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RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
   The present application claims priority to provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/714,704, filed 7 Sep. 2005, entitled “Power Cinching Striker”. The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/247,800, entitled “Power Linear Displacement Striker”, filed on even date herewith and owned by a common assignee of interest. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention, although useful in other applications, relates to an active door latch assembly which ensures easy and reliable final closure of a vehicle door by moving the striker toward the center of the vehicle body when the vehicle door is about to be fully closed and moving the striker away from the center of the vehicle body when the vehicle door is in the process of being opened. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved active door latch assembly, which can operate more reliably and cost effectively than was possible heretofore. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A final closing device for a closure member on a vehicle body, and more particularly, a device for moving a vehicle-mounted closure member (e.g., a sliding door, a hinged door, a hood, a trunk lid, or the like) from a nearly closed position, at which a latch bolt or member engages a striker, to a fully closed position, at which the closure member is sealingly engaged with the vehicle body, is well known. 
   A typical standard automotive door latch striker assembly includes a striker, which can take the form of a pin, a U-shaped member or the like, fixedly mounted in the door frame to project into the door opening and into the path of movement of a latch member mounted on the edge of the door, which includes a fork bolt therein. The latch member is typically movably mounted with respect to the door and arranged so that as the door approaches its closed position, the latch member will engage the striker and further closing movement of the door will move the latch member into a safety latch position with respect to the pin, sometimes referred to as the secondary latch position, and further closing movement of the door will move the latch member into a primary latch position with respect to the pin, which positively retains the door against movement away from its closed position. It is generally known for at least part of the movement of the latch member into latched relationship with the striker to be resisted by a spring, and many users of sliding doors of this type habitually close the door with far greater force than necessary to overcome the spring bias. Greater force is generally required in the case of sliding doors, such as those employed in vans, where movement of the door through the final phase of movement to the fully closed position must encompass a resilient door seal, which extends around the entire periphery of the door opening. 
   Power striker devices have been proposed to overcome the high force requirements to move sliding doors into the fully closed position. Typically the power striker devices are mounted on the door frame for powered movement between an outboard ready position with respect to the vehicle center line, where the latch is engaged with the striker, and an inboard holding position, where the striker holds the latch in the fully closed position. It is still required in such systems to use high force or momentum in order to ensure that the latch engages the striker in the primary latch position prior to movement into the fully closed position. When the door is open, the striker is located in its outboard ready position. After closing translation of the door is complete, the latch on the door engages the striker and latches the door to the striker while the striker is still in the outboard position. The door may engage a limit switch on the door frame when in the outboard position or may be sensed by a position sensor on the translator, which is a separate motor which drives the door between its relative positions, to actuate a drive motor which, through appropriate mechanism, drives the striker to its inboard position, such that the latched engagement between the door and striker enables the pin to drive the door to the fully closed position. With this arrangement, a closing force sufficient to engage the latch to the primary latch position with respect to the striker needs to be applied. The powered movement of the striker provides the force necessary to compress the door seal. If the striker and latch do not reach the primary latch position with respect to one another, the powered movement of the striker from its outboard position to its inboard position would not be sufficient to bring the door to the fully closed position in sealed engagement with the frame around the periphery of the door opening. In such cases, the user may be required to reopen and close the door repeatedly until the latch and striker are disposed in the primary latch position with respect to each other when in the outboard position. 
   For the purpose of preventing the intrusion of rain water and so on, a seal member, which is molded typically from synthetic rubber and is generally called weather strip, is interposed in a gap between a door and an associated vehicle body. Recently, with the aim of reducing the wind noise and noises from air leakage in addition to improving the sealing effect, weather strips of higher reaction force or, in other words, weather strips having higher elastic coefficients are being preferred. This high reaction force tends to prevent a full latching of the door latch upon closing of the door and may cause only a partially closed state of the door. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to forcibly close the door to overcome the reaction force of the weather strip and to obtain a fully latched state of the door latch. However, when the door is forcibly closed, the sound thereof and the resulting sudden change in the cabin pressure may cause discomfort to the passenger. 
   To resolve this problem, it is conceivable to move a striker, by a suitable means, which is mounted to the vehicle body to engage with a latch assembly mounted to the door to keep the door closed. Specifically, the striker may be placed at an outward position in advance so as to achieve a latching before the reaction force of the weather strip starts acting upon the door and, after the door latch assembly is fully latched to the striker, the striker is positively driven to a position which causes complete deformation of the weather strip for sufficient sealing effect and complete closure of the door. 
   However, in order to pull in the striker from its latched position against the reaction force of the weather strip, an extremely strong force is necessary. Suitable actuators for driving the striker are difficult to package and install in the limited space in the interior of the associated body panel structure. It is particularly difficult to package such a drive device in the center pillar of a four-door passenger vehicle. 
   The final closing systems employed in prior art examples are generally large, costly, complicated mechanisms which are difficult to install, repair and/or replace and have frequently proven to be unsatisfactory in terms of long term performance and reliability. Furthermore, modifying striker actuators for varying applications and vehicle configurations typically requires major redesign and retooling. 
   Known power striker systems which are designed for flexibility of application tend to be underpowered, resulting in slow operation and a tendency to stall. Furthermore, if their design is not robust, the mechanism can be easily damaged by slamming of the door. 
   A particular problem common to existing power striker systems stems from the arcuate path of travel of the striker as it traverses from the presented or deployed position to cinched or closed position. This is problematic inasmuch as the mating latch assembly must be able to maintain secure interconnection with the striker as it traverses vertically and/or longitudinally as well as inwardly. In a related problem, electrically driven systems do not have adequate redundancy and can fail without the door being in the fully closed and positively latched condition. 
   It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved final closing device for closure members of vehicles which overcomes known shortfalls of existing devices without adding to part count, manufacturing complexity or cost. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Generally, the present invention fulfills the forgoing needs by providing, in one aspect thereof, a compact, power cinching striker, which allows for linear motion of the striker pin while the supporting striker plate rotates about the striker pins pivot point. 
   In another aspect, the present invention provides a loss of power over-ride feature enabling cinching without power when presented with normal manual operation of the vehicle closure system. 
   The presently inventive power striker assembly operates to effect final positioning of a closure member on an associated vehicle and includes a fixed frame which is adapted for attachment to the host vehicle at a location adjacent the closure member, a striker member which is positionable to selectively engage a mating latch mechanism carried by the closure member and acts to displace the closure member from an extended or open position to a retracted or closed position. The striker member is carried by a striker plate which is interconnected with the fixed frame by guide means that effects simultaneous translational and rotational displacement of the striker plate between first and second end limits of travel resulting in substantially linear displacement of the striker member between the extended and retracted positions. Finally, actuator means is provided to selectively displace the striker plate between its end limits of travel. This arrangement ensures true linear translation of the striker pin or member, simplifying the design of its interface with the mating latch assembly and enhancing operational performance. Furthermore, the depicted simplified design allows for a stackable assembly process to enhance quality while reducing investment. Also, the cinching striker design is compact and flexible enough to function in numerous vehicle applications in a cost effective manner. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the guide means includes first and second bushings carried with the frame which are in respective continuous sliding engagement with first and second guide surfaces throughout transition of the striker plate between its end limits of travel. Furthermore, the striker plate is substantially flat and displaceable within a two-dimensional plane defined by the frame. This arrangement has the advantage of providing an extremely compact yet robust mechanism able to withstand high overload conditions. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, sensor means are provided to sense the position of the striker plate, and thus, the striker member, and to provide a feedback signal to the actuator. This arrangement has the advantage of effecting precise control of the power striker assembly. 
   According to still yet another aspect of the invention, a uni-directional permanent magnet motor is employed to effect both cinching and presenting striker member displacement during such one directional operation. This arrangement has the advantage of an extremely simple, low cost design. 
   These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, which, along with the drawings, describes preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention in detail. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1 , is a broken, sectional view of the preferred embodiment of a power cinching striker assembly embodying the present invention in application providing final closure of a sliding side door of a motor vehicle; 
       FIG. 2 , is an exploded, perspective view of the preferred power cinching striker assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the power cinching striker assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4 , is a cross-sectional view of the power cinching striker assembly taken on lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 , on an enlarged scale; 
       FIG. 5 , is a cross-sectional view of the power cinching striker assembly taken on lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 , on an enlarged scale, illustrating the striker and striker plate disposed in the presented position; 
       FIG. 6 , is a cross-sectional view of the power cinching striker assembly similar to  FIG. 5 , but with the striker and striker plate disposed in a latched position; 
       FIG. 7 , is a cross-sectional view of the power cinching striker assembly similar to  FIG. 5 , but with the striker and striker plate disposed in an intermediate position between the cinched and presented positions as a result of being manually overriden; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the power cinching striker assembly similar to  FIG. 5 , but with the striker and striker plate disposed in the latched position as a result of being manually overridden; 
       FIG. 9 , is a front perspective view of a simplified alternative embodiment of the inventive power cinching striker assembly; 
       FIG. 10 , is a back perspective view of the alternative power cinching striker assembly of  FIG. 9 ; and 
       FIG. 11 , is a partial broken front plan view of the power cinching striker assembly of  FIG. 8 , on an enlarged scale. 
   

   Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplification set forth herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention is intended for application in varied automotive vehicle applications and will be described in that context. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention could also be successfully applied in many other applications. Accordingly, the claims herein should not be deemed limited to the specifics of the preferred embodiment of the invention described hereunder. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a power cinching striker assembly  10  is illustrated installed within its preferred environment of a motor vehicle  12 . Vehicle  12  defines a body  14  and at least one movable panel or closure member  16  attached to and carried by the body  14  via hinges, pivots, guide tracks or the like for translation between open and closed positions. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the striker assembly  10  is installed within a van-type vehicle including a sliding side door and will be described in that context. However, it is contemplated that the present invention can be employed with equal success in other applications and with other types of closure members such as hinged doors, lift gates, windows, trunk lids, hoods and various access panels. 
     FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram, as viewed from above, of a portion of an opening  18  in vehicle  12  for receiving closure member  16 . A number of details are deleted or simplified for the sake of clarity, it being understood that the basic structure, operation and guide support of a van sliding door is well known. 
   In application, closure member  16  can assume three distinct positions, as well as any number of transitional intermediate positions. When in a fully open position (not illustrated) closure member  16  is displaced from opening  18  to provide user access to the interior of the vehicle  12 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , closure member  16  is substantially registered with its associated opening  18 . Closure member  16  is depicted in solid line in a “presented” or “pre-latched” position, and in phantom in a “closed” or “cinched” position. 
   The portion of closure member  16  illustrated in  FIG. 1  has a jamb face  20  co-acting with an internal structural member  22  to define a cavity  24  containing a latch  26  of conventional design. Latch  26  is disposed adjacent an opening  28  in jamb face  20  facing an adjacent wall  30  of body  14  defining opening  18 . A weather strip or seal  32  is affixed to a convex wall surface  34  outboard of jamb face  20  and extends around the entire periphery of closure member  16 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , power cinching striker assembly  10  comprises a housing assembly  36 , which sealingly encloses all of its internal components. A striker member  38  depends outwardly from and is actively supported by housing assemble  36 . Housing assembly  36  is fixedly mounted to the inner surface of the wall  30  defining closure member opening  18 , with striker member  38  extending outwardly through an elongated opening  40  in wall  30 . Striker member further extends through opening  28  of closure member  16  and into cavity  24  to engage latch  26 . Although not illustrated, it is contemplated that a decorative and protective elastomeric seal can be employed to close opening  40  to prevent intrusion of water and environmental contaminates but without interfering with reciprocating displacement of striker member  38 . 
   Striker member  38  is preferably “u” shaped, consisting of a first or striker leg  42 , a second or support leg  44  and an interconnecting bridge portion  46 . Definitionally, for purposes of interpretation of the claims, the striker leg  42  is a “striker member”, and the second leg  44  and bridge member  46  are non-functional, other than providing structural support. As an alternative, striker member  38  could be replaced by a single cantilever striker pin. 
   When closure member  16  is manually moved or power driven from a fully or partially open position into its illustrated presented position, inertia of the moving closure member  16  will cause the latch  26  to contact and self-engage with the striker leg  42  or striker member  38 . Simultaneously, an inner surface of closure member  16  will contact and displace the plunger  48  of a door switch  50 , which is fixedly secured to a suitable place in the side surface or wall  30  of opening  18 . Plunger  48  is biased outwardly by a spring (not illustrated) and operates to change the conductive state of internal electrical contacts (not illustrated) interconnected with a control circuit  52  by lead wires  54 . Control circuit  52  is also electrically in-circuit with power striker assembly  10  through intermediate control lines  56 . 
   Control circuit  52  can be integrated into the body computer of the host vehicle  12  or be stand-alone. Control circuit  52  includes a power source for selectively electrically energizing the power striker assembly. 
   Door switch  50  preferably contains a plurality of normally open or normally closed contact pairs, which provide a closure member position signal to control circuit  52  via lead wires  54 . It is further contemplated that the mechanism (not illustrated) with the latch  26  can operate under electrical or manual control, which may include position sensors. The outputs of such sensors could be used to provide additional inputs to control circuit  52 . 
   Whenever the closure member  16  is in a partially or fully opened position (not illustrated), control circuit  52  has previously provided a control signal via lines  56  to effect positioning of striker member  38  in its illustrated (solid line) presented or pre-latch position in  FIG. 1 . When the closure member  16  is displaced to its illustrated (solid line) presented position and striker member  38  engages latch  26 , plunger  48  of door switch  50  is partially depressed, causing control circuit  52  to send a control signal to the power striker assembly  10  which will translate the striker member  38  from its solid line position to its phantom position. Insodoing, the striker member will draw the latch  26 , as well as the illustrated portion of the closure member  16 , inwardly to its illustrated (in phantom) cinched or closed position, a dimension designated by arrow T. This translation compresses the seal  32  about the periphery of the closure member  16  to effect a substantially water tight seal. 
   The power cinching striker assembly  10  described herein has proven to be an extremely robust, utilitarian design. For example, one particular design provides 6.0-10.0 mm of linear striker pin displacement and is capable of cinching up to 1200 N of force at various temperature and environmental extremes. The high efficiency of the design results in an actuation time of less than 2.0 seconds to displace the striker pin linearly 6.0 mm when under load. The design is extremely flexible and can be easily and inexpensively modified to accommodate various load profiles required for specific vehicle seal force requirements. 
   As will described herein below, the preferred power cinching striker design allows for linear motion of the latching pin while the striker plate rotates about its pivot points. This effectively eliminates undesirable striker pin non-linear translation associated with prior art designs. This simplified design allows for variable striker pin positioning relative to the main footprint of the mechanism without sacrificing the linear displacement mentioned above. This results in a design, which can be tailored towards both lift gate and sliding door applications. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the internal details of the various structural components of the power cinching striker assembly are illustrated. Housing assembly  36  comprises upper and lower housing portions  58  and  60 , respectively, which are preferably molded of thermoplastic material and a generally planer cover plate  62 , which is preferably formed of mild steel, underlying the lower surface of lower housing  60 . Housing portions  58  and  60  enclose the below described components, with the exception of the striker member  38 , which extends downwardly through registering elongated openings  64  and  66  formed in lower housing portion  60  and cover plate  62 , respectively. Cover plate  62  serves to structurally reinforce striker assembly  10  and provides a robust mounting surface to the wall  30  of opening  18  of vehicle  12 . Openings  64  and  66  of striker assembly  10  are registered with opening  40  in wall  30  to permit the non-interfering through passage of the striker member  38  in both its cinched and presented positions. Housing portions  58  and  60  and cover plate are retained in assembly by suitable fastener means such as screws  68 . 
   A substantially flat, sector shaped, elongated striker plate  70  is disposed parallel to and adjacent the upper surface of the bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60 . As will be described in greater detail herein below, striker plate  70  is mounted for limited simultaneous translation and rotation between first and second end limits of travel in an imaginary two-dimensional plane parallel to the bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60 . A first elongated slot  74  extends through striker plate  70  adjacent its apex. The first slot  74  has a characteristic line of elongation extending generally parallel to the line of elongation of the striker plate  70 . A second, crescent shaped elongated slot  76  extends through striker plate  70  at the opposite (hereinafter “enlarged”) end thereof. The second slot has a characteristic line of elongation substantially offset from the line of elongation of the first slot  74 . 
   Legs  42  and  44  of striker member  38  extend through spaced through holes  78  and  80 , respectively, and are permanently affixed thereto such as by peening or swedging. As assembled, striker plate  70  and striker member  38  function as a single unitary structure. 
   A first elongated bushing  82  is fixedly disposed within the first elongated slot  74  for displacement with striker plate  70 . A second elongated bushing  84  is fixedly disposed within the second elongated slot  76  for displacement with striker plate  70 . A first headed cylindrical bearing  86  extends downwardly through bushing  82  and is affixed with bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60  and cover plate  62  via registering through passages  88  and  89 , respectively. Likewise, a second bearing  90 , which is integrally formed as part of a stepped drive axle  92 , extends downwardly through bushing  84  and is affixed with bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60  and cover plate  62  via registering through passages  94  and  95 , respectively. Thus assembled, striker plate is held in assembly with lower housing portion  60  and is limited to the above-described simultaneous translational and rotational two-dimensional displacement between first and second limits of travel. 
   A roller bearing  96  is carried for rotation on a headed rivet pin  98  through an intermediate roller pin bushing. Rivet pin  98  is press fit within a registering through passage  101  formed in striker plate  70  spaced from one end of bushing  84 . As will be described herein below, bearing  96  is free to rotate about pin  98  and is carried for translation with striker plate  70 , functioning as a cam follower. 
   A compression spring  102  has one end affixed to an edge of striker plate  70  via an integral tang feature  104  and the opposed end bearing against an abutment surface  106  integrally formed within lower housing portion  60 . Spring  102  serves to continuously urge striker plate  70  counter-clockwise as viewed in  FIG. 2 , towards a limit of travel corresponding with the striker member  38  being in the presented position. 
   Striker plate  70  end of travel position retention is effected by a detent lever or pawl  108  disposed adjacent the enlarged end of the striker plate  70 . Detent lever  108  is disposed to be co-planer with striker plate  70  and has one end thereof pivotally affixed to the bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60  via a detent stud  110 . Detent lever  108  and the adjacent side wall of striker plate  70  define cooperating ramp and abutment surfaces to effect certain latch and detent functionality which will be described herein below. 
   A detent torsion spring  112  has a loop portion concentrically carried by detent stud  110 . One radially extending leg of spring  112  is fixedly retained by an engagement feature  113  integrally formed in a wall portion of lower housing portion  60 . A second radially extending leg of spring  112  continuously bears against a detent stud pin  114  carried with detent lever  108 . Thus arranged, torsion spring  112  continuously urges detent lever  108  in a clock-wise direction and into contact with striker plate  70 . Rotational travel of detent lever  108  is limited by rubber detent stop bumper  116  fixedly carried by a retention feature  118  integrally formed in lower housing portion  60 . 
   A drive mechanism  120  is disposed concentrically upon drive axle or shaft  92 . A striker plate cam  122  is carried on shaft  92  through an intermediate bushing  124 . Thus, cam  122  is carried by, but is free to rotate about shaft  92 . A detent lever cam  126  and a switch cam  128  are stacked upon striker plate cam for rotation therewith. Striker plate cam  122  is aligned for rolling engagement with roller bearing  96  to effect positioning of the striker plate  70  (and striker member  38 ) as a function of the angular position of striker plate cam  122 . Likewise, detent lever cam  126  is aligned for sliding engagement with a follower  130  integrally formed on the free end of detent stud pin  114  for selectively rotating detent lever  108  into and out of engagement with the adjacent end surface of striker plate  70  as a function of the angular position of detent lever cam  126 . Furthermore, switch cam  128  is aligned for sliding engagement with a contact switch  132 , which has a plurality of electrical terminals  133  which are electrically in circuit with control circuit  52  to selectively enable or disable the control signal as a function of the angular position of switch cam  128 . Control switch  132  is appropriately mounted by internal features (not illustrated) preferably integrally formed within upper housing portion  58  of housing assembly  36 . 
   A phasing carrier  134  is concentrically disposed on switch cam  128  and serves to key the three cams  122 ,  126  and  128  for rotation in unison about shaft  92 . Carrier  134  defines four circumferentially arranged axle receiving bores  136 . A ring or spur gear  138  is concentrically disposed above carrier  134  and is grounded by an integral extension  140 , which is fixedly attached to the upper free end of detent stud  110 . Each of four planetary gears  142  are carried for rotation about a separate axle  144  extending upwardly from a respective axle receiving bore  136 . A sun gear  146  is carried for rotation on shaft  92  and is positioned concentrically with ring gear  138  and the intermediate circumferential array of planetary gears  142  to effect a gear reduction there between as is well known. Sun gear  146  includes an integral flange  148  for affixation with a large helical gear  150 . Shaft  92  extends through helical gear  150  and terminates in a support bushing feature  152  integrally formed in upper housing portion  58 . Likewise, detent stud  110  extends above torsion spring  112  and terminates in a support bushing feature  153  integrally formed in upper housing portion  58 . 
   A permanent magnet D.C. motor  154  controlled for uni-directional operation is affixed to upper housing portion  58  via a motor retainer bracket  156 . Control lines  56  ( FIG. 1 ) are extended to electrical terminals  157  of motor  154 , placing it in circuit with control circuit  52 . The armature shaft  158  of motor  154  carries a worm gear  160  for rotation therewith. The cantilevered free end of armature shaft  158  is supported axially and radially by a motor worm bearing  162  and a thrust plate  164 , which are secured in assembly with upper housing portion  58  by integral or discrete features (not illustrated). 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the juxtaposition of specific internal components of striker assembly  10  is illustrated. Specifically, the arrangement of the portion of the power transmission, including the ring gear  138 , the planetary gears  142  and the sun gear  146  can be clearly seen. The depicted preferred design provides reduced gear speed which, with optimized material selection provides quality sound during the cinching operation. It is to be understood that the gear ratios, as well as component dimensions, materials, surface finishes and the like will vary, depending upon the specific application contemplated, as should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
   Switch cam  128  has an outer peripheral surface  166  defining a single lobe  168  extending circumferentially approximately 270 degrees. Cam surface  166  is in sliding contact with a spring-loaded plunger  170  of contact switch  132 , which changes conductive state of switch  132  as a function of the angular position of the cam lobe  168 . The configuration and phasing of the cam lobe  168  can be varied depending upon the intended application. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , bearing  86  defines an axial through passage  172  which is threaded to receive a bolt or other suitable fastener (not illustrated) extending through wall  30  of vehicle opening  18  and through passage  89  of cover plate  62  to effect attachment of striker assembly  10  to the host motor vehicle  12  at a location adjacent closure member  16 . Similarly, a threaded blind bore (not illustrated) is formed in bearing  90  of drive axle  92  to receive a second bolt or suitable fastener extending through wall  30  of vehicle opening  18  and through passage  95  of cover plate  62 . This arrangement is very robust, and directs impact forces from the striker member  38  through the striker plate  70  and bearings  86  and  90 , directly to the body  14  of the motor vehicle  12  and avoids high force loading of the transmission components. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the range of movement of the striker plate  70  and detent lever  108  under various operating conditions of the striker assembly  10  are illustrated.  FIG. 5  depicts the striker plate  70  in its first end limit of travel, corresponding with the system being in the pre-latch or presented position.  FIG. 6  depicts the striker plate  70  in its second end limit of travel, corresponding with the system being in the closed or cinched position. 
   Striker plate  70  and detent lever  108  define facing, cooperating edge surfaces  174  and  176 , respectively, which provide a detent function when the striker plate  70  is in its first limit of travel ( FIG. 5 ) and an interlock function when the striker plate  70  is in its second limit of travel ( FIG. 6 ). Edge surface  174  of striker plate  70  includes two leftwardly extending protuberances  178  and  180  defining opposed abutment faces  182  and  184 , respectively. Edge surface  176  of detent lever  108  includes two rightwardly extending protuberances  186  and  188  defining facing abutment surfaces  190  and  192 , respectively. 
     FIG. 5  depicts striker assembly  10  with a detent, comprising abutment surfaces  182  and  190 , engaged to retain striker plate  70  in the illustrated presented position. Prior to engagement of the latch  26  with the striker member  38 , the detent and compression spring  102  serve to hold the striker plate  70  in its illustrated position. 
   During normal operation, engagement of the latch  26  and striker member  38  will result in a control signal energizing the D.C. motor  154 , which will drivingly rotate the striker plate cam  122 , detent lever cam  126  and switch cam  128  in a clockwise direction as viewed in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The striker plate cam  122  and detent lever cam  126  are phased whereby a first lobe  194  of detent lever cam  126  will initially rotationally displace the detent lever  108  (via its sliding engagement with follower  130 , which is illustrated in phantom for the sake of clarity) counterclockwise away from the striker plate  70 , providing rotational clearance there between. Thereafter, the lobe  196  of the striker plate cam  122  will act upon the roller bearing  96  to displace the striker plate  70  from its presented position ( FIG. 5 ) to its cinched position ( FIG. 6 ). As the three cams continue to rotate, the detent lever cam  126  (in phantom) will release the detent lever  108 , which, under the influence of torsion spring  112  will return to the position depicted in  FIG. 6 , wherein abutment surfaces  184  and  192  are facing one another in the interlocked position. 
   For the purposes of this patent, a “detent” is a mechanical engagement which restrains the striker plate  70  in its position in  FIG. 5  and which can be released with or without the presence of the control signal by the application of a predetermined impact load (caused by manual slamming shut of the closure member  16 ). An “interlock” is a positive mechanical engagement, which restrains the striker plate  70  in its position in  FIG. 6  and which can only be released in the presence of the control signal which effects displacement of the detent lever  108  via rotary action of detent lever cam  126 . 
   Abutment surfaces  182  and  184  of protuberances  178  and  180 , respectively, are generally parallel to the line of elongation of the striker plate  70 . As illustrated in both  FIGS. 5 and 6 , abutment surface  190  of protuberance  186  is angularly offset from the line of elongation of striker plate  70 , while abutment surface  192  of protuberance  188  is generally parallel to the line of elongation of striker plate  70 . Accordingly, when in the detent position of  FIG. 5 , abutment surfaces  182  and  190  are in line contact and are slightly diverging. Thus, a high impact force loading will result in protuberance  178  forcing detent lever protuberance  186  leftwardly, permitting displacement of the striker plate  70  and effecting manual cinching of the striker assembly  10 . Alternately, when in the interlocked position of  FIG. 6 , abutment surfaces  184  and  192  are in surface contact and will apply purely compressive loading there between until failure. 
   When the striker assembly  10  is in the interlocked condition depicted in  FIG. 6 , and the operator releases the latch  26  from engagement with the striker member  38 , either electrically or mechanically, this change of status will be sensed by control circuit  52 , which, in turn, will energize motor  154 . Motor  154  will drive the three cams clockwise from the positions depicted in  FIG. 6 . Initially, a second lobe  195  of detent lever cam  126  will displace detent lever  108  counterclockwise away from striker plate  70 , thereby releasing the interlock condition. Thereafter, the striker plate cam  122  will continue to rotate as its lobe  196  rotates away from roller bearing  96 , returning the striker plate  70  to the presented position depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the loss of power “over-ride” feature is illustrated.  FIG. 7  depicts the initial displacement of the striker plate  70  as a result of normal manual operation of the door or closure member  16  without the presence of electrical power. The preferred design of the power striker assembly  10  can withstand a 75 J slam without damage to the mechanism. As the striker plate  70  moves from the presented position, the roller bearing  96  separates from contact with the striker plate cam  122 , and the edge of abutment surface  182  of striker plate  70  “wipes” along the angled abutment surface  190  of detent lever  108 . As striker plate  70  continues to rotate, striker plate protuberance  178  passes beyond protuberance  186  of detent lever  108 , which is then resiliently biased back towards the position depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 6  by torsion spring  112 . Finally, as best viewed in  FIG. 8 , as the striker plate  70  approaches its cinched position, abutment face  184  of protuberance  180  of striker plate  70  passes beyond abutment surface  192  of protuberance  188  of detent lever  108 , torsion spring  112  urges the detent lever protuberance  188  inwardly behind striker plate protuberance  180 , thereby interlocking the striker plate  70  in its cinched position as depicted in  FIG. 8 . 
   As described herein above in relation to  FIG. 2 , slot  74  in striker plate  70  is elongated generally along its line of elongation. Slot  76  is crescent shaped and elongated in a direction substantially offset from the line of elongation of slot  74 . Finally, the first or striker leg  42  of the striker member  38  is positioned intermediate slots  74  and  76  and, in the illustrated preferred embodiment, is slightly radially offset there from. 
   The applicants have discovered that the end of the striker plate  70  associated with slot  74  is subjected primarily to translational movement along the line of elongation as the striker plate  70  transitions between its end limits of travel, and that the end of the striker plate  70  associated with the second slot  76  is subjected primarily to rotational movement as the striker plate  70  transitions between its end limits of travel. This hybrid motion in the two dimensional plane defined by bottom wall  72  of lower housing portion  60  subjects the striker plate  70  to simultaneous translation and rotation. Furthermore, the applicants have determined that the judicious selection of a specific point on the surface of the striker plate  70  will result in linear displacement of that point as the striker plate traverses its end limits of travel. The striker leg  42  is mounted concentrically at that point. 
   In practice, the identification of the optimal mounting location of the striker leg  42  can be established by mathematical modeling or by empirical development and can be accomplished by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the forgoing teaching without undue experimentation. 
   It is contemplated that a striker boot (not illustrated) can be provided to close elongated opening  66  of wall  30  from intrusion of water, contaminants and the environment matter while enhancing the overall appearance of the design of the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 9 through 11 , an illustrative model of a drive mechanism  200  of a power cinching striker assembly sans housing is illustrated. The drive mechanism  200  includes a D.C. motor  202  driving a gear reduction stage  204 , which, in turn, drives a striker plate cam  206  and a phased switch cam  207 . Striker plate cam  206  is in rolling contact with a cam follower  208  carried by a striker plate  210 , which, in turn, carries a striker member  212 . Phased switch cam  207  is in rolling contact with a contact switch  211 . A compression spring  214  continuously urges the striker plate  210  toward its presented position as illustrated in hard line in  FIG. 11 . 
   Except as otherwise indicated, the embodiment and application of the invention depicted in  FIGS. 9 through 11  operates in all material respects as described herein above with regards to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 through 8 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 11 , the striker plate  210  is horizontally elongated, defining a first slot  216  which is elongated generally parallel with the line of elongation of the striker plate  210  and a second generally crescent shaped slot  218  which is elongated along an axis which is offset from the axis of elongation of the striker plate  210 . Bushings  220  and  222  extend through slots  216  and  218 , which are adapted for affixation to a housing assembly (not illustrated). 
   Striker member  212  comprises a first or striker leg  224  and a second or support leg  226  interconnected at the free ends thereof by a bridge member  228 . Striker leg is concentrically disposed on the precise location of striker plate  210  determined to move linearly as striker plate  210  translates between ins end limits of travel. In  FIG. 11 , striker plate  210  is depicted in hard line in its pre latch or presented position and is depicted in phantom in its closed or cinched position. The axis of striker leg  224  in the presented position is designated as the intersection of the line of travel designated X and the crossing line designated EOT 1  (end of travel  1 ). The axis of striker leg  224  in the cinched position is designated as the intersection of the line of travel X and the crossing line designated EOT 2  (end of travel  2 ). Thus configured, as the striker plate  210  simultaneously translates and rotates between its end limits of travel, the centerline of the striker leg  224  moves linearly along line X, providing the cost, packaging and performance advantages described herein above. 
   It is to be understood that the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and variations to provide the features and advantages previously described and that the embodiments are susceptible of modification as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
   Furthermore, it is contemplated that many alternative, common inexpensive materials can be employed to construct the basic constituent components. Accordingly, the forgoing is not to be construed in a limiting sense. 
   The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
   Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the striker leg can be repositioned on the locus of points of potential linear travel on the striker plate to increase or decrease its length of linear travel without retooling the various striker assembly components. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for illustrative purposes and convenience and are not in any way limiting, the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents, may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described.

Summary:
A power striker assembly effects final positioning of a vehicle closure member and includes a fixed frame and a striker member carried on a striker plate for selective engagement of a latch carried on the closure member, to displace the closure member from a presented position to a cinched position. Guide means interconnects the frame and striker plate to effect simultaneous translational and rotational displacement of the striker plate between end limits of travel to produce linear displacement of the striker member. An actuator selectively displaces the striker plate between its end limits of travel in response to a control signal. Finally, an interlock fixes the striker plate in the cinched position in the absence of the control signal.