Patent ID: 7891054

Claim:
A hinge for vehicle doors, comprising: a first complementary part configured to be fixed to a vehicle door and including an essentially vertical pin; a second complementary part configured to be fixed to a frame of the vehicle and including an essentially cylindrical and vertical first cavity that houses at least a portion of the vertical pin such that opening or closing of the vehicle door causes relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts when respectively fixed to the vehicle door and the frame of the vehicle; and a retaining device configured to retain infinite angular positions between the first and second complementary parts, the retaining device comprising: a sleeve disposed in the first cavity and surrounding at least a portion of the pin; an engagement member arranged between the pin and the sleeve and comprising at least one peripheral member contiguous to the pin, the at least one peripheral member slidably engaging at least one corresponding groove in an inner face of the sleeve such that the at least one peripheral member is movable relative to the pin along a longitudinal axis of the pin between an engaged position and a disengaged position, the engagement member being configured to couple the sleeve to the pin in any angular rest position of the hinge, the engagement member being further configured to automatically decouple the sleeve from the pin during relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts and to automatically couple the sleeve to the pin in response to interruption of the relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts; a biasing member configured to urge the at least one peripheral member into the engaged position in which the at least one peripheral member is coupled to the pin by friction or through a mechanical coupling; and a direct actuation member arranged at one end of the sleeve and configured to engage the engagement member in response to relative rotation between the first and second complementary parts of the hinge, wherein rotation of the direct actuation member relative to the pin causes the at least one peripheral member to move to the disengaged position.