Door hinge device of vehicle

A door hinge apparatus of a vehicle may include a rail plate provided on one side of a vehicle body corresponding to an end portion of a door of the vehicle and formed with a rail in a width direction of the vehicle, a hinge slide unit including a slide bracket provided on the rail and a door hinge bracket provided on the door where the slide bracket includes a guide slot formed in a diagonal direction of the slide bracket and the slide bracket and the door hinge bracket are pivotally coupled each other through a hinge shaft, and an actuator having a roller configured at a rod to roll along the guide slot so that the slide bracket moves along the rail.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0084118 filed on Jun. 28, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle without a B-pillar that enables opening and closing operation of a rear door independently from a front door, by displacing the rear door rearward for the opening and closing operation to secure a rotation trajectory of the rear door to avoid interference with the front door.

Description of Related Art

In general, a vehicle door is a door that separates the inside and outside of the vehicle. The vehicle door blocks external noise, rain, dust, wind, etc., and in case of a side surface collision, provides an important function of protecting the occupants by absorbing the impact together with the side structure to safely protect an occupant.

There are various types of vehicle doors, including special-purpose doors, but hinge-type swing doors are most commonly applied to passenger vehicles.

In general, a swing door refers to a door that opens toward the outside of the vehicle body around a hinge shaft provided between the door and the vehicle body through a hinge bracket, and has advantages of easy opening and closing and simple structure providing easy maintenance and repair.

On the other hand, some vehicles are applied with opposite swing doors, which have a large open feeling when the door is opened and is advantageous for occupants to get on or off the vehicle.

These opposite swing doors include a type without a B-pillar and a type with a B-pillar.

FIG.1is a side view of a vehicle applied with opposite swing doors according to an example of the related art, andFIG.2is a cross-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a portion in which a front door and a rear door meet each other in the vehicle ofFIG.1.

First, referring toFIG.1andFIG.2, an example of opposite swing doors applied to a vehicle100without a B-pillar is illustrated. A front door110has a hinge shaft provided at the front end portion of the front door110, and a rear door120has a hinge shaft provided at the rear end portion of the rear door120.

A latch L for maintaining the locked state is provided on one side of the front door110or the rear door120in the opposite swing doors.

Furthermore, a sealing S for airtightness is provided between the rear end portion of the front door110and the front end portion of the rear door120.

As described above, although the opposite swing doors of the vehicle100As described above, the opposite swing doors of the vehicle100without a B-pillar has good open feeling when the passengers get on/off or in leisure activities. However, there is a drawback that an opening/closing sequence may be preset such that the front door110must first be opened before or closed after opening or closing the rear door120, due to overlapping interference of rotation trajectories of the front door110and the rear door120when opening and closing the front door110and the rear door120.

Accordingly, since the opening/closing sequence of the front door110and the rear door120is preset, there is a problem in that the rear door120cannot be opened or closed alone.

FIG.3is a side view of a vehicle applied with opposite swing doors according to another example of the related art, andFIG.4is a cross-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a portion in which a front door and a rear door meet each other in the vehicle ofFIG.3.

Referring toFIG.3andFIG.4, an example of opposite swing doors applied to a vehicle200with a B-pillar230is illustrated. In the present case also, a front door210has a hinge shaft provided at the front end portion of the front door2110, and a rear door220has a hinge shaft provided at the rear end portion of the rear door220.

In the present opposite swing doors, a latch L for maintaining a locked state is provided between the B pillar230and each side of the front door210and the rear door220.

Furthermore, a sealing S for airtightness is provided between the B-pillar230and the rear end portion of the front door210and the front end portion of the rear door220corresponding to the B-pillar230.

Accordingly, in the opposite swing doors of the vehicle200with a B-pillar, it is advantageous that the front door210and the rear door220are configured to be independently opened and closed, and thus the operation sequence is not limited. However, the open feeling deteriorates when the passengers get on/off or in leisure activities, due to the application of the B-pillar230.

Accordingly, depending on the presence or absence of the B-pillar, the opposite swing doors have a difference in open feeling, and a difference in opening and closing operations of the front door and the rear door.

Meanwhile, as described above, to solve the problem of the limited operation sequence of the front door110and the rear door120while maintaining the open feeling of the vehicle100without the B-pillar, there is an example of the related art that employs a gooseneck-type hinge apparatus as a door hinge apparatus of the opposite swing doors. However, such a gooseneck-type hinge apparatus requires a lot of free space in the vehicle body width direction due to the characteristic of its shape such that it is difficult to efficiently configure the vehicle body layout.

Accordingly, to apply the opposite swing doors to a vehicle without a B-pillar, a door hinge apparatus configured for implementing a new opening/closing structure is advantageous.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle without a B-pillar that enables opening and closing operation of a rear door independently from a front door by displacing the rear door rearward for the opening and closing operation to secure a rotation trajectory of the rear door to avoid interference with the front door front door.

A door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes, a rail plate provided on one side of a vehicle body corresponding to an end portion of a door of the vehicle and formed with a rail in a width direction of the vehicle, a hinge slide unit including a slide bracket provided on the rail and a door hinge bracket provided on the door where the slide bracket includes a guide slot formed in a diagonal direction of the slide bracket and the slide bracket and the door hinge bracket are pivotally coupled each other through a hinge shaft, and an actuator having a roller configured at a rod to roll along the guide slot so that the slide bracket moves along the rail.

The end portion of the door may be a rear end portion of a rear door.

The rail plate may be provided on a side external panel corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door such that the rail may be disposed from a vehicle front internal side of the vehicle body toward a vehicle rear external side thereof.

The slide bracket of the hinge slide unit may form a space portion having a lower portion opened to accommodate the rod therein, form the guide slot in the diagonal direction at first and second side surfaces of the side bracket, and be configured to move along the rail through a slider. The door hinge bracket of the hinge slide unit may be fixed to the end portion of the door, and connected to an external end portion of the slide bracket through the hinge shaft.

The guide slot may be formed, at both side surfaces of the slide bracket, downwardly in the diagonal direction from a vehicle internal side of the vehicle body toward a vehicle external side thereof.

The rail may be respectively formed at upper and lower portions of the rail plate corresponding to a vehicle external side of the guide slot.

The actuator may be formed as a cylinder-type linear motor provided with a roller at both frontal end portion of the rod.

The actuator may be provided under the rail plate upwardly through a mounting bracket. The rod of the actuator may be disposed inside a space portion. The roller may be in rolling contact with the guide slot on both sides and rotatably connected to the frontal end portion of the rod.

According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in a process of opening of the rear door, the rear end portion of the rear door is pushed toward the vehicle rear external side in advance, to secure the rotation trajectory of the rear door without interference with other component portions, and in the instant state, the opening and closing operation of the rear door alone is enabled.

Therefore, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in opposite swing doors of a vehicle without a B-pillar, while maintaining the merit of good open feeling when the passengers get on/off or in leisure activities, the door opening and closing sequence is not limited.

Furthermore, a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is slimmer than a conventional gooseneck-type hinge device, and also has an advantage in vehicle body layout configuration because it does not require an extra free space for rear door operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and in the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. Furthermore, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

In describing various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, for convenience of the description, a lower left direction inFIG.5is referred to as a vehicle external side, an upper right direction inFIG.5is referred to as a vehicle internal side, an upper left direction inFIG.5is referred to as a vehicle rear side, and a lower right direction inFIG.5is referred to as a vehicle front side thereof. Furthermore, a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be provided at both rear doors of driver and passenger sides. For description, the following takes an example of a door hinge apparatus applied to the rear door of the passenger side.

FIG.5is a perspective view of a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, before operation,FIG.6is another perspective view of a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, before operation, andFIG.7is an exploded perspective view of a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

It may be understood that, inFIG.5, to show the installation position of a door hinge apparatus1according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, parts of vehicle body3and rear door DL are schematically indicated using dotted lines.

A door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be applied to a rear door of a vehicle (e.g., a passenger vehicle) without a B-pillar. That is, the opening and closing operation of the rear door DL alone is enabled, by displacing the rear door DL rearward for the opening and closing operation to secure a rotation trajectory of the rear door DL to avoid interference with the front door front door.

Referring toFIG.5toFIG.7, a door hinge apparatus1of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes a rail plate10, a hinge slide unit20, and an actuator30.

First, the rail plate10is fixed to the vehicle body3through a rear surface F1, and two rails11are configured on a front surface F2.

The two rails11may be formed in a width direction of the vehicle on upper and lower portions of the front surface F2. That the two rails11are formed in the width direction of the vehicle may not mean that the two rails11are strictly horizontal but may be formed to have horizontal dimension.

The rail plate10is provided on one side of the vehicle body3corresponding to a rear end portion of the rear door DL, through the rear surface F1. At the instant time, the vehicle body3may be a side external panel PL corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door DL.

Furthermore, the rail plate10is provided on the side external panel PL such that the two rails11formed in the upper and lower portions are disposed from a vehicle front internal side of the vehicle body3toward a vehicle rear external side thereof.

Furthermore, the hinge slide unit20includes a slide bracket21and a door hinge bracket23that are interconnected by a hinge shaft25, to be slidable along the rails11on the rail plate10.

First, the slide bracket21internally forms a space portion SP having a lower portion opened, guide slots29are formed in a diagonal direction at both side surfaces of the space portion SP, to match with each other.

Here, each of the guide slots29at both the side surfaces of the slide bracket21are formed downward in the diagonal direction from the vehicle internal side of the vehicle body3toward the vehicle external side thereof.

Furthermore, the slide bracket21is provided such that the rear surface F1may slide on the two rails11on the rail plate10through a slider27.

At the present time, the two rails11are formed in the upper and lower portions of front surface of the rail plate10, corresponding to the vehicle external side of the guide slot29.

Furthermore, the door hinge bracket23is fixed to the rear end portion of the rear door DL, and is connected to an external end portion of the slide bracket21through the hinge shaft25.

The slide bracket21of the hinge slide unit20may move the rear end portion of the rear door DL, along a rail11on the rail plate10, toward the vehicle rear external side of the vehicle body3, to secure the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL. In the instant state, the rear door DL may be opened or closed through the door hinge bracket23, independently from the front door.

Furthermore, the actuator30provides a driving torque such that the slide bracket21slides in the width direction of the vehicle along the rail11while a roller33configured at a frontal end portion of a rod31rolls along the guide slot29.

That is, the actuator30is provided under the rail plate10upwardly through a mounting bracket35.

Furthermore, the rod31of the actuator30is disposed inside the space portion SP through an opening of the slide bracket21, and the roller33in rolling contact with the guide slot29on both sides is rotatably connected to the frontal end portion of the rod31.

Here, in various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the actuator30may be formed as a cylinder-type linear motor provided with the roller33protruding at both sides of the frontal end portion of the rod31, however, is not limited thereto. Any configuration may be applicable provided that the rod31may be moved forward and backward in a response to an opening/closing signal of the rear door DL such that the roller33moves along the guide slot29in the diagonal direction to force the slide bracket21to move along the rail11.

In the actuator30, by a forward (upward) operation of the rod31, the roller33moves upward along the guide slot29to move the slide bracket21toward the vehicle external side of the vehicle body3. By a backward (downward) operation of the rod31, the roller33moves downward along the guide slot29to move the slide bracket21toward the vehicle internal side of the vehicle body3.

Accordingly, while the rod31of the actuator30is moved forward and backward in a response to the opening/closing signal of the rear door DL, the slide bracket21together with the door hinge bracket23is slidably moved in the width direction of the vehicle such that a hinge point of the rear door DL is moved toward the vehicle rear external side of the vehicle body3.

Hereinafter, an operation of a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference toFIG.8,FIG.9andFIG.10.

FIG.8,FIG.9andFIG.10are perspective views in first, second, and third operation states of a door hinge apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

InFIG.8,FIG.9andFIG.10, as inFIG.5, to show the installation position of a door hinge apparatus1according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, parts of vehicle body3and rear door DL are schematically indicated using dotted lines.

First, referring toFIG.8, as a first operation state, the rear door DL is in a closed state.

At the present time, the hinge slide unit20together with the rear end portion of the rear door DL is in a state having moved toward the vehicle front internal side of the vehicle body3along the rail11of the rail plate10, and the rear door DL remains at the closed state.

Referring toFIG.9, as a second operation state, to independently open the rear door DL, the actuator30is operated to move the rod31forward (upward).

Accordingly, the roller33configured at the frontal end portion of the rod31move upward while maintain the rolling contact with the guide slots29. At the instant time, for the roller33move upward along the guide slot29, the slide bracket21is pushed toward the vehicle external side in the width direction of the vehicle along the rail11.

Accordingly, the slide bracket21of the hinge slide unit20moves toward the vehicle rear external side of the vehicle body3along the rail11on the rail plate10by the pushing force of the roller33, and then the rear end portion of the rear door DL connected to the slide bracket21through the door hinge bracket23is moved toward the vehicle rear external side of the vehicle body3, to secure the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL.

Referring toFIG.10, thereafter, as a third operation state, when an occupant opens the rear door DL, the rear door DL is opened by rotating, together with the door hinge bracket23, with respect to the slide bracket21around the hinge shaft25.

Meanwhile, the closing operation of the rear door DL is performed in an opposite manner to the opening operation such that the opening and closing operation of the rear door DL may be performed independently from the front door, and the operation is not described in further detail.

Therefore, a door hinge apparatus1of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the vehicle body3and the rear end portion of the rear door DL among opposite swing doors of a vehicle without a B-pillar, facilitating the opening and closing operation of the rear door DL independently from the front door.

That is, the roller33operated by the forward and backward operation of the actuator30forces the slide bracket21guided by the rail11on the rail plate10to slide from the vehicle front internal side of the vehicle body3toward the vehicle rear external side thereof.

Accordingly, in a process of opening of the rear door DL, the rear end portion of the rear door DL is pushed toward the vehicle rear external side in advance, to secure the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL without interference with other component parts, and in the instant state, the opening and closing operation of the rear door DL alone is enabled.

Accordingly, according to a door hinge apparatus1of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in opposite swing doors of a vehicle without a B-pillar, while maintaining the merit of good open feeling when the passengers get on/off or in leisure activities, the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL may be secured when the rear door DL is opened and closed, and thereby the door opening and closing sequence is not limited.

Furthermore, a door hinge apparatus1of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is slimmer than a conventional gooseneck-type hinge device, and also has an advantage in vehicle body layout configuration because it does not require an extra free space for rear door operation.