Door hinge mounting structure

Details Door hinge mounting structure Door hinge mounting structure

2002-08-29

2003-12-23

Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Door or window with specified vehicle feature

C296S146100, C016S261000, C016S270000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06666497

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a door hinge mounting structure, and more particularly to a door hinge mounting structure for a door panel or a door mounting portion of a vehicle body, that positions the door hinge on the vehicle body side or the door side on an assembly line of automobiles when the door is remounted on the vehicle body after the door has been temporarily mounted on the vehicle body for painting and also pieces of equipment have been mounted on the vehicle side and the door side while the door being removed.
In assembling processes of automotive vehicles, painting is performed after door panels are temporarily mounted on the vehicle body. After the painting work has been completed, the door panels are removed from the vehicle body in such a manner that seats can be assembled to the vehicle body and window glass can be assembled to the door panels. Thereafter, the door panels are remounted on the vehicle body at their original positions.
Consequently, in order to reassemble the door panels to the vehicle body, door hinges need to be positioned on the vehicle body side or the door side. Proposed as a door hinge positioning structure as has just been described above is a technology which is described in, for example, JP-B-6-49798U.
The prior art will be described with reference to FIG.
10
.
In the prior art, a positioning bolt passable hole
103
for a positioning bolt
102
is pierced through a pillar outer panel
101
, and the positioning bolt
102
is screwed through a threaded hole
105
formed in a retaining plate
104
provided in the interior of the pillar outer panel
101
, whereby the positioning bolt
102
is positioned in the pillar outer panel
101
. A door hinge
106
is positioned based on this positioning bolt
102
.
In addition, the door hinge
106
comprises a moving side bracket
107
and a fixed side bracket
108
which are rotatably assembled together with a connecting pin
109
. In addition, reference numeral
110
denotes a door panel.
Incidentally, in the prior art, when the positioning bolt
102
is screwed through the retaining plate
104
provided within the pillar outer panel
101
, the positioning bolt passable hole
103
formed in the pillar outer panel
101
deviates largely from the threaded hole
105
in the retaining plate
104
in normal conditions.
Consequently, since the positioning bolt
102
needs to be passed through the positioning bolt passable hole
103
and the threaded hole
105
by matching the positioning bolt passable hole
103
and the threaded hole
105
while holding the retaining plate
104
with a hand, there is caused a problem that the working efficiency is deteriorated.
In addition, in the prior art, in order to improve the efficiency in passing the positioning bolt
102
through the holes, since an inserting portion
111
of a small outside diameter needs to be provided at a distal end of the positioning bolt
102
to facilitate the ingress of the distal end portion of the positioning bolt
102
into the positioning bolt passable hole
103
, a general-purpose bolt cannot be used as the positioning bolt, causing a problem that the component costs are increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a main object of the invention to provide a door hinge mounting structure which allows the positioning bolt to be passed through the holes without supporting the retaining plate with the hand so that the working efficiency can be improved and which also allows a normal general-purpose bolt to be used as the positioning bolt without using any particular positioning bolt so that the component costs can be reduced.
With a view to attaining the main object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a door hinge mounting structure in which a retaining member having a threaded hole formed therein is provided in the interior of a door panel or a door mounting portion on a vehicle body and in which a positioning bolt is threadedly engaged with the threaded hole in the retaining member via a positioning bolt passable hole formed in the door panel or the door mounting portion, whereby a door hinge is positioned based on the position of the positioning bolt so mounted, the door hinge mounting structure being characterized in that the positioning bolt passable hole is formed larger than the threaded hole in the retaining member, and in that restrictive wall portions are provided in the interior of the door panel or the door mounting portion on the vehicle body for restricting the movement of the retaining member within a range in which the positioning bolt passable hole and the threaded hole in the retaining member substantially coincide in position with each other.
With this structure, according to the door hinge mounting structure according to the first aspect of the invention, since the movement of the retaining member is limited within a predetermined range by the restrictive wall portions for restricting the moving range of the retaining member, the positioning bolt passable hole and the threaded hole can be matched substantially, whereby the positioning bolt can be passed through the holes without supporting the retaining member with the hand.
In addition, since the positioning bolt passable hole formed in the door panel or the door mounting portion is made larger than the threaded hole in the retaining member, it becomes easier for the positioning bolt to be inserted into the positioning bolt passable hole than in a case where the positioning bolt passable hole is identical in size to the threaded hole. Consequently, no inserting portion of a small outside diameter needs to be additionally formed at the distal end portion of the positioning bolt so as to improve the working efficiency, whereby a general-purpose bolt can be used as the positioning bolt.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a door hinge mounting structure as set forth in the first aspect of the invention, wherein the retaining member is provided with a projection which protrudes radially outwardly of the threaded hole, and wherein an opening is formed between the restrictive wall portions for passage of the projection.
With this structure, according to the door hinge mounting structure as set forth in the second aspect of the invention, when the positioning bolt is passed through the holes, the retaining member can be prevented from rotating around the threaded hole by the projection on the retaining member and the opening between the restrictive wall portions. Consequently, the rotation of the retaining member can be restricted at positions disposed away from the rotational center of the retaining member without constructing the retaining member itself larger.
Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a door hinge mounting structure as set forth in the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the restrictive wall portions each form a portion which faces the opening along directions in which the retaining member rotates around the threaded hole.
With this structure, according to the door hinge mounting structure as set forth in the third aspect of the invention, since the restrictive wall portions are formed in such a manner as to extend along orientations which are opposite to the rotating directions of the retaining member, the prevention of the rotation of the retaining member can be ensured further.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a door hinge mounting structure as set forth in any of the first, second and third aspects of the invention, wherein the restrictive wall portions are provided in a recessed portion formed on the door panel or the door mounting portion.
With this structure, according to the door hinge mounting structure as set forth in the fourth aspect of the invention, the retaining member is also accommodated in the recessed portion formed on the door panel or the door mounting portion, whereby the door hinge mounting structure can be formed compact. In addition, a great mountin

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