WO2002103141A2

WO2002103141A2 - Power cinching striker assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2002103141A2
Application number: PCT/US2002/019227
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ann P. Mc Carthy-Garland; Ronald J. Wilde
Original assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
Priority date: 2001-06-19
Filing date: 2002-06-18
Publication date: 2002-12-27
Also published as: WO2002103141A3

Abstract

A power cinching striker assembly (10) attaches to structure adjacent an acess opening for engaging a closure latch (26) attached to the closure for the access opening. The power cinching striker assembly (10) is equipped with a spring (38) biased bumper (36) that applies spring force to the closure in the opening direction so as to assist in the opening of the closure along with the counter-pressure of a sealing rubber between the closure and the structure adjacent the access opening. The assistance of the spring (38) biased bumper (36) is enhanced in the closure opening direction. However, the spring (38) biased bumper (36) is retracted at the end of the opening operation or the beginning of the closure operation when the striker (18) is extended for latching engagement. This retraction reduces the counter-pressure of the spring (38) biased bumper (36) during the latching phase of the subsequent closing operation at least reducing, and preferably eliminating any tendency of the spring (38) biased bumper (36) to burden the subsequent closing operation in achieving a secure latching of the closure in the closed position.

Description

POWER CINCHING STRIKER ASSEMBLY

Related Patent Application

This patent application claims priority of Provisional Patent Application 60/229,301 filed June 19, 2001.

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a striker that cooperates with a latch on a closure, such as an automotive deck lid, to latch the closure in a closed position and more particularly to a power cinching striker assembly that pulls the closure into a tightly sealed closed position.

Background of the Invention

U.S. Patent 5,938,254 granted to Bernd Weyerstall August 17, 1999 discloses a power cinching striker assembly for a vehicle door lock or the like. The striker assembly has a linearly movable striker carrier that is driven by a drive element in the form of a cam. A striker is attached to the striker carrier which is positioned to move in a housing between an open position (preclosing position) and a closed position (main closing position) where the door is secure locked. After the door is slammed shut, the cam is rotated by an electric motor that operates in a controlled manner to insure that the striker is moved into the closed position so as to lock the door securely. The striker and striker carrier can be moved from the open position (preclosing position) into the closed position (main closing position) mechanically without hinderance by the drive element, especially without hinderance by the cam.

The striker assembly is provided with a spring element which applies spring force to the striker carrier in the opening direction (toward the preclosing position). A disadvantage of the power cinching striker assembly according to the '254 Weyerstall patent lies in the secure door closing operation. This is because the counter-pressure of the sealing rubber (between the door and the vehicle body) and the counter-pressure of the opening spring must be overcome either mechanically in an emergency or by motorized closing in a normal operation. See column 6, lines 52-56 of the specification of U.S. Patent 5,938,254.

Summary of the Invention

This invention provides a power cinching striker assembly that is equipped with a spring biased bumper that applies spring force to the closure in the opening direction so as to assist in the opening of the closure along with the counter-pressure of the sealing rubber between the closure and the vehicle body. The assistance of the spring biased bumper is enhanced in the closure opening direction. However, the spring biased bumper is retracted at the end of the opening operation or at the beginning of the subsequent closing operation. This retraction reduces the counter-pressure of the spring biased bumper during the latching phase of the subsequent closing operation at least reducing, and preferably eliminating any tendency of the spring biased bumper to burden the final phase of the subsequent closing operation in achieving a secure latching of the closure in the closed position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a front view of the power cinching striker assembly of the invention showing various components in an open position;

Figure 2 is a front view of the power cinching striker assembly of figure 1 showing the components in a pre-cinching position and the power cinching striker assembly in latched engagement with a closure latch that is partially shown;

Figure 3 is a front view of the power cinching striker assembly of figure 1 showing the components in a closed or main closing position that can be referred to as a cinching position;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially along the line 5-5 of figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 6 is an exploded, perspective view of the power cinching striker assembly of figures 1-5. Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Referring now to figure 1, a power cinching striker assembly indicated generally at 10 comprises a support 12 adapted to be connected to a vehicle body adjacent an access opening that is closed by a deck lid, door, hood or other closure (not shown). The closure is customarily secured in the closed position by a latch that is mounted on the closure. The closure latch cooperates with a striker to secure the closure in the closed position which is usually sealed by a sealing rubber between the closure and the vehicle body or other structure adjacent the access opening. The striker can be fixed with respect to the vehicle body. However, in this invention, the striker is a moveable part of the power cinching striker assembly 10 as explained below.

Striker assembly 10 has a support 12 that is adapted to be secured to a structure adjacent an access opening for cooperation with a latch that is secured to the closure for the access opening. Support 12 carries a striker plate 14 for movement between an extended pre-cinching position shown in figure 2 and a retracted cinching position shown in figures 1 and 3. For instance striker plate 14 may have side edges that slide in tracks 16 of support 12 so that striker plate 14 slides between the extended pre-cinching and the retracted cinching positions.

Attached to striker plate 14 is a U-shaped striker 18 (striker loop) with vertically spaced legs 20 and 22. During operation, upper leg 20 is engaged by a fork bolt 24 of a closure latch 26 that is attached to a closure such as a deck lid, door, hood, or the like (not shown). Closure latches are well known in the art and consequently the closure latch 26 is not disclosed in detail. However, it necessary to know that closure latch 26 has the fork bolt 24 that pivots back and forth between a latched position where fork bolt 24 retains the upper leg 20 of the U-shaped striker 18 and an unlatched position where fork bolt 24 releases upper leg 20. The latched position is shown in figures 2 and 3 and the unlatched position is shown in figure 1.

Striker plate 14 and U-shaped striker 18 are moved between an extended pre- latching position shown in figure 2 and a retracted cinching position shown in figures 1 and 3. More specifically, U-shaped striker 18 is moved by an eccentric striker drive pin 28 that is connected to a rotor 30 that rotates about a center pin 32, as best shown in figure 6. Pin 28 extends through a slot 33 in support 12 and fits into a transverse slot 33a in an enlarged end portion 33b of the lower leg 22 of the U-shaped strikerl8 behind striker plate 14 as best shown in figure 4. Rotor 30, which is preferably a sector gear 31, is rotated by an electric motor 35 via pinion gear 34. When rotor 30 is rotated from the position of figure 2 to the position of figures 1 and 3, the U-shaped striker 18 is pulled down from the extended pre-cinching position of figure 2 to the retracted cinching position of figures 1 and 3 by eccentric striker drive pin 28. Striker 18 in turn pulls striker plate 14 down from the extended pre-cinching position of figure 2 to the cinching position of figure 3.

A pop-up bumper 36 is attached to support 12 by a leaf spring 38 for vertical movement that is restricted by a transfer lever 48 as explained below. Spring 38 biases bumper 36 upward toward closure latch 26 so that bumper 36 engages closure latch 26 (or the closure to which closure latch 26 is attached) and produces a counter-pressure that assists initial opening of the closure but resists final closing of the closure to which the closure latch is attached. This invention enhances the opening assistance of the spring- biased pop-up bumper 36 while diminishing its closing resistance.

Pop-up bumper 36 has a limit pin 40 that extends through aligned slots 42, 44 of support 12 and striker plate 14 respectively and into a lost motion slot 46 of transfer lever 48. The stroke of pop-up bumper 36 under the bias of leaf spring 38 is determined by the length of lost motion slot 46 which engages limit pin 40 and stops the pop-up bumper 36 at the extension and retraction ends of its stroke. The respective extension and retraction ends of the bumper stroke are adjusted along with the movement of the U-shaped striker 20 as explained below.

Transfer lever 48 which determines the stroke of pop-up bumper 36, is pivotally mounted on an eccentric transfer drive pin 50 that connects transfer lever 48 to rotor 30 for swinging movement. Transfer drive pin 50 and striker drive pin 28 are on opposite sides of the rotation center 32 of rotor 30 so that one drive pin rises as the other drive pin falls and vice versa. Consequently, when the U-shaped striker 18 is pulled down by drive pin 28, transfer lever 48 is raised up, and vice-versa. Thus, as U-shaped striker 20 is pulled down to the cinching position of figure 3 during the closing operation, the extension end of the bumper stroke is raised or extended. On the other hand, the extension end of the bumper stroke is lowered or retracted as U-shaped striker 18 is raised to the pre-cinching position of figure 2.

Power cinching striker assembly 10 operates as follows. Assume that the closure latch 26 is unlatched and in a raised position representative of a closure that has just been opened as shown in figure 1. Under these circumstances, the U-shaped striker 18 and the striker plate 14 are in the retracted cinching position. On the other hand, the pop-up bumper 36 is held in an extended position at the extension end of its stroke against the bias of leaf spring 38, that is, the transfer lever 48 is extended so that the extension end of the bumper stroke is limited by the transfer lever 48 as shown in figure 1.

The power cinching latch assembly 10 must now be armed for a subsequent closure. This can be done during the end of opening operation or at the beginning of the subsequent closing operation. In any event, the electric motor 35 is energized by suitable controls to rotate rotor 30 counterclockwise from the position shown in figure 1 to the position shown in figure 2. Under these circumstances, the U-shaped striker 18 and striker plate 14 are moved to the extended pre-cinching position while the transfer lever 48 and pop-up bumper 36 are retracted.

As the closure (not shown) to which the closure latch 26 is attached, is closed, fork bolt 24 engages the upper leg 20 of U-shaped striker 18 and pivots to the latched position as shown in figure 2. At this time, pop-up bumper 36 is restrained by transfer lever 48 so that the pop-up bumper 36 does not engage closure latch 26 (or the closure to which closure latch 26 is attached). Consequently, leaf spring 38 does not produce a counter-pressure that opposes the manually closing of the closure to the latched, pre- cinching position shown in figure 2. In some instances, some engagement between the pop-up bumper 36 accompanied by a minimal counter-pressure can be tolerated. However, the counter-pressure can be substantially reduced in all circumstances.

When the latched pre-cinching condition of figure 2 is reached by a manual closure operation, electric motor 35 is energized by suitable controls to rotate rotor 30 clockwise from the pre-cinching position shown in figure 2 to the cinching position shown in figure 3. (Such controls are well known in the art and need not be described in detail.) As rotor 30 is rotated from the position of figure 2 to the position of figure 3, the U-shaped striker 18 and striker plate 14 are pulled down by striker drive pin 28 to the cinching position pulling the closure to which the closure latch 26 is attached into a secure sealed engagement. This compresses a conventional sealing rubber that is between the closure and the opening for the closure. During this time, pop-up bumper 36 is pushed down toward the retraction end of its stroke by closure latch 26 (or the closure to which it is attached) while transfer lever 48 is simultaneously raised by transfer drive pin 50. This has a two-fold effect. Raising of transfer lever 48 allows the subsequent release of the initial energy stored in leaf spring 38 while retraction of the pop-up bumper 36 stores additional energy in leaf spring 36 for subsequent release. Thus when the closure latch 26 is subsequently unlatched, the pop-up bumper 36 pushes the closure open with a substantial counter-pressure for a greater distance as shown in figure 1. Of course, the initial portion of opening operation is also assisted by counter-pressure of seal rubber between the closure and the closure opening.

As indicated above, electric motor 35 is energized to return the U-shaped striker 18 and striker plate 12 to the extended pre-cinching position of figure 2 and return the pop-up bumper 36 and transfer lever 48 to the retracted position of figure 2 either at the end of the opening operation or at the beginning of the subsequent closing operation. This eliminates the resistance of the pop-up bumper 36 to subsequent manual closing of the closure to the pre-cinching position.

It should be noted that the distances that the striker 18 raises and the pop-up bumper 36 retracts are independently adjustable by varying the respective eccentricities or offsets of the striker drive pin 28 and the transfer drive pin 40. Consequently, the resistance of the pop-up bumper can even be eliminated during the initial stages of the power closure operation where striker 18 and striker plate 12 are moved from the pre- cinching position of figure 2 to the cinching position of figure 3.

It should also be noted that bumper 36 has a nose 36a that is engaged by the upper leg 20 of the U-shaped striker 18 when the closure latch 26 is unlatched and the closure is open as shown in figure 1. The nose 36a is an optional feature that provides a redundant stop for the pop-up bumper 36 in the event that the stop provided by transfer lever 48 and pin 50 fails.

The above description of a preferred embodiment describes a power cinching striker assembly that is attached to a vehicle body or other structure adjacent an access opening and a cooperating closure latch that is attached to a closure for the opening. However, the power cinching striker assembly can be attached to the closure while the closure latch is attached to structure adjacent the closure opening. In other words, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A power cinching striker assembly comprising: a support adapted to be connected to another structure, a striker plate that is attached to the support for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, the striker plate having a U-shaped striker adapted for engagement by a fork bolt of a closure latch, a bumper that is attached to the support by a spring for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, the movement being generally parallel to the movement of the striker plate, the bumper being spring biased toward its extended position by the spring, a rotor mounted on the support for rotation about a center pin, a striker drive pin connecting the rotor to the striker plate via a slot through the support plate to move the striker plate and U-shaped striker between the extended position and the retracted position, a transfer drive pin pivotally connecting a transfer lever to the rotor, the transfer lever being connected to the bumper by a lost motion connection to move the bumper between its extended position and its retracted position and to define a stroke for the bumper having an extension end that terminates at its extended or retracted position; and the striker drive pin and the transfer drive pin being connected to the rotor so that the striker is moved toward its extended position while the bumper is moved toward its retracted position when the rotor is rotated in one direction and the striker is moved toward its retracted position while the bumper is moved toward its extended position when the rotor is rotated in an opposite direction.

2. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the rotor has an attached a sector gear, and the power cinching striker assembly includes an electric motor that drives a pinion gear that drives the sector gear to rotate the rotor.

3. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the transfer lever has an elongated slot and the bumper has a limit pin that extends into the elongated slot of the transfer lever to form the lost motion connection between the transfer lever and the bumper.

4. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the transfer drive pin extends through aligned slots of the striker plate and the support plate.

5. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the striker drive pin extends into a transverse slot in an enlarged end portion of the U-shaped striker.

6. A power cinching striker assembly comprising: a support adapted to be connected to another structure, a striker plate that is attached to the support the striker plate having a U-shaped striker adapted for engagement by a fork bolt of a closure latch, a bumper that is attached to the support by a spring for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, the bumper being spring biased toward its extended position by the spring, a rotor mounted on the support for rotation about a center pin, a striker drive pin connecting the rotor to the U-shaped striker to move the striker between an extended position and a retracted position, a transfer drive pin pivotally connecting a transfer lever to the rotor, the transfer lever being connected to the bumper by a lost motion connection to move the bumper between its extended position and its retracted position and to define a stroke for the bumper having an extension end that terminates at its extended or retract positions, and the striker drive pin and the transfer drive pin being connected to the rotor so that the striker is moved toward its extended position while the bumper is moved toward its retracted position when the rotor is rotated in one direction and the striker member is moved toward its retracted position while the bumper is moved toward its extended position when the rotor is rotated in an opposite direction.

7. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the transfer lever has an elongated slot and the bumper has a limit pin that extends into the elongated slot of the transfer lever to form the lost motion connection between the transfer lever and the bumper.

8. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the striker drive pin extends into a transverse slot in an enlarged end portion of the U-shaped striker.

9. A power cinching striker assembly comprising: a support adapted to be connected to another structure, a striker plate that is attached to the support and that has a striker adapted for engagement by a fork bolt of a closure latch, the striker being moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, a bumper that is attached to the support by a spring for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, the bumper being spring biased toward its extended position by the spring, and means for moving the striker toward its extended position and simultaneously moving the bumper toward its retracted position and vice versa.

10. The power cinching striker assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the bumper has a stroke that has an extension end that terminates at its extended or retracted positions.