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US 8,943,650 B2Granted
Hinge assembly for vehicle interior trim component
AssigneeJohnson Controls Technology Company
InventorsRick A. Anderson, Loren R. Washburn, Allan W. Getliff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle interior trim component hinge assembly includes a rotatable component, and a shaft disposed through the rotatable component. The hinge assembly also includes a first friction disk rotationally coupled to the shaft, and a second friction disk rotationally coupled to the rotatable component. The hinge assembly further includes a biasing member configured to urge the first and second friction disks toward one another to establish a friction force that provides resistance to rotation of the rotatable component about the shaft.
Claims15
A vehicle interior trim component hinge assembly, comprising:
- a shaft non-rotatably coupled to a first structure of a vehicle;
- a second structure;
- the second structure having two parts defining a passage within the second structure, wherein the shaft passes through the passage to facilitate rotation of the second structure relative to the first structure;
- at least one first friction disk disposed about the shaft and comprising a first engagement feature configured to engage the shaft to block rotation of the at least one first friction disk relative to the shaft;
- at least one second friction disk rotatably disposed about the shaft and comprising a second engagement feature configured to engage the second structure to block rotation of the at least one second friction disk relative to the second structure;
- a biasing member configured to urge the at least one first and at least one second friction disks toward one another to establish a friction force that provides rotational resistance between the first and second structures;
- and
- an end cap fixedly coupled to the shaft and comprising a radial protrusion configured to engage an indentation within the shaft to secure the end cap to the shaft, wherein the biasing member is disposed between the end cap and the at least one first friction disk or between the end cap and the at least one second friction disk.
5 more elements
A vehicle interior trim component hinge assembly, comprising:
- a two part rotatable component comprising a passage;
- a shaft adapted to be fixed to a base of a vehicle disposed through the passage of the rotatable component and rotatably coupled to the rotatable component;
- at least one first friction disk rotatably coupled to the shaft and comprising an outer protrusion configured to engage a first recess in the rotatable component to block rotation of the at least one first friction disk relative to the rotatable component;
- at least one second friction disk rotatably coupled to the rotatable component and disposed about the shaft, wherein the at least one second friction disk comprises an inner protrusion configured to engage a second recess in the shaft to block rotation of the at least one second friction disk relative to the shaft;
- a biasing member configured to urge the at least one first and at least one second friction disks toward one another to establish a friction force that provides resistance to rotation of the rotatable component about the shaft;
- and
- an end cap comprising an opening configured to receive the shaft and a radial protrusion configured to engage an indentation in the shaft fixedly securing the end cap to the shaft, wherein the end cap is configured to support the shaft within the passage and to secure the shaft to the rotatable component, and the biasing member is disposed between the end cap and the at least one first friction disk or between the end cap and the at least one second friction disk.
4 more elements
A method of manufacturing a vehicle interior trim component hinge assembly, comprising:
- forming a torsion assembly by non-rotatably coupling a first friction disk to a shaft adapted to be fixed to a base of a vehicle, disposing a second friction disk rotatably about the shaft adjacent to the first friction disk, and biasing the first and second friction disks toward one another to establish a friction force, wherein biasing the first and second friction disks toward one another comprises disposing a coil spring about the shaft and retaining the coil spring with an end cap;
- disposing the torsion assembly within a passage defined by a two part rotatable component such that an outer protrusion of the second friction disk engages a first recess of the rotatable component to non-rotatably couple the second friction disk to the rotatable component, wherein the friction force provides resistance to rotation of the rotatable component about the shaft;
- and
- providing the end cap comprising an opening configured to receive the shaft and a radial protrusion configured to engage an indentation in the shaft fixedly securing the end cap to the shaft, wherein the end cap is configured to support the shaft within the passage and to secure the shaft to the rotatable component, and the biasing member is disposed between the end cap and the first friction disk or between the end cap and the second friction disk.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.