Active pedestrian hood latch with dual function cam lever

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11168498-B2
Application number	US-201816106336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2018
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Nov 9, 2021
Grant date	Nov 9, 2021

Abstract

A hood latch for a motor vehicle is provided. The hood latch includes a lift lever, a pawl, a ratchet, a control lever and an actuator. The control lever has a first cam surface and a second cam surface. The actuator is configured for actuation in response to a signal detected by a sensor. The actuator is actuatable in response to the signal to move into engagement with the control lever to bring the first cam surface into operable engagement with the pawl to move the pawl out of locked engagement with the ratchet, whereupon the second cam surface is brought into engagement with the lift lever to rotate the lift lever into engagement with a striker, fixed to a hood of the motor vehicle, to move the hood to a partially open state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hood latch for capturing and releasing a striker of a hood of a motor vehicle, comprising:
a ratchet and at least one pawl, the ratchet being moveable between a striker capture position whereat the ratchet retains the striker in a fully closed position, a striker partial release position whereat the ratchet retains the striker in a partially opened position, and a striker release position whereat the ratchet releases the striker, the at least one pawl being moveable between a primary lock position whereat the at least one pawl holds the ratchet in the striker capture position, a secondary lock position whereat the at least one pawl holds the ratchet in the striker partial release position, and an open position whereat the at least one pawl allows the ratchet to move to the striker release position;
a lift lever configured to pivot from a home position to a deployed position in forcible engagement with the striker;
a control lever configured to move from a home position to a deployed position and having a first cam surface and a second cam surface; and
an actuator configured for communication with a sensor and being actuatable in response to a signal from the sensor, said actuator being configured to move into engagement with said control lever upon actuation of the actuator to move said control lever and bring said first cam surface into engagement with said at least one pawl to pivot said at least one pawl out of locked engagement with said ratchet, whereupon said second cam surface is moved into engagement with said lift lever to pivot said lift lever from its home position to its deployed position and into forcible engagement with the striker to move and support the hood in a partially open state,
wherein the control lever is configured to be releasably maintained in its deployed position to prevent the lift lever from returning to its home position, thereby preventing the hood from being closed.

2. The hood latch of claim 1 , wherein said at least one pawl has a generally planar body and a pawl pin extending outwardly from said generally planar body and said control lever has a recessed notch configured for receipt of said pawl pin to releasably maintain the control lever in its deployed position.

3. The hood latch of claim 2 , further including a release lever configured to selectively pivot said pawl and move said pawl pin out of said recessed notch to allow said control lever to return to its home position and said lift lever to return to its home position and to allow said hood to be closed.

4. The hood latch of claim 3 , wherein said release lever is manually actuatable from within a cabin of the vehicle.

5. The hood latch of claim 3 , wherein said lift lever is biased toward its home position by a spring.

6. The hood latch of claim 1 , wherein said actuator is a pyrotechnic actuator.

7. The hood latch of claim 2 , wherein said actuator has a plunger and said control lever has a pivot axis about which said control lever pivots between its home position and deployed position, with a driven leg extending away from said pivot axis for engagement with said plunger and a drive leg extending away from said pivot axis for engagement with said lift lever, said driven leg and said drive leg extending from opposite sides of said pivot axis away from one another.

8. The hood latch of claim 7 , wherein said first cam surface and said second cam surface are on opposite sides of said drive leg with a blocking surface extending along a free end of said drive leg, said blocking surface being configured for abutment with said lift lever while said control lever is in its deployed position.

9. The hood latch of claim 8 , wherein said recessed notch is between said driven leg and said first cam surface.

10. The hood latch of claim 2 , wherein said at least one pawl includes a primary pawl configured to releasably maintain said ratchet in its striker capture position and a secondary pawl configured to releasably maintain said ratchet in its striker partial release position, wherein said pawl pin extends from said primary pawl.

11. A hood latch system for capturing and releasing a striker of a hood of a motor vehicle, comprising:
a latch assembly having a ratchet and at least one pawl, the ratchet being moveable between a striker capture position whereat the ratchet retains the striker in a fully closed position, a striker partial release position whereat the ratchet retains the striker in a partially opened position, and a striker release position whereat the ratchet releases the striker, the at least one pawl being moveable between a primary lock position whereat the at least one pawl holds the ratchet in the striker capture position, a secondary lock position whereat the at least one pawl holds the ratchet in the striker partial release position, and an open position whereat the at least one pawl allows the ratchet to move to the striker release position;
a lift lever configured to pivot from a home position to a deployed position in forcible engagement with the striker;
a control lever configured to move from a home position to a deployed position and having a first cam surface and a second cam surface;
a controller;
a sensor configured in electrical communication with said controller; and
an actuator configured in electrical communication with said controller, said actuator being actuatable in response to a signal communicated from said sensor to said controller and from said controller to said actuator, said actuator being configured to move into engagement with said control lever upon actuation of the actuator to move said control lever and bring said first cam surface into engagement with said at least one pawl to pivot said at least one pawl out of locked engagement with said ratchet, whereupon said second cam surface is moved into engagement with said lift lever to pivot said lift lever from its home position to its deployed position and into forcible engagement with the striker to move and support the hood in a partially open state,
wherein the control lever is configured to be releasably maintained in its deployed position to prevent the lift lever from returning to its home position, thereby preventing the hood from being closed.

12. The hood latch system of claim 11 , wherein said at least one pawl has a generally planar body and a pawl pin extending outwardly from said generally planar body and said control lever has a recessed notch configured for receipt of said pawl pin to releasably maintain the control lever in its deployed position.

13. The hood latch system of claim 12 , further including a release lever configured to selectively pivot said pawl and move said pawl pin out of said recessed notch to allow said control lever to return to its home position and said lift lever to return to its home position and to allow said hood to be closed.

14. The hood latch system of claim 13 , wherein said release lever is manually actuatable from within a cabin of the vehicle.

15. The hood latch system of claim 13 , wherein said lift lever is biased toward its home position by a spring.

16. The hood latch system of claim 11 , wherein said actuator is a pyrotechnic actuator.

17. The hood latch system of claim 12 , wherein said actuator has a plunger and said control lever has a pivot axis about which said control lever pivots between its home position and deployed position, with a driven leg extending away from said pivot axis for engagement with said plunger and a drive leg extending away from said pivot axis for engagement with said lift lever, said driven leg

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Distefano John
• Szente Csaba

Classifications

• E05B77/08

  Arrangements for protection of pedestrians · CPC title

• E05B79/20

  using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables · CPC title

• E05B83/24 Primary

  for car bonnets · CPC title

• E05B81/02

  characterised by the type of actuators used · CPC title

• E05B85/243

  with a bifurcated bolt · CPC title