Closure panel hinge assembly

An improved closure panel hinge assembly is provided that gives an improved opening motion to a closure panel, such as a deck lid that has an edge disposed close to a vertical plane associated with the vehicle, such as the plane of a backlite. A pair of horizontal guide tracks and sliding pivots cooperate with an interconnected hinge strap, control link and follower link to shift the edge of the deck lid away from the back light as it is initially raised. Continued raising of the deck lid tilts it upwardly to an open position.

This invention relates to hinge assemblies in general and specifically to 
an improved closure panel hinge assembly for an automotive vehicle or the 
like. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
With decreasing vehicle sizes, it has become necessary to accommodate 
vehicle components in ever decreasing spaces. Traditionally, a closure 
panel such as a deck lid would be spaced from the vehicle rear window, 
generally known as a backlite, by a spacer panel. The spacer panel allowed 
the forward edge of the deck lid to shift forwardly of the vehicle, toward 
the backlite, without interference as the deck lid was raised to its open 
position. With a smaller vehicle, it may be desirable to eliminate the 
spacer panel, while interference between the deck lid edge and the 
backlite must still be prevented. 
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,483 to Stafford, provides a closure hinge mechanism 
intended to deal with the problem described above. The hinge mechanism 
there disclosed includes a horizontal guide track 60 in which a roller on 
the end of a hinge arm 36 mounted to the deck lid 28 rides, giving a 
sliding pivot. A torsion bar 64 secured to deck lid 28 has its lower end 
pivoted to the vehicle compartment at 72, giving a fixed pivot. The patent 
specification recites that as lid 28 is raised, the dual simultaneous 
pivoting about the sliding and the fixed pivot will allow the edge of lid 
28 to move upwardly and slightly rearwardly, that is, away from, the 
backlite 20. However, while the final position of the edge of lid 28 may 
in fact be spaced away from the backlite, it will initially move forwardly 
of the vehicle, toward the backlite, before moving away. While this may 
not present a problem with a sloped backlite, it may well represent a 
problem with a more vertically disposed backlite, or with a deck lid edge 
that rests closer to the backlite. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention provides a novel and improved closure panel hinge assembly 
that solves the problem outlined above. 
The improved hinge assembly of the invention mounts a closure panel, a deck 
lid in the embodiment disclosed, to the body of an automotive vehicle. The 
deck lid moves between a generally horizontal closed position to a raised 
and tilted open position. In its closed position, the forwardmost edge of 
the deck lid rests close to the vehicle backlite, which may be disposed in 
a generally vertical plane, if desired. The hinge assembly of the 
invention allows the deck lid to be moved from its closed position toward 
its open position while shifting the edge of the deck lid away from the 
backlite to prevent interference therewith. Most broadly, the invention 
may be used to mount a closure panel having an edge to a vehicle or the 
like so as to allow it to be moved from a closed to an open position so as 
to prevent the closure panel edge from invading any generally vertical 
plane associated with the vehicle. 
The hinge assembly includes a pair of generally horizontally extending 
guide tracks fixed to the vehicle body. A hinge strap is secured at its 
upper end to the deck lid. The lower end of the hinge strap is pivotally 
and slidably connected to the first guide track by a roller to provide a 
first sliding pivot. 
A follower link has its upper end pivotally secured relative to the deck 
lid to provide a first movable pivot. The first movable pivot is 
conveniently provided by pivoting the upper end of follower link to the 
hinge strap, which is already secured to the deck lid. The lower end of 
the follower link is pivotally and slidably secured to the second guide 
track by a roller, providing a second slidable pivot. 
A control link has one end pivotally secured to the forward end of the 
follower link, thus providing a second movable pivot. The other end of the 
control link is pivotally secured to the vehicle body to provide a fixed 
pivot. The position of the fixed pivot is such that when the control link 
is swung about the fixed pivot, its one end will move in an arcuate path. 
Over at least part of that arcuate path the control link one end will move 
upwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle body, that is, away relative to the 
vertical plane. 
The above described structure cooperates to allow the deck lid to be moved 
from closed to open position without deck lid edge-vertical plane 
interference as follows. As the deck lid is initially raised from its 
closed position, the control link swings about its pivot and thereby moves 
the upper end of the follower link, and the first and second movable 
pivots, upwardly and away relative to the plane. During the initial 
raising of the lid, the follower link rotates relative to the deck lid 
about the first movable pivot and the control link rotates relative to the 
follower link about the second movable pivot. This initial movement of the 
control link and follower link serves to shift the edge of the deck lid 
upwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle body, away from the plane. This 
shifting is accommodated by the simultaneous sliding of the first and 
second sliding pivots, as the rollers roll horizontally along the first 
and second guide tracks respectively. Once the edge of the deck lid is so 
shifted away from the plane, continued raising of the deck lid causes it 
to continue to tilt upwardly as the follower link continues to rotate 
about the first movable pivot and the first and second slidable pivots 
slide farther along the first and second guide tracks. The deck lid edge 
stays clear of the plane during the upward tilting of the deck lid. 
In addition, in the embodiment disclosed, the second sliding pivot does 
more than accommodate the initial shifting away of the edge of the deck 
lid. After the deck lid has tilted upwardly a certain amount to a 
partially open position, the one end of the control link will have moved 
through enough of its arcuate path that it will begin to move toward the 
plane, while still moving upwardly. This movement toward the plane tends 
to move the one end of the follower link upwardly and toward the plane as 
well. However, the second sliding pivot can now slide along the second 
guide track in the opposite direction, toward the plane, to accommodate 
the motion of the one end of the control link toward the plane. This 
allows the follower link to continue to rotate relative to the deck lid 
about the first movable pivot. The deck lid can thus tilt upwardly farther 
to the open position. The edge of the deck lid still does not move through 
the plane, despite the movement of the control link one end toward the 
plane. An improved opening motion is thus provided over two intervals of 
opening. In another embodiment of the invention, the guide tracks and 
links are assembled as a unit with a hinge box that can be attached in one 
step to the vehicle body, and a resilient means is included to aid in 
raising the deck lid and maintaining it in the open position. 
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved hinge 
assembly for mounting a closure panel to a vehicle body to move from a 
closed to an open position so that an edge of the closure panel does not 
invade a generally vertical plane associated with the vehicle body, 
including a hinge strap secured at one end to the closure panel and 
pivotally and slidably connected at the other end by a first slidable 
pivot to a first generally horizontal guide track, a follower link with 
one end secured at a first movable pivot relative to the closure panel and 
the other end pivotally and slidably connected by a second slidable pivot 
to a second generally horizontal guide track, and a control link with one 
end secured at a second movable pivot to the one end of the follower link 
and the other end secured at a fixed pivot to the vehicle body, so that, 
as the closure panel is initially raised, the control link will swing 
about the fixed pivot so as to move the one end of the follower link, and 
the first and second movable pivots, upwardly and away relative to the 
vertical plane as the control link rotates relative to the closure panel 
about the first movable pivot, thereby shifting the closure panel edge 
away from the plane in cooperation with the first and second guide tracks 
along which the first and second slidable pivots slide to accomodate the 
shifting, while continued raising of the lid allows the closure panel to 
tilt upwardly relative to the plane toward the open position as the 
follower link continues to rotate relative to the panel about the first 
movable pivot and the first and second sliding pivots continue to slide 
along the guide tracks. 
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved hinge assembly 
of the type described in which the second slidable pivot, after the 
closure panel has been initially raised and tilted upwardly to a partially 
open position, slides in the opposite direction, toward the vertical 
plane, to accomodate movement of the one end of the control link and the 
second movable pivot toward the vertical plane, thereby allowing the 
closure panel to tilt upwardly farther to the open position as the 
follower link continues to rotate relative to the closure panel about the 
first movable pivot, while still preventing the closure panel edge from 
invading the vertical plane. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved hinge 
assembly of the type described in which the structural elements are 
assembled together with a hinge box that may be joined to the vehicle body 
as a unit, including a resilient means to assist in raising the closure 
panel and maintaining it in open position.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the invention is 
designated generally at 10. An automotive vehicle includes body structure, 
a portion of which is designated at 12. Body structure 12 would generally 
form a compartment, such as a luggage compartment, along the front of 
which a backlite 14 would be mounted. Backlite 14 is shown with a slope, 
although it could be vertically disposed, as is the reference plane P 
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A closure panel, such as a deck lid indicated 
generally at 16, has a forwardmost edge 18 that extends generally parallel 
to backlite 14. Deck lid 16 is movable from the generally horizontal 
closed position of FIG. 1, to the open position of FIG. 2, which is raised 
and tilted upwardly relative to a vertically disposed reference plane P. 
In the closed position, edge 18 rests close to backlite 14, as is often 
the case in smaller vehicles, and compresses a sealing strip 20. The 
improved hinge assembly of the invention allows deck lid 16 to be raised 
such that edge 18 does not invade the plane P. Consequently, the edge 18 
will not interfere with backlite 14, or with any other vehicle structure 
disposed on the plane P. It should be understood for purposes of the 
following description that the forward direction is to the left, and the 
rearward direction is to the right, although this would obviously be 
reversed if the hinge assembly were disclosed with an engine cover, rather 
than a deck lid. 
Still referring to FIGS. 1-3, the hinge assembly 10 includes a first and 
second horizontally extending guide means provided by first and second 
guide tracks 22 and 24 respectively. Guide tracks 22 and 24 are identical 
in cross section which, as may be seen in FIG. 3, is essentially C-shaped. 
Guide tracks 22 and 24 are conveniently formed of stamped steel, and may 
be fixed to body structure 12 by welding, or any suitable means. First 
guide track 22 extends beneath backlite 14 and second guide track 24 is 
spaced rearwardly therefrom. Although guide tracks 22 and 24 need not be 
absolutely horizontal or absolutely straight, they should be generally 
horizontally extending, for reasons more fully discussed below. 
A hinge strap 26 of a general S-shape has its upper end 28 secured to deck 
lid 16 near edge 18 by threaded fasteners 30. The lower end 32 of hinge 
strap 26 has a roller 34 of nylon or other suitable material pivoted 
thereto by headed pin 36. Roller 34 rides in first guide track 22 to 
thereby pivotally and slidably connect hinge strap lower end 32 to first 
guide track 22, and comprises a first sliding pivot. Other structures, 
such as a pin riding in a slot, could provide a sliding pivot, but roller 
34 provides a convenient and low friction sliding pivot. 
A follower link 38 of general L shape has its rearward end 40 similarly 
pivoted to a roller 42 by a headed pin 44. Roller 42 also rides in second 
guide track 24 to thereby pivotally and slidably connect end 40 to second 
guide track 24, and comprises a second sliding pivot. The forward end 46 
of follower link 38 is pivotally secured by a headed pin 48 to hinge strap 
26 near its upper end 28, providing a first movable pivot. Forward end 46 
need not be pivoted directly to hinge strap 26, but could be pivoted 
instead to a separate bracket or some other structure that was in turn 
fixed to deck lid 16. The pivotal securement to hinge strap 26 provides a 
compact structure, however, which is important in the other embodiment 
discussed below. 
A control link 50 has its rearward end 52 pivotally secured to the forward 
end 46 of follower link 38 by a headed pin 54, providing a second movable 
pivot spaced from the first movable pivot of pin 48. The forward end 56 of 
control link 50 is pivotally secured to body structure 12 above first 
guide track 22 and forward of backlite 14 by pin 58, providing a fixed 
pivot. The location of the fixed pivot of pin 58 assures that the rearward 
end 52 of control link 50 will move in an arc upwardly and initially away 
relative to the reference plane P as control link 50 swings about pin 58, 
shown in FIG. 2. Other locations of pin 58 could be used that would also 
cause the control link end 52 to swing in an arc that moved away from the 
reference plane P, but the location shown is practical and structurally 
compact. It should be understood that various ones of the connecting pins 
described above would be given the necessary length to assure that the 
structural elements that they connected would be horizontally spaced from 
one another sufficiently to rotate without rubbing. That is a practical 
consideration that does not concern the basic operation of the invention. 
Similarly, control link 50 has an offset shape to allow it to clear the 
bottom edge of backlite 14 in the open position of FIG. 2, but could 
otherwise be straight. The structural elements just described cooperate to 
give an improved motion of deck lid 16 between open and closed positions, 
as will be next described. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, deck lid 16 is generally horizontal in its 
closed position, and edge 18 rests very close to backlite 14 and the plane 
P. The FIG. 1 closed positions of roller 34, first movable pivot 54, 
roller 42 and edge 18 are also shown in dotted lines at A through D 
respectively in FIG. 2. With a conventional hinge mechanism, the initial 
raising of deck lid 16 from the FIG. 1 closed position would cause edge 18 
to move forwardly, through the reference plane P, as deck lid 16 tilted 
upwardly. With the hinge assembly 10 of the invention, the initial raising 
of deck lid 16 moves hinge strap 26 upwardly, in turn pulling follower 
link forward end 46 upwardly. Because follower link forward end 46 is 
pivotally secured to control link rearward end 52, control link 50 is 
caused to swing about the fixed pivot of pin 58. As control link rearward 
end 52 moves in the arc shown in FIG. 2, control link 50 rotates relative 
to follower link 38 about second movable pivot 54. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, the arc that control link rearward end 52 
follows moves initially upwardly and rearwardly, away from the plane P. In 
turn, follower link forward end 46 and the first and second movable pivots 
48 and 54 initially move upwardly and rearwardly, away from reference 
plane P. As deck lid 16 is initially raised, it tilts upwardly as follower 
link 38 rotates relative to deck lid 16 about the first movable pivot 48. 
Concurrently, edge 18 shifts away from the plane P. The initial shifting 
of edge 18 is accommodated by the simultaneous sliding of the first and 
second slidable pivots provided by rollers 34 and 42. Rollers 34 and 42 
roll rearwardly of the vehicle along the first and second guide tracks 22 
and 24 respectively. Continued raising of deck lid 16 causes it to tilt 
upwardly farther as follower link 38 continues to rotate about first 
movable pivot 48. Concurrently, rollers 34 and 42 roll farther along first 
and second guide tracks 22 and 24 respectively. FIG. 2 shows a position to 
which each roller 34 and 42 moves during the continued raising of deck lid 
16, from A and C to A' and C' respectively. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, the upward and rearward movement of second 
movable pivot 54 that occurs as deck lid 16 is raised will continue until 
it reaches the point shown at B'. The corresponding position of edge 18 is 
shown at D', at which point deck lid 16 may be defined as partially open. 
The corresponding positions of rollers 34 and 42 are the A' and C' 
positions noted above. Above the point B', the arc followed by control 
link rearward end 52 will move the second movable pivot 54 farther 
upwardly, but now forwardly, toward reference plane P. Pivoting a control 
link at other positions on the body structure could, as was mentioned 
above, create an arc that would move away from the plane P over its entire 
path. However, the particular placement of control link 50 shown, and the 
resultant arc, gives an additional advantage beyond the initial shifting 
of edge 18 already described. The position C' of roller 42 is the farthest 
rearward point that roller 42 reaches in second guide track 24. As deck 
lid 16 is raised farther from the partially open position, roller 42 then 
rolls from C' in the opposite direction, to accomodate the movement of 
control link rearward end 52 and second movable pivot 54 toward the plane 
P. Roller 42 actually moves past the position it was in when deck lid 16 
was closed, shown at C, to the solid line position. Roller 34, however, 
continues to roll in the same direction from its position A' to the solid 
line position. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, as rollers 34 and 42 are moving from the A' and 
C' positions respectively to the solid line positions, follower link 38 
can simultaneously continue to rotate relative to deck lid 16 about first 
movable pivot 48. Deck lid 16 then tilts farther upwardly from the 
partially open position to the solid line open position. This further 
tilting moves deck lid 16 as a whole closer to the plane P, giving better 
access to any compartment that it might cover. However, edge 18 does not 
move so as to invade the plane P, and in fact moves relatively farther 
from plane P, from D' to the solid line position. Therefore, an improved 
final opening motion, as well as an improved initial opening motion, is 
achieved. The opening motion described is reversed as deck lid 16 is 
lowered back to the FIG. 1 closed position. 
FIGS. 4-5 show a second embodiment of the invention, designated generally 
at 60. This will be briefly described, as the opening motion is the same. 
The second embodiment 60 is designed to be compact and to be assembled as 
a unit, as well as incorporating a resilient means to assist in opening. 
The body structure, backlite, deck lid and sealing strip are identical, 
and are given the same numbers as the first embodiment 10. The closed 
position of deck lid 16 is shown in FIG. 4, and the open position in FIG. 
5. The guide tracks, hinge strap and various links operate in the same 
fashion, and are given the same numbers with a prime. These elements are 
not joined directly to the body structure 12, however, but to a hinge box 
62, in the same general relative locations as the similar structural 
elements of embodiment 10. Hinge box 62, with the other structural 
elements secured thereto, can in turn be joined to the body structure 12 
as a unit by any suitable means, and the deck lid 16 then joined to hinge 
strap 26'. Hinge box 62 serves to enclose and isolate the other structural 
elements of the assembly, and is shown partially broken away. It will be 
noted that control link 50' and follower link 38' are shorter, and first 
and second guide tracks 22' and 24' are closer together, giving a more 
compact assembly. This means that control link 50' will swing in a shorter 
arc, but will still move upwardly and away relative to the vertical plane 
P, and the same type of opening motion will result. Another structural 
difference is a hooked extension 64 on hinge strap 26'. A resilient spring 
66 is hooked between extension 64 and a threaded bolt 68 at the rear of 
hinge box 62. Spring 66 provides a force tending to rotate hinge strap 26' 
upwardly about headed pin 36'. This force assists in raising deck lid 16 
upwardly, and may be balanced with the weight of deck lid 16 to act as a 
hold open. Other resilient means, such as torque rods, could be joined 
between the hinge box 62 and the hinge strap 26'. A resilient means could 
be joined to any other structural element so long as the same rotational 
bias was given to hinge strap 26' and deck lid 16. The opening motion of 
deck lid 16 is the same as in embodiment 10, but for the assist given by 
the spring 66. 
It has already been noted that other locations for the control link are 
possible, as well as different orientations and shapes for the guide 
tracks. A wide variation of structural element lengths, shapes and sizes 
is also possible within the basic scope of the invention. Therefore, it 
will be understood that the invention is capable of being embodied in 
structures other than those disclosed, and is not intended to be so 
limited.