Innovations

Edscha has longstanding experience in the development and manufacture of these complex hood hinges for so-called active pedestrian protection.

In addition to the usual opening and closing of the hood these hinges also meet the various demands posed by an accident. If worst comes to worst and a collision with a pedestrian occurs, within a few milliseconds such a hinge rises up a small, but crucial amount contrary to the normal opening direction to create an impact absorbing zone. This buffer softens the impact of the body, especially the head, on the hood and the engine block underneath it, and in this way provides added protection to the pedestrian.

The pedestrian protection device of the hinge is triggered by the igniting of a pyrotechnic actuator which is more or less comparable with the system that triggers an airbag.

Getting in and out of a car can be a test of agility if the parking space is too tight and the door has only two or three fixed opening positions. Rarely are these positioned so that the little amount of space available can be fully utilized. In such situations, certainly many a person has wished for more flexibility. A wish that is not impossible to meet since it only calls for a door check system with infinitely variable kinematics – like the Edscha Double Spring.

This stepless door check caters to the increasing comfort requirements of our customers. It ensures that the door securely stays in any position in which it is placed, making boarding and alighting extremely comfortable.

Lightweight construction is one of the megatrends in the automotive industry. Driven by progressively stricter requirements to reduce CO2 emissions, the use of new, lighter materials is becoming increasingly important. As an innovation leader in the field of hinge systems, Edscha is also making progress here and has independently developed a rear lid hinge made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, CFRP for short, and brought it to mass production maturity.

CFRP is a high-tech material and is used particular because of its low weight and high strength. By using fiber-reinforced plastics, Edscha has succeeded in reducing the component weight by 56 percent without restricting the mechanical requirements of the hinge.

With its latest generation of drives, Edscha currently markets the system with the smallest external diameter – not more than 30 mm. Apart from reducing space needs, this substantially improves the view to the rear. Moreover, these innovative drives for fully automatic opening and closing of rear lids and liftgates currently are the lightest available: the entire system weighs 950 g.