Actuated mechanism for active pedestrian safety latch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11060327-B2
Application number	US-201916404237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2019
Priority date	May 4, 2018
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch, the latch for retaining the closure panel; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate, the support plate for connecting to a body of the vehicle; and an actuation mechanism mounted on at least one of the support plate or the body and coupled to either the closure panel or the mounting plate to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position; wherein the latch is moved from the home position to the extended position when mounted on the mounting plate. The latch travel mechanism also has a locking member mounted on the support plate and configured for retaining the mounting plate in a home position when engaged with the one or more linkages and for disengaging from the one or more linkages when operated.

First claim

We claim:

1. A latch travel mechanism ( 99 ) for a closure panel ( 6 ) of a vehicle ( 4 ), the mechanism comprising:
a mounting plate ( 115 ) for mounting a latch ( 100 ), the latch for retaining the closure panel in a closed position, the latch having a ratchet for retaining a striker mounted on the closure panel in order to latch the closure panel in the closed position, the ratchet held in position by a pawl when the ratchet is retaining the striker;
a support plate ( 117 ) coupled to the mounting plate by one or more linkages ( 118 ), the support plate for connecting to a body ( 5 ) of the vehicle; and
an actuation mechanism ( 101 ) for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the body for extending the linkages in order to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position;
wherein the mounting plate is moved from the home position to the extended position during operation of the actuation mechanism.

2. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising a locking assembly comprising a locking member ( 128 ) mounted on the support plate and configured for retaining the mounting plate in a home position when engaged with one of the support plate and the one or more linkages and for disengaging from one of the support plate and the one or more linkages as facilitated by the actuation mechanism.

3. The latch travel mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the actuation mechanism ( 101 ) is coupled to the locking member for disengaging the locking member from one of the support plate and the one or more linkages.

4. The latch travel mechanism of claim 3 , wherein a decoupling plate ( 170 ) is used to retain the locking member in the engaged position with the one or more linkages.

5. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising the latch mounted on the mounting plate in order to provide a latch travel assembly, wherein the latch moves with the mounting plate while the closure panel remains retained by the latch.

6. The latch travel mechanism of claim 2 , further comprising a pin ( 126 ) connected to the mounting plate and received in a notch ( 123 ) of the locking member in order to inhibit movement of the mounting plate from the home position to the extended position.

7. The latch travel mechanism of claim 2 , further comprising a pin ( 126 ) connected to the mounting plate and received in an abutment surface ( 131 ) of the locking member in order to inhibit movement of the mounting plate from the home position to the extended position.

8. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the linkages are connected by a first pivot ( 120 ) to the mounting plate and connected by a second pivot ( 122 ) to the support plate.

9. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the one or more linkages ( 118 ) includes at least one two-bar linkage.

10. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the linkages extend in a plane parallel to at least one of the support plate and the mounting plate.

11. The latch travel mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the locking member is coupled to the mounting plate by a pivot ( 127 ).

12. The latch travel mechanism of claim 4 , further comprising the decoupling plate having an abutment ( 178 ) positioned adjacent to an abutment surface ( 180 ) of the locking member, such engagement of the abutment with the abutment surface inhibits movement of the locking member.

13. The latch travel mechanism of claim 12 , wherein the decoupling plate is coupled to the actuation mechanism such that operation of the actuation mechanism moves the abutment out of engagement with the abutment surface, thus providing for movement of the locking member.

14. The latch travel mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the decoupling plate is mounted to the mounting plate by a pin ( 182 ) and slot ( 184 ) arrangement, such that movement of the decoupling plate provides for movement of the pin within and along the slot.

15. The latch travel mechanism of claim 14 , wherein the pin is connected to the mounting plate and the slot is formed in the decoupling plate.

16. The latch travel mechanism of claim 13 , further comprising a travel stop ( 190 ) mounted on the decoupling plate, wherein engagement of the travel stop with mounting plate provides for said move the mounting plate.

17. The latch travel mechanism of claim 2 , further comprising a travel slot ( 192 ) formed in the locking member, the travel slot for guiding movement of a pin as the locking member moves during displacement of the mounting plate from the home position to the extended position.

18. The latch travel mechanism of claim 17 , further comprising a locking notch ( 196 ) positioned at one end of the travel slot, such that when the pin is received in the locking notch the mounting plate is retained in the extended position.

19. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising a pin ( 140 ) and slot ( 142 ) arrangement between the mounting plate and the support plate, such that movement of the pin within the slot provides for guiding of relative movement between the support plate ( 117 ) and the mounting plate ( 115 ) wherein one of: the slot is provided on the support plate and the pin is mounted on the mounting plate, the pin and slot arrangement is positioned on a side ( 117 a ) of the support plate, and the pin and slot arrangement is positioned on between a pair of sides ( 117 a ) of the support plate and opposite to the latch.

20. A method for operating a latch travel mechanism coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
maintaining a linkage provided between a mounting plate and a support plate in a collapsed state, the mounting plate having a latch mounted thereon for retaining the closure panel in a closed position with respect to a body of the vehicle, the mounting plate coupled to a support plate connected to the body of the vehicle, the latch having a ratchet for retaining a striker mounted on the closure panel in order to latch the closure panel in the closed position, the ratchet held in position by a pawl when the ratchet is retaining the striker;
operating an actuation system in order to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position; and
expanding the linkage to a deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position;
wherein the latch is also moved from the home position to the extended position as mounted on the mounting plate.

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Szente Csaba
• Distefano John
• Ilea Ioan Dorin

Classifications

• E05B85/26

  Cooperation between bolts and detents · CPC title

• E05B83/24 Primary

  for car bonnets · CPC title

• E05B77/12

  Automatic locking or unlocking at the moment of collision · CPC title

• E05B85/00

  Details of vehicle locks not provided for in groups E05B77/00 - E05B83/00 · CPC title

• E05B77/08 Primary

  Arrangements for protection of pedestrians · CPC title