Actuated mechanism for active pedestrian safety latch with meshed gears

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066854-B2
Application number	US-202016751862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 29, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 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 by a pair of linkages, the support plate for connecting to a body of the vehicle, the pair of linkages including a pair of arms and a pair of meshed gears coupled to one another; and an actuation mechanism for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the body for extending the pair of 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.

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 a pair of linkages ( 118 ), the support plate for connecting to a body ( 5 ) of the vehicle, the pair of linkages including a pair of arms ( 302 ) and a pair of meshed gears ( 300 ) coupled to one another; and
an actuation mechanism ( 101 ) for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the body for extending the pair of 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 the latch mounted on the mounting plate in order to provide a latch travel assembly ( 99 ), wherein the latch moves with the mounting plate while the closure panel remains retained by the latch.

3. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the pair of linkages are coupled by first pivots ( 120 ) to the mounting plate and coupled by second pivots ( 122 ) to the support plate.

4. The latch travel mechanism of claim 3 , wherein each of the pair of arms is coupled to the support plate by a respective one of the second pivots and each of the pair of meshed gears is coupled to the mounting plate by a respective one of the first pivots.

5. The latch travel mechanism of claim 4 , wherein said each of the pair of arms is coupled to a respective one of the pair of meshed gears by a third pivot.

6. 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.

7. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein operation of the pair of meshed gears inhibits misalignment of sides (RH,LH) of the mounting plate with respect to the support plate during said operation of the actuation mechanism.

8. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the pair of meshed gears are sector gears.

9. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the pair of meshed gears are coupled by first pivots to the mounting plate.

10. A method for operating a latch travel mechanism coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
maintaining a pair of linkages 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 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 pair of linkages to a deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position, such that the pair of linkages includes a pair of arms and a pair of meshed gears;
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

• E05B77/08

  Arrangements for protection of pedestrians · CPC title

• B60R21/38 Primary

  using means for lifting bonnets · CPC title

• E05B83/24 Primary

  for car bonnets · CPC title

• E05B51/023

  actuated in response to external pressure, blast or explosion (E05B65/102 takes precedence) · CPC title