Patent ID: 8510914

Claim:
A checker-equipped door hinge device for use in a vehicle, the device comprising a female bracket ( 1 ) that is formed from a female base portion ( 1 a ) adapted to be fixedly secured to one of a body (B) and a door (D) and a pair of female arm portions ( 1 b ) rising from opposite side ends of the female base portion ( 1 a ), a male bracket ( 2 ) that is disposed between the pair of female arm portions ( 1 b ) while having a male base portion ( 2 a ) adapted to be fixedly secured to the other of the body (B) and the door (D) and is relatively pivotably linked to the female arm portions ( 1 b ) via a hinge pin ( 5 ), and a check force generating mechanism that is arranged between the female and male brackets ( 1 , 2 ) and generates a check force for the door at a predetermined degree of opening position of the door, this check force generating mechanism comprising a central shaft ( 6 ) that is fixed to the female bracket ( 1 ) and disposed around the hinge pin ( 5 ), a cylinder block ( 7 ) that is fixed to the male bracket ( 2 ) and disposed so as to relatively rotatably surround the central shaft ( 6 ) and has a cylinder portion ( 7 b ) projecting toward one side of the central shaft ( 6 ), a piston ( 22 ) that is slidably fitted into an inner peripheral face of the cylinder portion ( 7 b ), a detent roller ( 26 ) that is supported by the piston ( 22 ) and can roll on an outer peripheral face of the central shaft ( 6 ), a check spring ( 23 ) that urges the piston ( 22 ) toward the outer peripheral face of the central shaft ( 6 ), and at least one detent groove ( 27 c , 27 m 1 , 27 m 2 , 27 o ) that is provided on the outer peripheral face of the central shaft ( 6 ) and with which the detent roller ( 26 ) is resiliently engaged by means of an urging force of the check spring ( 23 ) at the predetermined degree of opening position of the door (D), characterized in that the male bracket ( 2 ) comprises a pair of male arm portions ( 2 b ) that are adjacent to respective inside faces of the pair of female arm portions ( 1 b ) and are disposed so as to sandwich the cylinder block ( 7 ) along an axial direction of the central shaft ( 6 ), and the male base portion ( 2 a ), which is provided so as to be connected to one end of these male arm portions ( 2 b ), each of the male arm portions ( 2 b ) is fixedly secured to the cylinder block ( 7 ), a bearing hole ( 11 ) supporting the central shaft ( 6 ) is provided in the pair of male arm portions ( 2 b ), and opposite end parts of the central shaft ( 6 ) extending through these bearing holes ( 11 ) are fixedly secured to the female arm portions respectively ( 1 b ).