Vehicle liftgate striker and latch construction

Several vehicle liftgate striker and latch constructions are disclosed. The striker includes a striker base from which at least one striker pin extends. A latch, having a latch cover, Is configured to be mounted on a vehicle liftgate, for juxtaposition to the striker base when the liftgate is closed and the latch engages the at least one striker pin. The striker includes a reactor structure for making contact with the latch cover, when the liftgate is closed, for controlling lateral movement of the latch relative to the striker base. The reactor structure preferably Includes at least one roller mounted on a roller support, The latch cover has at least one side which Is angled, so as to exert force, having a lateral component, on the reactor structure. The at least one angled side of the latch cover may Include a detent, for providing additional restraining force, when the liftgate is In the closed position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to locking mechanisms, particularly for vehicle liftgates, and further in particular to striker and latch structures, as opposed to actual lock mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to vehicle liftgate striker and latch constructions, used to hold a vehicle liftgate in, and release it from, a closed and locked position.

In particular, the present invention is directed to a vehicle liftgate striker and latch construction which is configured to control lateral movement of the liftgate, relative to the striker, and to provide assistance in pushing the liftgate away from the striker, when the latch is unlocked, by advantageously configuring the latch cover with a tapered profile, in combination with resilient latch reaction assemblies associated with the striker assembly.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, several embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure should be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments so illustrated. Further, to the extend that any numerical values or other specifics of materials, etc., are provided herein, they are to be construed as exemplifications of the inventions herein, and the inventions are not to be considered as limited thereby.

An embodiment of the vehicle liftgate striker and latch construction of the present invention is shown inFIGS. 1-36. The liftgate striker is intended to reduce door to body vibration and movement. The striker assembly100(e.g.,FIGS. 1-7) includes base plate110and U-shaped wire form120as the primary striker features to engage with a latch140(FIGS. 34-36) for retention of a vehicle door, hood, deck lid or other closure. It is to be noted that the present invention concerns itself primarily with the interaction between the latch cover142and the structures surrounding the striker pin (wire form120), and not the direct interaction between the latching members and the striker pin (wire form12) themselves. As such a variety of different latching mechanisms may be employed by one of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the latching mechanism is shown in broken lines inFIGS. 34-35.

The inherent tolerances in a conventional vehicle door/liftgate closure system allow the door to move when closed and the latch is engaged. The internal tolerances of a conventional latch can allow components to move and thus the door which is attached to the latch and or striker is allowed to move and vibrate.

According to the present invention, a tensioned roller assembly provides compression against the latch cover142and reduces the free lateral movement of the latch-to-striker interface. The amount of movement is controlled by the amount of tension roller support arms130apply to the latch cover142. The rollers136provide minimal friction when engaging with latch142, because the rollers136roll up the sides of the latch cover142. The over-travel bumper144extending transversely across the end of striker frame128is provided to limit the amount of movement transverse to the latch140whereas the rollers136limit the amount of orthogonal or side to side movement. The roller support arms130may be a sub-assembly of the overall assembly100, or a single part formed from the striker base plate110.

The rollers136engage with the latch cover plate142. The sides of latch cover plate142extend at angles, relative to the plane of the wire form120, to provide modified closing and opening forces. Latch cover142may be provided with one or more detents154(FIG. 36) located at the full closed (engaged) position to provide an at-rest or neutral area which would require a higher force to move away from and thus provide a limiting action of movement in the transverse direction (the direction of opening and closing of the liftgate). In particular, by coordinating the included angle between the lateral sides of the latch cover142with the amount of spring force applied by the roller support arms130holding the rollers136, upon operator release of the latch140, the roller support arms130holding the rollers136“squeeze” the latch cover142, tending to push the latch cover142(and hence the liftgate) up and away from the striker assembly100, thus enabling a lesser strength spring assembly (the springs or torsion arms used to pivotably support the liftgate—not shown) to be used to support for the door.

Striker assembly100comprises two resilient spring roller support arms130to which the polymer or rubber (or other suitable material) rollers136are attached. Striker assembly100further includes U-shaped wire-form (striker pin)120which engages the latch140. The elastomer over-travel bumper144is provided to protect the latch from damage from excessive door closing forces. In an embodiment of the invention, wire form120is formed with preformed faces148which engage the front side of the striker base plate110(the side that faces the latch). After positioning of the wire-form120on base plate110, the ends150of wire-form120may be swaged, to create flattened “buttons” to capture base plate110between the buttons and the preformed faces. Other modes of attachment, including welding or brazing, may be employed instead of, or in addition to, swaging, without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 37-40illustrate a vehicle liftgate striker configuration according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. Striker assembly200includes primary roller support spring plate202, upon which rollers204and206are pivotably mounted. Secondary roller support spring arms208,210, are mounted on the pins which support rollers204,206, respectively. Rollers212,214are pivotably mounted on secondary roller support spring arm208, and rollers216,218are pivotably mounted on secondary roller support spring arm210. Striker assembly200is configured to accommodate known latch housing220, which is known from the 2010 Ford Flex and 2010 Ford Expedition, among other vehicles, for example. By providing a plurality of rollers on each “side” of the liftgate latch housing, it is believed that a higher static loading will be placed on the liftgate, as compared to prior art liftgate striker assemblies, while at the same time reducing the dynamic loading that is encountered or perceived by a user, while in the process of closing the liftgate. Detents are not provided in the existing vehicle liftgate latch covers just mentioned.

It is further to be understood that while latching structure details may be shown inFIGS. 39 and 40, in association with an alternative embodiment of the invention, it is again the interaction between the striker assembly200as a whole, and the latch housing220, to which the present invention is primarily focused, and not on the particular details of the latch mechanism itself, and other latching mechanisms other than those shown may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except as those skilled in the art who have the present disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.