Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2001-05-22
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S056000, C296S106000, C296S146110, C296S146120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234563
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an articulation device for a motor vehicle hatchback closure, especially a rear door, which is mounted pivotally on the vehicle body structure.
The invention relates more particularly to an articulation device in which the hatchback closure is mounted pivotally, especially between a first closed extreme position and a second open extreme position, by means of a mechanism with two parallel articulation axes linked by at least one connecting rod.
2. Discussion of the Background
Such a device is described and illustrated in, for example, French Patent Application FR A 2717213.
In that document, use is made of a pair of parallel rods, a first front end of which is pivoted on the vehicle body structure around a first articulation axis, the second rear end of which is pivoted on the hatchback closure around a second articulation axis, parallel to the first articulation axis, and means are provided for automatically controlling the pivoting movement of the hatchback closure relative to the second end of the rod by the pivoting movement of the first end of the rod relative to the vehicle body structure.
Such a design makes it possible in particular to ensure articulation of a vehicle rear door, manipulation of which then requires only slight effort to move from closed position to an open position, and which can be manipulated without much effort from the closed position to the fully open position.
In French Patent Application FR A 2739349 there was proposed a use of such an articulation device more particularly to ensure the mounting pivotally of a door which, in closed position, extends in a substantially vertical plane and which, in open position, extends in a substantially horizontal plane above the vehicle.
When the rear portion of a vehicle is equipped with such a door, as is the case, for example, in vehicles of the “monospace” type, the rear door has large dimensions and mass.
This second document therefore proposes, to facilitate manipulation of the door, incorporating in the articulation device means for balancing the hatchback closure by applying thereto a balancing couple which compensates for the resisting couple due to the mass of the hatchback closure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is found, however, that in order for the user to be able easily to open or close the rear door, a relatively large minimum space must be available at the rear of the vehicle, in order to permit at least deflection of the rear door between its closed extreme position and its open extreme position, during which deflection the panel comprising the door is displaced substantially parallel to itself with substantially vertical orientation over the course of the first portion of the path away from closed position.
Thus it is evident that the panel passes through an intermediate position which is substantially midway between its two extreme positions, in which it extends at a distance from the rear vertical plane of the vehicle that is substantially equal to the length of the rods, this distance determining, for the lower rim of the panel, a path resembling the arc of a circle whose radius progressively increases because of the nature of the design of the articulation and automatic movement control device, which relies on a rack whose front and rear toothed longitudinal ends cooperate with pinions fixed respectively on the hatchback-closure body structure and on the panel structure.
The object of the invention is to remedy this disadvantage by proposing an improved articulation device which makes it possible to open the rear door even if the space available at the rear of the vehicle is extremely restricted, especially when another vehicle is parked close to the rear bumper.
For this purpose, the invention proposes an articulation device of the type cited in the foregoing, characterized in that the direction of pivoting of the hatchback closure relative to the second end of the rod is reversed during the pivoting movement of the first end of the rod relative to the vehicle body structure, between two extreme angular positions associated with the closed and open extreme positions of the hatchback closure.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the automatic control means contain a servo-control mechanism provided in particular with a rack which is mounted to slide longitudinally relative to the shank of the rod, a first toothed end of which cooperates continuously with a first pinion linked in rotation to the vehicle body structure, and the second end of which is formed as a fork, the two substantially parallel toothed branches of which extend toward the rear and are respectively capable of cooperating alternately with one or the other of two diametrically opposite toothed sectors of a second pinion linked in rotation to the hatchback closure;
each of the two branches of the fork is mounted such that it can turn relative to the shank of the rack, around a front axis of rotation parallel to the articulation axes of the rod, and each is urged elastically to rotate around its axis in the direction corresponding to the engagement of the branch with the corresponding toothed sector of the second pinion, and each branch is provided with means for control of its angular position to bring about its engagement with or disengagement from the teeth of the second pinion as a function of the longitudinal position of the second end of the rack relative to the shank of the rod;
the control means are provided with a control finger supported by the branch and extending laterally to cooperate with a control ramp of substantially longitudinal orientation, formed in facing relationship on the shank of the rod, close to the second rear end of the said rod;
each ramp is provided with two consecutive segments, one being external for disengagement and the other internal for engagement, separated by a reversing recess which permits passage of the control finger from one to the other of the two segments, which are offset transversely relative to one another and relative to the longitudinal axis of sliding of the rack;
the hatchback closure is a door which, in closed position, extends in a substantially vertical plane and which, in open position, extends in a substantially horizontal plane above the vehicle;
the door is formed by a panel which covers an opening in a structural frame defined by one upper crossbeam, two lateral posts and one lower crossbeam, among which each lateral post supports an articulation axis of the said end of a connecting rod of the door, the other end of which is pivoted on an articulation axis supported by the door;
the device is provided with means for balancing the hatchback closure by applying thereto a balancing couple which compensates for the resisting couple due to the mass of the hatchback closure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4679841 (1987-07-01), Taunay
patent: 4688844 (1987-08-01), Hirose et al.
patent: 6018912 (2000-02-01), Baughman et al.
patent: 6068327 (2000-05-01), Taunay
patent: 2703005 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 2739349 (1997-04-01), None
Coletta Lori L.
Dayoan D. Glenn
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Renault
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