GB2440340A

GB2440340A - Temporary door stop relating to painting of vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2440340A
Application number: GB0614931A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Martin Denney; Roy Clissold
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2006-07-27
Filing date: 2006-07-27
Publication date: 2008-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-27
Also published as: DE102007035145B4; GB0614931D0; GB2440340B; DE102007035145A1

Abstract

An automotive door hinge assembly comprising a body leaf and a door leaf pivotally secured to one another by means of a pivot pin, characterised by at least one recess in a first leaf, and a removable resiliently biased detent supported by the second leaf and engageable within a recess in said first leaf so as to enable the leaves to be selectively locked to one another in at least one position.

Description

Vehicle Painting Accessory

Field of the invention

This invention relates to the painting of motor vehicles and in particular to the painting of vehicle doors when attached to the body of the vehicle.

Background of the invention

In the process of manufacturing a vehicle, the body and doors are painted simultaneouslY. This is necessary in order to ensure a colour match between the door and body panels which could not otherwise be guaranteed. For this reason, the door assemblies are fitted onto the door hinges and positioned in the proper vehicle orientation. Subsequently, during the painting process, the door assemblies are repeatedly opened and closed to permit access to all the surfaces that require painting. Some of these operations require that the vehicle doors be retained in a desired position, be it fully open, closed or somewhere in-between.

Accordingly, the door assemblies must be equipped with a means for positioning and retaining the doors in a desired open or closed position.

Existing devices for these purposes are either re-used or disposable. The cost of cleaning due to paint contamination makes re-use prohibitively expensive and time consuming. The alternative of disposable devices are at present made from two parts, only one of which is discarded, the other is retained within the door hinge. This tends to lead to unwanted masking.

Summary of the invention

With a view to mitigating the foregoing disadvantages, the present invention provides an automotive door hinge assembly comprising a body leaf and a door leaf pivotally secured to one another by means of a pivot pin, characterised by at least one recess in a first leaf, and a removable resiliently biased detent supported by the second leaf and engageable within a recess in said first leaf so as to enable the leaves to be selectively locked to one another in at least one position.

Advantageously the recess is a conical hole.

The detent may be in the form of a bent wire.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly in an open position, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly in a closed position, and Figure 3 is a section through the hinge assembly when the door is in an open position.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) The door hinge assembly 10 of the present invention is of a conventional design in that it includes two leaves, a body leaf 12, and a door leaf 14. The respective leaves are attached to the body of the vehicle (not shown) at the A or B pillar, and to the relevant door of the vehicle (not shown) . A U-shaped section of door leaf 14 locates between fingers 16 extending from the body leaf 12. Pivot pin 18 engages with aligned holes in the fingers 16 and the U-shaped section to pivotally secure the leaves to one another allowing them to swing about a vertical axis defined by the pivot pin. In alternative embodiments the fingers may extend from the door leaf around a U-shaped section that forms part of the body leaf.

The position of the leaves is shown in figures 1 and 2 c in the door open and closed positions respectively. These figures also show resilient detent 20. In the preferred embodiment, the resilient detent is a wire spring, resembling an opened paper clip. The detent 20 extends parallel to and adjacent pivot pin 18 through door leaf holes 22 within the door leaf 14. This is shown more clearly in figure 3. The upper and lower fingers 16 of the body leaf 12 each include at least one locating hole 24. These holes are conical in shape, the wider opening end of the hole being directed towards the U-shaped section of the door leaf 14.

In this arrangement, the resilience of the detent 20 urges it outwards forcing it against the inner faces of the fingers 16 of the body leaf 12. Upon relative rotation of the leaves 12 and 14, the locating holes 24 in fingers 16 are brought into alignment with the holes 22 in the door leaf causing the detent 20 to spring into engagement with the locating holes 24. This serves to lock the hinge assembly at the associated opening angle.

The detent now protrudes at both ends, when un-resisted, into the conical locating holes 24. By applying a force to open or close the door relative to the body, and hence open or close the hinge assembly, the tips of the detent 20 are urged against the conical surface of the hole 24. Since the surfaces are inclined relative to the tips of the detent, there is a reaction force both compressing the detent and bending its tips towards the axis of the locating holes 24, essentially dragging it out of the holes 24.

The effect is that the resilient detent and hole arrangement produce a weak locking mechanism that prevents the hinge assembly from opening and thus holds it securely during the painting process. When sufficient opening of closing force is applied, the resilient detent 20 is recompressed out of the locating holes 24 and the hinge assembly may be swung to a different opening angle.

In alternative embodiments, the fingers 16 of the body leaf 12 may each be provided with several locating holes 24 spaced circumferentially with respect to an axis defined by the pivot pin 18. This allows to the hinge assembly to be "locked" at several different opening angles for the purpose of painting different areas of the door panel more conveniently.

Once the painting process has been completed, the entire detent 20 may be compressed by hand and removed from the hinge assembly 10, it may then be reused or more likely discarded due to the low cost of manufacture. It is foreseen that hinge assemblies will be supplied with a resilient detent in place from manufacture.

The embodiment and drawings described in this specification refer to a configuration in which the resilient detent 20 is secured relative to the door leaf 14 and engages within holes 24 in the body leaf 12. There is no foreseeable reason why the invention should be limited to this configuration, in that it might be equally feasible to support the detent relative to the body leaf for it to engage in holes within the door leaf.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. An automotive door hinge assembly comprising a body leaf and a door leaf pivotally secured to one another by means of a pivot pin, characterised by at least one recess in a first leaf, and a removable resiliently biased detent supported by the second leaf and engageable within a recess in said first leaf so as to enable the leaves to be selectively locked to one another in at least one position.

2. An automotive door hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess is a conical hole.

3. An automotive door hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the detent is in the form of a bent spring wire.

4. An automotive door hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.