AUTOMOTIVE DOOR WITH REPOSITIONABLE IMMOBILIZER
An automotive vehicle includes one or more swinging doors which may be immobilized in a number of positions, so as to allow the door to be used, for example, to assist passengers in entering and leaving the vehicle.
The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional application having Ser. No. 60/944,339 filed on Jun. 15, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinged vehicle door which may be selectively immobilized in a number of locations ranging from fully open to fully closed.
2. Related Art
Hinged doors are frequently used by vehicle occupants to assist during ingress and egress of the vehicle. In essence, the vehicle door is utilized as a steady rest to enable the vehicle occupant to move himself or herself either into or out of a vehicular space, such as a seat. The present inventors have determined that usage of a vehicular door in this manner would be enhanced by the ability to immobilize the door in mid-swing. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,444, it is known to provide an apparatus which allows the door to be checked in any one of a number of positions, from fully opened to fully closed. However, the system of the '444 patent does not immobilize the door; rather, the system of the '444 patent merely increases the amount of force needed to move the door, while clearly providing that this force may be overridden and the door closed against the action of the door check. This renders the system of the '444 patent inapposite to solution of the present problem, because a door which swings free after the application of an indeterminate amount of force could inhibit the ingress/egress process by starting to swing at an inopportune time.
It would be desirable to provide an automotive door with a repositionable immobilizer permitting the door to be placed in any position and rotationally locked against further movement, so as to resist a reasonably predictable level of force imposed by a motorist using the door to assist in entering or leaving a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle having a swinging door includes a door mechanism with a fixed hinge half attached to a structure such as an A-pillar or hinge pillar. The fixed hinge half has a lower support leg and an upper support leg. A moveable hinge half is secured between the upper and lower support legs. The moveable hinge half has a center section which is attached to the inner panel of the door.
According to another aspect of the present invention a repositionable immobilizer includes a rotor having indexing apertures which may be engaged by a lock pin attached to a linear actuator.
According to another aspect of the invention, a rotor which rotates synchronously with a hinged door is braked to a door-immobilizing state by means of an upper brake pad and a lower brake pad which are positioned adjacent to the rotor, with the upper brake pad being attached to a linear actuator. According to another aspect of the present invention, the linear actuator may be either a solenoid type device or a pneumatic or hydraulic device, or a motor driven device drawn from the various classes of such devices known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a switch attached to a vehicle, either on an interior part such as a door trim panel, or associated with an exterior locking device such as a lock cylinder, or at both locations, is attached to a controller which locks the immobilizer device when the switch is activated. Alternatively, a remote controller embodied in a key fob may be used to trigger immobilization of a door according to an aspect of the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a repositionable immobilizer includes a strap which is attached between a hinged door and a stationary structure, such as an A-pillar or B-pillar. The strap may include, in a first embodiment, a number of apertures which are engagable by a lock pin controlled by a linear actuator. Alternatively, the strap may include teeth formed integrally with it and engaged by a plurality of sprags, which are motor driven. As yet another alternative, the strap may be equipped with a piston, with the piston being mounted within a cylinder which is either filled with an electrorheological fluid or with hydraulic fluid. As yet another alternative, the piston may be housed for reciprocating movement within an air cylinder. In the case of an electrorheological system, a voltage is applied to the electrorheological fluid so as to change its viscosity, thereby inhibiting movement of the strap, so as to immobilize the door. In the case of a hydraulic or pneumatic arrangement, the movement of fluid from one side of the piston to the other will be controlled by a valving system operated by a controller, so that the location of the piston and, hence, the location of the door, may be hydraulically or pneumatically locked.
Yet another embodiment according to an aspect of the present invention includes a strap having an elastomeric cover and a structural core, which could be formed from various metallic and nonmetallic materials known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure. In a preferred embodiment, a composite strap has an ovoid section, which matches an ovoid section of a rotatable nut, which is itself attached to, for example, an A-pillar, or a B-pillar, or a door, so that as the door moves from its open to closed position and vice versa, the strap passes through the nut. The nut is partially threaded so that its rotational position with respect to the strap causes the strap to either be inhibited by the threads or to move freely as the door swings. With this arrangement, the nut may be positioned so as to lock the movement of the strap, thereby immobilizing the door.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a pair of cams is attached to the door so that the position of the cams, as determined by a tension spring and a linear actuator, allow a strap, or a rod functioning as a strap, to either move freely through the cams so as to thereby allow the door to move, or to tightly grip the rod, so as to lock, or immobilize, the door in a selected position.
It is an advantage of a system according to the present invention that a vehicle door may be selectively immobilized at the discretion of the vehicle's driver merely by triggering a switch mounted to the door trim panel or upon a key fob or upon an outside surface or mechanism of the vehicle, such as a lock cylinder.
It is yet another advantage of a system according to the present invention that a vehicle door may be immobilized without the need for extensive additional hardware, and without the need for repackaging the door hinge assemblies.
Other advantages, as well as features of the present invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification.
As shown in
Moving now to
A repositionable immobilizer according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a moveable hinge half, 34, having a center section, 36, which is bored or cored for a hinge pin, 40. Moveable hinge half 34 is attached to door inner panel 42 by means of cap screws, 38, it being understood that, alternatively, moveable hinge half 34 may be attached to door inner panel 42 by means of welding, adhesives, and other types of fastening methods known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure.
A rotor, 46, is attached to hinge pin 40, as well as to center section 36 of moveable hinge half 34. Rotor 46 has a plurality of indexing apertures, 50, formed therein. Apertures 50 are engagable by a lock pin, 58, which is mounted to a linear actuator, 54. As shown in
In the embodiment of
FIGS. 10 and 11A-11D illustrate an aspect according to the present invention in which a strap, 166, has a structural core, 170, with an elastomeric cover, 174. Core 170 may be formed from various metallic or nonmetallic or composite materials known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure. Cover 174 is shown in
When nut 178 has been positioned by actuator 182 in the rotational position illustrated in
As shown in
The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly the scope of legal protection afforded the invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
Claims
1. An automotive door comprising:
- a door hinged to a vehicle body, so as to permit ingress and egress of the vehicle; and
- a door immobilizer positioned between the door and the body of a vehicle, with said immobilizer comprising:
- a first member which moves relative to said door when said door is moved rotationally; and
- a second member for permitting an occupant of the vehicle to selectively inhibit rotational movement of the door by inhibiting relative movement of said first member with respect to said door.
2. An automotive door according to claim 1, further comprising a controller for operating said second member.
3. An automotive door according to claim 2, wherein said controller is further responsive to a key switch mounted upon an exterior surface of the door.
4. An automotive door according to claim 1, wherein said second member is attached to the body of the vehicle.
5. An automotive door according to claim 1, wherein said second member is attached to the door.
6. An automotive door according to claim 1, wherein said first member moves linearly with respect to said door when said door is moved rotationally.
7. An automotive door according to claim 1, wherein said first member moves rotationally with respect to said door when said door is moved rotationally.
8. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap having a plurality of apertures, and said second member comprises a lock pin, driven selectively by a linear actuator, for engaging said apertures.
9. An automotive door according to claim 8, wherein said linear actuator comprises a solenoid.
10. An automotive door according to claim 8, wherein said linear actuator comprises a pneumatic cylinder.
11. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap having a plurality of teeth which are engagable by a second member comprising a sprag driven selectively by a linear actuator, with said sprag and actuator being attached to said door.
12. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap which is selectively pinched between friction pads applied by a linear actuator.
13. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap having a structural core and an elastomeric cover, with said second member comprising a rotationally lockable nut operationally connected with said door, so that rotation of the door is accompanied by sliding of the strap through the nut, with said nut being rotatable to a position in which sliding of the strap through the nut is inhibited by the nut.
14. An automotive door according to claim 13, wherein said nut and said strap have mating non-circular cross sections.
15. An automotive door according to claim 13, wherein said nut has a non-circular, toothed bore which is configured to slide selectively upon a mating non-circular surface of said strap when said nut is indexed with said strap, with said teeth being configured to lock said nut upon said strap when said nut has been rotated to a position at which said teeth project into said elastomeric cover.
16. An automotive door according to claim 13, wherein said nut has a non-circular, toothed bore which is configured to slide selectively upon a mating non-circular surface of said strap when said nut is indexed with said strap, with said teeth being configured to lock said nut upon said strap to varying degrees characterizing a plurality of positions at which said teeth project into said elastomeric cover.
17. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap having a plurality of teeth which are engagable by a second member comprising a plurality of sprags driven selectively by a rotary actuators, with said sprags and actuators being attached to said door.
18. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap which is position-controlled by a second member comprising a fluidic device mounted within said door and having a piston contained upon an end of the strap and mounted for reciprocation within a cylinder containing electrorheological fluid and electrodes connected with a controller for applying an electric potential across said electrodes, whereby the viscosity of the electrorheological fluid may be increased selectively, impeding the swinging motion of door 14.
19. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap which is position-controlled by a second member comprising a fluidic device mounted within said door and having a piston contained upon an end of the strap and mounted for reciprocation within a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid, with the flow of hydraulic fluid from spaces extending within the cylinder on either side of the piston being controlled by a valve, whereby swinging motion of door 14 may be controlled selectively by operating said valve.
20. An automotive door according to claim 6, wherein said first member comprises a strap which is position-controlled by a second member comprising opposing cam members positioned by a linear actuator, with said cam members and said linear actuator being mounted upon said door.
21. An automotive door comprising:
- a door hinged to a vehicle body, so as to permit ingress and egress of the vehicle; and
- a door immobilizer positioned between the door and the body of a vehicle, with said immobilizer comprising:
- a first member which is moved rotationally by said door when said door is moved rotationally; and
- a second member, attached to the body of the vehicle, for selectively inhibiting rotational motion of said first member.
22. An automotive door according to claim 21, wherein said first member comprises a brake rotor attached for synchronous rotation with said door, with said second member comprising a braking device for selectively inhibiting rotation of said rotor.
23. An automotive door according to claim 22, wherein said second member comprises a locking pin for engaging a plurality of apertures formed in said brake rotor, with said locking pin being mounted to a linear actuator.
24. An automotive door according to claim 22, wherein said second member comprises a lock pin for engaging a plurality of apertures formed in said brake rotor, with said lock pin being mounted to a linear actuator.
25. An automotive door according to claim 22, wherein said second member comprises a plurality of brake pads operated by a linear actuator.
26. An automotive door according to claim 22, further comprising a controller for operating said second member.
27. An automotive door according to claim 22, wherein said controller is further responsive to a key switch mounted upon an exterior surface of a vehicle.
Type: Application
Filed: May 9, 2008
Publication Date: Dec 18, 2008
Inventors: Kelly M. Kohlstrand (Wyandotte, MI), Christina M. Sammut (Northville, MI), Ronald J. Brzuch (Canton, MI), James L. Van Gilder (Canton, MI), Brian L. Dunlavy (Canton, MI), Michael J. Vinarcik (Belleville, MI)
Application Number: 12/118,119
International Classification: B60J 5/00 (20060101);