Abstract
An automobile comprising wheels and a body has front lights, a front trunk lid above a front trunk for storing luggage, a front windscreen, a front occupant steering position, a roof, a rear windscreen, a rear hood above an internal combustion, hybrid or electrical or other drive system and rear lights, a latching system being provided in or near the front trunk and has a striker mounted to the front trunk lid and a catch system mounted to the body on mounting brackets, the latching system having a striker movable relative to first and second catches which are adapted to cooperate with the striker to limit relative movement therebetween, a single motor being provided to transmit drive through the latching system to drive both of the catches to positions in which movement of the striker is restricted by the catches.
Claims
1. A latching system for latching an automotive movable panel, the latching system having a striker movable relative to a first catch and a second catch which are adapted to cooperate with the striker to limit relative movement therebetween, wherein the second catch is configured to catch the striker upon release of the striker from the first catch; wherein the latching system has: a primary latched configuration; a secondary latched configuration in which the striker is between a fully open position thereof and the primary latched configuration; and a tertiary latched configuration in which the second catch is in a latched position in which the second catch is arranged to limit movement of the striker; the second catch having a rest position out of the way of movement of the striker; wherein a controller is provided for causing movement of the second catch between the latched position in which the second catch is arranged to limit movement of the striker and the rest position, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a signal representative of zero vehicle speed and a signal representative of a panel open request to cause the second catch to be moved to the rest position; wherein, in the primary latched configuration, the second catch is in the rest position.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a motor is provided to transmit drive through the latching system to drive both the first catch and the second catch to positions in which movement of the striker is restricted by the first catch and the second catch, and in which the controller is configured to control the motor to move the striker to and lock the striker in the primary latched configuration of the automotive movable panel.
3. A system as claimed in claim 2 in which the motor is adapted to drive the first catch to move the striker from the secondary latched configuration to the primary latched configuration.
4. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to process a signal based upon automotive speed and is adapted to cause movement of the second catch to the latched position when the signal is based upon any automotive speed above a predetermined threshold.
5. A latching system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold is between 3 to 10 kph.
6. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, further including a device for moving the second catch to the rest position.
7. A latching system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the motor is adapted to rotate a motor cam to drive a cam follower of an actuation member rotatably mounted on a body of the latching system.
8. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first catch comprises a form of a claw having a jaw configured to be engaged by the striker to rotate the claw about a claw pivot.
9. A latching system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a pawl member having a first lock surface and where the claw comprises at least one further lock surface adapted to lockingly engage the first lock surface.
10. A latching system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one further lock surface comprises two locking notches which are selectively engageable by the first lock surface.
11. A latching system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first lock surface and the two locking notches are arranged to engage one another in at least one latched position of the claw and wherein a bias member moves the claw from the latched position to an open position.
12. A latching system as claimed in claim 10, wherein a bias member biases the first lock surface towards the at least one further lock surface.
13. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second catch comprises a rotatable lever adapted to rotate about a pivot.
14. A latching system as claimed in claim 13, in which the second catch has a hook at one end thereof which in the secondary latched configuration is arranged to catch the striker during movement of the striker.
15. A latching system as claimed in claim 14, in which the hook has a hook surface which extends substantially arcuately and tangentially relative to a pivot of the second catch, the hook surface being substantially on an arc centered on the pivot of the second catch.
16. A latching system as claimed in claim 15, in which the second catch, the pivot of the second catch and the striker are arranged such that, upon the striker pulling the hook in a pull direction, the hook surface is on a striker side of an imaginary plane passing through the pivot of the second catch and parallel to the pull direction.
17. A latching system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the actuation member has a second catch cam which is configured to engage a cam follower of the second catch to move the second catch to the primary latched configuration.
18. A latching system as claimed in claim 17 further comprising cooperating surfaces that include a cooperating surface of the second catch cam and a cooperating surface of the cam follower of the second catch, where the cooperating surfaces face one another, a plane through normal to the cooperating surfaces passing through or substantially through a center of rotation of the actuation member when the second catch is locked in the latched position by the engagement of the second catch cam and cam follower; the cooperating surfaces optionally being circular arc portions with their center at the center of rotation of the actuation member.
19. A latching system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the second catch cam is fixed to a shaft extending from a main body part of the actuation member.
20. A latching system as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a driver mounted on the shaft between the main body part and the second catch cam.
21. A latching system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the driver is configured to drive the first catch from the secondary latched configuration to the primary latched configuration.
22. A latching system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the driver is further configured to drive a pawl member away from the first catch in order to permit the first catch to rotate to an unlatched position allowing the striker to move away from the first catch.
23. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a manual release configured to release the striker.
24. A latching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one position sensor configured to communicate a position of the first catch to the controller to detect positions of the first catch and the second catch.
25. A latching system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the at least one position sensor is mounted to sense a position of a magnet on the first catch.
26. A latching system as claimed in claim 24, wherein a motor is configured to move an actuation arm which is adapted to move the first catch and the second catch, and wherein a motor sensor is provided for sensing a rotational position of the motor and communicating the rotational position to the controller, the controller being configured to establish a state of the second catch at least partly from position data provided by the motor sensor.
27. An automobile comprising a latching system as recited in claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The present invention may be carried out in various ways and one embodiment of a latching system for a movable automotive panel will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of part of a preferred embodiment of a latching system in accordance with the present invention with the components thereof in an open configuration;
(3) FIG. 2 shows the parts of FIG. 1 with a striker thereof having engaged a first catch thereof and having pushed the first catch so that the system is in a secondary latched configuration thereof;
(4) FIG. 3 shows the components of FIG. 2 in which a motor has driven the first catch to pull the striker to a position in which the first catch is overdriven 3° past a primary latched configuration of the system;
(5) FIG. 4 shows the components of FIG. 3 but with the first catch relaxed 3° such that the latching system is in a primary latched configuration thereof;
(6) FIG. 5 shows the components of the latching system in which a secondary catch has been moved to a latch position thereof so that the system takes up a tertiary latched configuration thereof;
(7) FIG. 6 shows the components of the latching system in a configuration in which a release request has been issued while an automobile to which the components are fitted is in motion;
(8) FIG. 7 shows the components of the latching system in a configuration in which a release request has been issued with the vehicle stationary and, in fact, the components of the latching system are in substantially the same configuration as the way they are shown in FIG. 1;
(9) FIG. 8 schematically shows the latching system mounted in an automobile;
(10) FIG. 9 schematically shows various sensors, inputs and a printed circuit board/controller forming part of an electrical system of the automobile of FIG. 8;
(11) FIG. 10 shows, schematically, a cross-section through part of an actuation member of the latching system; and
(12) FIG. 11 schematically shows a view of the striker when shown looking along the direction A in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(13) As shown schematically in FIG. 8, an automobile 10 with wheels 12 and a body 14 has front lights 16, a front trunk lid 18 above a front trunk 20 for storing luggage, a front windscreen 22, a front occupant steering position 24, a roof 26, a rear windscreen 28, a rear hood 30 above an internal combustion, hybrid or electrical or other drive system 32 and rear lights 34.
(14) A latching system 36 is provided in or near the front trunk 20 and has a striker 38 mounted to the front trunk lid 18 and a catch system 40 mounted to the body 14 on mounting brackets 42.
(15) The front trunk lid 18 is openable as will be described below from the closed position shown in solid lines in FIG. 8 to various open positions one of which is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 8 with the front trunk lid marked 18′. The opening and closing motion/path of the front trunk lid 18 is defined by a hinge, four bar link or other system 44 located towards a rear 46 of the front trunk 20.
(16) With reference to FIGS. 1 and 11, the striker 38 has a mounting flange 48 and a U-shaped body 50 having a cross bar 52 which is adapted to engage with first 54 and second 56 catches of the catch system 40.
(17) With reference to FIG. 1, the catch system 40 has a main body 58 for mounting the catch system 40 to the mounting brackets 42 using conventional fasteners (not shown).
(18) As well as having the first catch 54 and second catch 56, the catch system 40 includes a pawl lever or member 60, an actuation member 62, a manual release cam 64 and a motor drive cam 66 whose drive shaft 68 is driven by a motor 70 (see FIG. 9) which is mounted on a PCB/controller 72 which is fastened to the main body 58 of the catch system 40 by conventional fasteners (not shown).
(19) The first catch 54 is formed as a claw with a mouth 74, a primary locking surface 76 and a secondary locking surface 78. The first catch 54 is mounted on the main body 58 for rotation about a first catch pivot 80 and is provided with a first catch spring 82 which is adapted to bias the first catch 54 anticlockwise as shown in FIG. 1 to an open position thereof which is indeed the position shown in FIG. 1. The first catch 54 is also provided with two magnets 84 of opposite polarity poles which are sensed by Hall effect sensors 86 mounted on the PCB/controller 72 such that the PCB/controller 72 is able to determine the position of the first catch 54 from the opposite direction magnets 84 passing the sensors 86.
(20) The second catch 56 is in the form of a lever with a hook 88 at one end 90 thereof and a second catch cam follower 92 having a second catch cam follower surface 94 at an opposite end 96 thereof. The second catch is mounted by a second catch pivot 98 to the main body 58 for rotation about the second catch pivot 98 and has a second catch return spring 100 which is shown schematically in FIG. 1 and is omitted from other figures for the purposes of clarity. The second catch return spring 100 biases the second catch 56 to a rest position thereof, which is the position shown in FIG. 1, in which the second catch 56 does not engage the cross bar 52 of the striker 38 as the striker cross bar 52 moves past the second catch 56 as the trunk lid 18 is closed and opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the second catch 56 is biased clockwise by the second catch return spring 100.
(21) The pawl member 60 is positioned between the second catch 56 and the main body 58 of the catch system 40 and, like the second catch 56, is mounted for pivotal rotation about the second catch pivot 98. The pawl member 60 has a pawl formation 102 (see FIG. 2) with a pawl surface 104 and has a pawl cam follower 106. A pawl bias spring 108 is adapted to biasingly pivot the pawl member 60 towards the first catch 54 so that the pawl formation 102 may selectively engage with either of the primary locking surface 76 and secondary locking surface 78 of the first catch 54. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the pawl spring 108 biases the pawl member 60 clockwise, the same rotational direction in which the second catch 56 is biased by its spring 100 but the opposite rotational direction to that in which the first catch 54 is biased by its spring 82.
(22) The actuation member 62 is mounted for pivotal rotation relative to the main body 58 by a pivot 110 and includes a cam follower or input cam 113 arranged to be driven by the motor drive cam 66, as well as an output cam 112 which is arranged to engage the second catch cam follower surface 94 of the second catch 56.
(23) As shown by the schematic cross-section in FIG. 10, the output cam 112 is spaced from a main plate 114 of the actuation member 62 by a driver in the form of a roller 116, the output cam 112 being fixedly mounted to the main plate 114 by a shaft 118 and the roller 116 being not only positioned between the output cam 112 and the main plate 114 but also rotatable about the shaft 118. The roller 116 is adapted to drive both the pawl member 60 by pushing on the pawl cam follower 106 and the first catch 54 by pushing on a drive surface 120 (FIG. 2) of the first catch 54 and the roller may also engage against an arcuate stop surface 122 of the first catch 54, the arcuate stop surface 122 being an arc centred on the first catch pivot 80.
(24) It will therefore be appreciated that the main plate 114 as shown in FIG. 1 is positioned behind the pawl member 60 and the first catch 54, the roller 116, pawl member 60 and first catch 54 are higher and generally aligned with one another in the direction in and out of the page, and the output cam 112 and second catch 56 are above those components yet able to engage one another being generally in the same plane as one another in the direction in and out of the page. Furthermore, the motor drive cam 66 and the input cam 113 of the actuation member 62 are arranged to engage one another and are generally in a plane similar to or slightly above the output cam 112 and second catch cam follower 92, the input cam 113 being mounted fixedly to the main plate 114 of the actuation member 62 by a shaft 124 to space the input cam 113 from the main plate 114.
(25) As shown in FIG. 1, the latching system 36 is in a position in which the front trunk lid 18 is open.
(26) As the user lowers the front trunk lid, the crossbar 52 of the striker 38 engages on an entry surface 126 (FIG. 2) of the mouth 74 of the first catch/claw 54 and rotationally pushes the first catch 54 to the position thereof shown in FIG. 2 in which the latching system 36 is considered to be in a secondary latched configuration thereof. In this position, the pawl surface 104 of the pawl formation 102 engages in the secondary locking surface 78 of the first catch 54 so that the trunk lid will not bounce further open and the striker 38 is caught by the first catch 54. Furthermore, the position of the magnets 84 on the first catch 54 is sensed by the sensors 86 of the PCB/controller 72 and the controller 72 then controls the motor 70 to rotate the motor drive cam 66 (anticlockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2) so as to drive the input cam 113 to the position shown in FIG. 3 in which the pawl surface 104 is against the primary locking surface 76 of the first catch 54. In this configuration shown in FIG. 3, the actuation member 62 has been driven 68° round from the position thereof shown in FIG. 2 and the first catch 54 has been overdriven 3° past what is its position when it is in a position when the latching system 36 is in a primary latched configuration as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, once the overdriven position shown in FIG. 3 has been achieved, the motor rotates the motor drive cam 66 back to its original position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the first catch 54 relaxes 3° and by a double-acting return spring 128 thereof, which is only partially shown in FIG. 4, the actuation member 62 is brought back substantially to its original configuration of FIG. 2. The 3° overdrive position ensures good latching of the first catch 54. Thus, in the configuration of FIG. 4, the latching system 36 is in a primary latched configuration thereof in which the front trunk lid 18 has been fully closed and the automobile 10 is ready to drive off. It will be noted that the pawl surface 104 is substantially on an arc centred on the second catch pivot 98 and the primary 76 and secondary 78 locking surfaces also are when they are in their respective engaged positions with the pawl surface 104. Therefore, pulling on the first catch 54 by the striker 38 does not tend to result in a component of rotation of the pawl member 60.
(27) It is also noted that if the user should slam the trunk lid 18 from the open configuration of FIG. 1, the latching system 36 can move straight from the configuration of FIG. 1 or indeed from the configuration of FIG. 2 to the configuration of FIG. 4. It is noted that the actuation member 62 takes up a slightly different configuration in FIG. 1 to that shown in both of FIGS. 2 and 4. This is because in FIG. 1 the roller 116 is riding on the arcuate stop surface 122 and when the roller 116 falls off the end of the arcuate stop surface 112 as the first catch 54 rotates to the configuration thereof shown in FIG. 2 the double-acting return spring 128 rotates the actuation member 62 slightly to a rest or neutral position thereof which is the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.
(28) So, with the latching system 36 in the primary latched configuration shown in FIG. 4, the position of the first catch 54 is detected by cooperation of the magnets 84 and the sensors 86. When the vehicle then sets off from rest with the latching system 36 in the primary locked configuration shown in FIG. 4, and when the speed of the automobile 10 builds up above a predetermined level, such as about 3 to 10 kph, or 5 kph in one example, the sensor 130 sends a signal representative of this speed to the PCB/controller 72 and the motor 70 is commanded to rotate the motor drive cam 66 to engage the input cam 113 (i.e. clockwise motion of the motor drive cam 66 as shown in FIG. 5) and the actuation member is rotated sufficiently that the output cam 112 engages the second catch cam follower surface 94 and, indeed, an output cam camming surface 132 comes into engagement with the second catch cam follower surface. Both of the output cam camming surface 132 and the second catch cam follower surface 94 are in this configuration shown in FIG. 5 located on the same arc in space which has its centre as the centre of the pivot 110 of the actuation member 62. During this engagement, the second catch 56 is rotated 25° to its position shown in FIG. 5 in which the latching system has adopted a tertiary latched configuration thereof. Due to the output cam camming surface 32 and the second catch cam follower surface 94 being positioned as curved surfaces with their centres at the centre of the pivot 110, a force applied to the second catch 56 by the striker 38 will have no resulting component of force acting to attempt to rotate the actuation member 62. Thus, the second catch 56 is very securely positioned. Nevertheless, the motor drive cam 66 may remain in its position shown in FIG. 5 in which it engages the input cam 113 of the actuation member 62 to block rotation of the output cam 112.
(29) With the automobile 10 driving along normally, the latching system 36 is kept in the tertiary latched configuration shown in FIG. 5.
(30) If the automobile 10 is subjected to a crash such as a frontal impact in which the first catch 54 is overpowered, the second catch 56 is nevertheless positioned to catch on the crossbar 52 of the striker 38 in order to stop further opening of the front trunk lid 18 and in particular to stop the trunk lid 18 from rising up so far that it blocks the view ahead through the windscreen 22. Furthermore, the hook 88 of the second catch 56 has a radiused surface 136 forming an arc concentric around the second catch pivot 98 such that the crossbar 52 does not tend to slide off the hook 88. Additionally, compared to a direction of pull marked B of the striker 38 as shown in FIG. 5, the hook 88 is on the striker side of a parallel plane passing through the second catch pivot 98. This means that with a strong pull in the direction B of the striker 38 on the hook 88, resultant flexing or bending of the components is likely to be such that the plane of pull of the crossbar 52 of the striker 38 on the hook 88 is likely to be brought closer to the parallel plane passing through the second catch pivot 98 such that as this happens under significant loads the turning moment around the second catch pivot 98 due to these loads is likely to reduce such that the striker 38 is likely to remain securely engaged and caught by the second catch 56 even under very significant loads which may be applied during a vehicle crash such as a significant frontal impact. The configuration of the arcuate second catch cam follower surface 94 and the output member camming surface 132 as arcs centred on the centre of the actuation member pivot 110 also assists in very securely jamming the second catch 56 against rotation as described above, whereby it is extremely difficult for significant loads applied by the striker 38 to overcome the second catch 56.
(31) If the vehicle is driving along with the latching system 36 in the tertiary latched configuration shown in FIG. 5 and a release request should be issued, for example either by accident from an interior release request button 138 or by actuation of a luminous release request button 140 associated with the latching system 36 and located inside the front trunk 20, such latter request for example being issued by a child or other passenger accidentally located inside the front trunk 20, the latching system 36 is changed from the configuration of FIG. 5 to the configuration shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, release button 138 may be inhibited from causing any release while the automobile 10 is in motion but button 140 located inside trunk 20 may achieve this.
(32) To achieve this, the motor 70 drives the motor drive cam 66 so as to push on the input cam 113 and rotate the actuation member 62 so that firstly the pawl member 60, and in particular its pawl surface 102, disengages from the first catch 54 and the first catch spring 82 rotates the first catch 54 so that the striker 38 is fully released from the first catch 54. Furthermore, the output member camming surface 132 rides further along the second catch cam follower surface 94 and the second catch 56 is maintained in a position in which it is to be engaged by the crossbar 52 of the striker 38 as shown in FIG. 6. In this configuration, and in this particular embodiment, the striker and adjacent area of the front lid trunk 18 has been allowed about 26 millimetres of travel from its position in the primary latched configuration of the latching system 36. Therefore, the trunk lid 18 is able to rise up slightly, thereby providing a source of air for anyone who needs to breath and is trapped inside the front trunk 20. Furthermore, the somewhat ajar or raised configuration of the front trunk lid 18 may be easily visible from within the automobile 10 such that an easy warning may be provided to the users of the automobile 10. Also, the magnets 84 and sensors 86 may cooperate to provide an electronic warning signal to warning system 142 located in the automobile 10.
(33) It will be noted that in FIG. 5, the roller 116 has slightly pushed up on the pawl cam follower 106 but not enough to disengage the pawl surface 104 from the primary locking surface 76 and by the configuration of FIG. 6 the roller 116 has pushed further on the pawl cam follower 106 to cause additional rotation of the pawl member 60 in order to release the first catch 54.
(34) Once the automobile 10 is stationary, and once a release request is initiated with the vehicle stationary, either by using the release button 138 or the release button 140, the motor 70 drives the motor drive cam 66 away from the input cam 113 (anticlockwise as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) to the configuration of the motor drive cam shown in FIG. 7. This allows the double-acting return spring 128 for the actuation member 62 to rotate the actuation member to its configuration shown in FIG. 7 which is in fact the same configuration as shown in FIG. 1 and, in doing so, the output member camming surface 32 disengages from the second catch cam follower surface 94, allowing the return spring 100 (see FIG. 1) for the second catch 56 to rotate the second catch 56 back about 25° to its rest position in which it no longer interferes with the movement of the striker 38. Thus, the striker 38 is no longer caught and the front trunk lid 18 can be opened.
(35) Furthermore, if the automobile 10 is driven along in the tertiary latched configuration shown in FIG. 5 and then comes to a stop and a release request is issued at either the release button 138 or the release button 140, the motor 70 is commanded to rotate the motor drive cam 66 directly from its configuration shown in FIG. 5 to that shown in FIG. 7 via the configuration shown in FIG. 6 so that the first catch 54 is released and the second catch 56 is virtually immediately also brought back to its rest position so that the striker 38 can be removed and the front trunk lid 18 opened straight away without the striker 38 ever engaging the second catch 56 during this opening sequence.
(36) As shown in FIG. 9, electrical system equipment 144 such as a battery and/or voltage regulator may be employed for providing electrical power to the PCB/controller 72 and its motor 70.
(37) The embodiment described is highly advantageous for various reasons. For example, the front trunk lid may be gently lowered by the user to the secondary latch configuration shown in FIG. 2 and then there is a smooth clinch-action closing of the front trunk lid 18 to the primary latch configuration shown in FIG. 3 without any engagement of the second catch 56 with the striker 38 and this provides a very quiet and smooth closing operation compared to prior arrangements where the front trunk lid needs to be slammed or pushed shut. Also, the use of a latching system 36 which can provide all of the primary, secondary and tertiary latch configurations is highly advantageous, especially in that only one motor 70 needs to be used as well as only one actuation member 62 for operating all three of the first catch 54, second catch 56 and pawl member 60 and only one driver/roller 116 is needed to act upon both of the first catch 54 and the pawl member 60. Furthermore, the operation of the second catch 56 from its rest configuration to its latch configuration in which the latching system 36 takes up its tertiary latched configuration can be controlled to be operated at any point in time and/or any predetermined given speed of the automobile 10. Furthermore, the design of the second catch 56 including its hook 88 and its second catch cam follower surface 94, as well as the design of the output member camming surface 132, provides for an exceptionally strong engagement of the striker 38 by the second catch 56 when necessary and this great strength can be provided in a latching system 36 which is extremely small and lightweight and only requires one small motor to operate it. Furthermore, the PCB/controller 72 can be easily set up to detect all states of the latching system 36 and report them to the automobile 10 through CAN-Bus or other protocol as desired.
(38) Furthermore, the manual release cam 64 is provided for operation against the input cam 113 or against a member (not shown) extending from the input cam 113 for rotating the actuation member 62 to enable release of the striker 38 by rotating the actuation member 62 such that the pawl member 60 disengages from the first catch 54 and the double-acting return spring 128 may enable disengagement of the second catch 56 once the motor drive cam 66 has been rotated back out of the FIG. 5 position thereof, either electrically by the motor 70 or by pushing using a hand tool. For example, with the automobile 10 stationary and the signal given to power the vehicle down, the cam 66 may be rotated by the motor 70 from the configuration of FIG. 5 to the configuration of FIG. 2. Thereafter, the manual release cam 64 may be operated by a cable (not shown) to rotate the actuation member 62 to disengage the first catch 54 and the double-acting return spring 128 may then disengage the second catch 56 by rotation of the actuation member 62 in the opposite direction when the manual release cam 64 is rotated back to its start position shown in FIG. 1.
(39) Various modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.
