US3206186A

US3206186A - Door operator

Info

Publication number: US3206186A
Application number: US308477A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herman J Thomas
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1963-09-12
Filing date: 1963-09-12
Publication date: 1965-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 1982-09-14

Description

Se t. 14, 1965' r H. J. THOMAS 3,206,135

noon OPERATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Sept. 14, 1965 H. J. THOMAS 6 I noon OPERATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,206,186 DOOR OPERATOR Herman J. Thomas, Roseville, Mich, assignor to General Motors vCorpoi-ation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Fiied Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 303,477 (Claims. (Cl. 2683) This invention relates to door operators and more particularly to vehicle body door operators.

Generally, the door operator of this invention includes a foot pedal mounted on the vehicle body and operatively connected to a door for movement therewith between an inoperative retracted position flush with an interior wall of the body when the door is fully closed and an operative extended position projecting from the interior wall when the door is in an open position. The door operator is particularly adapted for use with door hinge assemblies including hold-open means for holding the door in open position since the door operator includes means for releasing the hold-open means upon initial movement of the foot pedal to close the door so as to free the door for movement to closed position. This facilitates closing of the door in many instances, such as when the vehicle is banked.

One feature of this invention is that it provides a new and improved door operator including a foot pedal swingably mounted on the body for movement between an inoperative retracted position flush with an interior body wall and an operative extended position projecting from the interior wall. Another feature of this invention is that the foot pedal is normally located in the retracted inoperative position and means are provided for moving the pedal from the inoperative to the operative extended position thereof in response to movement of the door from the closed to the open position thereof. A further feature of this invention is that means are provided responsive to initial movement of the foot pedal from the operative to the inoperative position thereof to release door hold-open means to permit unimpeded movement of the door from the open to the closed position thereof. Yet another feature of this invention is that means are provided for permitting initial movement of the foot pedal from the operative position thereof to a position intermediate the operative and inoperative positions thereof independently of movement of the vehicle door, thus to release the hold-open means prior to movement of the door, with further movement of the foot pedal from the intermediate to the inoperative position thereof moving the door from the opened to the closed positions thereof independently of any resistance from the hold-open means.

These and other features and advantages will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary partially broken away elevational view of a vehicle body including a door operator according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1, showing the door operator in a retracted inoperative position;

FIGURE 3 is a partially broken away sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the door operator in an operative extended position;

FIGURE 5 is a partially broken away sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 77 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, a vehicle body 10 includes an outer fender panel 12, an intermediate structural panel 14, an inner structural panel 16 terminating in an outwardly directed panel 18 secured to a flange of panel 14, and an inner cowl panel 20 secured to panel 16 and to an irregularly shaped hinge pillar panel 22 secured at a terminal flange thereof to a terminal flange of panel 18. An inner trim or kick panel 23 forms a decorative interior Wall of body 10.

As seen best in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, a generally U-shaped hinge box 24 includes a pair of spaced legs 26 and 28 having flanges 30 thereof bolted at 34 to panel 22 and to a reinforcing plate 32. A gooseneck hinge arm or strap 36 is pivotally secured to hinge box 24 by a hinge pintle 38 extending between legs 26 and 28. Arm 36 includes a mounting flange 40 bolted to a forward jamb face 42 of the vehicle door 44 so as to swingably mount the door on the body for movement about pintle 38 between a closed position, FIGURE 2, and a fully open position, FIGURE 4.

Door hold-open means are provided in the form of a detent lever 46 pivotally mounted at 48 on an oifset extension 59 of leg 28. A tension spring 52 extends between a flange of hinge box 24 and the free end of lever 46 to bias the lever into engagement with a roller 54 on arm 36 during movement of door 44 from the closed to the open position thereof. Either of a pair of cam notches 56a and 56b on lever 46 adapted to embrace roller 54 under the action of spring 52 to provide a two-stage hold-open for releasably holding door 44 against movement toward closed position. A vertical web 57 of hinge box 24 lies in the path of movement of arm 36 to provide a hinge check preventing movement of door 44 past fully open position. The hinge box 24, the arm 36, the hinge check 57 and the detent lever 46 are more fully described and shown in Griswald, Jr., et al. 3,080,602 issued March 12, 1963.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 5, a foot pedal mounting bracket 58 includes spaced upper and

lower legs

69 and 62 located respectively above and below hinge box 24 and provided with lateral flanges 64 secured by bolts 34 against flanges 30 of the hinge box and to hinge pillar 22. The legs 60 and 62 extend forwardly of the body through an aperture 68 in panel 22 and pivotally mount a generally U-shaped in section foot pedal 70. As seen best in FIGURE 7, the upper and lower legs of pedal 7 0 are received intermediate portions 66 and pivo ally mounted thereon by a pintle 72 secured to legs 60 and 62. The foot pedal extends through an aperture 69 of panel 29 and is movable about pintle 72 between a retracted inoperative position, as shown in FIGURE 2, when the door is in closed position, and an extended operative position, as shown in FIGURE 4, when the door is in open position wherein the foot pedal projects inwardly of the body through an aperture 82 of trim panel 23. An 0&- set connecting member 74 is pivotally secured at 76 to the foot pedal and secured to arm 36 by a pin 78 received within a slot 8%). Member 74 interconnects the door 44 and the foot pedal for movement of the pedal between its inoperative retracted position and its operative extended position upon movement of the door.

When the foot pedal is in the inoperative position, the foot pad 83 thereof lies flush with trim panel 23 and closes a portion of aperture 82. A cover 84 for closing the remainder of the aperture 32 is pivotally mounted at 88 on a bracket 86 secured to the foot pedal. A torsion spring 92 has the upper and lower ends thereof secured to bracket 86 and an intermediate portion thereof engaging bracket 98 of the cover to bias the cover 84 counterclockwise about pivot 88. Rollers 100 on the rearward edge of the cover engage an oifset edge portion 102 of trim panel 23 to locate cover 84 flush with the trim panel in the inoperative position of the foot pedal, and are adapted to roll along the trim panel under the action of spring 92 upon movement of the foot pedal to its operative position of FIGURE 4.

Assume now that door 44 has been moved to fully open position to move foot pedal 70 to its operative position of FIGURE 4. To close the door, the operator places his foot on the foot pad 83 of the foot pedal and depresses the foot pedal to shift connecting member 74 inwardly and pull the door closed after the edge 81 of slot 80 engages pin 78. In order to obviate the need for extraordinary exertion by the operator to overcome the hold-open means as well as door inertia, additional means are provided for releasing detent lever 46 from roller 54 of arm 36 prior to the engagement of pin 78 with edge 81 of slot 80.

As shown best in FIGURES 4 and 8, a cam extension 104 of detent lever 46 includes a cam notch 106 therein adapted to receive a cam roller 108 on the free end of a cam follower lever 110 which is pivoted at its other end, FIGURE 7, on pintle 72 intermediate a shoulder on the pintle and the lower leg 62 of mounting bracket 58. An upstanding pickup tab 112 on lever 110 is located for engagement with a depending pickup tab 114 on the lower leg of foot pedal 76, and a torsion spring 116 on 'pintle 72 has one end thereof hooked over a base wall 118 of the bracket 58 and the other end thereof bearing against roller 108 to constantly urge the lever 110 counterclockwise so that the pickup tabs 112 and 114 are normally engaged.

Assuming now that foot pedal 79 is in the operative position wherein cam roller 1&8 is located in notch 1416, initial depression of the foot pedal causes the engaged tabs 112 and 114 to rotate lever 119 clockwise such that roller 108 cams along the edge of notch 1616 and rotates lever 46 clockwise against the action of spring 52 to move the lever to a released position out of engagement with roller 54, shown in broken lines in FIGURE 8. This sequence occurs prior to the engagement of edge 81 of a slot 80 with pin 78 after initial movement of the foot pedal to an intermediate position. Door 44 is thus released for free movement in response to further depression of the foot pedal from the intermediate position thereof. During such movement, cam roller 108 progresses out of notch 106 and along a cam surface 123 on extension 1414 until the foot pedal reaches the inoperative position, whereupon roller 108 has moved free of the extension to allow spring 52 to return lever 46 to its normal holding position.

When door 44 and foot pedal 79 are again moved to the position of FIGURE 4, pickup tabs 112 and 114 disengage to initially free lever 11b for counterclockwise rotation by spring 116 so that roller 108 engages and cams along an outer cam surface 122 on extension 104 and thence successively along surface 120 into cam notch 106 The described sequence of operation to release the hold-open and close the door is thus again ready to be performed.

Thus a new and improved door operator is provided.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasably holding said closure in the open position thereof, the combination comprising, operating means mounted on said body for movement between operative and inoperative positions, means conmeeting said operating means and said closure for movement of said operating means from the inoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to the open position thereof, and means connecting said operating means and said hold-open means to release said hold-open means upon initial movement of said operating means from the operative to the inoperative position thereof, subsequent movement of said operating means to the inoperative position thereof moving said closure from the open to the closed position thereof, free of resistance from said hold-open means.

2. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasably holding said closure in the open position thereof, the combination comprising, an operating member mounted on said body for movement between operative and inoperative positions, means connecting said operating member and said closure for movement of said operating member from the inoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to the open position thereof, and means on said hold-open means and said operating member operable upon initial movement of said operating member from the operative to the inoperative position thereof to release said hold-open means, subsequent movement of said operating member to the inoperative position thereof moving said closure from the open to the closed position thereof free of resistance from said holdopen means,

3. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasably holding the closure in the open position thereof, the combination comprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movement between an inoperative retracted position wherein said pedal lies flush with a wall of said body and an operative extended position wherein said pedal projects from said wall, means connecting said pedal and said closure for movement of said pedal from the inoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to the open position thereof, cooperative means on said hold-open means and said pedal engageable upon movement of said pedal from the operative position thereof to a position intermediate said operative and inoperative positions thereof to release said hold-open means, movement of said pedal from the intermediate to the inoperative position thereof moving said closure from the open to the closed position thereof free of resistance from said hold-open means.

4. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasably holding the closure in the open position thereof, the combination comprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movement between an inoperative retracted position wherein said pedal lies flush with a wall of said body and an operative extended position wherein said pedal projects from said wall, means connecting said pedal and said closure for movement of said pedal from said inoperative to said operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to the open position thereof, said connecting means including lost motion means permitting movement of said pedal from the operative position thereof to a position intermediate said operative and inoperative positions thereof independently of movement of said closure, and cooperative means on said hold-open means and said pedal engageable upon said movement of said pedal from the operative to the intermediate position thereof to release said hold-open means, movement of said pedal from the intermediate to the inoperative position thereof moving said closure from the open to the closed position thereof free of resistance from said hold-open means.

5. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movement between open and closed positions and a hold-down member movable between a holding position to releasably hold said closure in the open position thereof and a released position permitting movement of said closure, the combination comprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movement between operative and inoperative positions, a member connecting said pedal and said closure for movement of said pedal from the inoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to the open position thereof, 10st motion means on said closnre and said connecting member permitting movement of said pedal and said connecting member from the operative position thereof to a position intermediate said operative and inoperative positions thereof independently of movement of said closure, a cam member movably mounted on said body and engageable With said hold-open member, and means on said foot pedal and said eam member engageable upon movement of said pedal from the operative to the intermediate position thereof to move said cam member to engage and cam said hold-open member from the holding to the released References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,157,128 10/15 Sodt 268--3 1,969,767 8/ 34 Steele 2683 2,610,084 9/52 Anderson 268-3 X 3,080,602 3/63 Griswald et al 16146 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

iwan-aimwswsismsmmmsawasmmmzmu(mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N00 3,206,186 September 14, 1965 Herman J n Thomas It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2,

line 32, for "lever 46 adapted" read lever 46 line 52, for "and said closure" are adapted column 4, read with said closure line 69, for "hold-down read hold-open Signed and sealed this 19th day of April 1966.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. IN A VEHICLE BODY HAVING A CLOSURE MOUNTED THEREON FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS AND HOLD-OPEN MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID CLOSURE IN THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, OPERATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, MEANS CONNECTING SAID OPERATING MEANS AND SAID CLOSURE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERAING MEANS FROM THE INOPERATIVE TO THE OPERATIVE PSOITION THEREOF UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE FROM THE CLOSED TO THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID OPERATING MEANS AND SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS TO RELEASE SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS UPON INITIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING MEANS FROM THE OPERATIVE TO THE INOPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF, SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING MEANS TO THE INOPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF MOVING SAID CLOSURE FROM THE OPEN TO THE CLOSED PSOTIOIN THEREOF, FREE OF RESISTANCE FROM SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS.