EP0643185B1 - Door holding device for cars - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a door holder for vehicle doors, with a single-hinged door holding strap that can be fastened to a vehicle spar and a holding part to be fastened on the door side, the holding strap and the holding part being connected to one another in a relatively movable manner via a locking device that defines a certain pivoting position of the vehicle door.

Such door holders are described for example in DE-PS 26 19 171, DE-PS 26 44 570 and DE-PS 28 00 256. In each of these known door holders, the latching device consists on the one hand of a housing to be fastened on or in the door and on the other hand of spring elements loaded with spring force and connected to the retaining band. The housing has for each pivot position of the vehicle door or for each detent defining this pivot position on the inside two opposite, depressed recesses. The locking elements connected to the tether consist of two balls seated in a socket, between which spring elements are arranged such that the balls are pushed away from each other in the direction of the housing walls having the locking recesses. When the vehicle door is moved, the retaining band with the locking balls is moved relative to the housing in the housing, the balls interacting with the locking recesses.

These known door brackets have essentially proven themselves in practice, but their rather complex construction leads to relatively high costs. It has also been found to be disadvantageous that the end of the retaining band which has the latching elements and engages in the housing is not precisely defined in the effective direction of the latching elements or in the direction of force of the springs, because it is practically "floating" over the springs and the balls, ie elastic, is supported within the housing.

The present invention is based on the object of creating a door holder of the generic type which can be produced more economically by a simplified construction, but at the same time has improved properties with regard to its function.

According to the invention, this is achieved in that the latching device has on the one hand a strip-shaped (elongated, flat) latching rail with latching recesses formed on a first longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, a latching roller which is guided over the first longitudinal edge and which cooperates with the latching recesses and is acted upon by a spring force in the direction of the latching rail , wherein the locking rail with its locking recesses and the locking roller, the second longitudinal edge is supported on an abutment against the spring force.

With this embodiment according to the invention, a considerable simplification is initially achieved in terms of construction. Instead of two spring-loaded locking elements (balls), there is advantageously only a single locking element, this locking element being designed as a roller. The locking rail is very simple and inexpensive to manufacture, in particular as a simple sheet metal stamped part, so that the locking behavior of the locking device resulting from the arrangement and contour of the locking recesses in cooperation with the locking roller can be determined very easily or can be adapted to different requirements. It is also of decisive advantage that the locking rail is guided in a very defined manner by its support on the abutment according to the invention.

The latching rail has a flat, preferably elongated, approximately rectangular cross section and is in particular arranged "upright", i.e. the longer cross-sectional sides are oriented essentially in the same spatial direction as the pivot axes of the tether and the vehicle door.

Since there is now fundamentally a change in the angular arrangement between the holding strap and the holding part on the door side due to an offset of the two pivot axes of the holding strap and the vehicle door during the pivoting movements of the door, the invention provides that the locking roller in a housing penetrated by the locking rail in such a manner about its axis of rotation vertical axis of rotation is rotatably guided that the axis of rotation - regardless of the respective relative position of the tether relative to the door-side holding part - always runs perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the locking rail. As a result, the locking roller can always be exact Roll over the first longitudinal edge of the locking rail, even if the locking rail tends to twist relative to the locking roller during door movements. Because the rotatability of the locking roller according to the invention about the axis of rotation perpendicular to its actual axis of rotation, the locking roller is automatically aligned by the locking rail so that the axis of rotation is always perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the locking rail.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking roller is functionally connected to the retaining band, while the locking rail is part of the door-side holding part. Here, the latching rail is preferably fastened at both ends in or on the vehicle door, so that the housing which receives the latching roller and is connected to the retaining band is guided in a defined manner on the latching rail - and thus also in the interior of the door. As a result, the latching rail also forms a “guideway” for the housing which moves through the door and accommodates the latching roller. This is a particular advantage because it means that other devices, such as e.g. retractable window panes can be arranged very close to the parts of the door holder according to the invention, because due to the exact guidance of the housing on the locking or guide rail fastened in the door there are uncontrolled movements, which can result in touching or even damaging other adjacent ones Facilities inside the door could advantageously be absolutely excluded.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the door holder is further improved, in particular in that its locking behavior is still is more easily variable, and that its functional parts are more effectively protected against external influences. This is preferably achieved in that the latching rail is held in a housing, the abutment supporting the latching rail being formed by the housing, and wherein the latching roller via a spring generating the spring force on the side opposite the latching rail and its abutment within the housing an abutment element is supported.

Thus, in this embodiment according to the invention, the locking rail is fixed in the housing, in particular detachable or replaceable, so that the door holder according to the invention can be very easily adapted to different applications. Because different locking rails can be installed in the same housing, for example for driver or rear doors and for different locking positions, etc. Here, the abutment element moves together with the locking roller relative to the locking rail and the housing. For this purpose, the abutment element is slidably guided within the housing. As a result, a defined support of the locking roller is achieved. The housing according to the invention provides very good protection of the functional parts of the latching device against external influences, such as dirt, moisture, etc. The housing is preferably made of plastic, which advantageously has a low weight.

Further advantageous design features and special embodiments of the invention are contained in the subclaims and the following description.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Draufsicht des erfindungsgemäßen Türhalters in Richtung der Schwenkachsen von Halteband und Fahrzeugtür, wobei der Türhalter in zwei verschiedenen Stellungen dargestellt ist,die einerseits einer Schließstellung und andererseits einer Öffnungsstellung bzw. Öffnungsbegrenzungsstellung der Fahrzeugtür entsprechen,

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt durch den Bereich der Rasteinrichtung in der Schnittebene II-II gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

einen Querschnitt analog zu Fig. 2 in einer Ausführungsvariante,

Fig. 4

einen weiteren Querschnitt analog zu Fig. 2 in einer zweiten Ausführungsvariante,

Fig. 5

einen Längsschnitt durch den Türhalter in der Schnittebene V-V gemäß Fig. 2,

Fig. 6

eine Ansicht in Pfeilrichtung VI gemäß Fig. 1 bzw. Fig. 5 der Rastschiene mit schematischer Darstellung der Rastrolle,

Fig. 7

eine Ansicht auf die Rastschiene in Pfeilrichtung VII gemäß Fig. 6,

Fig. 8

eine Ansicht des Teilbereichs VIII in Fig. 7 in einer Ausführungsvariante,

Fig. 9

eine Stirnansicht in Pfeilrichtung IX gem.Fig.6,

Fig. 10

eine Ansicht des Tür-Haltebandes in Pfeilrichtung X gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 11

einen vertikalen Teil-Längsschnitt eines erfindungsgemäßen Türhalters in einer weiteren Ausführungsform,

Fig. 12

einen horizontalen Längsschnitt in der Schnittebene II-II gemäß Fig. 11,

Fig. 13

eine Vorderansicht in Pfeilrichtung III gemäß Fig. 11,

Fig. 14

einen Querschnitt in der Ebene IV-IV gemäß Fig. 11,

Fig. 15

eine Darstellung analog zu Fig. 14, jedoch in einer Ausführungsvariante,

Fig. 16

eine Darstellung entsprechend Fig. 11 in einer vorteilhaften Weiterbildung des erfindungsgemäßen Türhalters,

Fig. 17

eine weitere Ausführungsform des Türhalters in einer zu Fig. 11 analogen Schnittdarstellung, jedoch ohne die haltebandseitigen Teile der Rasteinrichtung,

Fig. 18

eine Vorderansicht in Pfeilrichtung VIII gemäß Fig. 17 und

Fig. 19

einen Schnitt in der Ebene IX-IX gemäß Fig. 17.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing and of some embodiment variants. Show:

Fig. 1

2 shows a schematic plan view of the door holder according to the invention in the direction of the pivot axes of the holding strap and vehicle door, the door holder being shown in two different positions which correspond on the one hand to a closed position and on the other hand to an open position or opening limit position of the vehicle door,

Fig. 2

2 shows a cross section through the area of the latching device in the sectional plane II-II according to FIG. 1,

Fig. 3

3 shows a cross section analogous to FIG. 2 in an embodiment variant,

Fig. 4

2 shows a further cross section analogous to FIG. 2 in a second embodiment variant,

Fig. 5

3 shows a longitudinal section through the door holder in the sectional plane VV according to FIG. 2,

Fig. 6

5 is a view in the direction of arrow VI according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 of the locking rail with a schematic illustration of the locking roller,

Fig. 7

6 shows a view of the locking rail in the direction of arrow VII according to FIG. 6,

Fig. 8

7 shows a view of partial area VIII in FIG. 7 in an embodiment variant,

Fig. 9

a front view in the direction of arrow IX according to Fig. 6,

Fig. 10

2 shows a view of the door retaining band in the direction of arrow X according to FIG. 1,

Fig. 11

a vertical partial longitudinal section of a door holder according to the invention in a further embodiment,

Fig. 12

11 shows a horizontal longitudinal section in the sectional plane II-II according to FIG. 11,

Fig. 13

11 shows a front view in the direction of arrow III according to FIG. 11,

Fig. 14

11 shows a cross section in the plane IV-IV according to FIG. 11,

Fig. 15

14 shows a representation analogous to FIG. 14, but in an embodiment variant,

Fig. 16

11 in an advantageous development of the door holder according to the invention,

Fig. 17

11 shows another embodiment of the door holder in a sectional view analogous to FIG. 11, but without the parts of the latching device on the strap side,

Fig. 18

a front view in the direction of arrow VIII of FIG. 17 and

Fig. 19

a section in the plane IX-IX of FIG. 17th

In the different figures of the drawing, the same parts are always provided with the same reference symbols. Therefore, each description of a part that possibly only occurs once with reference to a specific drawing figure also applies analogously to the other drawing figures, in which this part can also be recognized with the corresponding reference symbol.

First of all, the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 10 will be explained in particular.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a door holder 1 according to the invention consists on the one hand of a rigid, rod-like or strip-like door holding band 2 which can be fastened at one end to a vehicle spar (not designated) by a pivot axis 4, and on the other hand consists of a in a holding part 8 which is only partially indicated in FIG. 1. The holding band 2 has a fastening element 5 for fastening to the vehicle spar (cf. FIG. 11), to which it is connected via an axle or shaft 7, to achieve the pivoting mobility about the pivot axis 4. In this case, the body-side or spar-side holding band 2 and the door-side holding part 8 are connected to one another in a relatively movable manner via a latching device 10, the latching device 10 defining specific pivot positions of the vehicle door 6. The door 6 is guided so as to be pivotable about a bearing (not shown) about a pivot axis 12 (FIG. 1), this door pivot axis 12 being offset with respect to the pivot axis 4 of the retaining strap 2 such that when the door 6 is opened, the retaining strap 2 is practically relative is pulled out of the door to the holding part 8 fastened on the door side, the latching device 10 being effective during this relative movement is. In Fig. 1, the pivoting movement of the door 6 is illustrated by two circular arc lines 14 and their associated radii r _T1 and r _T2 , while a circular arc line 16 with the associated radius r _H is intended to illustrate the pivoting movement of the tether 2.

As can be seen, for example, from FIG. 6 in conjunction with FIGS. 2 to 4, the latching device 10 according to the invention consists on the one hand of an elongated, flat, strip-shaped latching rail 20 which has 22 latching recesses 24 on a first longitudinal edge and, on the other hand, of one above the first Longitudinal edge 22 guided rolling, interacting with the locking recesses 24 and acted upon in the direction of the locking rail 20 with a spring force F locking roller 26. Instead of a locking "roll", a roller-shaped locking element can also be used. In FIG. 6, the rolling movement of the locking roller 26 over the first longitudinal edge 22 of the locking rail 20 is illustrated by double arrows 28; the rotation of the locking roller 26 occurring about its axis of rotation 30 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) is illustrated in FIG. 6 with a double arrow 32. Due to the interaction of the locking roller 26 with the locking recesses 24, that is to say by the respective locking of the locking roller 26 into the locking recesses 24 and the subsequent re-emergence from the respective locking recess 24, the locking roller 26 also moves transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the longitudinal extent of the locking rail 20, ie in the direction of the double arrow 34. It is now further provided according to the invention that the locking rail 20 is supported with its second longitudinal edge 36 opposite the locking recesses 24 and the locking roller 26 on an abutment 38 against the spring force F.

The locking rail 20 is - in relation to the pivot axes 4, 12 of the retaining strap 2 or the vehicle door 6 - aligned in an "upright arrangement", i.e. the longitudinal, preferably at least approximately rectangular cross section of the locking rail 20 (cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the locking rail 20) is oriented with its longitudinal axis in the same spatial direction as the pivot axes 4, 12, namely approximately vertically.

1 that the opening and closing movements of the vehicle door 6 in the area of the latching device 10 also result in a relative rotation of the vehicle door 6 and of the holding part 8 on the door side relative to the holding band 2. This relative rotation is illustrated by double arrows 40 (dashed).

Because of this relative rotation, it is now provided according to the invention that the locking roller 26 - preferably in a housing 42 penetrated by the locking rail 20 - is rotatable about an axis of rotation 44 perpendicular to its axis of rotation 30 - see FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6 - that the axis of rotation 30 - regardless of the respective relative position of the tether 2 with respect to the door-side holding part 8 - is always automatically aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the locking rail 20. For this mentioned guidance of the locking roller 26, a piston-like guide element 46 is expediently provided, which has a substantially cylindrical outer circumference and is rotatably mounted about the axis of rotation 44 in a corresponding receptacle of a receiving part 48 arranged in the housing 42. The guide element 46 has an axial and diagonal slot recess 50 within the the locking roller 26 is rotatably mounted - preferably via an axle pin 52. The clear width of the slot recess 50 corresponds essentially to the axially measured thickness of the locking roller 26, so that it sits practically free of play within the slot recess 50 - see in particular FIGS. 2 to 4. The rotatability of the guide element 46 within the receiving part 48 is mainly in 5 and illustrated there by double arrows 54. 5 also shows the relative pivotability between the holding strap 2 and the locking rail 20; see. the swivel angle regions 56. Two axially extending guide sections 58 are formed by the slot recess 50, between which the locking roller 26 is arranged and which extend in the direction of the locking rail 20 beyond the locking roller 26. Between these guide sections 58, the locking rail 20 then engages in regions, each with a small amount of side play, so that when the locking rail 20 is rotated via the guide element 46, the locking roller 26 is also guided or rotated about the axis of rotation 44 such that its axis of rotation 30 is always aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the locking rail 20.

2 to 4 some embodiment variants of the abutment 38 according to the invention which supports the locking rail 20 will now be explained.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the abutment 38 is formed by a bearing surface 60 on the housing side. This means that a slide bearing is formed between the housing 42 or the support surface 60 and the locking rail 20 or its second longitudinal edge 36. The support surface 60 is preferably part of the for storage of the guide element 46 serving receiving part 48, which preferably consists of plastic, in particular a fiber-reinforced polyamide (eg PA 6-GF 30). Since the locking rail 20 is preferably made of metal, a very low sliding friction is achieved in the region of the sliding bearing due to the combination of materials "metal-plastic".

3 and 4, the abutment 38 is formed by a roller bearing 62 on the housing side. For this purpose, in the case of FIG. 3, a rotatably mounted bearing roller 64 is provided, which is expediently mounted in the receiving part 48 via an axle journal 66. In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the roller bearing 62 is formed by a bearing ball 68, which is preferably seated rotatably in a ball socket-like receptacle 70 of the receptacle part 48. The second longitudinal edge 36 of the latching rail 20 lies against the bearing roller 64 or the bearing ball 68.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the abutment 38 supporting the locking rail 20 is curved convexly in the direction of the locking rail 20 at least in a coordinate direction corresponding to the longitudinal extent of the locking rail 20 (see FIG. 6) and preferably also in a coordinate direction perpendicular to this (FIG. 2) educated. In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, this is achieved by a corresponding curvature (s) of the support surface 60 (see also FIG. 6) and in the embodiments according to FIGS. 3 and 4 by the curvature (s) of the respective rolling element (bearing roller 64 or Bearing ball 68). This convexity of the abutment 38 advantageously achieves an automatic tolerance compensation between the fastenings of the locking rail 20 on the one hand and the housing 42 accommodating the locking roller 26 on the other hand, because 6 and by the double arrows 71 shown therein - the locking rail 20 and the housing 42 (or the receiving part 48 with the guide element 46 and the locking roller 26) relative to each other around a linear or punctiform contact of the locking rail 20 on Abutment 38 can be pivoted so that - depending on the tolerances of the attachment points on the vehicle (spar or door) - different relative positions are possible without the supporting function of the abutment 38 being impaired. The height of the apex (“zenith”) of the convex curvature of the abutment 38 is approximately 2 mm to compensate for the tolerances to be expected in practice.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the guide element 46 has depressions 72 in the inner region of the guide sections 58 formed by the diagonal slot recess 50, each facing the locking rail 20, for receiving grease. These depressions 72 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The advantage here is that during the relative movement of the locking rail 20 through the slot recess 50, the grease is always pushed back and forth on the locking rail 20, which leads to very effective and permanent lubrication between the parts moving relative to one another. In addition, it is advantageous if a grease chamber 74 is formed within the housing 42, which in the example shown is connected via a through opening 76 of the guide element 46 to the area of the slot recess 50 receiving the locking roller 26 (see in particular FIGS. 2 to 4 and FIG. 6).

Thus, advantageously through the depressions 72 and / or the fat chamber 74 in connection with the through opening 76 "grease reservoirs" are formed, whereby effective and permanent lubrication is achieved.

To generate the spring force F acting on the locking roller 26, a compression spring 78, in particular a helical compression spring, is provided, which is arranged within the housing 42 under prestress and is supported at one end on the guide element 46 and at the other end on the housing side. The compression spring 78 is preferably arranged within the grease chamber 74, or the chamber receiving the compression spring 78 advantageously serves as a grease chamber 74 at the same time.

In the illustrated embodiments, the locking rail 20 has three locking recesses 24, the arrangement of which defines a closed position, an open position and an intermediate position (so-called “garage position”) of the vehicle door 6. However, it is within the scope of the invention to design the locking rail 20 with fewer or more locking recesses 24, and because of the design of the locking device 10 according to the invention, particularly because of the small size of the locking roller 26, advantageously even at least up to seven locking recesses 24 and door pivot positions can be realized.

6, each locking recess 24 has a concave, circular arc-shaped contour with a radius r corresponding to the locking roller 26. It is advantageous here if between the locking recess 24 assigned to the closed position - in FIG. 6 near the right end of the locking rail 20 - and the next locking recess 24 there is an oblique and at least approximately linear longitudinal edge section that widens the locking rail 20 in the direction of the next locking recess 24 79 of the longitudinal edge 22 is formed. The "locking catch recess" 24 - based on the closed position of the vehicle door - can be arranged such that when the door is completely closed, the catch roller 26 does not fully engage in this catch recess 24, but rather "remains" in the region of the oblique longitudinal edge section 79. Due to the spring force applied to the locking roller 26 in connection with the inclined position of the longitudinal edge section 79, the door is always subjected to a force in the closing direction, ie pulled into the closed position. In this advantageous embodiment, the oblique longitudinal edge section 79 thus defines a “pulling path” or an “acceleration path”, via which the door is automatically pulled into the locked closed position from a certain, almost closed position.

It is also advantageous if - as can be seen in FIG. 6 - the first longitudinal edge 22 of the locking rail 20 preferably has a slightly convexly curved edge profile 80 in each of the regions lying between two locking recesses 24. This advantageously ensures that when the locking roller 26 moves relative to the locking rail 20 after overcoming the "highest" point of the respective convex edge profile 80, the locking roller 26 subsequently moves automatically in the direction of the next locking recess 24 and is locked into it. In this case, the vehicle door 6 is then automatically moved over a certain swivel range. As an alternative to this, a straight course of the longitudinal edge 22 parallel to the other longitudinal edge 36 is of course also possible, in which case the door can also be in any intermediate positions.

The locking rail 20 is very simple and inexpensive to manufacture, for which purpose it is preferably designed as a one-piece stamped sheet metal part. A fastening element 82, 84 is expediently arranged at each end of the latching rail 20, which is, in particular, bent sheet metal sections with threaded bores 86 (see in particular FIGS. 6 to 9, wherein in FIGS. 7 and 8 two alternative possibilities for the bent fastener 84 are shown).

It should also be mentioned that the guide element 46 preferably consists of the same material as the receiving part 48, in particular of a glass fiber reinforced polyamide (preferably PA 6-GF 30).

In the door holder 1 according to the invention, the locking roller 26 is preferably a component of the holding band 2, that is to say functionally connected to the holding band 2, while the locking rail 20 is an essential part of the door-side holding part 8. For this purpose, the latching rail 20 can be fastened at both ends via the fastening elements 82, 84 in the vehicle door 6, so that the housing 42 which receives the latching roller 26 and is connected to the retaining band 2 is guided in a defined manner on the latching rail 20 within the vehicle door 6. In this embodiment, the locking rail 20 thus forms a "defined guideway" for the other parts of the locking device 10, in particular for the housing 42 with the locking roller 26. Here, it is an additional advantage if the vehicle door 6 is in the opening limit position - see in particular the 1 - the tether 2 - without loading the locking roller 26 - in the stop on the locking rail 20. This is advantageous even when a high opening force is applied to the door a secure stop to limit the opening movement is ensured without the locking device 10 being damaged thereby.

As an alternative to the preferred embodiments shown, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the locking roller 26 as a component of the door-side holding part 8, while the locking rail 20 is then simultaneously designed as a holding band 2. In this embodiment, not shown, the housing 42 would then - but then without the retaining strap 2 (see FIG. 10) - to be attached to the vehicle door 6 as a holding element 8 on the door side.

The advantageous embodiments according to FIGS. 11 to 19 will now be explained in more detail. Since here too the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 to 10, reference can basically be made to the above explanations, and the differences and special features are described in particular below.

In these particularly advantageous developments of the door holder according to the invention it is now provided that the locking rail 20 is held in a housing 90, the abutment 38 supporting the locking rail 20 being formed by the housing 90, and the locking roller 26 via the spring generating the spring force F 78 and an abutment element 92 on the side opposite the locking rail 20 and its abutment 38 within the housing 90. Thus, according to the invention, the unit - preferably connected to the door retaining band 2 - consisting of the locking roller 26, the spring 78 and the abutment element 92 within the housing 90 between two opposite ones Guided housing walls, the locking roller 26 cooperates with the locking rail 20 arranged on one side within the housing 90 fixed. This is easy to understand with reference to FIGS. 11 and 16. There are therefore no relative movements between the housing 90 and the locking rail 20, but the abutment element 92 moves together with the locking roller 26 relative to the locking rail 20 and to the housing 90. This configuration according to the invention further ensures an exact, precisely defined support of the locking roller 20 (" Guideway "). In addition, an extraordinarily good protection of the latching device 10 against external influences, such as, in particular, dirt and moisture, is advantageously achieved. This is because the housing 90 has only a one-sided passage opening 94 for the door retaining band 2, this passage opening 94 preferably being closable by an elastic closure element (not shown) (for example bellows-type "rosette closure"). Otherwise, the housing 90 has only an opposite, that is arranged on its side facing away from the holding strap 2, the insertion opening 96 for the parts of the latching device 10, this insertion opening 96 also preferably being closable, namely by a cover-like closure part, also not shown. Thus, according to the invention, all functional parts of the latching device 10 are practically completely encapsulated.

The housing 90 can expediently be fastened within the vehicle door, as a result of which the latching rail 20 is also held on the door side at the same time. The locking roller 20, the compression spring 78 and the abutment element 92 are connected to the holding band 2, for which purpose the holding band 2 is directly connected to the receiving part 48 without a housing 42. The Compression spring 78 is arranged within the receiving part 48 under prestress between the guide element 46 and the abutment side of the receiving part 48. The space accommodating the compression spring 78 also forms a grease chamber 74 for receiving grease for lubricating the functional parts of the latching device 10.

It is now particularly advantageous if the locking rail 20 is arranged detachably or replaceably in the housing 90. As a result, the latching device 1 according to the invention can be adapted in a very simple manner to different requirements with regard to its latching properties, in that only different latching rails 20 need be provided; apart from the tether 2, e.g. can have different lengths for driver and rear doors, all other parts of the door holder 1 can be used for all versions. This means that apart from the locking rail 20 - and possibly the retaining strap 2 - all parts can be used universally, for example for driver or rear doors and also for a different number of locking positions or for different locking properties. The desired specifications of the locking device 10 can thus largely be adjusted solely by the locking rail 20.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 15, the abutment element 92 is formed as part of the receiving part 48 which supports the guide element 46. The preferably approximately peg-like abutment element 92 is preferably guided displaceably within a groove-like guideway 98 of the housing, specifically via a slide bearing (see FIGS. 14 and 15) or via a roller bearing (not shown). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 a web extension 100 is formed within the guideway 98 of the housing 90, on which the abutment element 92 sits with a corresponding slot recess 102. In this case, an inclined surface (not recognizable in the drawing figures) can be formed on both sides of the guideway 98 in such a way that any water that may have penetrated into the housing 90 can easily flow to the outside.

17 to 19, on the other hand, no such inclined surface is provided, but for the water drain, the housing 90 has drain openings 103 both towards the front and towards the rear, in each case in the vertically lower region (based on that installed in the vehicle) Status). 17 to 19, drain openings 103 are also formed in the upper region of the housing 90, so that the door holder 1 can optionally be mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle and in an "inverted" arrangement. In practice, a vehicle equipped with the door holder 1 is almost never exactly horizontal, so that any water that may have penetrated into the housing 90 does not accumulate, but rather can flow through the outlet openings 103 either to the front or to the rear, depending on the inclination. According to FIG. 18, with respect to the front outlet openings 103 formed in the front side of the housing 90 to be fastened to a door panel 3 (cf. FIG. 11), it is provided that channel-like grooves are formed on the outer surface to be set against the door panel 3, in each case from the outlet openings 103 outgoing and leading to the outer edge channels 103a are formed. As a result, the water emerging from the drain openings 103 can flow between the housing 90 and the door panel 3 through the channels 103a.

As can also be seen from FIG. 14, the abutment element 92 supported in the housing 90 is preferably convexly curved in order to compensate for fastening tolerances at least in one coordinate direction in such a way that it is in linear or point-like contact with the housing or with the guide track 98.

The guide member 46 and the locking roller 26 leading receiving part 48 is preferably rigidly connected to the door retaining band 2, for which purpose the retaining band 2 is preferably loop-like around the receiving part 48 (see Fig. 11, 14, 15 and 16), so that Receiving part 48 is at least non-positively connected to the tether 2. The spring 78 is arranged within the receiving part 48 between the area forming the abutment element 92 and the guide element 46 under prestress.

In a particularly advantageous development of the invention illustrated in FIG. 16, the spring force F can be influenced by means of a control device 104 such that it is at least approximately constant over the entire range of the relative movement between the locking rail 20 and the locking roller 26. This means that there is an almost constant high spring force F both in the area of the locking recesses 24 and between them. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to be able to influence the spring force F in such a way that it varies over the range of motion, for example in the area of the locking recesses 24 it is even higher than between the locking recesses 24. This advantageous embodiment avoids that Spring force F in the locking positions - due to a relaxation of the spring 78 - decreases; rather it just stands in the rest positions a sufficiently high spring force F is available. This enables very high cogging torques of up to around 100 Nm to be achieved.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, the control device 104 has a support element 106 for the spring 78, which is movably guided within the receiving part 48 in the direction of the spring force F. This support element 106 supports the spring 78 with a preferably plate-like section 108 and acts on its side facing away from the spring 78, in particular via a type of stylus with a housing-side arranged on the locking rail 20 or on its locking recesses 24 (course of the first longitudinal edge 22 ) adapted cam track 110 together. In this embodiment, the support element 106 or the stylus thus forms the actual abutment element 92. In order to hold the receiving part 48 on its side facing away from the locking roller 26 in contact with the housing 90, in the embodiment shown there is between the support element 106 or the plate-like section 108 and the receiving part 48 an additional compression spring 112 arranged under bias. As an alternative to this illustrated embodiment, however, it is also possible to guide the receiving part 48 in a T-slot guide on the housing side.

The cam track 110 is preferably designed as a cam rail 114, in particular detachably or exchangeably held in the housing 90 in the region of the guide track 98. As a result, the cam track 110 can be replaced together with the locking rail 20, the cam track 110 always being adapted to the catches of the locking rail 20. For this purpose, it is particularly advantageous if the locking rail 20 is connected in one piece to the cam rail 114 is. This can be achieved by means of a connecting section (not shown) facing away from the holding band 2, so that the latching rail 20 and the cam rail 114 are then approximately U-shaped via the connecting section.

For fastening the housing 90 to or in the vehicle door, it preferably has screw holes 116 on its outlet side of the holding strap 2. The locking rail 20 is preferably also non-positively connected to the door in the area of its opposite end, in particular via a screw connection, for which purpose the locking rail 20 preferably has a fastening tab 118 with a screw hole 120. As can be seen from FIGS. 12 and 19 in each case, the fastening tab 118 is expediently bent off from the latching rail 20, which is preferably arranged approximately centrally in the housing 90, up to a side wall of the housing 90, so that via the fastening tab 118 the housing 90 in the door at the same time It is also of particular advantage that this bent fastening tab 118 also ensures that the parts of the latching device 10 connected to the retaining strap 2 are secured against loss.

In a further development, not shown, a rubber-elastic buffer element, in particular, is arranged between the housing 90 and the holding band 2 or the parts of the latching device 10 connected to the holding band 2 such that an elastic end stop is achieved in the door open position. In this way, a type of stop damping is achieved, which has an extremely positive effect on the durability of the housing 90, which is preferably made of plastic.

It is furthermore advantageous if the housing 90 has at least one starting from the outlet side of the holding strap 2 and extending into the area of the latching device 10 and / or into the area of the abutment element 92 and / or into the area of the spring force control device 104 or Support element 106 and the cam track 110 extending lubricant channel 122 (see Figs. 16, 17 and 18). This advantageous embodiment makes it extremely easy to relubricate the functional parts of the door holder 1 according to the invention when the door is open.

The door holder 1 according to the invention has significant advantages over the prior art. Here, in particular, the long durability is to be emphasized, which is achieved above all by the housing 90 and the protection of the functional parts achieved thereby. In addition, the housing encapsulation advantageously also achieves noise reduction. The door holder has a very low weight of only about 300 to 400 g. The latching behavior is very variable, with latching torques of at least 20 to 60 Nm being achievable. Depending on the door opening angle, up to seven locking positions are possible. The locking behavior in the locking positions as well as the movement behavior between the locking positions are also very variable. Depending on the configuration, the range of motion between the locking positions can be carried out smoothly or with difficulty, concave or convex longitudinal edges of the locking rail 20 being possible. In addition, it is even within the scope of the invention to provide appropriate approaches, for example convex elevations, instead of latching recesses 24, as a result of which the door holder can be converted into a type of "door brake".

17 and 19 it can also be seen that the locking rail 20 is additionally fixed within the housing 90 via at least one locking and / or positive connection 124, the housing 90 having an extension 128 which engages in an opening 126 of the locking rail 20 ( Fig. 19). This connection 124 is preferably arranged in the cranked region of the locking rail 20.

A particularly advantageous further development, especially for the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 19, will now be explained - especially for the assembly of the door holder 1 in a vehicle. With this configuration, it is avoided that the functional parts of the latching device 10 connected to the tether 2 - starting from the fully extended open position shown in FIG. 11 - are tilted about the axis of the latching roller 26 due to the weight of the tether 2 and the fastening element 5 , whereby the abutment element 92 would be shifted to the right in FIG. 11; this would be disadvantageous for assembly insofar as the housing 90 is first mounted inside the vehicle door, so that the retaining strap 2 or the fastening element 5 may then no longer be exactly aligned with the fastening point on the spar side due to the tilting described. For this purpose, it is now preferably provided that the abutment element 92 cooperates with the housing 90 via a latching element (not shown) in such a way that the holding strap is held in its orientation shown in FIG. 11 in the open position. The latching element does not affect the function of the door holder, since it can be overcome relatively easily when moving from the open position towards the closed position. The locking element can also be designed so that it is in operation after a few opening movements automatically wears out, so that this - yes only essential for the assembly - not necessary.

Finally, it should be mentioned that a fiber-reinforced polyamide (PA6GF30) is particularly good for the plastic parts of the door holder according to the invention (in particular for the housing 90 of the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 19, but in principle also for the guide element 46 and the receiving part 48) suitable, which is available under the name BKV230H from BAYER AG. Due to the special, relatively high percentage of elastomer, this special material is characterized by particularly high impact strength, especially at low temperatures.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described, but also encompasses all embodiments having the same effect in the sense of the invention. Furthermore, the invention has not yet been limited to the combination of features defined in claim 1, but can also be defined by any other combination of specific features of all the individual features disclosed in total. This means that in principle practically every single feature of claim 1 can be omitted or replaced by at least one single feature disclosed elsewhere in the application. In this respect, claim 1 is only to be understood as a first attempt at formulation for an invention.

Claims (34)

1. A door holding device (1) for vehicle doors, having a door holding strap (2) which may be secured in articulated manner at one end to a bar on a vehicle, and a holding part (8) to be secured on the door side, the holding strap (2) and the holding part (8) being connected to one another, such that they may be moved relatively, by way of a latching means (10) determining certain pivotal positions of the vehicle door (6),
   characterized in that the latching means (10) has on the one hand a strip-shaped latching rail (20) having latching recesses (24) formed on a first longitudinal edge (22), and has on the other hand a latching roller (26) which is guided in rolling manner along the first longitudinal edge (22), cooperates with the latching recesses (24), and is acted upon in the direction of the latching rail (20) by a spring force (F), the latching rail (20) being supported by its second longitudinal edge (36), which is opposite the latching recesses (24) and the latching roller (26), against an abutment (38) in opposition to the spring force (F).
2. A door holding device according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that the latching rail (20) has an oblong, preferably at least approximately rectangular, cross-section whereof the longitudinal axis has substantially the same, approximately vertical, three-dimensional orientation as the pivotal axis (4) of the door holding strap (2) and the pivotal axis (12) of the vehicle door (6).
3. A door holding device according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that the latching roller (26) is rotatably guided about a swivelling axis (44) which is perpendicular to its rotational axis (30), in such a way that the rotational axis (30) always runs perpendicularly to the longitudinal extent of the latching rail (20).
4. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 3,
   characterized in that the latching roller (26) is borne within a diagonal slot-shaped recess (50) of a piston-type guide element (46) which is borne in a receiving part (48), such that it is rotatable about the swivelling axis (44) perpendicular to the rotational axis (30) of the latching roller (26).
5. A door holding device according to Claim 4,
   characterized in that, with a slight lateral play, regions of the latching rail (20) engage one after another with the slot-shaped recess (50) in the guide element (46).
6. A door holding device according to Claim 4 or 5,
   characterized in that the guide element (46) has in particular in the interior region, which in each case faces the latching rail (20), of the diagonal slot-shaped recess (50) depressions (72) for receiving lubricating grease, and preferably at least one feed-through opening (76) connecting the region of the latching roller (26) to a grease chamber (74).
7. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 4 to 6,
   characterized in that to generate the spring force (F) acting upon the latching roller (26), a pre-tensioned pressure spring (78), which is preferably arranged within the grease chamber (74), bears against the guide element (46).
8. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 7,
   characterized in that the latching rail (20) has at least three latching recesses (24), the arrangement of which defines a closed position, an open position and at least one intermediate position of the vehicle door (6), each latching recess (24) of the latching rail (20) preferably having a concave, arcuate contour with a radius (r) matching the latching roller (26).
9. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 8,
   characterized in that, in preferably each of the regions lying in each case between two latching recesses (24), the edge line of the first longitudinal edge (22) of the latching rail (20) has a slightly concavely bent course (80).
10. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 9,
    characterized in that the latching rail (20) is formed by a one-piece punched sheet-metal part.
11. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 10,
    characterized in that the latching roller (26) is connected functionally to the holding strap (2), whilst the latching rail (20) is a component of the holding part (8) on the door side.
12. A door holding device according to Claim 11,
    characterized in that the latching rail (20) may be secured fixedly in or to the vehicle door (6), so that the latching roller (26) connected to the holding strap (2) is guided in defined manner on the latching rail (20) within the vehicle door (6).
13. A door holding device according to Claim 11 or 12,
    characterized in that, in a position which delimits opening of the vehicle door (6), the holding strap (2) is fast against the latching rail (20) - without there being strain on the latching roller (26).
14. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 13,
    characterized in that the receiving part (48) is held in a housing (42) which is connected in particular rigidly to the holding strap (2), the abutment (38) being formed by a bearing surface (60) on the housing side, so that a sliding bearing is formed between the latching rail (20) and the abutment (38).
15. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 13,
    characterized in that the receiving part (48) is held in a housing (42) which is connected in particular rigidly to the holding strap (2), the abutment (38) being formed by a rolling bearing (62) on the housing side, which rolling bearing (62) preferably has either a bearing roller (64) or a bearing ball (68).
16. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 15,
    characterized in that, to compensate securing tolerances, the abutment (38) supporting the latching rail (20) is of a construction which is convexly curved, at least in one coordinate direction, such that the latching rail (20) is in line or point bearing contact with the abutment (38).
17. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 13,
    characterized in that the latching rail (20) is mounted in a housing (90), the abutment (38) supporting the latching rail (20) being formed by the housing (90), and the latching roller (26) being supported by a spring (78) generating the spring force (F), and by an abutment element (92) on the side opposite the latching rail (20) and its abutment (38) within the housing (90).
18. A door holding device according to Claim 17,
    characterized in that the housing (90) having the latching rail (20) mounted in particular detachably or exchangeably therein may be secured within the vehicle door, whilst the latching roller (20), the spring (78) and the abutment element (92) are connected to the holding strap (2).
19. A door holding device according to Claim 17 or 18,
    characterized in that the abutment element (92) is guided displaceably within the housing (90) and preferably in a groove-type guide path (98), and more precisely by way of a sliding bearing or a rolling bearing.
20. A door holding device according to Claim 19,
    characterized in that there is arranged in the guide path (98) in the housing (90) a web-shaped projection (100) on which there is seated the abutment element (92) having a corresponding slot-shaped recess (102).
21. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 20,
    characterized in that, to compensate securing tolerances, the abutment element (92) supported in the housing (90) is of a construction which is convexly curved, at least in one coordinate direction, in such a way that it is in line or point bearing contact with the housing (90).
22. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 21,
    characterized in that the receiving part (48) is connected rigidly to the door holding strap (2) and has on its side remote from the latching roller (26) in the direction of the swivelling axis (44) the abutment element (92), the spring (78) being arranged pre-tensioned between the receiving part (48) and the guide element (46) bearing the latching roller (26).
23. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 22,
    characterized in that the spring force (F) is influenced by a control means (104), in such a way that it is at least approximately constant over the entire region of relevant movement between the latching rail (20) and the latching roller (26).
24. A door holding device according to Claim 23,
    characterized in that the control means (104) has a supporting element (106), which is guided movably within the receiving part (48) in the direction of the spring force (F), for the spring (78), the supporting element (106) cooperating, on its side remote from the spring (78), with a cam track (110) which is on the housing side and matches the latching rail (20), and the cam track (110) preferably being constructed as a cam rail (114) mounted in particular detachably or exchangeably in the housing (90) in the region of the guide path (98).
25. A door holding device according to Claim 24,
    characterized in that the cam rail (114) is connected to the latching rail (20) to form one piece .
26. A door holding device according to Claim 24 or 25,
    characterized in that an additional pressures spring (112) is arranged pre-tensioned between the supporting element (106) and the receiving part (48).
27. A door holding device according to Claim 24 or 25,
    characterized in that the receiving part (48) is guided with form fit in a guide means on the housing side, in particular in a T-shaped groove, in such a way that it is held, always bearing against the housing (90), by its side remote from the latching rail (20).
28. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 27,
    characterized in that the housing (90) has a through-opening (94) for the door holding strap (2), the through-opening (94) preferably being closable by a resilient closing element penetrated by the holding strap (2).
29. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 28,
    characterized in that the housing (90) has on its side remote from the holding strap (2) a lead-in opening (96) for the latching means (10), the lead-in opening (96) preferably being closable by a cover-type closing part.
30. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 29,
    characterized in that the housing (90) may be secured to or in the vehicle door, on the exit side for the holding strap (2), and in that the latching rail (20) may be connected with force fit, preferably also in the region of its opposite end, to the door.
31. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 30,
    characterized by an in particular rubber resilient buffer element which is arranged between the housing (90) and the holding strap (2) or the latching means (10) and is active in the open position of the door.
32. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 31,
    characterized in that the housing (90) has at least one lubricant channel (122) starting from the exit side for the holding strap (2) and extending into the region of the latching means (10) and/or into the region of the abutment element (92).
33. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 32,
    characterized in that the housing (90) is of a plastics material.
34. A door holding device according to one or more of Claims 17 to 33,
    characterized in that the housing (90) has in its lower region - with respect to its position when fitted into the vehicle - discharge openings (103) for water penetrating into the housing (90).

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