Patent Application
20100269300
The invention relates to powered door hinges for vehicles.
A variety of vertically opening car door hinges have been made in the prior art. Unfortunately, the vertically opening car door hinge has a more complicated opening structure, and therefore it has been difficult in the past to provide a commercially responsive and lightweight structure for retrofitting with existing car doors of standard factory model vehicles. Vertically opening car door hinges have the advantage of less space used.
Previous attempts at car door hinges have been overly bulky, and accordingly weight requirements have limited the installation of the hinges. For example, Front Door Car Hinge by Yip, filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/014,022 filed Dec. 15, 2004 provides for a large base bracket connected to a second large door bracket, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other mechanisms, such as described by Baum in United States patent entitled Two Way Hinge For Motor Vehicle Doors number U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,223 issued Oct. 26, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, suggests a similarly large and bulky construct. Both Yip Ser. No. 11/014,022 and Baum U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,223 require a large amount of space and have awkward joint construction. Few door hinges today are powered or motorized.
Typically, automobile enthusiasts who enjoy customizing vehicles, also optimize vehicles for lower weight. Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a space and weight optimized mechanical configuration to facilitate aftermarket retrofit door hinge automotive services. It is also an object of the invention to provide a powered door hinge.
The door hinge is comprised of a base member, upon which a primary swivel member is mounted. The primary swivel has a shock protrusion receiving a shock bracket which has a first face parallel to the shock protrusion and a second face facing the shock. The shock has an outer cylinder and a piston in telescopic connection to the outer cylinder. The outer cylinder is connected to a banjo receiver. The banjo receiver is in threaded connection and intimate connection with a base member bolt. The base member bolt has an external threading which preferably threads with an inside surface of the banjo receiver.
A motorized assembly consisting of a motor, a motor gear, a drive gear and a gear formed on the primary swivel member provides a driving force for raising the door.
The door hinge base member has a pair of lower bolt slots and a middle bolt opening and a pair of upper bolt openings. The bolt openings and bolt slots are sized for standard automobile door hinge securing. The standard automobile door hinge can be replaced with the present embodiment door hinge.
A stopper bracket is formed on the base member and has a vertical face facing a stopper bolt. The stopper bracket is preferably formed as a U-shaped member with a flat face facing the stopper bolt.
The shock pushes the arm into an extended position corresponding to the opening of a car door. The arm is attached to the primary swivel member at a secondary swivel. The secondary swivel swivels outward to allow a car door mounted to the end of arm to open outwardly. The swivel axis is on the swivel axle passing through the swivel member and the base member. The secondary swivel passes first through the arm at a first connection finger, then the primary swivel member, before attaching began to the arm at a second connection finger.
The secondary swivel is limited in outward opening angle by a stopper finger which opposes a stopper on primary swivel. Preferably, the secondary swivel has an axle for rotation which passes through stopper finger as well as first connection finger and second connection finger.
A set screw may be threaded and secured into the stopper finger to provide an extension or retraction for adjustment of the maximum outward opening angle. Extension of set screw decreases the maximum outward opening angle and retraction of set screw increases the maximum outward opening angle. The maximum outward opening angle is sized according to a car door dimension. The set screw may have a means for adjusting, such as a Phillips or hexagonal drive surface.
The arm has a pair of branch members including a lower branch member and an upper branch member. The lower branch member is secured to a lower door plate and the upper branch member is secured to an upper door plate. The lower door plate and the upper door plate have bolt opening slots receiving bolts securing to a car door.
The upper branch member and the lower branch member are preferably made from a planar flat member which curves upward to meet a main portion of the arm which is connected to the primary swivel.
The stopper bolt has an adjusting nut for adjusting the length of the stopper bolt in protrusion from the arm. As an arm carries the car door upward after a user opens the car door, the stopper bolt has a ball point tip. The ball point tip is a rolling ball similar to a ballpoint pen construction where a steel ball is mounted on the tip of the stopper bolt. The steel ball ball point tip rolls on the flat surface of the stopper bracket. The shock both dampens and provides a spring bias for raising and lowering the car door.
The primary swivel member swivels in the same plane as the door hinge base member. The primary swivel member is made as a planar member and the door hinge base member is also made as a planar member. The door hinge base member can be secured to a vehicle on the pair of lower bolt slots and the pair of upper bolt openings into pre-existing bolt receiving openings on the vehicle. However, the middle bolt opening may have to be secured to the vehicle by a bolt after drilling a bolt opening on the vehicle.
The base member bolt can be received in a base member bolt opening. A plurality of base member bolt openings can be disposed on the base member by drilling multiple bolt openings. Having multiple bolt openings allows adjustment for different types of vehicles so that the same door hinge can be used for multiple and varying types of vehicles.
A base stopper is formed as a bolt secured to the door hinge base member. The base stopper has a hexagonal securing means which also raises and lowers the base stopper. The base stopper is adjusted for limiting the angle of the arm relative to the base member after the arm has been raised over the base stopper. The base stopper as a protrusion from the base member is not as preferable as the ball bolt protruding from the arm and rolling on the base member and ramp profile of the base member.
Assembly of the device is slightly complicated by the force of the shock. One way of assembling the device is to first mount the base member to the vehicle chassis. After the base member is mounted to the vehicle chassis, the arm is mounted to the car door. The shock is kept disengaged. The shock can be in the first disengaged position or the second disengaged position. The shock can either be disengaged from base member bolt, or disengaged from shock bracket. The car door can be suspended by rope or a lift during the adjustment process. Once all of the parts are installed on the vehicle, the shock is installed. The door is then released and then the fit is tested. Most of the time, the fit will not be good, and adjustments will be made. The installer has a number of variables such as changing the mounting of the door hinge base member relative to the pair of lower bolt slots, or by fine-tuning an adjusting the stopper finger length via the set screw. The bolt opening slots on the arm can also be adjusted. Furthermore, the base member bolt can be inserted in a different base member bolt opening which is in a slightly different location, to allow for greater bearing on the shock, or less weight-bearing on the shock.
The geometry of the front door hinge provides that the shock remains pivoting in the same plane as the base member. The primary swivel member also pivots in the same plane as the base member and the shock protrusion and thus is on the same plane as the shock, the primary swivel member and the base member. The shock is mounted between the primary swivel member and the base member to allow simultaneous coplanar motion of the primary swivel member, the base member and the shock. The arm swivels outward away from the vehicle chassis and away from base member. The arm is also supported by the base stopper.
In the powered embodiment, the bolt which is the base stopper is omitted. Instead, on the arm, a ball bolt is mounted on the arm. On the exterior surface of the arm, a ball bolt top may protrude from a ball bolt. The ball bolt top can be used for adjusting the height of the ball bolt. The ball bolt has a ball roller which rolls up a ramp profile. The ramp profile may have a bottom opening. The bottom opening can be centered so that a closed position of the arm corresponds with the ball bolt being concentric with the center of the bottom opening. Optionally, the bottom opening can be omitted if the height of the ball bolt does not require that the ball bolt protrude through the bottom opening. The nut adjustment provides a means for adjusting the height of the ball bolt. In actual implementation, the arm is much closer to the base member.
In the powered embodiment, as the motor receives power from input wires, though motor turns a motor gear which rotates an intermediate gear which rotates a gear face formed on swivel member. As the swivel member swivels relative to the base member, the ball bolt in the bottom opening touches the ramp profile and the ball roller begins to roll on the ramp profile which pivots the arm relative to base member on secondary swivel. The arm and base member begin in parallel, until the arm has pivoting moment when the ball roller begins to roll on ramp profile. The arm is automatically raised thereby. The ball roller can be of similar or larger diameter than the ball tip. Because the shock provides a raising force against the arm, and the car door attached to the arm, the shock provides the motor with the bulk of the raising force. The motor can thus be made smaller as it does not need to provide all of the raising force for raising the arm and the car door attached to the arm.
The power on input wires is preferably an automotive voltage standard. The power on the input wires is preferably regulated by a remote control. A remote control unit sending a wireless signal can activate a receiver connected to the input wires. The receiver can therefore pop the door lock with a door popper and simultaneously raise the car door vertically with the assistance of the shock. Several miniaturized receivers are commercially available for ready installation. In this manner, a user walking out to a car can press a button on a remote control that is located on the user's keychain, and the car door will automatically unlock and raise itself. Once in the cabin, the user can press a button which is also wired and connected to the receiver so that the door will automatically lower, close and lock.
In the highest position, the ball roller is preferably rolling on the surface of the base member. As the ball roller rolls back down, it rolls over the flat surface of the base member, then down the ramp profile and into the bottom opening, where the ball roller is hanging free and not touching the ramp profile.
The ball bolt top can be omitted if the bolt is threaded directly into base member without protruding through the face of base member. In this embodiment, the ball bolt cannot be seen from the outside.
The following call out list of elements is used consistently to refer to the elements of the drawings as follows:
The door hinge is comprised of a base member 20, upon which a primary swivel member 30 is mounted. The primary swivel has a shock protrusion 32 receiving a shock bracket 34 which has a first face parallel to the shock protrusion and a second face facing the shock. The shock bracket 34 is in swivel connection to the primary swivel member 30 the shock bracket 34 has a shock bracket bolt 88 bolted through the primary swivel member 30 and the shock bracket 34 in a thickness direction. The shock bracket bolt 88 preferably has a lower portion that is threaded into an aperture of the primary swivel member 30. The shock bracket bolt 88 as a hexagonal head for allowing assembly and adjustment while the shock bracket bolt 88 is mounted under the fender of the vehicle. Thus, the shock bracket has a shock bracket axis of rotation parallel to the primary swivel axis.
The shock 40 has an outer cylinder 41 and a piston 42 in telescopic connection to the outer cylinder 41. The outer cylinder 41 is connected to a banjo receiver 43. The banjo receiver 43 is in threaded connection and intimate connection with a base member bolt 21. The base member bolt 21 has an external threading which preferably threads with an inside surface of the banjo receiver 43.
The door hinge base member 20 has a pair of lower bolt slots 23 and a middle bolt opening 24 and a pair of upper bolt openings 25. The bolt openings and bolt slots are sized for standard automobile door hinge securing. The standard automobile door hinge can be replaced with the present embodiment door hinge.
In the unpowered embodiment as seen in
The shock 40 pushes the arm 50 into an extended position corresponding to the opening of a car door. The arm 50 is attached to the primary swivel member 30 at a secondary swivel 51. The secondary swivel swivels outward to allow a car door mounted to the end of arm 50 to open outwardly. The swivel axis is on the swivel axle 31 passing through the swivel member 30 and the base member 20. The secondary swivel 51 passes first through the arm 50 at a first connection finger 55, then the primary swivel member 30, before attaching began to the arm 50 at a second connection finger 56. The secondary swivel axis is normal to the primary swivel axis.
The secondary swivel 51 is limited in outward opening angle by a stopper finger 57 which opposes a stopper 39 on primary swivel 30. The stopper finger is formed as a protrusion on the arm 50. The stopper 39 may have an opening 33 on a side opposite to the stopper finger 57. The opening optionally allows access to an adjusting member such as a screw. The adjusting member may have an engagement face such as a hexagonal drive for adjusting. The opening on a side opposite to the stopper finger 57 may provide access to the hexagonal drive. Preferably, the secondary swivel 51 has an axle for rotation which passes through stopper finger 57 as well as first connection finger 55 and second connection finger 56.
A set screw 38 may be threaded and secured into the stopper finger 57 to provide an extension or retraction for adjustment of the maximum outward opening angle. Extension of set screw 38 decreases the maximum outward opening angle and retraction of set screw 38 increases the maximum outward opening angle. The maximum outward opening angle is sized according to a car door dimension. The set screw may have a means for adjusting, such as a Phillips or hexagonal drive surface.
The arm 50 has a pair of branch members including a lower branch member 52 and an upper branch member 53. The lower branch member is secured to a lower door plate 54 and the upper branch member is secured to an upper door plate 58. The lower door plate 54 and the upper door plate 58 have bolt opening slots 59 receiving bolts securing to a car door. The upper branch member and the lower branch member are preferably made from a planar flat member which curves upward to meet a main portion of the arm 50 which is connected to the primary swivel 30.
The stopper bolt 60 has an adjusting nut 62 for adjusting the length of the stopper bolt 60 in protrusion from the arm 50. As an arm 50 carries the car door upward after a user opens the car door, the stopper bolt 60 has a ball point tip 65. The ball point tip is a rolling ball similar to a ballpoint pen construction where a steel ball is mounted on the tip of the stopper bolt 60. The steel ball point tip 65 rolls on the flat surface of the stopper bracket 26. The shock both dampens and provides a spring bias for raising and lowering the car door.
The primary swivel member swivels in the same plane as the door hinge base member 20. The primary swivel member is made as a planar member and the door hinge base member 20 is also made as a planar member. The door hinge base member 20 can be secured to a vehicle on the pair of lower bolt slots 23 and the pair of upper bolt openings 25 into pre-existing bolt receiving openings on the vehicle. However, the middle bolt opening 24 may have to be secured to the vehicle by a bolt after drilling a bolt opening on the vehicle.
The base member bolt 21 can be received in a base member bolt opening. A plurality of base member bolt openings can be disposed on the base member 20 by drilling multiple bolt openings 21, 22. Having multiple bolt openings allows adjustment for different types of vehicles so that the same door hinge can be used for multiple and varying types of vehicles. The multiple bolt openings can optionally be plugged when not in use.
A base stopper 61 is formed as a bolt secured to the door hinge base member 20. The base stopper 61 has a hexagonal securing means which also raises and lowers the base stopper 61. The base stopper 61 is adjusted for limiting the angle of the arm 50 relative to the base member 20 after the arm 50 has been raised over the base stopper 61. The base stopper biases the arm away from the base position when the arm is an extended position.
Assembly of the device is slightly complicated by the force of the shock 40. One way of assembling the device is to first mount the base member 20 to the vehicle chassis. After the base member 20 is mounted to the vehicle chassis, the arm 50 is mounted to the car door. The shock is kept disengaged as seen in
The air shock is preferably loaded up to about 50% of its travel distance capacity, and no more than 75% of the travel distance capacity. The half loading of the shock is accomplished by sizing the shock so that it is 50% loaded when the door is closed. A shock is loaded half way when the piston travels half of its distance in telescopic contraction into the shock body. When the vehicle door is closed, the apparatus arm is in retracted position as opposed to an extended position when the door is open. The air shock pushes outwardly in telescopic orientation. The shock has an area of trapped air and a base for storing the trapped air. The air shock can be selected from a variety of commonly available shocks. By opening the door, and holding it open with a lifting device, the shock can be replaced if necessary, such as if it fails. Typically, the shock will be loaded between 40% and 75% depending on the door structure and the motion desired by the user.
The geometry of the front door hinge provides that the shock remains pivoting in the same plane as the base member 20. The primary swivel member also pivots in the same plane as the base member 20 and the shock protrusion 32 and thus is on the same plane as the shock, the primary swivel member and the base member 20. The shock is mounted between the primary swivel member and the base member to allow simultaneous coplanar motion of the primary swivel member, the base member and the shock. The arm 50 swivels outward away from the vehicle chassis and away from base member 20. The arm 50 is also supported by the base stopper 61.
Fabrication of the parts is preferably from steel plate of sufficient thickness to support the car door. Preferably, ⅜″ plate is used. The parts can be welded together, such as the stopper bracket 26 which is preferably welded to the base member 20. The swivel joints can be substituted with a joint having the same or greater degree of freedom.
In the powered embodiment as seen in
In the powered embodiment, as the motor 130 receives power from input wires 131, though motor turns a motor gear which rotates an intermediate gear 132 which rotates a gear face 133 machine formed on swivel member 30. The gear face 133 can be formed in a corner of the swivel member 30. Preferably, the height of the gear face 133 is equivalent to the height of the intermediate gear 132 which is consequently equivalent to the height of the motor gear. The motor gear is the gear that shares an axis with the motor, from which the motor outputs torque. The intermediate gear is mounted between the motor gear and the gear face 133.
As the swivel member 30 Swivels relative to the base member 20, the ball bolt 188 in the bottom opening 182 touches the ramp profile 190 and the ball roller 888 begins to roll on the ramp profile 190 which pivots the arm 50 relative to base member 20 on secondary swivel 51. The arm 50 and base member 20 begin in parallel, until the arm 50 has pivoting moment when the ball roller 888 begins to roll on ramp profile 190. The arm is automatically raised thereby. The ball roller 888 can be of similar or larger diameter than the ball tip 65. Because the shock 40 provides a raising force against the arm 50, and the car door attached to the arm 50, the shock 40 provides the motor 130 with the bulk of the raising force. The motor 130 can thus be made smaller as it does not need to provide all of the raising force for raising the arm 50 and the car door attached to the arm 50.
The power on input wires 131 is preferably a 12V automotive voltage standard. The power on the input wires is preferably regulated by a remote control. A remote control unit sending a wireless signal can activate a receiver connected to the input wires. The receiver can therefore pop the door lock with a door popper and simultaneously raise the car door vertically with the assistance of the shock 40. Several miniaturized 12V receivers are commercially available for ready installation. In this manner, a user walking out to a car can press a button on a remote control that is located on the user's keychain, and the car door will automatically unlock and raise itself. Once in the cabin, the user can press a button which is also wired and connected to the receiver so that the door will automatically lower, close and lock.
The motor can be a stepping motor which is not movable or locked when powered off, or the motor can be movable when powered off. It is preferred that the motor can be movable when powered off so that a user can open the car door manually should the user desire to do so.
In the highest position, the ball roller 888 is preferably rolling on the surface of the base member 20. As the ball roller 888 rolls back down, it rolls over the flat surface of the base member 20, then down the ramp profile 190 and into the bottom opening 182, where the ball roller 888 is hanging free and not touching the ramp profile 190. The ball roller 888 is similar to the ball tip 65 because both are mounted to the tip of a bolt and the ball can roll in any direction like a ballpoint pen relative to the stopper bolt 60, or relative to the ball bolt 188. Preferably, both the ball roller 888 and the ball tip 65 are both oiled for smooth rolling.
The ball bolt top 122 can be omitted if the bolt is threaded directly into base member 20 without protruding through the face of base member 20. In this embodiment, the ball bolt 188 cannot be seen from the outside. The ball roller 888 is mounted for free rotation within the tip of the ball bolt 188. Exterior surface of the ball bolt 188 is threaded and can be threaded into a threaded aperture on the underside of arm 50.
Thus, although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference only to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other embodiments can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the claims set forth below.
This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 12/455,931 entitled front door hinge filed Jun. 9, 2009 by inventor Yip, which is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 12/386,862 for Door Hinge filed Apr. 24, 2009 by same inventor Yip.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12455931 | Jun 2009 | US |
| Child | 12535811 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12386862 | Apr 2009 | US |
| Child | 12455931 | US |
