Precision side door hinges

Abstract

A hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body includes a body bracket, a first body locator and a second body locator. In some examples, the body bracket structurally forms a first hole and a second hole. The first body locator is disposed in the first hole, and is machined to structurally form a first locating hole. The second body locator is disposed in the second hole, and is machined to structurally form a second locating hole. The first locating hole and the second locating hole are configured to mount the body bracket to a target location on the body.

Description

PRECISION SIDE DOOR HINGESCLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to Champagne et al, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 63 / 571,369, entitled “PRECISION SIDE DOOR HINGES,” filed on March 28, 2025, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for assembling a hinge. More particularly, some examples of the present disclosure relate to hinge assemblies and mechanisms for attaching a panel to a vehicle body.BACKGROUND

[0003] Generally described, a variety of vehicles, such as electric vehicles, combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or the like employ hinge assemblies to attach or join various body parts together. For example, a door hinge may be configured to attach a vehicle door to a vehicle frame.

[0004] To improve manufacturing quality and efficiency or user experiences, it may be desirable to assemble hinges that fit to other vehicle parts with high precision. However, component variations and mechanical tolerance issues pose daunting challenges for assembling hinges that precisely attach or fit multiple parts together.SUMMARY

[0005] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly including: a body bracket structurally forming at least a first hole and a second hole; a first body locator disposed in the first hole, wherein the first body locator structurally positions and forms a first locating hole; and a second body locator disposed inthe second hole, wherein the second body locator structurally positions and forms a second locating hole, wherein the first locating hole and the second locating hole are configured to mount the body bracket to a target location on the body.

[0006] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first body locator and the second body locator are removable from or detachably attached to the body bracket.

[0007] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first body locator has a ring shape.

[0008] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first body locator has a first shape, and wherein the second body locator has a second shape different from the first shape.

[0009] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first body locator is made of at least one of a soft metal, a sacrificial metal, brass, and plastic.

[0010] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the body bracket is made of a first material, and wherein the first body locator is made of a second material softer than the first material.

[0011] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, further including: a body link attached to the body bracket; a panel link connected to the body link; and a panel bracket attached to the panel link, wherein the panel bracket is mounted to the panel.

[0012] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the panel link is connected to the body link through a pin.

[0013] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly including: a first body leaf configured to mount to the body, the first body leaf structurally forming at least a first hole; a first axis locator disposed in the first hole, the first axis locator structurally positioning and forming a first aligning hole; a second body leaf configured to mount to the body, the second body leaf structurally forming at least a second hole; and a second axis locator disposed in the second hole, the second axis locator structurally positioning and forming a second aligning hole, wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along a first direction that extends through the firstaligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis of the hinge assembly.

[0014] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the first body leaf, and wherein the second axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the second body leaf.

[0015] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first axis locator is made of at least one of a soft metal, a sacrificial metal, brass, and plastic.

[0016] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, further including: a first pin; a second pin; a first panel leaf connected to the first body leaf through the first pin; and a second panel leaf connected to the second body leaf through the second pin.

[0017] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf are configured to mount to the panel.

[0018] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly, wherein a first portion of the first pin is below a bottom surface of the first body leaf, and wherein the first portion of the first pin is fastened to the bottom surface of the first body leaf through a first fastener.

[0019] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a process of attaching a panel to a body through a hinge assembly, the process including: positioning a first body leaf and a second body leaf relative to each other, the first body leaf structurally forming a first hole that is filled by a first axis locator and the second body leaf structurally forming a second hole that is filled by a second axis locator; machining, along a first direction, through a portion of the first axis locator to form a first aligning hole in the first body leaf; and machining, along the first direction, through a portion of the second axis locator to form a second aligning hole in the second body leaf; wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along the first direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis relative to the first body leaf and the second body leaf.

[0020] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a process, wherein positioning the first body leaf and the second body leaf relative to each other includes: positioning the first body leaf above the second body leaf; and aligning the first hole and the second hole along the first direction.

[0021] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a process, further including: inserting a first pin into the first aligning hole; and inserting a second pin into the second aligning hole.

[0022] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a process, further including: connecting a first panel leaf to the first body leaf through the first pin; and connecting a second panel leaf to the second body leaf through the second pin.

[0023] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a process, further including: mounting the first body leaf and the second body leaf to the body; and mounting the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf to the panel.

[0024] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to all examples described and discussed above.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Examples of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters reference like elements, and wherein:

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an example hinge assembly according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section view of portions of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 and with certain parts removed to reveal some internal structures of the hinge assembly according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 7 illustrates another exploded view from a back of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 8 illustrates portions of an example hinge assembly attaching a panel to a vehicle body according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 9 illustrates an example hinge assembly aligned with a vehicle body according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded view of a hinge assembly according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of portions of an upper hinge and a lower hinge according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 12 illustrates a section side view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 10 with certain parts removed to reveal some internal structures of the hinge assembly according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of portions of the hinge assembly of FIG. 10 according to some examples of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Generally described, one or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to hinge assemblies for attaching a panel (e.g., a vehicle door, hood, an enclosure) to a structure (e.g., a vehicle body, frame). More specifically, some examples of the present disclosure disclose hinge mechanisms and assemblies that utilize sacrificial material(s) (e.g., plastic, brass, soft metal, sacrificial metal, or the like) to locate, align and / or attach a panel to a body with high precision. In some examples, sacrificial materials are machined to form body locators to precisely attach a body bracket of a hinge assembly to location(s) of a vehicle body. In some examples, sacrificial materials are machined to form axis locators for accurately aligning an upper hinge and a lower hinge to define a hinge axis relative to other body parts of a vehicle.

[0040] Advantageously, through the use of body locators, a hinge assembly can be precisely mounted to a target location of a body where the target location takes into account manufacturing and / or tolerance variations. Forexample, in the event of assembling part(s) that would result in an out-of- specification condition (e.g., poor panel fit) after final assembly, a body locator made of sacrificial materials may be more easily reworked (e.g., compared with body locators made of harder materials) to avoid the out-of-specification condition. Reworking of the body locator can include, for example, real-time machining resulting in the hinge assembly associated with the reworked body locator meeting specifications. For example, machining axis locators in the hinge assembly (e.g., by a spindle drill) that take into account the actual manufacturing and / or tolerance variations can avoid an out-of-specification condition after assembly. In contrast, hinge assemblies that do not include body locators as disclosed herein may have to be scrapped to avoid an out-of- specification condition (e.g., due to tolerance stack up, etc.) after final assembly.

[0041] Typically, vehicles employ hinges for attaching a panel to a body. For example, a vehicle door hinge may be configured to attach a vehicle door to a vehicle frame. To improve manufacturing quality (e.g., panel fit) and efficiency or user experience, it may be desirable to assemble hinges with high precision. However, component variations and mechanical tolerance issues pose daunting challenges (e.g., imprecise fit between the components after final assembly) for assembling hinges. To increase the precision of assembly, for example, holes may be drilled in certain forged parts of the hinge. Pins may then be inserted into the holes as locating features. However, inaccuracy associated with drilling and inserting the locating pins coupled with tolerance variations may lead to scrapping the forged part in its entirety, increasing manufacturing cost and time.

[0042] To address at least a portion of the above problems, hinge assemblies and assembly methods are disclosed in accordance with some examples of the present disclosure. In some examples, sacrificial materials of a hinge assembly are machined (e.g., drilled, punctured, pierced, or the like) to form body locators to precisely attach a body bracket of the hinge assembly to location(s) of a vehicle body. In some examples, sacrificial materials of a hinge assembly are machined to form axis locators for accurately aligning an upper hinge and a lower hinge of a hinge assembly to define a hinge axis relative to other body parts of a vehicle.

[0043] More specifically, in some examples, a hinge assembly for attaching a panel (a vehicle door) to a body (e.g., a vehicle body) may include a body bracket, a first body locator, and a second body locator. The body bracket may be configured to mount to the body. The body bracket may structurally form two or more holes. The first body locator may be placed to fill in one of the holes structurally formed by the body bracket. The second body locator may be placed to fill in another of the holes structurally formed by the body bracket. A portion of the first body locator may be machined through to structurally form a first locating hole surrounded by the first body locator. A portion of the second body locator may be machined through to structurally form a second locating hole surrounded by the second body locator. By locating, measuring, or selecting the portion of the first body locator for forming the first locating hole and the portion of the second body locator for forming the second locating hole, the body bracket may be precisely mounted to a target location on the body through the first locating hole and the second locating hole.

[0044] Additionally and / or optionally, the first body locator and the second body locator may be made of sacrificial materials such as soft metal, plastic, brass, sacrificial metal, or the like. The first body locator and the second body locator may be removed or detached from the body bracket without harming or damaging the underlying structural integrity of the body bracket. As such, if (e.g., due to tolerance variations) the first locating hole and / or the second locating hole do not allow the body bracket to precisely mount to a target location of a body, the first body locator and / or the second body locator may be replaced by a third and / or fourth body locator(s) with slightly different geometry. The geometric differences of the third and / or fourth body locators correct for manufacturing and tolerance variations of the components and final assembly so that the body bracket is precisely mounted to the target location of the body. Advantageously, body locator(s) can be replaced to achieve high assembly precision without scrapping the entire body bracket, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and time.

[0045] In some examples, a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body may include a first body leaf, a first axis locator, a second body leaf, and a second axis locator. The first body leaf and the second body leaf may be configured to mount to the body. The first body leaf may structurally form ahole. The first axis locator may be placed to fill in the hole structurally formed by the first body leaf. The second body leaf may structurally form a hole. The second axis locator may be placed to fill in the hole structurally formed by the second body leaf. A portion of the first axis locator may be machined through to structurally form a first aligning hole surrounded by the first axis locator. A portion of the second axis locator may be machined through to structurally form a second aligning hole surrounded by the second axis locator. By locating, measuring, or selecting the portion of the first axis locator for forming the first aligning hole and the portion of the second axis locator for forming the second aligning hole, the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole may be aligned with each other along a first direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole to precisely define a hinge axis relative to the first body leaf and the second body leaf.

[0046] Advantageously, through the use of axis locators for forming aligning holes, the hinge axis can be precisely defined relative to other parts of a hinge assembly and / or other vehicle parts under the presence of body parts variations. Additionally, the hinge axis may serve as a reference for accurately assembling other parts (e.g., a door leaf) of the hinge assembly with respect to other vehicle parts.

[0047] Although the various aspects will be described in accordance with illustrative examples and combination of features, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the examples and combination of features are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting. More specifically, aspects of the present application may be applicable with various types of structures, vehicles, hinges, panels under different contexts, such as when attaching a door to a vehicle frame, attaching a panel to a surface of a vehicle, attaching a panel to a wall of a building room, or the like. Still further, although specific architectures of hinge assemblies for precise mounting or attachment will be described, such illustrative hinge assemblies design or architecture should not be construed as limiting. Accordingly, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the aspects of the present application are not necessarily limited to application to any particular types of hinge assemblies, hinge assemblies infrastructure or illustrative interactions between panels and bodies of vehicles.

[0048] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example hinge assembly 100 according to some examples of the present disclosure. The hinge assembly 100 includes a body bracket 102, a body locator 106, a body locator 108, a panel bracket 104, a body link 112, a panel link 114, and a pin 116. The body bracket 102 structurally forms two holes (illustrated in FIG. 6) to allow the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 to be respectively disposed, placed, or fit into each of the two holes. The body locator 106 may be machined (e.g., through a process that is not illustrated in FIG. 1, such as drilling, puncturing, piercing, or the like) to form and / or position a locating hole 122, and the body locator 108 may be machined to form and / or position a locating hole 124. The locating hole 122 and the locating hole 124 can enable the hinge assembly 100 (e.g., the body bracket 102) to be precisely attached to locations positionally matched to the locating hole 122 and the locating hole 124 of a vehicle body (not shown in FIG. 1).

[0049] In some examples, the body bracket 102 may be attached (e.g., through welding) to the body link 112. The body bracket 102 and the body link 112 may be formed using other manufacturing processes, and may form an integral part. The panel bracket 104 is attached to the panel link 114. The body link 112 and the panel link 114 are connected through the pin 116. As such, the hinge assembly 100 may move along an axis 150.

[0050] In some examples, the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 may be made of material that is different or softer than the body bracket 102, the panel bracket 104, the body link 112, the panel link 114, and / or the pin 116. For example, the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 may be made of sacrificial material(s) (e.g., plastic, brass, soft metal, sacrificial metal, or the like). As such, the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 may be removed or detached from the body bracket 102 without harming or damaging structural integrity of the body bracket 102 if the locating hole 122 and / or the locating hole 124 do not allow the hinge assembly 100 to be precisely attached to desired location(s) of a vehicle body.

[0051] Advantageously, when the locating hole 122 and / or the locating hole 124 prevent the body bracket 102 from being precisely mounted to a target location of a vehicle body due to variations of components, the body locator 106 and / or the body locator 108 may be replaced by other body locator(s). Someparts of other body locator(s) may be machined to structurally position and form other locating holes (not shown in FIG. 1) that can enable the body bracket 102 to be precisely mounted to the target location of the vehicle body. Accordingly, the body bracket 102 of the hinge assembly 100 does not need to be scrapped to achieve the desired precision.

[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body locator 106, the body locator 108, the panel bracket 104, the body link 112, the panel link 114, and the pin 116. The body locator 106 can be machined to form and / or position the locating hole 122. The body locator 108 can be machined to form and / or position the locating hole 124.

[0053] Based on the desired attachment locations for the body bracket 102 on the vehicle body (not shown in FIG. 2), the shape (e.g., round, ellipse, square, polygon, or the like), size, and position (e.g., right at the center of the body locator 106, toward top right of the body locator 106, toward bottom left of the body locator 106, or the like) of the locating hole 122 and / or the locating hole 124 can be determined. Once determined, the body locator 106 and / or the body locator 108 can be machined so that final assembly results in acceptable panel fit. As noted above, by utilizing sacrificial materials to make the body locator 106 and the body locator 108, the body locator 106 and / or the body locator 108 can be easily replaced by other body locators for precisely attaching the body bracket 102 to the target location of the vehicle body in cases where the original locating hole 122 and / or the locating hole 124 would not result in the body bracket 102 being precisely attached or fit to the target location.

[0054] FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates that the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the panel bracket 104, the panel link 114, the body locator 106, and the body locator 108. As noted above, the body locator 106 may have been machined (e.g., through a machining process that is not illustrated in FIG. 3, such as drilling, puncturing, piercing, or the like) to form and / or position the locating hole 122. The body locator 108 may have been machined to form and / or position the locating hole 124. Before machining, the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 may have circular,round, or other shapes without holes. After machining, the body locator 106 and the body locator 108 may have an annular, ring-like shape or other shapes with holes.

[0055] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body link 112, the panel link 114, the panel bracket 104, and the pin 116.

[0056] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section view of portions of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 and with certain parts removed to reveal some internal structures of the hinge assembly 100 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body link 112, the panel link 114, the panel bracket 104, and the pin 116. FIG. 5 shows that the pin 116 connects the body link 112 and the panel link 114 along the axis 150, thereby allowing the body bracket 102 and the panel bracket 104 to move relative to each other.

[0057] FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body locator 106, the body locator 108, the panel bracket 104, the body link 112, the panel link 114, and the pin 116. The body bracket 102 structurally forms a hole 162 and a hole 164. The body locator 106 can be placed to fit into a portion of the hole 162, and the body locator 108 can be placed to fit into a portion of the hole 164. Before machining, the body locator 106 may have a similar or same shape as the hole 162, and the body locator 108 may have a similar or same shape as the hole 164. After machining, the body locator 106 may structurally form the locating hole 122, and have a shape as illustrated in FIG. 6. After machining, the body locator 108 may structurally form the locating hole 124, and have a shape as illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0058] ore specifically, in some examples, the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body locator 106, and the body locator 108. The hinge assembly 100 can be utilized to attach a panel (a vehicle door) to a body (e.g., a vehicle body). The hinge assembly 100 structurally forms the hole 162 and the hole 164. The body locator 106 may be disposed or placed in the hole 162 which is structurally formed by the body bracket 102. The body locator108 may be disposed or placed in the hole 164 which is structurally formed by the body bracket 102. A portion of the body locator 106 may have been machined to structurally position and form the locating hole 122. A portion of the body locator 108 may have been machined to structurally position and form the locating hole 124. By locating, measuring, and / or selecting the portion of the body locator 106 for forming the locating hole 122 and the portion of the body locator 108 for forming the locating hole 124, the body bracket 102 may be precisely mounted to a target location on the vehicle body through the locating hole 122 and the locating hole 124.

[0059] \FIG. 7 illustrates another exploded view from a back of the hinge assembly 100 of FIG. 1 according to some examples of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates that the hinge assembly 100 includes the body bracket 102, the body locator 106, the body locator 108, the panel bracket 104, the body link 112, and the pin 116. As noted above, the body bracket 102 structurally forms the hole 162 and the hole 164. The body locator 106 can be placed into a portion of the hole 162, and the body locator 108 can be placed into a portion of the hole 164.

[0060] FIG. 8 illustrates portions of an example hinge assembly (e.g., the hinge assembly 100) for attaching a panel 890 to a vehicle body 870 according to some examples of the present disclosure. The example hinge assembly may move or rotate along an axis 850. As shown in FIG. 8, a body bracket 802 is attached to the vehicle body 870, and a panel bracket 804 is attached to the panel 890. The body bracket 802 is coupled to the panel bracket 804 through a body link 812 that is connected to a panel link 814 through a pin 816.

[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 8, a body locator 806 that may have been machined forms a locating hole that is occupied by a pin 880. As such the body bracket 802 can be fixated on the vehicle body 870 through the pin 880. As shown in FIG. 8, the panel bracket 804 may be fixated to the panel 890 through a pin 860. Thus, the panel 890 may be attached to the vehicle body 870 through the body bracket 802, the body link 812, the panel link 814, and the panel bracket 804.

[0062] FIG. 9 illustrates an example hinge assembly, the same or similar to the hinge assembly 100, located to a vehicle body 970 according to some examples of the present disclosure. The example hinge assembly includes a bodybracket 902, a body locator 906, a body locator 908, a panel bracket 904, a body link 912, a panel link 914, and a pin 916. As shown in FIG. 9, the body bracket 902 structurally forms two or more holes to allow the body locator 906 and the body locator 908 to be respectively disposed, placed, or fit into each of the two holes. In some examples, the body locator 906 is machined to form and / or position a locating hole 922, and the body locator 908 is machined (e.g., through a process that is not illustrated in FIG. 9, such as drilling, puncturing, piercing, or the like) to form and / or position a locating hole 924. The locating hole 922 and the locating hole 924 can enable the example hinge assembly (e.g., the body bracket 902) to be precisely attached to the vehicle body 970. When the locating holes 922 and / or 924 do not allow the body bracket 902 to be precisely attached to the vehicle body 970, the body locator 906 and / or the body locator 908 that are made of sacrificial material or material softer than the body bracket 902 can be more easily removed and replaced by other body locators (not shown in FIG. 9) that are to be machined to facilitate precise attachment.

[0063] FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded view of a hinge assembly 1000 according to some examples of the present disclosure. The hinge assembly 1000 may be an upper hinge or a lower hinge that will be further illustrated in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 10, the hinge assembly 1000 includes a body leaf 1002, a panel leaf 1004, an axis locator 1006, and a pin 1016. The body leaf 1002 structurally forms a hole 1026 and a hole 1024 that enable the body leaf 1002 to be attached to a vehicle body (not shown in FIG. 10).

[0064] Although not readily observed in FIG. 10, the axis locator 1006 has been machined to structurally position and form an aligning hole 1022 through the axis locator 1006, where a hinge axis 1050 extends through the aligning hole 1022. The body leaf 1002 can be connected to the panel leaf 1004 through the pin 1016. The panel leaf 1004 may be further attached to a panel (not shown in FIG. 10) of a vehicle.

[0065] FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the hinge assembly 1000 (e.g., a lower hinge) and portions of an upper hinge 1100 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As noted above, the hinge assembly 1000 includes the axis locator 1006, the body leaf 1002, the panel leaf 1004, and the aligning hole 1022 (shown in FIG. 12). The body leaf 1002 and the panel leaf1004 are connected with each other through the pin 1016. The portions of the upper hinge 1100 includes a body leaf 1102 and an axis locator 1106.

[0066]

[0065] As shown in FIG. 11, the axis locator 1006 has been machined to structurally position and form an aligning hole 1022 through the axis locator 1006. The axis locator 1106 has been machined to structurally position and form an aligning hole 1124 (not readily observed from FIG. 11) through the axis locator 1106. The hinge axis 1050 extends through the aligning hole 1124 and the aligning hole 1022 to define an axis for both the hinge assembly 1000 and the upper hinge 1100 to move along or rotate about.

[0067] More specifically, the hinge assembly 1000 and the upper hinge 1100 may be utilized to attach a panel to a body. The body leaf 1002 and the body leaf 1102 may be configured to mount to the body. The body leaf 1002 may structurally form a hole (not readily observed from FIG. 11). The axis locator 1006 may be disposed or placed to fill in the hole structurally formed by the body leaf 1002. A portion of the axis locator 1006 may be machined through to structurally form the aligning hole 1022. The body leaf 1102 may structurally form a hole (not readily observed from FIG. 11). The axis locator 1106 may be disposed or placed to fill in the hole structurally formed by the body leaf 1102. A portion of the axis locator 1106 may be machined through to structurally form the aligning hole 1124. By locating, measuring, or selecting the portion of the axis locator 1006 for forming the aligning hole 1022 and the portion of the axis locator 1106 for forming the aligning hole 1124, the aligning hole 1022 and the aligning hole 1124 may be aligned with each other along a direction that extends through the aligning hole 1022 and the aligning hole 1124 to precisely define the hinge axis 1050 relative to the body leaf 1002 and the body leaf 1102.

[0068] Advantageously, through the use of axis locators 1006 and 1106 for forming aligning holes 1022 and 1124, the hinge axis 1050 can be precisely defined relative to other parts of a hinge assembly and / or other vehicle parts under the presence of body parts variations. Additionally, the hinge axis 1050 may serve as a reference for accurately assembling other parts (e.g., the panel leaf 1004) of the hinge assembly 1000 and upper hinge 1100 with respect to other vehicle parts.

[0069] In some examples, the axis locator 1006 and the axis locator 1106 may be made of sacrificial materials such as soft metal, plastic, brass, sacrificialmetal, or the like. The axis locator 1006 and the axis locator 1106 may be removed or detached from the body leaf 1002 and body leaf 1102 without harming or damaging structural integrity of the body leaf 1002 and the body leaf 1102, respectively. As such, if (e.g., due to variations) the aligning hole 1022 and / or the aligning hole 1124 do not precisely form the hinge axis 1050 along a desired direction, the axis locator 1006 and the axis locator 1106 may be replaced by other axis locators for forming other aligning holes that form a hinge axis along the desired direction. Advantageously, axis locator 1006 and the axis locator 1106 can be replaced to achieve high assembly precision without scrapping the entire body leaf 1002 or body leaf 1102, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and time.

[0070] FIG. 12 illustrates a section side view of the hinge assembly 1000 of FIG. 10 with certain parts removed to reveal some internal structures of the hinge assembly according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, the hinge assembly 1000 includes the body leaf 1002, the panel leaf 1004, the axis locator 1006, and the pin 1016 that connects the body leaf 1002 to the panel leaf 1004. As noted above, the axis locator 1006 is machined to structurally position and form the aligning hole 1022 to at least partially define the hinge axis 1050.

[0071] FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of portions of the hinge assembly 1000 of FIG. 10 according to some examples of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13, the hinge assembly 1000 includes the body leaf 1002 and the axis locator 1006. The axis locator 1006 can be machined through or has been machined through to structurally form the aligning hole 1022. The aligning hole 1022 can be used to align the hinge assembly 1000 (e.g., a lower hinge) with the aligning hole 1124 of the upper hinge 1100.NOTES AND EXAMPLES

[0072] The following, non-limiting examples, detail certain aspects of the present subject matter to address the challenges and provide the benefits discussed herein, among others.

[0073] Example 1 includes a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly comprising: a body bracket structurally forming at least a first hole and a second hole; a first body locator disposed in the first hole, wherein the first body locator structurally positions and forms a first locatinghole; and a second body locator disposed in the second hole, wherein the second body locator structurally positions and forms a second locating hole, wherein the first locating hole and the second locating hole are configured to mount the body bracket to a target location on the body.

[0074] Example 2 includes the hinge assembly of example 1, wherein the first body locator and the second body locator are removable from or detachably attached to the body bracket.

[0075] Example 3 includes the hinge assembly of example 1 or example2, wherein the first body locator has a ring shape.

[0076] Example 4 includes the hinge assembly of any one of examples 1-3, wherein the first body locator has a first shape, and wherein the second body locator has a second shape different from the first shape.

[0077] Example 5 includes the hinge assembly of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the first body locator is made of at least one of a soft metal, a sacrificial metal, brass, and plastic.

[0078] Example 6 includes the hinge assembly of any one of examples 1-5, wherein the body bracket is made of a first material, and wherein the first body locator is made of a second material softer than the first material.

[0079] Example 7 includes the hinge assembly of example 1, further comprising: a body link attached to the body bracket; a panel link connected to the body link; and a panel bracket attached to the panel link, wherein the panel bracket is mounted to the panel.

[0080] Example 8 includes the hinge assembly of example 7, wherein the panel link is connected to the body link through a pin.

[0081] Example 9 includes a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly comprising: a first body leaf configured to mount to the body, the first body leaf structurally forming at least a first hole; a first axis locator disposed in the first hole, the first axis locator structurally positioning and forming a first aligning hole; a second body leaf configured to mount to the body, the second body leaf structurally forming at least a second hole; and a second axis locator disposed in the second hole, the second axis locator structurally positioning and forming a second aligning hole, wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along afirst direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis of the hinge assembly.

[0082] Example 10 includes the hinge assembly of example 9, wherein the first axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the first body leaf, and wherein the second axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the second body leaf.

[0083] Example 11 includes the hinge assembly of example 9 or example 10, wherein the first axis locator is made of at least one of a soft metal, a sacrificial metal, brass, and plastic.

[0084] Example 12 includes the hinge assembly of any one of examples 9-11, further comprising: a first pin; a second pin; a first panel leaf connected to the first body leaf through the first pin; and a second panel leaf connected to the second body leaf through the second pin.

[0085] Example 13 includes the hinge assembly of example 12, wherein the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf are configured to mount to the panel.

[0086] Example 14 includes the hinge assembly of example 12 or example 13 , wherein a first portion of the first pin is below a bottom surface of the first body leaf, and wherein the first portion of the first pin is fastened to the bottom surface of the first body leaf through a first fastener.

[0087] Example 15 includes a process of attaching a panel to a body through a hinge assembly, the process comprising: positioning a first body leaf and a second body leaf relative to each other, the first body leaf structurally forming a first hole that is filled by a first axis locator and the second body leaf structurally forming a second hole that is filled by a second axis locator; machining, along a first direction, through a portion of the first axis locator to form a first aligning hole in the first body leaf; and machining, along the first direction, through a portion of the second axis locator to form a second aligning hole in the second body leaf; wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along the first direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis relative to the first body leaf and the second body leaf.

[0088] Example 16 includes the process of example 15, wherein positioning the first body leaf and the second body leaf relative to each other comprises: positioning the first body leaf above the second body leaf; and aligning the first hole and the second hole along the first direction.

[0089] Example 17 includes the process of example 15 or example 16, further comprising: inserting a first pin into the first aligning hole; and inserting a second pin into the second aligning hole.

[0090] Example 18 includes the process of example 17, further comprising: connecting a first panel leaf to the first body leaf through the first pin; and connecting a second panel leaf to the second body leaf through the second pin.

[0091] Example 19 includes the process of example 18, further comprising: mounting the first body leaf and the second body leaf to the body; and mounting the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf to the panel.

[0092] Example 20 includes the apparatuses or method of any one or any combination of Examples 1-19, wherein any one of the examples can be configured such that all elements or options recited are available to use or select from.

[0093] The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, it is contemplated that various alternate examples and / or modifications to the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus described examples of the present disclosure, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is limited only by the claims.

[0094] In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific examples. However, as one skilled in the art will appreciate, various examples disclosed herein can be modified or otherwise implemented in various other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this description is to be considered as illustrative and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of making and using various examples of the disclosed display assemblies.

[0095] It is to be understood that the forms of disclosure herein shown and described are to be taken as representative examples. Equivalent elements, materials, processes or steps may be substituted for those representatively illustrated and described herein. Moreover, certain features of the disclosure may be utilized independently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the disclosure. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "consisting of', "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural. Further, various examples disclosed herein are to be taken in the illustrative and explanatory sense, and should in no way be construed as limiting of the present disclosure.

[0096] All joinder references (e.g., attached, affixed, coupled, connected, and the like) are only used to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and may not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the systems and / or methods disclosed herein. Therefore, joinder references, if any, are to be construed broadly. Moreover, such joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected to each other. Additionally, all numerical terms, such as, but not limited to, "first", "second", "third", "primary", "secondary", "main" or any other ordinary and / or numerical terms, should also be taken only as identifiers, to assist the reader's understanding of the various elements, examples, variations and / or modifications of the present disclosure, and may not create any limitations, particularly as to the order, or preference, of any element, example, variation and / or modification relative to, or over, another element, example, variation and / or modification.

[0097] The illustrative algorithms described in connection with the examples disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., ASICs or FPGA devices), computer software that runs on computer hardware, or combinations of both. Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in connection with the examples disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a processor device, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A processor device can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor device can be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same, or the like. A processor device can include electrical circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another example, a processor device includes an FPGA or other programmable device that performs logic operations without processing computer-executable instructions. A processor device can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Although described herein primarily with respect to digital technology, a processor device may also include primarily analog components. For example, some or all of the rendering techniques described herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analog and digital circuitry. A computing environment can include any type of computer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system based on a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, a portable computing device, a device controller, or a computational engine within an appliance, to name a few.

[0098] It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings / figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application.

Claims

PRECISION SIDE DOOR HINGESCLAIM OF PRIORITY[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to Champagne et al, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 63 / 571,369, entitled “PRECISION SIDE DOOR HINGES,” filed on March 28, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for assembling a hinge. More particularly, some examples of the present disclosure relate to hinge assemblies and mechanisms for attaching a panel to a vehicle body.BACKGROUND[0003] Generally described, a variety of vehicles, such as electric vehicles, combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or the like employ hinge assemblies to attach or join various body parts together. For example, a door hinge may be configured to attach a vehicle door to a vehicle frame.[0004] To improve manufacturing quality and efficiency or user experiences, it may be desirable to assemble hinges that fit to other vehicle parts with high precision. However, component variations and mechanical tolerance issues pose daunting challenges for assembling hinges that precisely attach or fit multiple parts together.SUMMARY[0005] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly including: a body bracket structurally forming at least a first hole and a second hole; a first body locator disposed in the first hole, wherein the first body locator structurally positions and forms a first locating hole; and a second body locator disposed inwherein the panel bracket is mounted to the panel.

8. The hinge assembly of claim 7, wherein the panel link is connected to the body link through a pin.

9. A hinge assembly for attaching a panel to a body, the hinge assembly comprising: a first body leaf configured to mount to the body, the first body leaf structurally forming at least a first hole; a first axis locator disposed in the first hole, the first axis locator structurally positioning and forming a first aligning hole; a second body leaf configured to mount to the body, the second body leaf structurally forming at least a second hole; and a second axis locator disposed in the second hole, the second axis locator structurally positioning and forming a second aligning hole, wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along a first direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis of the hinge assembly.

10. The hinge assembly of claim 9, wherein the first axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the first body leaf, and wherein the second axis locator is removable from or detachably attached to the second body leaf.

11. The hinge assembly of claim 9, wherein the first axis locator is made of at least one of a soft metal, a sacrificial metal, brass, and plastic.

12. The hinge assembly of claim 9, further comprising: a first pin; a second pin; a first panel leaf connected to the first body leaf through the first pin; and a second panel leaf connected to the second body leaf through the second pin.

13. The hinge assembly of claim 12, wherein the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf are configured to mount to the panel.

14. The hinge assembly of claim 12, wherein a first portion of the first pin is below a bottom surface of the first body leaf, and wherein the first portion of the first pin is fastened to the bottom surface of the first body leaf through a first fastener.

15. A process of attaching a panel to a body through a hinge assembly, the process comprising: positioning a first body leaf and a second body leaf relative to each other, the first body leaf structurally forming a first hole that is filled by a first axis locator and the second body leaf structurally forming a second hole that is filled by a second axis locator; machining, along a first direction, through a portion of the first axis locator to form a first aligning hole in the first body leaf; and machining, along the first direction, through a portion of the second axis locator to form a second aligning hole in the second body leaf; wherein the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole are aligned with each other along the first direction that extends through the first aligning hole and the second aligning hole, and wherein the first direction defines a hinge axis relative to the first body leaf and the second body leaf.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein positioning the first body leaf and the second body leaf relative to each other comprises: positioning the first body leaf above the second body leaf; and aligning the first hole and the second hole along the first direction.

17. The process of claim 15, further comprising: inserting a first pin into the first aligning hole; and inserting a second pin into the second aligning hole.

18. The process of claim 17, further comprising: connecting a first panel leaf to the first body leaf through the first pin; and connecting a second panel leaf to the second body leaf through the second pin.

19. The process of claim 18, further comprising: mounting the first body leaf and the second body leaf to the body; and mounting the first panel leaf and the second panel leaf to the panel.

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