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US 12,312,847 B2Granted
Door hinge with integrated door check
OwnerSteven Alonziinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle door hinge with integrated door check. The vehicle door hinge includes a vehicle body bracket securable to a vehicle body, a vehicle door bracket securable to a vehicle door, a hinge pin providing a rotational connection between the vehicle body bracket and the vehicle door bracket, a door check plate having a bearing engagement surface, and a resiliently compressible bias positioned to axially bias the bearing engagement surface against bearings of the hinge pin.
Claims20
A vehicle door hinge with integrated door check, the vehicle door hinge comprising:
- a vehicle body bracket securable to a vehicle body;
- a vehicle door bracket securable to a vehicle door;
- a hinge pin defining an axially extending hinge rotation axis, the hinge pin providing a rotational connection between the vehicle body bracket and the vehicle door bracket that allows the vehicle door bracket to rotate about the hinge rotation axis relative to the vehicle body bracket between a door closed position and one or more door retention positions,
- the hinge pin comprising three or more bearings;
- a door check plate having a bearing engagement surface that is (i) axially opposed to the three or more bearings, (ii) in contact with the three or more bearings, and (iii) surrounding the hinge rotation axis,
- the bearing engagement surface defining three or more curved paths, wherein a number of curved paths is equal to a number of bearings, each curved path having a respective first end, a respective second end, and an elevation profile between the first and second ends, the elevation profile having one or more upwardly sloped portions, one or more downwardly sloped portions, and one or more retention portions, the elevation profile of each curved path being substantially identical,
- the first end of each curved path corresponding to the door closed position,
- each retention portion of each curved path corresponding to one of the one or more door retention positions, and
- each of the three or more bearings travelling along a respective one of the curved paths from the first end toward the one or more retention portions when the vehicle door bracket rotates from the door closed position toward the one or more door retention positions, and
- a resiliently compressible bias positioned in contact with the door check plate, the door check plate being axially displaceable and the resiliently compressible bias axially biasing the door check plate toward the three or more bearings to maintain contact between the bearing engagement surface and the three or more bearings as each bearing travels along the elevation profile of their respective curved path.
7 more elements
A vehicle door hinge with integrated door check, the vehicle door hinge comprising:
- a vehicle body bracket securable to a vehicle body;
- a vehicle door bracket securable to a vehicle door;
- a hinge pin defining an axially extending hinge rotation axis, the hinge pin providing a rotational connection between the vehicle body bracket and the vehicle door bracket that allows the vehicle door bracket to rotate about the hinge rotation axis relative to the vehicle body bracket between a door closed position and one or more door retention positions,
- the hinge pin comprising three or more bearings;
- a door check plate having a bearing engagement surface that is (i) axially opposed to the three or more bearings, (ii) in contact with the three or more bearings, and (iii) surrounding the hinge rotation axis,
- the bearing engagement surface defining three or more curved paths, wherein a number of curved paths is equal to a number of bearings,
- each curved path having a respective first end, a respective second end, and an elevation profile between the first and second ends, the elevation profile having a variable elevation that includes one or more retention portions, the elevation profile of each curved path being substantially identical,
- the first end of each curved path corresponding to the door closed,
- each retention portion of each curved path corresponding to one of the one or more door retention positions, and
- each of the three or more bearings travelling along a respective one of the curved paths from the first end toward the one or more retention portions when the vehicle door bracket rotates from the door closed position toward the one or more door retention positions, and
- wherein at least a portion of the door check plate comprises an axially resiliently compressible material that axially biases the bearing engagement surface against the three or more bearings as each bearing travels along the elevation profile of their respective curved path.
8 more elements
A vehicle door hinge with integrated door check, the vehicle door hinge comprising:
- a vehicle body bracket securable to a vehicle body;
- a vehicle door bracket securable to a vehicle door;
- a hinge pin defining an axially extending hinge rotation axis, the hinge pin providing a rotational connection between the vehicle body bracket and the vehicle door bracket that allows the vehicle door bracket to rotate about the hinge rotation axis relative to the vehicle body bracket between a door closed position and one or more door retention positions,
- the hinge pin comprising three or more rigidly coupled bearings;
- a bearing engagement surface integrally formed into one of the vehicle body bracket and the vehicle door bracket, the bearing engagement surface being (i) axially opposed to the three or more bearings, (ii) in contact with the three or more bearings, and (iii) surrounding the hinge rotation axis,
- the bearing engagement surface defining three or more curved paths, wherein a number of curved paths is equal to a number of bearings,
- each curved path having a respective first end corresponding to the door closed position, a respective second end, and an elevation profile between the first and second ends, the elevation profile having a variable elevation that includes one or more retention portions, each retention portion of each curved path corresponding to one of the one or more door retention positions, the elevation profile of each curved path being substantially identical, and
- each of the bearings travelling along a respective one of the curved paths from the first end toward the one or more retention portions when the vehicle door bracket rotates from the door closed position toward the one or more door retention positions.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.