CN111472627B

CN111472627B - Actuation mechanism for an active pedestrian safety latch with meshing gears

Info

Publication number: CN111472627B
Application number: CN202010079154.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 萨巴·森特; 约翰·迪斯泰法诺; 伊万·多林·伊莱亚
Original assignee: Magna Closures Inc
Current assignee: Magna Closures Inc
Priority date: 2019-01-24
Filing date: 2020-02-03
Publication date: 2022-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2040-02-03
Also published as: DE102020101665A1; CN111472627A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch for holding the closure panel; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate by a pair of links for connection to a body of the vehicle, the pair of links including a pair of arms and a pair of meshing gears coupled to each other; and an actuating mechanism for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body for extending the pair of links to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position; wherein the mounting plate moves from the home position to the extended position during operation of the actuation mechanism.

Description

Actuation mechanism for an active pedestrian safety latch with meshing gears

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/796,161 filed on 24.1.2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to vehicle safety systems.

Background

The automotive industry is attempting to better protect the head of pedestrians from injury in the event of a collision with a vehicle. When an automobile impacts a pedestrian in a front end collision, the pedestrian may be thrown and fall onto the front hood and/or windshield of the vehicle. In an effort to improve the severity of the impact, particularly to prevent a person's head from striking the engine block or other hard spot located immediately below the front hood, it is desirable to actively space the front hood from the engine block whenever a front end collision is detected. In particular, when a front end collision is detected by the collision sensor, it is desirable to move the front hood from a first aerodynamic position, where the front hood is typically positioned very close to the engine block, to a second position, where the front hood is actively moved further away from the engine block by a few centimeters, over a very short period of time (e.g., in milliseconds). This activity can provide sufficient time and/or space for the pedestrian's head and/or torso to decelerate when the pedestrian impacts the front hood, thereby preventing fatal injury.

Other problems associated with safety systems in the industry are the actuation speed and/or actuation distance (e.g., device response time) of the safety device that is adjusted according to the actuation power requirements. Another problem in the industry is the need for smaller package sizes for mounting the system. Another problem in the industry is the need to reduce the cost of safety systems that include modular components that facilitate replacement to reduce replacement costs.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a latch travel mechanism that eliminates or reduces at least one of the above problems.

A first aspect provides a latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch for holding the closure panel; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate by a pair of links (linkages) for connecting to a body of the vehicle, the pair of links including a pair of arms and a pair of meshing gears coupled to each other; and an actuating mechanism for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body for extending the pair of links to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position; wherein the mounting plate moves from the home position to the extended position during operation of the actuation mechanism.

A second aspect provided relates to 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 links disposed between a mounting plate and a support plate in a folded state, wherein the mounting plate has a latch mounted thereon for holding the closure panel in a closed position relative to a body of the vehicle, the support plate being connected to the body of the vehicle; operating the actuating system to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position; and deploying the pair of links to a deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position, such that the pair of links includes a pair of arms and a pair of meshing gears; wherein the latch is also moved from the home position to the extended position due to the mounting on the mounting plate.

According to another aspect, there is provided an active pedestrian system including a closure panel of a vehicle having a striker, a latch travel mechanism for the closure panel, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch comprising a ratchet for retaining a striker, the latch for retaining the closure panel in a closed position relative to a body of the vehicle; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate, the support plate for connection to a body of a vehicle; one or more links connected at one end to the support plate and at another end to the mounting plate, the one or more links providing the coupling to the mounting plate, the one or more links being deployable; and an actuation system coupled to at least one of the support plate, the mounting plate, and the linkage to extend the linkage to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position, wherein the latch also moves from the home position to the extended position when mounted on the mounting plate, wherein the striker moves relative to the ratchet when the latch moves.

Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects will be more readily understood with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an example vehicle using a safety actuation system;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hood latch of FIG. 1A shown in isolation;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the hood latch of FIG. 1A shown in a primary home position;

FIG. 3A is a front exploded perspective view of the hood latch of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show side and front views, respectively, of the latch of FIG. 1A when held in a home position;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show side and front views, respectively, of the latch of FIG. 1A when released while still in the home position;

FIGS. 5C and 5D show side and front views, respectively, of the latch of FIG. 1A when released and in a partially deployed position;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show side and front views, respectively, of the latch of FIG. 1A when released and in an extended position;

FIG. 7 illustrates a front perspective view of the latch of FIG. 1A when released and in an extended position;

FIG. 8A is a front perspective view of an additional embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8B is a rear perspective view of an additional embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in a locked state;

FIG. 9B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in a locked state;

FIG. 10A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in an unlocked state;

FIG. 10B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in an unlocked state;

FIG. 11A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in an extended position;

FIG. 11B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 8A in an extended position;

FIG. 12A is a front perspective view of yet another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 12B is a rear perspective view of yet another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 12A in a home state;

FIG. 13B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 12A in a home position;

FIG. 14A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 12A in an extended position;

FIG. 14B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 12A in an extended position;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 16A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 15 in a home position;

FIG. 16B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 15 in a home position;

FIG. 17A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 15 in an extended position;

FIG. 17B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 15 in an extended position;

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 19A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 18 in a home position;

FIG. 19B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 18 in a home position;

FIG. 20A is a side view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 18 in an extended position;

FIG. 20B is a front view of the actuation system shown in FIG. 18 in an extended position;

FIGS. 21, 22A, 22B, 23A, 23B, 24A and 24B illustrate yet another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 25, 26A, 26B, 27A, 27B, 28A and 28B illustrate yet another embodiment of the actuation system shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 29A is a front view of the actuation system shown in a folded state, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 29B is a front view of the actuation system of FIG. 29A shown in a deployed state, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 29C is a rear perspective view of the actuation system of FIG. 29A illustrating a guide mechanism, according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 30A-30F are a series of sequential views of a cooperating latch member moved from an initial position to an active ejection position by the latch of fig. 21; and

31A-31F are a series of sequential views of the actuation system of FIG. 21 moving from an initial folded position to an active ejection position;

31G and 31H illustrate tilting movement of the mounting plate 115 of the actuation system of FIG. 21 during movement from an initial folded position to an active ejection position in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 32A-32C are a series of sequential views of the actuation system corresponding to fig. 31A-31F, illustrating the linkage transitioning between a collapsed state and an expanded state;

FIG. 33 is a method of operating a hood latch using the safety actuation system, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 34A is a side view of the actuation system of FIG. 21 with a locking assembly in a locked state, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 34B is a side view of the actuation system of FIG. 21 with a locking assembly in an unlocked state in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 35 illustrates an exemplary operation of the hood latch having the travel latch mechanism of FIGS. 3-34B;

FIGS. 36A and 36B illustrate an alternative embodiment of the travel latch mechanism of FIG. 35 that includes a kinematic example;

FIGS. 37A and 37B show various plan views of the travel latch mechanism of FIGS. 36A and 36B;

38A, 38B, 38C and 38D illustrate various deployed positions of the travel latch mechanism of FIGS. 36A and 36B;

FIGS. 39A and 39B illustrate a further embodiment of a cable deployment with respect to the travel latch mechanism of FIGS. 36A and 36B; and

FIG. 40 illustrates a method of operating a latch travel mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1A, a vehicle 4 is shown having a body 5, the body 5 having one or more closure panels 6. The closure panel 6 is connected to the vehicle body 5 via one or more panel operating components 8, such as, for example, but not limited to, a hinge 98 and/or a latch 100 (e.g., the hinge 98 and/or latch 100 for holding the closure panel 6 in a closed position if closed or for holding the closure panel 6 in an open position if open). It is also appreciated that the hinge 98 may be configured as a biased hinge that may be configured to bias the closure panel 6 toward the open position and/or toward the closed position. Furthermore, the panel operating member 8 may be configured as a lift assist system comprising one or more struts, not shown, for example as used in tail lift gate systems. The closure panel 6 may have a mating latch member 96 (e.g., a striker) mounted on the closure panel 6 to couple with a corresponding panel operating member 8 (e.g., a latch) mounted on the vehicle body 5. Alternatively, the panel operating member 8 may be mounted on the closure panel 6, while the mating latch member 96 is mounted on the vehicle body 5 (not shown). In another alternative, the panel operating member 8 may be used to operatively couple the closure panel 6 to the vehicle body 5, such as is appropriate for the case of the hinge 98.

The panel operating member 8 provides movement of the closure panel 6 between a closure panel position (shown in dashed outline) and an open panel position (shown in solid outline), such that the operating member 8 may participate in movement of the closure panel 6 between the open panel position and the closed panel position (e.g., for the hinge 98), the operating member 8 may participate in movement of the closure panel 6 toward the open panel position (e.g., for the open latch 100), or the operating member 8 may participate in movement of the closure panel 6 toward the closure panel position (e.g., for the hold latch 100). In the illustrated embodiment, the closure panel 6 pivots about a pivot axis 9 (e.g., the pivot axis of the hinge 98) between the open panel position and the closed panel position, and the pivot axis 9 may be configured to be horizontal or otherwise parallel to the support surface 11 of the vehicle 4. In other embodiments, the pivot axis 9 may have some other orientation, such as vertical or otherwise extending at an angle outward from the support surface 11 of the vehicle 4. In other embodiments, the closure panel 6 may move in other ways than pivoting, for example, the closure panel 6 may translate along a predetermined track or may undergo a combination of translation and rotation between an open panel position and a closed panel position, such that the hinge 98 includes both pivoting and translating components (not shown). It is understood that the closure panel 6 may be implemented, for example, as a hood, passenger door or lift gate (also referred to as hatch) of the vehicle 4. An actuation mechanism 101 coupled to the one or more panel operating members 8 is also provided, such that the actuation mechanism 101 is configured for actuating operation or otherwise avoiding operation of the one or more panel operating members 8, as further described below. In this manner, the actuation mechanism 101 may be used to forcibly provide some form of force-assisted opening operation of the closure panel 6 (e.g., full open, partial open, etc.) during deployment. The actuation mechanism 101 may be deployed by any method of accelerating the reaction time, as appropriate, such as pyrotechnic, hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical methods.

With respect to the vehicle 4, the closure panel 6 may be referred to as a bulkhead or door, which is typically hinged, but sometimes attached by other mechanisms such as rails, in front of an opening 13 for entry and exit of the vehicle 4 interior by persons and/or cargo. It is also recognized that the closure panel 6 may be used as an access panel for systems of the vehicle 4, such as an engine compartment, and that the closure panel 6 may also be used in a conventional trunk compartment of an automotive type vehicle 4. The closure panel 6 may be opened to provide access to the opening 13, or the closure panel 6 may be closed to secure or otherwise restrict access to the opening 13. It is also recognized that the closure panel 6 may have one or more intermediate open positions (e.g., unlatched positions) between the fully open panel position (e.g., unlatched position) and the fully closed panel position (e.g., latched position), as provided at least in part by the panel operating member 8. For example, the panel operating member 8 may be used to provide an opening force (or torque) and/or a closing force (or torque) of the closing panel 6.

Movement of the closure panel 6 (e.g., between an open panel position and a closed panel position) may be operated electrically and/or manually, where a power assisted closure panel 6 may be found on a minivan, high-end automobile, or Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), among others. As such, it can be appreciated that the movement of the closure panel 6 can be manual or power assisted during operation of the closure panel 6 as follows: for example, between fully closed (e.g., locked or latched) and fully open (e.g., unlocked or unlatched); between locked/latched and partially open (e.g., unlocked or unlatched); and/or between partial opening (e.g., unlocked or unlatched) and full opening (e.g., unlocked or unlatched). It is appreciated that the partially open configuration of the closure panel 6 may also include a secondary lock (e.g., for a latch 100 associated with a vehicle hood, the closure panel 6 has a primary lock configuration in a fully closed and a secondary lock configuration in a partially open).

In the case of the vehicle 4, the closure panel 6 may be a hood, a liftgate, or the closure panel 6 may be some other type of closure panel 6, such as an upwardly swinging door (i.e., sometimes referred to as a gull-wing door) or a conventional type of door hinged at a forward or rearward facing edge of the door, thus allowing the door to swing (or slide) away from (or toward) the opening 13 in the body 5 of the vehicle 4. A sliding door embodiment of the closure panel 6 and a roof door embodiment of the closure panel 6 are also envisaged, such that the sliding door may be one type of door that opens by sliding horizontally or vertically, whereby the door is mounted or suspended on a track that provides a larger opening 13 for equipment to be loaded and unloaded through the opening 13 without obstructing access. The headliner door is a type of door that is positioned on top of the vehicle 4 and raised in a manner to provide access to vehicle occupants via an opening 13 (e.g., a car headliner, an aircraft headliner, etc.). When the application permits, the roof door may be connected (e.g., hinged and/or connected to travel along a track at a defined pivot axis) to the body 5 of the vehicle at the front, sides, or rear of the door. It will be appreciated that the body 5 may be represented as a body panel of the vehicle 4, a frame of the vehicle 4, and/or a combination frame and body panel assembly, as desired.

Referring again to fig. 1A, the closure panel 6 may be configured as a hood panel of the vehicle 4 such that each hinge 98 and corresponding actuation mechanism 101 are configured as a hinge assembly 94, and the latch 100 and actuation mechanism 101 are configured as a latch assembly 10. It will be appreciated that the actuating mechanism 101 of the hinge assembly 84 may be optional as desired.

Referring to fig. 2, one embodiment of the latch 100 includes a mounting plate 115 that may be contoured to facilitate attachment of the latch 100 to a frame (e.g., body 5) of the motor vehicle 4 (see fig. 1A). The mounting plate 115 may be contoured to define a generally planar mounting surface and a plurality of apertures for attaching various components of the latch 100 thereto. Preferably, the mounting plate 115 is a stamped metal component. A mating latch member 96 (e.g., a striker) is secured to the closure panel 6 (e.g., the hood 6) and extends outwardly from the closure panel 6. The mating latch member 96 may be a generally U-shaped lever that engages the latch 100 to lock the closure panel 6 in the closed position. The latch 100 is secured to the vehicle body 5 by the mounting plate and is positioned such that the mating latch member 96 will engage the latch 100 when the closure panel 6 reaches the closed position. It will be appreciated that alternatively, the latch 100 may be secured to the closure panel 6 and the mating latch member 96 may be secured to the body 5 of the vehicle 4. Positioned on the mounting plate 115 may be a fishmouth or slot 114 for receiving the mating latch component 96 therein, in other words, the slot 114 of the latch 100 is configured as a retainer for receiving the mating latch component 96. The slot 114 has an open top end and a closed bottom end. The latch 100 may also include a cover plate (not shown). The mounting plate 115 and the cover plate may be interconnected by first and second rivets (not shown), each of which has a respective integral shaft (not shown) that extends beyond the cover plate. The mounting plate 115, cover plate, and interconnected rivets may provide a housing for the latch 100. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of alternative configurations may be employed to provide the latch housing.

The latch 100 includes a plurality of latch elements 110 (e.g., ratchet 24 and pawl 40), the plurality of latch elements 110 being configured to be coupled to the mating latch members 96 so as to retain the mating latch members 96 within the slots 114 when the closure panel 6 is in the closed position (e.g., locked). Alternatively, the latch element 110, two of the latch elements 110 are pivotally fixed to the frame plate. The ratchet 24 may include arms that are spaced apart to define a generally U-shaped slot 114 therebetween (e.g., a hook of an arm and a lip of an arm that extends laterally beyond the hook). Ratchet 24 may also include a primary shoulder stop and a pointed secondary shoulder stop. It should be noted that in fig. 2, the ratchet 24 is shown in a fully closed position (e.g., to facilitate retention of the mating latch member 96 in the slot 114), which may also be referred to as a primary closed position.

Ratchet 24 may be biased to the open position by a robust torsion spring pivotally mounted on the rivet shaft and connected between the cover plate and the plate. A torsion spring is an example of a ratchet biasing member that biases the ratchet 24 toward the open position. The ratchet 24 is moved between an unlatched position for releasing the mating latch member 96 and a latched position such that the mating latch member 96 is received in the slot 114 and engages the receiving slot 114 of the mounting plate. Ratchet 24 is biased to the unlatched position via a biasing member. Pawl 40 may have a shoulder (or stop) that interacts or otherwise engages with the primary and secondary shoulder stops of ratchet tooth 24 to releasably retain ratchet tooth 24 in the latched position. The pawl 40 may also have a primary release tab 44 and/or a secondary release tab.

The pawl 40 is biased to a locked position (e.g., a latched position) in which the ratchet 24 is shown in a primary closed position by a torsion spring. The torsion spring 48 is an example of a pawl biasing member. Thus, pawl 40 may be biased out of engagement with ratchet teeth 24 via a pawl biasing member.

A release lever 50 is also pivotally mounted between the frame plate 12 and the cover plate 18. The main release lever 50 may include a tab 52 for connection to a release cable (not shown) connected to a release handle (not shown) located in the cabin of the vehicle 4 for actuation by the driver to open the latch 100. The end result of the operation of release lever 50 is that pawl 40 is disengaged from ratchet tooth 24 by the pawl biasing member, thereby allowing the pawl biasing member to assist in pivoting ratchet tooth 24 from the closed (or latched) position to the open or unlatched position (not shown). The primary release lever 50 may interact with the pawl 40 via its primary release tab 44, and thus may also be biased to the disengaged position by the pawl biasing member.

However, as described above, the latch 100 may be coupled to the actuation mechanism 101, as shown in fig. 1A and 3-7. If desired, the actuating mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, and the support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100 and may thereby form a portion of a latch housing (not shown). The mounting plate 115, support plate 117, and actuation mechanism 101 may be collectively referred to as a latch travel mechanism 99 or, if desired, a latch travel assembly 99. It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of the latch 100 shown in fig. 3-7, the mounting plate 115 is connected to the support plate 117 via a link 118, such that the link 118 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 at one end by a hinge or pivot 120 and at the other end to the support plate 117 via a hinge or pivot 122. The support plate 117 may be attached to the vehicle body via the mounting hole 124 (see fig. 1A). The pivot 120 may have a pin 126 (see fig. 7), the pin 126 for coupling with a locking member (e.g., locking hook) 128 when the latch 100 is in a home (or non-extended) position (see fig. 3) such that: when the pin 126 is retained by the locking member 128 (e.g., in a notch as shown by way of example), the latch 100 is prevented from extending (in the extended position as shown in fig. 6A, 6B, and 7). The locking member 128 may be configured to pivot about a pivot point (e.g., pivot 122) such that the locking member is biased by a biasing member (e.g., a spring, not shown) into contact with the pin 126 about the pivot point to retain the latch 100 in a home or non-extended position (e.g., to receive the pin 126 in the notch 123 of the locking member 128). It should be appreciated that operations other than pivoting the locking member 128 relative to the pin 126 are contemplated (e.g., linear extension and retraction — not shown), as desired. The locking member 128 is an example of a component of the locking assembly 67 for locking and unlocking relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117. According to another example of the locking assembly 67, and with reference to fig. 34A and 34B, a locking member 128 'is provided to engage directly between the support plate and the mounting plate 115, for example, the locking member 128' is shown as a rod pivotally mounted to the mounting plate 115 for rotation about a pivot point 129 provided on the mounting plate 115. The locking member 128 'may be biased about the pivot point 129 such that the locking member 128' is biased toward the locked condition or position. In the locked state, the locking member 128' may engage the support plate 117 to prevent relative movement between the support plate 117 and the mounting plate 115. For example, the locking member 128' is shown engaging a locking feature 69, such as a lug or pin or catch or the like, provided on the support plate 117. Alternatively, the locking feature 69 may be a hole or aperture provided in the support plate 117. When the disconnect link plate 170 is initially moved by the actuation mechanism 101, the engagement of the abutment 178 on the abutment surface 180 'of the locking member 128 serves to pivot the locking member 128' out of locking engagement with the locking feature 69 to allow movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, as schematically illustrated in fig. 34B.

Referring again to fig. 3, the actuation mechanism 101 may be mounted on the vehicle body 5 or on the support plate 117 itself such that operation of the actuation mechanism 101 may serve to decouple the pin 126 from the locking member 128, thereby facilitating movement of the latch 100 from the home position (see fig. 3) to the extended position (see fig. 6A, 6B, and 7). It should be noted that the pin 126 is not shown in fig. 3 for the sake of visual clarity only. The actuator mechanism 101 may have a housing 130 and an actuating device (e.g., pyrotechnic) for extending and retracting a piston 132 (see fig. 6A, 6B, and 7) to facilitate movement of the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) between the home position and the extended position.

One example of the interaction of the piston 132 with the latch 100 is shown in fig. 3, such that the actuator link 134 is connected to the connecting rod 118, such that the force of the piston 132 against the actuator link 134 causes the connecting rod 118 to extend and thus move the latch 100 from the original position to the extended position. A pre-travel slot 119 is provided on each of the links 118, the pre-travel slots 119 allowing the actuator link 134 to move between the first slot end 119A and the second slot end 119B without affecting the movement of the actuator link 134 on the link 118. When the actuator link 134 reaches the second slot end 119B (from the initial rest or home position at the first slot end 119A), the actuator link 134 will come into abutting contact with the second slot end 119B to thereby be able to push the connecting rod 118 upward as guided by the movement of the piston 132 during the additional stroke of the actuator link 134. During translation of the actuator link 134 between the first and second slot ends 119A, 119B, the actuator link 134 will move the locking member 128 out of engagement with the pin 126 (and not move the link 118 until the locking member 128 has disengaged from the pin 126) by engagement of the actuator link 134 with the cam surface 139 of the notch 136. However, it should be appreciated that the actuator link 134 may be positioned on the latch 100 itself and/or the mounting plate 115 (for example) to extend the latch 100 when acted upon by the piston 132 (as driven by the actuator mechanism 101).

Referring again to fig. 3, as one embodiment of coupling the actuator link 134, in this case via the link 118 itself, to the latch 100/mounting plate 115, the actuator link 134 may be received in a notch 136 in the locking member 128 when the locking member 128 is engaged with the pin 126 (when the latch 100 is in and held in the home position). The locking member 128 can also have a travel surface 141 that extends from the notch 136 to guide travel of the actuator link 134 as the latch 100 translates from the home position to the extended position.

In operation, as shown in fig. 4A-6B, the latch 10 is first (in fig. 1A) held in the home position by holding the locking member 128 with the pin 126. In this state, link 118 is also retracted because

pivots

120, 122 are adjacent to each other due to mounting plate 115 being seated adjacent to support plate 117. Next, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the locking member 128 is decoupled from the pin 126. Such uncoupling (e.g., removal of the pin 126 from the notch 123) is shown by way of example only and is due to the following: when the locking member 128 is rotated about the pivot 122 against its bias toward the pin 126, the piston 132 causes this decoupling by initial movement (i.e., deployment) of the actuating mechanism 101. Fig. 5C and 5D show the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) in a partially extended position. Fig. 6A and 6B show the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) in an extended position, as shown by a travel distance a in the vertical direction from the home position and a travel distance B in the horizontal direction from the home position. For example, travel distance A, B facilitates extension movement of latch 100 via hinge 98 about the pivot location of hood 6 (see fig. 1A). It should be appreciated that the latch 100 may be closed (i.e., latched such that the striker pin 96 is retained by the ratchet 24, see fig. 2) when the latch 100 is in the home position (see fig. 3, 4A, and 4B) and/or the extended position (see fig. 6A, 6B, and 7).

As such, referring to fig. 6A, 6B, and 7, the latch 100 as shown has an active ejection height, e.g., a minimum ejection height of 60mm, during active firing (fire) of the actuator mechanism 101. After the latch 100 is fired (e.g., pyrotechnic actuator deployment), deactivation (return to secondary position) may be accomplished by pulling the internal release handle. For example, after active firing of a chemical actuator, there may be no pressure in the actuator piston. The secondary catch may be attached to the latch or striker, as desired. The latch 100 of fig. 3 may be a modular latch assembly.

Referring again to fig. 3 and 4A, 4B, a biasing member 142a, such as a torsion spring, may be used to bias the connecting rod 118 position into the original position and otherwise maintain contact between the piston 132 and the actuator link 134 during movement of the connecting rod 118. As shown, the link 118 has a pair of links on either side of the support plate 117, however it is contemplated that other configurations of the link 118 may be used as desired to translate/rotate the latch 100 from the original position to the extended position.

Referring to fig. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, another embodiment of a latch 100 and associated actuation mechanism 101 is shown. The actuating mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, which support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100 and may thus form part of the latch housing as desired. The mounting plate 115 is coupled to the support plate 117 by a pin 140 and slot 142 arrangement such that the pin 140 is connected to the mounting plate 115 and the slot 142 is formed in the support plate 117 (it being appreciated that the opposite configuration could be provided). Two or more pins 140 may also be provided and the pins 140 are used, for example, to prevent tilting movement TM of the mounting plate 115. During operation, as the actuation mechanism 101 moves the latch 100 from the retracted position to the extended position, the pin 140 travels along the slot 142. The support plate 117 may be connected to the vehicle body 5 via a mounting hole 124 (see fig. 1A). An abutment 144 (e.g., an uncoupling link plate) is positioned on the mounting plate 115 for coupling with the locking member 128 (e.g., a locking hook, such as a locking hook mounted on the support plate 117) when the latch 100 is in the home (or unextended) position (see fig. 8A) such that when the abutment 144 is retained by the locking member 128 (e.g., as shown by example, the abutment 144 is retained in the notch), the latch 100 is inhibited from extending (in the extended position as shown in fig. 11A and 11B). The locking member 128 can be configured to pivot about a pivot point (e.g., pivot shaft 123a) such that the locking member 128 is biased into contact with the abutment 144 about the pivot point 123a under the action of a biasing member (e.g., spring 123b) for holding the latch 100 in a home or unextended position (e.g., with the abutment 144 received in a notch of the locking member 128). It should be appreciated that operations other than pivoting (e.g., linear extension and retraction, not shown) of the locking member 128 relative to the abutment 144 may be contemplated as desired.

Referring again to fig. 8A, the actuation mechanism 101 can be mounted on the vehicle body 5 (see fig. 1A) or on the support plate 117 itself such that operation of the actuation mechanism 101 can be used to decouple the abutment 144 from the locking member 128, thereby facilitating movement of the latch 100 from the home position (see fig. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B) to the extended position (see fig. 11A and 11B). The actuator mechanism 101 may include a housing 130 and an actuating device (e.g., a pyrotechnic-type actuating device) for extending and retracting a piston 132 (see fig. 11A and 11B) to facilitate movement of the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) between the home position and the extended position.

One example of the interaction of the piston 132 with the latch 100 is shown in fig. 8A, such that the actuator link 134 (e.g., a tab) is connected to the mounting plate 115, such that the force of the piston 132 on the actuator link 134 causes the mounting plate 115 to extend, and thus move the latch 100 from the original position to the extended position. As shown in fig. 10A and 10B, initial actuation of the actuation mechanism 101 causes the abutment 144 to act on the locking member 128 (thereby causing the locking member 128 to pivot about the pivot shaft 123a against the bias of the biasing member 123B). Once pivoted, the locking member 128 is brought out of contact (i.e., disengaged) from the pin 140, thereby releasing the pin for movement within the slot 142. Fig. 11A and 11B illustrate the latch 100 with the mounting plate 115 in an extended position, for example, with the pin 140 reaching its full range of travel in the slot 142 as the piston 132 acts on the actuating link 134 by extending from the housing 130 mounted on the vehicle body 5 and/or the support plate 117.

Referring to fig. 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B, another embodiment of a latch 100 having an actuation mechanism 101 is shown. The actuating mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, which support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100 and thus may form part of a latch housing (not shown) as desired. It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of the latch 100 shown, the mounting plate 115 is connected to the support plate 117 via links 118, the links 118 being located, for example, on either side of the mounting plate 115 such that the links 118 are connected at one end to the mounting plate 115 by hinges or pivots 120 and at the other end to the support plate 117 via hinges or pivots 122. The support plate 117 may be attached to the vehicle body via the mounting hole 124 (see fig. 1A).

Referring again to fig. 12A, the actuation mechanism 101 may be mounted on the vehicle body 5 (not shown) or on the support plate 117 itself such that operation of the actuation mechanism 101 may be used to facilitate movement of the latch 100 from the home position (see fig. 12A, 12B) to the extended position (see fig. 14A, 14B). The actuator mechanism 101 may have a housing 130 and an (e.g., pyrotechnic) actuation device for extending and retracting a piston 132 (see fig. 14B) to facilitate movement of the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) between the home and extended positions.

Referring to fig. 12A and 14B, the piston 132 is coupled to the actuator link 134 via a coupling member 148 (e.g., a U-shaped member) mounted on a head of the piston 132. In this way, the piston 132 is coupled to the connecting rod 118 such that the force of the piston 132 on the actuator link 134 causes the connecting rod 118 to extend and thus move the latch 100 from the original position to the extended position. The actuator link 134 is in abutting contact with the abutment member 148 to enable the connecting rod 118 to be forced upward, as guided by the movement of the piston 132, during an additional stroke of the actuator link 134. However, it should be appreciated that the actuator link 134 can be positioned on the latch 100, itself, and/or the mounting plate 115 (e.g., to provide for extension of the latch 100 when the piston 132 acts on the actuator link 134 (as driven by the actuator mechanism 101).

Referring to fig. 15, 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B, another embodiment of a latch 100 coupled to an actuating mechanism 101 is shown. In this embodiment, it should be noted that, for the sake of clarity, the closing panel 6 (e.g., the hood) is not shown only in fig. 15, 16A, 16B, but the closing panel 6 is shown in a dashed line in fig. 17A, 17B. It should be appreciated that for this embodiment, the piston 132 (see fig. 17A, 17B) acts directly on the closure panel 6, rather than on a link member 134 (see fig. 12A for example) coupled to the mounting plate 115. The actuating mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, and the support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100, and may thus form a portion of the latch housing (not shown) as desired. It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of the latch 100 shown in this embodiment, the mounting plate 115 is connected to the support plate 117 via a link 118, such that the link 118 is connected at one end to the mounting plate 115 by a hinge or pivot 120 and at the other end to the support plate 117 via a hinge or pivot 122. The support plate 117 may be connected to the vehicle body 5 via a mounting hole (not shown) (see fig. 1A).

Referring again to fig. 15, the actuating mechanism 101 may be mounted on the vehicle body 5 or on the support plate 117 itself, for example, via a support member 150 connected to the support plate 117. Operation of the actuation mechanism 101 may be used to extend the piston 132 (see fig. 17A, 17B) and thus urge the piston 132 against the closure panel 6 (e.g., an inner surface of the closure panel 6), thus facilitating movement of the latch 100 from the home position (see fig. 16A, 16B) to the extended position (see fig. 17A, 17B). In this embodiment, it should be appreciated that the piston 132 acts on the closure panel 6 itself, which then causes the striker 96 (given that the latch 100 is still locked or otherwise engaged with the striker 96) to pull the latch 100 and associated mounting plate 115 away from the support plate 117. The travel of the latch 100 and mounting plate 115 is guided by a link 118 that connects the support plate 117 to the mounting plate 115. The actuating mechanism 101 may have a housing 130 and (e.g., pyrotechnic) actuating means for extending and retracting a piston 132 (see fig. 17A, 17B) to move the latch 100 (and mounting plate 115) between the home position and the extended position as the latch 100 follows (rather than drives) the movement of the closure panel 6. In fig. 17A, 17B, it should be noted that the closure panel 6 is fixed to the striker 96, so that the closure panel 6 and the striker 96 move simultaneously under the influence of the travel of the piston 132.

Referring to fig. 18, 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, another embodiment of a latch 100 coupled to an actuating mechanism 101 is shown. Similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 15, the piston 132 of the actuating mechanism 101 acts directly on the closure panel 6 (see fig. 20A, 20B). In addition to the embodiment of fig. 15, fig. 18 also shows a first set of links 118a, the first set of links 118a being connected to a second set of links 118 b. A first set of links 118a is connected to the support plate 117 by pivots 122 and a second set of links 118b is connected to the mounting plate 115 by pivots 120. The

links

118a, 118b may be connected to each other by a pivot 152. The pivot 152 has an axis 151 and the links 118a, 118B rotate about the axis 151, with the axis 151 illustratively perpendicular to a plane of movement, e.g., the plane of upward movement a1 and rearward movement B1 of the mounting plate 115 relative to the support plate 117. The

links

118a, 118b are arranged in and extend in a plane, for example a plane P1, which plane P1 is perpendicular to the plane of the mounting plate 115 and/or the support plate 117, for example to the plane P2 of the mounting plate 115, the plane P3 of the support plate 117, respectively. For example, the

links

118a, 118b are arranged and extend within a plane, such as plane P1, that is perpendicular to plane P2 of the mounting plate 115, and the mounting plate 115 moves or travels in plane P2, such that during rotational movement or deployment of the

links

118a, 118b, the mounting plate 115 translates in plane P2 in two dimensions (e.g., upwardly or away) relative to the support plate 117. The pin 154 and slot 156 arrangement serves to guide the movement of the mounting plate 115 relative to the support plate 117. Operation of the actuation mechanism 101 can be used to extend the piston 132 and thus push the piston 132 (see fig. 20A, 20B) against the closure panel 6 (e.g., an inner surface of the closure panel 6), thus facilitating movement of the latch 100 from the home position (see fig. 19A, 19B) to the extended position (see fig. 20A, 20B). In this embodiment, it should be appreciated that the piston 132 acts on the closure panel 6 itself, and then the closure panel 6 causes the striker 96 (given that the latch 100 is still locked or otherwise engaged with the striker 96) to pull the latch 100 and associated mounting plate 115 away from the support plate 117.

Referring to fig. 21, 22A, 22B, 23A, 23B, 24A, 24B as yet another embodiment, the latch 100 may be coupled to an actuation mechanism 101. The actuating mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, and the support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100 as desired and may thus form part of a latch housing (not shown). The mounting plate 115, support plate 117, and actuation mechanism 101 may be collectively referred to as a latch travel mechanism 99, or, in the case of a latch 100, a latch travel assembly 99, as desired. It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of the latch 100 shown, the mounting plate 115 is connected to the support plate 117 via a link 118, such that the link 118 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 at one end by a hinge or pivot 120 and at the other end to the support plate 117 via a hinge or pivot 122.

Pivots

120, 122 illustratively have an axis 153 about which link 118 rotates, wherein axis 153 illustratively is perpendicular to the plane of movement of mounting plate 115, such as the upward a1 movement or the plane of one-dimensional movement. The link 118 is disposed in and moves within a plane parallel to the plane of the mounting plate 115 and/or the support plate 117. For example, plane P4 of link 118 is parallel to a plane of mounting plate 115 and/or support plate 117, such as plane P2 of mounting plate 115 and/or plane P3 of support plate 117. For example, link 118 is disposed within and extends out of a plane, such as plane P4, that is parallel to plane P2 of mounting plate 115, in which plane P2 mounting plate 115 moves or travels, such as mounting plate 115 linearly translating relative to support plate 117 during rotational movement or deployment of link 118. The support plate 117 may be connected to the vehicle body 5 via a mounting hole 124 (see fig. 1A). Fig. 21 shows a pair of opposing links 118, wherein each opposing link 118 is configured as a two-bar link. Other types of links 118 may be provided, such as single-bar or multi-bar link configurations.

The assembly 99 may have one or more pins 126 (e.g., blocking rivets) for coupling with a locking member (e.g., locking hooks) 128 (see, e.g., fig. 22A, 22B) when the latch 100 is in a home (or unextended) position, such that when the pins 126 are retained by the locking member 128 (e.g., retained in notches, as shown by way of example), the latch 100 is restricted from being extended (in an extended position, as shown in fig. 24A, 24B). The locking member 128 may be configured to pivot about a pivot point (e.g., pivot 127) such that the locking member 128 is biased about the pivot point by a biasing member (e.g., spring 176 cooperating with the disconnect link plate 170) to contact the pin 126 to retain the latch 100 in the home or unextended position (e.g., receipt of the pin 126 in the notch 123 of the locking member 128 and/or abutment of the abutment surface 131 of the locking member 128 with the pin 126). It is recognized that operations other than pivoting of the locking member 128 relative to the pin 126 (e.g., linear extension and retraction-not shown) may be contemplated as desired. As shown, the assembly 99 may have a pair of locking members 128 such that the locking members 128 and the second locking members 128 are opposite each other (e.g., mirror images of each other) on both sides of the pivot 127. It should also be appreciated that a locking member 128 may be utilized as desired to restrain the mounting plate in the home position.

Referring again to fig. 21, the decoupling plate 170 is coupled at one end to the actuating mechanism 101 by a tab 172 such that a force exerted on the tab 172 by the piston 132 of the actuating mechanism 101 (see fig. 24A) causes the abutment 178 to be removed from the abutment surface 180 of the locking member 128, allowing the locking member 128 to decouple from the one or more pins 126 upon further movement of the piston 132. For example, the disconnect coupling plate 170 is connected to the mounting plate 115 by a pin 182 and slot 184 arrangement such that movement of the disconnect coupling plate 170 from the coupled position to the uncoupled position is accomplished via travel of the pin 182 in the slot 184. Two or more pins 182 may be provided to help prevent tilting TM of the mounting plate 115. Further, for example, since pin 182 is connected to mounting plate 115, when pin 182 reaches travel stop 190 in slot 184, further movement of disconnect link plate 170 by piston 132 simultaneously moves mounting plate 115 from the home position to the extended position, and thus moves latch 100 from the home position to the extended position (see fig. 24B). It should be appreciated that travel stop 190 may be positioned on disconnect coupling plate 170 in addition to being positioned relative to slot 184 (not shown), so long as when disconnect coupling plate 170 travels to the position shown in fig. 23B for decoupling stop 178 from abutment surface 180 of locking member 128, further travel of disconnect coupling plate 170 (under the influence of piston 132 travel) causes travel stop 190 to engage mounting plate 115 and thus move mounting plate 115 from the original position to the extended position. It can be appreciated that once the pin 126 is removed from the notch 123 of the locking member 128, the movement of the link 118 guides the travel of the mounting plate 115 from the home position to the extended position.

The slot 124 includes an inwardly projecting tab 171, the tab 171 configured to engage the pin 182 to limit upward movement of the mounting plate 115 in response to upward movement of the mounting plate 115 at a predetermined force below that exerted by the pin 182 on the tab 171. The inwardly projecting tab 171 can be configured to be deformable, breakable, bendable, crushable, etc., such that, above a predetermined force exerted by the pin 182 on the tab 171, the pin 182 can bypass the tab 171 and thereafter continue to travel within the slot 124 in an unrestricted upward motion as guided by the slot 124 of the mounting plate 115. The guide slot 124 and pin 140 structure, which is an example of a guide configuration disposed between the mounting plate and the support plate 117, may also serve to limit the tilting motion TM of the mounting plate 115 during deployment of the mounting plate 115 due to the extended link 118 to stabilize the mounting plate 115 and link 118 during deployment of the link 118 from the folded state of the link 118, such as schematically illustrated in fig. 31G and 31H. Fig. 31G illustrates the tilting motion TM of the mounting plate 115 due to the piston 132 acting directly or indirectly on the plate and being, for example, eccentric relative to the mounting plate 115, while fig. 31H schematically illustrates the tilting motion TM of the mounting plate 115 due to the piston 132 acting directly on the closure panel 6, wherein the closure panel 6 forces the striker 96 to pull the mounting plate 115 upward, for example, due to the striker 96 being retained therein by the latch element 110 (e.g., ratchet 24). More than one guide slide 124 may be provided between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, and/or between at least one of the mounting plate 115 and the support plate and the link 118. It should be appreciated that a guiding configuration disposed between one of the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117 and the link 118 may also be provided.

As an alternative to using the travel stop 190, the tab 172 may contact the closure panel 6 (see, e.g., fig. 17A) after the locking member 128 is decoupled from the pin 126 (see fig. 23B), and thus as further travel of the piston 132 moves the closure panel 6, the latch 100 and mounting plate 115 also move with the closure panel 6 while the striker 96 is still held by the latch 100.

Referring to fig. 24B, the pin 126 may move in a travel slot 192 formed in the locking member 128 itself. When the end of travel of the travel slot 192 is reached (i.e., when the latch 100 is in the extended position), the pin 126 may be received in the locking notch 196, thereby facilitating retention of the closure panel 6 in the extended position along with the mounting plate 115 and the latch 100 mounted thereon. In this way, movement of the locking member 128 about the pivot 127 may be guided by travel of the pin 126 in the travel slot 192. Similarly, the movement of the pin 126 in the travel slot 184 may be used to guide the movement of the link 118 as desired. It will be appreciated that the biasing member 174 may be used to decouple the locking member 128 from the pin 126 when the disconnect plate is initially moved by the actuating mechanism 101 (see fig. 23B) as the biasing member 174 biases the pin 126 out of engagement with the notch 123. Additionally, the biasing member 174 may be used to bias the pivoting of the locking member 128 about the pivot 127, thereby facilitating the travel of the pin 126 in the travel slot 192 from the notch 123 to the notch 196.

Referring to fig. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, similarly, the latch travel mechanism 99 of fig. 21 may include a mounting plate 115, the mounting plate 115 coupled to the support plate 117 via a pin 140 and slot 142 arrangement such that the pin 140 is connected to the mounting plate 115 and the slot 142 is formed in the support plate 117 (it should be appreciated that the opposite configuration may also be provided). During operation, as the actuation mechanism 101 moves the mounting plate 115 from a home position (e.g., a retracted position) to an extended position, the pin 140 travels along the slot 142. The pin 140 and slot 142 arrangement may be used to stabilize or otherwise guide the relative movement between the support plate 117 and the mounting plate 115 as the mounting plate 115 is moved from the home position to the extended position. As shown in fig. 8B, the pin 140 and slot 142 arrangement may be positioned between the sides 117a of the support plate 117 opposite the latch 100. According to an illustrative example, as schematically shown in fig. 29C, two or more pins 140 may be provided for one slot 142 to prevent the mounting plate 115 from rotating or tilting TM relative to the support plate 117. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9A, the pin 140 and slot 142 configuration may be positioned on the side 117a as desired. Further, as shown in fig. 29A, 29B, 29C, an alternative embodiment of the travel mechanism 99 of fig. 21 is shown, illustrating exemplary locations of the pin 140 and slot 142 structures between the sides 117a of the support plate 117.

Referring to fig. 30A-30F, a series of views of the deployment of the latch 100 is shown as a result of an active pedestrian mode of operation in which it has been detected by the controller 121 that a pedestrian has contacted the vehicle 10 or is nearly contacting the vehicle 10, the controller 121 will in turn control the ignition of the actuating mechanism 101 to deploy the piston 132.

Fig. 30A shows the piston 132 in a rest position immediately prior to ignition of the actuator 101. Link 118 is in an undeployed or folded state. The locking member 128 is in a locked state to prevent relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117. Piston 132 does not engage projection 172.

Fig. 30B shows the piston 132 in the initial deployed position immediately after ignition of the actuation mechanism 101. The linkage 118 is maintained in an undeployed or folded state. The locking member 128 remains in a locked state to prevent relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117. Piston 132 has begun initial engagement with projection 172.

Fig. 30C shows the piston 132 in a continuously deployed position after ignition of the actuation mechanism 101. The linkage 118 is now in the initial deployed or deployed state. The locking member 128 is now in the unlocked state to allow relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, e.g., to allow the link 118 to transition to the initial deployed or expanded state. The piston 132 has begun initial engagement with the tab 172 to move the tab 172 and the pin 126 to decouple the pin 126 from the blocking position of the locking member 128.

Fig. 30D shows the piston 132 in a further successive intermediate deployed position after ignition of the actuation mechanism 101. Link 118 is now in the intermediate deployed or deployed state. The locking member 128 is now in the unlocked state to allow relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, e.g., to allow the linkage 118 to continue to transition to the deployed or expanded state. Piston 132 remains engaged with tab 172 to move tab 172 upward. The projection 172 has come into contact with the underside of the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) to begin moving the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) upward to the active pedestrian protection position or partially open position.

Fig. 30E shows the piston 132 in a further successive intermediate deployed position after ignition of the actuation mechanism 101. The links 118 continue to deploy or transition toward the fully deployed state. The locking member 128 remains in the unlocked state to allow relative movement between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, e.g., to allow the linkage 118 to continue to transition to the deployed or expanded state. The piston 132 remains engaged with the tab 172 to move the tab 172 upward, and the tab 172 remains in contact with the underside of the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) to continue to urge the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) upward to an active pedestrian protection position or a partially open position.

Fig. 30F shows the piston 132 in the end-of-travel deployed position after ignition of the actuation mechanism 101. The link 118 is in a fully deployed or deployed state to provide a final pop-up height of the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood). The locking member 128 may enter a blocking or locking state to maintain a final deployed position between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, for example to maintain the linkage 118 in its deployed or expanded state. The piston 132 may remain engaged with the tab 172 to hold the tab 172 up into contact with the underside of the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) to hold the position of the closure panel 6 (e.g., hood) up in the active pedestrian protection position or the partially open position. Alternatively or additionally, the locking member 128 in the blocking or locking state may maintain a final deployed position between the mounting plate 115 and the support plate 117, for example, by maintaining the link 118 in its deployed or deployed state, such that the ratchet 100 urges the striker pin 96, and thus the closure panel 6, into the active pedestrian deployed state. Comparing fig. 30F and 30A, the closure panel 6 is shown having moved from the closed position height H1 in fig. 30A to the partially open position shown in fig. 30F having an ejection height H3. As the link 118 deploys or deploys from a compact collapsed state, as shown in fig. 30A and having a packaged size D1, to a deployed state, as shown in fig. 30F and having an unpacked size D2, the closure panel 6 is allowed to move to a pop-up height H3, wherein the size D2 is greater than D1. Thus, the link 118 may provide a compact pre-deployment size that facilitates providing a small package size of the latch 100, and a larger post-deployment size that facilitates providing an increase in the pop-up height of the closure panel 6 relative to the size of the latch 100 that houses the link 118.

Referring to fig. 31A-31F, a series of views of link 118 is shown deployed from the folded state of fig. 31A to the unfolded state of fig. 31F, which correspond to fig. 30A-30F, respectively. Fig. 31A illustrates a compact package dimension D1 of the linkage that facilitates reducing the package dimension of the latch 100, and fig. 31F illustrates a deployed state with an unpacked dimension D2 as shown, wherein dimension D2 is greater than D1. The rotational movement of link 118 about

pivots

120, 122 is also shown in fig. 31A-31F. Illustratively, pins 126 disposed on links 118 follow rotational paths R toward and away from each other such that links 118 do not interfere with each other during deployment of links 118. Links 118 may also be arranged in a stacked manner such that links 118 may cross each other during deployment to reduce the width W of latch 100 while maintaining the length L of links 118 to provide a desired ejection height. The links 118 may be provided of equal length or may be provided of different lengths, for example, the lower link 118l may have a shorter length than the upper link 118u depending on the desired package width W of the latch 100.

Referring to fig. 25, another embodiment of the latch travel assembly 99 is shown, in particular, wherein the latch 100 remains stationary during actuation of the actuation mechanism 101 (i.e., the position of the mounting plate 15 is fixed relative to the body 5 mounted thereon), while the link 118 provides movement of a striker plate 202 coupled to the striker 96 as the closure panel 6 is moved by the actuation mechanism 101 (see fig. 28B). For example, the mounting plate 115 may be mounted to the vehicle body 5 via mounting holes 124 (shown in phantom). Further, the actuation mechanism 101 may be mounted directly to the vehicle body 5 (not shown) and/or to the mounting plate 115 via the actuator bracket 200. In this embodiment, the disconnect coupling plate 170 is coupled to a pin 126, which pin 126 engages the locking member 128 when the actuation mechanism 101 is prior to deployment (in this case, the movable striker plate 202 is in the home position, see fig. 26B).

Referring again to fig. 25, the striker pin 96 is connected to a striker plate 202 mounted on the closure panel 6. The striker 96 is pivotally coupled (it being appreciated that other forms of movable coupling may be provided) to the striker plate 96 by a link 118. Referring to fig. 28B, link 118 may be pivotally connected at one end to striker plate 202 by pivot 204 and at the other end to striker 96 by pivot 206. It should be appreciated that the retaining pin 208 may be spring loaded to retain the striker plate 202 in the extended position (see fig. 28B). For example, when the striker plate 202 reaches the extended position, the retaining pin 208 may be biased by a biasing member (not shown) to contact the abutment surface 210 of the link 118. Thus, when the retainer pin 208 engages the abutment surface 210, return of the striker plate 202 to the home position is prevented by the retainer pin 208.

In operation of the embodiment shown in fig. 25, the actuating mechanism 101 first moves the disconnect link plate 170 to disengage the pin 126 from the locking member 128 (i.e., the member 128 stops movement of the link 118 when engaged with the link 118). Once the locking member 128 is unrestrictedly moved by displacement of the pin 126, the locking member becomes disengaged from the link 118, and thus further operation of the actuation mechanism 101 causes the disconnect link plate 170 to come into contact with the closure panel 6 (e.g., via the striker plate 202), and thus further extension of the piston 132 causes the closure panel 6 to extend from the original position to the extended position. While the striker 96 is still retained by the latch 100, movement of the closure panel 6 pivots the link 118 about its

pivots

204, 206, and thus the link also moves from its original position (see fig. 27B) to its extended position (see fig. 28B), thus allowing the striker plate 202 to also move from the original position to the extended position.

Referring to the above figures, there are shown different forms of the actuating mechanism 101. The means of the actuating mechanism may comprise a fluid actuated cylinder, a control valve and a source of pressurised fluid. The cylinder may include a cylinder housing and a piston movable in the cylinder housing between an unactuated position and an actuated position. A piston biasing member (not shown) may be provided and may bias the piston toward the unactuated position to maintain the piston in the unactuated position when the vehicle 4 is not in a collision event. In the closed position, the control valve prevents fluid flow to the cylinder, thereby preventing actuation of the cylinder. In the open position, the control valve allows fluid flow from the source of pressurized fluid to the cylinder to drive the piston to the actuated position. The source of pressurised fluid may simply be a vessel containing any suitable fluid, such as for example compressed carbon dioxide at a suitable pressure, for example 2000 psi. In this embodiment, the control valve may be referred to as a release member that is controllable to expose the piston to the pressurized fluid. In another embodiment, the pressurized fluid source may be an inflator similar to a balloon inflator and include an igniter and two combustible chemicals, such as sodium azide and potassium nitrate, which when ignited by the igniter produce high pressure nitrogen gas that may be used to drive the piston to the actuated position. In such an embodiment, no control valve is required. However, the controller controls the operation of the igniter. In such embodiments, the igniter may be referred to as a release member that is controllable to expose the piston to the pressurized fluid.

As discussed above, the latch travel mechanism 99 for the closure panel 6 of the vehicle 4 may include: a mounting plate 115 for mounting a latch 100, the latch 100 being for holding the closure panel 6 in a locked condition; a support plate 117 coupled to the mounting plate 115 by one or more links 118, the support plate 117 for connection to the body 5 of the vehicle 4; a locking member 128 mounted on the support plate 117, the locking member 128 configured to hold the mounting plate 115 in a home position when coupled to the mounting plate 115 and to be decoupled from the mounting plate 115 when operated; and an actuating mechanism 101, the actuating mechanism 101 being for mounting on at least one of the support plate 117 or the vehicle body 5, and being coupled to the link 118 for extending the link 118 when the locking member 128 is decoupled from the mounting plate 115, so as to move the mounting plate 115 relative to the support plate 117 from the original position to the extended position; wherein the latch 100 moves from an original position to an extended position when mounted on the mounting plate 115.

As described above, the latch travel mechanism 99 for the closure panel 6 of the vehicle 4 may further include: a mounting plate 115 for mounting the latch 100, the latch 100 for holding the closure panel 6; a support plate 117 coupled to the mounting plate 115, the support plate 117 for connection to the body 5 of the vehicle 4; and an actuating mechanism 101, the actuating mechanism 101 being mounted on at least one of the support plate 117 or the vehicle body 5 and coupled to the mounting plate 115 for acting on the mounting plate 115 to move the mounting plate 115 relative to the support plate 117 from a home position to an extended position; wherein the latch 100 moves from an original position to an extended position when mounted on the mounting plate 115.

As described above, the latch travel mechanism 99 for the closure panel 6 of the vehicle 4 may further include: a mounting plate 115 for mounting the latch 100, the latch 100 for holding the closure panel 6; a support plate 117 coupled to the mounting plate 115, the support plate 117 for coupling to the body 5 of the vehicle 4; and an actuating mechanism 101 for mounting on at least one of the support plate 117 or the vehicle body 5 and for coupling to the closure panel 6 to move the closure panel 6 from the original position to the extended position such that the mounting plate 115 also moves relative to the support plate 117 while the closure panel 6 is retained by the latch 100; wherein the latch 100 moves from an original position to an extended position when mounted on the mounting plate 115.

According to fig. 21, a latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle is shown, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch for holding the closure panel; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate by one or more links, the support plate for connection to a body of a vehicle; a locking member mounted on the support plate, the locking member being configured for holding the mounting plate in a home position when engaged with the one or more links and for disengaging the one or more links when operated; and an actuating mechanism for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body, the actuating mechanism coupled to the locking member for extending the link to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position when the locking member is disengaged from the one or more links; wherein the latch moves with the mounting plate from the home position to the extended position while the closure panel is still retained by the latch. A latch travel mechanism in which an uncoupling plate is used to hold the locking member in a position of engagement with one or more links.

According to fig. 21, a latch travel assembly for a closure panel of a vehicle is shown, the assembly comprising: a latch for holding the closure panel; a mounting plate having a latch mounted thereon; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate by one or more links, the support plate for connection to a body of a vehicle; a locking member mounted on the support plate and configured to hold the mounting plate in a home position when engaged with the one or more links and to be disengaged from the one or more links when operated; and an actuating mechanism for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body and coupled to the locking member for extending the link when the locking member is disengaged from the one or more links to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position; wherein the latch moves with the mounting plate from the home position to the extended position while the closure panel is still retained by the latch. A latch travel mechanism in which an uncoupling plate is used to hold the locking member in a position of engagement with one or more links.

According to fig. 25, there is shown a latch travel assembly for a closure panel of a vehicle, the assembly comprising: a latch for retaining the closure panel via the striker; a striker plate mounting a striker for engagement with the latch to retain the closure panel, the striker plate mounting the striker to the closure panel; a support plate coupled to a body of the vehicle, the support plate mounting the latch to the body; one or more links coupling the striker to the striker plate; a locking member mounted on the striker plate, the locking member being configured to retain the one or more links in a home position when engaged with the one or more links and to be disengaged from the one or more links when operated; and an actuating mechanism mounted on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body and coupled to the striker plate for extending the one or more links to move the striker plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position when the locking member is disengaged from the one or more links; wherein the striker plate moves from the original position to the extended position while the striker is retained by the latch.

Referring now to fig. 32A-32C, an active hood system 200 is shown, the active hood system 200 including a latch 100, a closure panel 6, and a hinge 98. In operation, FIG. 32A shows the mating latch member 96 at an initial height H1 and engaged with the ratchet 24, the ratchet 24 being held in the primary latched position by the pawl 40. The locking member 128 is coupled with the pin 126, and in this state, the link 118 is retracted and in a folded state due to the

pivots

120, 122 being adjacent to each other due to the mounting plate 115 being seated adjacent to the support plate 117. Upon detection of an active pedestrian event (e.g., an impending collision or a sensor-detected collision of the vehicle 4 with a pedestrian), the active pedestrian control system 121 or vehicle body control module in electrical communication with the actuation mechanism 101 commands the actuation mechanism 101 to fire to deploy the piston 132.

As shown in fig. 32B, ratchet 24 remains engaged with pawl 40, locking member 128 is decoupled from pin 126 to allow for link 118 to be deployed, and mounting plate 115 and support plate 117 have moved apart from one another, and for example, mounting plate 115 has moved upwardly in a linear manner, for example, a distance a1, within plane P2 to force at least one of the mating latch component 96 and closure panel 6 to move upwardly due to pivoting at hinge 98 without, for example, any rearward movement.

At the end of the travel stroke of the piston 132, as shown in fig. 32C, the connecting rod 118 is fully extended and the mounting plate 115 and support plate 117 are spaced from one another such that the mating latch member 96 moves away from its initial position H1 to a height H3 greater than H2. The closure panel 6 is now shown in its active pedestrian deployment position. In another embodiment or in combination, the mating latch members 96 may be configured to slide within the slots 114 relative to the ratchet teeth 24 such that movement of the mounting plate 115 is inhibited by the mating latch members 96, for example as would be caused by the type of hinge 98, such as the hinge 98 providing a pivotal connection between the closure panel 6 and the body 5. The latch member 96, which is embodied as a striker formed from a curved bar, may include a horizontal projection 199, which horizontal projection 199 may be adapted to project in length such that the horizontal projection is received within the slot 114 such that the vertical projection 197 does not contact the ratchet teeth 24 to impede rearward movement of the mounting plate 115.

Referring now to fig. 33, a method 1000 for operating a latch travel mechanism coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle is shown, the method schematically comprising the steps of: a step 1002 of maintaining a link disposed between a mounting plate and a support plate in a folded state, the mounting plate having a latch mounted on the mounting plate to maintain the closure panel in a closed position relative to a body of the vehicle, the mounting plate coupled to the support plate connected to the body of the vehicle; a step 1004 of operating the actuation system to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position; and deploying 1006 the linkage to the deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position such that the latch also moves from the home position to the extended position as a result of being mounted on the mounting plate. The step 1006 of deploying the linkage to the deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the original position to the extended position may include deploying the linkage from a collapsed state having a collapsed dimension to a deployed state having a deployed dimension, wherein the deployed dimension is greater than the collapsed dimension. The step of deploying the linkage to the deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the original position to the extended position may comprise deploying the linkage in a plane parallel to a plane of one of the support plate and the mounting plate. The method may further comprise the steps of: a step of guiding the support plate relative to the mounting plate during deployment of the linkage to prevent the support plate and the mounting plate from pivoting relative to each other. The method may further comprise the steps of: one of the support plate and the mounting plate is guided relative to the link during deployment of the link so as to prevent the support plate and the mounting plate from pivoting relative to each other. The step 1004 of operating the actuation system may comprise moving the closure panel relative to the support plate, for example operating the actuation system to act directly or indirectly on the closure panel.

Referring to fig. 35, there is shown an example of the operation of the actuating mechanism 101 in operation such that the closure panel 6 and latch 100 may be tilted. As such, during active deployment of actuation mechanism 101, unequal or unbalanced operation of linkage 118 should be recognized (e.g., one side LH extends further than the other side RH). To address this tilt, one embodiment is a pair of meshed gears 300 (see fig. 36A, 36B) for suppressing unbalanced protrusion between the side portions RH, LH. The demonstration of the balancing effect of the lateral portions RH, LH during deployment of the actuating mechanism 101 is illustrated in fig. 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D. In this way, a pair of meshed gears 300 may be used in linkage 118 to prevent misalignment between sides LH, RH during deployment of actuation mechanism 101, as described further below. For example, no guide mechanism is required to avoid the tilting motion TM of the mounting plate 115, such as the slot 142 and pin 140 configured as described above.

Referring to fig. 36A, 36B, which illustrate the kinematic characteristics of an embodiment having a pair of meshed gears 300, as with the previously discussed embodiments discussed hereinabove, the latch 100 may be associated with an actuation mechanism 101, which actuation mechanism 101 may include a support plate 117, the support plate 117 may be connected to the mounting plate 115 of the latch 100 as desired and may thus form part of a latch housing (not shown). The mounting plate 115, support plate 117, and actuation mechanism 101 may be collectively referred to as a latch travel mechanism 99, or, where latches are included, a latch travel assembly 99. Fig. 37A, 37B show various plan views of the latch travel mechanism 99 in assembled form in a home position and an extended position, respectively.

It will be appreciated that as in the embodiment of the latch 100 shown in fig. 3-7, the mounting plate 115 is connected to the support plate 117 via a link 118, see fig. 38A-38D, such that the link 118 is connected at one end to the mounting plate 115 by a hinge or pivot 120 and at the other end to the support plate 117 via a hinge or pivot 122. It should be appreciated that the support plate 117 is attached to the body 5 of the vehicle 4. As shown, link 118 also includes a pair of meshed gears 300 (e.g., sector gears) and one or more arms 302. For example, link 118 may include an arm 302 connected to support plate 117 at pivot 122, a pair of meshed gears 300 coupled to mounting plate 115 at pivot 120, and a respective pivot 304 coupling arm 302 to meshed gears 300.

Referring again to fig. 38A-38D, fig. 38A shows the latch travel mechanism 99 in an unactuated stage such that the actuating mechanism 101 (see fig. 36A) is in an unextended position (i.e., the actuating mechanism 101 has not been actuated). It should be appreciated that in fig. 38A-38D, the latch 100 is shown conceptually only, i.e., for ease of illustration, the latch 100 is shown in phantom line drawing only, it being appreciated that the latch 100 is mounted to the mounting plate 115 as with the other embodiments described above. Further, similar to that shown in fig. 32A, the closure panel 6 will be in a closed position (also referred to as a home position, shown diagrammatically as position H1).

Fig. 38B, 38C show the latch travel mechanism 99 under the influence of the deployed actuation mechanism 101 (i.e., the actuation mechanism 101 is operated and thus in the process of deployment-see also fig. 32B) such that the latch travel mechanism 99 in fig. 38C extends further from the home position (H1-see fig. 32A) than the latch travel mechanism 99 in fig. 38B. The rotations R1, R2 of the pair of meshed gears 300 about the pivot 304 are shown as the mounting plate 115 is extended in the deployment direction D (i.e., travels from position H1 to position H3-see fig. 32A, 32B, 32C).

Fig. 38D shows the latch travel mechanism 99 in an extended position similar to position H3 shown in fig. 32C. Further, it should be appreciated that similar to the other described embodiments including fig. 3-34B, the latch travel mechanism 99 of fig. 36A-39B may optionally include any of a variety of configurations for the locking member, stops, and other related structures, as desired.

Further, contrary to that shown, it should be appreciated that a pair of arms 302 may be coupled to the mounting plate 115 and a pair of meshed gears 300 may be coupled to the support plate 117, as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 39A, 39B, an embodiment is shown that includes a release cable 306 (e.g., a primary pawl release cable 306a and a secondary lever release cable 306B), it being appreciated that a cable hook shape may be utilized. A hood support release cable 308 may also be included, as desired.

Referring now to fig. 40, among other figures, a method 2000 for operating a latch travel mechanism coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle is shown, the method including maintaining a pair of links disposed between a mounting plate having a latch mounted thereon for maintaining the closure panel in a closed position relative to a body of the vehicle and a support plate connected to the body of the vehicle in a folded state 2002; operating the actuation system to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position 2004; and deploying a pair of links to a deployed state in response to moving the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to the extended position, such that the pair of links includes a pair of arms and a pair of meshed gears 2006, such that the latch also moves from the home position to the extended position as a result of being mounted to the mounting plate.

Claims

1. A latch travel mechanism (99) for a closure panel (6) of a vehicle (4), the mechanism comprising:

a mounting plate (115), the mounting plate (115) for mounting a latch (100) for retaining the closure panel;

a support plate (117) coupled to the mounting plate by a pair of links (118) for connection to a body (5) of the vehicle, the pair of links including a pair of arms (302) and a pair of meshing gears (300) pivotally coupled to each other; and

an actuation mechanism (101) for mounting on at least one of the support plate or the vehicle body for extending the pair of links to move the mounting plate and the latch relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position;

wherein, during operation of the actuation mechanism, the mounting plate and the latch move from the home position to the extended position while the closure panel remains held by the latch.

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

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

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 meshing gears is coupled to the mounting plate by a respective one of the first pivots.

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

6. The latch travel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the link extends 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 meshing gears inhibits misalignment of the side portion (RH, LH) of the mounting plate relative to the support plate during the operation of the actuation mechanism.

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

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

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 links disposed between a mounting plate and a support plate in a folded state, wherein the mounting plate has a latch mounted thereon for holding the closure panel in a closed position relative to a body of the vehicle to which the support plate is attached;

operating an actuation system to move the mounting plate and the latch relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position while the closure panel is still held by the latch; and

deploying the pair of links 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 links includes a pair of arms and a pair of meshing gears pivotally coupled to each other;

wherein the latch also moves from the home position to the extended position as a result of being mounted on the mounting plate.