EP0177976A2 - Vehicle door hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a door hinge for vehicles, in which the hinge pin (7) is rotatably mounted in one hinge part (2) and is fixed in the axial direction. The free end of the bolt (7) interacts with a plug housing (3) in the other hinge part (1) in such a way that the sinking triggers a snap lock, in which the bolt (7) in the axial direction and after a certain rotation also is secured against twisting. The hinge connection can be released again by simply unlocking the snap lock. If necessary, the unlocking is to be brought about almost automatically when a certain opening angle which is outside an operating opening angle is reached.

Description

The invention relates to a door hinge for a vehicle, which consists essentially of a pillar part, a door part and a bolt for the articulated connection of both parts, the bolt being held in one part and rotatably supported in the other part and the door part by Frame part is separable without loss of position.

In the manufacture of passenger cars in particular, the fully assembled body-in-white is painted with the doors and hoods attached using the immersion process, the doors and hoods not being closed but slightly opened. Before final assembly, the doors are separated from the body and, in many cases, completed separately. Following the respective equipment of the doors and the remaining checks

As a series, the doors are hung in again, whereby the positioning that was already found before painting can no longer be lost. Door hinges have therefore been developed which meet these requirements.

In the course of the progressing automation, it can be assumed that the doors will no longer be used for adjusting and checking the hinges on the body-in-white before painting, but devices are used for this alignment and assembly work which are modeled on a door in the hinge area and are adequate Positioning quality must provide. The hinge parts positioned and then fixed in this way on the column and on the door are then assembled by devices when the door is hung into a door hinge that is then paired for the first time. The painting can then be carried out in the manner described.

The previously known door hinges generally require reworking after the assembly of the column part and the door part, including the hinge pin, be it _; that the bolt must be readjusted or be it that a corresponding fuse must be attached, for example in the form of a screw or a positive connection. As a rule, these final work to ensure the cohesion of the hinge must be carried out after the final assembly, so that the risk of damage to a highly refined and thus high-quality asset is particularly high.

It is the object of the invention to provide a door hinge for vehicles of the type mentioned at the outset, which permits simple insertion of the hinge parts assigned to the door into the hinge parts assigned to the column without rework, but keeping them together by a particularly simple locking and in Further development of the invention can also be solved with the aid of an automatic release.

To achieve this object, the invention proposes that the bearing of the bolt is axially secured, and that a plug connection with a snap lock is provided for holding the bolt in the axial direction and against twisting in one part, which engages automatically when inserted and unlocked the axial lock is detachable.

In its simplest form, the snap lock consists of a latch which is first pushed aside by the plug-in part of the bolt and then, after crossing a corresponding edge, falls into an annular groove inside the bolt, for example, preventing the latch from rotating by moving the latch further into corresponding Niches at the bottom of the groove is reached. Retracting the latch unlocks the hinge both with respect to the anti-rotation device and in the axial direction.

With this type of automatic latching, doors can be hung from the simplest devices in vehicle bodies without the need for reworking in the form of attaching a fuse or the like. This results in considerable advantages in the selection of the device for hanging in the door, and, of course, the work of securing or, for example, rubbing off any bolts is saved. If the unlocking is conveniently positioned, the door can also be unhooked just as easily, i.e. after painting in the immersion bath, it can be fed into an assembly path that is separate from the rest of the body.

A particularly useful embodiment of the invention provides that the snap lock for holding in the axial direction from a circumferential groove on the bolt and from one Clasp consists, which is held in a tangential groove on a plug housing in the radial direction, and that the holder against rotation consists of at least one crown groove on the end face of the bolt and a further clasp, which is held resiliently in a cross groove of the plug housing in the axial direction . The two clips can be formed into a single spring wire part, the two securing areas of the spring wire part supporting one another.

When inserting the plug part of the bolt into the plug housing, the end face of the bolt first reaches the clasp or the clasp part for the anti-rotation device and pushes it as long as the crown groove is not in alignment with the clasp part until the clasp or the clasp part for the axial lock snaps into the circumferential groove of the bolt. At this point in time, there is only a backup in the axial direction. If a hinge movement is now generated by a movement of the door, the bolt will turn with its inserted end in the plug-in connection, since the plain bearings for bolts that are common today are relatively stiff. During this pivoting movement, the crown groove and the corresponding clasp part come into an aligned position, the bolt possibly being pre-positioned by turning. After the clip part has fallen into the crown groove, it is also secured against twisting.

Pre-positioning of the bolt, which would otherwise be necessary, can be avoided in that several crown grooves are embedded in the end face of the bolt, an angular spacing of 60 ° between adjacent grooves generally being sufficient. As a rule, vehicle doors, and in particular passenger car doors, are pivoted at least by an angle of 60 °, so that in the normal working area one of the crown grooves is aligned with the corresponding clip part when the door has once passed through its maximum leg area. The clasp should be free of play in everyone Crown groove are recorded, which is achieved in particular when the clasp part does not rest on the groove base, but on the slightly tapering flanks, which have an opening angle of approximately 12 ° to one another, for example.

The part of the clasp which effects the axial securing or the associated clasp can unlock the bolt by pushing back out of the tangential groove, which can then be pulled out of the plug housing by lifting the door. For easier actuation of the unlocking, the clasp or the associated clasp part preferably has a flag which can be gripped or pushed back very easily with an object. In an advantageous design of a door hinge according to the invention, the part of the hinge which receives the bolt bearing can be provided with a nose which presses against the flag of the clasp and thus brings about the unlocking at a specific opening angle of the door. This opening angle is to be set so that it lies outside the normal swivel range of the door, which is usually defined by a door retaining strap, but still within the maximum swivel range, which is limited by an internal stop on the hinge itself or by the vehicle body. In this "over-opening" can be done very easily with unlocked clasp on the lower and upper hinge of each door, even with the help of a correspondingly simple device.

The storage of the bolt in one hinge part, for which purpose the door part is preferably selected, is carried out in known self-lubricating bearing bushes, which are commercially available under, for. _B. the designation D _U sockets are sold, in each case an axial securing of the bearing must be present, for example by a shaft locking ring on the free end of the bolt or by a screw bolt. It was mentioned at the beginning that the attachment of, for example, the column parts of door hinges in In the future by means of appropriate devices without presence of the door. Alignment errors are to be expected, which can only be compensated for by a certain automatic alignment of the bolt in the bearing.

In order to provide this mobility, the invention proposes in a further development that a pendulum bush is inserted between the bearing bush and the bore of the door part, which is cylindrical on the side facing the bearing bush and barrel-shaped on the outer side. The pendulum bush is e.g. made of polyamide and is mounted under slight tension. Because of its crowning on the outside, it allows a certain degree of angular adjustment of the bolt by a few degrees, without however endangering the stability of the bolt's anchoring. Instead of a pendulum bushing, a bushing can also be used which has a lower elasticity in the central region than at the ends, so that the result is an effect similar to that of the pendulum bushing a ring made of steel or some other hard material may be used. The pendulum bushing or the bushing described below can of course also be used directly for storage.

A completely different way of compensating for misalignments provides that in the case of a pair of door hinges, one plug connection is designed as a conical pairing and the other plug connection as a cylindrical pairing. With this arrangement, the insertion of the door initially depends exclusively on the cylindrical pairing, while the conical pairing hardly takes part in the guidance because of the large play at the beginning of the insertion. Only at the end of the insertion movement, when the conical pairing also comes into contact, is the door finally aligned, the hinge with the cylindrical pairing possibly being slightly pushed. At this point, however, the misalignment no longer hurts, since the plug connection already has its own guide in view of the advanced insertion of the bolt into the corresponding hole and no longer tends to jam. The snap locks are of course available on both hinges and engage at the same time as the conical pairing is in place.

The clasp is usually located on the side of a door hinge facing the street, where it is largely hidden from view and therefore requires no further attention. However, if a cover is desired in a specific individual case, the clasp can be covered by a plastic cap, from which the flag may protrude freely. The plastic cap can be held by an extension on the plug housing or by the clip itself.

• Fig. 1 eine Seitenansicht eines Türscharnieres gemäß der Erfindung mit voneinander getrenntem Türteil und Säulenteil, teilweise im Schnitt;
• Fig. 2 eine Draufischt auf das Scharnier gemäß Fig. 1 im zusammengebauten Zustand,
• Fig. 3 eine vergrößtere Ansicht des an dem Scharnier gemäß den Figuren 1 und 2 verwendeten Rastverschlusses zur indirekten Verbindung der beiden Scharnierteile miteinander,
• Fig. 4 eine Frontansicht des bei dem Scharnier der Figuren 1 und 2 verwendeten Bolzens,
• Fig. 5 eine untere Ansicht des Steckgehäuses zur Aufnahme des Bolzens mit einer Spange zur Halterung des Bolzens in axialer Richtung und gegen Verdrehen in einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel,
• Fig. 6 eine Ansicht gemäß Figur 5 eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels einer Spange,
• Fig. 7 eine Ansicht gemäß Figur 2 zur Verdeutlichung einer selbsttätigen Entriegelung durch Verschwenken des Türteils gegenüber dem Säulenteil bei extrem großen öffnungswinkeln,
• Fig. 8 eine Querschnittsansicht durch eine Bolzenlagerung in dem Türteil in einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel,
• Fig. 9 eine Ansicht gemäß Figur 8 eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels für eine Bolzenlagerung und
• Fig. 10 eine schematische Ansicht eines Türscharnierpaares zur Kompensierung von Fluchtungsfehlern der jeweiligen Mittelachsen zueinander.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the drawing are explained in more detail below; show in the drawing:

• Figure 1 is a side view of a door hinge according to the invention with a separate door part and column part, partly in section.
• 2 is a top fish on the hinge according to FIG. 1 in the assembled state,
• 3 shows an enlarged view of the snap lock used on the hinge according to FIGS. 1 and 2 for the indirect connection of the two hinge parts to one another,
• 4 is a front view of the bolt used in the hinge of FIGS. 1 and 2;
• 5 is a bottom view of the plug housing for receiving the bolt with a clip for holding the bolt in the axial direction and against rotation in a first embodiment,
• 6 shows a view according to FIG. 5 of a further exemplary embodiment of a clip,
• 7 shows a view according to FIG. 2 to illustrate an automatic unlocking by pivoting the door part in relation to the column part at extremely large opening angles,
• 8 is a cross-sectional view through a pin bearing in the door part in a first embodiment,
• 9 is a view according to FIG. 8 of a further exemplary embodiment for a pin bearing and
• Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a pair of door hinges for compensating misalignments of the respective central axes to each other.

1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of a door hinge according to the invention. It essentially consists of a column part 1 and a door part 2, these designations indicating which assembly on the vehicle the respective hinge is assigned to. The column part 1 and the door part 2 are fastened by welding or by screwing on; in the latter case there are corresponding through holes which are not shown.

In the assembled position, a plug housing 3 on the column part 1 and a pin bearing 4 on the door part 2 are aligned with one another and are rotatably supported relative to one another with the aid of a pin 5. The bolt 5 is designed in the lower region as a plug-in part 6 and in the upper region as a bearing part 7, which is surrounded by a bearing bush 8 and is secured in the axial direction within the bolt bearing 4 with the aid of a locking ring 9. A collar 10 is also present on the opposite side, which on the one hand makes a contribution to the axial mounting of the bolt 5 in the region of the bearing part 7 and on the other hand serves as an abutment for the plug part 6 of the bolt 5.

In the lower part of the plug housing 3, a clip 14 is attached, which penetrates into the cross-sectional area of the through bore within the plug housing 3 at two points. _Z around a tangential groove 15 is present and on the other hand a cross groove 16, in which the clasp 14 lies in each case with straight sections on the base (FIG. 5). The clasp section in the tangential groove 15 interacts with a circumferential groove 18 on the plug-in part 6 of the bolt 5, while the clasp section in the cross groove 16 engages with one of three crown grooves 19 on the end face of the bolt 5. The engagement conditions are shown in more detail in FIG. 3.

The aim of the design of the door hinge according to the invention is an automatic anchoring of the plug part 6 in the plug housing 3 when a door and the associated hinge part are countersunk into the hinge part attached to the pillar of a vehicle. First, the front end of the bolt 5 is threaded into the bore of the plug-in part 3, both the conical design of the bolt 5 at this point and a corresponding bevel on the plug-in housing 3, on which the collar 10 later rests, being helpful. Depending on the angular position of the bolt 5, the clip section dips into the cross groove 16 in one of the crown grooves 19 or lies on the forehead surface of the bolt 5. In any case, however, the clip section lying in the tangential groove 15 snaps into the circumferential groove 18, the conical design of the bolt at its front end ensuring the initial pushing back of the clip 14. In FIG. 1, the pin 5, which is equipped with three crown grooves at an angular distance of 60 ° in each case, is oriented so that when it is countersunk into the plug housing 3, the part of the clasp 14 located in the cross groove dips into one of the crown grooves 19. A different bolt position is shown in FIG. 3, in which the corresponding clasp section lies precisely on the end face of the bolt 5. It can be clearly seen that in the position shown, in which the securing in the axial direction has already taken place, the corresponding clip section in the cross groove 16 is clearly lifted out of the groove base. As soon as the bolt is pivoted by 30 ° in one direction or the other by moving the suspended door, the clip section in the cross groove 16 also falls into one of the adjacent crown grooves 19, and thus the bolt 5 is also secured against rotation.

It could be objected that the rotation of the bolt 5 does not take place in the plug housing 3 during this process, but rather in the area of the bearing in the bolt bearing 4. However, the bearings customary today with permanently lubricated bearing bushes, so-called DU bushings, are so tight, at least when new that relatively large forces have to be applied for a rotation, which later are less important when the entire door is actuated and are retained over a very long period. It is generally to be assumed that the metallic pairing between the plug part 6 of the bolt 5 and the plug housing 3 tends to rotate under these circumstances, rather than the bearings 7 and 8, even if, as a result of an alignment error, the plug part 6 under slight edge pressure in the Plug housing 3 is.

The crown grooves 19 each have oblique side walls, and the edges of the end face are also very rounded. On the one hand, this makes it easier to thread the clasp 14 into one of the crown grooves 19, and on the other hand the shaping can be brought about in this way by extrusion, that is to say by a manufacturing process which relies on rounded edges. The sloping side walls - the angle is approximately 12 ° - ensure that the corresponding clip section does not fall completely into the groove base, but is held clamped between the side walls before reaching the groove base, so that the anti-rotation device is essentially free of play. Similar can also be provided on the circumferential groove 18, but then the side of the circumferential groove 18 facing the bearing part 7 runs obliquely and the side of the circumferential groove 18 facing the crown grooves 19 runs vertically to the central axis of the bolt 5, so that it does not result from a strong tensile force this snap closure the portion of the clasp 14 in the tangential groove 15 is pushed outwards.

FIG. 6 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a clip 14 ', in which two tangential grooves are present at the same height, so that two sections can dip into the circumferential groove 18 of the bolt 5. This modification requires the formation of a loop 20 to the portion of the clasp 14 'that crosses the cross groove 16'. If the bolt 5 is in an unfavorable position, this section of the clasp 14 is initially raised very sharply until the catch 14 ′ is latched in the region of the circumferential groove 18. Only by a subsequent rotation of the bolt in the plug housing 3 'does the clip section which crosses the cross groove 16' reach one of the crown grooves 19 (FIG. 4), that is to say downwards within the cross groove 16 '. For this lifting movement, there must also be a sufficient spring length on the clasp 14 ′, which is provided by the loop 20.

Moreover, the sharp kink at the transition into the cross groove 16 'prevents the clasp 14' from sliding out of the tangential grooves arranged at an angle to one another.

The free end of the clasp 14 or 14 'protruding from the respective tangential groove 15 is formed into a flag 17 on which the latching lock of the bolt in the plug housing 3 can be unlocked. This unlocking can be caused by a simple tool that is pressed against the flag 17. Deviating from this, however, the door part 2 can also be provided at this level with a nose 22 (FIG. 7) which, when the door part is rotated appropriately with respect to the column part 1, quasi automatically unlocks the latching lock.

With reference to FIG. 7, which also represents a simplified representation of FIG. 2, it is clarified which pivoting angles occur between the door part 2 and the column part 1 in practical operation. In the position shown, the door is closed. It is assumed that an opening angle of the door of 60 ° should be possible on the later vehicle, which is limited by a conventional door strap. In this maximum operating opening position, the nose 22 just reaches the flag 17 without, however, actuating it. After unhooking the door hinge or before installing it, the door can be swung open by a further amount, so that a total swiveling angle of 75 ° of the door part 2 relative to the column part 1 is present in relation to the starting position. In this position, the nose 22 presses the flag 17 into the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7, so that the snap lock in the plug part 3 is unlocked. A further opening of the door hinge is prevented by a stop 23 on the door part 2, which then strikes against a corresponding surface on the column part 1. In absolute terms, this maximum opening angle is approximately 78 ° in the illustrated embodiment. The angle values mentioned can of course change from type to type.

It can be observed time and time again that despite great care in attaching the hinge parts, there is later an alignment error between two hinges assigned to a door, which leads to a corresponding stiffness of the bearing. Sometimes even hanging the door on rigid bolt bearings is prevented. To remedy this, bolt bearings are proposed in FIGS. 8 and 9, which permit a slight, elastic pivoting of the bolt 5 by a few angular degrees.

8, a pendulum bush 25 is placed around a conventional bearing bush 24 with permanent lubrication properties and has a larger diameter in the central region than at the ends. So there is a certain barrel shape on the outside, which allows a slight pendulum movement without the bearing being inaccurate or subject to play. The pendulum bush 25 is e.g. Made of polyamide and is inserted into the available space under slight pressure.

In the exemplary embodiment of a pin bearing shown in FIG. 9, there is a collar bushing 26 in which the pin 5 is mounted directly, a washer 27 ensuring complete axial securing. In the middle area of the collar bushing 26, a support ring 28 is used on the outside, which consists for example of austenitic steel. At this point, it leads to a lower elasticity of the collar bushing 26, which is therefore larger at the ends. Consequently, a slight pendulum movement of the bolt 5 is possible within the storage in this embodiment. Instead of a support ring 28, the collar bushing 26 can also have a lower elasticity in the middle, which e.g. can be achieved by partially increasing the proportion of hardener.

A completely different way of avoiding difficulties when hanging a door due to misalignment is described with reference to FIG. 10. The two column parts 1 'shown are assigned to a single column, while the bolts 5, which are only shown schematically, are assigned to one and the same door via door parts (not shown). On the upper hinge, the plug connection has a conical pairing 30, while on the lower hinge there is a cylindrical pairing 31 which, for the rest, e.g. has been described with reference to Figure 1.

When inserting the door, that is to say when the bolts 5 are immersed in the column parts 1 ' ₁ , attention is first paid exclusively to the lower bolt 5 and the cylindrical pairing 31. Small misalignments do not interfere, since the small end diameter of the bolt in the conical pairing 30 has ample play in the conically widened entry point of the bore, so this pairing can initially be based on the orientation of the cylindrical pairing 31. Only with increasing progress of the insertion of the door does an alignment also occur in the conical pairing 30, but then the cylindrical pairing 31 already has a sufficient guide length to reach the outlined end position despite a slight misalignment. slide. In this end position, both bolts 5 are anchored in the articulated manner in the column part 1 'and secured against rotation.

Claims (16)

1. Door hinge for a vehicle, consisting of a pillar part, a door part and a bolt for the articulated connection of both parts, in which the bolt is held in one part and rotatably mounted in the other part, and in which the door part of the frame part Can be separated without loss of position, characterized in that the bearing (7, 8) of the bolt (5) is axially secured (9) and that for holding the bolt (5) in the axial direction and against rotation in one part (1) a plug connection (6, 3) with a snap lock (14, 18; 14, 19) is provided, which engages automatically when inserted and can be released by unlocking the axial lock (14, 19). 2. Door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the snap lock for mounting in the axial direction consists of a circumferential groove (18) on the bolt (5) and a clip (14) which is in a tangential groove (15) on a plug housing ( 3) is resiliently held in the radial direction, and that the holder against rotation consists of at least one crown groove (19) on the end face of the bolt (5) and a further clasp (14) which is in a cross groove (16) of the plug housing (3 ) is held resiliently in the axial direction. 3. Door hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that the two clips (14) are combined into a single spring wire part. 4. Door hinge according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that three crown grooves (19) are provided at an angular distance of 60 °. 5. Door hinge according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the clip (14) for holding the bolt (5) in the axial direction with a plug housing (3) projecting flag (17) is provided for easier unlocking. 6. Door hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that the bolt bearing receiving part (2) is provided with a nose (22) which abuts the flag (17) outside the angular range defined by a door retaining band and at least in that by the hinge or the maximum opening angle specified by the vehicle body unlocks the snap lock. 7. Door hinge according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the clip (14 ') for holding the bolt (5) has two legs in the axial direction, one of which lies in a tangent groove (15). 8. Door hinge according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing of the bolt (5) in the door part (2) and the holder in the column part (1). 9. Door hinge according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage is carried out by a permanently lubricated bearing bush (8) which is embedded in the door part (2), and the bearing Part (7) of the bolt (5) above a collar (10). 10. Door hinge according to claim 9, characterized in that between the bearing bush (24) and the bore of the door part (2), a pendulum bushing (25) is inserted, which on the side of the bearing bush (24) facing cylindrical and barrel-shaped on the outer side is trained. 11. Door hinge according to claim 9, characterized in that the bearing bush (26) consists of an elastic plastic which has a lower elasticity in the central region than at the ends. 12. Door hinge according to claim 11, characterized in that a support ring (28) is inserted to bring about a lower elasticity in the central region. 13. Door hinge according to one of claims 2 to 12, characterized in that the clasps or the clasp is covered by a plastic cap, from which possibly only the flag (17) protrudes. 14. Pair of door hinges, each with a door hinge according to one of claims 1 to 9, for mounting a door on a motor vehicle, characterized in that the plug connection on one hinge by a conical pairing (30) and on the other hinge by a cylindrical pairing ( 31) is formed. 15. Pair of door hinges according to claim 14, characterized in that the conical pairing (30) is attached to the upper hinge. 16. Pair of door hinges according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the opening angle of the conical pairing (30) is just outside the self-locking.

Images