초록 ▼

A motion assist hinge mechanism includes a first and second hinge part mounted to the tailgate and vehicle body, respectively. The first hinge part includes a first cam having a sloped engagement surface engaged with a sloped engagement surface of a second cam of the second hinge part, under the bia

A motion assist hinge mechanism includes a first and second hinge part mounted to the tailgate and vehicle body, respectively. The first hinge part includes a first cam having a sloped engagement surface engaged with a sloped engagement surface of a second cam of the second hinge part, under the bias of a resilient member, for moving axially along a pivot axis. The second cam is fixed to the vehicle body against pivotal movement relative to the pivot axis. When the tailgate is moved from a lowered, open position towards a raised, closed position, the resilient member translates a torque assisting force to the tailgate. The surface of the second cam may also include a detent that mates with the surface of the first cam to lock the tailgate at an angle.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle comprising: a body having an opening; a closure member for closing the opening, the closure member being pivotally mounted to the body at the opening for movement about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a raised position and a lowered position; a pair of hin

What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle comprising: a body having an opening; a closure member for closing the opening, the closure member being pivotally mounted to the body at the opening for movement about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a raised position and a lowered position; a pair of hinge mechanisms on opposing sides of the closure member, the hinge mechanisms pivotally mounting the closure member for the movement about the pivot axis and permitting removal of the closure member from the body; wherein at least one of the pair of hinge mechanisms comprises: a housing fixedly connected to one of the body and the closure member and a connection part fixedly connected to the other of the body and the closure member; a first cam and a second cam, the first and second cams each having a sloped engagement surface; the first and second cams being provided within the housing along the pivot axis, with the first cam being mounted for enabling relative pivotal movement between the first cam and the housing and the second cam being fixed against pivotal movement relative to the housing; the first cam and the connection part being removably connectable together to permit the removal of the closure member from the vehicle; a resilient member provided within the housing and associated with the second cam, the second cam being movable axially along the pivot axis within the housing and the resilient member biasing the second cam towards the first cam; the sloped engagement surfaces of the first and second cams being engaged with one another under the biasing of the resilient member and configured such that relative pivotal movement between the first cam and the housing as the closure member is moved in an opening direction towards the lowered position axially displaces the second cam along the pivot axis within the housing to stress the resilient member, so that the biasing of the resilient member is translated into a force applied to the closure member in a closing direction towards the raised position. 2. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a torque rod working in cooperation with the hinge mechanism, wherein the torque rod is rotated along the pivot axis. 3. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a detent in the sloped engagement surface of the second cam, wherein rotation of the closure member causes the sloped engagement surface of the first cam to mate and lock within the detent and maintain the closure member at an angled position with respect to the body. 4. A vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the cams are locked at the angled position until a force sufficient enough to cause the sloped engagement surface to disengage from the detent is applied. 5. A vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the cams are locked at the angled position with respect to the body that is equal to or less than approximately 80 degrees. 6. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the closure member is rotated from the raised position to the lowered position, the resilient member is stressed by compression. 7. A vehicle according to claim 6, wherein when the closure member is rotated from a lowered position to the raised position, the resilient member is decompressed and provides torque to assist in the rotation of the closure member. 8. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted within the body. 9. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted within the closure member. 10. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the closure member is a tailgate. 11. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first cam comprises an attachment part, and wherein the connection part comprises an extended post for extending into the housing and attaching to the attachment part of the first cam. 12. A vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the housing further comprises a notch open radially and axially for the extended post to extend axially into the attachment part of the first cam and to be inserted and removed therethrough in a radial direction with respect to the pivot axis. 13. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a shaft configured to hold each of the sloped engagement surfaces of the first and the second cams in engagement with each other along the pivot axis, the shaft and the first cam connected together within the housing. 14. A vehicle comprising: a body having a bed with an opening; a tailgate for closing the opening, the tailgate being pivotally mounted to the body at the opening for movement about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a raised closed position extending generally vertically and a lowered open position extending generally horizontally; a pair of hinge mechanisms on opposing sides of the tailgate, the hinge mechanisms pivotally mounting the tailgate for the movement about the pivot axis and permitting removal of the tailgate from the body; wherein at least one of the pair of hinge mechanisms comprises: a housing fixedly connected to one of the body and the closure member and a connection part fixedly connected to the other of the body and the closure member; a first and a second lock member, the first and second lock members being provided within the housing along the pivot axis, with the first lock member being mounted for enabling relative pivotal movement between the first lock member and the housing and the second lock member being fixed against pivotal movement relative to the housing; the first lock member and the connection part being removably connectable together to permit the removal of the tailgate from the vehicle; a resilient member provided within the housing and associated with the second lock member, the second lock member being movable axially along the pivot axis and the resilient member biasing the one second lock member towards the first cam; the first and second lock members including cooperating engagement portions configured to engage with one another under the biasing of the resilient member when the tailgate is in the open position, at least one of the cooperating engagement portions being contoured such that a predetermined force in the closing direction is required to cause relative pivotal movement between the first lock member and the housing to axially displace the second lock member against the biasing of the resilient member to permit disengagement of the cooperating engagement portions. 15. A vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a torque rod working in cooperation with the assembly mounted to the vehicle tailgate wherein the torque rod is rotated along the pivotal axis. 16. A vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a detent in one of the cooperating engagement surfaces of the first and second lock members, wherein rotation of the tailgate causes the cooperating engagement surface of the other of the first and second lock members to engage and lock within the detent and maintain the closure at an angled position with respect to the body. 17. A vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the lock members are locked at the angled position until a force sufficient enough to cause the cooperating engagement surface of the other to disengage from the detent is applied. 18. A vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the first and second lock members are locked at the angled position with respect to the body that is equal to or less than approximately 80 degrees. 19. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein when the tailgate is rotated from the raised closed position to the lowered open position, the resilient member is stressed by compression. 20. A vehicle according to claim 19, wherein when the tailgate is rotated from a lowered open position to the raised closed position, the resilient member is decompressed and provides torque to assist in the rotation of the tailgate. 21. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the housing is mounted within the body. 22. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the housing is mounted within the tailgate. 23. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the first lock member comprises an attachment part, and wherein the connection part comprises an extended post for extending into the housing and attaching to the attachment part of the first lock member. 24. A vehicle according to claim 23, wherein the housing further comprises a notch open radially and axially for the extended post to extend axially into the attachment part of the first cam and to be inserted and removed therethrough in a radial direction with respect to the pivot axis. 25. A vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a shaft configured to hold each of the sloped engagement surfaces of the first and the second cams in engagement with each other along the pivot axis, the shaft and the first cam connected together within the housing. 26. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate, comprising: a housing constructed to fixedly connect the hinge mechanism to one of a vehicle tailgate and a vehicle body; a connection part constructed to be fixedly connected to the other of the vehicle tailgate and the vehicle body; a first cam provided within the housing and having a sloped engagement surface; a second cam provided within the housing and having a sloped engagement surface to cooperate and mate with the sloped engagement surface of the first cam; the first and second cams being provided within the housing along a pivot axis, with the first cam being mounted for enabling relative pivotal movement between the first cam and the housing and the second cam being fixed within the housing against pivotal movement relative to the housing; the first cam and the connection part being removably connectable together to permit the vehicle tailgate to be installed on or removed from the vehicle body; a resilient member provided within the housing, the second cam being movable axially along the pivot axis within the housing and the resilient member being arranged to bias the second cam axially along the pivot axis to mate with the first cam when the hinge assembly is installed, and wherein the sloped engagement surface of the first and second cam members are configured such that, upon rotation of the tailgate when the hinge mechanism is installed, the sloped engagement surface of the first cam rotates about the pivotal axis relative to the sloped engagement surface of the second cam to axially displace the second cam against the bias of the resilient member, thus providing a torque for assisting in the rotation of the tailgate. 27. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate according to claim 26, further comprising a torque rod working in cooperation with the assembly mounted to the vehicle tailgate wherein the torque rod is rotated along the pivotal axis. 28. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate according to claim 26, further comprising a detent in the sloped engagement surface of the second cam, wherein rotation of the tailgate causes the sloped engagement surface of the first cam to mate and lock within the detent to maintain the tailgate at an angled position with respect to the vehicle body. 29. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate according to claim 28, wherein the cams are locked at the angled position until a force sufficient enough to cause the sloped engagement surface to disengage from the detent is applied. 30. A hinge mechanism according to claim 28, wherein the cams are locked at the angled position with respect to the vehicle body that is equal to or less than approximately 80 degrees. 31. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate according to claim 26, wherein when the tailgate is rotated from a closed position to an open position, the biasing member is stressed by compression. 32. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate according to claim 26, wherein when the tailgate is rotated from an open position to a closed position, the biasing member is decompressed thus providing torque to assist in the rotation of the tailgate. 33. A hinge mechanism according to claim 26, wherein the first cam comprises an attachment part, and wherein the connection part comprises an extended post for extending into the housing and attaching to the attachment part of the first cam. 34. A hinge mechanism according to claim 26, wherein the housing further comprises a notch open radially and axially for the extended post to extend axially into the attachment part of the first cam and to be inserted and removed therethrough in a radial direction with respect to the pivot axis. 35. A hinge mechanism according to claim 26, further comprising a shaft configured to hold each of the sloped engagement surfaces of the first and the second cams in engagement with each other along the pivot axis, the shaft and the first cam connected together within the housing. 36. A hinge mechanism for a vehicle tailgate, comprising: a housing constructed to fixedly connect the hinge mechanism to one of a vehicle tailgate and a vehicle body; a connection part constructed to be fixedly connected to the other of the vehicle tailgate and the vehicle body; a first lock member provided within the housing; a second lock member provided within the housing; the first and second lock members being provided within the housing along a pivot axis, with the first lock member being mounted for enabling relative pivotal movement between the first lock member and the housing and the second lock member being fixed within the housing against pivotal movement relative to the housing; the first lock member and the connection part being removably connectable together to permit the vehicle tailgate to be installed on or removed from the vehicle body; a resilient member provided within the housing and associated with the second lock member to bias the second lock member towards the first lock member along the pivot axis when the hinge assembly is installed, the second lock member being movable axially along the pivot axis, and wherein the first and second lock members include cooperating engagement portions configured to engage with one another under the biasing of the resilient member in a first position when the hinge mechanism is installed, at least one of the cooperating engagement portions being contoured such that a predetermined force in a second direction is required to cause relative pivotal movement between the first lock member and the housing to axially displace the second lock member against the biasing of the resilient member to permit disengagement of the cooperating engagement portions, thus providing a torque to assist in rotating the tailgate. 37. A hinge mechanism according to claim 36, further comprising a detent in one of the cooperating engagement surfaces of the first and second lock members, wherein rotation about the pivotal axis causes the cooperating engagement surface of the other of the first and second lock members to engage and lock within the detent. 38. A hinge mechanism according to claim 37, wherein the first and second lock members are locked at the angled position with respect to the vehicle body that is equal to or less than approximately 80 degrees. 39. A hinge mechanism according to claim 36, wherein the resilient member is stressed by compression when the first and second lock members are rotated about the pivotal axis from the second position to the first position. 40. A hinge mechanism according to claim 39, wherein the resilient member is decompressed when the first and second lock members are rotated about the pivotal axis from the first position to the second position, and wherein the resilient member provides torque to assist in the rotation of the tailgate. 41. A hinge mechanism according to claim 36, wherein the first lock member comprises an attachment part, and wherein the connection part comprises an extended post for extending into the housing and attaching to the attachment part of the first lock member. 42. A hinge mechanism according to claim 41, wherein the housing further comprises a notch open radially and axially for the extended post to extend axially into the attachment part of the first cam and to be inserted and removed therethrough in a radial direction with respect to the pivot axis. 43. A hinge mechanism according to claim 36, further comprising a shaft configured to hold each of the sloped engagement surfaces of the first and the second cams in engagement with each other along the pivot axis, the shaft and the first cam connected together within the housing.