Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-20
2001-05-08
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S146800, C296S146120, C296S107080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227612
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an operational arrangement for movable parts on vehicles and, more particularly, to an arrangement for hingedly attaching rear hatches, movable roofs and the like to vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Movable parts on a vehicle, especially rear hatches, are connected via hinges, and in many cases via hinges with four joints, to the body of the vehicle. In most cases, there is a spring on each hinge which supports some of the weight of the moving part and dampens the movement of the hatch. In automatically operated rear hatches, or similarly constructed parts, it is the state of the art to replace one of these springs with a drive unit for opening and closing of the hatch, preferably using a hydraulic cylinder. This arrangement is ill balanced and strains the hatch, and also has the significant disadvantage that the pressure conduits must pass through the rain gutter and that the cylinder itself needs protection for the surface thereof. Moreover, the hinge which includes the drive arrangement must be of a different design than the non-driven hinges. State of the art is also a construction in which one of the hinge levers is made to extend directly inward into the interior of the vehicle where a drive means is connected to it. This design has, however, the disadvantage that the passageway through which the hinge lever extends is difficult to insulate, since the insulation should occur throughout the large path of the lever over a large area. For this reason, this known solution has not been successful.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to create an arrangement which combines optimal drive device protection with a simple design and good, problem-free operation of the part to be moved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This problem is solved using an operational arrangement, as mentioned above, characterized in that an inner lever of the hinge is connected to the outer lever of the hinge via a pivot pin, which pivot pin passes through the body of the vehicle. Such a pivot pin arrangement is very effective for the transfer of torque, and allows for good insulation and mechanical stabilization. The drive arrangement, as well as its junction point with the hinge is optimally protected from corrosive media when located in the interior of the vehicle and no longer in the rain gutter. This minimizes the danger of penetration of water, corrosive media, or dirt. Therefore, no special surface preparation is necessary. Also, no hydraulic lines need to pass through the rain gutter or through the body of the vehicle, which simplifies production. The design parameters of the drive arrangement, for example, stroke, diameter, working pressure, etc., in a hydraulic cylinder, are no longer limited by geometric conditions in the outer area of the hinge. Also, hinge kinematics do not need to be changed. Instead, the drive can be freely adjusted to fit the system. Of course, when the drive device is turned off, a purely manual operation of the part to be moved can occur. Since the drive arrangement is not located in the outer area of the hinge, springs can be arranged on both sides to absorb the weight of the vehicle part on both sides, and in so doing, avoid one-sided strain.
The hinge is a multi-jointed hinge, especially a four-jointed hinge in which one of the hinge joints near the vehicle, preferably the one located nearest to the center of the vehicle is connected via the pivot pin with an inner lever. This combination of characteristics offers good hinge kinematics with optimal opening of the rear hatch or of another vehicle part in combination with a connection of the drive device to the hinge that has a simple stable construction.
The drive device is a working cylinder, preferably a hydraulic working cylinder. This choice of drive device allows for an exact operation of the rear hatch or the like using simple proven systems.
To greatly simplify the system structurally, the working cylinder has its piston rod pivotally connected to the inner lever of the hinge, and the cylinder is pivotally connected with a part of the hinge closer to the vehicle. In so doing, a hinge joint is used for pivotally supporting the end of the working cylinder, and an additional junction point requiring additional construction can be avoided. It will often be advantageous to use the otherwise necessary pivot point of the hinge joint located near the vehicle also as a pivot point for the working cylinder, and thus further avoid construction and production efforts.
In order to absorb the strong bending forces that occur on the pivot pin of the hinge or the drive device during the automatic operation of the vehicle part, a further characteristic of the invention provides, between the pivot pin and a further vehicle-tight point, preferably between the pivot pin and the vehicle-tight pivot point of the drive device, a pull-resistant, pressure-resistant, preferably also bend-resistant connection. In doing so, a mechanical over-exertion of the pivot pin can be prevented without hindering the turn and tilt motions of the hinge. With hinges having four joints, the vehicle-tight pivot point of the drive device coincides advantageously with a second hinge joint that allows for a very simple construction making use of available pivot points.
Especially for rear hatch and movable roofs, in order to maintain optimal kinematics and to achieve the best possible protection of the drive device, the pivot pin of the hinge extends from the interior of the vehicle into the rain gutter of the rear hatch or of the movable roof, and the drive device and the inner lever are located in the trunk or storage area of the roof.
In the following description, the invention will be described using, as an example, an embodiment illustrated in the attached figures.
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Hollerbach Bernd
Huber Gerhard
Stolle Klaus
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Hoerbiger Hydraulik GbmH
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
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