Spring devices – Vehicle – Comprising compressible fluid
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-14
2001-02-06
Schwartz, Christopher P. (Department: 3613)
Spring devices
Vehicle
Comprising compressible fluid
C267S120000, C049S260000, C049S248000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182952
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a system driving trunk doors, engine hoods, doors, hatchbacks or the like of vehicles, in particular motor vehicles.
Frequently articulating drives, for instance four-link hinges are used to open motor vehicle hatchbacks, a pneumatic spring most of the time assisting the opening motion. However when the hatchback is in the closed state, the operative direction of the pneumatic spring toward the four-link hinge is so disadvantageous that the torque is insufficient, even after unlocking, to lift the hatchback. Accordingly the trunk door must be manually opened by about 40° until the pneumatic spring has reached a lever position wherein its force is sufficient to fully open the hatchback.
The German patent document U1 297 01 617 discloses a drive system to actuate a hatchback comprising a motor drive displacing a drive cable guided at least over some zones and engaging a lever arm of the articulating drive means. After the lock has been loosened, the lever arm is pivoted by the motor drive and the hatchback is opened in this manner. Manual opening is no longer required. Now it was found that there is room for improvement in this known system, in particular as regards the opening sequence.
It is therefore the objective of the invention to create a trunk-door drive system which upon unlocking implements automatic opening of the trunk door or hatchback, the opening displacement taking place rapidly.
This problem is solved by the invention by a mechanism adjusting the direction of action of the power spring (the pneumatic spring). This adjustment takes place in particular in the closed state of the hood or immediately after unlocking, and displaces the pneumatic spring to move it into a position such that following unlocking it can open the hood on its own. This displacement of the invention exploits the energy stored in the pneumatic spring, resulting in rapidly opening the hood or hatchback.
Preferably the mechanism is of such a design that it shifts a connection point, in particular the body-side connection point of the power spring (the pneumatic spring). This shifting of the connection point of the power spring may be for instance an up-and-down motion or a sideways one. The invention only requires that a force component shall be created to open the hatchback or the trunk door. In the invention therefore, the body-side connection point of the power spring is displaced from an initial position into an operative one, and thereby a force component is produced to open the hatchback and to overcome the dead point. In the closed condition or directly at opening, the connection point of the power spring is displaced spatially in such manner that a force component (a torque) is produced in the opening direction at the hatchback.
The following operational play was found especially advantageous in the invention. Starting from the closed position of the hatchback and power spring, the latter in this closed position running substantially parallel to the lever arm, there occurs first a downward displacement of the connection point until the power spring has overcome the dead point and the hatchback will be self-opening. Thereafter, possibly still within the stage of opening, the connection point is returned into its initial position in order to produce in this way maximum force from the power spring to open the hatchback. Furthermore the mechanism then shall be ready for a new operation.
The said up-and-down displacement of the connection point or another spatial displacement of the power spring illustratively may be implemented using a cam drive shifting the connection points of the power spring(s) into the desired operative position(s). The motor drive may act on one or two pneumatic springs depending on how many are used to lift the hatchback. In particular the motor drive may actuate a cam connected to two push-pull cables which synchronously shift the connection points of the two power springs.
The connection point of the power spring may just as well be located on a cam disk for instance resting on the body side and being rotated by the motor drive. This design applies both to using one power spring and two, in the latter case obviously two cam disks being used.
In another embodiment of the invention, the hatchback is self-closing for instance because the power spring is relaxed in the open position. This feature also can be implemented by shifting the direction of action or the direction of the connection point (preferably at the body side) of the power spring, whereby the hatchback moves into the closed position on account of its own weight. Equally feasible, the closing motion will be motor-assisted. The mechanism returns into its initial position after hatchback-closing, ie, the pneumatic spring is restressed.
Further advantages, goals, features and applicabilities of the present invention are elucidated in the following description of embodiments in relation to the drawings. All described and/or graphically shown features are objectives of the invention, whether per se or in arbitrary combination(s), also regardless of their abstracted form in the claims or in any interrelationship among theses claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4623132 (1986-11-01), Smith
patent: 4833826 (1989-05-01), Viard
patent: 5095654 (1992-03-01), Eccleston
patent: 5865497 (1999-02-01), Klein et al.
patent: 297 01 617 U1 (1997-05-01), None
Kramer Devon
Kuster & Co. GmbH
Liniak Berenato Longacre & White
Schwartz Christopher P.
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