Closure panel counterbalance mechanism with friction device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945168-B2
Application number	US-201514940718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2015
Priority date	May 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A friction based counterbalance mechanism for coupling with a closure panel to assist in opening and closing of the closure panel for at least a portion of a path between a fully closed position and a fully open position of the closure panel, the counterbalance mechanism including: an elongate member positioned on a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal ends of the counterbalance mechanism, the elongate member having a peripheral surface, the elongate member having a proximal end for coupling to one of the closure panel and a body of a vehicle; a travel member having a body and at least one friction member mounted on the body, the travel member positioned on the longitudinal axis for reciprocation there along and for providing contact between the at least one friction member and the peripheral surface, said contact for generating a friction force in a first region along the longitudinal axis and in a second region along the longitudinal axis; and a support member coupled to the travel element at a proximal end and for coupling at a distal end to the other of the closure panel and a body of a vehicle, the support member for guiding said reciprocation. The friction based counterbalance mechanism can be incorporated as part of a biasing strut such as a spring configured strut.

First claim

We claim:

1. A counterbalance mechanism for coupling with a closure panel to assist in opening and closing of the closure panel for at least a portion of a path between a fully closed position and a fully open position of the closure panel, the counterbalance mechanism including:
a housing having a proximal end for coupling the counterbalance mechanism to one of the closure panel and a body of a vehicle and a distal end for coupling the counterbalance mechanism to the other of the closure panel and the body of the vehicle;
an elongate member mounted in the housing and positioned on a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal ends of the housing, the elongate member having a peripheral surface, the elongate member having a proximal end coupled to the proximal end of the housing;
a travel member having a body and at least one friction member fixed in position on the longitudinal axis relative to the body, the travel member positioned on the longitudinal axis for reciprocation there along and for providing contact between the at least one friction member and the peripheral surface,
a support member connected to the body of the travel member at a proximal end and coupled to the distal end of the housing at a distal end of the support member, the support member for guiding said reciprocation.

2. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a resilient element mounted in the housing between the housing proximal end and the housing distal end, the resilient element configured to provide a counterbalance force as a biasing strut element to assist in the opening and closing of the closure panel.

3. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 1 , wherein when providing the contact, the at least one friction member generates a first friction force magnitude in a first region along the longitudinal axis and a second friction force magnitude different from the first friction force magnitude in a second region along the longitudinal axis, the first region is spaced apart from the second region along the longitudinal axis.

4. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 3 further comprising the first region having a first friction configuration parameter different from a second friction configuration parameter of the second region, such that an experienced change in the first and second friction configuration parameter by the at least one friction member as the travel member travels from the first region to the second region results in a change in a magnitude of the friction force.

5. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the first friction configuration parameter is a width dimension of the elongate member and the second friction configuration parameter is a different width dimension of the elongate member.

6. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 3 , wherein the elongate member has a third region along the longitudinal axis for generating the friction force by said contact.

7. The counterbalance mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the at least one friction member is movable relative to the body in a direction lateral to the longitudinal axis.

8. A friction based counterbalance mechanism for coupling with a closure panel to assist in opening and closing of the closure panel for at least a portion of a path between a fully closed position and a fully open position of the closure panel, the counterbalance mechanism including:
an elongate member positioned on a longitudinal axis extending between proximal and distal ends of the counterbalance mechanism, the elongate member having a peripheral surface, the elongate member having a proximal end for coupling to one of the closure panel and a body of a vehicle;
a travel member having a body and at least one friction member fixed in position on the longitudinal axis relative to the body, the travel member positioned on the longitudinal axis for reciprocation there along and for providing contact between the at least one friction member and the peripheral surface; and
a support member connected to the body of the travel member at a proximal end and for coupling at a distal end to the other of the closure panel and a body of a vehicle, the support member for guiding said reciprocation.

9. The friction based counterbalance mechanism of claim 8 , wherein when providing the contact, the at least one friction member generates a first friction force magnitude in a first region along the longitudinal axis and a second friction force magnitude different from the first friction force magnitude in a second region along the longitudinal axis, the first region is spaced apart from the second region along the longitudinal axis.

10. The friction based counterbalance mechanism of claim 9 further comprising the first region having a first friction configuration parameter different from a second friction configuration parameter of the second region, such that an experienced change in the first and second friction configuration parameter by the at least one friction member as the travel member travels from the first region to the second region results in a change in a magnitude of the friction force.

11. The friction based counterbalance mechanism of claim 10 , wherein the first friction configuration parameter is a width dimension of the elongate member and the second friction configuration parameter is a different width dimension of the elongate member.

12. The friction based counterbalance mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the elongate member has a third region along the longitudinal axis for generating the friction force by said contact.

13. The friction based counterbalance mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the at least one friction member is movable relative to the body in a direction lateral to the longitudinal axis.

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Leonard Jube
• Scheuring Joseph
• Shchokin Borys M

Classifications

• E05D13/10

  Counterbalance devices · CPC title

• E05Y2201/21

  Brakes · CPC title

• E05F3/224 Primary

  for assisting in opening the wing · CPC title

• E05Y2201/26

  Mechanical friction · CPC title

• F16H25/20

  Screw mechanisms (with automatic reversal F16H25/12) · CPC title