Door mounted lift assist device

A lift assist device employs a striker pin assembly having a striker pin adapted for removable insertion into a striker on a door of a vehicle and a pivot tube. A lift assembly has an actuator boss and a pivot pin connected to the actuator boss with the pivot pin removably received in the pivot tube. A telescoping support arm depends from the actuator boss and a seat is attached to a terminal end of the telescoping support arm.

BACKGROUND

Field

This invention relates generally to the field of lifting devices to assist the disabled or elderly and more particularly to a lift assist device employing a removable attachment assembly received on a vehicle door striker and a swiveling actuator and seat assembly removably engaged to the attachment assembly.

Description of the Related Art

Assisting the elderly or disabled into a vehicle for transportation is typically accomplished either by direct lifting of the individual by an assistant or aide or through lift or ramp devices that are custom designed and permanently attached to the vehicle. Directly lifting the individual may result in injury to the assistant or to the individual. Custom designed lift or ramp assemblies require extensive modification of a vehicle and are expensive. Further, only the modified vehicle may be used for transportation of the individual.

It is therefore desirable to provide a device which is easily removably attachable to a vehicle to provide lifting capability to allow transfer of an individual into the vehicle.

SUMMARY

The embodiments disclosed herein overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a lift assist device employing a striker pin assembly having a striker pin adapted for removable insertion into a striker on a door of a vehicle and a pivot tube. A lift assembly has an actuator boss and a pivot pin connected to the actuator boss with the pivot pin removably received in the pivot tube. A telescoping support arm depends from the actuator boss and a seat is attached to a terminal end of the telescoping support arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein provide a door mounted lift assist device removably attachable to the striker of a vehicle door frame. A door attachment mechanism having a striker pin received in the striker and secured with a striker housing assembly supports a pivot tube rotationally engaging a lift assembly including an actuator and a seat. Referring to the drawings,FIGS. 1 and 2show a lift assist device10employing a striker pin assembly12having a pivot tube14. A striker housing16has a receiver18for the striker and an alignment channel20in a positioning leg21receiving a striker pin (to be described subsequently) on the striker pin assembly12. A lift assembly22has an actuator boss24with a pivot pin (to be described in greater detail subsequently) received in the pivot tube14. A telescoping seat support arm26extends from the actuator boss24and a seat28is attached to a lower termination30of the support arm. For the example shown in the drawings, the seat28is attached to the lower termination30with an axle32allowing the seat to be rotate upward to fold for compact storage. An actuator34is operatively engaged to the support arm26to telescopically extend and retract the support arm.

Detailed structure and operation of the striker pin assembly12and striker housing16are shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. The lift assist device10is operable with a striker36which extends from a vehicle door frame (not shown). In most vehicles, for example, the front door frame extends into the B pillar of the body frame as the rear profile of the door frame and the striker36is attached to the door frame below the B pillar. The striker housing16(shown in detail inFIGS. 5A and 5B) includes the receiver18which has insert slots38with a top flange40and a bottom flange42allowing the striker housing16to be inserted over the striker36as indicated by arrow44inFIG. 4. A striker pin46of the striker assembly12is then inserted as indicated by arrow45, through the top flange40(which may be bifurcated as shown in the example or employ an aperture to receive the striker pin46), through the striker36and into the alignment channel20in positioning leg21of the striker housing16. In the example the positioning leg21depends from the bottom flange42of the receiver38. A support neck48(as seen in detail inFIGS. 6A and 6B) extends between the striker pin46and the pivot tube14. The support neck48forms a saddle with the striker pin46and pivot tube14extending over an end37of the striker36to react the weight of the lift assist device10, and a user seated on the seat28, on the striker36which distributes that force into the door frame structure of the vehicle. The top flange40may react a portion the weight of the lift assist device10on the striker36. The receiver38and striker pin46in the assembled configuration prevent disengagement of the striker pin assembly12and striker housing16from the striker36.

The positioning leg21of the striker housing16incorporates alignment clamps50aand50b, which for the example are bolts threaded through orthogonal bores in the positioning leg21with knurled heads for manual adjustment, extending from the positioning leg21to engage the rear and lateral surfaces of the door frame to make the striker housing16(and assembled striker pin assembly12) plumb with respect to the door frame. In alternative implementations articulating push-pull clamps may be employed. Additionally, lower flange42extends forward from the positioning leg21and incorporates an semicircular aperture52which receives the pivot tube14of the striker pin assembly12when engaged on the striker housing14. The extended lower flange42and aperture52receiving the pivot tube14aids in providing rigidity of the fixed alignment of the striker pin assembly12with respect to the door frame. The example additionally employs a square cross section for the striker pin46and alignment channel20to fix the relative alignment of the striker pin assembly12and striker housing14. In alternative implementations other geometric cross sections may be employed with a preferred cross section having flat sides approximately parallel to sides and an end of the striker to resist rotation of the pin in the striker.

With the striker pin assembly12and striker housing14assembled on the striker36as seen inFIG. 7(with door frame37shown in phantom), the lift assembly22is attached by inserting a pivot pin54into the pivot tube14as indicated by arrow57. Pivot pin56extends from the actuator boss24with a tang55having a relief56to engage a top rim15of the pivot tube14to facilitate rotation of the lift assembly22. Support arm26and the attached seat28depend from the actuator boss24. Pivot pin54is rotatable in pivot tube14allowing the lift assembly to be rotated outward (as shown inFIG. 9A) to provide clearance for the seat28for loading the user and lifting past the door sill to position the seat28next to the car seat.

As shown inFIG. 8, the telescoping support arm is extended to lower the seat28. The actuator34, which may be a cable drive linear actuator or similar device, is employed to extend and retract the telescoping support arm. After the user is seated, the actuator retracts the support arm24raising the seat to be level with the car seat. The lift assembly22may then be rotated inward on pivot pin54(as seen inFIG. 9Bto align the seat28and car seat for easy transfer of the user into the car seat.

When loading of the user is complete, the lift assembly22is removed by extracting the pivot pin54from the pivot tube14. The striker pin assembly12is then removed from the striker36and striker housing16and the striker housing is then removed from the striker allowing normal operation of the door latch in the striker. The striker pin assembly22, striker housing16and lift assembly22may be easily stored in the vehicle. For unloading the user, the striker housing16, striker pin assembly12and lift assembly22are reassembled on the striker36and are operable to unload the user.

As seen inFIG. 10, the actuator34is powered, in the example shown, by a power cord60and DC adapter62which may be plugged into a power port64in the vehicle.

The striker pin assembly12and striker housing14may be provided in multiple sets for engaging different configurations of the striker36in various vehicles. Additionally, in certain implementations, the striker pin assembly12may be configured with shaping of the striker pin46, support neck48and pivot tube14for close engagement of the striker36and combination with a striker housing may not be required.

Having now described various embodiments of the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims.