the slider.
4. Device according to Claim 3, characterised in that the handle comprises a curved outermost portion provided with teeth (61) reproducing the profile of a portion of a pinion and in that the slider comprises an outermost portion (82) provided with teeth complementary to those of the pinion and reproducing the profile of a portion of a rack.
5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a pivoting axis (12) mounted on the frame and about which the handle is mounted.
6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the part to which the cable is fixed is provided with a recess (41) of circular section with a diameter substantially equal to the length of the locking pin and leading to a channel (42) of rectangular section of a width substantially equal to that of the locking pin.
7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lock is of mechanical or electric type.
8. Motor vehicle equipped with a device according to any one of the preceding claims in which the bonnet opened by the device is the bonnet over the engine of the vehicle.
9. Vehicle according to Claim 8, characterised in that it is of the coupé-convertible type.
10. Vehicle according to Claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the frame is fixed to the instrument panel or the lining of the front wing.

Images