GB1597747A

GB1597747A - Door stay device

Info

Publication number: GB1597747A
Application number: GB20487/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ED Scharwachter GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: ED Scharwachter GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1977-06-20
Filing date: 1978-05-18
Publication date: 1981-09-09
Also published as: FR2395164A1; DE2727608C2; IT1096146B; DE2727608A1; FR2395164B1; IT7824701A0

Description

(54) DOOR STAY DEVICE (71) We, ED. SCHARWACHTER GMBH & CO. KG, a company organised under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany of Hohenhagener Strasse 26-28, 5630 Remscheid 1, Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a door stay device, particularly for a door of an automobile. Stay devices for the doors of automobiles are known but many of the existing types are expensive to make, unreliable and noisy in operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a door stay device for a vehicle door, especially an automobile door, which is at least no more expensive to manufacture than the known forms of door stay devices and which ensures that the vehicle door is freely movable through a predetermined opening angle without hindrance from the stay device but is braked and stopped in selected open positions by holding and stopping forces which begin to take effect very gently but then increase very sharply. Another object is to provide a stay device in which the pressures occurring between a stay bar connected to the door and braking members acting on the bar do not increase excessively in the region of detent zones and in which a long-term, noiseless operation is assured.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a door stay device for a vehicle door comprising a stay bar for pivotal attachment to one door assembly component, the stay bar having side surfaces, the width of which is greater than the thickness of the stay bar, the stay bar having portions of increased thickness forming detent zones, and a housing for mounting on the other door assembly component, the stay bar being movable relative to the housing, in which housing two braking members in the form of rotatable rollers are mounted opposite to each other and on opposite sides of the stay bar, such member being held stationary and the other being mounted on the spring loaded arm of a torsion bar spring fixed in the housing, the said arm of the torsion bar spring being guided for movement transversely of the plane of movement of the door stay bar, the braking members extending across the wide face of the stay bar and being held at a distance apart from each equal to the thickness of the stay bar by discs having a diameter exceeding that of the associated braking member by at least one half the thickness of the stay bar.

By forming the braking members as rollers which span the entire width of the stay bar, the bearing pressure between the thickened portions constituting the detent zones of the stay bar and the braking members do not become excessive in spite of very high braking or holding forces, and the device operates very quietly. However, the discs which keep the braking members apart at least by a distance equal to the thickness of the material of the door stay bar ensure that the regions of the bar situated between the braking members, with the result that the door swings quite freely when it is not required to be braked.

The door stay bar may be formed of two planar blanks in face to face contact. At least one, but preferably both, of the blanks has bulges which form the detents.

By adopting a flat stay bar arranged on edge parallel to the axis of the door hinges when in use, the device may be mounted in a space-saving manner in the components of the door assembly. As a result, where the distance from the door stay device to the hinge axis is very small, larger restraining moments can be attained than would be possible with a horizontally arranged stay bar oriented perpendicularly to the hinge axis. By mounting on the spring loaded arm of the torsion bar spring that one of the braking members which contacts the face of stay bar nearer to the hinges axis, the force applied to the stay bar in the region of the detents is initially applied extremely gently and increases very rapidly as the bar passes between the braking members.

Nevertheless, the device operates completely or substantially noiselessly even after long periods in operation.

The stay bar, which may consist of two flat blanks may be equipped only on one side with bulges forming the detents. In this case, the bulges are preferably disposed on the side of the stay bar remote from the door hinge axis. If a one-sided arrangement of the bulges does not permit adequate braking to be obtained, both sides of the stay bar may be provided with bulges, but those on the side facing towards the hinge axis may be less pronounced although, of course, they are aligned with the more pronounced bulges on the other side of the stay bar. The discs may be arranged to bear against the longitudinal edges of the stay bar and so guide the stay bar as it passes between the braking members. In order to enhance their guiding action, the discs may have inwardly inclined side faces which have a centering action on the stay bar.If both sides of the discs are inwardly inclined, so that in effect, the rim is chamfered at each side, all four discs may be identical thereby simplifying the assembly operation.

The discs are mounted in pairs, one on each side of the braking members on a common shaft in the housing. One of the two shafts is mounted immovably in the housing whereas the other, which may be formed by the spring-loaded limb of the torsion bar spring, is guided to move transv,ersely to the plane of the door stay bar. Of course, both shafts may be guided for movement. A gradual commencement and sharp increase of the forces applied to the stay bar may be promoted by making the diameter of the roller-shaped braking members at least twice as large as the height of the more pronounced bulges of the stay bar, these being the bulges on the side of the door stay bar facing away from the hinge axis.

The housing may consist of a cranked sheet metal blank and be of U-shape when viewed in plan. The housing may be adapted to be fixed at its open side to the component of the door assembly by holding lugs formed by cranked out ends of its flanges.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein; Figure 1 is a plan view of a door stay device embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, a door stay device comprises a stay bar 1, formed from a blank of flat material bent over at its midpoint so that the two halves 6, 7 of the blank abut each other face to face. An eye 8 is formed where the two blank halves meet and receives a hinge pin 4 to pivot the stay bar to a bearing block 2 fixed to one component 5 (either the door or its frame) of a door assembly. The two components are hinged together for movement about hinge axis 3. The two sections 6 and 7 are connected together at both ends of the stay bar 1 by weld points 9. The stay bar passes through slot 13 in a housing 12 fixed within the other component of the door assembly.

At the free end of the stay bar is formed a head 10 which has stop surfaces 11 wider than the slot 13 and for this reason forming an end stop for the stay bar in the housing 12.

As can be seen particularly from Figure 3, the two sections 6 and 7 are formed with aligned pairs of bulges 31, 14 and 32, 15. The bulges 31 and 32 of section 6 are markedly flatter and less pronounced than those 14 and 15 of the section 17. The two pairs of bulges form detents, each relating to a partially open position at which the door must be braked and restrained during movement between its fully open and its fully closed positions. In the housing a substantially G-shaped torsion bar spring 18 is fixed by one arm 19 in a side wall 20 of the housing 12. The shank 21 of the spring is mounted in the two side walls 20 and 22 of the housing 12. The arm 26 of the spring free to move under the torsion applied by the remainder of the spring in the direction transversely to the plane of movement of the bar 1.Journalled on the arm 26 of the spring is a braking member in the form of a roller 24 and a pair of discs 25, disposed one at each end of the roller. A second braking member, likewise in the form of a roller 24 and a pair of discs 25 are journalled on a stationary shaft 23 in the housing. Both rollers extend across the full width of the bar 1. The identical discs 25, abutting the ends of the rollers 24 and 27 each have a diameter greater than its associated roller and projects beyond it by one half the thickness of the door stay bar 1. Thus, the rollers are held apart by a distance at least equal to the thickness of the door stay bar 1.

This arrangement ensures that undeformed parts of the stay bar pass absolutely freely through the housing 12 of the device. The discs 25 have a further function namely that of guiding the door stay bar 1 as it passes through the housing 12. For this purpose, the discs 25, as can be seen particularly from Figure 1, have lateral surfaces 28 inclined symmetrically towards their central plane. The use of such symmetrically inclined lateral surfaces permits a substantial simplification of the assembling of the device embodying this invention, since during assembly there is no need for the operative to take note of a specific arrangement of the discs 25. The side surfaces of the discs 25 inclined towards their central plane cause a centering of the stay bar 1 as it passes through the housing 12.In Figure 3, it is also possible to see that the diameters of the rollers 24 and 27 are greater than twice the depth of the more pronounced bulges 14 and 15 and that the spring loaded arm 26 of the torsion bar spring 18 is guided inside the housing 12 in an aperture 29 oriented substantially perpendicularly to the plane of movement of the stay bar 1. From Figure 1 and 2, it is also possible to see that the housing 12 is formed from a U-shaped, cranked flat material blank and by means of mounting lugs 30 formed by end cranks 30 of its longitudinal sides 20/22 is fixed at its open side to the component 12.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A door stay device for a vehicle door, comprising a stay bar for pivotal attachment to one door assembly component, the stay bar having side surfaces, the width of which is greater than the thickness of the stay bar, the stay bar having portions of increased thickness forming detent zones, and a housing for mounting on the other door assembly component, the stay bar being movable relative to the housing, in which housing two braking members in the form of rotatable rollers are mounted opposite to each other and on opposite sides of the stay bar, one such member being held stationary and the other being mounted on the spring loaded arm of a torsion bar spring fixed in the housing, the said arm of the torsion bar spring being guided for movement transversely of the plane of movement of the door stay bar, the braking members extending across respective side surfaces of the stay bar and being held at a distance apart from each other at least equal to the thickness of the stay bar by discs having a diameter exceeding that of the associated braking member by at least one half the thickness of the stay bar.

2. A door stay device according to Claim 1, wherein the discs adjoin the end faces of the braking members and are freely rotatably relative thereto, the discs bearing against the longitudinal edges of the stay bar.

3. A door stay device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the discs are disposed at both ends of the braking members and at each side have lateral surfaces inclined towards their central planes.

4. A door stay device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stay bar is formed in known manner of two planar blanks or portions of one blank which are in face to face contact and provided on at least on one side surface with bulges constituting detent zones.

5. A door stay device according to Claim 4 wherein less pronounced bulges are disposed on the inner side surface of the stay bar opposite to the bulges of the stay bar which constitute detent zones.

6. A door stay device according to either of claims 4 and 5, wherein the braking member carried by the spring loaded arm of the torsion bar spring is associated with the blank or blank portions of the door stay bar which is on the inner side.

7. A door stay device according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the diameter of each braking member is at least twice as great as the height of the more pronounced bulges of the door stay bar.

8. A door stay device according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the housing consists of a cranked blank of metal sheet which is of U-shape in plan and is adapted to be fixed at its open side to the one door assembly component by means of mounting lugs formed by cranked-out ends of its lateral walls.

9. A door stay device according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the discs and the braking members associated with them are each journalled on a common axis in the housing.

10. A door stay device for a vehicle door comprising a door stay bar having side surfaces, the width of which is greater than its thickness, the stay bar being one component of a door assembly and a housing connectable to the other such component, the housing incorporating a pair of braking members between which the stay bar passes, at least one of the braking members being movable away from the other against a resilient bias, the braking members co-operating with at least one thickened portion of the stay bar to resist passage of the stay bar between the braking members when the stay bar occupies a predetermined position relative to the housing, each braking member being presented to a respective side surface of the bar and extending across the full width thereof, each braking member being

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. since during assembly there is no need for the operative to take note of a specific arrangement of the discs 25. The side surfaces of the discs 25 inclined towards their central plane cause a centering of the stay bar 1 as it passes through the housing 12. In Figure 3, it is also possible to see that the diameters of the rollers 24 and 27 are greater than twice the depth of the more pronounced bulges 14 and 15 and that the spring loaded arm 26 of the torsion bar spring 18 is guided inside the housing 12 in an aperture 29 oriented substantially perpendicularly to the plane of movement of the stay bar 1.From Figure 1 and 2, it is also possible to see that the housing 12 is formed from a U-shaped, cranked flat material blank and by means of mounting lugs 30 formed by end cranks 30 of its longitudinal sides 20/22 is fixed at its open side to the component 12. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A door stay device for a vehicle door, comprising a stay bar for pivotal attachment to one door assembly component, the stay bar having side surfaces, the width of which is greater than the thickness of the stay bar, the stay bar having portions of increased thickness forming detent zones, and a housing for mounting on the other door assembly component, the stay bar being movable relative to the housing, in which housing two braking members in the form of rotatable rollers are mounted opposite to each other and on opposite sides of the stay bar, one such member being held stationary and the other being mounted on the spring loaded arm of a torsion bar spring fixed in the housing, the said arm of the torsion bar spring being guided for movement transversely of the plane of movement of the door stay bar, the braking members extending across respective side surfaces of the stay bar and being held at a distance apart from each other at least equal to the thickness of the stay bar by discs having a diameter exceeding that of the associated braking member by at least one half the thickness of the stay bar.

associated at its ends with spacer members for ensuring that the gap between the braking members is not less than the thickness of the stay bar in its unthickened portions.

11. A door stay device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.