Support linkage for rear hatch of vehicle with angled lifting arms on fixed pivots and spring supports to raise the hatch to fully open

摘要

A support linkage for a rear hatch of a vehicle has a spring loaded lever system each side of the hatch to support the weight of the hatch up to the fully open position. The hatch is hinged on its top edge (3) and an angled drive arm (7) has a pivot mounting (5) near to the hatch pivot, each side of the hatch. The longer arm (7') of the angled arm connects to near the bottom end of the side frame of the hatch via a short connecting arm (10). The shorter arm (7'') is connected to the vehicle via a tensile coil spring (12). The relative positions and lengths of the support arms provide a sprung support to assist in raising the hatch, with maximum effect with the hatch horizontal and decreasing up to the fully open position. The short and long arms of the angled arm are set at an obtuse angle.