Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle

• US 6,669,066 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Jahn, Rüdiger, Eberle, Wilfried, Benirschke, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K.
• Application Number:
  US09/983,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20020056737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 224/282, 224/509, 224/517, 224/518, 224/42.13, 224/42.21, 224/42.24, 224/42.28, 224/543, 224/553, 224/556, 224/557
• US Class Current: 224/509
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 43/02 external to the vehicle body

Abstract

A holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle which is disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch. The holding device includes a wheel carrier which is held by support arms and bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel. The support arms are spaced apart and project from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof are connected to the bearings which are held on the vehicle body. These bearings form a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch. The wheel carrier is capable of being swung about this vertical swivel axis up to the rear hatch and into a fixing position. In a release position, the holding device is capable of being swung away freely in relation to the rear hatch about the vertical swivel axis.

Claims

1. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein the wheel carrier comprises a shell body which is designed to receive the spare wheel and which is enveloped by a tubular frame, the support arms including a top support arm extending from a top edge of the frame and a bottom support arm extending from a bottom edge of the frame,

wherein the wheel carrier includes a projecting arm which extends in a direction opposite to the bottom support arm, and

wherein the support member is held on the projecting arm.

2. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein the bearings include a top bearing which comprises a bearing bracket with boreholes for the vertical swivel axis formed by way of a hinge bolt, the bearing bracket being arranged in a side joint of the rear hatch in the vehicle body and connected to a post of the vehicle body by way of a holding angle;

and

wherein the boreholes run on a rear-sided exterior of the post.

3. Holding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hinge bolt of the top bearing comprises a joint element which comprises a spherical segment on the bolt which is held in the corresponding bearing shells of the bearing bracket.

4. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein a holding angle is attached with its one attachment leg for the bearing bracket to an inside wall surface of a post of the vehicle body and with its other holding leg to an outside wall surface of the post.

5. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein the bearing bracket comprises a projecting arm which corresponds to an attachment leg of a holding angle and to which is attached a bearing segment having a U-shaped cross section and which comprises vertically spaced bearing plates having bolt boreholes, said bearing segment having a rear side which rests true to shape against an outer wall surface of a post of the vehicle body.

6. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein a body post exhibits an insertion opening for internal arrangement of an attachment leg of a holding angle.

7. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein a bearing bracket is enveloped by a cover element which is slidable thereon and which comprises an opening for one of the support arms and whose rear sided face rests sealingly on a wall surface of a post of the vehicle body.

8. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein one of the bearings is a bottom bearing which comprises a bearing bracket connected to the vehicle body and a hinge element mounted on the support arm;

wherein the bearing bracket comprises a rear-sided mounting plate and adjacent bracket plates which are spaced relative to each other and have bolt boreholes for the vertical swivel axis; and

wherein between the bracket plates an installable hinged lever is held on slide bushings of a hinge bolt so as to swivel.

9. Holding device as claimed in claim 8, wherein between the bearing bracket and the hinge element there is a pneumatic spring which is hinged, on the one hand, to a projecting lever of the bearing bracket and, on the other hand, to a hinged lever in a receptacle.

10. Holding device as claimed in claim 9, wherein in the fixing position of the wheel carrier the pneumatic spring exhibits with the lever arm (a) a maximum closing torque;

and in the case of a swivel motion of the wheel carrier in the direction of the release position, after passing through a dead point position, a maximum swivel torque with the lever arm (b).

11. Holding device as claimed in claim 8, wherein an end side of the hinge element exhibits a stop groove with which a moveable locking element mates in the release position and which is designed so as to be unlockable in order to swivel the hinge element with the wheel carrier from the release position into the fixing position.

12. Holding device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the locking element comprises a swivellable lever arranged on a bolt and the lever being engaged with a free end with the stop groove.

13. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

wherein one of the bearings is a bottom bearing which is disposed in a cutout of the shock absorber, in which there is a cover and in which a hinge element which can be installed from the outside is embedded.

14. Holding device for a spare wheel of a motor vehicle, said holding device being disposed on the outside of a swivellable rear hatch and comprising a wheel carrier which is held by at least two support arms and which is supported by way of bearings on the vehicle body so as to swivel, the support arms being spaced apart and projecting from the wheel carrier and end sides thereof being connected to the bearings, the bearings being held on the vehicle body and forming a vertical swivel axis which is arranged independently of a swivel axis of the rear hatch, the wheel carrier being swivellable about the swivel axis of the bearings up to the rear hatch into a fixing position and being held on a shock absorber cross member by way of a support member in a holding element and being freely swivellable from the rear hatch into a release position,

further comprising a box-shaped holding element into which the support member is insertable so as to hold the wheel carrier in the fixing position, wherein the box-shaped holding element is connected to the shock absorber cross member.

15. Holding device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the holding element has a rotary latch lock which engages with a bolt of the support member and is capable of being locked and unlocked by way of an actuating mechanism.