Door hinge, vehicle door, and vehicle

Abstract

A door hinge for a vehicle door (4), having a door-side wing (11) and a body-side wing (10) which are connected to one another so as to be pivotable about a hinge axis (Z) via a joint (G) having a hinge pin (12), wherein each of the wings (10, 11) has a hinge block (14, 16), with a hinge eye (15, 17) for receiving the hinge pin (12), and a mounting plate portion (13, 18), is distinguished by the fact that the door-side wing (11) is provided with a clamping jaw region (18), facing the vehicle door (4), having at least one clamping jaw which has a bearing surface (19, 19', 19'') designed to bear against the vehicle door (4), and which wing has a through-opening (18') for receiving a clamping bolt (32), and by the fact that there is provided a pressure plate (31) which is situated opposite the clamping jaw region (18) and which can be connected to the clamping bolt (32) at a connection point (35), wherein the clamping bolt (32) is designed, in a clamped state, to brace the pressure plate (31) against the clamping jaw region (18).

Description

[0001] Door hinge, vehicle door and vehicle

[0002] The invention relates to a door hinge according to the preamble of claim 1. It further relates to a vehicle door with at least one such door hinge and to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with at least one such vehicle door.

[0003] In ordinary vehicle doors, which are made of sheet steel, for example, the door-side leaves of the door hinges are either welded or bolted to the door structure. For this purpose, the door structure typically has a greater sheet thickness at the relevant mounting points for the door hinge or is reinforced with correspondingly thicker sheets. A door hinge that can be bolted to the door structure is described, for example, in the unpublished German patent application DE 102023 114 591.6.

[0004] Welding is not an option for lightweight vehicles where the doors are made of light metal or plastic. Therefore, thicker reinforcements, usually made of metal or plastic, must be integrated into the door structure. The door hinges can then be attached to these reinforcements, for example, by screwing them in. Screw connections typically require at least two screws to fasten the door hinge to the reinforced door structure. Both the installation of reinforcements and the attachment of the door hinge to the door structure with two screws are material-intensive, time-consuming, and therefore costly.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved door hinge for a vehicle with lightweight doors, which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install. Furthermore, a corresponding vehicle door and a vehicle equipped with it are to be specified.

[0006] The part of the problem relating to the door hinge is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0007] A door hinge for a vehicle door, comprising a door-side leaf and a body-side leaf, which are pivotably connected to each other about a hinge axis via a joint having a hinge pin, wherein each of the leaves has a hinge block with a hinge eye for receiving the hinge pin and a mounting plate section, is characterized in that the door-side leaf is provided with a clamping jaw area facing the vehicle door with at least one clamping jaw having a bearing surface designed to abut the vehicle door and having a through-opening for receiving a clamping bolt, and that a pressure plate is provided opposite the clamping jaw area, which can be connected to the clamping bolt at a connection point, wherein the clamping bolt is designed to clamp the pressure plate against the clamping jaw area in a clamped state.

[0008] This door hinge allows a section of the door structure to be clamped between the clamping jaw area of ​​the door leaf and the pressure plate, with the pressure plate acting as a hinge stop. The door hinge can thus be frictionally attached to the vehicle door, which is particularly advantageous when the door, for design or weight reasons, cannot have a reinforced area for screwing in a door hinge. Furthermore, the clamping action ensures a large-area distribution of the forces transmitted between the door hinge and the door structure when opening and closing the vehicle door.

[0009] Further preferred and advantageous design features of the door hinge according to the invention are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 6.

[0010] Preferably, the clamping bolt is formed by a clamping screw which engages in a threaded bore in the pressure plate, the clamping screw being supported by a screw head on the door-side wing.

[0011] It is also advantageous if the door-side wing is elongated and the clamping jaw area extends on both sides of the opening. Preferably, the elongated extension of the door-side wing is oriented vertically or with a predominantly vertical component. In this way, moments exerted by the vehicle door on the hinge mounting can be supported particularly effectively, which is especially advantageous for long and heavy vehicle doors. Alternatively or additionally, the pressure plate is also elongated and extends on both sides of the connection point and along the clamping jaw area.

[0012] It is particularly advantageous if the clamping jaw area has at least two bearing surfaces spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the clamping jaw area on its side facing the pressure plate, preferably located on both sides of the through-opening. This ensures that the moments acting on the door hinge are not only supported in the area of ​​the clamping bolt under the influence of high local forces, but also that the forces acting on the door structure and the structure of the door hinge are reduced due to the respective lever arm.

[0013] It is also advantageous if the pressure plate has at least two pressure surfaces spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the pressure plate on its side facing the clamping jaw area, each of which is located opposite one of the support surfaces.

[0014] A particularly advantageous embodiment is one in which the clamping jaw area has at least one bearing surface located on the hinge block of the door-side leaf, and in which at least one of the pressure surfaces is located opposite this bearing surface. In this variant of the invention, the path of force flow from the hinge block runs directly to the opposite pressure surface of the hinge retainer and thus in a straight line into the area of ​​the door structure clamped there.

[0015] According to claim 7, the invention is also directed to a vehicle door with at least one door hinge according to the invention. It is provided that the at least one door hinge is associated with a door structural element of the vehicle door having a hinge mounting area, and that the hinge mounting area of ​​the door structural element is clamped between the door-side wing of the door hinge and the pressure plate. The door thus clamped is supported over a large area on the door hinge by means of the door-side wing and the pressure plate.According to an advantageous embodiment, the hinge mounting area is preferably provided with a first, outer contact surface and a second, inner contact surface, as well as a through-hole for a clamping bolt. The outer contact surface is designed to abut at least one bearing surface of the clamping jaw area of ​​the door-side leaf, and the inner contact surface is designed to abut at least one pressure surface of the pressure plate. The hinge mounting area of ​​the door structural element is thus clamped between the at least one bearing surface of the door-side leaf of the door hinge and the pressure plate by means of the clamping bolt.

[0016] It is particularly advantageous if the pressure plate has at least two pressure surfaces spaced apart longitudinally and located on either side of the connection point, which come into contact with the inner contact surface at the hinge mounting area of ​​the door structural element. Here, the leverage effect described above is used to reduce the local forces when supporting the moments acting on the hinge mounting from the open vehicle door.

[0017] A preferred variant of the vehicle door is one in which the hinge mounting area of ​​the door structure element is clamped by means of the clamping bolt between the clamping jaw area of ​​the door-side wing of the door hinge and the pressure plate, such that at least one of the pressure surfaces is located opposite the hinge block of the door-side wing. Here, too, as already described above in connection with the door hinge, a direct force flow from the hinge block of the door-side hinge wing into the door structure is achieved. Finally, the invention is also directed to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with at least one of the aforementioned vehicle doors according to the invention.

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the invention with additional design details and further advantages are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.

[0019] It shows:

[0020] Fig. 1 shows a simplified representation of a door hinge provided between a body structure and a vehicle door structure according to the invention.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows in simplified form a door hinge 1 with a body-side leaf 10 and a door-side leaf 11, which are pivotably connected to each other about a usually essentially vertical hinge axis Z by means of a joint G having a hinge pin 12.

[0022] The body-side wing 10 has a mounting plate section 13 which, as is known to those skilled in the art, is connected, for example by screwing, to a structural element 20 of the vehicle body 2, for example to an A-pillar of the vehicle body. A body-side hinge block 14 with a hinge eye 15 receiving the hinge pin 12 is connected to the mounting plate section 13.

[0023] The door-side sash 11 has a door-side hinge block 16 with a hinge eye 17, which is also designed to receive the hinge pin 12 and, in the example shown, has a square cross-section. A clamping jaw area 18 of the door-side sash 11 is connected to or integrally formed with the door-side hinge block 16. This clamping jaw area is part of a clamping fastening device 3 for a vehicle door 4 and forms a mounting plate section of the door-side sash 11.

[0024] The clamping jaw area 18 has three contact surfaces 19, 19', 19" on its side facing the vehicle door 4 for a hinge mounting area 41 of a door structural element 40 of the vehicle door 4, which is formed, for example, from a door panel. The hinge mounting area 41 of the door structural element 40 is provided on its side facing the door hinge 1 with an outer contact surface 42 and on its side facing away from the door hinge 1 with an inner contact surface 43 as well as with a through-opening 44 for a clamping bolt 32 of the clamping device 3.The outer contact surface 42 of the hinge mounting area 41 is designed to rest against at least one support surface 19, 19', 19" of the clamping jaw area 18 of the door-side leaf 11, and the inner contact surface 43 of the hinge mounting area 41 is designed to rest against at least one pressure surface 36, 36' of a hinge counter-holder 30 of the clamping mounting device 3 designed as a pressure plate 31.

[0025] The clamping device 3 comprises, in addition to the clamping jaw area 18 of the door-side leaf 11 of the door hinge 1 and the hinge retainer 30 arranged opposite the inner contact surface 43 of the door structural element 40, the clamping bolt 32 formed by a clamping screw 33. This clamping screw 33 is guided through a through-opening 18' in the clamping jaw area 18 of the door-side leaf 11 and screwed into a threaded bore 34 at a connection point 35 of the pressure plate 31, with the head 33' of the clamping screw bearing against an annular shoulder 18" surrounding the through-opening 18' in the clamping jaw area 18 of the door-side leaf 11. In this way, the pressure plate 31 can be clamped against the clamping jaw area 18 by means of the clamping screw 33, with the hinge mounting area 41 of the door structural element 40 between the clamping jaw area and the clamping jaw area 18. 18 and the pressure plate 31 is firmly clamped.

[0026] The three bearing surfaces 19, 19', 19" on the side of the clamping jaw area 18 facing the pressure plate 31 are arranged distributed along the longitudinal extent of the clamping jaw area 18, with a central bearing surface 19 surrounding the through-opening 18'. The two other bearing surfaces 19', 19" are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the clamping jaw area 18 (essentially parallel to the hinge axis Z) and are located on either side of the through-opening 18'. One of the bearing surfaces, bearing surface 19', is formed on the hinge block 16 of the door-side leaf 11.

[0027] The pressure plate 31 is also elongated and extends along the clamping jaw area 18 on both sides of the connection point 35. On its side facing the clamping jaw area 18, the pressure plate 31 has two pressure surfaces 36, 36' spaced apart longitudinally along the pressure plate 31. These surfaces are located at the opposite ends of the pressure plate 31 and are each opposite one of the two support surfaces 19', 19" provided at the respective end section of the clamping jaw area 18. One of the pressure surfaces, the upper pressure surface 36 in the figure, is located opposite the support surface 19' on the door-side hinge block 16.At this point, the torque caused by the weight of the vehicle door—a tensile force in an upper door hinge and a compressive force in a lower door hinge—is directly introduced into the hinge block 16 and from there, via the hinge pin 12 and the body-side hinge block 14, into the vehicle body 2. The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, which merely serves to generally illustrate the core concept of the invention. Within the scope of protection, the device according to the invention can also assume other embodiments than those described above. In particular, the device can have features that represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.

[0028] Reference numerals in the claims, description and drawings serve only to improve understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.

[0029] REFERENCE MARK LIST

[0030] 1 door hinge

[0031] 2 Vehicle body

[0032] 3 Clamping device

[0033] 4 vehicle doors

[0034] 10 body-side wing

[0035] 11 door-side wing

[0036] 12 hinge pin

[0037] 13 Mounting plate section

[0038] 14 body-side hinge block

[0039] 15 hinge eye

[0040] 16 door-side hinge block

[0041] 17 hinge eye

[0042] 18 clamping jaw area

[0043] 18' passageway

[0044] 18" shoulder

[0045] 19 contact surfaces

[0046] 19' contact area

[0047] 19" mounting surface

[0048] 20 structural element

[0049] 30 hinge stops

[0050] 31 Printing plate

[0051] 32 clamping bolts

[0052] 33 Tensioning screw

[0053] 33' Clamping screw head

[0054] 34 threaded holes

[0055] 35 liaison point

[0056] 36 printing area

[0057] 36' printing area 40 door structure element

[0058] 41 Hinge mounting area

[0059] 42 Contact area

[0060] 43 Contact area

[0061] 44 Passage opening

[0062] G joint

[0063] Z hinge axis

Claims

Patent claims 1. Door hinge for a vehicle door (4), comprising a door-side leaf (11) and a body-side leaf (10), which are pivotably connected to each other about a hinge axis (Z) via a joint (G) having a hinge pin (12), wherein each of the leaves (10, 11) has a hinge block (14, 16) with a hinge eye (15, 17) for receiving the hinge pin (12) and a mounting plate section (13, 18), characterized in that the door-side leaf (11) is provided with a clamping jaw area (18) facing the vehicle door (4) with at least one clamping jaw having a bearing surface (19, 19', 19") designed to abut the vehicle door (4) and has a through-opening (18') for receiving a clamping bolt (32) and that a pressure plate (31) opposite the clamping jaw area (18) is provided is which can be connected to the clamping bolt (32) at a connection point (35), wherein the clamping bolt (32) is designed,to clamp the pressure plate (31) against the clamping jaw area (18) in a tensioned state.

2. Door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping bolt (32) is formed by a clamping screw (33) which engages in a threaded bore (34) in the pressure plate (31), wherein the tensioning screw (33) is supported by a screw head (33') on the door-side wing (11 ).

3. Door hinge according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the door-side wing (11) is elongated and the clamping jaw area (18) extends on both sides of the through-opening (18') and / or that the pressure plate (31) is also elongated and extends on both sides of the connection point (25) and aligned along the clamping jaw area (18).

4. Door hinge according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping jaw area (18) has at least two support surfaces (19, 19', 19") spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the clamping jaw area (18), which are preferably located on both sides of the through opening (18').

5. Door hinge according to claim 4, characterized in that the pressure plate (31 ) has at least two pressure surfaces (36, 36') spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the pressure plate (31 ), each of which is located opposite one of the support surfaces (19', 19").

6. Door hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that, that the clamping jaw area (18) has at least one bearing surface (19') located on the hinge block (16) of the door-side leaf (11) and that at least one of the pressure surfaces (36) is located opposite this bearing surface (19').

7. Vehicle door with at least one door hinge according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one door hinge (1 ) is associated with a door structural element (40) of the vehicle door (4) having a hinge mounting area (41 ) and that the hinge mounting area (41 ) of the door structural element (40) is clamped between the door-side wing (11 ) of the door hinge (1 ) and the pressure plate (31 ).

8. Vehicle door according to claim 7, characterized in that the hinge mounting area (41 ) is provided with a first, outer contact surface (42) and a second, inner contact surface (43) as well as a passage opening (44) for a clamping bolt (32), wherein the outer contact surface (42) is designed to abut at least one bearing surface (19, 19', 19") of the clamping jaw area (18) of the door-side wing (11 ) and wherein the inner contact surface (43) is designed to abut at least one pressure surface (36, 36') of the pressure plate (31 ).

9. Vehicle door according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, that the pressure plate (31 ) has at least two pressure surfaces (36, 36') spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the pressure plate (31 ) and located on both sides of the connection point (35), which come into contact with the inner contact surface (43) on the hinge mounting area (41 ) of the door structure element (40).

10. Vehicle door according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the hinge mounting area (41 ) of the door structural element (40) is clamped by means of the clamping bolt (32) between the clamping jaw area (18) of the door-side wing (11 ) of the door hinge (1 ) and the pressure plate (31 ) such that at least one of the pressure surfaces (36) is located opposite a bearing surface (19') on the hinge block (16) of the door-side wing (11 ).

11. Vehicle, in particular motor vehicle, with at least one vehicle door (4) according to one of claims 7 to 10.

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