Abstract: A row of docking stations to stow containers or trolleys is provided along at least one side of a van cargo storage area and a corridor for loading and unloading containers or trolleys individually or in groups from the rear of the van is provided. Preferably, the docking stations are automated. Interference with the storage and removal of containers or trolleys by the wheel wells of the vans or other vehicles is eliminated. Motorized mechanisms capture and lift the containers or trolleys above the level of the wheel wells for stowage in the docking stations to maximize the available storage area beyond that available on the floor of the cargo area. Individual containers or trolleys may be maintained in docking stations until needed.

Abstract: A pedestrian protection automotive hood hinge comprises a release assembly which comprises a retainer supported by one of a first member and a second member and a releasable pin supported by the other of the one of the first and second members. The releasable pin is captured in the retainer in the normally closed position and the normally opened position. An actuator is configured to engage the second member and move the second member upward relative to the first member in response to a collision input. The releasable pin is configured to be released by the retainer in response to the collision input permitting the second member to pivot about a member pin relative to the first member to an opened hood collision position. A retention link with a retention pin moves in a controlled manner during a collision so that the retention pin engages a retention slot. At maximum opening of the hood, the retention pin engages a retention clip adjacent the retention slot and begins to rebound.

Abstract: An automotive door hinge comprises first and second brackets mountable selectively to one of the door and the body. A cam element, non-rotationally mounted to the second bracket, comprises a cam surface adapted to engage with a cam follower non-rotationally housed within a first housing of the first bracket. An energy storage means respectively stores and releases energy when the cam follower longitudinally translates within the first housing in a first direction and then in a second direction opposite the first direction. Relative rotation of the first bracket in relation to the second bracket within a predetermined angular range causes longitudinal translation of the cam follower, wherein as the door is closed, the cam follower engages the cam surface and translates longitudinally in the second direction whereby the energy stored by the energy storage means is released to assist door closure.

Abstract: A compact vehicle suspension system comprises a sliding ride motion guide having a fixed guide portion and a telescoping guide portion telescopically movable relative to one another. The sliding ride motion guide is fixed to a wheel hub knuckle via the fixed guide portion and is rotatably and structurally fixed via the telescoping guide portion at a top mount to a vehicle body. A coil over shock absorber is rotatably connected to a lower control arm at a first end and to the vehicle body at a second end. Arms of the fixed guide portion of the sliding ride motion guide may span the wheel hub knuckle to which a drive shaft may be connected. Vertical motion of the wheel is defined by a sliding axis of the sliding ride motion guide and an arc of the lower control arm.

Abstract: A pedestrian protection automotive hood hinge comprises a release assembly which comprises a retainer supported by one of a first member and a second member and a releasable pin supported by the other of the one of the first and second members. The releasable pin is captured in the retainer in the normally closed position and the normally opened position. An actuator is configured to engage the second member and move the second member upward relative to the first member in response to a collision input. The releasable pin is configured to be released by the retainer in response to the collision input permitting the second member to pivot about a member pin relative to the first member to an opened hood collision position. A retention link with a retention pin moves in a controlled manner during a collision so that the retention pin engages a retention slot. At maximum opening of the hood, the retention pin engages a retention clip adjacent the retention slot and begins to rebound.

Abstract: A vehicle tailgate assembly primarily for pick-up trucks comprises a frame with a transverse base and support arms extending perpendicularly therefrom adjacent distal ends of the base. A tailgate door is rotationally mounted to the frame between the support arms. The door comprises a transverse upper section rotationally joined to a transverse lower section at a rotational joint, preferably a hinge. A releasable locking mechanism is located adjacent the rotational joint to releasably hold the upper section in relation to the lower section at selected orientations. An additional locking mechanism may selectively hold the lower section and/or the upper section to the support arms. The tailgate may also be provided with an extendible tailgate which may be rotated interiorly and exteriorly of the plane of the upper section. An extendible handle may also be provided to support user entry and exit from a cargo hold of the truck.

Abstract: A vehicle door checker integrated with a power drive unit for an automobile door includes a direct current permanent magnet electric motor subject to cogging torque. The electric motor includes a central shaft. The vehicle door checker also includes a cogging torque increase device that is mounted to the central shaft externally of the motor. The cogging torque increase device includes pairs of oppositely magnetized permanent magnets that are mounted coaxially in a stator and rotor respectively about the motor shaft. The stator magnets and the rotor magnets shift into and out of alignment with each other as the shaft is rotated such that the motor is held in multiple discrete stable positions that correspond to check positions of an automobile door.

Abstract: A vehicular suspension control arm comprises a first arm component and a second arm component formed from sheet metal, each arm component comprising an outer wall and two side walls, bushing connecting means adjacent a first end, at least one bracket receiving rivet aperture adjacent a second end, at least one component connecting rivet aperture located between the first end and the second end, a ride bushing and a handling bushing, a ball joint bracket comprising bracket rivet apertures corresponding to the at least one bracket receiving rivet aperture adjacent the second end of each of the first and second arm components and a plurality of rivets.

Abstract: A hydraulic damper spool valve (15) includes a pair of resilient energy storage members (47, 49) one of which is disposed between each of a valve spool (39, 41) and a valve body dividing section (27) so as to bias the valve spools (39, 41) in opposing directions to the forces generated by the operating pressures in the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic damper (1). The valve spools (39, 41) are configured to vary the hydraulic flow restriction between the upper portion (11) and the lower portion (13) of the hydraulic damper (1). A compression hydraulic flow path is structurally separate from a rebound hydraulic flow path to prevent backflow via the other hydraulic flow path during hydraulic flow in either direction, each said flow path communicating with only the at least one shaped aperture (35, 37) adjacent the opposing end of one of the valve sleeves (23, 25).

Abstract: A process for preparing a multi-thickness welded steel vehicle rail, the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming a first tube having a first outer diameter, an inner diameter and a first wall thickness; (b) forming a second tube having the first outer diameter, a second inner diameter and a second wall thickness different than the first wall thickness; (c) swaging a first end of the first tube to a second outer diameter less than the second inner diameter of the second tube; (d) inserting the swaged first end of the first tube into an end of the second tube to form a joint; (e) welding the first tube and the second tube together to form a weld at the joint to form a tube blank with a heat affected zone of lower metal strength in the area of the weld; (f) preheating the tube blank to create a common crystalline microstructure along a length of the tube blank; (g) introducing the tube blank into a blow molding tool having inner molding walls; (h) molding the tube blank at an elevated temperature by expandin

Abstract: A vehicle tailgate with an integrated collapsible door comprises a tailgate having an outer wall, an inner wall and a cavity there between, a door section of the tailgate having an inboard wall and an outboard wall and being moveable between a closed position and an open position substantially within the envelope of the tailgate, the inboard wall and the outboard wall being connected by a linkage to permit relative movement there between, a first track to guide the motion of the inboard wall and a second track to guide the motion of the outboard wall, and a power drive unit to power the motion of the door section, such that in the closed position of the door section the inboard wall is flush with the inner wall of the tailgate and the outboard wall is flush with the outer wall of the tailgate, and in the open position of the door section at least a portion of the inboard wall and at least a portion of the outboard wall lie within the cavity between the outer wall and the inner wall of the tailgate.

Abstract: A vehicle tailgate assembly comprises a frame with a transverse base and support arms extending perpendicularly therefrom adjacent distal ends of the base, a central section also extending perpendicularly from the base but to a lesser extent than the support arms, a door rotationally mounted to the frame between the support arms, the door being profiled with a central opening matching the central section and aligned therewith in a co-planar manner when the door is in a fully closed position, a mating portion comprising an indentation in the door adapted to mate with the central section when the door is rotated 180 degrees from the fully closed position to a working position to expose the central opening with the door co-planar with the frame.

Abstract: A vehicle tailgate with an integrated collapsible door comprises a tailgate having an outer wall, an inner wall and a cavity there between, a door section located in an upper portion of the tailgate having an inboard wall and an outboard wall and being moveable between a closed position and an open position substantially within an envelope of the tailgate, the door section comprising means to vary the spacing between the inboard wall and the outboard wall, the means to vary the spacing between the inboard wall and the outboard wall comprising at least one rotatable cam element located within the door section, such that when the door section is in the closed position the inboard wall is flush with the inner wall and the outboard wall is flush with the outer wall and when the door section is in the open position the spacing between the inboard wall and the outboard wall is reduced to allow a portion of the door section to be received in the cavity.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a ball joint includes arranging a ball in a bore of a housing, and enclosing an end of the bore. Plastic is injected into a space between the housing and the ball to form a bearing that has a bearing surface that engages the ball. The bearing shrinks to form a recess in the bearing surface so that the recess can be filled with a grease.

Abstract: An automotive lift-off hinge joint to rotationally connect an automotive door and body comprises first and second door side hinge brackets and a body side hinge bracket. A detent shaft is provided with an interiorly threaded intermediate portion adapted to receive a removable threaded fastener and with a shaped detent shaft feature adapted to engage a similarly shaped pyramidal portion of a guide pin fastened to the body side hinge bracket. The detent shaft is rotationally mounted within a cylindrical check mechanism and secured in relation to the first and second door side hinge brackets. Bushings in door side hinge bracket apertures allow rotation of portions of the detent shaft extending through the apertures. The pyramidal shaped portions are preferably square.

Abstract: A ball joint includes a stud extending from a ball. A housing has a bore that receives the ball. The housing has an interior surface facing the ball that includes a groove. A plastic bearing is arranged between the ball and the housing. The plastic bearing has first and second sides opposite one another. The first side has a spherical surface engaging the ball. The second side has a protrusion opposite the spherical surface that is received in and fills the groove and a recess in the spherical surface opposite the protrusion.

Abstract: A power drive module for a vehicle power door includes a housing, a drive mechanism arranged in the housing and configured to move a drive element, and a brake assembly arranged in the housing. The brake assembly includes a brake ring operatively coupled to the drive mechanism. A brake band is wrapped about the brake ring and movable between a normally engaged position relative to the brake ring and a disengaged position relative to the brake ring. A brake release actuator is operatively connected to the brake band and configured to move the brake band between the engaged and disengaged positions with the brake ring in response to an electrical signal.

Abstract: A door power drive module includes a housing and a motor arranged in the housing. First and second gearboxes are arranged in the housing and are coupled in series with one another by a shaft member. The first gearbox connects the motor to the second gearbox. An output shaft is coupled to the second gearbox. A brake assembly is selectively connected to the shaft member. The brake assembly has a normally closed position in which the shaft member is grounded to the housing. The brake assembly includes an open position corresponding to one of a door closing mode and a door opening mode. The shaft member is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing in the brake open position in response to the motor driving the first gearbox. The brake assembly includes a holding torque in the normally closed position. A torque is applied to the brake assembly above the holding torque that permits the shaft member to rotate in any direction of rotation.

Abstract: A method of actuating a door includes the steps of manually pivoting a door in a direction about a hinge to provide a manual input, detecting the manual input and energizing a motor to drive the door in the direction in response to the manual input. The manual door pivoting step includes exceeding a holding torque of a brake assembly that holds the door. The direction can be any direction for opening or closing the door.

Abstract: A door checker includes a housing which has a base from which first and second opposing flanges extend. First and second guide pins are spaced apart from one another and are interconnected to the first and second flanges. The first and second guide pins are configured to deflect in response to a load. A check arm extends through the base and is arranged between the first and second guide pins. The check arm is configured to move relative to the housing and includes a profile that corresponds to a variable door holding force. A bearing member is arranged on one side of the check arm and the bearing member coacts with the profile and is supported on the first and second guide pins and is configured to slide thereon in response to movement of the check arm relative to the bearing member. The bearing member transfers the load from the check arm to the first and second guide pins.