Vehicle door positioning holder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11952813-B2
Application number	US-202117140464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2021
Priority date	Jul 11, 2018
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle door positioning holder includes a hydraulic cylinder connected to the door and a vehicle chassis, and a brake hydraulically connected in a loop. The cylinder pushes hydraulic fluid in the loop when the door is moved. The brake includes first and second chambers hydraulically connected to the loop and a third chamber connected in the loop at respective ends to the first and second chambers. The brake has a ball element in the third chamber when the hydraulic fluid is still, moved towards the first chamber as the hydraulic fluid flows in a first direction, and moved towards the second chamber as the hydraulic fluid flows in a second direction. A flow resistance of the hydraulic fluid is larger when the ball is positioned in the third chamber than when the ball is moved towards the first or the second chambers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle door positioning holder for positioning a vehicle door in an open position, comprising a hydraulic cylinder and a brake hydraulically connected in a loop to the hydraulic cylinder, wherein:
the hydraulic cylinder is configured to be connected to the vehicle door and to a chassis of the vehicle and to push a hydraulic fluid in the loop when the vehicle door is moved between the open and closed position,
the brake comprises a first chamber hydraulically connected to the loop and a second chamber hydraulically connected to the loop, and a third chamber with a circular cross section and connected in the loop by that it in a first end is hydraulically connected to the first chamber and in a second end is hydraulically connected to the second chamber,
the brake further comprises a ball element configured to be
positioned in the third chamber when the hydraulic fluid is still,
moved by the hydraulic fluid towards the first chamber as the hydraulic fluid flows in a first direction in the loop, and
moved by the hydraulic fluid towards the second chamber as the hydraulic fluid flows in a second direction in the loop,

wherein
a flow resistance of the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the loop is larger when the ball element is positioned in the third chamber than when the ball element is moved towards the first or the second chamber.

2. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the brake comprises a first resilient element configured to exert a counteracting force on the ball element when it is moved towards the first chamber and a second resilient element configured to exert a counteracting force on the ball element when it is moved towards the second chamber.

3. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 2 , wherein the first and the second resilient elements are configured to interact to position the ball element in the third chamber when the hydraulic fluid is still in the loop.

4. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein a cross sectional area of the first chamber and the second chamber is larger than a cross sectional area of the third chamber.

5. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second chambers comprises a flow-regulating element moveable between a first position and a second position and wherein the flow resistance of the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the loop is larger when the flow-regulating element is positioned in the first position than when it is positioned in the second position.

6. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 5 , wherein the regulating element has a ring shape with a central hole, wherein a diameter of the ball element is larger than a diameter of the central hole.

7. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 5 , wherein the first and the second chambers comprises a third resilient element configured to exert a counteracting force on the flow-regulating element when it is moved from the first position towards the second position.

8. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 7 , wherein third resilient element is pre-tensioned to hold the ball element in the first position.

9. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 5 , wherein the first and the second chambers comprises a lock configured to lock the flow-regulating element in the second position.

10. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 9 , wherein the lock comprises a hook and a flange configured to interact with the hook to lock the flow-regulating element in the second position.

11. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 9 , wherein the lock comprises an unlocking device configured to unlock the flow-regulating element from the second position.

12. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 11 , wherein the first and the second chambers comprise a fourth resilient element connected to the unlocking device and wherein the fourth resilient element is configured to exert a force on the unlocking device to move it towards the flow-regulating element and to unlock the flow-regulating element.

13. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the third chamber has a cylindrical shape, an hourglass shape or a mix of a cylindrical and hourglass shape with a smallest diameter corresponding to the diameter of the ball element.

14. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 9 , wherein the ball element is configured to be moved, by the hydraulic fluid, from a position in the third chamber, to make contact with the flow-regulating element and to move the flow-regulating element from the first position to the second position and to lock the lock, wherein the flow resistance in the loop is lower after the flow-regulating element has been locked in the second position than when it is in the first position and when it is moved from the first position towards the second position.

15. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second chambers have a cylindrical shape.

16. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second chamber comprises a cone shaped part at the transition from the first and second chambers to the third chamber.

17. The vehicle door positioning holder according to claim 1 , wherein the first chamber in a first end is connected to a first outlet of the hydraulic cylinder and the second chamber in a first end is connected to a second outlet of the hydraulic cylinder.

Assignees

• Ningbo Geely Automobile Res & Development Co Ltd
• Ningbo Geely Automobile Res & Dev Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hallberg Linus
• Edberg Martin

Classifications

• E05C17/305 Primary

  with hydraulic locks · CPC title

• E05F3/10

  with a spring, other than a torsion spring, and a piston, the axes of which are the same or lie in the same direction · CPC title

• E05F3/12

  Special devices controlling the circulation of the liquid, e.g. valve arrangement ({E05F3/223 takes precedence}; valves per se F16K) · CPC title

• F15B13/0401

  Valve members; Fluid interconnections therefor · CPC title

• F15B13/042

  operated by fluid pressure {(F15B13/0401, F15B13/0416 take precedence)} · CPC title