Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Having plural hinge axes
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-03
2004-11-16
Sandy, Robert J. (Department: 3677)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Having plural hinge axes
C016S382000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06817065
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a door coupling for a door of a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FR-C-880 197 describes a motor vehicle door hinge for coupling a motor vehicle door to a respective body member, wherein a four-joint mechanism connects a supporting arm at one hand and a control rod at the other hand with a bearing plate at both ends, respectively, wherein the bearing plates are respectively affixed to the motor vehicle door and to the body. Influencing the movement of the motor vehicle door hinge by changing the relative position of control rod and supporting arm is not possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,065 describes a motor vehicle door hinge, where mounting parts to be fastened to a motor vehicle door at the one end and to a pillar of a vehicle body at the other end are jointly connected with each other via a supporting arm at one hand and a control rod at the other hand such that they define a four-joint mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,370 describes a door which is coupled to a motor vehicle via a four-joint mechanism and in which a plate-like supporting arm is designed in the form of a rectangle arranged rearward and having four gudgeons which are arranged in the region of the corners, which define an axis inclined with respect to the vertical on each side of the supporting arm, while a control rod in the frontal region of the door controls the displacement movement of the door. In the case of the known mechanism, the hinge leaves which, together with said gudgeons, define the other part of the joints are fastened to the door assembly parts, the door and door pillar, without any possibility of fine adjustment in order to correct installation and manufacturing tolerances.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,600 describes a door which is coupled to a motor vehicle via a four-joint mechanism and in which an upper and a lower supporting arm having respectively laterally offset joints, and a control rod are provided, in order to arrange the door in a pivotable manner on the vehicle. In the case of imprecise fastening, this type of coupling causes at least a stiff type of coupling. All possible freedoms in the fastening of the door are required for the coupling functioning to some extent, so that asymmetrical arrangements, occurring on account of dimensional, manufacturing and installation tolerances, of the door in the corresponding opening of the vehicle body cannot be corrected.
EP-A0 596 403 describes a door which is coupled to a motor vehicle via a four-joint mechanism and in which the four-joint mechanism is formed in a four-joint hinge whose hinge brackets on the door and on the pillar each have a coupling to a joint of a supporting arm and a joint of a control rod, the supporting arm furthermore having joints which are defined by individual hinges in alignment with the supporting-arm joints which are provided on the hinge brackets. The supporting arm is circumscribed within its gudgeons by a rectangle. In order for the door to be adjustable, the control rod is divided into two halves which can be mutually fixed by screw bolts interacting via holes, as a result of which, for example, the rearward joint of the supporting arm adopts a different position relative to the frontal joint of the control rod, and thus has the theoretical possibility of changing the position of the door in the vehicle body about the vertical, in which case there are only two alternatives here. However, asymmetrical arrangements, occurring on account of dimensional, manufacturing and installation tolerances, of the door in the opening of the vehicle body cannot be corrected sufficiently precisely.
US-A4,665,586 describes a door which is coupled to a motor vehicle via a four-joint mechanism, in which an upper and a lower four-joint mechanism are each formed from a control rod and from a common, plate-like supporting arm, there being no possibility at all of correcting the orientation of the door in the vehicle body.
During installation of a motor vehicle door, the door has to be adjusted in its position with respect to the vehicle body in the x-, y- and z-direction. In this case, the x-direction stands for the direction of travel, y for the horizontal direction transversely with respect to x, and z for the vertical direction transversely with respect to x. In the case of a pivot-out door hinge, during the adjustment of the door with respect to the vehicle body a defined setting of the supporting arm of the hinge on the interior door molding also has to take place, so that the part of the interior door molding which is fitted on the supporting arm can be fixed in place in a positionally correct manner with respect to the dashboard etc. This adjustment requirement greatly reduces the adjustment options in the mounting of the door carcass onto the hinge. In the case of single-hinged pivot hinges, the adjustment in order to compensate for an angular offset between the screw-down surfaces on the door and on the door pillar can take place by determining the y- and z- coordinates. In the case of the pivot-out door hinge, this adjustment option is used up by the necessity of adjusting the supporting arm with respect to the interior door molding. Therefore, in the case of a pivot-out door hinge, an adjustment by rotating about the x-axis is additionally required. Moreover, for tolerance reasons, when installing the door it may be necessary, in the case of a multi-joint door hinge, to compensate for an angular offset between the screw down surfaces of the hinge and door panel in order to fix the positioned door onto the hinge. Such compensation can only be corrected by twisting the hinge leaf. This adjustment can take place only by changing the distance between the coupling axes of the control rod on the door and door pillar. The known solutions for changing the length of the control rod are very complicated both to produce and to install.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a door coupling that enables the door position in the vehicle body to be influenced in a simple and effective manner. The door can be displaced with respect to a door pillar in a transverse movement combined with a pivoting movement by means of a four-joint mechanism, the four-joint mechanism having a supporting arm connected in an articulated manner to the door and in an articulated manner to the door pillar and a control rod connected in an articulated manner to the door and in an articulated manner to the door pillar, the supporting arm being fastened in an articulated manner with regard to the door and pillar at in each case two gudgeons assigned to the end regions of the supporting arm, wherein the control rod is of single piece design and with regard to the door or pillar is coupled to a bearing plate to which a corresponding gudgeon of the supporting arm is also coupled, and the control rod, at its end remote from this side, is coupled to a hinge part.
This object is achieved for the door coupling in that the hinge part the control rod is coupled to can be displaced jointly with and in the direction of the control rod relative to a corresponding hinge part assigned to a gudgeon of the supporting arm.
The control rod of single-piece design is coupled to a bearing plate with regard to the door or pillar to which a corresponding gudgeon of the supporting arm, preferably the lower gudgeon, is also coupled. The hinge part of the supporting arm and the hinge part of the control rod can be fastened to a door assembly part, door or door pillar, using the same screws, and this connection is hence at the same time a connection of the two door hinges, as a result of which the four-joint mechanism is defined in the four-joint hinge defined by this means. It is alternatively possible, with the same outcome, to fasten the hinge part of the control rod to the hinge part of the supporting arm and to fasten one of the two hinge parts to the door assembly part, door or door pillar, since by fastening the two hinge parts to each other the joint axes of the control rod and supporting are defined rel
Davidson Davidson & Kappel LLC
Edscha AG
Jackson Andre′ L.
Sandy Robert J.
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