Door hinge with integral check

• US 4,532,675 A
• Filed: 08/13/1984
• Issued: 08/06/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Salazar, Sumorfin
• Primary Examiner(s): SILVERBERG, FRED A
• Application Number:
  US06/640,221
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 16/296, 16/333, 16/334, 16/335, 16/344, 16/347, 16/374, 16/85
• US Class Current: 16/335
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/06 Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1057 specially adapted for vehicles E05D11/1064 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1083 with a leaf or similar spring E05F1/1284 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

An automotive door hinge assembly is provided with a hold-open device consisting of a leaf spring carried on the body part of the hinge and a roller carried in a cage portion of the door part which engages the leaf spring only during the portion of its travel proximate the door-open position.

Claims

1. In an improved hinge assembly of the type having a body plate adapted to be secured to the body of a vehicle, a door plate pivotally connected about a vertical hinge axis to the body plate and adapted to be secured to a door of the vehicle, and a check spring mounted on one of the plates operatively engageable with a striker member carried by the other of the plates to hold the door plate in a door-open position, the improvement wherein:

the check spring comprises a curved resilient spring member having an end fixed to said body plate and another, free end located at a position intermediate said body plate and said door plate and proximate the point of pivotal connection of the body plate and the door plate and having a detent portion bent over in a direction away from said striker member at said free end toward said body plate; and

the striker member comprises a roller member rotatably mounted on said door plate about another vertical axis displaced from said vertical hinge axis, said roller member being operative upon movement of said door plate from a door-closed position wherein said roller is spaced from said spring member to said door-open position to engage said spring member in rolling contact to effect deflection thereof until passing over said detent portion, whereupon said roller member is moved completely free of said detent portion and out of contact with said spring member and further away from said detent portion and said spring member during all further movement toward and into said door-open position and reverse movement of said door plate is resisted by said spring member when the roller is moved in the reverse direction into engagement with the detent portion, movement into the door open position is limited by stops formed in the side of the body plate when said stops are abuttingly engaged with edges of the door plate.

2. An improved hinge assembly according to claim 1 wherein said roller member is formed from reinforced nylon.

3. An improved hinge assembly according to claim 1 and further comprising means defining a projection on said body plate in registration with a portion of said check spring for urging said check spring free end to said intermediate position.

4. An improved hinge assembly according to claim 1 wherein said check spring comprises a leaf spring member formed from a plurality of leaf plates.

5. A hinge assembly for an automobile door comprising:

a body plate adapted to be secured to the body of the automobile,

a door plate pivotally connected to said body plate about a vertical hinge axis defined by pintle pin means carried between said body plate and said door plate and adapted to be secured to the door,

a curved leaf spring member secured to said body plate at one end and having a free end positioned intermediate said door plate and said body plate proximate said pintle pin means,

means defining a detent portion at said leaf spring free end bent over toward said body plate and away from said door plate,

means defining an integral cage portion of said door plate having a bent-over tab portion defining a vertical axis displaced from said vertical hinge axis; and

a roller member mounted in said tab portion for rotation about said tab portion vertical axis and moveable with said door plate from a door-closed position wherein said roller member is spaced from said leaf spring member toward a door-open position to first engage said leaf spring member in rolling contact to effect deflection thereof until passing over and moving completely free from said detent portion and out of contact with said spring member and further away from said detent portion and said spring member during all further movement toward and into said door-open position, whereupon reverse movement of said door plate is resisted by said spring member when the roller is moved in the reverse direction into engagement with the detent portion, movement into the door open position is limited by stops formed in the side of the body plate when said stops are abuttingly engaged with edges of the door plate.

6. A hinge assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said roller member is formed from reinforced nylon.