Door hinge device for a vehicle

Abstract

A door hinge device of a vehicle can include a rail plate provided on one side of a vehicle body corresponding to an end portion of a door of the vehicle and formed with a rail in a width direction of the vehicle, a hinge sliding unit including a slider bracket provided on the rail and including a door hinge bracket provided on the door, wherein the slider bracket includes a guide groove formed in a diagonal direction of the slider bracket, and the slider bracket and the door hinge bracket are pivotally coupled to each other by a hinge shaft, and an actuator having a roller configured to roll along the guide groove at a lever such that the slider bracket moves along the rail.

Description

[0001] Citations of relevant applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0084118, filed on June 28, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to a door hinge device for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a door hinge device for a vehicle without a B-pillar, wherein, for opening and closing operations, the door hinge device enables the rear door to be opened and closed independently of the front door by shifting the rear door rearward to ensure that the rotation trajectory of the rear door does not interfere with the front door. Background Technology

[0004] Generally speaking, car doors are the doors that separate the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Car doors block external noise, rain, dust, wind, etc., and provide an important function of protecting passengers by absorbing impact together with the side structure in the event of a side collision, thus ensuring the safety of passengers.

[0005] There are many types of doors, including special doors, but the most common type used in buses is the hinged swing door.

[0006] Generally speaking, a swing door refers to a door that opens outwards around a hinge axis, which is set between the door and the vehicle body via a hinge bracket. Swing doors have the advantages of being easy to open and close, as well as having a simple structure that makes them easy to maintain and repair.

[0007] On the other hand, some vehicles use relatively swing doors, which provide a greater sense of openness when opened and facilitate passengers getting on and off the vehicle.

[0008] These opposing swing doors include types without a B-pillar and types with a B-pillar.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a side view of a vehicle with a relative swing door, based on an example of the application of related technologies, and Figure 2 It is exemplarily shown in Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the portion of a vehicle where the front and rear doors intersect.

[0010] First, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example of opposing swing doors applied to a vehicle 100 without a B-pillar is shown. The front door 110 has a hinge axis disposed at the front end portion of the front door 110, and the rear door 120 has a hinge axis disposed at the rear end portion of the rear door 120.

[0011] In the opposing swing doors, a latch L for maintaining the locked state is provided on one side of the front door 110 or one side of the rear door 120.

[0012] In addition, a seal S for airtight sealing is provided between the rear end of the front door 110 and the front end of the rear door 120.

[0013] As described above, although the relative swing doors of vehicle 100, which are without B-pillars, provide a good sense of openness when passengers are getting on / off or during leisure activities, there is a disadvantage: because the rotation trajectories of the front door 110 and the rear door 120 overlap and interfere when opening and closing, the opening / closing sequence may be preset so that the front door 110 must be opened before the rear door 120 is opened, or the front door must be closed after the rear door is closed.

[0014] Therefore, since the opening / closing order of the front door 110 and the rear door 120 is preset, the problem is that the rear door 120 cannot be opened or closed independently.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a side view of a vehicle with a relative swing door, based on another example of the application of related technology. Figure 4 It is exemplarily shown in Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the part where the front and rear doors of a vehicle intersect.

[0016] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 An example of opposing swing doors applied to a vehicle 200 having a B-pillar 230 is shown. Similarly, in this case, the front door 210 has a hinge axis located at the front end portion of the front door 210, and the rear door 220 has a hinge axis located at the rear end portion of the rear door 220.

[0017] In this opposing swing door, a latch L for maintaining the locked state is provided between the B-pillar 230 and one side of each of the front door 210 and the rear door 220.

[0018] In addition, airtight sealing elements S are provided between the rear end portion of the B-pillar 230 and the front door 210 corresponding to the B-pillar 230, and between the B-pillar and the front end portion of the rear door 220 corresponding to the B-pillar.

[0019] Therefore, in the opposing swing doors of a vehicle 200 with a B-pillar, it is advantageous that the front door 210 and the rear door 220 are configured to open and close independently, thus making the operating sequence unrestricted. However, the sense of openness is diminished due to the application of the B-pillar 230 when passengers are getting on / off or during leisure activities.

[0020] Therefore, depending on the presence or absence of a B-pillar, the relative swing doors have different senses of openness, and the opening and closing operations of the front and rear doors are also different.

[0021] Meanwhile, as mentioned above, in order to solve the problem of the limited operating sequence of the front door 110 and the rear door 120 while maintaining the openness of the vehicle 100 without a B-pillar, there are examples of related technologies that employ a gooseneck hinge as the door hinge for the opposing swing doors. However, due to its shape characteristics, this gooseneck hinge requires a large amount of free space in the vehicle width direction, making it difficult to effectively configure the vehicle layout.

[0022] Therefore, in order to enable vehicles to use relative swing doors without B-pillars, it is advantageous to construct a door hinge device that realizes a new opening / closing structure.

[0023] The information included in the background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the general background of the invention and is not to be construed as an admission or in any way implying that such information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0024] Several aspects of the present invention aim to provide a door hinge device for vehicles without a B-pillar, which, for opening and closing operations, enables the rear door to be opened and closed independently of the front door by rearwardly shifting the rear door to ensure that the rotation trajectory of the rear door does not interfere with that of the front door.

[0025] According to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a door hinge device includes: a track plate disposed on a side of the vehicle body corresponding to the end portion of the door of the vehicle and having a track formed in the width direction of the vehicle; a hinge sliding unit including a slider bracket disposed on the track and a door hinge bracket disposed on the door, wherein the slider bracket includes a guide groove formed along the diagonal direction of the slider bracket, and the slider bracket and the door hinge bracket are pivotally connected to each other by a hinge axis; and an actuator having a roller configured to roll along the guide groove at a rod, such that the slider bracket moves along the track.

[0026] The end portion of the door can be the rear portion of the back door.

[0027] The track plate can be installed on the side exterior panel corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door, so that the track can be configured to run from the inside of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle body.

[0028] The slider bracket of the hinged sliding unit can form a spatial portion, the lower part of which is open to accommodate a rod. The slider bracket has diagonally spaced guide grooves on its first and second side surfaces, and is configured to move along a track via a slider. The door hinge bracket of the hinged sliding unit can be fixed to the end portion of a door, and is connected to the outer end portion of the slider bracket via a hinge shaft.

[0029] The guide grooves formed on the two side surfaces of the slider bracket can be diagonally downward from the inside of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle body.

[0030] Tracks are formed at the upper and lower portions of the front surface of the track plate, corresponding to the guide groove.

[0031] The actuator can be configured as a cylindrical linear motor with rollers at the front end of the rod.

[0032] The actuator can be mounted upwards from below the track plate via a mounting bracket. The actuator rod can be positioned within the space. Rollers can roll into contact with guide grooves on both sides and are rotatably connected to the front end of the rod.

[0033] According to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, during the opening of the rear door, the rear end portion of the rear door is first pushed toward the outside of the vehicle to ensure that the rotation trajectory of the rear door does not interfere with other component parts, and in this state, the rear door can perform opening and closing operations independently.

[0034] Therefore, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in the relative swing doors of vehicles without B-pillars, the order of opening and closing the doors is not limited while maintaining a good sense of openness for passengers getting on / off or during leisure activities.

[0035] Furthermore, the door hinge device of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is more elongated than the conventional gooseneck hinge device, and the door hinge device of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has an advantage in vehicle body layout configuration because it does not require additional free space for operation of the rear door.

[0036] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages that will become apparent from or are set forth in more detail therein from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a side view of a vehicle with a swing door, based on an example of the application of related technologies.

[0038] Figure 2 It is exemplarily shown in Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the part where the front and rear doors of a vehicle intersect.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a side view of a vehicle with a relative swing door, based on another example of the application of related technology.

[0040] Figure 4 It is exemplarily shown in Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the part where the front and rear doors of a vehicle intersect.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device before operation, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is another perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device before operation, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 This is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 This is a perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device in a first operating state, a second operating state, and a third operating state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and present a slightly simplified representation of several features illustrating the basic principles of the invention. Specific design features of the invention as included herein (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes) are determined in part by the specific intended application and environment of use.

[0046] In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals throughout several figures refer to the same or equivalent parts of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. Although the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments thereof, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0048] In the following, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The dimensions and thicknesses of each element are shown arbitrarily in the accompanying drawings, and the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Furthermore, the thicknesses of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are enlarged in the drawings for clarity. The drawings and descriptions are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive in nature.

[0050] In describing several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, for ease of description, in Figure 5 The lower left direction is called the outer side of the vehicle. Figure 5 The upper right direction is called the inner side of the vehicle. Figure 5 The upper left direction is called the rear side of the vehicle, and in Figure 5 The lower right direction is referred to as the front side of the vehicle. Furthermore, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the door hinge device of the vehicle can be simultaneously provided at the rear doors on both the driver's side and the passenger side. For the sake of description, an example of a door hinge device for the passenger-side rear door is used below.

[0051] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device before operation, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6 This is another perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device before operation, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and Figure 7 This is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle door hinge device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] It should be understood that, in Figure 5 In order to show the installation position of the door hinge device 1 according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the vehicle body 3 and a portion of the rear door DL ​​are schematically shown using dashed lines.

[0053] The vehicle door hinge device according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be applied to the rear door of a vehicle without a B-pillar (e.g., a bus). That is, for opening and closing operations, the rear door DL ​​is moved rearward to ensure that the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL ​​does not interfere with the front door, thus enabling the rear door DL ​​to be opened and closed independently.

[0054] refer to Figures 5 to 7 According to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle door hinge device 1 includes a track plate 10, a hinge sliding unit 20, and an actuator 30.

[0055] First, the track plate 10 is fixed to the vehicle body 3 via the rear surface F1, and two tracks 11 are configured on the front surface F2.

[0056] Two tracks 11 can be formed along the width direction of the vehicle on the upper and lower portions of the front surface F2. The fact that these two tracks 11 are formed along the width direction of the vehicle does not mean that the two tracks 11 are absolutely horizontal, but can be formed to have horizontal dimensions.

[0057] The track plate 10 is mounted on the side of the vehicle body 3 corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door DL ​​via the rear surface F1. At this time, the vehicle body 3 can be the side exterior panel PL corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door DL.

[0058] Furthermore, the track plate 10 is provided on the side outer panel PL such that the two tracks 11 formed in the upper and lower portions are arranged from the inside of the vehicle body 3 toward the outside of the vehicle body.

[0059] In addition, the hinged sliding unit 20 includes a slider bracket 21 and a door hinge bracket 23 that are connected to each other via a hinge shaft 25, so that the hinged sliding unit can slide along the track 11 located on the track plate 10.

[0060] First, the slider support 21 forms a space portion SP inside, the lower part of which is open, and guide grooves 29 are formed on the two side surfaces of the space portion SP in a diagonal direction to match each other.

[0061] Here, each of the guide grooves 29 located on the two side surfaces of the slider bracket 21 is formed diagonally downward from the inside of the vehicle body 3 toward the outside of the vehicle body.

[0062] In addition, the slider bracket 21 is configured such that the rear surface can slide on two tracks 11 located on the track plate 10 via the slider 27.

[0063] At this time, two tracks 11 are formed in the upper and lower portions of the front surface of the track plate 10, wherein the front surface of the track plate corresponds to the guide groove 29.

[0064] In addition, the door hinge bracket 23 is fixed to the rear end portion of the rear door DL, and the door hinge bracket is connected to the outer end portion of the slider bracket 21 via the hinge shaft 25.

[0065] The slider bracket 21 of the hinged sliding unit 20 allows the rear end portion of the rear door DL ​​to move along the track 11 located on the track plate 10 toward the outside of the vehicle body 3, ensuring the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL. In its current state, the rear door DL ​​can be opened or closed independently of the front door via the door hinge bracket 23.

[0066] In addition, the actuator 30 provides driving torque to cause the roller 33, which is located at the front end of the rod 31, to roll along the guide groove 29, while the slider bracket 21 slides along the track 11 in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0067] That is, the actuator 30 is mounted upward below the track plate 10 via the mounting bracket 35.

[0068] Furthermore, the rod 31 of the actuator 30 is disposed within the space portion SP through the opening of the slider bracket 21, and the rollers 33 that roll in contact with the guide groove 29 on both sides are rotatably connected to the front end portion of the rod 31.

[0069] In several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the actuator 30 may be configured as a cylindrical linear motor provided with rollers 33 protruding on both sides of the front end portion of the rod 31; however, the actuator is not limited to this. Any configuration may be adopted as long as the rod 31 can move back and forth in response to an open / close signal of the rear door DL, thereby causing the rollers 33 to move diagonally along the guide groove 29 to force the slider support 21 to move along the track 11.

[0070] In actuator 30, by operating lever 31 forward (upward), roller 33 moves upward along guide groove 29 to move slider bracket 21 toward the vehicle exterior of body 3. By operating lever 31 backward (downward), roller 33 moves downward along guide groove 29 to move slider bracket 21 toward the vehicle interior of body 3.

[0071] Therefore, when the lever 31 of the actuator 30 moves back and forth in response to the opening / closing signal of the rear door DL, the slider bracket 21 and the door hinge bracket 23 move slidably in the width direction of the vehicle, so that the hinge point of the rear door DL ​​moves toward the outside of the vehicle body 3.

[0072] In the following text, see references Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 The operation of a vehicle door hinge device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in detail.

[0073] Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the first, second, and third operating states of the door hinge device of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] and Figure 5 Similarly, in Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10In order to show the installation position of the door hinge device 1 according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the vehicle body 3 and a portion of the rear door DL ​​are schematically shown using dashed lines.

[0075] First, refer to Figure 8 In the first operating state, the back door DL ​​is in the closed state.

[0076] At this time, the hinged sliding unit 20 and the rear end portion of the rear door DL ​​are together in a state of moving along the track 11 of the track plate 10 toward the inside of the vehicle body 3, and the rear door DL ​​remains in the closed state.

[0077] refer to Figure 9 In the second operating state, in order to open the rear door DL ​​independently, the actuator 30 is operated to move the lever 31 forward (upward).

[0078] Therefore, the roller 33 is configured to move upward at the front end of the rod 31 while maintaining rolling contact with the guide groove 29. At this time, as the roller 33 moves upward along the guide groove 29, the slider support 21 is pushed outward along the track 11 in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0079] Therefore, the slider bracket 21 of the hinged sliding unit 20 moves toward the vehicle exterior of the body 3 along the track 11 located on the track plate 10 by the thrust of the roller 33, and then the rear door DL ​​moves toward the vehicle exterior of the body 3 by the rear end portion of the slider bracket 21 connected to the door hinge bracket 23, so as to ensure the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL.

[0080] refer to Figure 10 Subsequently, in the third operating state, when the occupant opens the rear door DL, the rear door DL ​​and the door hinge bracket 23 are opened together by rotating about the hinge axis 25 relative to the slider bracket 21.

[0081] Meanwhile, the closing operation of the back door DL ​​is performed in the opposite way to the opening operation, so that the opening and closing operations of the back door DL ​​can be performed independently of the front door, and the closing operation of the back door will not be described in detail later.

[0082] Therefore, according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the door hinge device 1 of the vehicle can be applied to the body 3 and the rear end portion of the rear door DL ​​in the opposite swing door without the B-pillar, thereby facilitating the opening and closing operation of the rear door DL ​​independently of the front door.

[0083] That is, the roller 33, operated by the forward and backward operation of the actuator 30, forces the slider support 21, guided by the rail 11 located on the track plate 10, to move from the inside of the vehicle body 3 toward the outside of the vehicle body.

[0084] Therefore, during the opening of the rear door DL, the rear end of the rear door DL ​​is first pushed towards the outside of the vehicle to ensure that the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL ​​does not interfere with other parts, and in this state, the rear door DL ​​can open and close independently.

[0085] Therefore, the door hinge device 1 of the vehicle according to several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in the relative swing door of a vehicle without a B-pillar, while maintaining a good sense of openness when passengers get on / off or during leisure activities, can ensure the rotation trajectory of the rear door DL ​​when it is opened and closed, so that the order of opening and closing is not restricted.

[0086] Furthermore, the door hinge device 1 of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is more elongated than the conventional gooseneck hinge device, and the door hinge device of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention also has advantages in vehicle body layout configuration because it does not require additional free space for operation of the rear door.

[0087] For ease of interpretation and precise definition in the appended claims, the terms “above,” “below,” “inner,” “outer,” “upper,” “lower,” “upward,” “downward,” “front,” “rear,” “back,” “inner side,” “outer side,” “inward,” “outer,” “internal,” “external,” “inner,” “external,” “forward,” and “backward” are used with reference to such characteristic locations shown in the figures to describe features of exemplary embodiments. It should also be understood that the term “connection” or its derivatives refer to both direct and indirect connections.

[0088] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. These descriptions are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it will be apparent that many modifications and variations can be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the invention and its practical application, enabling those skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the invention, as well as their various alternatives and modifications. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A door hinge device for a vehicle, the door hinge device comprising: A track plate, which is disposed on one side of the vehicle body corresponding to the end portion of the vehicle door and forms a track in the width direction of the vehicle; A hinged sliding unit includes a slider bracket disposed on the track and a door hinge bracket disposed on the door, wherein the slider bracket includes a guide groove formed along the diagonal direction of the slider bracket, and the slider bracket and the door hinge bracket are pivotally connected to each other via a hinge axis; and An actuator comprising a rod coupled to the guide groove for movement along the guide groove, such that the slider support moves along the track.

2. The door hinge device according to claim 1, wherein, The actuator includes a roller rotatably mounted on the end of the rod to roll along the guide groove.

3. The door hinge device according to claim 2, wherein, The end portion of the door is the rear end portion of the rear door.

4. The door hinge device according to claim 3, wherein, The track plate is disposed on the outer side panel corresponding to the rear end portion of the rear door, and the track is configured to run from the inside of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle body.

5. The door hinge device according to claim 1, in, The slider support of the hinged sliding unit includes a space portion, the lower portion of which is open to accommodate the rod within the space portion. The slider support includes diagonal guide grooves on a first side surface and a second side surface of the slider support, and the slider support is configured to move along the track via a slider slidably connected to the track.

6. The door hinge device according to claim 5, in, The door hinge bracket of the hinged sliding unit is fixed to the end portion of the door, and the door hinge bracket is connected to the outer end portion of the slider bracket via the hinge shaft.

7. The door hinge device according to claim 5, wherein, The guide groove formed on the first and second side surfaces of the slider bracket extends diagonally downwards from the inside of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle body.

8. The door hinge device according to claim 1, wherein, The track is formed at the upper and lower portions of the front surface of the track plate corresponding to the guide groove, respectively.

9. The door hinge device according to claim 1, wherein, The actuator includes a linear motor with rollers disposed at the front end portion of the rod.

10. The door hinge device according to claim 9, in, The actuator is positioned below the track plate and mounted upwards on the mounting bracket; The actuator rod is disposed within a spatial portion; and The roller is rotatably connected to the front end of the rod and rolls in contact with the guide groove.

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