Dual unlocking hood latch system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10273726-B2
Application number	US-201414481537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A dual unlocking hood latch system allows a user to open a hood of the automobile vehicle while staying in the vehicle. The dual unlocking hood latch system includes a base fixed to a main body. The base includes a moving groove portion to guide the movement of a striker. A latch gear, which includes a plurality of locking portions, is pivotably attached to a front side of the base to retain the striker when the striker is entered through the moving groove portion to a locking position. A pawl, pivotably attached to the base, controls the movement of the latch gear by transmitting rotational motion when in contact. And a stopper portion, pivotably attached to the base, is elastically biased to move toward the pawl such that the stopper portion is pushed by the pawl to restrain pivoting movement of the latch gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual unlocking hood latch system, comprising:
a base comprising a moving groove portion for guiding a movement of a striker, the base attached to a main body;
a latch gear comprising a first locking portion, a second locking portion and a third locking portion, the latch gear pivotably attached to a front side of the base for directly restraining the striker in a mounting groove portion between the first locking portion and the second locking portion when the striker is entered through the moving groove portion to a locking position and for directly restraining the striker from further unlocking when the dual unlocking hood latch system transitions from the locking position to a first unlocking position, the latch gear comprising a plurality of locking portions;
a pawl pivotably attached to the base, the pawl comprising a single locking protrusion for directly restraining the latch gear from rotating by directly abutting against the second locking portion of the latch gear when the dual unlocking hood latch system is in the locking position and by abutting against the third locking portion of the latch gear the first unlocking position; and
a stopper portion comprising a stopper protrusion and pivotably attached to the base and elastically pressured to a direction of the pawl such that the stopper portion is in constant direct contact with the pawl during both the locking position and the first unlocking position, wherein the stopper portion is pushed by the pawl to restrain the movement of the latch gear such that the pawl abuts the stopper portion when the dual unlocking hood latch system transitions from the locking position to the first unlocking position, and while the dual unlocking hood latch system transitions from the locking position to the first unlocking position, the stopper is pushed by the pawl to temporarily restrain the latch gear from rotating by causing the stopper protrusion to directly abut against the a second locking portion of the latch gear.

2. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 1 , wherein the latch gear further comprises:
a latch body pivotably attached to the base and comprising the plurality of locking portions and the mounting groove portion, wherein the striker is inserted into the mounting groove portion when the striker is entered through the moving groove portion to the locking position, wherein:
the first locking portion protrudes from a first side of the latch body;
the second locking portion protrudes from a second side of the latch body and is restrained by the pawl while in the locking position, the mounting groove portion formed between the first locking portion and the second locking protrusion; and
the third locking portion protrudes from the latch body to be restrained by the pawl in the first unlocking position,
wherein the latch body is configured to restrain the striker in the mounting groove portion when the dual unlocking hood latch system is in the locking position, and the first locking portion is configured to restrain the striker when the dual unlocking hood latch system is in the first unlocking position.

3. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 2 , wherein the latch gear comprises, in turn, the first locking portion, the mounting groove portion, the second locking portion, and the third locking portion about a pivotal axis of the latch body and protruding outward of the latch body.

4. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 2 , wherein the pawl comprises:
a pawl body pivotably formed at a location offset from the moving groove portion and opposing the latch gear;
the single locking protrusion protruded from the pawl body to restrain the second locking portion during the locking position and to restrain the third locking portion during the first unlocking position to restrain the latch gear from pivoting; and
a connecting protrusion extended in a direction orthogonal to the base on a lower side of the pawl body and configured to couple the pawl to an operating cable.

5. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 4 , wherein the pawl body comprises a locking groove portion formed in a side of the pawl body and configured to restrain the stopper portion.

6. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 4 , further comprising a cover portion formed such that the cover portion opposes the base, with the latch gear, the pawl and the stopper portion in between, and the connecting protrusion is locked in the cover portion and restrained from pivoting.

7. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 1 , wherein the stopper portion comprises:
a stopper body placed above the pawl and pivotably formed on the base; and
the stopper protrusion extending from the stopper body and configured to be engaged with a locking groove portion of the pawl during the locking position and pushed by the pawl to temporarily restrain the third locking portion of the latch gear from pivoting while transitioning from the locking position to the first unlocking position.

8. The dual unlocking hood latch system of claim 1 , wherein the latch gear and the stopper portion are elastically supported in a first rotational direction, and the pawl is elastically supported in second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction.

Assignees

• Park Hyeon Tae
• Pyeong Hwa Automotive Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Hyeon Tae

Classifications

• Y10T292/1078

  Closure · CPC title

• E05B83/243

  Hood clamps, i.e. individually actuated, usually yielding hooks · CPC title

• E05B85/26

  Cooperation between bolts and detents · CPC title

• Y10T292/1082

  Motor · CPC title

• Y10T292/1048

  Lever · CPC title