Mechanical assist mechanism for active pedestrian safety latch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10655367-B2
Application number	US-201514933451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2015
Priority date	May 23, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A latch assembly for driving a closure panel from a closed panel position to an open panel position. The latch assembly comprises: a latch mechanism having a first latch element for retaining a mating latch component in a latched position and for moving the mating latch component from the latched position to an unlatched position when released, the movement of the first latch element biased towards the unlatched position by a latch biasing element; and an actuation system having: a mechanical energy storage system having a device for storing mechanical potential energy for assisting the latch biasing element in moving the mating latch component from the latched position to the unlatched position; a mechanical advantage system having a plurality of advantage elements for engaging the device, such that movement of the plurality of advantage elements is associated with a trigger force and cooperation of the plurality of advantage elements provides for amplification of the trigger force as an initiating force to release the stored mechanical potential energy; and a trigger system configured to provide the trigger force to release the stored mechanical potential energy.

First claim

We claim:

1. A latch assembly for driving a closure panel of a vehicle from a closed panel position to an open panel position, the latch assembly comprising:
a latch mechanism having a first latch element for retaining a mating latch component of the vehicle in a latched position, movement of the first latch element biased towards the unlatched position by a latch biasing element; and
an actuation system having:
an energy storage system having a device for storing potential energy for assisting the latch biasing element in moving the mating latch component from the latched position to the unlatched position;
a mechanical system having at least one mechanical member for contacting the mating latch component to assist in moving the mating latch component from the latched position to the unlatched position once the mating latch component is released from the first latch element and the at least one mechanical member is in contact with the mating latch component, such that actuation of the least one mechanical member is a result of a deployed release of the stored potential energy.

2. The latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mating latch component is associated with the closure panel and the latch assembly further includes a mounting plate for mounting the latch assembly to a body of a vehicle having the closure panel.

3. The latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the potential energy of the device is mechanical potential energy.

4. The latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stored potential energy of the device is chemical potential energy, such that chemical energy of the device is transformed to said stored potential energy by a chemical reaction as a result of said deployed release.

5. The latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one mechanical member has a first mechanical member as a lever.

6. The latch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the lever is rotated out of engagement with the mating latch component when in the unlatched position, such that post deployment travel of the mating latch component towards the latched position results in the lever remaining in the unlatched position while at the same time resulting in travel of the first latch element towards the latched position.

7. The latch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first latch element is a ratchet and the lever has an abutment for disengaging a second latch element retaining the first latch element in the latched position.

8. The latch assembly of claim 7 , wherein the second latch element is a pawl biased towards engagement with the ratchet.

9. The latch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first latch element is a ratchet and the lever has an abutment for disengaging a second latch element retaining the first latch element in the latched position.

10. The latch assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second latch element is a pawl biased towards engagement with the ratchet.

11. The latch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the at least one mechanical member has a second mechanical member as a cam for guiding the second latch element into the unlatched position, the lever and the cam coupled together for corotation between the latched and unlatched positions.

12. The latch assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second latch element has an abutment to retain the cam in the unlatched position.

13. The latch assembly of claim 11 , wherein the mating latch component is retained within a pair of arms of the first latch element when in the unlatched position.

14. The latch assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cam is coupled to the device by a force element.

15. The latch assembly of claim 14 , wherein the force element is a cable and the stored potential energy is mechanical potential energy provided by a resilient element.

16. The latch assembly of claim 11 further comprising a post deployment position of the mating latch component between the latched and unlatched positions, such that movement of the cam back towards the latched position causes the force element to restore at least a portion of the stored potential energy, as facilitated by a coupling of the force element to the device.

17. The latch assembly of claim 1 further comprising a force element for driving the at least one mechanical member into said actuation as the result of the deployed release of the stored potential energy, the force element coupled to the device.

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Ferri James J
• Mitchell J R Scott
• Szente Csaba
• Playia Jagdeep
• Ghorghorian Dikran
• Clark John
• Sabatini Gabriele Wayne
• Miu Traian
• Jovanovic Aleksandar

Classifications

• B60R21/34

  Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians {(B60R19/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E05C17/02

  by mechanical means (E05C17/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05C19/10

  Hook fastenings; Fastenings in which a link engages a fixed hook-like member · CPC title

• E05B77/08 Primary

  Arrangements for protection of pedestrians · CPC title

• E05B83/24

  for car bonnets · CPC title