Vehicular latch assembly with latch mechanism having pop-off sound reduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767396-B2
Application number	US-201715673503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 15, 2016
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A closure latch assembly for use in a motor vehicle closure system for releasably latching a vehicle door to a vehicle body. The closure latch assembly includes a latch mechanism providing a pop-off sound reduction function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A closure latch assembly for a closure panel mounted to a motor vehicle for movement between an open position and closed position, the closure latch assembly comprising:
a latch mechanism having a ratchet and a pawl, the ratchet being moveable between a striker release position whereat the ratchet is positioned to receive a striker and a striker capture position whereat the ratchet is positioned to retain the striker, the ratchet being biased toward its striker release position, the pawl being moveable between a ratchet releasing position whereat the pawl is positioned to permit the ratchet to move to its striker release position and a ratchet holding position whereat the pawl is positioned to hold the ratchet in its striker capture position, the pawl being biased toward its ratchet holding position; and
a pop-off sound reduction mechanism having an auxiliary pawl and a striker lever, the auxiliary pawl being moveable between a ratchet disengaged position whereat the auxiliary pawl is disengaged from the ratchet and a ratchet engaged position whereat the auxiliary pawl is engaged with the ratchet, the auxiliary pawl being biased toward its ratchet engaged position, the striker lever being moveable between a striker disengaged position whereat the auxiliary pawl is held in its ratchet disengaged position and a striker engaged position whereat the auxiliary pawl is permitted to move to its ratchet engaged position, the striker lever being biased toward its striker disengaged position,
wherein the striker lever moves from its striker disengaged position into its striker engaged position in response to the striker engaging and moving the ratchet from its striker release position into its striker capture position,
wherein a striker exit force exerted on the ratchet by contact with the striker when the ratchet is located in its striker capture position is counteracted by a resistive force exerted on the ratchet by contact with the auxiliary pawl as the ratchet is moving away from its striker capture position and as the auxiliary pawl is moved from its ratchet engaged position to its ratchet disengaged position in response to movement of the ratchet moving away from its striker capture position.

2. The closure latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the latch mechanism is operable in a latched state when the pawl is located in its ratchet holding position for holding the ratchet in its striker capture position, and wherein the latch mechanism is further operable in an unlatched state when the pawl is moved to its ratchet releasing position for permitting movement of the ratchet to its striker release position.

3. The closure latch assembly of claim 2 further comprising a latch release mechanism for moving the pawl from its ratchet holding position to its ratchet releasing position to shift the latch mechanism from its latched state into its unlatched state.

4. The closure latch assembly of claim 3 , wherein the latch release mechanism includes a power-operated release actuator operable for moving the pawl to its ratchet releasing position to provide the closure latch assembly with a power latch release function.

5. The closure latch assembly of claim 3 wherein the latch release mechanism is manually-operated for moving the pawl to its ratchet releasing position in response to an input action from a user.

6. The closure latch assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pop-off sound reduction mechanism is operable in an engaged state when the striker lever is moved by the striker to its striker engaged position and the auxiliary pawl is moved to its ratchet engaged position, and wherein the pop-off sound reduction mechanism is operable in a disengaged state when the striker lever is located in its striker disengaged position and the auxiliary pawl is held in its ratchet disengaged position.

7. The closure latch assembly of claim 6 , wherein an auxiliary pawl spring biases the auxiliary pawl toward its ratchet engaged position, and wherein when the latch mechanism is in its latched state and the pop-off sound reduction mechanism is in its engaged state the auxiliary pawl spring and the auxiliary pawl apply the resistive force to the ratchet via contact with the auxiliary pawl such that subsequent movement of the pawl to its ratchet releasing position acts to shift the latch mechanism into its unlatched mode for causing the ratchet to forcibly move the auxiliary pawl from its ratchet engaged position into its ratchet disengaged position in response to movement of the ratchet toward its striker release position so as to shift the pop-off sound reduction mechanism into its disengaged state.

8. The closure latch assembly of claim 7 , wherein the pop-off sound reduction mechanism further includes a memory lever moveable between an auxiliary pawl released position and an auxiliary pawl hold position, the memory lever being biased toward its auxiliary pawl hold position, wherein movement of the striker lever from its striker disengaged position into its striker engaged position causes the memory lever to move from its auxiliary pawl hold position to its auxiliary pawl released position for permitting the auxiliary pawl to move from its ratchet disengaged position into its ratchet engaged position, and wherein movement of the ratchet from its striker capture position toward its striker release position causes the auxiliary pawl to move from its ratchet engaged position to its ratchet disengaged position, and wherein the memory lever is operable in its auxiliary pawl hold position to hold the auxiliary pawl in its ratchet disengaged position.

9. The closure latch assembly of claim 8 , wherein the ratchet includes a ratchet extension segment configured to engage a cam surface on the auxiliary pawl when the ratchet is located in its striker capture position and the auxiliary pawl is located in its ratchet engaged position, and wherein the cam surface includes a positive back-out profile configured to generate the resistive force via contact with the ratchet extension when the ratchet is initially released for movement toward its striker release position which causes movement of the auxiliary pawl from its ratchet engaged position to its ratchet disengaged position in opposition to the biasing of the auxiliary pawl spring.

10. The closure latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pop-off sound reduction mechanism further includes a memory lever moveable between an auxiliary pawl released position and an auxiliary pawl hold position, the memory lever being biased toward its auxiliary pawl hold position, wherein movement of the striker lever from its striker disengaged position into its striker engaged position causes the memory lever to move from its auxiliary pawl hold position to its auxiliary pawl released position for permitting the auxiliary pawl spring to forcibly move the auxiliary pawl from its ratchet disengaged position into its ratchet engaged position, and wherein movement of the ratchet from its striker capture position toward its striker release position causes the auxiliary pawl to move from its ratchet engaged position to its ratchet disengaged position, and wherein the memory lever is operable in its auxiliary pawl hold position to hold the auxiliary pawl in its ratchet disengaged position.

11. The closure latch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the latch mechanism includes a ratchet spring biasing the ratchet toward its striker release position, wherein the pop-off sound reduction mechanism includes an auxiliary pawl spring biasing the auxiliary pawl toward its ratchet engaged position, wherein the ratchet has a ratchet extension engaging a cam surface on the auxiliary pawl when the ratchet is located in its striker ca

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Distefano John
• Ilea Ioan Dorin

Classifications

• E05B81/06

  using rotary motors · CPC title

• E05B81/14

  operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt · CPC title

• E05C3/12

  with latching action (devices in which the securing part is formed or merely carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps, E05C19/06; tilt-plate latches E05C19/007) · CPC title

• E05B77/36 Primary

  Noise prevention; Anti-rattling means · CPC title

• E05B81/00

  Power-actuated vehicle locks · CPC title