Abstract:
A tailgate of a car, the car for being sequentially mounted by a tailgate inner panel and a tailgate out panel to a tailgate thereof, which the tailgate outer panel is hinged to a tailgate which is vertically openable and closeable, wherein the tailgate comprises a glass plate, a first mounting bracket (or a first mounting pivot) coupled to the tailgate outer panel and a second mounting bracket (or a second mounting pivot) coupled to the glass plate, where the first mounting bracket (or the first mounting pivot) and the second mounting bracket (or the second mounting pivot) are hinged together, such that the tailgate is simple in structure thereof, parts involved are reduced and assembly is easy with manufacturing cost decreased and a beautiful exterior look.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tailgate of a car, and more particularly to a tailgate of a car which can be opened up and closed down. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Generally, a tailgate assembly  19 , a bumper  1 , and a lamp  3  may be mounted at the rear end of a van-type vehicle. Typically, the tailgate assembly  19  is piviotably openable and closeable about a hinge point as is illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, a body panel  11  is coupled to a tailgate inner panel  13 , which is again coupled at an upper side thereof to a tailgate outer panel  15 . The tailgate outer panel  15  is combined at an upper exterior side thereof with a lid  17  and is coupled at a rear exterior side thereof to a tailgate  19 . 
     The tailgate outer panel  15  is coupled at a tip end thereof to a seal member  21  for sealing when the tailgate  19  is closed. The tailgate  19  is combined at a middle section thereof with a hinge bracket  23  and a hinge axle  25  for hinging the tailgate  19 . The tailgate  19  is mounted with a support plate  27  arranged at the lid  17  and a glass plate  29  coupled via bolts to the support plate  27 . The glass plate  29  adheres at an upper inner surface thereof to the seal member  21  when closed. 
     When lifting glass plate  29 , the tailgate is lifted along an imaginary line indicated in FIG. 2 about the hinge axle  25  coupled to the hinge bracket. 
     However, there is a problem in the tailgate of the conventional van-type vehicle thus constructed in that the support plate  27  is mounted with the hinge bracket  23  while hinge bracket  23  is coupled to the hinge axle, such that structure thereof is complicated, and many parts are involved therein to make it difficult to assemble and the overall outlook uncomely. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is disclosed to solve the afore-mentioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tailgate of a car constructed and arranged to directly hinge a tailgate to a tailgate outer panel. 
     In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided a tailgate of a car, the car for being sequentially mounted with a tailgate inner panel and a tailgate outer panel to a tailgate thereof, while the tailgate outer panel is hinged to a tailgate which is vertically openable and closeable, wherein the tailgate comprises a glass plate, the glass plate being directly coupled at an upper end thereof to the tailgate outer panel by hinge means. 
     The hinge means comprises a first mounting bracket coupled to the tailgate outer panel, a second mounting bracket coupled to the glass plate, and a hinge axle for hinging the first and second mounting bracket, where the second mounting bracket is fixed to the glass plate via a packing member and a tip end of the second mounting bracket protruded outside of the glass plate is coupled to a cap-type nut. 
     The hinge means further comprises a first mounting pivot having a ball and coupled to the tailgate outer panel, and a second mounting pivot having a journal surface-contacting the ball, where the second mounting pivot is fixed to the glass plate via a packing member, and a tip end of the second mounting pivot protruded outside of the glass plate is coupled to a cap-type nut. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view for illustrating a rear side of a vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a tailgate portion of the conventional vehicle (a sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG.  1 ); 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a tailgate portion of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a detailed view of “B” part in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a tailgate portion of a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a detailed view of “C” part in FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIGS. 3,  4  and  5  represent a tailgate of a vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, a body panel  31  comprising a body is coupled with a tailgate inner panel  33  and the tailgate inner panel  33  is coupled thereon to a tailgate outer panel  35 . The tailgate outer panel  35  is coupled at an exterior rear side thereof to a tailgate mounted with a glass plate  37 . 
     The body panel  31  is provided at a tip end thereof with a seal member  39  which is in turn fixed by a strip band  41  in order to seal a gap between the body panel  31  and the tailgate inner panel  33 . The strip band  41  is arranged with a hitching jaw to thereby restrain a body panel trim  43 . 
     A lower tip end between the tailgate inner panel  33  and the tailgate outer panel  35  is closedly adhered by a strip band  45  with a gasket provided therebetween. The strip band  45  serves to fix a seal member  47  for sealing a gap thereof when the tailgate is closed. The strip band  45  is also equipped with a hitching jaw to restrain a tailgate inner panel trim  49 . 
     The tailgate outer panel  35  is bent at a right side thereof towards the tailgate inner panel  33  to form a bent space which is in turn coupled to hinge means  50  for hinging the glass plate  37 . The glass plate  37  is hinged at an upper end thereof to the tailgate outer panel  35  by the hinge means  50 . The hinge means  50  includes, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a first mounting bracket  51  screwed to an upper surface of the bent space at the tailgate outer panel, a second mounting bracket  53  screwed to an upper side of the glass plate and a hinge axle  55  for hinging the first and second mounting brackets  51  and  53 . 
     The tailgate outer panel  35  is formed with a hole into which a lower end of the first mounting bracket  51  is inserted. The glass plate  37  is also formed thereon with a hole into which a tip end of the second mounting bracket  53  is inserted. 
     The first mounting bracket  51  is formed thereunder with a screw unit  51   a  and is formed thereon with a female head unit  51   b  formed with a reentrant unit through which a lower end of the second mounting bracket  53  is inserted. The female head unit  51   b  is horizontally formed with a hole through which the hinge axle  55  is inserted. The screw unit  51   a  at the first mounting bracket  51  is inserted into a hole of the tailgate outer panel  35  to thereafter be fixed by a nut  57 . At this time, the tailgate outer panel is extended therein with the gasket  44 , and coupled by a nut  57 . 
     The second mounting bracket  53  is formed thereunder with a male head unit  53   a  for insertion into a reentrant unit of the female head unit  51   b , and the male head unit  53  is horizontally formed with a hole through which the hinge axle  55  is inserted. 
     The second mounting bracket  53  is formed thereon with a flange  53   b  for hitching the glass plate  37  and a screw unit  53   c.    
     The screw unit  53   c  of the second mounting bracket  53  is inserted into a hole at the glass plate  37 . The hole is again inserted by a bush-type packing member  58  for protection of the glass and by a cap-type nut  59  to secure the second mounting bracket  53 . 
     The hinge axle  55  of bolt shape is inserted into a hole horizontally formed at the first and second mounting brackets  53  and  55 , and combined by a nut  56  to prevent the hinge axle  55  from slipping therefrom. 
     The hinge means  50  is assembled by inserting the first mounting bracket  51  into the tailgate outer panel  35 , the second mounting bracket  53  into the glass plate, fixing the same and inserting the same into the hinge axle  55 . 
     The hinge means  50  is provided at two places of the tailgate breadth wise of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 1 (indicated by an arrow). 
     In the tailgate thus constructed, when the glass plate  37  is lifted, the tailgate is lifted about the hinge axle  55  as indicated by an imaginary line in FIG.  3 . 
     FIGS. 6,  7  and  8  define a tailgate of a vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     Hinge means  150  for hinging a glass plate  137  according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, a first mounting pivot  153  disposed at the tailgate outer panel and having a ball  151  and a second mounting pivot  157  disposed at the glass plate  137  and having a journal  155  surface-contacting the ball  151 . 
     The first mounting pivot  153  has a structure where a right-angled bracket is coupled to the ball  151 , and is coupled to the tailgate outer panel  35  by bolt  161  and nut  163 . At this time, although the ball  151  is arranged with an extension unit  151   a  formed with a screw unit to be screwed to the right-angled bracket by a nut  152 , it can be screwed without the extension unit or welded. 
     The ball  151  is provided at a vertical flange of bracket, and the bolt  161  and the nut  163  are coupled to a horizontal flange of the bracket. The tailgate outer panel  35  is extended therein by gasket  44  and coupled by a nut  163 . 
     The second mounting pivot  157  is mounted thereunder with the journal unit  155  and the journal unit  155  is provided at an upper end thereof with a screw unit  157   a . The screw unit  157   a  is formed thereunder with a flange  157   b  for the glass plate  137  to be inserted and hitched thereat. 
     The journal unit  155  is formed with a spherical hole, the shape of which is a little bit larger than a half sphere to prevent the ball from being easily detached therefrom and inserted thereinto. It is preferable to make the journal unit of a material having a predetermined force of resilience. The journal unit  155  only can be made of resilient material or the entire second mounting pivot  157  can be made of resilient material. 
     The screw unit  157   a  at the second mounting bracket  157  is inserted into a hole of the glass plate  137 , which is then formed with a bush-type packing member  165  for protection of the glass. A cap-type nut  167  is inserted into the screw unit  157   a  to secure the second mounting bracket  157 . 
     The first mounting bracket  153  equipped with the ball  151  is coupled to the tailgate outer panel  35  and the second mounting bracket  157  provided with the journal unit  155  is coupled to the glass plate, where the journal unit  155  is pushed into the ball  151  for simple assembly of the hinge means  150 . 
     When the glass plate  137 , formed at the tailgate of a vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention thus constructed, is lifted, the tailgate is lifted about the ball as indicated in an imaginary line in FIG.  6 . 
     As apparent from the foregoing, there is an advantage in the tailgate of a car according to the present invention in that a glass plate is directly coupled to a tailgate outer panel by a first mounting bracket (or a first mounting pivot) and a second mounting bracket (or a second mounting pivot), such that structure is simple, part involved for assembly thereof are reduced and assembly is easy with manufacturing cost decreased and a beautiful exterior appearance.