Vehicle Door Hinge with Parallel Axis Pulleys
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinge devices for vehicle doors often require disassembly to adjust belt tension, leading to inefficiencies and labor-intensive maintenance, and struggle to maintain parallel orientation during opening and closing, potentially causing accidents due to protruding edges.
Innovation Solution
A hinge device with an angled arm design featuring concentric pulleys and a linking mechanism with diverting elements and a central diverting element, allowing for adjustable tension and maintaining door parallelism through a unique path configuration that includes crossings and different heights, facilitating easy assembly and preventing edge incline.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the link and timing belt are bent into an L shape to prevent interference with the inner surface, then the open angle can be increased, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is divided into two separate arms (first arm and second arm) that can rotate independently around parallel axes. This segmentation allows each arm to move freely without interfering with the vehicle body inner surface, enabling a larger open angle while maintaining a simpler overall structure compared to a single bent L-shaped link.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge device transitions from a planar L-shaped configuration to a three-dimensional arrangement with two arms rotating around parallel axes. This dimensional change allows the timing belt to wrap around pulleys in a spatial path that avoids interference with the vehicle body, achieving both increased open angle and reduced complexity.
2Ease of operation
If existing hinge devices are used, then the door can open and close, but the door may not remain parallel causing protruding edges that can cause accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The two arms are designed to rotate around parallel axes at equal distances from the door hinge line. This symmetric configuration ensures that the door remains in a parallel position throughout the opening and closing motion, keeping all edges at the same height and eliminating protruding edges that could cause accidents.
Solution Approach 2:
The timing belt is routed asymmetrically around the pulleys, with different wrap angles on each side. This asymmetric routing, combined with the parallel arm rotation, maintains the parallel orientation of the door while accommodating the mechanical constraints of the hinge system.
3Reliability
If the hinge device uses a complex linking mechanism to maintain parallel orientation, then door safety is improved, but maintenance complexity increases due to belt tension adjustment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The timing belt is designed to be externally accessible and adjustable without disassembling the hinge mechanism. The belt tension can be modified by simple external adjustments, allowing maintenance personnel to service the device without complex disassembly procedures, thus reducing maintenance complexity while preserving the reliable parallel orientation function.
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
The solution ensures the door remains parallel during operation, reduces maintenance complexity by allowing tension adjustment without disassembly, and minimizes space usage while preventing accidents by maintaining edge alignment.
Implementation Method 1
attached in a pivotable way, around parallel rotation axes, to respective mounting bodies
Implementation Method 2
Each mounting body comprises, coinciding with each associated end of the arm, a concentric pulley body with a respective rotation axis
Data Source
AI summary
The hinge device performs the opening and closing of a door of a vehicle without the door changing orientation. The device has an L-shaped arm provided with two ends attached in a pivotable way, around parallel rotation axes, to respective mounting bodies, one being fixable to the door and the other to the frame of the vehicle. Each body has a concentric pulley body with the respective rotation axis and fixed to a respective mounting body. The device further has a linking mechanism that extends along the arm and has a path formed by a first segment and a second segment that cross at least once.