Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-14
2001-09-04
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S330000, C016S331000, C016S322000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282752
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door hinge assembly for a motor vehicle door including a door hinge having two hinge halves attachable, respectively, to the motor vehicle door and a respective motor vehicle door pillar, and a hinge pin for connecting the first and second hinge halves and supported in one of the two hinge halves with a running fit and removably secured in another of the two hinge halves without a possibility of rotation with respect to the another of the hinge halves, and a door lock formed integrally with the door hinge and including a locking element having at least one detent point and at least one brake and locking member cooperating with the locking element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There exist many variations of door hinge assemblies consisting of a door hinge and a door lock formed integrally with each other. In most cases, the door lock is mounted on an axial extension of the hinge pin and works together with one of the two hinge halves. However, limited by their construction, the conventional door locks, which are formed integrally with a door hinge, either cannot be used with demountable door hinges at all or, because of the particular construction of a demountable door hinge, when formed integrally with such a door hinge, the door hinge assembly with the integrated door lock require an increased space in the vehicle body. Besides, the known door hinge assemblies consisting of a demountable door hinge and a door lock formed integrally with each other are rather expensive. In particular, the door hinge assemblies consisting of a demountable door hinge and a door lock formed integrally with the door hinge are characterized in that the loading of the brake and locking member is effected with a torsional spring. And that is one of the reasons why such door hinge assemblies occupy an increased space in the motor vehicle body. There were also proposed door locks for demountable door hinges, the locking and retaining action of which is based on the use of a hinge pin having a non-circular cross-section, on one hand, and a non-circular cross-section of the gudgeon bore of a hinge half, on the other hand. Such door lock require very little mounting space, however, they are characterized by very high manufacturing costs. Besides, their use is accompanied by a certain uncertainty with regard to how long they can retain the door in its given hold-over position.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a door lock for a motor vehicle door, which can be formed integrally with a demountable door hinge and which would require as little mounting space inside of the vehicle body as possible, while being produced with reduced manufacturing costs.
Another object of the present invention is a door lock, which can be formed integrally with a demountable door hinge and which is characterized by its operational reliability.
Yet another object of the present invention is a door lock, which can be formed integrally with a demountable door hinge and which would not affect the simplicity of the door hinge mounting and dismounting.
A further object of the invention is a door lock, which can be formed integrally with a door hinge and which is characterized by as noiseless operation as possible.
A still further object of the present invention is a door lock, which can be formed integrally with a door hinge and which is suitable for use with heavy motor vehicle doors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by mounting the brake and locking member, which is connected with the hinge pin, radially outwardly with respect to the hinge pin. The connection of one or more brake and locking members with the hinge pin insures, independently of the pin shape, a construction of a door hinge-door lock unit which would require a reduced mounting space. In addition, the connection of the brake and locking member or members with the hinge pin results in a very cost-effective production of the door hinge-door lock unit. Furthermore, such a door hinge-door lock unit is characterized by a low-noise operation because it requires a reduced number of components, so that the number of unfavorable tolerance pairs, which are sources of a noise, are reduced to a minimum.
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated to form the locking element as a circular track concentric with respect to a hinge pin axis and which is secured to the one of the two hinge halves without a possibility of rotation relative to the respective hinge half. The brake and locking member is formed as a roll body. The door lock further includes an axle for rotatably supporting the brake and locking member and extending transverse to a hinge pin axis.
According to the first embodiment, it is further contemplated to provide a ring-shaped carrier for receiving the brake and locking member and connected with the hinge pin for joint rotation therewith. In this embodiment, the track is formed by an end surface of a collar provided on the one of the two hinge half. The door hinge assembly according to this embodiment includes a spring for axially displacing the carrier, whereby necessary braking and locking forces are applied to the hinge for retaining the door in an open position. Instead of the collar, which is formed integrally with the respective hinge half, it is contemplated to provide the track on a locking disc connectable to the respective hinge half by at least one but, preferably, three followed drivers.
According to a second, advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated to provide a plurality of pairs of brake and locking members arranged opposite each other, and to provide in the track, which forms the locking member, a plurality of indentations defining the detent points and the number of which defines the number of opening positions of a vehicle door and exceeds the number of the brake and locking element, with the indentations likewise being arranged opposite each other in pairs.
In order to insure as noiseless operation of the door lock as possible and a smooth application of a braking and locking force, it is further contemplated, according to the advantageous embodiment of the present invention, to apply to the brake and locking member or members a biasing force in a direction transverse to the rotational axis (axes) of the brake and locking member(s), with the carrier of the brake and locking member(s) being mounted on the hinge pin with a possibility of axial displacement. The biasing force is applied by a spring supported at its opposite end against an axial component provided at the free end of the hinge pin and against the carrier. The spring advantageously is formed by a stack of spring washers which, on one hand, permits to reduce the mounting space required for the door lock and, on the other hand, provides for application of an increased brake and locking force.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the brake and locking member or members is/are formed as a conical roller(s),and the locking element-forming track, which is formed by an end surface of a locking disc, has guide surface(s) for the brake and locking member(s) which is (are) inclined toward the circumference of the locking disc. This measure permits to eliminate surface pressure, which may cause damage of the door lock component and an excessive wear and which may adversely affect the operation of the door lock.
It is further advantageously contemplated to provide in the brake and locking member carrier recesses for receiving the brake and locking members which are formed as roll bodies, and to form the hinge pin component, against which the carrier-biasing spring is supported, as a nut which is screwed onto a threaded free end of the hinge pin.
It is also contemplated, independent of the embodiment form of the door lock, to define the detent points of the track, which forms the locking element, by axia
Bonne Andreas
Klingelhofer Friedrich G.
Kluting Bernd-Alfred
Ed. Scharwachter GmbH & Co. KG
Mah Chuck Y.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
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