Door hinge check structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777522-B2
Application number	US-201514734879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2015
Priority date	Jun 9, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle door hinge structure includes a body bracket, a hinge arm, a door bracket and a check structure. A first end of the hinge arm is attached to the body bracket for pivoting movement about a first pivot axis. The door bracket is attached to the second end of the hinge arm for pivoting movement about a second pivot axis. A clip member of the check structure has a main body, a clip portion and a retention portion. The main body of the clip member extends through a clip aperture of the hinge arm. The bracket pin is fixedly attached to the door bracket at a location spaced apart from the second pivot axis such that with the clip portion of the clip member engaged with the bracket pin, the door bracket is retained in a fixed position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle door hinge structure comprising:
a body bracket configured for attaching to a vehicle body;
a hinge arm having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the body bracket for pivoting movement about a first pivot axis that extends through the body bracket such that the hinge arm pivots relative to the body bracket, the hinge arm having a first side and a second side opposite the first side with an aperture located proximate the second end of the hinge arm extending from the first side to the second side;
a door bracket attached to the second end of the hinge arm for pivoting movement about a second pivot axis that extends through the door bracket, the door bracket pivoting relative to the second end of the hinge arm; and
a check structure including a clip member and a bracket pin, the clip member having a main body, a clip portion located at a first end of the main body, and a retention portion located at a second end of the main body, the main body of the clip member extending through the aperture defined by the hinge arm, the clip portion being positioned on the first side of the hinge arm and the retention portion positioned on the second side of the hinge arm, the bracket pin being fixedly attached to the door bracket at a location spaced apart from the second pivot axis such that with the clip portion of the clip member engaging the bracket pin, the door bracket is retained in a fixed position.

2. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the main body of the clip member has a rectangular cross-section, and the aperture of the hinge arm has a corresponding rectangular shape, the main body and the aperture being dimensioned to prevent rotation of the clip member with the main body inserted into the aperture.

3. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 2 , wherein
the main body of the clip member has a top surface and a bottom surface substantially parallel to one another, a first side surface and a second side surface substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the top and the bottom surfaces, and
the retention portion of the clip member includes a first compressible flange and a second compressible flange, the first and the second compressible flanges extending from the second end of the main body of the clip member toward the first end of the main body, with respective distal ends of the first and the second compressible flanges facing the second side of the hinge arm with the main body inserted into the aperture preventing the retention portion from passing through the aperture from the second side of the hinge arm to the first side of the hinge arm.

4. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 3 , wherein
the first compressible flange extends adjacent to the first side surface of the main body and the second compressible flange extends adjacent to the second side surface, a lengthwise extending surface of the first compressible flange and the first side surface of the main body defining an acute angle therebetween and a lengthwise extending surface of the second compressible flange and the second side surface of the main body defining an acute angle therebetween.

5. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the hinge arm defines a lengthwise direction, a widthwise direction and a height-wise direction with the aperture extending in the widthwise direction.

6. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 5 , wherein
the main body of the clip member has a top surface and a bottom surface substantially parallel to one another, a first side surface and a second side surface substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the top and the bottom surfaces, and with the main body inserted into the aperture, the top surface and the bottom surface of the main body of the clip member are substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the hinge arm.

7. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 2 , wherein
the clip portion has a base that is wider than a width of the aperture and is located adjacent the first side of the hinge arm with the main body inserted into the aperture, the clip portion having a pair of clip arms extending away from opposite edges of the base and extending away from the hinge arm.

8. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 7 , wherein
the pair of clip arms extend away from the base and the main portion of the clip member in directions that are non-parallel relative to a lengthwise direction of the main portion.

9. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 7 , wherein
the pair of clip arms extend away from the base and the main portion of the clip member with at least a portion of each of the pair of clip arms having an arcuate shape curving toward the second end of the hinge arm.

10. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 9 , wherein
each of the pair of clip arms have respective arcuate portions and distal ends, the arcuate portions defining a first gap therebetween and the distal ends defining a second gap therebetween, with the distal end of a first of the pair of clip arms being closer to the base than the distal end of a second of the pair of clip arms.

11. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 10 , wherein
the distal ends of the pair of clip arms face the bracket pin.

12. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 10 , wherein
the bracket pin has an outer surface defining a diameter, and
the first gap between the arcuate portions defines a first width that is smaller than the diameter of the bracket pin and the distal ends of the pair of clip arms define a second width that is larger than the diameter of the bracket pin.

13. The vehicle door hinge structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the hinge arm comprises a first gooseneck member and a second gooseneck member, the first gooseneck member defining the first end, the second end, the first side the second side of the hinge arm,
the second gooseneck member having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second gooseneck member being attached to the body bracket for pivotal movement about a third pivot axis that extends through the body bracket such that the second gooseneck member pivots about the third pivot axis relative to the body bracket,
the door bracket is attached to the second end of the second gooseneck member for pivotal movement about a fourth pivot axis that extends through the door bracket, the door bracket pivoting about the fourth axis relative to the second end of the second gooseneck member,
the first pivot axis and the third axis are spaced apart from one another and are parallel to one another, and
the second pivot axis and the fourth pivot axis are spaced apart from one another and are parallel to one another.

14. A vehicle comprising:
a body structure at least partially defining a door opening;
a body bracket rigidly attached to the body structure;
a hinge arm having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the body bracket for pivoting movement about a first pivot axis that extends through the body bracket such that the hinge arm pivots relative to the body bracket, the hinge arm having a first side and a second side opposite the first side with a aperture located proximate the second end of the hinge arm extending from the first side to the second side;
a door attached to the second end of the hinge arm for pivoting movement about a second pivot axis that extends through the door, the door pivoting relative to the second end of the hinge arm from a closed

Assignees

• Nissan North America Inc

Inventors

• Dey Debraj

Classifications

• F16B2/22

  of resilient material, e.g. rubbery material {(F16B2/205 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E05Y2900/531

  Doors · CPC title

• E05F5/06

  Buffers {or stops limiting opening of swinging wings, e.g. floor or wall stops}(E05F5/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05D2005/067

  gooseneck shaped · CPC title

• E05D5/062

  specially adapted for vehicles · CPC title