GB770061A - Improvements in or relating to hood latch assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

770,061. Door latches. HOUDAILLE INDUSTRIES, Inc., [formerly HOUDAILLEHERSHEY CORPORATION]. Aug. 20, 1954 [Jan. 22, 1954], No: 24351/54. Class 44. A hood latch assembly for an automotive vehicle comprises a keeper 26 supported on the hood of the vehicle, a pivoted latching lever 16 for engagement with the keeper, spring means 36 biasing the latching lever to the keeper engaging position, a pivoted safety catch 14, further spring means 56 biasing the safety catch to a hood-engaging position to prevent accidental opening of the hood, and a single pivoted release lever 46 having engagement with the latching lever and the safety catch and adapted first to release the latching lever and then the safety catch upon movement of the release lever in the release direction. The latching lever 16, the safety catch 14 and the release lever are all pivotally mounted on a casing 17 attached to the vehicle body and this has a nose 21, which, to guide the hood, extends upwardly through an aperture in a plate 10 attached to the hood and which supports the keeper, which is a sleeve 27 rotatably mounted on an adjustable bolt 29. The latching lever is pivotally mounted in the nose 21 and protrudes through an aperture in its side. It has an inclined strike surface 41 which is engaged by the keeper as the hood is closed to move the lever 16 into the nose against the pressure of spring 36, and an arcuate latching surface 43 which engages the keeper in the latching position. The safety catch has a hook-shaped end 54 which extends through an aperture in the nose and which can engage in flange 13 on the plate 10. The release lever which is loaded by a spring 49 has an arm 45 which can engage an ear 44 on the latching lever to move the lever to unlatching position and a second arm 51, an internal end of which engages a wall of an aperture 53 in the safety catch to move the safety catch to release position. In a modification the latching lever is mounted on the same pivot pin as the releaselever and the release lever has a single release arm, an internal end of which first engages a ledge on the latching lever and then the wall of an aperture in the safety catch to move them sequentially to release position.