US 11,535,309 B2Granted

Hinge assembly for a power tailgate system

AssigneeAisin Technical Center of America, Inc.

InventorsRyan Heins, Nicholas Ozog, Takashi Nishio, Yoji Nagashima

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Abstract

A hinge assembly includes a tailgate bracket securable to a vehicular tailgate, a support bracket securable to a vehicular bed, a torque shaft, and a crank. The tailgate bracket includes a socket. The support bracket includes a support. The torque shaft is supported by the support for axial rotation. The torque shaft includes a tailgate-side head and a crank-side head. The tailgate-side head and the socket are configured to make a head-and-socket connection with one another. The crank-side head includes an external profile. The crank includes a shaft-side base and an actuator-side base, a load arm extending therebetween, and at least one of a dogleg along the shaft-side base, the load arm and the actuator-side base, and an embossed rib extending along the load arm. The shaft-side base includes an internal profile. The external profile and the internal profile are configured to make a shaft-and-hub connection with one another.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A vehicle, comprising:

a bed;
a tailgate;
a tailgate bracket secured to the tailgate, the tailgate bracket including a socket projecting outside the tailgate;
a support bracket secured to the bed, the support bracket including a support extending through the bed;
a torque shaft extending through the bed together with the support, and supported thereby for axial rotation, the torque shaft including a tailgate-side head projecting outside the bed, and a crank-side head projecting inside the bed, the tailgate-side head and the socket configured to make a head-and-socket connection with one another, and the crank-side head including an external profile;
a crank housed in the bed, the crank including a shaft-side base and an actuator-side base, a load arm extending therebetween, and a dogleg along the shaft-side base, the load arm and the actuator-side base, the load arm following the dogleg to extend from the shaft-side base to the actuator-side base toward the tailgate, the shaft-side base including an internal profile, the external profile and the internal profile configured to make a shaft-and-hub connection with one another, and the actuator-side base including a ball stud projecting therefrom, with the dogleg increasing radial alignment between the internal profile and the ball stud;
and
a tailgate actuator housed in the bed and operable to pivot the crank against the bed to pivotally move the tailgate, the tailgate actuator including a ball socket, the ball stud and the ball socket configured to make a ball-and-socket connection with one another.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.