Hinge Assembly Actuator Mounting Offset Drive
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The limited angle of a motor vehicle door restricts access for mounting a powered actuator, making it difficult to align and mount the actuator to the hinge assembly effectively.
Innovation Solution
A new hinge assembly design featuring a hinge bracket with axially aligned receivers, an actuator with an offset drive, and a retention feature that secures the actuator to the door, allowing for easier alignment and mounting of the actuator to the hinge assembly, even in tight spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the door is designed with limited opening angle for structural integrity, then the door maintains proper alignment and sealing, but access to the hinge assembly for mounting actuators becomes restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge bracket is pre-configured with receivers positioned and oriented to accommodate actuator mounting before the door is fully assembled. This preliminary arrangement of mounting features allows actuators to be installed with the door in a limited open position, eliminating the need for large door openings during the mounting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge bracket serves as an intermediary component that provides mounting receivers as an intermediate interface between the door hinge assembly and the actuator. This intermediary structure enables actuator attachment without requiring direct access to the door edge or hinge pin area, thus working within the limited door opening angle constraint.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hinge bracket is designed with receivers for actuator mounting, then actuator installation is enabled, but the complexity of the hinge assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge bracket is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides the hinge pivot function, supports the door weight, and incorporates receivers that enable actuator mounting. By integrating these functions into a single component, the design adds actuator mounting capability without proportionally increasing overall assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting receivers are merged into the hinge bracket structure itself, combining the hinge support function with the actuator mounting function in one integrated component. This merging eliminates the need for separate mounting brackets or additional structural elements, thus adding versatility while minimizing complexity increase.
3Ease of operation
If the actuator is positioned offset from the hinge pin, then mounting access is improved, but the mechanical linkage complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The offset drive feature acts as an intermediary mechanical element that transfers rotational motion from the actuator (positioned at the accessible offset location) to the hinge pin (at the pivot axis). This intermediary mechanism enables the actuator to be mounted in an accessible position while still providing the necessary mechanical linkage to the hinge pin without requiring direct alignment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and simplified mounting of the actuator to a pre-hung door, allowing for easier installation and operation within the confined space between the door and the vehicle frame, while maintaining structural integrity and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a retention feature resiliently connecting the output shaft to the hinge bracket
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge assembly for mounting a door to a frame of a motor vehicle includes (a) a hinge bracket, having a first receiver and a second receiver, (b) a hinge pin pivotally connecting the door to the hinge bracket at the first receiver, (c) an actuator, having an output shaft, (d) a retention feature, connecting the output shaft to the hinge bracket at the second receiver, and (e) an actuator mounting feature securing the actuator to the door. A method of assembling an actuator in a hinge assembly that mounts a door to a frame of a motor vehicle is also provided.