Door hinge limiter for automotive vehicle
AssigneeMichael A Papoulias
InventorMichael A Papoulias
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a door hinge limiting assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a pillar bracket, a door bracket, and a flexible check strap. The pillar bracket is configured to fit on the aft-side and interior-side of the door pillar and to complement the pillar's nonplanar profile. Rather than being secured to the door pillar, the pillar bracket is secured to the forward wall in the footwell region, with the aforesaid configuration producing an interference fit with the door pillar. The strap may be comprised of nylon webbing or similar material, and in some embodiments may comprise an elastic strap to promote convenient folding.
Claims20
A hinge limiter assembly for a vehicle door hingeably attached to a vehicle body at a door pillar, the assembly comprising:
- a check strap for connecting the body and the door;
- and
- a pillar bracket attachable to the body, said pillar bracket comprising:
- a check strap plate configured to accommodate a first end of the check strap,
- a body attachment plate configured for secure attachment to the vehicle body,
- an intermediate plate extending from the check strap plate to the body attachment plate, said intermediate plate comprising:
- a first bend that terminates at the body attachment plate,
- a second bend that terminates at the check strap plate,
- a first edge extending from the first bend to the second bend, and
- a second edge extending from the first bend to the second bend, wherein the first edge is longer than the second edge.
A motor vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body comprising a footwell region defined by a door pillar, a floor, and a forward wall;
- a vehicle door hingedly attached to the vehicle body at the door pillar;
- and
- a hinge limiter assembly for limiting a range of motion of the vehicle door with respect to the vehicle body at the door pillar, the hinge limiter assembly comprising:
- a check strap connecting the body and the door;
- and
- a pillar bracket attached to the body, said pillar bracket comprising:
- a check strap plate configured to accommodate a first end of the check strap,
- a body attachment plate directly attached to the forward wall of the footwell region, and
- an intermediate plate extending from the check strap plate to the body attachment plate, said intermediate plate comprising:
- a first bend that terminates at the body attachment plate and,
- a second bend that terminates at the check strap plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.