Abstract:
A clip is attached to the hinge of a vehicle door to hold the door open during electro-coating and painting. The hinge is assembled with the clip to the vehicle prior to painting. The hinge is taken apart after painting to separate the door from the vehicle. An end of the clip may include at least one ramp surface and a pair of walls that define a receiver in which a stop attached to the door is received. The stop is captured in the receiver of the clip to hold the door open.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a clip that is used to hold a door open during electro-coating and painting of a vehicle. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Vehicles are generally produced on assembly lines where component parts are assembled together. Painted frame body components including body panels, doors and structural components are assembled and then electro-coated and painted as a unit to assure acceptable paint quality. After painting, the doors are disassembled from the vehicle to provide access for the assembly of internal components to the doors, such as windows, window operating mechanisms, door handles, lock mechanisms, interior soft trim panels, and the like. The doors are reassembled to the vehicle at a later point on the assembly line. 
         [0005]    The doors of a vehicle must be held open during electro-coating and painting to assure complete coverage and to avoid damage to the surface coatings. Door checks that are incorporated in the vehicle are not installed prior to the electro-coating and painting because they are not painted with the vehicle to assure proper operation and avoid paint quality problems. Temporary clips or other tools have been proposed, but may be unacceptable due to various reasons such as the effectiveness of the tools, cost, or because they unduly complicate the vehicle manufacturing process. 
         [0006]    The present invention is directed to providing an improved method of holding a vehicle door open and to an improved removable clip that is effective and may be provided at a relatively low cost. Further, installation and removal of the clip do not substantially complicate the vehicle manufacturing process and do not require additional process steps or added labor costs. 
         [0007]    The above problems and others are addressed by Applicants&#39; invention as summarized below. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to one aspect of this development, a clip is assembled to the hinge pin of a vehicle door that is used to hold the door in the full open position and prevent closure of the door during electro-coating and painting. 
         [0009]    The clip is bolted onto the hinge pin or hinge fastener when the hinge is first assembled as a subassembly prior to assembly to the vehicle door. The hinge is assembled to the vehicle prior to painting. The hinge is taken apart to separate the door from the vehicle after electro-coating and painting. The clip may be simply disposed of after the clip is removed from the hinge. 
         [0010]    The end of the clip opposite the hinge fastener may include a ramp surface and a receiver area that receives a stop provided on a door plate of the hinge. The door is swung open on the assembly line with the stop moving up the ramp until the stop is received in the receiver portion of the clip. The clip flexes axially as the stop moves across the ramp and then returns when the stop is received in the receiver. The stop is captured in the receiver of the clip to hold the door open during electro-coating and painting. A substantial force of approximately 10 Newtons is required to release the stop from the receiver. 
         [0011]    The receiver may be formed on the clip as a channel having two spaced walls that engage opposite sides of the stop. While at least one side of the receiver may have a ramp surface, it is also possible to provide a ramp surface on opposite sides of the clip to permit a clip to be designed that may be interchangeably used on the right hand or left hand side of a vehicle. 
         [0012]    A peripheral lip may be provided at least partially about the periphery of the clip. Further, the clip may define at least one gap in the peripheral lip through which fluid may drain from the clip that is deposited within the clip when the hinge is dipped in an electro-coating bath. 
         [0013]    The clip may have an arm that extends radially outwardly from the opening defined in the clip that receives the pivot pin. A stiffening rib may be formed on the arm to extend radially outwardly from the opening that receives the pivot pin. The arm may define a drain hole through which fluid is drained from the stiffening rib that is deposited in the stiffening rib when the hinge is dipped in the electro-coating bath. 
         [0014]    The clip may be provided with a ramp surface that causes the clip to shift axially in a first direction as the door is opened and that has a first axially extending wall adjacent the ramp surface. The stop is captured between the first axially extending wall and a second axially extending wall when the stop is disposed in the receiver to resist door closure. The second wall may extend to a greater axial extent than the first wall to locate the clip relative to the pillar plate. 
         [0015]    A method of holding a door of a vehicle open during manufacturing operation is also provided by Applicants. The method may include preassembling a clip to a hinge with the clip being received on a hinge pin of the hinge. The hinge and clip are assembled to the door and to the vehicle. The door is then opened to a point where the clip holds the door in an open position. The vehicle is then electro-coated and painted with the doors assembled to the vehicle. The hinge pin is then disassembled from the vehicle and the clip is disassembled from the hinge pin. 
         [0016]    The door may then be separated from the vehicle to perform additional manufacturing operations on the door. The door is then reassembled to the vehicle and attached to the vehicle. 
         [0017]    These and other aspects of the present invention will be better understood in view of the attached drawings and the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hinge for a door of a vehicle with the clip of the present invention shown holding a door in its open position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the hinge and clip of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the clip. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the hinge and clip in the closed position. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the hinge and clip in the open position. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6A  is a diagrammatic elevation view showing a stop of the door plate engaging a ramp surface of the clip. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6B  is a diagrammatic elevation view showing the stop of the door plate depressing a left side of the clip. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7A  is a diagrammatic elevation view of a left door stop of the door plate engaging a left side of the clip. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7B  is a diagrammatic elevation view of a right door stop of the door plate engaging the right side of the clip. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a hinge  10  is shown connected to a door  12  of a vehicle  14 . A door plate  16  includes a stop  18 . A hinge pillar plate  20  is shown attached to the vehicle  14  with a pivot pin assembly  22  shown securing the door plate  16  to the pillar plate  20 . A hold open clip  26  is assembled to the pivot pin assembly  22 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the door  12  is held in the open position with the stop  18  retained by the clip  26 . 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the door plate  16 , pillar plate  20 , pivot pin assembly  22 , and clip  26  are shown in greater detail. The clip  26  includes an opening  28  in which the pivot pin assembly  22  is received. The clip  26  includes an arm  30  that extends radially outwardly relative to the opening  28 . 
         [0029]    The pivot pin assembly  22  is a multi-part assembly including a lower pin  32  that is inserted through opening  28  in the clip  26 . The lower pin  32  extends through an opening  36  in a flange  38  of the pillar plate  20 . 
         [0030]    An upper hinge pin  40  receives the lower pin  32 . The upper hinge pin  40  is secured to the door plate  16  and connects door plate  16  to pillar plate  20 . The lower pin  32 , or fastener, is secured to the upper hinge pin  40  to assemble the hinge  10  together and may be removed to permit the door plate and upper hinge pin  40  to be removed with the door for subsequent door assembly operations. A fastener  46  is shown inserted through a hole  48  formed in pillar plate  20 . The fastener  46  secures the pillar plate  20  to the vehicle. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the clip  26  is shown to include the opening  28  that receives the lower pin  32  as previously described. The arm  30  of the clip  26  extends radially outwardly from the hole  28 . A receiver  50 , or recessed area, is located between a first wall  52  and a second wall  54 . The stop  18  (not shown in  FIG. 3 ) is received in the receiver  50  between the first and second walls  52 ,  54  to hold the door in an open position during electro-coating and painting. A ramp surface  56  may be provided adjacent to the first wall  52  to facilitate moving the door to its open position by facilitating entry of the stop  18  into the receiver  50 . 
         [0032]    The clip  26  has a lip  60  extending on both sides of the arm  30 . The lip  60  functions to make the clip  26  more rigid along the length of the arm  30 . A gap  62  is provided in the lip  60 . Excess electro-coating solutions may drain from the clip  26  through the gap  62 . A stiffening rib  68  may be provided that extends along a portion of the length of the arm  30 . The stiffening rib  68  also functions to stiffen the arm  30 . A drain hole  70  is provided at one end of the stiffening rib  68  to permit excess electro-coating solutions to drain from the clip  26 . 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the operation of the clip  26  will be described. In  FIG. 4 , the door plate  16  is shown in a position with the door closed in solid lines and in an intermediate position in phantom lines. When the door plate  16  is closed, the stop  18  is spaced from the clip  26  and the arm  30  extends generally parallel to the portion of the pillar plate  20  that it fastens to the vehicle. The door plate  16  moves in the direction of the directional arrow shown in  FIG. 4  as the door is opened to the position shown in phantom lines. At this point, the door is partially opened, but is not secured against closing during the electro-plating or painting process. The stop  18  is shown just prior to engaging the ramp surface  56  of the first wall  52  of the clip  26 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the door plate  16  is shown in its fully open position corresponding to when the door  12  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is fully opened and ready for electro-coating and painting. In this position, the stop  18  (not shown in  FIG. 5 ) is received in the receiver  50  between the first and second walls  52  and  54  of the clip  26 . 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the operation of the clip  26  will be described in greater detail. The stop  18  initially engages the ramp surface  56  as the door is moved to its opened position. As shown in  FIG. 6B , the stop  18  forces the clip down on one side as it passes over the ramp surface  56 . The first wall  52  is shifted downwardly with the ramp surface  56  until the stop  18  can pass over the top of the first wall  52  and enter the receiver  50 , as shown in phantom lines. Once inside the channel  50 , the stop is restrained by the first and second walls  52  and  54 . The second wall  54  may be of greater height than the first wall and is intended to engage the pillar plate  20 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The second wall  54  prevents the clip from pivoting below the pillar plate  20 . 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIGS. 7A and 7B , an alternative embodiment of a clip  26 ′ is shown. The alternative embodiment of the clip  26  is an interchangeable left/right hand clip that is intended to be used with either the right hand doors or left hand doors of a vehicle. As shown in  FIG. 7A , the stop  18  is shown engaging the door plate on a left door. The stop  18  engages a left side of the clip  26  at the ramp surface  56  as it is moved in a manner similar to that described with reference to  FIG. 6A  above and to the receiver  50 . The clip shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B  also includes a wall  52 ′ instead of the second wall  54 . The wall  52 ′ includes a ramp surface  56 ′ that is generally a mirror image of the first wall  52  and ramp surface  56 . As shown in  FIG. 7B , the stop  18  is shown engaging the ramp surface  56 ′. As movement of the stop  18  continues toward the receiver  50 , the wall  52 ′ is shifted downwardly to allow the stop to enter the receiver  50 . 
         [0037]    While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.