Abstract:
A trunk hinge apparatus having a pop-up function includes a hinge bracket mounted to an inner panel, a trunk hinge arm hinged to the hinge bracket, an elastic spring secured to the hinge bracket, a pop-up lever hinged at a first end thereof to the hinge bracket, and elastically biased at a second end thereof by the elastic spring, and a pressure unit mounted to the trunk hinge arm to come into close contact with the pop-up lever. When the spring moves the pop-up lever, the additional arm slides along the pop-up lever, moving the trunk hinge arm.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application Number 10-2008-0045324 filed May 16, 2008, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a trunk hinge apparatus which allows a trunk lid to be easily opened. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A vehicle is provided with a trunk to carry luggage. A trunk lid hinge apparatus mounts a trunk lid to the trunk and functions to open or close the trunk and enables the easy opening of the trunk. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , a conventional trunk lid hinge apparatus includes two torsion bars which are arranged to cross each other, thus keeping a trunk lid  40  opened. Particularly, one end of a trunk lid hinge  10  is rotatably hinged to a bracket  30  coupled to the lower surface of an inner panel  20 , while the other end of the trunk lid hinge  10  is secured to the lower surface of the front of the trunk lid  40 , so that the trunk lid  40  and the trunk lid hinge  10  can operate together as one unit. 
     Further, a gas lifter  50  is installed at the trunk lid hinge  10  to open the trunk lid  40 . The gas lifter  50  applies force to the trunk lid hinge  10  via gas pressure, thus allowing a user to easily open or close the trunk lid  40 . 
     However, the conventional trunk lid hinge apparatus is problematic in that the height to which the trunk lid is initially popped-up when it is opened or closed by the operation of a latch is small, so that the opening gap of the trunk lid is narrow, and therefore a user may not recognize the opening state of the trunk lid or may feel inconvenience when opening the trunk lid. 
     The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Various aspects of the present invention have been made keeping in mind the above problems and provide for a trunk hinge apparatus having a pop-up function which allows a trunk lid to be easily raised when a trunk is opening. 
     One aspect of the present invention is directed to a trunk hinge apparatus having a pop-up function, including a hinge bracket mounted to an inner panel, a trunk hinge arm hinged to the hinge bracket, an elastic spring secured to the hinge bracket, a pop-up lever hinged at a first end thereof to the hinge bracket, and elastically biased at a second end thereof by the elastic spring, and/or a pressure unit mounted to the trunk hinge arm to come into close contact with the pop-up lever. 
     A guide surface may be provided between a pair of jaws on the pop-up lever so that the pressure unit moves along the guide surface and thereby the trunk lid may be popped up when the trunk lid may be opened. The pressure unit may include a support block secured to the trunk hinge arm, a hinge pin coupled to an end of the support block, and/or a pressure roller rotatably fitted over the hinge pin. The guide surface may be concave. A stopper may be provided at a predetermined position on the hinge bracket to limit a rotating angle of the pop-up lever. The stopper may protrude from the hinge bracket in such a way as to be placed on a path along which the second end of the pop-up lever may be rotated. 
     Other aspects of the present invention are directed to a trunk lid assemblies including a trunk lid and the above-described trunk hinge apparatuses having the pop-up function, and further still, to passenger vehicles including such trunk lid assemblies. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a trunk hinge apparatus having a pop-up function, including a hinge bracket, a trunk hinge arm hinged to the hinge bracket, a spring attached to the hinge bracket, a pop-up lever hinged at a first end thereof to the hinge bracket, and biased at a second end thereof by the spring, and/or an additional arm mounted to the trunk hinge arm and slidably contacting the pop-up lever such that when the spring moves the pop-up lever, the additional arm slides along the pop-up lever, moving the trunk hinge arm. 
     The pop-up lever may include a concave guide surface which the additional arm slidably contacts. The additional arm may include a support block secured to the trunk hinge arm, a hinge pin coupled to the support block, and/or a pressure roller rotatably fitted over the hinge pin. The hinge bracket may include a stopper to limit a rotating angle of the pop-up lever. The stopper may be disposed along a path along which the pop-up lever rotates. 
     Other aspects of the present invention are directed to a trunk lid assemblies including a trunk lid and the above-described trunk hinge apparatuses, and further still, to passenger vehicles including such trunk lid assemblies. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description of the Invention, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 2B  are views illustrating the construction of an exemplary trunk hinge apparatus having a pop-up function according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an exemplary pressure unit of the trunk hinge apparatus having the pop-up function according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views illustrating the states before and after the trunk hinge apparatus having the pop-up function according to the present invention is operated. 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the construction of an exemplary stopper of the trunk hinge apparatus having the pop-up function according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a view illustrating the construction of a conventional trunk lid hinge apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1A to 3B , according to various embodiments of the present invention, a trunk hinge apparatus is constructed so that a trunk lid  600  is opened or closed by a trunk hinge arm  500  which is rotated by a lifter  700 . Further, an improved pop-up function is provided so that a user can easily recognize whether the trunk lid is open or not. Here, since the general construction of the trunk hinge arm  500 , the lifter  700 , and the trunk lid remains the same as the construction of a trunk hinge arm, a lifter, and a trunk lid of an otherwise conventional trunk hinge apparatus for vehicles, the detailed description of the trunk hinge arm  500 , the lifter  700 , and the trunk lid will be omitted herein. 
     The trunk hinge apparatus according to various embodiments the present invention includes a hinge bracket  100  which is mounted to an inner panel of a vehicle trunk side, and an elastic spring  200  which is secured to the hinge bracket  100 . 
     The trunk hinge arm  500  is rotatably hinged to the hinge bracket  100 . One end of the trunk hinge arm  500  is rotatably hinged to the hinge bracket  100 , while the other end is coupled to the trunk lid, so that rotation of the trunk hinge arm  500  causes the trunk lid to be opened or closed. The trunk hinge arm  500  may be directly coupled to the trunk lid  600  or, as shown in  FIG. 1A , it may be disposed just below the trunk lid  600  to support and lift the trunk lid  600 . An actuating end of the lifter  700  is hinged to the trunk hinge arm  500 . The trunk hinge arm  500  may be rotated by the operation of the lifter  700 . 
     The elastic spring  200  is secured to the hinge bracket  100  and is maintained in a compressed state by the trunk hinge arm  500  when the trunk lid is closed. When the trunk lid is released, the elastic spring  200  extends, thus performing the pop-up function. Here, a pop-up lever  300  hinged to the hinge bracket  100  is elastically biased by an end of the elastic spring  200 . 
     One end of the pop-up lever  300  is hinged to the hinge bracket  100  via a lever shaft  330 , and the other end is elastically biased by the end of the elastic spring  200 . When the trunk lid is released, the pop-up lever  300  may be rotated at a predetermined angle by the elastic spring  200 . 
     A concave guide surface  320  is provided between a pair of jaws or protrusions  310  on the pop-up lever  300 . The guide surface  320  is formed to have a concave curved shape, and functions to guide the movement of a pressure unit, an arm  400 , when the elastic spring  200  is extended. Thereby, the pop-up operation of the trunk hinge arm  500  can be smoothly performed due to the extension of the elastic spring  200 . 
     The arm  400  is mounted to the trunk hinge arm  500 , and presses on the pop-up lever  300  when the trunk lid is closed to compress the spring  200 . The arm  400  includes a support block  410  which is connected to the trunk hinge arm  500 , a hinge pin  420  which is coupled to an end of the support block  410 , a pressure roller  430  which is rotatably fitted over the hinge pin  420  via bushings  440  and contacts the guide surface  320  of the pop-up lever  300 , and a support plate  450  which supports the pressure roller  430 . 
     Thus, when the trunk lid is unlocked, the compressed elastic spring  200  is extended, so that the pop-up lever  300  is rotated. As the pop-up lever  300  rotates, the pressure roller  430  moves along the guide surface  320  of the pop-up lever  300 . As the pressure roller  430  moves, the hinge arm  500  is rotated at a predetermined angle, so that the trunk lid connected to the trunk hinge arm  500  may be popped up. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a stopper  110  may be provided on the hinge bracket  100  in the rotating path of the pop-up lever  300 . Thus, the stopper  110  protrudes from the hinge bracket  100  in such a way as to be positioned at the rotating path of the other end of the pop-up lever  300 . Thus, the stopper  110  may limit the rotating angle of the pop-up lever  300  when the pop-up lever  300  is rotated. 
     Further, the rotating angle of the pop-up lever  300  and the angle at which the trunk hinge arm  500  is popped up may be determined according to the position of the stopper  110  relative to the hinge bracket  100 . 
     The angle at which the trunk hinge arm  500  is popped up depends on the rotating angle of the pop-up lever  300 . The rotating angle of the pop-up lever  300 , and thus the angle at which the trunk hinge arm  500  is popped up can be set by selecting an appropriate position of the stopper  110  relative to the hinge bracket  100 . 
     The operation of various embodiments of the present invention will be described below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the trunk lid is closed, the elastic spring  200  maintains the compressed state. Meanwhile, when the trunk lid is released (the trunk lid is opened first), the compressed elastic spring  200  is extended. 
     When the elastic spring  200  is extended, the other end of the pop-up lever  300  rotates around the lever shaft  330  by 4 mm. When the pop-up lever  300  performs such a rotating motion, the pressure roller  430  of the pressure unit  400  moves along the inclined guide surface  320  of the pop-up lever  300 , thus rotating the trunk hinge arm  500 . As the trunk hinge arm  500  is rotated, the trunk lid may have the initial pop-up amount of about 30 mm. 
     A trunk hinge apparatus according to the present invention is advantageous in that a trunk hinge structure has a pop-up function, thus allowing a user to easily recognize whether a trunk lid is open or not, and to easily raise the released trunk lid and thereby open the trunk. 
     Further, a trunk hinge apparatus according to the present invention is advantageous in that it is easy to recognize whether a trunk is open or not, thus obtaining a high score in the North America Initial Quality Study (IQS), and improving the marketability of a product. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “lower”, “front”, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.