Hinge for automotive vehicle doors

A hinge for vehicle doors comprising:

• a first complementary part configured to be fixed to a vehicle door and including an essentially vertical pin;
• a second complementary part configured to be fixed to a frame of the vehicle and including an essentially cylindrical and vertical first cavity that houses at least a portion of the vertical pin such that opening or closing of the vehicle door causes relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts when respectively fixed to the vehicle door and the frame of the vehicle;
• and
• a retaining device configured to retain infinite angular positions between the first and second complementary parts, the retaining device comprising:
• a sleeve disposed in the first cavity and surrounding at least a portion of the pin;
• an engagement member arranged between the pin and the sleeve, the engagement member being configured to couple the sleeve to the pin in any angular rest position of the hinge, the engagement member being further configured to automatically decouple the sleeve from the pin during relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts and to automatically couple the sleeve to the pin in response to interruption of the relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts;
• a check member disposed in a second cavity arranged transversely to and connected to the first cavity, the check member being configured to indirectly actuate the engagement member by acting on the sleeve, the check member comprising:
• a substantially horizontally-arranged pushing rod having a substantially planar pushing surface configured to engage a flattened portion of an outer surface of the sleeve;
• and a biasing member that urges the pushing surface of the pushing rod into contact with the flattened portion of the outer surface of the sleeve in any angular rest position of the hinge, wherein an angle of rotation of the sleeve about a longitudinal axis of the pin from an angular rest position to a position in which the sleeve is disengaged from the pin is equal to or less than half an angle subtended by ends of the flattened portion of the outer surface of the sleeve, where the subtended angle lies in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the subtended angle's vertex coincides with the longitudinal axis;
• and
• a direct actuation member arranged at one end of the sleeve and configured to engage the engagement member in response to relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts of the hinge.