Door system to provide check function and assist door closing and opening in a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10385602-B2
Application number	US-201715484955-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A door system to provide a check function and door closing assistance in a vehicle is provided. The door system comprises a door hinge, a clip assembly attached to the door hinge and a door closing assist device disposed adjacent to the door hinge. The door hinge includes a body leaf fixed to a body of the vehicle, and a door leaf attached to a door of the vehicle and configured to be movable relative to the body leaf and the door leaf includes an engagement member. The clip assembly includes a check member having a distal end and a base end and the check member includes at least a first check portion adjacent to the distal end and a second check portion adjacent to the base end.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A door system to provide a check function and door closing assistance in a vehicle, comprising:
a door hinge including:
a body leaf fixed to a body of the vehicle, and
a door leaf attached to a door of the vehicle and configured to be movable relative to the body leaf, wherein the door leaf includes an engagement member;

a clip assembly attached to the door hinge, wherein the clip assembly includes a check member having a distal end and a base end and wherein the check member includes at least a first check portion adjacent to the distal end and a second check portion adjacent to the base end; and
a door closing assist device disposed adjacent to the door hinge to assist door closing,
wherein the door closing assist device provides a force between a door and a body of the vehicle when a door is close to a closed position, and
wherein the clip assembly is coupled to the door hinge, and wherein the door is arranged in a first check position when the engagement member is positioned in the first check portion and the door is arranged in a second check position when the engagement member is positioned in the second check portion.

2. The door system of claim 1 , wherein the door closing assist device includes a magnet and the magnet is disposed on the door.

3. The door system of claim 2 , wherein the door closing assist device includes two magnets and two fastening members to secure the magnets to the door respectively.

4. The door system of claim 1 , wherein the door closing assist device includes a magnet and the magnet is fastened to the body leaf of the door hinge.

5. A door hinge assembly in a vehicle, comprising:
a door hinge including:
a body leaf fixed to a body of the vehicle,
a door leaf attached to a door of the vehicle and movable relative to the body leaf, wherein the door leaf includes an engagement member,

a clip assembly attached to the door hinge, wherein the clip assembly includes a check member having a distal end and a base end, and wherein the check member includes at least a first check portion adjacent to the distal end and a second check portion adjacent to the base end,
wherein the clip assembly is coupled to the door hinge, and wherein the door is in a first check position when the engagement member of the door leaf is positioned in the first check portion and the door is in a second check position when the engagement member of the door leaf is positioned in the second check portion.

6. The door hinge assembly of claim 5 , wherein the door is half open at a predetermined angle at the first check position and is fully open at the second check position.

7. The door hinge assembly of claim 5 , wherein the check member includes a sinuous strap, the first check portion includes a first recessed portion and the second check portion includes a second recessed portion, and wherein the clip assembly includes a body, wherein the sinuous strap is disposed at least partially around a periphery of the body and the base end of the sinuous strap is fixed to the body, and wherein the engagement member of the door leaf includes a tongue.

8. The door hinge assembly of claim 7 , wherein the sinuous strap is formed from a flat strap, the first recessed portion includes a first valley formed adjacent to the distal end, the second recessed portion includes a slanted portion, a flat portion and a stop substantially perpendicular to the flat portion.

9. The door hinge assembly of claim 8 , wherein the distal end includes a guide surface extending from the first valley in a direction downward from a top surface of the base.

10. The door hinge assembly of claim 7 , wherein the sinuous strap includes a middle portion between the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion, and wherein a distance between the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion defines an angle at which the door is half open in the first check position.

11. The clip assembly of claim 7 , wherein the sinuous strap includes a first, a second and a third ridges each having rounded tops, wherein the first recessed portion includes a first valley between the first ridge and the second ridge, and the second recessed portion includes a second valley between the third ridge and a stop disposed adjacent to the base end.

12. The clip assembly of claim 7 , wherein the check member includes a substantially flat section along a length direction of the sinuous strap and the flat section is disposed between the sinuous strap and the base, wherein a distal segment of the flat section and a base segment of the flat section are attached to the base and a middle segment is spaced away from the base.

13. The door hinge assembly of claim 7 , wherein the door leaf of the door hinge includes a plate, wherein the tongue extends substantially perpendicularly from the plate toward the clip assembly disposed under the plate,
wherein the body leaf includes a mounting portion attached to the body of the vehicle and an arm substantially perpendicular to the mounting portion and having an outer surface,
wherein, when fully opening the door, the tongue passes the distal end of the sinuous strap, the first recessed portion and is stopped at the second recessed portion as the door moves from a closed position to a full opened position.

14. The door hinge assembly of claim 13 , wherein a magnet is disposed on the outer surface of the arm of the body leaf to assist door closing.

15. The door hinge assembly of claim 13 , wherein the magnet has a pull force in a range of approximately between about 40 and 170 pounds.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Smith Nathan Gregory

Classifications

• E05F3/20 Primary

  in hinges · CPC title

• E05D5/02

  Parts for attachment, e.g. flaps · CPC title

• E05D5/0207

  for attachment to vehicles (E05D5/043, E05D5/062 take precedence) · CPC title

• E05D2011/1035

  with circumferential and evenly distributed detents around the pivot-axis · CPC title

• E05F15/60

  using electrical actuators · CPC title