DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a field of automotive engineering. Particularly but not exclusively present disclosure relates to a mechanism for supporting and regulating movement of a closure in vehicles. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure disclose the mechanism for supporting the closure, such as cabin, in open position, and control the movement of the cabin between the open and close position.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

It is known, in vehicles such as but not limiting to transport vehicles, industrial vehicles, commercial vehicles and the like, engine will be located under the driver’s cabin. In such vehicles driver’s cabin, also referred as cabin, needs to be tilted manually by a person (in manually cabin tilted mechanisms) to provide access to engine. Generally, vehicles in which the cab tilts up to provide access to the vehicle's engine are generally referred to as “tilt-cab” vehicles. Many times the need arise to tilt the cabin for checking oil level, air filter cleaning, coolant level checking, and maintenance and servicing of the engine etc. The cabin is usually hinged to frame of a vehicle at front end by a pivot mechanism, and is generally lifted by applying manual effort at rear end of the cabin using handle which is provided on cabin at rear left bottom side. To complete tilting operation cabin is required to tilt up to 45 degrees with the help of handle. The cabin in a tilt-cab design generally has two positions. In the driving position, the cabin body is engaged and resiliently supported on the vehicle chassis and orientated such that the vehicle can be driven. In the maintenance position, the cab is tilted upward by tilting the cabin at a pivot point near the front of the cab to provide access to the engine and other mechanisms.

During such manual tilting, the cabin has to be supported manually by the driver or mechanic all the time, till the cabin stay gets active. Also, the tilting operation needs to be done in one go/stroke. If at any stage of doing this tilting operation, the manual support is withdrawn, then free fall motion of cabin happens due to its own weight. Such free fall motion of the cabin is very unsafe for the person performing this operation. Further, the driver/user/mechanic finds difficulty in most of the times in holding the cabin at tilt position due to its weight.

To overcome the above stated problem, conventionally it is known to use a hydraulic tilting device disposed between the chassis and the tilting cab to raise and lower the cab between the driving and maintenance positions. Such hydraulic tilting devices comprise of a hydraulic actuator contain two internal hydraulic cavities. Supplying hydraulic fluid to the push cavity will cause the actuator to extend in length, thereby exerting force to tilt the cab upward. Supplying hydraulic fluid to the pull cavity will cause the actuator to contract in length, thereby exerting force to lower the cab downward. However, such hydraulic tilting devices requires accumulator for storing hydraulic fluid and a hydraulic pump to supply hydraulic fluid to internal hydraulic cavities for pushing and pulling the cabin. This results in increase in complexity of the mechanism and increases the total number of components in the vehicle. Also, conventional hydraulic tilting devices require separate hydraulic flow lines to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid between accumulator, actuator and the pump. This also adds to complexity in mechanism, and also increases the problems associated with the leakage of the hydraulic fluid.

In light of the foregoing discussion, it is necessary to develop an improved mechanism for supporting the cabin in open position and control the movement of cabin between open and close position.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The one or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a mechanism as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the provision of mechanism as claimed in the present disclosure.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure there is provided a mechanism for supporting and regulating movement of a closure of a vehicle, wherein one end of the closure is pivoted to a vehicle frame. The mechanism comprises at least one hydraulic actuator assembly configurable on the vehicle frame, wherein the at least one hydraulic actuator assembly is adapted to support the closure in an open position and control the movement of the closure between open position and close position. The hydraulic actuator assembly comprises: housing configured with a chamber wherein the chamber is adapted to hold hydraulic fluid. A piston disposed inside the chamber wherein the piston is adapted to divide the chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber. The hydraulic actuator also comprises a piston rod connected to the piston, wherein the piston rod is configured to move the piston inside the chamber. At least one first flow passage is provisioned in the piston to facilitate flow of the hydraulic fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber when the piston moves in first predetermined direction, and at least one second flow passage provisioned in the housing to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid from the second chamber to the first chamber when the piston moves in second predetermined direction. The mechanism also comprises a link comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the link is pivoted to the vehicle frame and the second end of the link is fixed to a free end of the piston rod. The link is adapted to operate the piston rod based on the movement of the closure.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first end of the link is fixed to a torsion bar provided at pivoting portion of the closure.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hydraulic actuator assembly comprises a check valve configured in the at least one first flow passage. The check valve is adapted to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber to the first chamber through the at least one first flow passage.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hydraulic actuator comprises a spool valve disposed in the at least one second flow passage. The spool valve is adapted to be operated by an user for regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid through the at least one second flow passage.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first predetermined direction is upward movement of the piston during the movement of the closure from the close position to the open position. The second predetermined direction is downward movement of the piston during the movement of the closure from the open position to the close position.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one second flow passage and the first chamber is interconnected by a third flow passage.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a hydraulic actuator assembly. The hydraulic actuator assembly comprises a housing configured with a chamber wherein the chamber is adapted to hold hydraulic fluid, and a piston disposed inside the chamber, wherein the piston is adapted to divide the chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber. Further, a piston rod is connected to the piston, wherein the piston rod is configured to move the piston inside the chamber. The hydraulic actuator assembly further includes at least one first flow passage provisioned in the piston to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber when the piston moves in first predetermined direction. A check valve is configured in the at least one first flow passage, wherein the check valve is adapted to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber to the first chamber through the at least one first flow passage. At least one second flow passage is provisioned in the housing to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid from the second chamber to the first chamber when the piston moves in second predetermined direction, and a spool valve is disposed in the at least one second flow passage, wherein the spool valve is adapted to be operated by an user for regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid through the at least one second flow passage.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one second flow passage and the first chamber is interconnected by a third flow passage. The third flow passage comprises a flow control valve to control the flow of hydraulic fluid from at least one second flow passage to the first chamber.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first predetermined direction is movement of the piston towards the first chamber from the second chamber. The second predetermined direction is movement of the piston towards the second chamber from the first chamber.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

OBJECTIVE OF THE DISCLOSURE

One object of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanism for controlling the movement of cabin of the vehicle, which can control the undesired movement of the cabin when the cabin is moved between open and close position.

One object of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanism for supporting and controlling the movement of cabin of the vehicle, which is simple in construction, easy to assemble, and retrofitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES

The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates schematic representation of a vehicle with tilt type driver’s cabin employed with a mechanism for supporting and controlling the movement of cabin between open position to close position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the hydraulic actuator assembly used in mechanism for supporting and controlling the movement of cabin between open position and close position according to some embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other mechanism for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

To overcome one or more drawbacks mentioned in the background, the present disclosure provides a mechanism for supporting the closure of a vehicle in open position, and controlling the movement of the movement of closure between open position and the close position. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the closure includes but not limiting to drivers cabin of the tilt-cabin type vehicle. The mechanism of the present disclosure supports closure in the vehicles which are hinged to the vehicle frame at one end, and are configured to move from close position to open position. The mechanism is adapted to automatically arrest the downward movement of the closure. If the user or mechanic needs to close the closure after performing necessary action, the user can manually disengage the mechanism to allow the movement of closure form open position to lower position.

The mechanism of the present disclosure broadly comprise of a hydraulic actuator and a link interconnecting the closure and the hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic actuator assembly configurable on the vehicle frame, and is adapted to support the closure in an open position and control the movement of the closure between open position and close position. The hydraulic actuator assembly comprises housing configured with a chamber which is adapted to hold hydraulic fluid. Further, a piston is disposed inside the chamber wherein the piston is adapted to divide the chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber, and a piston rod connected to the piston. The piston rod is configured to move the piston inside the chamber i.e. the piston rod moves the piston in upward and downward direction. Further, the hydraulic actuator assembly is provided with at least one first flow passage is provisioned in the piston. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first flow passage comprises a check valve which facilitates flow of the hydraulic fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber when the piston moves in first predetermined direction. The check valve also prevents the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber to the first chamber. Further, at least one second flow passage provisioned in the housing to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid from the second chamber to the first chamber when the piston moves in second predetermined direction. The mechanism also comprises a link in which first end of the link is pivoted to the vehicle frame and the second end of the link is fixed to a free end of the piston rod. The link is adapted to operate the piston rod based on the movement of the closure.

During operation, when the user or the mechanic moves the closure from close position to open position by using handle the link which is connected between the piston rod and a pivot point of the closure pulls the piston rod upwardly. During upward movement of the piston, the check valve provided in the first flow passage allows the flow of hydraulic fluid in the first chamber to the second chamber. Once the user leaves that closure in the open position, the link will try to push the piston downwards due to self-weight of the closure. During such movement, the hydraulic fluid tries to flow from the second chamber to the first chamber through the first flow passage. However, the check valve in the first flow passage blocks the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber to the first chamber. Therefore, downward movement of the piston will be restricted and hence the closure will be held in open position automatically. When, the user or mechanic intends to close the closure, then the user operates the spool valve which is disposed in the second flow passage. The spool valve then allows the flow of hydraulic fluid in the second chamber to the first chamber through the second flow passage. Since, the flow of fluid from second chamber to first chamber happens gradually, the piston starts moving downwardly. During such movement of the piston the piston rod pulls the closure to the close position.

The term open position used herein above and below refers to raised position of the cabin, which is inclined at an angle with respect to transverse direction of the vehicle. Further the term close position used herein above and below refers to lowered position of the cabin, in which the cabin encloses the components such as engine and other accessories of the vehicle.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an assembly, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

In the following description the words such as open, close, upward, downward with respect to particular orientation of the mechanism as illustrated in drawings of the present disclosure. The words are used to explain the aspects of the present disclosure and for better understanding. However, one should not construe such terms as limitation to the present disclosure, since the terms may interchange based on the orientation of the mechanism.

Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of figures of a mechanism for supporting a driver’s cabin in open position with respect to vehicle frame, and control the movement of driver’s cabin between open position and clos position which is one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can envisage various such embodiments without deviating from scope of the present disclosure. Further, it is to be noted that the support mechanism can be used for supporting closures in the vehicle. However for the purpose of simplicity the vehicle is not illustrated in the figures of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates schematic representation of a tilt type driver’s cabin (1) employed with a mechanism (100) for supporting the cabin (1) is open position and controlling the movement of cabin (1) between open position to close position. The cabin (1) as shown is installed on the vehicle frame (2).

As shown in FIG.1 the cabin (1) is mounted on frame (2) of the vehicle (not shown) at front pivot assembly (4) and rear mounting (5) on the frame (2) of a vehicle. The cabin is pivotally attached to the vehicle frame (2) of the vehicle body (3) through a torsion bar [not shown]. The torsion bar facilitates easy movement of the cabin (1) between the open position and the close position. Further, cabin tilting mechanism is provided for the purpose of tilting the cabin when the driver or mechanic intends to access the engine compartment for servicing operations. The cabin tilting mechanism consists of at least one torsion bar (not shown), handle (7) for tilting, cover assembly (for torsion bar) and cabin rear side locking mechanism. The cabin (1) may be titled by lifting the handle (7).

As shown in FIG. 1 the mechanism (100) comprises a support structure that is located near the front pivot point (4) and is mounted on the frame (2) of the vehicle body (3). The support structure is coupled to the cabin (1) at front pivot point (4) through a link (6). The link (6) comprises a first end (6a) and the second end (6b), in which the first end is connected to the torsion bar (not shown) and the second end is fixed to the support structure. The support structure is adapted to support the cabin (1) in open position, and also control the movement of the cabin (1) between the open position to the close position. The support structure is configured to be operated when cabin (1) is tilted, and is adapted to automatically prevent the downward movement of the cabin (1) when it is lifted by the operator/user/mechanic. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support structure is a hydraulic actuator assembly (200).

FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates a sectional view of the hydraulic actuator assembly (200) used in mechanism (100) for supporting and controlling the movement of cabin between open position to close position. The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) is mounted on the frame (2) near to but not limiting to the front pivot point (4). The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) consists of a housing (19) having a chamber (12) of predetermined shape. The chamber (12) is filled with hydraulic fluid (13) such as but not limiting to oil. Further, a piston (10) is disposed in the chamber (12) such that the piston (10) divides the chamber (12) into a first chamber (12a) and a second chamber (12b). In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one sealing member is provided around the piston to form a leak proof seal between the chamber and the piston (10). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first chamber (12a) is above the piston (10) and a second chamber (12b) which is below the piston (10).

Further, the hydraulic actuator assembly (200) comprises a piston rod (11) extending from upper surface of the piston (10), through an upper wall of the chamber (12). The piston rod (11) is attached to the link (6) [best shown in FIG. 1], and is configured to reciprocate in the chamber (12) based on the movement of the cabin (1). I.e. when the cabin (1) moves from close position to open position the link (6) will pull the piston rod (11) upwards, and when the cabin (1) moves from open position to close position the link (6) will push the piston rod (11) downwards. Further, at least one first flow passage (20) is provisioned in the piston (10) to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid (13) from the first chamber (12a) to the second chamber (12b) when the piston (10) moves in first predetermined direction. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first predetermined direction is the upward movement of the piston (10) when the cabin (1) is moved from close position to open position. In the first flow passage (20) a check valve (14) configured which is adapted to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) through the at least one first flow passage (20). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the check valve (14) includes but not limiting to spring loaded ball. The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) also includes at least one second flow passage (21) provisioned in the housing (19) to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid (13) from the second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) when the piston moves in second predetermined direction. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second predetermined direction is the downward movement of the piston (10) when the cabin (1) is moved from open position to close position. A spool valve (16) is disposed in the at least one second flow passage (21), wherein the spool valve (16) is adapted to be operated by an user for regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid (13) through the at least one second flow passage (21). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the spool valve (16) comprises a spring loaded ball (15) and spool disposed in a bore. The spring loaded ball (15) is adapted to block the flow of hydraulic fluid through the second flow passage (21), and the spool is adapted to operate the spring loaded ball (15) between open and close position. When, the spool is pushed by the user or mechanic the spring loaded ball (15) allows the flow of hydraulic fluid through a second flow passage (21) to the first chamber (12a). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the spool is placed inside the bore such that seals (17) are provided between inner circumference of the bore and the outer circumference of the spool to form a sealing between bore and the spool.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hydraulic actuator (200) comprises a third flow passage (22) interconnecting at least one second flow passage (21) and the first chamber (12a). The third flow passage comprises a flow control valve (18) to control the flow of hydraulic fluid from at least one second flow passage (21) to the first chamber (12a). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flow control valve (18) is a check valve which is disposed in a bore provided in the housing. The check valve (18) is configured to allow the flow of hydraulic fluid from second flow passage (21) to the first chamber (12a), and prevent the flow of the hydraulic fluid from the first chamber (12a) to second flow passage (21).

During the cabin lifting operation, the piston rod (11) will be pulled up by link (6), and thereby pull the piston (10) up. The pulling of piston (10) upwards results in pressure generation in the first chamber (12a), thereby opening the check valve (14) in the first flow passage (20). This results in flow of hydraulic fluid from first chamber (12a) to the second chamber (12b) through the first flow passage (20). When cabin (1) lifting operation is paused in between and manual support is taken out from lifting handle (7), due to the weight of the cabin, the connecting link (6) will push the piston rod (11) inward into the chamber (12). This will pressurize the hydraulic fluid in second chamber (12b), thus the check valve (14) will be close, and hence hydraulic fluid will try to go to the first chamber (12a), through the second flow passage (21) provided between the second chamber (12b) and the first chamber (12a). However, the spool valve (16) provided in the second flow passage will be close and hence will not allow the hydraulic fluid to flow to the first chamber (12a). Hence, the weight of cabin will be supported on the piston rod (11) by pressurizing the hydraulic fluid in second chamber (12b), thereby the cabin (1) will locked in its open position. When the driver or mechanic intends to move the cabin (1) down i.e. to close position, then the spool will be operated. This will displace the spool valve (16), in an embodiment the spool displace the ball from its original position and will allow the passage of hydraulic fluid from second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a). Once this oil flow is allowed, cabin (1) will slowly come down to its original position. Since the oil flow through the second valve (15) will happen in the form of flow though orifice, downward motion of the cabin (1) will be controlled slowly. Once the cabin moves to the close position the spool will be operated by the user to block the second flow passage (21) by the spool valve (16).

It is to be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Advantage:
The present disclosure provides a mechanism for supporting a manually operated cabin of the vehicle, which can automatically arrest/lock the cabin when the cabin is lifted by the user to the open position. Thereby, prevents the accidental fall of the cabin when the user or mechanic in conducting some operations.

The present disclosure provides a mechanism for controlling the movement of cabin of the vehicle, which can control the undesired movement of the cabin when the cabin is moved between open and close position. Thereby, prevents the undesired movement of the cabin when the user or mechanic in conducting some operations.

The present disclosure provides a mechanism for supporting and controlling the movement of cabin of the vehicle, which is simple in construction, easy to assemble, and retrofitted.

Industrial applicability:
The mechanism as described can be used to support any closures in the vehicles not limiting to cabin used for enclosing engine bay in tilt-cabin type vehicles. For example the mechanism can be used for supporting any other closures such as hatch door, hood which encloses engine bay, and the like.

Equivalents:

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
1 Cabin
2 Vehicle frame
3 Vehicle body
4 Front pivot point
5 Cabin frame rear mount
6 Link
6a First end of the link
6b Second end of the link
7 Handle for tilting
10 Piston
11 Connecting rod
12 Chamber
12a and 12b First and second chamber
13 Fluid
14 Check valve
15 and 18 Spring loaded ball
16 Spool valve
17 Seals
19 Housing
20 First flow passage
21 Second flow passage
22 Third flow passage
100 Mechanism
200 Hydraulic actuator assembly
,CLAIMS:We claim:

1. A mechanism (100) for supporting and regulating movement of a closure (1) of a vehicle, wherein one end of the closure (1) is pivoted to a vehicle frame (2), the mechanism (100) comprising:
at least one hydraulic actuator assembly (200) configurable on the vehicle frame (2), wherein the at least one hydraulic actuator assembly (200) is adapted to support the closure (1) in an open position and control the movement of the closure (1) between open position and close position, the hydraulic actuator assembly (200) comprises:
a housing (19) configured with a chamber (12), wherein the chamber (12) is adapted to hold hydraulic fluid (13);
a piston (10) disposed inside the chamber (12), wherein the piston (10) is adapted to divide the chamber (12) into a first chamber (12a) and a second chamber (12b);
a piston rod (11) connected to the piston (10), wherein the piston rod (11) is configured to move the piston inside the chamber (12);
at least one first flow passage (20) provisioned in the piston (10) to facilitate flow of the hydraulic fluid (13) from the first chamber (12a) to the second chamber (12b) when the piston (10) moves in first predetermined direction; and
at least one second flow passage (21) provisioned in the housing (19) to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid (13) from the second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) when the piston (10) moves in second predetermined direction; and
a link (6) comprising a first end (6a) and a second end (6b), wherein the first end (6a) of the link (6) is pivoted to the vehicle frame (2) and the second end (6b) of the link (6) is fixed to a free end of the piston rod (11);
wherein, the link (6) is adapted to operate the piston rod (11) based on the movement of the closure (1).

2. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end (6a) of the link (6) is fixed to a torsion bar provided at pivoting portion (4) of the closure (1).

3. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydraulic actuator assembly (200) comprises a check valve (14) configured in the at least one first flow passage (20).

4. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the check valve (14) is adapted to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) through the at least one first flow passage (20).

5. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydraulic actuator (200) comprises a spool valve (16) disposed in the at least one second flow passage (21).

6. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spool valve (16) is adapted to be operated by an user for regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid through the at least one second flow passage (21).

7. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined direction is upward movement of the piston (10) during the movement of the closure (1) from the close position to the open position.

8. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined direction is downward movement of the piston (10) during the movement of the closure (1) from the open position to the close position.

9. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one second flow passage (21) and the first chamber (12a) is interconnected by a third flow passage (22).

10. A vehicle comprising a mechanism (100) for supporting and regulating movement of a closure as claimed in claim 1.

11. A hydraulic actuator assembly (200), comprising:
a housing (19) configured with a chamber (12), wherein the chamber (12) is adapted to hold hydraulic fluid (13);
a piston (10) disposed inside the chamber (12), wherein the piston (10) is adapted to divide the chamber (12) into a first chamber (12a) and a second chamber (12b);
a piston rod (11) connected to the piston (10), wherein the piston rod (11) is configured to move the piston (10) inside the chamber (12);
at least one first flow passage (20) provisioned in the piston (10) to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid (13) from the first chamber (12a) to the second chamber (12b) when the piston (10) moves in first predetermined direction;
a check valve (14) configured in the at least one first flow passage (20), wherein the check valve (14) is adapted to prevent the flow of hydraulic fluid from second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) through the at least one first flow passage (20);
at least one second flow passage (21) provisioned in the housing (19) to facilitate flow of hydraulic fluid (13) from the second chamber (12b) to the first chamber (12a) when the piston moves in second predetermined direction; and
a spool valve (16) disposed in the at least one second flow passage (21), wherein the spool valve (16) is adapted to be operated by an user for regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid (13) through the at least one second flow passage (21).

12. The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one second flow passage (21) and the first chamber (12a) is interconnected by a third flow passage (22).

13. The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the third flow passage comprises a flow control valve to control the flow of hydraulic fluid from at least one second flow passage (21) to the first chamber (12a).

14. The hydraulic actuator assembly (200) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first predetermined direction is movement of the piston (10) towards the first chamber (12a) from the second chamber (12b).

15. The hydraulic actuator assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second predetermined direction is movement of the piston (10) towards the second chamber (12b) from the first chamber (12a).