GB2038406A

GB2038406A - Improvements in and Relating to Doors

Info

Publication number: GB2038406A
Application number: GB7943580A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Fruehauf Corp
Current assignee: Fruehauf Corp
Priority date: 1978-12-18
Filing date: 1979-12-18
Publication date: 1980-07-23
Also published as: AU5261579A; AR222059A1; JPH0215692Y2; NZ192427A; NL7908963A; FR2444584A1; BR7907268A; DE2944007A1; DE2944007C2; ZA795616B; FR2444584B1; JPS63110114U; JPS55110619A; GB2038406B

Abstract

A door 15 is hinged by a double pivot 26 and 26' which also provides a latching function. The assembly includes a shaft 16 defining a first pivot axis 26' and interdigitated hinge members 23 on the shaft and 24 on the associated door 15 which are pivotally joined about a second axis 26 parallel to the first axis and a handle 27 is connected to the shaft to control the hinge and the door is provided with a latch (not shown) which is arranged to retain the handle to hold the assembly in a position with the door closed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and Relating to Doors The invention relates to doors, and especially to side doors of cargo transportation vehicles or equipment such as conventional and insulated type cargo bodies for heavy lorries, semi-trailers and the like, and to the hardware used with such side doors, In order to maximize their operational efficiency, the inside width of such bodies is made as large as possible and inasmuch as the overall outside width of the vehicle is limited by regulations, the thickness of the side walls is consequently of importance. Thus, where a door is installed in a side wall, the thickness of the door itself as well as the spatial requirements of the hardware for hinging and locking the door requires special design considerations in order to avoid unnecessary thickening of the side wall or encroachment on the overall outside width of the vehicle.

The thickness of a side door of a vehicle body of the type used for the transportation of general cargo is determined primarily by the forces exerted against the door itself in use. The thickness must be adequate to contain the cargo safely in any conditions short of a catastrophic road accident. In the case of insulated bodies, the thickness of the walls is determined primarily by the degree of insulation required for the service for which the body is intended.The presence of a side door in an insulated vehicle body must not appreciably reduce the efficiency of the insulation of the side wall including the door and in any event the door hardware must not occupy so much space that it will rotrude excessively or require modification of the van structure either encroaching upon the otherwise useful cargo space or detrimentally affecting either the structural or insulating integrity of the vehicle.

The hinges of a side door must also, in practice, permit the door to be swung open through approximately 1 800 so as to lie as flat as possible against the side wall adjacent to the doorway.

The requirement that a side door be hinged to allow approximate 1800 swing is commonly achieved by arranging a conventional single pivot hinge with a vertical hinge line as close as possible to the outside surface of the vehicle body. Additionally, the strap portion of the hinge which is secured to the door is angled inboard from the hinge line and secured to the outside surface of the door which is set well inboard of the body surface, thereby decreasing the thickness of the door.

The locking hardware commonly used comprises a vertical lock rod located on the outer surface of the door adjacent to the free swinging edge of the door and journalled to rotate about its vertical axis. Upon rotation of the locking rod, locking fingers attached to the rod at its ends engage with keepers mounted on the door-frame, and further rotation of the rod causes the door to be forced into its closed position by the fingers acting as levers. Such hardware, like the hinges, is designed and installed so as not to protrude beyond the outside surface of the van body. This requires the outside surface of the door, or at least that portion of the door on which the hardware is installed, to be inset from the plane of the surface of the vehicle body.Therefore, with such hinging and locking hardware, the overall door thickness is undesirably yet necessarily reduced or, alternatively, if a given door thickness is required, the door in its entirety must be set further inboard and this, of course, then reduces the cargo capacity of the van.

Although double pivot hinges have previously been contemplated in the prior art, and are described, for examp!e, in United States Patent Specifications Nos. 1,988,583 and 2,071,236, separate hinging and latching or keeper mechanisms are provided in the arrangements described in those Specifications.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved door mounting hardware which combines the functions of a double pivot hinge and a latch or keeper.

It is another object of the invention to provide a side door for a vehicle body, the surface of which is generally flush with the side wall of the vehicle, and to provide means for hinging and locking such a side door with hardware that does not protrude outwardly beyond the plane of the surface of the while, at the same time, allowing the door to be swung to a fully open position which is displaced from the closed position by substantially 1 800.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined assembly as noted above that requires a minimum of space in order that the side wall thickness and commensurate door thickness are not adversely affected. It is a further object of the invention to provide a side door hinging system which, as the door is swung open, prevents it from tilting or canting out of a vertical plane and to provide a side door locking and securing system, the conceptual design of which has a high degree of safety. Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a side door locking system which when the door is closed and locked, effectively resists outward forces imposed on the door by the cargo without imposing undue stress on the hinge assembly.

The invention provides a door assembly comprising a wall having an opening therein, a hinge member secured to the wall pivotally about a first axis parallel and adjacent to a first edge of the opening, a door for closing the opening secured at an edge portion to the hinge member pivotally about a second axis parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis, the arrangement being such that when the door is in its closed position the second axis is nearer to the free edge of the door than the first axis is, retaining means that when the door is in its closed position prevents the free edge of the door from moving outwards away from the plane of the wall, and means for rotating the hinge member so that, from the closed position of the door, the hinge side of the door is caused to move outwards and the whole door to move towards the hinge edge of the opening, the arrangement being such that the free edge of the door is thereby released from the retaining means.

The invention also provides a cargo container including such an assembly.

The invention also provides a lorry, the cargo carrying part of which is a cargo container according to the invention.

A side door in an insulated vehicle cargo body will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a portion of the vehicle body including the door; Figure 2 is a section taken substantially along the line 2-2 in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the door slightly ajar; Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Figure 1, to a larger scale than Figure 1; Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 5-5 in Figure 1, to a larger scale than Figure 1; Figure 6 is a section corresponding generally to Figure 3, but to a larger scale than Figure 3; Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of the combined hinge/keeper assembly; and Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 8-8 in Fig. 7.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and especially to Figure 4, a vehicle body includes an upper side rail 10, a lower side rail 11 and a side wall indicated generally by the reference numeral 12. The upper side rail 10 supports a roof sheet 13 and the lower side rail 11 supports a floor 14, all of which is conventional. As is also conventional, the vehicle is so constructed that at each side thereof, there is an imaginary plane as indicated by the dashed line P which constitutes the outermost dimension of the vehicle at each side thereof and, to comply with current regulations,.

the maximum width between the two such imaginary planes is strictly limited. Thus, the thickness of the side walls and any doors in them are critical in achieving the maximum amount of cargo space within the vehicle width. As can be seen from Figure 4, the door 1 5 and the combined hinge and keeper assembly therefor do not encroach upon or penetrate this imaginary plane P while, at the same time, the side wall 12 and of the door 1 5 have the normal thicknesses to suit the purposes for which the vehicle is intended.

As may be seen from Figure 4, not only are the side walls provided with conventional foamed material 16, but the door is also filled with such foamed, insulating material 17, as is conventional.

Referring now more especially to Figure 1, the door hardware consists of a shaft or rod 1 8 disposed vertically and located within a recess 1 9 - in a side edge portion of the side wall 12 of the body adjacent to the door opening or frame 20 (see Figure 4) and pivotally mounted about its longitudinal axis 26' by hinge pin elements 21 and 22. As is shown in Figures 7 and 8, the members 21 and 22 carry respective pintles 43 and 44 received in counterbores at the ends of the shaft 18. Fixed to the shaft or rod 1 8 are first hinge members 23 which are interdigitated with second hinge members 24 fixed to the adjacent side edge 25 of the door 15.Suitable pivot means are provided to interconnect the members 23 and 24 to define a second pivot axis 26 which is parallel to but offset from the first pivot axis defined by the longitudinal axis of the shaft 1 8.

The first hinge members 23 are preferably provided in pairs as illustrated in Figure 7, each pair straddling a curled free end 50 of an associated hinge plate or second hinge member 24 secured to the door and in each case a pintle 51 is passed through the members 23 and the curled end 50 to establish the pivot axis 26.

A handle 27 is also attached to the shaft 18.

As is shown in Figure 8, two ears 45 and 46 are rigidly secured, for example by welding, directly to the shaft 18 and project laterally therefrom either side of the inner end 47 of the handle 27. A pivot pin 48 passes through all three members and allows the handle 27 to be pivoted about an axis which is perpendicular to a plane containing the two pivot axes 26 and 26' while, at the same time, allowing the handle to exert a torsonal opening force directly at the lower end of the shaft 18.A gap G (Figures 7 and 8) adjacent to the end 47 of the handle 27 allows the handle 27 to swing upwardly, while a rounded corner 49 of the end 47 of the handle 27 allows the handle 47 to rotate 90 downwardly so as to be parallel to the shaft 1 8. This construction permits the handle 27 to be clear of interfering with the door when the door is swung outwards about the second axis 26 into the fully open position against the side wall 12 of the vehicle.

This handle 27 is provided with a free end portion 41 that can be grasped by the operator, and an inwardly offset portion 29 which projects into a recess 30 in the door 1 5 (see Figure 4) and is arranged to be swung behind a keeper element 31 fixed to the door within the recess 30. A swingable locking plate or finger 32 is pivotally mounted at 33 within the recess 30 and may be swung aside to allow the handle to be swung upwards out of its captured position behind the element 31, whereafter the door opening operation shown in Figure 2 and 3 may be commenced. Figures 2 and 3 also show the means by which the free edge of the door is caught and held in closed position by means of a keeper plate 34 which defines a keeper channel 35 which receives a marginal edge flange 36 along the side of the door furthest from the hinge.

Thus, a compressible seal 37 which surrounds the door is maintained in a properly compressed and sealing condition when the door is fully closed.

The channel 35 may be partially filled with resilient material 42, as is shown in Figures 5 and 6, to provide a more effective seal at the free edge of the door and to preload the door and hinge assembly somewhat to prevent looseness when the door is closed.

Figures 2 and 3 show the effect of the dual pivot axes 26 and 26'. When the door is in closed position, as shown in Figure 2, the door hardware is nested within the recess 1 9 and so does not project beyond the imaginary plane P in Figure 4.

However, the hinge members 23 are of sufficient length c that when the door is swung toward the open position by means of the handle 27, the second pivot axis 26 is swung outwards beyond the plane of the outer surface of the side wall 12, thereby allowing the door ultimately to be swung through substantially 1800, partly about the axis 26 and partly about the axis 26', so that it lies flat or substantially flat against the side wall surface.

Figure 3 also illustrates the compound motion of the door during initial opening or terminal closing motions thereof as effected by the combined hinge and keeper assembly of this invention. As illustrated, as the handle 27 is initially swung away from the door, the free edge of the door is translated through a distance d sufficient to withdraw the flange 36 from the recess or channel 35 which is of a depth b while, at the same time, the hinge side of the door is both translated through a distance a and swung outwards as shown. This motion is extremely effective in "breaking" the seal achieved between the compressible sealing element 37 and the surrounding surfaces 40 of the door-frame 20 in the side wall, especially when the interior of the cargo space is subjected to refrigeration such as tends to cause formation of frost or ice in the region of the seal.

Claims

1. A door assembly comprising a wall having an opening therein, a hinge member secured to the wall pivotally about the first axis parallel and adjacent to a first edge of the opening, a door for closing the opening secured at an edge portion to the hinge member pivotally about a second axis parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis, the arrangement being such that when the door is in its closed position the second axis is nearer to the free edge of the door than the first axis is, retaining means that when the door is in its closed position prevents the free edge of the door from moving outwards away from the plane of the wall, and means for rotating the hinge member so that, from the closed position of the door, the hinge side of the door is caused to move outwards and the whole door to move towards the hinge edge of the opening, the arrangement being such that the free edge of the door is thereby released from the retaining means.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface of the edge portion of the wall along the first edge of the opening is recessed, and the hinge member is received within the recess when the door is closed.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the separation between the axes is sufficient that the second axis can be brought outside the plane of the wall surface by rotation of the hinge member about the first axis.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the door can be swung into a fully open position flat back against the wall.

5. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hinge member is elongate and extends along the first edge of the opening, and is secured to the wall and to the door at a plurality of points spaced apart along its length.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hinge member is secured to the wall by two pintles coaxial with the first axis and received in bores in the two ends of the hinge member.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the hinge member comprises a rod coaxial with the first axis.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, comprising first hinge elements fixed to the rod, second hinge elements fixed to the door, and hinge-pins connecting first hinge elements to respective second hinge elements and defining the second axis.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein each second hinge element is between two first hinge elements, and a rolled end portion of the second hinge element surrounds a pivot pin extending between the first hinge elements.

10. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the means for rotating the hinge member comprises a handle secured to the hinge member.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the handle is elongate and extends generally parallel to the plane containing the two axes.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the handle is pivotable with respect to the hinge member about an axis substantially perpendicular to the hinge member.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein there is provided latch means that when the door is closed can prevent the opening of the door.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the latch means can prevent relative rotation of parts of the assembly about one of the two axes.

1 5. An assembly as claimed in claim 14, when dependent on claim 11 or on claim 12, comprising keeper means by which the handle can be so secured to the door in a position generally perpendicular to the axes and flat against the door as to prevent the door from rotating relative to the hinge member.

16. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the retaining means comprises a flange along the edge of the opening behind which the free edge of the door is retained when the door is closed.

17. An assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the free edge of the door is received within a channel which contains resilient material, the arrangement being such that when the door is closed the resilient material is compressed and forms a seal along the free edge of the door.

18. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein in normal use the wall is substantially vertical.

19. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein in normal use the axes are in vertical planes perpendicular to the plane of the wall.

20. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 9 wherein there is provided a compressible seal that when the door is closed seals the gap between the door and the edge of the door opening round the entire circumference of the door.

21. An assembly as claimed in claim 20, wherein the compressible seal is secured to the door.

22. An assembly as claimed in claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the compressible seal comprises a hollow tube of resilient material.

23. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

24. A cargo container including an assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. A cargo container as claimed in claim 24, wherein the walls and the door are hollow and are filled with insulating materials.

26. A lorry, the cargo-carrying part of which is a cargo container as claimed in claim 24 or claim 25.