Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
  • B62D25/08—Front or rear portions
  • B62D25/10—Bonnets or lids, e.g. for trucks, tractors, busses, work vehicles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/34—Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians
  • B60R21/38—Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians using means for lifting bonnets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
  • B62D25/08—Front or rear portions
  • B62D25/10—Bonnets or lids, e.g. for trucks, tractors, busses, work vehicles
  • B62D25/12—Parts or details thereof
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
  • E05B77/00—Vehicle locks characterised by special functions or purposes
  • E05B77/02—Vehicle locks characterised by special functions or purposes for accident situations
  • E05B77/08—Arrangements for protection of pedestrians
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
  • E05B83/00—Vehicle locks specially adapted for particular types of wing or vehicle
  • E05B83/16—Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
  • E05B83/24—Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets for car bonnets
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
  • E05D3/00—Hinges with pins
  • E05D3/02—Hinges with pins with one pin
  • E05D3/022—Hinges with pins with one pin allowing an additional lateral movement, e.g. for sealing
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO HINGES OR OTHER SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS AND DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION, CHECKS FOR WINGS AND WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
  • E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
  • E05Y2900/50—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for vehicles
  • E05Y2900/53—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for vehicles characterised by the type of wing
  • E05Y2900/536—Hoods

Definitions

• THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety arrangement, and more particularly relates to a safety arrangement for a motor vehicle to provide protection for a pedestrian struck by the vehicle in an accident situation.
• a pedestrian If a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle in an accident situation, the pedestrian may be thrown in such a way that the head or torso of the pedestrian impacts with the hood or bonnet of the motor vehicle.
• the hood or bonnet of the motor vehicle may thus deform as a consequence of such impact, but, if the hood or bonnet is closed, then the hood or bonnet may only deform by a very short distance before the underside of the hood or bonnet will engage with part of the engine located under the hood or bonnet.
• a bonnet or hood must be raised for servicing purposes about hinges provided at the rear part of the bonnet, thereby allowing the front part of the bonnet to be opened upwardly so that easy access can be gained to the engine compartment from the front of the vehicle. Consequently, it has been necessary to devise special hinge arrangements which firstly enable the bonnet to be lifted from the front in the normal way, about a pivot axis defined at the rear of the bonnet or hood by the hinges (thereby allowing easy servicing of the vehicle), and which additionally permit the rear part of the bonnet to be raised in an accident situation.
• the front region of the bonnet is provided with a locking mechanism which releasably locks the front part of the bonnet with respect to the front part of the chassis of the motor vehicle. The locking mechanism can thus be released to allow the bonnet to be opened from the front to allow servicing.
• the present invention seeks to provide an improved safety device of the type intended to allow the rear part of a hood or bonnet to be lifted in response to an accident situation involving an impact with a pedestrian.
• a safety arrangement to lift the rear part of the hood or bonnet of a motor vehicle
• the safety arrangement comprising a hinge connecting the rear part of the hood or bonnet to the main part of the vehicle to permit the front part of the hood or bonnet to be opened
• the hinge having: a first hinge part and a second hinge part, one of said hinge parts being secured to or formed integrally with the main part of the vehicle and the other hinge part being secured to or formed integrally with the rear part of the hood or bonnet; a hinge arm pivotally connected at one end to said first hinge part and connected at its other end to said second hinge part, said connection between said other end of the hinge arm and said second hinge part comprising a moveable pivot to allow rotational movement of the hinge arm relative to said second hinge part, said moveable pivot being moveable with respect to said second hinge part between a first position and a second position, the second position being spaced rearwardly of the first position; said hinge arm being releasably connected to said second hinge part such that said
• said other end of the hinge arm is connected to said second hinge part via a connecting element located between the hinge arm and second hinge part, said connecting element being pivotally connected to said other end of the hinge arm by said moveable pivot and pivotally connected to said second hinge part by a second pivot, such that the connecting element pivots about said second pivot during lifting of the rear part of the hood or bonnet, thereby moving the moveable pivot rearwardly.
• said second hinge part is secured to or formed integrally with the main part of the motor vehicle.
• said moveable pivot is slideably received within an elongate slot formed on said second hinge part.
• said second hinge part is secured to or formed integrally with the rear part of the hood or bonnet.
• the safety arrangement comprises a tether connected at one end to one of said hinge parts, and connected at its other end to the other hinge part or to the hinge arm.
• the safety arrangement further comprises an elongate support arm, one end of the support arm being pivotally connected to said hinge arm at a position between its two ends, and the other end of the support arm being pivotally connected to said second hinge part at a position spaced rearwardly of said moveable pivot.
• said support arm has a length effective to limit the degree of rotational movement between said hinge arm and said second hinge part during lifting of the rear part of the hood or bonnet.
• said safety mechanism comprises a tether connected at one end to one of said hinge parts and connected at its other end to said support arm.
• said release mechanism is acruable by a pyrotechnic charge.
• said release mechanism comprises a moveable locking pin carried by said second hinge part, the locking pin being received within a locking aperture provided on the hinge arm.
• the safety arrangement further comprises a lifting element located beneath the rear part of the hood or bonnet and actuable to lift the rear part of the hood or bonnet.
• said release mechanism is actuable in response to actuation of said lifting element.
• said lifting element is actuable in response to actuation of said release mechanism.
• the safety arrangement further comprises a locking arrangement to releasably lock the front part of the hood or bonnet in a closed position, the locking arrangement comprising a locking element carried by the front part of the hood or bonnet, and a locking mechanism provided on the main part of the vehicle to releasably engage said locking element, whilst allowing downwards movement of the locking element relative to the main part of the vehicle.
• said locking mechanism is configured to releasably engage said locking element whilst allowing sliding movement of said locking element relative to said mechanism.
• said locking mechanism comprises a plate having a slot formed therein, said locking element being releasably retained within said slot for sliding movement therein.
• said locking element is mounted to the front part of said hood or bonnet for deflection relative to said hood or bonnet.
• Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view through the front part of a hood or bonnet of a motor vehicle, illustrating the hood or bonnet in its normal position relative to a front part of the vehicle's bodywork;
• Figure 2 is a view corresponding generally to that of Figure 1, but illustrating the hood or bonnet in an alternate position in which the rear part of the hood or bonnet has been lifted, to show the technical problems associated with prior proposed safety devices;
• Figure 3 is a view corresponding generally to that of Figure 2, but illustrating the hood or bonnet in a position in which the rear part of the hood or bonnet has been lifted and the hood or bonnet moved backwards slightly away from the front part of the motor vehicle's bodywork;
• Figure 4 is a schematic view illustrating a safety arrangement in accordance with the present invention installed under the rear part of a hood or bonnet;
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of the safety arrangement illustrated in Figure 4.
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of a hinge arrangement forming part of the present invention, showing the hinge arrangement in an open, actuated configuration
• Figure 7 is a perspective view of the hinge arrangement illustrated in
• Figure 8 is a schematic view generally corresponding to that of Figure 5, but illustrating the hinge arrangement opened in a manner to allow the front part of the hood or bonnet to be opened;
• Figure 9 is a perspective view corresponding generally to that of Figure 7, but illustrating the hinge arrangement in the configuration illustrated in Figure 8;
• Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of the safety arrangement of the present invention in its actuated configuration;
• Figure 11 is a view corresponding generally to that of Figure 4, but illustrating the safety arrangement in its actuated configuration, having lifted the rear part of the hood or bonnet;
• Figure 12 is a schematic illustration of a hinge of an alternative hinge arrangement forming part of another embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 13 illustrates a locking arrangement provided at the front of the hood or bonnet, in a normal configuration
• Figure 14 illustrates the locking arrangement of Figure 13 from below
• Figure 15 illustrates the locking arrangement of Figures 13 and 14 in an alternate configuration, adopted when the rear part of the hood or bonnet has been moved upwardly and rearwardly;
• Figure 16 is a view of an alternative configuration of locking mechanism provided at the front part of the hood or bonnet;
• Figure 17 illustrates the locking arrangement of Figure 16 from below.
• Figure 18 illustrates the locking arrangement of Figures 16 and 17 in an alternate configuration in which the rear part of the hood or bonnet has been move upwardly and rearwardly.
• Figure 1 there is illustrated, in schematic form, the front region of a hood or bonnet 1 of a motor vehicle.
• the hood or bonnet 1 is illustrated in its normal, closed, position in which the forwardmost edge 2 of the hood or bonnet 1 is located substantially adjacent and flush with a forwardmost part of the motor vehicle's bodywork 3, located in front and below the hood or bonnet 1. It would be seen that the front edge 2 of the hood or bonnet 1 is spaced from the bodywork 3 to define a relatively small "panel- gap" 4 therebetween.
• a locking loop 5 Extending downwardly from the front region of the hood or bonnet 1 is a locking loop 5 which is engaged and prevented from upwards movement by a releasable catch element 6 in a manner known er se.
• Figure 2 illustrates the bonnet or hood 1 in a position in which the rear part of the bonnet or hood 1 has been lifted vertically, for example by a prior- art type of safety arrangement so as to move the main part of the hood or bonnet away from the engine block located therebelow, thereby providing a sufficient gap to allow the hood or bonnet to deform when hit by a pedestrian, thereby absorbing energy from the impact with the pedestrian.
• the front end of the hood or bonnet 1 pivots about the locking catch 6 and therefore, because the forwardmost edge to the hood or bonnet 1 extends forwardly from the locking catch 6, the forwardmost edge 2 is caused to move further forward and downwardly as the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 is lifted.
• the forwardmost edge 2 engages the front part of the bodywork 3, which can cause the forward edge 2 and/or the bodywork 3, to become permanently deformed which, as described hereinbefore, is disadvantageous. It is therefore desirable to seek to achieve movement of the hood or bonnet 1 towards a position generally as illustrated in Figure 3, as the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 is lifted.
• Figure 3 it will be seen that the entire hood or bonnet 1 has been moved backwards relative to the structure of the vehicle as its rearmost part is lifted. This allows the forwardmost edge 2 of the hood or bonnet 1, to move downwardly, whilst remaining clear of the front part of the bodywork 3, thereby avoiding damage to the front edge 2 or the bodywork 3.
• the safety arrangement of the present invention is configured to achieve this type of movement of the hood or bonnet 1 in response to a signal indicative of an imminent collision with a pedestrian.
• FIG 4 there is illustrated a safety arrangement 7 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, installed underneath the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1.
• the illustrated safety arrangement 7 comprises a lifter 8 in the form of a piston which is actuable upon receipt of an appropriate signal from a crash sensor (not shown) so as to extend in length (for example as illustrated in Figure 10), thereby driving the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 upwardly.
• the piston could be replaced with a lifter of any other convenient form such as, for example, a bellows arrangement or some form of inflatable air bag arrangement.
• the safety arrangement also comprises a pair of hinges 9 (only one such hinge being illustrated), located underneath the rear part of the hood or bonnet and mounted between the hood or bonnet and the main part of the motor vehicle at either side of the hood or bonnet.
• One of the hinges 9 is illustrated most clearly in Figure 6.
• the hinge 9 illustrated in Figure 6 is designed to be installed under the left hand side of the hood or bonnet and is shown viewed from the rear and outer left-hand side.
• a corresponding (“mirror-image”) hinge is installed under the right-hand side of the hood or bonnet.
• the hinge 9, comprises a lower hinge part 10, and upper hinge part 11 and a hinge arm 12, interconnecting the two hinge parts 10,11.
• the hinge part 10 has a generally elongate vertical side plate 13 carrying an inwardly directed mounting flange 14 from its lowermost edge.
• the inwardly directed flange 14 has a pair of mounting apertures 15 formed therethrough to allow the lower hinge part 10 to be securely mounted, for example by a pair of bolts, to the main part of the motor vehicle, at a position below the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1.
• the side plate 13 of the lower hinge part 10 is generally rectangular in form, but the forwardmost part of the side plate 13 has an upwardly directed extension defining a part-circular uppermost edge 16.
• the rear part of the side plate 13 extends past the mounting flange 14 and carries a release mechanism 17 which is mounted to the side plate via a mounting aperture formed through the side plate.
• the release mechanism 17 has a locking spigot 18 which is initially directed outwardly towards the side of the vehicle and is operable by a pyrotechnic charge so as to move inwardly (as shown in Figure 6) upon actuation of the pyrotechnic charge.
• the purpose of locking spigot 18 will become clear hereinafter.
• An elongate, but relatively short connecting element 19 is pivotally mounted to the outer side of the side plate 13 so as to be pivotally moveable relative to the side plate 13 about a pivot 20 which is coincident with the centre of the circle defining the part-circular edge 16.
• the other end of the connecting element 19 is pivotally connected (at 21) to the forwardmost end of the hinge arm 12.
• Connection between the forwardmost end of the hinge arm 12 and the connecting element 19 is made via an inwardly directed pivot pin having an innermost circular flange 22 forming a stop (illustrated in Figure 8) which is spaced slightly from the outermost surface of the connecting element 19 and is sized so as to extend across the part-circular edge part 16 of the side plate 13 as illustrated in Figure 8.
• the rear end of the hinge arm 12 is provided with a locking aperture 23 therethrough which is sized and positioned to receive the locking spigot 18 when the hinge is folded into its closed configuration as illustrated generally in Figure 7.
• the rear part of the hinge arm 12 also carries an upwardly and rearwardly directed extension 24 which is pivotally connected via a pivot 25 to the rearmost end of the upper hinge part 11.
• the hinge part 11 carries an inwardly directed mounting flange 26 for securement to part of the underside of the hood or bonnet 1.
• the hinge mechanism 9 also comprises an elongate support arm 27 which serves to interconnect the central part of the hinge arm 12 and the rear part of the lower hinge part 10.
• One end of the support arm 27 is pivotally connected via a pivot 29 to the outer side of the side plate 13 at a position spaced slightly in front of the release mechanism 17.
• the other end of the support arm 27 is pivotally connected, via a pivot 30 to the inner side of the hinge arm 12, at a position substantially centrally between the pivot 21 at the front edge of the hinge arm 12 and the locking aperture 23 of the rear end of the hinge arm 12.
• Figure 6 illustrates the hinge mechanism 9 in a fully open configuration whereas, in normal use, with the hood or bonnet 1 of the motor vehicle being closed, the hinge mechanism 9 is closed up to adopt the configuration illustrated in Figure 7.
• the hinge arm 12 lies generally adjacent to the outer side of the side plate 13, with the support arm 27 and the connecting element 19 located generally between the hinge arm 12 and the side plate 13.
• the connecting arm 19 rotates about its pivot 20 such that the flange 22 moves forwardly so as to adopt the position illustrated in Figure 8.
• the outwardly-directed locking spigot 18 engages the locking aperture 23, thereby locking the hinge arm 12 in position relative to the lower hinge part 10.
• the upper hinge part 11 remains free to rotate about the extension 24 of the hinge arm 12 and hence allows the hood or bonnet 1 to be opened from its front end, so as to pivot about an axis extending transversely through the pivot 25.
• This allows the hood or bonnet 1 to be opened as illustrated in Figure 8, thereby providing convenient access to the engine compartment located below the hood or bonnet 1.
• the locking mechanism at the front end of the hood or bonnet serves to retain the hood or bonnet in its normal position, and the upper hinge part 11 lies substantially adjacent the outer surface of the hinge part 12, positioned above the side plate 13 of the lower hinge part 10 as illustrated, for example, in Figures 5 and 7.
• the lifter 8 and the release mechanism 17 are actuated substantially simultaneously, or in response to one another.
• the locking spigot 18 is thus driven inwardly under the action of the pyrotechnic charge within the locking mechanism 17, thereby moving out of engagement with the locking aperture 23 and releasing the hinge arm 12 from the lower hinge part 10.
• the lifter 8 serves to lift the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 and hence the hinge mechanism 9 opens up towards the position illustrated in Figures 6, 10 and 11.
• the rear part of the hinge arm 12 moves upwardly causing the hinge arm 12 to rotate relative to the lower hinge part 10, via its pivotal connection 21 to the connecting element 19.
• the support arm 27 also moves upwardly, pivoting about its pivotal connection 29 to the lower hinge part 10.
• the length of the support arm 27 is configured to restrict the degree of rotational movement of the hinge arm 12 relative to the lower hinge part 10 such that when the hinge arm 12 reaches the limit of its rotational movement, further upward movement of the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 (and hence further upwards movement of the upper hinge part 11 secured to the hood or bonnet 1) causes the connecting element 19 to rotate rearwardly relative to the lower hinge part 10 such that the pivotal connection 21 between the connecting element 19 and the hinge arm 12, moves rearwardly following a part circular path centred on the pivot 20.
• the connecting element 19 moves in this way, the flange 22 moves around the part-circular edge region 16 of the side plate 13.
• FIG. 10 This rearward movement of the upper hinge part 11 is most clearly illustrated in Figure 10 where the dashed line 31 denotes the path followed by the axis of the pivotal connection 25 between the hinge arm 12 and the upper hinge part 11.
• the dashed line 32 illustrates the path which would be followed by the pivotal connection 25 if the pivotal connection between the forwardmost end of the hinge arm 12 and the lower hinge part 10 were fixed and not allowed to move rearwardly as described above.
• Path 31 when compared to path 32, clearly shows rearward movement of the upper hinge part 11 and hence rearward movement of the hood or bonnet 1 to which the upper hinge part 11 is secured.
• FIG 12 illustrates an alternative configuration of hinge mechanism forming part of a safety arrangement of the present invention.
• the hinge comprises a lower hinge part 33 secured to the main part of the motor vehicle, and an upper hinge part 34 secured to the underside of the hood or bonnet 1.
• a hinge arm 35 again serves to interconnect the lower hinge part 33 and the upper hinge part 34, but in this configuration, the rear end of the hinge arm 35 is pivotally connected to the rear part of the lower hinge part by a pivotal connection 36 which is fixed.
• the forwardmost end of the hinge arm 35 is pivotally connected to the forwardmost part of the upper hinge part 34 via a pivot 37 which is slideably received within an elongate slot 38 formed through the upper hinge part 34.
• a release mechanism 39 is provided which is substantially identical to the release mechanism 17 of the above described embodiment.
• the release mechanism 39 incorporates a spigot configured to engage a locking aperture 40 formed through the hinge arm 35.
• a support arm 41 again interconnects the upper hinge part 34 and the hinge arm 35 and is pivotally connected at one end to the upper hinge part 34 and is pivotally connected at its other end to the hinge arm 35.
• a safety tether 42 in the form of a flexible cable or wire is provided which is pivotally connected at one end 43 to the forward end of the lower hinge part 33 and which is pivotally connected at its other end 44 to the support arm 41.
• end 44 of the safety tether could instead be connected to hinge arm 35 or the upper hinge part 34.
• the hinge arm 35 lies substantially adjacent the lower hinge part 33, and the pivot 37 between the hinge arm 35 and the hinge part 34 is located at the forwardmost end of the elongate slot 38,
• the upper hinge part 34 is normally located adjacent the hinge arm 35 and is locked with respect to the hinge arm 35 by engagement between the spigot of the release mechanism 39 and the locking aperture 40.
• the flexible tether 42 has no tension applied to it and simply lies naturally under its own weight.
• the hood or bonnet 1 can be opened from its front end in a generally conventional manner such that the hinge arm 35 rotates about the pivot 36 with respect to the lower hinge part 33 which is secured to the motor vehicle.
• the spigot is moved out of engagement with the locking aperture 40, so that as the rear part of the hood or bonnet 1 is driven upwardly by the lifter (not shown in Figure 12), the hinge mechanism opens as illustrated in Figure 12.
• the hinge mechanism opens in this way, the upper hinge part 34 rotates with respect to the hinge arm 35 about the pivotal connection 37 until a point is reached at which the support arm 41 limits the rotational movement between the hinge part 34 and the hinge arm 35. When this point is reached, further upwards movement of the hood or bonnet 1 causes the pivot 37 to move rearwardly towards the rearmost part of the slot 38.
• the tether 42 can be configured such that it becomes taut as the pivot 37 engages the rear end of the slot 38. However, the tether 42 can be slightly longer so that even at the fully open position of the hinge assembly illustrated in Figure 12, the tether is not taut.
• the purpose of the tether is to prevent the rear part of the hood or bonnet becoming detached from the motor vehicle through breakage of the various pivotal connections of the hinge assembly, in the event of a frontal impact involving the car.
• the hinge assembly illustrated in Figures 2 to 11 can also be provided with a tether 42 of the type described above.
• FIG. 13 and 14 there is illustrated a locking mechanism located beneath the forwardmost end of the hood or bonnet 1, which is configured to releasably lock the forwardmost end of the hood or bonnet relative to the chassis or main part of the motor vehicle.
• the locking mechanism comprises a mounting plate 50 which is secured to the underside of the hood or bonnet 1.
• An elongate locking pin 51 depends downwardly from the mounting plate 50 and has an enlarged head 52 at its lowermost end.
• a bearing washer 53 having a peripheral inwardly turned rim 54 is provided around the locking pin 51, and a helical spring 55 is provided around the locking pin 51 so as to act between the mounting plate 50 and the bearing washer 53, to biase the bearing washer 53 away from the mounting plate 50.
• the enlarged head 52 is configured to be received through an elongate locking slot 56 formed through a locking plate 57 which is mounted to the vehicle chassis.
• a locking finger 58 is pivotally connected to the underside of the locking plate 57 via a pivot 59 at one end.
• the other end of the locking finger 58 is connected to the end of an actuating cable 60 which runs through a guide 61 depending downwardly from the undersurface ofthe plate 57.
• a spring 62 is provided around the end region of the actuating cable and acts between the locking finger 58 and the guide 60 to bias the end of the locking finger remote from the pivot 59 towards the locking slot 56.
• Figure 13 illustrates the locking mechanism in a locked configuration, in which the locking head 52 of the pin 50 has been inserted through the slot 56 formed in the plate 57.
• the tapered end surface of the locking head 52 bears against the biased finger 58, thereby rotating the finger 58 about its pivot 59, to move the finger in a clockwise direction as illustrated in Figure 14.
• the locking finger 58 is urged, under the action of the spring 62, back towards its position illustrated in Figure 14 in which it extends partially across the locking slot 56, thereby retaining the locking head 52 therebelow.
• the locking mechanism can be released by pulling the actuating cable 60 in the direction illustrated by arrow 63, and serves to rotate the locking finger 58 away from the locking slot 56 to allow the locking head 52 to move there past.
• Figure 15 illustrates the configuration of the locking mechanism after the lifting arrangement provided at the rear end of the bonnet has been actuated to lift the rear part of the bonnet. It will be seen that the front edge 2 of the bonnet has been moved rearwardly and downwardly. Rearwards movement of the front end of the bonnet is permitted by virtue of the sliding engagement of the shaft of the locking pin 52 within the locking slot 56. It will be seen from Figure 14, that at any longitudinal position of the pin 51 along the slot 56, the locking head 52 of the pin is always retained by the locking finger 58.
• Figures 16 to 18 illustrate an alternative, but largely similar, type of locking mechanism provided beneath the front part of the hood or bonnet 1.
• the locking pin 51 is mounted to the mounting plate 50 so as to allow for a degree of deflection of the pin 51 relative to the mounting plate 50, and hence also relative to the hood or bonnet 1 to which the mounting plate 50 is secured.
• the elongate locking slot 56 of the above-mentioned arrangement is replaced with a locking aperture 64 which is sized so as to receive the locking head 52 of the pin 51 therethrough, but to prevent substantial movement of the locking pin 51 relative to the plate 57.
• both of the above-mentioned locking mechanisms provided underneath the front end of the hood or bonnet 1 permit downwards and rearwards movement of the forwardmost edge 2 of the hood or bonnet 1 whilst still ensuring a secure connection between the hood or bonnet 1 and the chassis of the motor vehicle.

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Citations (9)

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• 2003
  • 2003-02-20 GB GB0303915A patent/GB2398545A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2004
  • 2004-02-02 DE DE112004000307T patent/DE112004000307T5/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-02-02 CN CNB2004800101736A patent/CN100384665C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-02-02 JP JP2006502789A patent/JP4555281B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-02-02 KR KR1020057015358A patent/KR101122190B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-02-02 WO PCT/SE2004/000130 patent/WO2004074051A1/en active Application Filing

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