Hinge mechanism for a vehicle hood

摘要

A hinge including a first hinge half rotatably connected to a second hinge half is described. A support mechanism selectively supports the first hinge half at one or more rotated positions relative to the second hinge half. The support mechanism includes a support which is selectively biased toward a support position in which the support is capable of supporting the first hinge half at a rotated position relative to the second hinge half. The support can further be selectively biased into a disengaged position in which the support is not capable of supporting the first hinge half relative to the second hinge half. With the support in a disengaged position, the first hinge half is freely pivotable relative to the second hinge half. An automatic reset mechanism may be utilized in connection with the hinge to reposition the support from the disengaged position to the support position as the hinge approaches a predefined position.

主权项

1. A hinge mechanism, comprising:
a hinge comprising:
a first hinge half;a second hinge half rotatably connected to said first hinge half, whereby said first hinge half is rotatable about a hinge axis relative to said second hinge half; a support mechanism, comprising:
a support moveable from a support position in which said support is capable of supporting said first hinge half at a first rotated position relative to said second hinge half and a disengaged position in which said support is not capable of supporting said first hinge half relative to said second hinge half; anda biasing member selectively biasing said support into one of said support position and said disengaged position, said support having a first biased position in which said biasing member biases said support into said support position and a second biased position in which said biasing member biases said support into said disengaged position.