Patent Publication Number: US-2020291701-A1

Title: Device for spacing an opening element apart from a stationary element, in particular of a motor vehicle

Description:
The object of the invention is a device for holding in a half-open position a door leaf on a fixed element of a body of a motor vehicle during its manufacture. 
     A motor vehicle is manufactured on a production line which performs a step of assembling elements, such as door leaf elements for example, on a vehicle body thus forming a complete vehicle bodywork. 
     A tolerance of a few millimeters, generally +1-2 mm, is accepted during this assembly. Thus, a relative position of an element with respect to another varies by a few millimeters from one vehicle to another. 
     It is known to use devices holding the door leaf elements in a half-open position with respect to the body element in order to allow in particular an easy opening and closing of the door leaf on the production line. 
     More particularly, the document WO2014170610 discloses a device including a retaining member intended to cooperate with a holding member, the retaining member being intended to be fixed on a portion of a door leaf element and a holding member on a fixed portion of a bodywork, or vice versa. 
     To put the door leaf element in the half-open position, the holding member comes into contact with a contact side of the retaining member. Then, the holding member exerts a closing force so as to elastically deform the retaining member and to come into contact with a side opposite to the contact side. 
     Conversely, to put the door leaf element in the open position, the holding member exerts an opening force so as to elastically deform the retaining member and no longer be retained by the retaining member. 
     The opening force is dependent on a geometry of the retaining member and a relative position of the retaining member with respect to the holding member. 
     Thus, the tolerance accepted during the assembly of the door leaf element with respect to the vehicle body causes a variation in the opening force to be applied between two vehicles or between two door leaf elements of the same vehicle. 
     The object of the invention is a device whose opening force is independent of a relative position of the door leaf element with respect to the vehicle body. 
     The invention relates to a device for holding in a half-open position a door leaf element on a fixed portion of a body of a motor vehicle, comprising a spacing element provided to be fixed on a fixed portion of the vehicle body or on the door leaf element, this spacing element comprising a base provided for a fixation of the spacing element on the fixed portion or on the door leaf, 
     characterized in that the spacing element comprises:
         a connecting member attached to the base and including an elastically deformable zone designed to be deformed under the action of stresses exerted by a holding member presented by the door leaf element ( 200 ) or the fixed portion,   a retaining member attached to the connecting member and including an elastically deformable zone designed to be deformed under the action of stresses exerted by the holding member.       

     When the device is fixed on the fixed portion of the body, the holding member presented by the door leaf element, such as an edge or a ridge for example, cooperates with the spacing element so as to hold said door leaf element in a half-open position with respect to the fixed portion of the body. 
     Conversely, when the device is fixed on the door leaf element, the holding member presented by the fixed portion, such as an edge or a ridge for example, cooperates with the spacing element so as to hold said door leaf element in a half-open position with respect to the fixed portion of the body. 
     An open position is defined when the spacing element and the holding member do not cooperate, that is to say when they are not in contact with each other. 
     To put the door leaf element in a half-open position with respect to the vehicle body, an operator or a robot approaches the door leaf element of the body so as to put the holding member into contact with the retaining member. If the operator exerts a closing force greater than a predetermined closing force, the holding member elastically deforms the retaining member and the connecting member in a concomitant or successive manner. The door leaf element is then blocked in a half-open position. 
     An assembly of the door leaf elements with respect to the vehicle body is carried out with a certain tolerance. Thus, a relative position of the door leaf element with respect to the vehicle body, and therefore a relative position of the two elements of the device, vary according to the considered door leaf element. 
     The deformation of the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member by its contact with the holding member allows adapting the device to the relative position of the holding member. The elastically deformable zone of the connecting member is dimensioned to compensate for the deviation of the door leaf element with respect to the body of the vehicle, insofar as it is within the tolerance range. 
     Thus, the deformation of the connecting member positions the retaining member identically with respect to the holding member regardless of the initial position of the door leaf element with respect to the vehicle body from the moment when the possible offset is located within the tolerance range. The relative position of the retaining member with respect to the holding member is therefore made independent of the relative position of the two elements of the device. 
     To put the door leaf element in an open position with respect to the vehicle body, the operator exerts on the door leaf element an opening force greater than a predefined opening force so that the holding member elastically deforms the retaining member. The door leaf element is then in the open position. 
     Thus, thanks to the device according to the invention, the opening force to be exerted on the door leaf element to dislodge it from the retaining member is substantially identical regardless of the initial position of the door leaf element with respect to the vehicle body. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member is intended to allow the pivoting of the connecting member with respect to an axis of rotation. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the elastically deformable zone of the retaining member is intended to allow the pivoting of the retaining member with respect to an axis of rotation. 
     Thus, the connecting member and the retaining member are elastically deformable by pivoting. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the axis of rotation of the connecting member is parallel to the axis of rotation of the retaining member. 
     Thus, the deformation of the connecting member and the deformation of the retaining member are carried out in the same plane. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the retaining member is an elongation including a free end. 
     Thus, the retaining member comprises one free end and one end connected to the connecting member. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the retaining member has at least one protrusion at the free end. 
     Thus, the holding member is retained in the half-open position by the protrusion. 
     Preferably, the elastically deformable zone of the retaining member is positioned at an opposite end to the free end. 
     Thus, the elastically deformable zone of the retaining member attaches the retaining member to the connecting member. 
     According to another embodiment, the elastically deformable zone of the retaining member is substantially positioned in the middle of the elongation. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the connecting member is an elongation including a free end. 
     Thus, the connecting member comprises one free end and one end connected to the base. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the connecting member surrounds the retaining member. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the connecting member comprises at least one a stroke-end stop allowing to prevent the door leaf element from coming into a completely closed position on the vehicle body, or at least potentially up into contact with the vehicle body. 
     Preferably, the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member is positioned at an opposite end to the free end. 
     Thus, the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member attaches the connecting member to the base. 
     According to another embodiment, the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member is substantially positioned in the middle of the elongation. 
     According to one embodiment, the elastically deformable zone of the connecting member is designed so as to offer a resistance to the stresses exerted by the holding member presented by the fixed portion or the door leaf element different from that of the elastically deformable zone of the retaining member. 
    
    
     
       The invention will be better understood, thanks to the description hereinafter, which relates to one or several embodiments according to the present invention, provided as non-limiting examples and explained with reference to the appended schematic drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1 to 3  are perspective representations of a spacing element of a device according to the invention; 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are schematic perspective representations of the spacing element according to the invention positioned on a motor vehicle. 
     
    
    
       FIGS. 1 to 3  represent perspective views of a spacing element  1  of a device  100  according to the invention. The spacing element  1  has a base  10  comprising an oblong orifice  11  for a fixing screw (not represented) and an elongated guide body  12 . The base  10  is extended by a connecting member  30 . 
     The connecting member  30  forms an elongation comprising a first portion  31  connecting the base  10  to an elastically deformable zone  32  and a second portion  33  extending the elastically deformable zone  32 . 
     It is subsequently defined that an axis Z of the first element  1  of the device  100  is an axis transverse to an axis of elongation of the base  10 . 
     It is subsequently defined that an axis X of the first element  1  of the device  100  is an axis of elongation of the second portion  33 . 
     It is subsequently defined that an axis Y of the first element  1  of the device  100  is an axis perpendicular to the axes X and Z. 
     The elastically deformable zone  32  of the connecting member  30  has a thickness along the axis Z that is lower with respect to a length along the axis X, thus allowing a deformation of the connecting member by rotation along the axis Y. 
     The second portion  33  is an elongation formed by two symmetrical arms  34  connected by a first end  340  to the elastically deformable zone  32  and to a second end  341  therebetween. The second end  341  is a free end. The arms  34  define a space therebetween. 
     Each arm  34  comprises a stop  35  substantially positioned in the middle of the arm  34  and extending along the axis Z. 
     It, Each arm  34  has an arcuate shape between the second end  341  and the stop  35  so that a thickness of the arms  34  along the axis Z increases progressively from the second end  341  towards the stop  35 . 
     The first end  340  of the arms  34  is connected to a retaining member  40  extending along the axis X. The retaining member  40  has an elongated shape provided with a first end and a second free end. 
     The first end of the retaining member  40  comprises an elastically deformable zone  41  whose thickness along the axis Z is small with respect to a length along the axis X, thus allowing a deformation of the retaining member  40  by rotation along the axis Y. 
     The free end of the retaining member  40  is provided with a protrusion  42 . The protrusion  42  has a contact side  420  and a retaining surface  421 . 
     The contact side  420  has a thickness along the axis Z which gradually increases from the free end to a center of the retaining member  40 . 
     The retaining surface  421  is substantially perpendicular to the retaining member  40 . 
     When the device  100  is installed on a vehicle as can be seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an operator introduces the guide body  12  of the base  10  of the spacing element  1  into an orifice (not represented) of a fixed portion of a vehicle chassis. Then, the operator pivots the fixing screw so as to temporarily fix the spacing element  1  on the vehicle. 
     The door leaf element  200  has an orifice  21  with a substantially rectangular section provided to cooperate with the spacing element  1 . This orifice  21  includes an edge  22  provided to act as a holding member in operation. 
     More specifically, when the operator approaches the door leaf element  200  to the vehicle chassis by exerting a closing force, the spacing element  1  of the device  100  is introduced into the orifice  21 . The holding member  22  then comes into contact with the second end  341  of the second portion  33 . Then the holding member  22  slides against the arcuate shape of each arm  34  so as to deform the second portion  33  at the level of the elastically deformable zone  32 . The holding member  22  also slides against the contact side  420  of the retaining member  40 , deforms the retaining member  40  at the level of the elastically deformable zone  41  and then comes into contact with the retaining surface  421 . 
     Thus, the holding member  22  is blocked in a half-open position between the stops  35  of the connecting member  30  on the one hand, and the protrusion  42  of the retaining member  40  on the other hand. 
     The deformation of the connecting member  30  allows to adapt the device  100  to a relative position of the door leaf element  200  with respect to a fixed portion of the vehicle chassis. 
     The retaining member  40  is then in a reference position with respect to the holding member  22 . The reference position is independent of the relative position of the door leaf element  200  with respect to a fixed portion of the vehicle chassis. 
     When the operator exerts an opening force having a predefined value, the holding member  22  deforms the retaining member  40  at the level of the elastically deformable zone  41  so as to release the holding member and to put the door leaf element  200  in an open position. 
     The retaining member  40  being in the reference position with respect to the holding member  22 , the opening force to be exerted by the operator is predefined by the dimension along the axis Z of the retaining surface  421  and the stiffness of the elastically deformable zone  41 . 
     The opening force is identical regardless of the relative position of the door leaf element  200  with respect to a fixed portion of the vehicle chassis. 
     Thus the opening force is determined at the design of the device  100  and is identical regardless of the vehicle or the door leaf on which the device  100  is positioned. 
     Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and represented in the appended figures. Modifications remain possible, in particular with regards to the constitution of the various elements or by substitution with technical equivalents, yet without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.