JPH045383A - Tail gate hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent vibration of a tail gate by fixing a hinge male in an elliptic shaft shape to both ends of the tail gate or to a part of a gate support of a load carrying space and fixing a hinge female in an elliptic cylindrical shape which is broadened toward an end to the other part. CONSTITUTION:A hinge female 14 is fixed to a lower part of both sides of a tail gate 11 via an installing board 13, and a hinge male 18 is fixed to a gate support 17 of a load carrying space 10 via an installing board 16 to form a hinge 12. The hinge male 18 is molded in a tapered shaft with an elliptic cross-section and is rotatably fitted into the hinge female 14 which is in a cylindrical shape broadened toward an end. When the tail gate 11 moves from a tilting position to a closing position, a peripheral surface of a shorter diameter of the hinge male 14 is in sliding contact with a peripheral surface of a longer diameter of the hinge male 18 to hold the tail gate 11 in a widthwise direction, Thus vibration of the tail gate 11 can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a hinge device for a tailgate that is removable from a vehicle loading platform.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as a hinge device of this type, a hinge mail with an oval cross section is attached to one of both ends of a tailgate and a gate support portion of a loading platform opposite thereto, and a hinge mail is attached to the other end of the tailgate. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 17282/1982 discloses a removable gate hinge device for a loading platform in a truck, which has a bottomed cylindrical hinge female fixed thereto so as to be relatively rotatable therein.

This hinge device has a raised portion on the bottom of the hinge female that slides into contact with the tip surface of the hinge mail when the tailgate is in the closed position, and separates from the tip surface of the hinge mail when the tailgate is in the inclined position. This prevents the gate from wobbling or shifting from side to side when the gate is closed, and allows play when the gate is tilted.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned conventional gate hinge device, since the raised part provided at the bottom of the hinge female has a complicated shape, the hinge female has a metal bottomed cylindrical body on the outer periphery. and a hard synthetic resin layer fixed to its inner surface, which together form a cylindrical part and a bottom part. Therefore, the gate hinge device has a relatively large number of component parts, which increases the cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tailgate hinge device which uses relatively expensive components to prevent rattling of the tailgate when in the closed position.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a structure in which either the ends of the tailgate or the gate support portion of the loading platform facing them has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and is tapered. A shaft-shaped hinge mail formed on the other side is fixed, and a cylindrical hinge female rotatably fitted to the hinge mail and having an elliptical cross-sectional shape and widening toward the end is fixed on the other side, The hinge female or the hinge mail can be removed from the hinge female or the hinge female only when the tailgate is located at a specific inclined position with respect to the cargo platform on a part of the periphery of the hinge female. A hinge device for a tailgate is provided with a notch as shown in FIG. Centering the tailgate in the vehicle width direction and fixing it to the gate support part while guiding or without the short diameter circumference of the hinge female guiding the long diameter circumference of the hinge female, and fixing the tailgate to the gate support part. When moving from the closed position to the tilted position, the circumferential surface of the short axis of the hinge female is separated from the circumferential surface of the long axis of the hinge female, or from the circumferential surface of the long axis of the hinge female or the circumferential surface of the short axis of the hinge female. It is designed to be released.

[Function] When the tailgate moves from the inclined position to the closed position, the tailgate is moved to the circumferential surface of the major axis of the hinge mail or to the aspect of the minor axis of the hinge female, or to the circumferential surface of the minor axis of the hinge female or the major axis of the hinge male. By slidingly contacting the circumferential surface, the tailgate is centered and firmly fixed to the gate support. Also, when the tailgate moves from the closed position to the tilted position, the minor axis of the hinge female changes from the major axis of the hinge female, or the long axis of the hinge female changes from the minor axis of the hinge female to the minor axis of the hinge female. The tailgate rotates smoothly as it moves away from the surface.

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the tailgate 1 of this example
1 is provided at the rear end of a truck bed 10. The portion surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 5 shows the installation location of the left and right hinge devices 12 of the tailgate 11.

Hereinafter, the left hinge device 12 of the tailgate 11 will be described as a representative, and the description of the right hinge device configured symmetrically thereto will be omitted.

The hinge device 12 of the tailgate 11 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in detail in the figure, a hinge female 14 protrudes from the bottom of both side surfaces of the tailgate 11 in the vehicle width direction and is fixed via an abbreviated mounting plate 13, and a flat mounting plate 1.
Loading platform 10 facing hinge female 14 via 6
The hinge mail 18 protrudes from the inner surface of the gate support portion 17 in the vehicle width direction and is fixed thereto. The mounting plate 13 is fixed to the tailgate 11 with bolts 13a, and the mounting plate 16 is fixed to the gate support portion 17 with bolts 16a.

The hinge mail 18 has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and is tapered, that is, it is formed by forging or casting into a substantially trapezoidal vertical cross-sectional shape with a long base 18a and a short top 18b. Also,
The hinge mail 18 is fixed at a position where the major axis direction of the ellipse is inclined toward the rear of the loading platform 10 by an angle α from the vertical line (
Figures 2 and 3).

The hinge female 14 is rotatably fitted into the hinge mail 18, and has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and widens at the end, that is, the vertical cross-sectional shape is approximately U, with the bottom 14a being short and the opening 14b being long.
It is formed into a cylindrical shape by forging or casting. In addition, the hinge female 14 has the tailgate 11 in the closed position (
When the tailgate 11) is in the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 2, the minor axis of the ellipse is at an angle α from the vertical line.
(FIGS. 2 and 3). Furthermore, with the tailgate 11 in the closed position,
A notch 14c whose width is slightly larger than the short axis of the hinge female 18 is formed in the lower right cylindrical portion of the hinge female 14, extending from the opening 14b of the hinge female 14 to the bottom 14a.

Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, when the tailgate 11 is in the closed position, the hinge mail 18
b forms a slight gap t with respect to the bottom 14a of the hinge female 14, so that the ridge line of the major axis coincides with the ridge line of the minor axis of the hinge female 14. The hinge mail of the hinge device on the right side (not shown) is similarly configured, and when the tailgate 11 is in the closed position, its top forms a slight gap t with the bottom of the hinge female, and its major axis is The ridge line matches the ridge line of the short axis of the hinge female. Therefore, when the tailgate 11 is in the closed position, the tailgate 11 is arranged at a position symmetrical to the center of the cargo platform 10 in the vehicle width direction.

Furthermore, the gate locking device (not shown) includes a lock pin and an engagement hole, the lock pins being provided at the top of both sides of the tailgate, and the engagement holes being provided at the top of the left and right gate supports to engage the lock pins. .

Next, the operation of the tailgate hinge device having the above configuration will be explained as follows.
This will be explained based on FIGS.

First, as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG.
When the tailgate moves from the inclined position to the closed position, the short diameter circumferential surface of the hinge female 14 is guided by the long diameter circumferential surface of the hinge mail 18 to center the tailgate 11 in the vehicle width direction.

That is, when the long diameter circumferential surface of the hinge female 14 slides into contact with the short diameter circumferential surface of the hinge female 18, the tailgate 11 is held in a fixed position at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the wobbling in the vehicle width direction is prevented. fixed without arising. In this state, the lock pin of the gate lock device (not shown) can be smoothly engaged with the engagement hole, and once engaged once, the lock pin will not come off from the engagement hole. Furthermore, the tailgate 11 is prevented from vibrating inside the gate support part 17 while driving.

Next, as shown by the solid line arrow in Figure 2, the tail game) 11
When moved from the closed position to the inclined position, the short diameter circumferential surface of the hinge female 14 is released from the long diameter circumferential surface of the hinge mail 18, so that the sum of the left and right gaps t (Fig. 3) is 2t. Looseness occurs in the vehicle width direction, and the tailgate 11 rotates smoothly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the tailgate 11 is placed in a position tilted toward the rear of the loading platform 10 by an angle α, and the tailgate 11 is lifted in the direction of the solid arrow, the cutout provided on the hinge female 14 Due to the notch 14a, the hinge female 14 separates from the hinge mail 18, and the tailgate 11 comes off the truck. Also, attach the hinge female 14 of the removed tailgate 11 to the gate support part 17.
The tailgate 11 can be attached to the cargo platform 10 by inserting it into the hinge mail 18 in the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG.

Note that in the above example, the hinge female is fixed to the tailgate and the hinge mail is fixed to the gate support part, but this is just an example, and the hinge female is fixed to the gate support part and the hinge mail is fixed to the tailgate. You can.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the hinge mail has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and a tapered shaft shape, and the hinge female has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and a cylindrical shape that widens at the end. For example, by forging or casting, when the tailgate moves from the inclined position to the closed position, the circumferential surface of the short diameter of the hinge female slides against the circumferential surface of the long axis of the hinge female, or the circumferential surface of the long axis of the hinge female slides. The surface slides into contact with the circumferential surface of the short diameter of the hinge female, and the tailgate can be firmly fixed to the gate support part. Also, when the tailgate moves from the closed position to the tilted position, the minor axis of the hinge female changes from the major axis of the hinge female, or the long axis of the hinge female changes from the minor axis of the hinge female to the minor axis of the hinge female. The tailgate can be rotated smoothly away from the surface.

Therefore, the hinge mail and hinge female can be manufactured with relatively few components and assembly man-hours. Furthermore, incomplete engagement of the gate lock device can be prevented, and furthermore, vibration of the tailgate during driving can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tailgate hinge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the tailgate tilted to the removal position. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the truck showing the mounting location of the hinge device. 10: Loading platform, 11: Tail gate, 12: Hinge device, 14: Hinge female, 14c: Notch, 17: Gate support section, 18: Hinge mail.゛、Pi'7-"J

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A shaft-shaped hinge mail with an elliptical cross-sectional shape and a tapered shape is fixed to either the ends of the tailgate or the gate support part of the loading platform facing them, and the other end is fixed to the tailgate. A cylindrical hinge female, which is rotatably fitted to the hinge male and has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and widens toward the end, is fixed to the hinge female, and the tailgate is attached to a part of the periphery of the hinge female. The hinge device for a tailgate is provided with a notch so that the hinge female or the hinge mail can be removed from the hinge mail or the hinge female only when the hinge female is located at a specific inclined position with respect to the cargo platform. When the tailgate moves from the inclined position to the closed position, the long axis circumferential surface of the hinge mail guides the short axis circumferential surface of the hinge female, or the short axis circumferential surface of the hinge female guides the short axis circumferential surface of the hinge female. The tailgate is centered in the vehicle width direction and fixed to the gate support portion while guiding the circumferential surface of the long diameter of the hinge female, and when the tailgate moves from a closed position to an inclined position, the short side of the hinge female is fixed. A hinge for a tailgate, characterized in that the circumferential surface of the diameter of the hinge mail is released from the circumferential surface of the major axis of the hinge mail, or the circumferential surface of the major axis of the hinge mail is released from the circumferential surface of the minor axis of the hinge female. Device.