The present disclosure relates generally to closure panel hinges in motor vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to a non-power-operated hinge assembly having a resilient member operable to assist in opening and holding a motor vehicle closure panel in an open position.
This section provides background information which is not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure.
Motor vehicle closure panels, such as lift gates, deck lids (trunk lids) and front hoods, are typically hingedly connected to a vehicle body member for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. To facilitate movement of the closure panel from a closed position to an open position, it is known to incorporated power-assisted, electromechanical mechanisms, such as a powered strut, into the closure panel assembly. The power-assisted mechanisms are useful to assist in opening the vehicle closure panel; however, they are generally complex to manufacture and assemble, and thus, costly.
Efforts to reduce cost include providing non-powered pneumatic struts and/or coil spring biased struts; however, although less costly than electromechanical mechanisms, they still can be relatively costly in manufacture and assembly.
While electromechanical struts, non-powered pneumatic struts and coil spring biased struts currently used in closure panel systems provide desired assistance in opening and holding closure panels in an open position, a need exists to continue development of improved hinge mechanisms which obviate or mitigate one or more of the shortcomings associated with prior art hinges, powered strut mechanism and non-powered strut mechanisms.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features, aspects or objectives.
It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a non-powered, compliant, resilient hinge assembly for use with closure panel in a motor vehicle that overcomes at least some of the drawbacks discussed above for known power-assisted, electromechanical mechanisms and non-power-assisted mechanisms.
It is a related aspect of the present disclosure to provide a non-powered, compliant, resilient hinge assembly for use with closure panel in a motor vehicle for assisting in the movement of the closure panel from a closed position toward an open position relative to a motor vehicle body.
It is a related aspect of the present disclosure to provide a non-powered, compliant, resilient hinge assembly for use with closure panel in a motor vehicle for assisting in releasably holding the closure panel in the open position.
It is a further related aspect of the present disclosure to provide a non-powered, compliant, resilient hinge assembly that is economical in manufacture, assembly and in use.
It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide such a non-powered, compliant, resilient hinge assembly having a hinge region formed as a monolithic piece of elastomeric material.
It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide such a hinge region having an unbiased, energy-exhausted position corresponding to an open position of the closure panel and a biased, energy-stored position corresponding to a closed position of the closure panel.
In accordance with these and other aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a hinge assembly for assisting in moving a pivotal closure member from a closed position toward an open position relative to a motor vehicle body and for releasably holding the closure member in the open position, including the following: a first mount member configured for operable connection to one of the closure member and the motor vehicle body; a second mount member configured for operable connection to the other of the closure member and the motor vehicle body; at least one linkage operably coupling the first mount member to the second mount member; and at least one elastically deformable joint coupling the at least one linkage to at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the at least one elastically deformable joint is a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the at least one elastically deformable joint includes a first elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the first mount member and a second elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the at least one elastically deformable joint is a polymeric material.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the at least one elastically deformable joint includes a plurality of elastically deformable members spaced from one another, each elastically deformable member having a linkage end fixed to the linkage and a mount end fixed to one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of elastically deformable members converge from the mount ends toward one another to the linkage ends.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the at least one linkage includes a first linkage operably coupling the first mount member to the second mount member and a second linkage operably coupling the first mount member to the second mount member, at least one of the first linkage and the second linkage including the at least one elastically deformable joint.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the first linkage and the second linkage includes at least one of the elastically deformable joint.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, at least one of the first linkage and the second linkage includes a first elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the first mount member and a second elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the first elastically deformable joint includes a plurality of first elastically deformable members spaced from one another, each first elastically deformable member having a first linkage end fixed to the at least one first linkage and the second linkage and a first mount end fixed to the first mount member and the second elastically deformable joint includes a plurality of second elastically deformable members spaced from one another, each second elastically deformable member having a second linkage end fixed to the at least one first linkage and the second linkage and a second mount end fixed to the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of first elastically deformable members converge from the first mount ends toward one another to the first linkage ends and the plurality of second elastically deformable members converge from the second mount ends toward one another to the second linkage ends.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, at least one of the first linkage and the second linkage includes a pivotable joint connection to at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the pivotable joint connection is provided by a convex surface on at least one of the first linkage and the second linkage engaging a concave surface on at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, further including at least one biasing member extending from at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member, the at least one biasing member engaging at least one of the first linkage and the second linkage to bias the closure member from the closed position toward the open position.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method of constructing a hinge assembly for assisting in moving a pivotal closure member from a closed position toward an open position relative to a motor vehicle body and for releasably holding the closure member in the open position is provided. The method includes the following steps: forming a first mount member configured for operable connection to one of the closure member and the motor vehicle body; forming a second mount member configured for operable connection to the other of the closure member and the motor vehicle body; operably coupling the first mount member to the second mount member with at least one linkage; and molding at least one elastically deformable joint coupling the at least one linkage to at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the method can further include molding the at least one elastically deformable joint as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the method can further include molding the linkage and the at least one elastically deformable joint including a first elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the first mount member and a second elastically deformable joint formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the method can further include molding the first elastically deformable joint and the second elastically deformable joint having a plurality of elastically deformable members spaced from one another, each elastically deformable member having a linkage end fixed to the linkage and a mount end fixed to one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the method can further include operably coupling the first mount member to the second mount member with a plurality of the at least one linkage.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the method can further include molding each of the plurality of linkages as a monolithic piece of material with a separate one of the at least one elastically deformable joint and molding the elastomeric deformable joints as a monolithic piece of material with at least one of the first mount member and the second mount member.
Further aspects and areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all implementations, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to only that actually shown. With this in mind, various features and advantages of example embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the written description when considered in combination with the appended Figures, wherein:
Motor vehicles are equipped with numerous moveable closure panels for providing openings and access within and through defined portions of the vehicle body. To enhance operator convenience, many vehicles are now equipped with assist mechanisms to control movement of all types of closure panels including, without limitation, hatch lift gates, trunk deck lids, front hoods, sliding and hinged doors, sun roofs and the like. Current development focus is largely directed to improving these assist mechanisms through weight and part count reduction, packaging efficiency, system noise, back drive effort, cost and ease of assembly and service repair. Accordingly, the present disclosure addresses all of these issues.
For purposes of descriptive clarity, the present disclosure is described herein in the context of one or more specific vehicular applications, namely hinge assemblies for closure panels, illustrated herein as a deck lid (trunk closure panel). However, upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings, it will be clear that the inventive concepts of the present disclosure can be applied to numerous other closure panels. In this regard, the present disclosure is generally directed to hinge assemblies for pivotably coupling a closure panel to a vehicle body member. Specifically, the hinge assembly is operatively coupled between a closure panel and a body member to facilitate pivotal movement of the closure panel between a closed position and an open position, and to releasably hold the closure panel in an open position until desired to return the closure panel to the closed position. Finally, the present disclosure is also directed to a method of constructing a hinge assembly in economical fashion, wherein the hinge assembly has a minimum number of separable components and is easy and economical to assemble.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptions used herein interpreted accordingly.
Reference is now made to
Hinge assembly 18 includes a first mount member 24 configured for operable connection to one of the closure member 12 and the motor vehicle body 16, and shown as the closure member 12, and a second mount member 26 configured for operable connection to the other of the closure member 12 and the motor vehicle body 16, and shown as the motor vehicle body (support member) 16. First mount member 24 and second mount member 26 can be configured (shaped, countered, sized) as desired to facilitate attachment to the respective closure member 12 and motor vehicle body 16, such as via mechanical fasteners, including screws, bolts, rivets and the like (not shown), extending through fastener openings 28 formed through the first and second mount members 24, 26. Fastener openings 28 can be reinforced with metal anti-crush members, such as metal tube inserts, if desired, thereby providing increased crush resistance upon tightening the fasteners. As shown in
In a preferred embodiment, to enhance the economies of manufacture and assembly, the elastically deformable joint 34, 36 is constructed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage 30, 32 and at least one of the first mount member 24 and the second mount member 26. In the non-limiting embodiment shown in
To enhance flexibility, economies of manufacture and the ability to provided integral spring biased assistance of movement of the closure panel 12 from the closed position to the open position, the monolithic hinge assembly 18 can be molded from a resilient polymeric material. Any suitable durable, resilient, compliant polymeric material can be used, including various types of rubber, reinforced rubber, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), PA66 (Nylon), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the like. The molding process simplifies construction, while minimizing time and capital equipment need to make the hinge assembly 18, as will be appreciated by one possessing ordinary skill in the art. In accordance with one aspect, the hinge assembly 18 can be molded so that when the deck lid 12 is supported in the open, neutral position, as shown in
To enhance the flexibility, the first elastically deformable joint 34 includes a plurality of first elastically deformable members 44 spaced from one another. The first elastically deformable members 44 can be formed as generally planar members extending over a width corresponding to a width of the generally planar first linkage 30 and a width of the first mount member 24. Each first elastically deformable member 44 has a first linkage end 46 fixed to the first linkage 30 and the second linkage 32 and a first mount end 48 fixed to the first mount member 24. The second elastically deformable joint 36 includes a plurality of second elastically deformable members 50 spaced from one another. The second elastically deformable members 50 can be formed as generally planar members extending over a width corresponding to a width of the generally planar first linkage 30 and a width of the second mount member 26. Each second elastically deformable member 50 has a second linkage end 52 fixed to the first linkage 30 and a second mount end 54 fixed to the second mount member 26. The plurality of first elastically deformable members 44 of each first elastically deformable joint 34 converge from the first mount ends 48 toward one another to the first linkage ends 46 and the plurality of second elastically deformable members 50 of each second elastically deformable joint 36 converge from the second mount ends 54 toward one another to the second linkage ends 52. Accordingly, with the first and second elastically formable joints 34, 36 in their relaxed states, the first and second elastically formable joints 34, 36 are triangular, as viewed in the side views illustrated, with the first elastically formable joints 34 having an elongate hollow chamber 56 bounded by the first elastically deformable members 44 and first mount member 24 and with the second elastically formable joints 36 having an elongate hollow chamber 58 bounded by the second elastically deformable members 50 and second mount member 26 across the width W of the joints 34, 36. First and second elastically formable joints 34, 36 may further include a projecting elastically deformable member 45 extending from the apex 47 of each triangular first and second elastically formable joints 34, 36 for connection to first linkage 30. Elastically deformable members 45 provides additional flexibility to first and second elastically formable joints 34, 36 for a given range of motion at positions between open and closed positions as well as at the closed (
As best shown in
In
Hinge assembly 118 is similar to the hinge assembly 18 discussed above, being attached to deck lid 12 to support deck lid 12 for pivotal movement between a closed position, similar as shown in
In
Hinge assembly 218 is similar to the hinge assembly 18 discussed above, being attached to deck lid 12 to support deck lid 12 for pivotal movement between a closed position, similar as shown in
The second linkage 232 is coupled for hinged movement relative to first mount member 224 via a first elastically deformable joint 234′ as discussed above for second linkage 32; however, first elastically deformable joint 234′ is configured differently than discussed above for first elastically deformed joint 34 of second linkage 32, as discussed hereafter. Second linkage 232 is coupled for hinged movement to second mount member 226 via a second elastically deformable joint 236, wherein second elastically deformable joint 236 is the same as discussed above for second elastically deformable joint 136.
First elastically deformable joint 234 of first linkage 230 is provided in part by a rounded, semi-cylindrical, convex end 64 of first linkage 230 being disposed in an elongate concave pocket 66 extending across a width of first mount member 224 for pivotal movement there against to provide a rolling pivotal motion, thereby being suitable for large compressive loads. First elastically deformable joint 234 also has a plurality, shown as a pair, of spring members, referred to as first spring member 68 and second spring member 70, to facilitate biasing movement of hinge assembly 218 from its closed position (similar to that shown in
First elastically deformable joint 234′ is formed as a monolithic piece of material with first mount member 224 and second linkage 232. First elastically deformable member 234′ is formed as a single planar wall, extending along a width of the planar second linkage 232, and can be formed as a relative thin film, such as may be preferred for a lightweight deck lid 12. As such, first elastically deformable joint 234′ functions as a living hinge type joint, with the amount of bias imparted by first elastically deformable joint 234′ being controllable by the thickness of the planar wall.
Second spring member 70 extends from an opposite side of first linkage 230 from first spring member 68. Second spring member extends in cantilevered, arcuate fashion from first linkage 230 to a free end 76. Second spring member 70, being arcuate, has an upper convex surface 78 configured to slide along a mating concave surface 80 of first mount member 224 during movement of second mount member 226 between the closed and open positions. Second spring member 70 has a length extending outwardly from first linkage 230 to free end 76, wherein the length is sufficient to maintain the convex surface 78 in engagement with the concave surface 80 while the second mount member 226 and deck lid 12 are in the fully closed and open positions.
Hinge assembly 218 has at least one biasing member 82 extending from at least one of the first mount member 224 and the second mount member 226, and shown, by way of example and without limitation, as the first mount member 224. The biasing member 82 engages at least one of the first linkage 230 and the second linkage 232, and shown, by way of example and without limitation, as the first linkage 230, to bias the second mount member 226 and deck lid 12 fixed thereto from the closed position toward the open position. Biasing member 82 is shown formed as a monolithic piece of material with the first mount member 224, extending as a planer wall upwardly from an upper surface of first mount member 224 to a cantilevered free end 84. Biasing member 82 is formed to exert an upward pushing bias on an underside 86 of the wall of first linkage 230, with the bias being increased while the deck lid 12 is in the closed position. Accordingly, upon release of the latch maintaining deck lid 12 in the closed position, the biasing member 82 tends to push first linkage 230 upwardly in combination with the bias imparted by first spring member 68. The bias imparted in the biasing member 82 while the deck lid 12 is in the closed position can be controlled during the construction of hinge assembly 218 by controlling the angle as which the biasing member 82 extends from first mount member 224 during molding, and by controlling the thickness of biasing member 82 along a joint region 88 where biasing member 82 extends from first mount member 224 and by controlling the thickness and material properties of the planar wall forming biasing member 82.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method 1000 of constructing a hinge assembly 18, 118, 218 for assisting in moving a pivotal closure member 12 from a closed position toward an open position relative to a motor vehicle body 16 and for releasably holding the closure member 12 in the open position is provided. The method 1000 includes: a step 1100 of forming a first mount member 24, 124, 224 configured for operable connection to one of the closure member 12 and the motor vehicle body 16; a step 1200 of forming a second mount member 26, 126, 226 configured for operable connection to the other of the closure member 12 and the motor vehicle body 16; a step 1300 of operably coupling the first mount member 24, 124, 224 to the second mount member 26, 126, 226 with at least one linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232; and a step 1400 of molding at least one elastically deformable joint 34, 36; 134, 136; 234, 236 coupling the at least one linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 to at least one of the first mount member 24, 124, 224 and the second mount member 26, 126, 226.
The method 1000 can further include a step 1500 of molding the at least one elastically deformable joint 34, 36; 134, 136; 234, 236 as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 and at least one of the first mount member 24, 124, 224 and the second mount member 26, 126, 226 in a single molding operation.
The method 1000 can further include a step 1600 of molding the linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 and the at least one elastically deformable joint 34, 36; 134, 136; 234, 236 including a first elastically deformable joint 34, 134, 234, 234′ formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 and the first mount member 24, 124, 224 and a second elastically deformable joint 36, 136, 236 formed as a monolithic piece of material with the linkage 30, 132, 232 and the second mount member 26, 126, 226.
The method 1000 can further include a step 1700 of molding the first elastically deformable joint 34, 134, 234 and the second elastically deformable joint 36, 136, 236 having a plurality of elastically deformable members 44, 50 spaced from one another, each elastically deformable member 44, 50 having a linkage end 46, 52 fixed to the linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 and a mount end 48, 54 fixed to one of the first mount member 24, 124, 224 and the second mount member 26, 126, 226.
The method 1000 can further include a step 1800 of operably coupling the first mount member 24, 124, 224 to the second mount member 26, 126, 226 with a plurality of the at least one linkage 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232.
The method 1000 can further include a step 1900 of molding each of the plurality of linkages 30, 32; 130, 132; 230, 232 as a monolithic piece of material with a separate one of the at least one elastically deformable joint 34, 36; 134, 136; 234, 234′, 236 and molding the elastomeric deformable joints 34, 36; 134, 136; 234, 234′, 236 as a monolithic piece of material with at least one of the first mount member 24, 124, 224 and the second mount member 26, 126, 226.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/854,592, filed May 30, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CA2020/050723 | 5/27/2020 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62854592 | May 2019 | US |