Claims
- 1. A door check device for installation between a motor vehicle body and a motor vehicle door that swings in opposing opening and closing directions relative to the vehicle body, said door check device comprising:
a first link member engaging member; a second link member engaging member; a housing having a connecting portion; an elongated link member having a first opposing end that provides a connecting portion, a second opposing end, and an intermediate portion that extends between said first and second opposing ends thereof and provides first and second opposing face surfaces, said intermediate portion having upper and lower detents that extend generally in a transverse direction of said link member on said first and second opposing face surfaces thereof, respectively; said elongated link member being positioned between said first and second engaging members with said first and second engaging members extending generally in the transverse direction of said link member such that said first and second engaging members face the first and second face surfaces, respectively, of said intermediate portion; biasing structure constructed and arranged to bias said first and second engaging members relatively towards one another to thereby urge said first and second engaging members into engagement with the first and second opposing face surfaces of said intermediate link member portion, respectively; the connecting portion of said elongated link member and the connecting portion of said housing being constructed and arranged to enable installation of said door check device by operatively connecting one of said connecting portions to the vehicle door and operatively connecting the other of said connecting portions to the vehicle body so that opening and closing movements of the vehicle door relative to the vehicle body moves said link member relative to said housing with said first engaging member travelling along the first face surface of said link member's intermediate portion and said second engaging member travelling along the second face surface of said link member's intermediate portion; said first and second engaging members and said detent regions being configured with respect to one another such that, when said device is installed as aforesaid and the vehicle door is swung to a location with respect to the vehicle body wherein said first and second engaging structures are received within said upper and lower detents, respectively, said first and second engaging members cooperate with said upper and lower detents to maintain the vehicle door at that position until a force sufficient to cause said link member to move relative to said housing so as to urge said first and second engaging members relatively apart from one another and out of cooperation with said upper and lower detents against the biasing of said biasing structure is applied to the vehicle door; said first engaging member and said second engaging member each being rotatable generally parallel to such that a yaw plane that extends in both the transverse direction and the longitudinal extent of said link member, when said link member is caused to undergo a yaw movement relative to said housing generally along said yaw plane, said first and second engaging members are allowed to rotate relative to the housing along with said link member such that the first and second engaging members remain in transverse relation to said link member.
- 2. The door check device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first carrier rotatably mounted to said housing with said first engaging member mounted to said first carrier, and a second carrier rotatably mounted to said housing with said second engaging member mounted to said second carrier.
- 3. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein the first and second engaging members are first and second cylindrical rollers rotatably mounted to the first and second carriers, respectively.
- 4. The door check device according to claim 3, wherein the first and second rollers are mounted to respective carriers for rotation about first and second rotational axes, respectively, which are generally parallel to a transverse direction of the link member.
- 5. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein the first and second carriers have a generally cylindrical exterior shape.
- 6. The door check device according to claim 5, wherein each carrier includes an annular wall with a first post member and a second post member extending generally in an axial direction from the annular wall.
- 7. The door check device according to claim 6, wherein the first post member and the second post member are diametrically opposed to one another.
- 8. The door check device according to claim 6, wherein one of the first and second post members has a greater longitudinal extent than the other of the first and second post members.
- 9. The door check device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second post members are configured and positioned to mount the corresponding engaging member.
- 10. The door check device according to claim 9, wherein the first and second engaging members are first and second cylindrical rollers rotatably mounted to the first and second carriers, respectively.
- 11. The door check device according to claim 10, wherein the first and second rollers have a stepped configuration with axles formed at opposing ends thereof.
- 12. The door check device according to claim 12, wherein one of the axles of each roller is inserted within a roller receiving opening provided in one of the first and second post members and the other axles is inserted into a roller receiving concave recess provided in the other of the first and second post members with a snap-action.
- 13. The door check device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second carriers are engaged with one another in interlocking relation when mounted within the housing.
- 14. The door check device according to claim 13, wherein one of the first and second post members of each carrier includes opposing chamfers and the other of the first and second post members includes opposing protrusions, the first and second roller carriers being engaged with one another such that the first post member of one carrier engages the second post member of the opposing carrier with the protrusions received between the chamfers in interlocking relation.
- 15. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein the housing includes a casing portion having a cylindrical interior space for rotatably containing the first and second engaging carriers.
- 16. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein each carrier includes an annular wall, the annular wall including diametrically opposed slots and protrusions that permit the annular wall to flex inwardly as the first and second carriers are mounted within the case portion.
- 17. The door check device according to claim 1, wherein said link member inflicts a torque on the first and second engaging members to cause the first and second engaging members to rotate together with the link member as the link member undergoes yaw movement.
- 18. The door check device according to claim 17, wherein said the opposing face surfaces of said link member are essentially flat, except for said detent regions.
- 19. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein the first and second carriers rotate together relative to the housing with the link member such that the first and second engaging members remain transverse relation to the link member.
- 20. The door check device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging members are non-rolling sliding structures.
- 21. The door check device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing structure includes a pair of biasing elements in the form of coil springs contained within the housing.
- 22. The door check device according to claim 2, wherein the biasing structure includes a pair of biasing elements in the form of coil springs contained within the housing.
- 23. The door check device according to claim 22, wherein each carrier has a spring bearing portion which contacts the corresponding coil spring and a mounting portion which mounts the corresponding engaging member.
- 24. The door check device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second engaging members are identical to one another.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/733,955 filed on Dec. 12, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/369,317 filed on Aug. 6, 1999, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/095,693, filed on Aug. 7, 1998, the entirety of each of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60095693 |
Aug 1998 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09733955 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10119292 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09369317 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Child |
09733955 |
Dec 2000 |
US |