Abstract:
A tillage folding device of automotive vehicle constructed to vertically fold a midsection of the tailgate and thereby to avoid an external lower end thereof from touching a ceiling when the tailgate is opened at a place where the ceiling is low, promoting an effective use of tailgate even at a confined area, the device comprising: a tailgate vertically foldable and dividable via a hinge point into an upper portion and a lower portion thereof; a manipulating unit mounted at a folded site of the tailgate to control folding of the tailgate; and a locking unit for adequately converting a relative rotation of the divided tailgate from a restricted state to a released state according to operation of the manipulating unit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a tailgate folding device of automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a tailgate folding device of automotive vehicle adapted to make a lift-up tailgate foldable, thereby allowing the tailgate to be freely opened at a place of low ceiling.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    In general, vehicles are equipped with doors for passengers and cargoes but a lift-up type tailgate is mounted to a vehicle of hatchback style as a rear door for mainly loading and unloading cargoes or merchandises.  
           [0005]    In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a tailgate  10  according to the prior art is vertically lifted to be opened via a hinge point (H) mounted at a site where a roof panel  12  joins. When the tailgate  10  is opened, a gas lifter  16  disposed between a quarter panel  14  and the tailgate  10  elongated to securely prop the opened tailgate  10 .  
           [0006]    However, there&#39;s a problem in the tailgate opened and lifted up according to the prior art thus described in that, when the tailgate  10  is lifted up and opened at a place where ceiling (C) is low, an external lower end of the tailgate  10  reaches the low ceiling (C), resulting in damages thereto.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tailgate folding device of automotive vehicle constructed to vertically fold a midsection of the tailgate and thereby to avoid an external lower end thereof from touching a ceiling when the tailgate is opened at a place where the ceiling is low, promoting an effective use of the tailgate even at a confined area.  
           [0008]    In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided a tailgate folding device of automotive vehicle, the device comprising:  
           [0009]    a tailgate vertically foldable and dividable via a hinge point into an upper portion and a lower portion thereof;  
           [0010]    a manipulating unit mounted at a folded site of the tailgate to control folding of the tailgate; and  
           [0011]    a locking unit for adequately converting a relative rotation of the divided tailgate from a restricted state to a released state according to operation of the manipulating unit. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    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:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a partial side view for illustrating an opened state of tailgate according to the prior art;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a partial side view for illustrating a normally opened tailgate according to the present invention; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a partial side view for illustrating a tailgate opened in foldable method according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    Now, preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a partial side view for illustrating a normally opened tailgate according to the present invention and FIG. 3 is a partial side view for illustrating a tailgate opened in foldable method according to the present invention  
         [0018]    As illustrated in the drawings, a tailgate  10  lifted up and opened according to the present invention is rotatably mounted via a hinge point (H) at a place adjacent to a roof panel  12 , and is securely propped up via a quarter panel  14  and a gas lifter  16  when the tailgate  10  is opened.  
         [0019]    Furthermore, the tailgate  10  is divided at an approximate midsection thereof via a hinge point (H′) into a relatively rotatable upper gate member  10   a  and a lower gate member  10   b , where the upper gate member  10   a  is rotably mounted on a roof panel  12  via a hinge point (H) while the lower gate member  10   b  is rotatably mounted at the upper gate member  10   a  via the hinge point (H′).  
         [0020]    At this location, the lower gate member  10   b  is formed thereon with a partially-cut inclination  10   c  in order to avoid an interference with the upper gate member  10   a  when the lower gate member  10   b  is relatably rotated relative to the upper gate member  10   a  via the hinge point (H′). Furthermore, the tailgate  10  having the upper gate member  10   a  rotatably mounted via the hinge point (H′) and the lower gate member  10   b  further includes a manipulating unit  18  for controlling the foldedness of the tailgate  10  on a folding point and a locking unit  20  for appropriately converting the relative rotation of the vertically divided tailgate  10  from restricted state to release state according to operation of the manipulating unit  18 .  
         [0021]    Meanwhile, the tailgate  10  divided into an upper portion and a lower portion is additionally formed at the folding site thereof with a guide unit  22  for guiding the lower gate member  10   b  when the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated to fold relative to the upper gate member  10   a . The guide unit  22  serves to appropriately guide the lower gate member  10   b  when the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated via the hinge point (H′) relative to the upper gate member  10   a , thereby maintaining the rotation of the lower gate member  10   b  relative to the upper gate member  10   a  at a normal state.  
         [0022]    At this time, the manipulating unit  18  includes a movable rod  24  so mounted as to move inwardly on the lower gate member  10   b  and exposed at one side thereof, a hitching rod  26  pressed by the movable rod  24  to rotate via a hinge point (H″), and a fixation rod  28   a  peripherally mounted with a first restoring spring  28  for resiliently supporting the hitching rod  26  at a lower portion of the hitching rod  26  and for resiliently supporting the movable rod  24  at the same time.  
         [0023]    Furthermore, the locking unit  20  is formed with a latch rod  30  mounted with a gear teeth  30   a  meshing with the hitching rod  26  of the manipulating unit  18  and secured at the upper gate member  10   a . Meanwhile, the hitching rod  26  is integrally formed at one tip end thereof with a protruder  26   a  for meshing with the gear teeth  30   a  of the latch rod  30  and is also integrally mounted at the other tip end thereof with a groove  26   b  for coupling with the fixation rod  28   a , where the groove  26   b  functions to compress the first restoring spring  28  peripherally formed on the fixation rod  28   a  when the hitching rod  26  is turned.  
         [0024]    Still furthermore, the guide unit  22  includes a support rod  32  fixed at one tip end thereof to the lower gate member  10   b  and resiliently accommodated at the other tip end thereof into the upper gate member  10   a , and a second restoring spring  34  for being inserted into a peripheral surface of the support rod  32  and for being supportively contacted by both ends thereof between the upper gate member  10   a  and the lower gate member  10   b.    
         [0025]    Meanwhile, the upper gate member  10   a  is formed with a predetermined size of accommodating space  10   d  for accepting the support rod  32 , where the accommodating space  10   d  serves to accept the support rod  32  when the lower gate member  10   b  is turned to fold relative to the upper gate member  10   a  via the hinge point (H′).  
         [0026]    At this time, the guide unit  22  adequately guides the lower gate member  10   b  when the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated about the hinge point (H′) relative to the upper gate member  10   a , thereby maintaining the rotation of the lower gate member  10   b  relative to the upper gate member  10   a  at a normal state. The guide unit  22  also adequately slows the rotary speed of the lower gate member  10   b  via resilience of the second restoring spring  34 , functioning as a damper for prevention of abrupt contact with the upper gate member  10   a.    
         [0027]    The support rod  32  and the accommodating space  10   d  are respectively formed of a curvaceous fashion, by which a smooth coupling between the support rod  32  and the accommodating space  10   d  is realized when the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated about the hinge point (H′) to fold relative to the upper gate member  10   a.    
         [0028]    Now, operation of the present invention is explained.  
         [0029]    When an automotive vehicle equipped with tailgate  10  is parked and the tailgate  10  is opened at a place where ceiling is low, where the tailgate  10  is opened to a certain degree and the movable rod  24  at the manipulating unit  18  exposed externally to the lower gate member  10   b  is pressed. The hitching rod  26  is then turned about the hinge point (H″) to release meshedness with the latch rod  30  of the locking unit  20 .  
         [0030]    Successively, the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated and folded upto a predetermined angle about the hinge point (H′) relative to the upper gate member  10   a  according to its own weight, where, the movable rod  24  is lifted by restoring force of the first restoring spring  28  when manipulating force applied to the movable rod  24  of the manipulating unit  18  is released.  
         [0031]    The hitching rod  26  is rotated about the hinge point (H″) in the reverse direction to be meshed into the latch rod  30  of the locking unit  20  to maintain the folded state of the lower gate member  10   b  relative to the upper gate member  10   a.    
         [0032]    Meanwhile, when the lower gate member  10   b  is rotated to fold about the hinge point (H′) relative to the upper gate member  10   a , the support rod  32  of the guide unit  22  secured at the lower gate member  10   b  is accepted into the accommodating space  10   d  formed at the upper gate member  10   a , such that restriction or guidance is performed to allow an exact rotation according to a certain trace in relation to rotation of the lower gate member  10   b.    
         [0033]    At this time, the guide unit  22  provides a resisting force via resilience of the second restoring spring  34  to the lower gate member  10   b  rotating about the hinge point (H′) relative to the upper gate member  10   a , such that the lower gate member  10   b  is not abruptly rotated by its own weight.  
         [0034]    Furthermore, when the lower gate member  10   b  at the tailgate  10  is to be restored to its original position, the movable rod  24  at the manipulating unit  18  is again pressed and the lower gate member  10   b  is slightly lifted to return the lower gate member  10   b  to its original position.  
         [0035]    At this time, the second restoring sprig  34  inserted into the support rod  34  of the guide unit  22  is converted to a restored state from a state pressed between the upper gate member  10   a  and the lower gate member  10   b  to provide a restoring force to the lower gate member  10   b , such that the lower gate member  10   b  can be smoothly returned to its original normal position via the hinge point (H′).  
         [0036]    As apparent from the foregoing, there is an advantage in the tailgate folding device of automotive vehicle thus described according to the present invention in that the tailgate opened and closed by way of vertical rotation thereof relative to the body of the automotive vehicle is foldably constructed via the hinge point (H′), such that even if the tailgate  10  is opened at a place where ceiling is low, interference between the ceiling and the external lower portion of the tailgate  10  can be avoided because of the folded tailgate  10 , thereby preventing damage to the tailgate  10 .