Abstract:
A latch assembly for releasably securing a striker in a rotary pawl latch. The latch assembly includes a housing, a rotary pawl, and an actuator. The housing can have 5 one sidewall having a notch for receiving the striker. A trigger can be pivotally attached to the housing such that the actuator releases the rotary pawl thus opening the latch.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of latch assemblies.  
         [0003]     2. Brief Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Latch assemblies are relied on in many applications for securing items, such as panels together. An important use for latches is in the automotive field, where there is a desire and need to access automotive compartments, such as, for example, passenger compartments of vehicles. Various latches for panel closures have been employed where one of the panels such as a swinging door or the like is to be fastened or secured to a stationary panel, doorframe, or compartment body. Although many latch assemblies are known in the prior art, none are seen to teach or suggest the unique features of the present invention or to achieve the advantages of the present invention.  
         [0005]     Thus it will be understood that the latch components used to date have presented a number of drawbacks that typically have left the securing of a striker of a panel more awkward, time-consuming and difficult to install, remove, open, close, latch, and unlatch. In some instances, the selected latch, lock and hinge components have provided shorter than desired service lives and/or a lesser than the desired degree of security by virtue of their being relatively simple to defeat, force, break or bypass. In some instances the latch, lock and hinge components have been too weak to withstand the forces that have been encountered during normal service use (e.g., damage or unintended release has been noted as the result of these components being impacted by cargo that shifts as a pickup truck travels from place to place), or these components have taken on such size and bulk as to project into regions of cargo compartments that should be reserved for cargo.  
         [0006]     Rotary latches capture a striker in two axes by rotation of a pawl which is activated by a trigger. There may be freedom of movement between the latch and the striker along the axis of the striker which may be cylindrical. This allows for manufacturing tolerance in the fit between the frame or first member to which the latch is mounted and the door or other second member to which the striker is mounted. In addition, difficulties have been encountered when a striker to which a latch such as a rotary latch is to be secured is off-center with respect to being aligned with a catch for engagement with the striker. There are instances when it is not practical to insure that tight tolerances will be maintained in door or frames such that the striker will always fall into the notch or mouth of the latch. The reason for misalignment between the latch and striker can be manufacturing and assembly tolerances, expansion and contraction of the structure due to environmental conditions, shifting of components due to wear during use or distortion of components due to abuse.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The invention addresses the foregoing and other needs and drawbacks of the prior art by providing a latch that is particularly well suited for engaging strikers which are off-center, characterized by novel features that also have other applications.  
         [0008]     In accordance with another aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention, a rotary latch is provided to releasably latch strikers connected to a door or panel. The housings of these latch may be modified as needed to provide mounting surfaces that carry slotted holes or other mounting formations that can cooperate with mounting hardware such as threaded fasteners to mount the rotary latch in a manner that will allow for adjustment of the positioning of the latch so the latch will function properly. A trigger of the rotary latch of the present invention can be operated by a user, a rod, a cable or another member.  
         [0009]     The striker assembly of the present invention allows for movement or float of the striker in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the striker. Further, the bolt of the striker assembly is urged to return to the center position when the striker is released from the latch. This centering position is desired so that the striker will be in position to engage the latch during the next engagement of the striker with the latch even if the striker and latch do not line up exactly for engagement.  
         [0010]     The present invention is directed to a rotary latch system for securing the latch to a striker. The present invention includes a housing, a rotary pawl, an actuator, and a trigger means for releasing a striker when the latch is in a closed configuration. The pawl is pivotally attached to the housing and is rotationally movable between a closed or engaged configuration and an open or disengaged configuration. The latch can also have an intermediate position in which a striker can be held by the engagement of the rotary pawl with the actuating means both of which can be provided with a biasing means.  
         [0011]     When a striker engages a portion of the rotary pawl the pawl is rotated such that pawl teeth engage actuator teeth. The teeth can be dimensioned and configured such that an intermediate engaging position is attained by the latch and the striker is held in position or if more force is applied a closed or latch configuration is achieved in which the striker will not be released from the latch until the trigger releases the pawl.  
         [0012]     The rotary pawl can be made from three joinable plates for ease of assembly. In such a configuration, a striker engagement portion of a protuberance of the rotary pawl which can be made from one plate sweeps an arc which extends further than an actuator engagement portion of the rotary pawl which can be made from two plates which are joinable. The plates can be joined by studs on the plates which fit up to depressions on an adjoining plate. Because striker engagement portion of the protuberance extends further than the actuator engagement portion of the pawl, the latch of the present invention can be of a smaller size as compared to other rotary latches because the pawl teeth can be closer to the pawl pivot point.  
         [0013]     The latch of the present invention also has the advantage that the latch can have a single housing side plate which can be fitted interchangeably with the pawl on one side of the housing and the actuator on the other side of the housing.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the rotary pawl latch according to the present invention shown in the open position receiving a striker.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1  shown in the open position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the rotary pawl latch according to the present invention shown in an intermediate closed position.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1  shown with the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a striker.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1  shown with the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a striker in an intermediate closed position.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1  shown with a tooth of the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a tooth on the actuator.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a front side elevational view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1  shown in the closed position.  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the rotary pawl latch of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention taken along line A-A of  FIG. 5  shown with the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a striker.  
         [0024]      FIG. 11  is a sectional view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention taken along line A-A of  FIG. 6  shown with the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a striker in an intermediate closed position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 12  is a sectional view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention taken along line A-A of  FIG. 7  shown with a tooth of the rotary pawl of the latch engaging a tooth on the actuator.  
         [0026]      FIG. 13  is a sectional view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention taken along line A-A of  FIG. 8  shown in the closed position.  
         [0027]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention taken along line B-B of  FIG. 15 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 15  is a front view of the rotary pawl latch of the present invention in the closed position.  
         [0029]      FIGS. 16 and 17  are exploded views of the latch of the present invention  
         [0030]      FIG. 18  is an isometric view of the housing of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 19  is an isometric view of the striker engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0032]      FIG. 20  is a side elevational view of the striker engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0033]      FIG. 21  is an isometric view of the actuator engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0034]      FIG. 22  is a side elevational view of the actuator engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0035]      FIG. 23  is an isometric view of the pawl engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0036]      FIG. 24  is a side elevational view of the pawl engagement means of the pawl of the latch of the present invention.  
         [0037]      FIG. 25  is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a striker assembly shown with a striker.  
         [0038]      FIG. 26  is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a striker assembly of the present invention shown with a striker.  
         [0039]      FIG. 27  is an isometric view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 26  shown fastened to a first member and the latch of  FIG. 1  fastened to a second member and capturing the striker.  
         [0040]      FIG. 28  is a side elevational view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 26  shown capturing a striker in a centering position.  
         [0041]      FIG. 29  is a side elevational view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 26  shown capturing a striker in an off-center position.  
         [0042]      FIG. 29   a  is an isometric view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 26  shown capturing a striker in a centering position.  
         [0043]      FIG. 30  is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a striker assembly of the present invention shown with a striker.  
         [0044]      FIG. 31  is an exploded view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 30  shown with a striker.  
         [0045]      FIG. 32  is a bottom view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 30  shown with a striker.  
         [0046]      FIG. 33  is an exploded view of a third embodiment of a striker assembly of the present invention shown with a striker.  
         [0047]      FIG. 34  is an isometric view of the striker assembly of  FIG. 33 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0048]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-17 , a latch  100  made in accordance with the present invention can be seen. The latch  100  includes a latch housing  104  as seen in  FIG. 1 , a pawl  140 , an actuator  138 , and trigger means  142  for selectively moving the latch  100  from the closed position in which the latch  100  can be engaging a striker  88 . In the illustrated embodiment, trigger  142  is shown in the form of a lever which pivots about trigger pivot means  42  for selectively moving actuator  138  which is acted upon by actuator biasing means  38 . Actuator biasing means  38 , here a spiral spring has spring leg  38   a  which engages housing  104  and spring leg  38   b  which engages cutout  105  in the housing  104 . Similarly, pawl biasing means  40 , here a spiral spring has spring leg  40   a  which engages housing  104  and spring leg  40   b  which engages pawl spring engagement means  41  on pawl  140 . Pawl biasing means  40  biases the pawl  140  to the open position while the actuator biasing means  38  biases the actuator  138  in the clockwise direction as seen in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0049]     As seen in  FIG. 10 , as a striker  88  engages the striker engagement portion  145  of the pawl  140 , the pawl  140  rotates such that pawl teeth  146  engage actuator teeth  147 . In  FIG. 11 , the pawl  140  and actuator  138  are engaged by pawl teeth  146  and actuator teeth  147  such that the latch  100  is in an intermediate closed position in which the striker  88  is captured. Further movement as seen in  FIG. 12  of the striker  88  results in one of pawl teeth  146  moving past one of actuator teeth  147  such that the latch  100  attains a closed position as seen in  FIG. 13 .  
         [0050]     The housing  104  as seen in  FIG. 18  has notch  2  for engagement with a striker  88  and also has apertures  4  and  6  which receive pawl rivet  10  and actuator rivet  8 . As seen in FIGS.  19  to  22  pawl  140  can be formed from striker engagement means  143  having striker engagement portion  89 . Striker engagement means  143  has studs  12  which fit into depressions  14  of actuator engagement means  145 . The studs  12  and depressions  14  make the arrangement of the pawl  140  such that the pawl  140  can be mounted on either of apertures  4  and  6  of the housing  104  thereby yielding either a right hand or left hand version of the latch  100 . Accordingly, stud  16  on the striker engagement means  143  can be fit up to depression  18  on the actuator engagement means  145 . Similarly, actuator  138  can be formed from two plates  188  as seen in  FIG. 23  and  24  in which stud  20  on first actuator piece  138  fits into depression  22  on second actuator piece  138 .  
         [0051]     As seen in FIGS.  25  to  29 , the present invention also includes a striker assembly  160  which is formed from striker  88 , a striker housing  150  having a striker housing top portion  171  having sidewalls  154 . The top of each sidewall  154  has sidewall notch  158  in which spring loops  162  of first striker housing spring  164  engage. First striker housing spring  164  has a spring portion  152  for engaging a surface  90  of the striker  88  and maintaining the striker  88  in a centering position in the sidewall aperatures  177  of the two sidewalls  154  whereby the floating first striker housing spring  164  permits movement of the striker  88  in the two sidewall aperatures  177  upon impact of the pawl  140  with the striker. As seen in  FIGS. 25, 27  and  29 , the striker assembly  160  can accommodate a striker  88  in an off-center position and by the biasing forces of first striker housing spring  164  return the striker  88  to a centering position as seen in  FIG. 29   a . As shown in  FIGS. 28 and 29  the striker assembly  160  can fasten first panel  148  to second panel  149 .  
         [0052]     Another embodiment of the self-centering striker latch assembly of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 30-32  in which striker housing  170  has a portion of second striker housing spring  174  inserted through striker housing slot  178  such that u-shaped portion  173  is bent up against the bottom of the striker housing top portion  175 , thus biasing striker  88  into a centering position in sidewall aperature  177 . Second striker housing spring  174  can have a bend  186  proximate each end of spring legs  179  such that the striker  88  engages spring legs  179  at a position between the bend  186  and the end of said spring legs  179  and at a position between the bend  186  and the u-shaped portion  173 .  
         [0053]     As shown in yet another embodiment shown in  FIGS. 33 and 34 , third striker housing spring  184  has spring legs  183  which are biased against striker housing protuberance  185  such that striker assembly  180  biases the striker  88  in a centering position in striker housing  181 . Third striker housing spring  184  has a coil portion  189  for engaging a surface of the striker  88  outside of the housing and maintaining the striker  88  in a centering position.  
         [0054]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the latch of the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of the latch which are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.