Abstract:
A compact door check of modular design for a vehicle door is described that can be integrated in the door hinge and mated with many types of hinges and door assemblies. The door check according to the invention is includes a housing affixed to a first half of the door hinge, a shaft extending through the housing and connecting the other half of the door hinge to the first half to allow the first half to rotate about the shaft, and a detent mechanisms defining a plurality of detent positions of the door hinge. The detent mechanism is enclosed in the housing so as to be sealed against the environment to prevent contaminants and debris from affecting the operation of the door check.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of prior filed provisional application, Appl. No. 60/234,120, filed Sep. 21, 2000, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention is directed to a door hinge check for a vehicle door, and more particularly to a door hinge check forming a sealed assembly to keep out debris and contaminants.  
           [0003]    Door hinge checks for a vehicle door can control pivotal movement of a vehicle door between a closed position and one or more open positions through a defined number of detent positions. The door check can be incorporated into the door hinge mechanism.  
           [0004]    Commonly employed door checks tend to have a limited number of detent positions defined by coil springs and rollers. The door checks are usually quite large, are not paintable and hence are added to the car body after the paint operation in the automotive assembly plant. This adds operational steps to the automobile assembly process and makes assembly of the car more expensive. Moreover, the door checks are typically not sealed against the environment, allowing moisture and dirt to degrade their operation over time.  
           [0005]    Several conventional door check mechanisms are presently employed in the automotive industry. The most commonly used are: (1) leaf spring and roller type (Ford); (2) torsion bar type (Audi); (3) slide bayonet type (VW, Ford, GM); and (4) coil spring, cam and roller type (GM). Other known door check mechanisms use a plastic detent bar, which requires additional space within the door panel.  
           [0006]    Most present door checks require openings/holes be provided in either the door and/or the vehicle&#39;s “A” pillar, thus requiring additional costly local reinforcement measures. An example is the slide bayonet type mentioned above. Other door checks, such as the frequently employed cam and roller configuration, are also not sealed from contaminants, have a limited number of detent positions, and cannot be painted at same time the vehicle is painted. The limited number of detent positions limits the incremental opening/rest positions of the door. Conventional door checks tend to be bulky and take up an undesirable amount of package space between the vehicle door and body structure. In addition, most door checks require a strut or hold open fixture at time of assembly, adding cost and time on the assembly line.  
           [0007]    It is therefore desirable to provide a compact door check which is of a modular design that can be integrated in the door hinge and mated with many types of hinges and door assemblies. The door check should be paintable and capable of being assembled in the vehicle prior to the paint application. This would allow the automobile manufacturer the opportunity to reduce steps in the assembly line. The door check should hold the door open under specified conditions and should also be capable of having multiple door stop (or detent) positions at different intervals with different load ratings, approaching the feel of an infinite unit. The check should also be in form of a sealed unit to keep out foreign objects and debris.  
           [0008]    Furthermore, the door check should be quiet in operation and be capable of a maximum locking torque to 60 Nm in full open position.  
           
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The invention is directed to a door check for a vehicle door that is sealed against the environment and easy to assemble. According to one aspect of the invention, a door catch for a door hinge includes a housing affixed to a first half of the door hinge, a shaft extending through the housing and connecting the other half of the door hinge to the first half to allow the first half to rotate about the shaft, and a detent mechanisms defining a plurality of detent positions of the door hinge. The detent mechanism is enclosed in the housing so as to be sealed against the environment to prevent contaminants and debris from affecting the operation of the door check.  
           [0010]    Advantageous embodiments may include one or several of the following features. The detent mechanism may include a detent plate with detents, wherein the detent plate is secured to the housing. The detent mechanism can also have an arm keyed to the shaft and supporting a roller. The detent plate is biased against the roller and the shaft is non-rotatably secured to the other half of the door hinge. The detent plate can be supported in the housing by a pivot pin and biased against the roller by a spring. The spring can be an elastomer spring; alternatively, in this or other embodiments, coil springs and/or belleville springs can be employed.  
           [0011]    In another advantageous embodiment, the detent plate can be affixed to the housing, and a support can be keyed to the shaft which is non-rotatably secured to the other half of the door hinge, supporting at least one ball or needle roller. The ball(s) or needle roller(s) is/are biased against the detent plate either in a direction perpendicular or parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft.  
           [0012]    In yet another advantageous embodiment, one or two circular detent plates can be arranged at respective end sections of the shaft which penetrates the center of the detent plate(s). In this embodiment, the support associated with each detent plate is in the form of a cage and thrust plate, wherein the respective thrust plate is biased against the detent plate in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft.  
           [0013]    In still another advantageous embodiment, the detent mechanism can include a detent sleeve operatively connected to the shaft which is non-rotatably secured to the other half of the door hinge. A cage is secured to the housing and supports at least one roller. In this case, the roller is biased against the shaft with the detent sleeve. The detent sleeve can be either a separate element or formed integrally with the shaft. The shaft does not need to be made of a solid material, for example in form of a hinge pin, but can also be formed as a hollow tube.  
           [0014]    In another advantageous embodiment, the detent mechanism includes a plurality of detents being formed integrally with the housing, and a cage secured to the shaft and supporting at least one roller. The shaft is non-rotatably secured to the other half of the door hinge. The roller(s) is/are biased against the housing in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shaft for engagement with the detents. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1A is a top view of a first embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention in an open door position;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1B is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 1A in a detent door position;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1C is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 1A in a closed door position;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 1C taken along the line A-A;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 1C taken along the line B-B;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 2A;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of a another modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 2A;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 3A;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 3A;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of yet another modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 3A;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4A is a top view of a fourth embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4B is a top view of a modification of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 4A;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5A is a top view of a fifth embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention in an open door position;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 5B is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 5A in a detent door position;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5C is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 5A in a closed door position;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 5B taken along the line B-B;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 5E is a cross-sectional view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 5C taken along the line A-A;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 6A is a top view of a sixth embodiment of a sealed door check mechanism according to the invention in an open door position;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 6B is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 6A in a detent door position;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 6C is a top view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 6A in a closed door position; and  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view of the sealed door check mechanism of FIG. 6C taken along the line A-A. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0039]    The invention is directed to a door check mechanism for a vehicle. In particular, the door check mechanism described herein can be integrated in the door hinge of the vehicle door and sealed from the environment so as to keep out contaminants and debris. It will be understood that the housing seal may not provide a hermetic seal against vapors and gases, which could be achieved by providing additional sealing members.  
         [0040]    A first embodiment of the door check mechanism according to the invention is shown in FIGS.  1 A- 1 E. The door check mechanism  10  has a fixed member  5  attached to the vehicle frame (not shown) and a closure member  8  (door hinge) pivotally moveable in relation to the vehicle frame about a pivot pin  13 . A housing  12  is fixedly attached to one half of the door hinge, with the pivot pin  13  affixed to the other half of the door hinge to support the arm assembly  11 . The arm assembly has two arms  14  which are locked to the pin  13  at one end, and to a roller  15  and axle  16  at the other end. The roller  15  is forced to roll along the detent plate  17  that is pinned at one end by pivot axle  19 . A spring member  18  is supported on an inside spring support  19  that can be integrally formed with the housing  12 , and biases the detent plate  17  outwardly against the detent plate  17 .  
         [0041]    The door positions are defined by engagement of the geometrically shaped elements of the detent plate  17  with the roller  15  in the various exemplary detent positions shown in FIGS.  1 A-C. FIG. 1A shows the vehicle door in the open position, FIG. 1B in a detent position, and FIG. 1C in the closed position.  
         [0042]    The arresting force and angular position of the door check integrated into the door hinge can be adjusted by changing the profile of the detent plate  17  and/or the pressure of the spring  18 . The mechanism is modular in design and can be used for either a right or left hand door and can be integrated into different hinge mounting styles.  
         [0043]    A second embodiment of the door check mechanism according to the invention is shown in FIGS.  2 A- 2 C. Like the first embodiment, the door check mechanism includes a fixed member  5  which is attached to the vehicle frame (not shown) and a closure member  8  (door hinge) which is pivotally moveable in relation to the vehicle frame about a pivot pin or hinge pin  23 . The door check device represented herein is axial in operation and shown in three modifications which differ primary in the spring type and the arrangement of the rollers. The first design (FIG. 2A) has an elastomer spring and dual roller plates, wherein the other two designs have belleville type springs (FIG. 2B) and compression type springs (FIG. 2C).  
         [0044]    Referring first to FIG. 2A, two sets of rollers  25   a ,  25   b  which engage with recesses or detents  29   a ,  29   b  formed in detent plates  27   a ,  27   b  are indexed in different phases so as to provide a larger number of detent positions. A spring  28   a  biases respective thrust plates  26   a ,  26   b  against the rollers  25   a ,  25   b . The outer half  5  of the door hinge is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) and keyed to the hinge pin  23 . The hinge pin  23  is keyed to both upper and lower cages  21   a ,  21   b.    
         [0045]    The inner half  8  of the hinge (the part of the hinge affixed to door) is keyed to the outer housing  22 . The outer housing  22  is keyed to the detent plates  27   a ,  27   b.    
         [0046]    When the door is opened or closed, the outer housing  22  and the detent plates  27   a ,  27   b  rotate relative to the hinge pin  23  and cages  21   a ,  21   b , which push the rollers  25   a ,  25   b  in and out of the detents  29   a ,  29   b.    
         [0047]    As the rollers  25   a ,  25   b  move from the detents to the peaks of the detent plates  27   a ,  27   b , vertical motion of the rollers  25   a ,  25   b  results. This vertical motion compresses the spring  28   a , creating the desired resistance to door motion at designated positions of the door. The magnitude of the resistance to door motion may be changed by altering the force produced by the spring  28   a . The number and location of door positions may be changed by altering the geometry of the detent plates  27   a ,  27   b.    
         [0048]    Referring now to the modifications of the second embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2B and 2C, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the door check mechanisms  20   b  and  20 , respectively, have only one sets of rollers  25   c  which engage with recesses or detents  29   c  formed in detent plates  27   c  is employed. As described before with reference to FIG. 1A, a spring  28   c  which can be a belleville type spring  28   b  (FIG. 2B) or a compression type springs  28   c  (FIG. 2C) biases a thrust plates  26   c  against the rollers  25   c . The outer half  5  of the door hinge is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) and keyed to the hinge pin  23 . The hinge pin  23  is keyed to the cage  21   c . The inner half  8  of the hinge (the part of the hinge affixed to door) is keyed to the outer housing  22 . The outer housing  22  is keyed to the detent plate  27   c . In all other aspects, the operation of the door checks depicted in FIGS. 2B and 2C is identical to that of the door check depicted in FIG. 2A.  
         [0049]    A third embodiment of the door check mechanism according to the invention is shown in FIGS.  3 A- 3 D. Like the first embodiment, the door check mechanism includes a fixed member  5  which is attached to the vehicle frame (not shown) and a closure member  8  (door hinge) which is pivotally moveable in relation to the vehicle frame about a pivot pin or pivot axis. The door check device represented herein is axial in operation and shown in three modifications which differ primary in the spring type and the arrangement of the detents. The designs depicted in FIGS. 3A, 3C and  3 D have an elastomer spring, whereas the design of FIG. 3B has a flat plate spring. The designs depicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B have internal detent sleeves, the design of FIG. 3C has an internal detent tube which obviates the need for a pivot pin, whereas the design of FIG. 3C has an external detent sleeve.  
         [0050]    Referring now to FIG. 3A, the radial door check  30   a  operates by having a center hinge pin  33 , with a detent sleeve  37   a  keyed to it. The hinge pin  33  extends through the vehicle half of the hinge to the door half of the hinge and is keyed to the door half of the hinge. A plurality of needle rollers  35 , for example, four needle rollers, are preferably equally spaced around the detent sleeve  37   a . Detents  39   a  in the detent sleeve  37   a  provide the stop positions for the door through engagement with the rollers  35  which are urged into the detents  39   a  by the inward biasing force generated by the elastomer spring  38   a . The plurality of elongated needle rollers  35  is used to better distribute the contact forces on the detent sleeve  37   a . The cage  31  a which holds the needle rollers  35  is locked to the vehicle hinge half of the hinge through the hinge pin  33 . When the door is opened or closed, the cage  31   a  forces the rollers  35  around the detent sleeve  37   a . The elastomer spring  38   a  has a split inner race  36   a  that provides a rolling surface for the needle rollers  35  and an outer spring support housing  32  that provides the reaction surface for the elastomer spring  38   a . Alternatively, the hinge pin could also be locked to the vehicle half of the hinge and the cage be locked to the door half of the hinge.  
         [0051]    In the modified radial door check  30   b  depicted in FIG. 3B, the spring force is provided by a flat plate spring  38   b . The spring is preferably split to allow it to yield for providing the biasing force on the needle rollers  35 . Replacing the elastomer spring with the flat plate spring  38   b  makes the design more compact and also eliminates the need for the split inner race  36   a  and the outer spring support housing  32 .  
         [0052]    In another modified radial door check  30   c  depicted in FIG. 3C, the hinge pin  33  of FIG. 3A can be replaced by a one-piece detent tube  33   c  that is connected directly to the door hinge, with the detents being arranged on the detent tube  33   c . This arrangement reduces the parts count in the assembly and eliminates the lock feature between the hinge pin and the detent sleeve.  
         [0053]    In yet another modified radial door check  30   d  depicted in FIG. 3D, the detent sleeve  37   d  is formed to coincide with the outermost section of the part, namely the housing  32 . The cage  31   a  and needle roller  35  assembly are in this case be located inside of the detent sleeve  32 . An inner spring support  39  supports the elastomer spring  38   d  with a split inner race  36   d  to produce the spring force that urges the needle rollers  35  against the detents disposed in the outer detent sleeve  37   d . The mechanism  30   d  operates in the same as the mechanisms  30   a - 30   c , except that the rollers  35  are biased in an outward direction instead of an inward direction. This allows the use of larger needle rollers  35  and provides a longer momentum arm from the center of rotation of the hinge, thus reducing the force on the rollers  35 .  
         [0054]    A fourth embodiment of the door check mechanism according to the invention is shown in the two designs depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The following proposal of a checking mechanism for a vehicle door is presented in two optional constructions, integrated into the door hinge. The closure member (door) is moveable in relation to the vehicle frame.  
         [0055]    The first door check design of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 4A) includes a cylindrical fluted outer housing  42 , and a plurality of rollers  45  and balls  46   a  captured between the outer housing  42  and two inner cylindrical housings ( 47 -upper inner housing;  49 -lower inner housing). One inner housing  49  is biased by a spring  48  against the other inner housing  47 , with both inner housings  47 ,  49  being supported by a hinge pin  43  affixed to the closure member (door; not shown).  
         [0056]    A cage  41   a  is provided to maintain proper ball spacing. Both the upper and lower inner cylinders ( 47 ,  49 ) have features that trap the balls  46   a  and allow them to move both radially and axially, while the rollers  45  move radially in accordance with the flutes of the housing  42  which is affixed to the vehicle body (not shown).  
         [0057]    The arresting force and angular position of the door check can be adjusted by changing the flute profile of the housing  42  as well as features of the inner cylinders and the pressure of the spring  48 . The design is modular, and can be used for either right-hand or left-hand application and adapted to differing hinge designs.  
         [0058]    The second design  40   b  depicted in FIG. 4B eliminates the balls  46   a  of the first design  40   a , with the rollers  45   b  which are separated by rib guides  41   b  being urged directly against the flutes of the housing  42  by spring  48 . In all other aspects, the design  40   b  operates in the same manner as the design  40   a.    
         [0059]    A fifth embodiment of the door check mechanism according to the invention is shown in FIGS.  5 A-E and FIGS.  6 A-D. Like the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 A-E, the fixed member  5  is attached to the vehicle frame (not shown) and the closure member  8  (door hinge) is pivotally moveable in relation to the vehicle frame about a pivot pin  53 . The checking mechanism has a housing  52  and detent plate  57  which is fixedly attached to the housing  52 . The pivot pin  53  is secured to the frame and therefore stationary. The housing  52  with detent plate  57  are mounted rotatably to pin  53 . Opposing arms  56   a ,  56   b  internal to the housing  52  extend radially outwardly from the pivot pin  53  and hold paired ball elements  51   a ,  51   b  on their free ends. Pin  53  is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown).  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 5A shows the vehicle door in the open position, FIG. 5B in a detent position, and FIG. 5C in the closed position. FIG. 5C is a cross sectional view of FIG. 5B along the lines B-B. The detent plate  57  is captured between the paired balls  51   a ,  51   b , which are pressed toward the detent plate  57  by springs  58   a ,  58   b  located behind each ball  51   a ,  51   b  opposite the detent plate  57 . The door checks are defined by the retaining characteristics of the detent profile of the detent plate  57 .  
         [0061]    The arresting force of the door check which is integrated into the door hinge can be adjusted by changing the profile of the detent plate  57  and/or the pressure of the opposing springs  58   a ,  58   b . The mechanism is modular and can be used with various hinge designs with either right-handed or left-handed doors. The housing  52  encloses the entire mechanism, hence excluding outside contaminants and retaining lubricant for the life of the product.  
         [0062]    In a sixth embodiment of this invention depicted in FIGS.  6 A-D, the detent plate  67  is affixed to the wall of the housing  62  which is affixed to the closure member. FIG. 6A shows the vehicle door in the open position, FIG. 6B in a detent position, and FIG. 6C in the closed position. FIG. 6D which is a cross sectional view of FIG. 6C taken along the line A-A of FIG. 6C shows an arm  66  internal to the housing  62  and keyed to the pivot pin  63  which is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown). The arm  66  extends radially outwardly from the pivot pin  63  and holds spring elements  61   a ,  61   b  with optional ball supports  65  that urge ball elements  61   a ,  61   b  against the detent plate  67 . The door check is defined by the retaining characteristics of the profile on the face of the detent plate  67 .  
         [0063]    The arresting force and angular position of the door check which is integrated into the door hinge can be adjusted by changing the profile of the detent plate  67  and/or the pressure of the opposing springs  68   a ,  68   b . The mechanism is modular and can be used with various hinge designs with either right-handed or left-handed doors. The housing  62  encloses the entire mechanism, hence excluding outside contaminants and retaining lubricant for the life of the product.  
         [0064]    While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a door hinge check for a vehicle door, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0065]    What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: