Patent ID: 7975349

Claim:
A hinge for a vehicle door that is movable between a closed and a fully open position relative to a vehicle body, the hinge comprising: a mounting bracket, operable to be secured to the vehicle body; at least one link, pivotally mounted along a fixed axis to the mounting bracket at a first end and operable to pivot a second end of the at least one link between a first and second position, wherein the at least one link includes an outer bar pivotally mounted at a first end to the mounting bracket along the fixed axis and directly to the door bracket along the movable axis at a second end; a door bracket, operable to be secured to the vehicle door, and pivotally mounted along a movable axis to the second end of the at least one link; and wherein the vehicle door is constrained by the vehicle body from pivoting around the movable axis when the second end of the at least one link is in the first position, and is operable to pivot around the movable axis when the at least one link is in the second position, wherein the hinge further comprises a latch including a ratchet and pawl, wherein the ratchet is mounted to a link from the at least one link, wherein the ratchet is pivotable about the fixed axis between a ratchet engagement position and a ratchet released position, wherein the ratchet is connected to the at least one link in such a way that if the ratchet is constrained in the ratchet engagement position the at least one link is constrained in the first position, and wherein the pawl is pivotable between a pawl engagement position wherein the pawl engages the ratchet and prevents the ratchet from pivoting about the fixed axis so as to lock the at least one link in the first position, and a pawl released position wherein the pawl permits the ratchet to pivot about the fixed axis to the ratchet released position, thereby permitting the at least one link to pivot away from the first position.