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(11) | EP 0 000 277 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Hinge assembly and vehicle including same |
| (57) hinge assembly (10) for pivotally mounting a vehible- engine compartment hood (12)
in position over an engine compartment (15) for swinging about a first horizontal
axis (22) from a closed to an open position. The hinge assembly includes hinge members
(24, 26) connected to the hood (12) and engine compartment (15) respectively. The
compartment hinge member (26) includes cam means (36) arranged to be acted upon by
a cam follower (54) carried on a force transmitting member (40) pivoted on the compartment
hinge member (26) about a second axis (44) spaced from the first axis (22). A spring
(58) maintains the follower (54) in contact with the cam means (36) and applies a
swinging force to the hood in opposition to the weight of the hood so that a substantially
constant manual effort is required to swing the hood through a substantial part of
its swinging movement towards the open position. |
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to hinge assemblies and more particularly to assembly for use with the hoods of vehicle engine compartments.
Background Art
[0002] On some vehicles such as large tractors and off-the-road equipment hoods over the engine compartment become extremely large and heavy and difficult to open manually. Various forms of hinge arrangements have been employed but for the most.part they become extremely complex and utilize a multitude of linkages and springs which are difficult to install and maintain in operative condition.
Disclosure of Invention
[0003] It is an object-of the present invention to provide an improved form of hinge assembly for mounting a vehicle engine compartment hood.
[0004] According to the present invention there is provided a hinge assembly for a vehicle having an engine compartment with a hood opening and a hood for closing the opening, the hinge assembly including hinge members connected to the hood and the engine compartment respectively, said members being pivotally connected to each other for swinging movement of the hood about a first horizontal axis from a closed to an open position, the compartment hinge member including cam means fixed relative to the first axis, a towards its open position after it has passed through the vertical position.
[0005] 4. A hinge assembly according to any one of claims
tc 3 characterised in that the cam means comprises a cam member (36) having a cam surface (56) for engagement by
cam follower ,means (54), the cam surface being shaped sc that the distance from the second axis (44) of the point of ccntact of the cam follower means with said surface varies as the cam follower means moves along said surface during
of the hood (12).
[0006] 5. A hinge assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the cam follower means comprises a member (54) rotatably mounted on the force-transmitting member (40) for rolling contact with the cam means (36, 56).
[0007] 6. A hinge assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the force-transmitting member (40) is pivotally mounted on the hood hinge member (24).
[0008] 7. A vehicle (16) with an engine compartment hood (12) said vehicle being characterised in that the hood is mounred on a hinge assembly (10) according to claim 2 and in that a releasably latch assembly (64) is also provided for holding the hood in its closed position, the hood being arranged to swins to the partially open position on release of the laton assembly
[0009] 8. A vehicle (16) according to claim 7 characterised in that the hinge assembly (10) is concealed within the engine compartment (15) when the hood (12) is in its closed position. when the hood is in its closed position.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0010] One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle with a hinged engine compartment hood;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a hinge assembly in accordance >with the invention used to mount the hood of Figure 1 and viewed from within the engine compartment;
Figure 3 is an end view of the hinge assembly seen in Figure 2 looking rearwardly of the vehicle;
Figure 4 is a side elevation similar to Figure 2 but at an enlarged scale and showing the hood in a partially open position;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the hood in a fully opened position, and
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the hood latch assembly used to maintain the hood in a closed position.
Best Mode of Carrying Out Invention
[0011] Referring to the drawings, the hinge assembly of the present invention is designated at 10 and is used to support a hood 12 closing the opening 14 giving access to an engine compartment 15 of a vehicle 16. The forward end of the opening 14 is defined by cowl 17 extending over and rearwardly from a grill 18.
[0012] A pair of the hinge assemblies 10 are used to support the hood 12 for movement from the closed position relative to the opening 14 of the engine compartment 15 as seen in Figure 2 to the open position seen in full line in Figure 1 and also in Figure 5. Opening and closing movement of the hood is about a horizontal hinge axis formed by a pin indicated at 22. Each of the pair of hinge assemblies 10
[0014] The hood hinge member 24 includes a pair of seacel C-shaped arm members 28 formed rigidly with a base number 30 which serves to maintain the arm members 28 in fixed spaced-apart relationship to each other. The base member 30 extends generally longitudinally of the hood 12 and is adapted to be bolted to the latter. The forward ends of the arm members 28 pivotally receive the pin 22 which defines the horizontal hinge axis. The pin 22 is supported by a U-shaped bracket member 34 which is bolted or otherwise fastened to the cowl 17 of the engine compartment 10. The U-shaped bracket has a cam member 36 in the form of a plate extending generally longitudinally of the engine compartment at the underside of the cowl 17.
[0015] The spaced arm members 28 support a force-transmitting member which is in the form of a pair of parallel bell cranks. 40 beld in fixed, spaced-apart relationship on opposite ends of a tubular member 42. A pin 44 passes through the tubular member 42 and opposite ends of this pin are held in bosses 46 supported in axially aligned relationship on the inboard sides of the arm members 28. One arm 48 of each of the bell cranks 40 is provided with a boss 50 which supports the opposite ends of a pin 52. The pin 52 rotatably supports a cam follower in the form of a roller 54 which engages a csm surface 56 on the edge of the cam member 36.
[0017] The cam surface 56 is shaded so that as the roller 54 moves along the surface 56 the distance between the pin 44 and the surface 56 increases. Thus there is a tendency for the hood 12 to be urged upwardly under the influence of the springs 58 so that the bell cranks 40 can rotate in a clockwise sense under the action of the springs 58, this clockwise rotation of the bell cranks 40 being permitted by the increasing distance between the pin 44 and surface 50.
[0018] The hood is maintained in its closed position by a latch assembly 64 including a latch member 66 pivoted relative to the hood 12 for movement about a latch pin 68. The lower end of the latch member 66 is provided with a recess 70 adapted to engage a lock pin 72 held in fixed relationship relative to the engine compartment 15. The latch member 66 is urged to a latched position in which the recess 70 receives the lock pin 72 by a spring 73 one end of which is anchored to the underside of hood 12 and the other end to the latch member 66 so that the latter is urged in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 6, The lower end of the latch member 66 is provided with a beveled or cam surface 74 which acts to engage the pin 72 and moves the latch member 66 in a clockwise direction during closing movement of the hood 12.
[0019] To release the latch assembly 64 the latch member 66 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction against the force of the spring 73 by exerting a manual force on the pad 76 located at the rearward edge of the hood 12. This moves the recess 70 of latch member 66 out of engagement with lock pin 72 to permit the springs 58 to rotate the bell cranks 40 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 relative to the arm members 28 and cause the hood 12 to move to an ajar or slightly open position as illustrated in dash lines in Figure 1 or as shown in Figure 4.
[0020] from its partially open position through a generally vertical position a position at an angle where the hood rests agairut stops to prevent further rotation.
[0021] In actual practice the initial opening of the hood without the assistance of any physical effort is for the first twenty degrees of movement after which the hood may be rotated through an arc of approximately an additional 120 degrees to its fully open position.
[0022] The profile of the cam surface 56 is arranged to be such that a varying force is applied to the hood 12 which is generally inversely proportional to the effort required to move the hood through its arcuate path. It will be understood, for example, that if the movement of the hood were not assisted, the effort required to open the hood would be large initially and decrease as the hood approached a generally vertical position in which its mass is in vertical balance. Movement beyond the vertically balanced position is assisted by the force of gravity until the hood reaches its fully open position seen in Figure 5. The -:prings 58 apply the roller 54 against the cam surface 56 and the profile of the cam surface 56 is such that a force is applied to the hood which is inversely proportional to the effort that would otherwise be required to open the hood. Thus after the initial opening movement of the hood to the Figure 4 position under the effort of the springs alone, the hood 12 can be moved through
roller 54 to contact the underside of the cowl 17
pas.ses through its vertical position, further movement
the fully open position shown in Figure 5 thus causes
cranks 40 to rotate in an anti-clockwise sense about
44 so extending the springs 58.
[0023] It will be noted that the entire hing ssembly is concealed within the engine compartment and that the linge or horizontal axis 22 is disposed beneath the cowl 17 and somewhat forwardly of the forward edge of the hood 12. The assembly 10 can be installed as a unit or the hood hinge subassembly 24 and compartment hinge subassembly 26 may be installed separately with the subsequent insertion of the hinge pin 22 since all of the components of the assembly 20 are mounted on either of the subassemblies without additional attachments for linkages or the like.
1. A hinge assembly (10) for a vehicle (16) having an engine compartment (15) with
a hood opening and a hood (12) for closing the opening, the hinge assembly including
hinge members (24, 26) connected to the hood and the engine compartment respectively
said members being pivotally connected.to each other for swinging movement of the
hood about a first horizontal axis (22) from a closed to an open position, the hinge
assembly being characterised in that the compartment hinge member (26) includes means
(36) fixed relative to the first axis, a force-transmitting member (40) is pivoted
relative to the hood hinge member (24) about a second axis (44) spaced from the first
axis (22) and has cam follower means (54) for engagement with the cam means (56),
and spring means (58) are arranged to apply pivoting force to the force-transmitting
member (40) to maintain the cam follower means in engagement with the cam means during
swinging of the nood about the first axis and apply a swinging force to the hood in
opposition to the weight of the hood during opening, the arrangement being such that
a substantially constant manual effort is required to swing the hood through a substantial
part of said swing movement towards the open position.
2. A hinge assembly according to claim 1 characterised in that the pivoting force
of the spring means (58) is sufficient to move the hood (12) to a partially open position
without requiring any manual effort.
3. A hinge assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 tharacterised in that the hood
(12) swings upwardly and through a vertical position on its way to its open position,
the spring means (58) being arranged to provide assistance in the upward swinging
of the hood and to oppose the movement of the hood
