Importance

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Abstract

A hinge for a vehicle deck lid includes a housing, a pivot pin mounted therein, a hinge arm mounted on the pivot pin, a lift spring to bias the hinge arm toward an open position and thereby counterbalance the weight of the deck lid, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tension in the lift spring. The adjustment mechanism includes a ratchet mechanism made up of pawls on the pivot pin and catches on the housing that allows one-way rotation of the pivot pin to more tightly wind the lift spring. The ratchet mechanism further includes a bias spring that biases the pawls and catches into engagement, the bias spring having a tension that can be overcome to release the ratchet mechanism and release the tension in the lift spring.

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First Claim