Safety arrangement

• US 20060118348A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Haglund, Lennart
• Granted Patent: US 7,621,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/38 using means for lifting bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/16 of the telescopic type
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/19 Pyrotechnical actuators

Abstract

A lifting unit (1) to lift the rear part of a hood or bonnet in the event that an accident should arise comprises an inner cylindrical guide (2) to receive gas from a gas generator and telescopically mounted on the guide, to telescopically interconnected cylindrical piston elements (12, 17). There is a certain degree of play between the telescopically interconnected units to facilitate a virtual pivoting movement of the hood or bonnet to be lifted by the lifting unit.

Claims

1. A lifting unit for lifting the rear part of a hood or bonnet, the lifting unit comprising a hollow cylindrical guide and at least one piston moveable relative to the hollow cylindrical guide, the piston being of hollow cylindrical form.

2. A lifting unit according to claim 1 wherein the lifting unit further comprises two pistons each of the pistions moveable relative to the guide and each of the Pistons moveable relative to the others of the pistons.

3. A lifting unit according to claim 2 wherein both of the pistons are of hollow cylindrical form, both of the pistons being telescopically inter-engaged, the innermost of the piston telescopically engaging the cylindrical guide.

4. A lifting unit according to claim 2 wherein the lifting unit further comprises one of the pistons moveable relative to the guide and the one piston having a piston head and a piston rod moveable relative to the said cylindrical piston.

5. A lifting unit according to claim 4 wherein the piston rod is connected to the piston head by a yieldable coupling to enable the piston rod to be deflected from an initial axis of movement of the piston rod.

6. A lifting unit according to claim 4 wherein the piston head is provided with a peripheral resilient sealing ring to facilitate deflection of the piston rod from an initial axis of movement of the piston rod.

7. A lifting unit according to claim 2 wherein the lifting unit defines an inner hollow cylindrical guide and an outer hollow cylindrical guide, the piston being located between the inner cylinder guide and the outer guide sleeve.

8. A lifting unit according to claim 7 wherein an outer part of the inner cylindrical guide defines a first groove and an inner part of the piston defines a second groove, the grooves being co-aligned when the piston is an initial condition relative to the inner cylindrical guide, there being a releasable element contained within the grooves to retain the piston in the initial condition.

9. A lifting unit according to claim 7 wherein the outer hollow guide sleeve is provided with a re-entrant top portion configured to engage a piston head provided on the piston.

10. A lifting unit for lifting a part of a hood or bonnet, the lifting unit comprising a plurality of elements, at least one of the elements being moveable relative to another of the elements along a predetermined axis, the lifting unit being configured so that when the lifting unit is actuated at least part of the lifting unit may deviate from the axis to facilitate the effecting of a virtual pivoting movement of the rear part of the hood or bonnet.

11. A lifting unit according to claim 10 wherein the entire lifting unit is mounted to be tilted from an initial position.

12. A lifting unit according to claim 11 wherein the lifting unit is mounted with an abutment face present on the lifting unit engaging a resilient element mounted on a support, the resilient element being configured to be deformed to permit the tilting.

13. A lifting unit according to any one of claims 10 wherein at least one part of the unit being yieldable to enable one element to be deflected from the axis on deployment of the lifting element.

14. A lifting element according to claim 10 wherein the lifting element incorporates a piston having a piston head and a piston rod, the piston rod being connected to the piston head with a yieldable coupling so that the piston rod may become deflected from the axis.

15. A lifting unit according claim 14 wherein the piston rod has a relatively narrow portion which passes through an aperture formed in part of the piston head, a resilient washer being trapped adjacent piston head by a flange provided on the piston rod.

16. A lifting unit according claim 14 wherein the piston head is provided with a resilient sealing washer capable of deforming to permit one element of the lifting unit to become inclined.

17. A lifting unit according to claim 10 wherein a piston is provided with a mounting lug provided with an aperture to receive a pivot pin.