Door hinge cushioning arrangement

A hinge assembly configured for pivotably coupling a door to a vehicle, the hinge assembly comprising:

• a driving member configured to be coupled to said door, said driving member being configured for rotation about a central axis, the driving member including a plurality of driving protrusions, said driving protrusions extending in a direction parallel to the central axis, a first cam, the first cam having a first cam upper side and a first cam lower side, the first cam lower side including a plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions having ramped lower surfaces and first cam stops, the first cam upper side defining a plurality of recesses extending within the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions, the plurality of recesses being at least partially defined by a plurality of substantially radially extending walls,
• a second cam, the second cam having a second cam upper side and a second cam lower side, the second cam upper side including a plurality of arcuately-shaped upper protrusions having ramped upper surfaces and second cam stops, said second cam being configured to be coupled to the vehicle, the first cam and the second cam being disposed along said central axis so that the ramped lower surfaces of the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions are configured to ride along the ramped upper surfaces of the plurality of arcuately-shaped upper protrusions as the first cam is driven to rotate relative to the second cam about said central axis,
• an elastomeric bushing disposed between the driving member and the first cam, the elastomeric bushing including an interrupted disk from which a plurality of lobes extend in a direction parallel to the central axis, at least a portion of the plurality of lobes being separated by a plurality of interruptions in said disk, the plurality of lobes extending in a generally radial direction parallel to the central axis,
• the plurality of lobes being disposed extending into at least a portion of the plurality of recesses of the arcuately-shaped lower protrusions of the first cam, the driving protrusions of the driving member extending into the plurality of interruptions in the elastomeric bushing and into the plurality of recesses of the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions of the first cam, such that the plurality of lobes are disposed between the driving protrusions and plurality of substantially radially extending walls of the plurality of recesses of the first cam.

A vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle body,
• a door, and
• a hinge assembly coupling the door to the vehicle body, the hinge assembly including:
• a driving member coupled for rotation with said door, said driving member being configured for rotation about a central axis as the door is opened and closed, the driving member including a plurality of driving protrusions, said driving protrusions extending in a direction parallel to the central axis,
• a first cam, the first cam having a first cam upper side and a first cam lower side, the first cam lower side including a plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions having ramped lower surfaces and first cam stops, the first cam upper side defining a plurality of recesses extending within the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions, the plurality of recesses including a plurality of substantially radially extending walls,
• a second cam coupled with the vehicle body, the second cam having a second cam upper side and a second cam lower side, the second cam upper side including a plurality of arcuately-shaped upper protrusions having ramped upper surfaces and second cam stops,
• the first cam and the second cam being disposed along said central axis so that the ramped lower surfaces of the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions of the first cam are configured to ride along the ramped upper surfaces of the plurality of arcuately-shaped upper protrusions of the second cam as the first cam is driven to rotate relative to the second cam about said axis,
• an elastomeric bushing disposed between the driving member and the first cam, the elastomeric bushing including an interrupted disk from which a plurality of lobes extend in a generally radial direction parallel to the central axis, said plurality of lobes being separated by a plurality of interruptions in said disk,
• the plurality of lobes being disposed within at least a portion of the plurality of recesses of the plurality of arcuately-shaped lower protrusions of the first cam, the driving protrusions of the driving member extending through the plurality of interruptions in the elastomeric bushing, such that the plurality of lobes are disposed between the driving protrusions and the substantially radially extending walls of the recesses of the first cam to cushion the engagement of the driving protrusions with the substantially radially extending walls of the recesses of the first cam when the driving member is rotated in a driving direction.