Patent Publication Number: US-2022220782-A1

Title: Multifunctional automotive latch

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to latch assemblies, such as those used in automotive applications including but not limited to truck end gates or “tailgate” latches, latches for vehicular rear hatches, lift gate latches, latches for trunks, latches for side entry doors, or any other automotive latch assemblies. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, the disclosure provides an automotive latch assembly having an outer housing, and a latching element at least partially housed within the outer housing. The automotive latch assembly also includes a tie-down feature configured to facilitate attachment of a tie-down strap to the latch assembly. The tie-down feature is an aperture that extends through an element of the latching assembly. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure provides an automotive latch assembly having an outer housing, and a latching element at least partially housed within the outer housing. The automotive latch assembly also includes a bottle opener feature configured to facilitate removal of a bottle cap. The bottle opener feature is an aperture that extends through an element of the latching assembly. 
     Other embodiments and aspects of various embodiments will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a motor vehicle having latch assemblies, illustrated schematically, that are located on a tailgate of the motor vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the latch assembly according to one embodiment, the latch assembly having both a tie-down feature as well as a bottle opener feature. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 2 , illustrating the latch assembly on the tailgate of  FIG. 1  and the tie-down feature being used. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 2 , illustrating the bottle opener feature being used. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that embodiments are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. Other embodiments are possible and embodiments described and illustrated are capable of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a motor vehicle  10  (e.g., pick-up truck) having a cargo bed  14  and a tailgate  18  that pivots between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the cargo bed  14 . The tailgate  18  is pivoted to the lowered position in  FIG. 1 . The tailgate  18  may be a manually operated tailgate  18 , or for example a powered tailgate  18  that is lifted and/or lowered with the assistance of an actuator (e.g., motor). 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , one or more latch assemblies  22  are positioned on the tailgate  18  (e.g., along sides of the tailgate  18 ). Each latch assembly  22  may be used to releasable lock the tailgate  18  in place relative to the cargo bed  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, at least one of the latch assemblies  22  is positioned to releasably lock the tailgate  18  in place relative to the cargo bed  14  when the tailgate  18  is in the raised position. While the latch assemblies  22  in the illustrated embodiment are used on a pick-up truck to selectively hold shut the tailgate  18 , the latch assembly or assemblies  22  may be used to selectively hold shut other components on automotive vehicles or other structures. For example, the latch assembly or assemblies  22  may be used to selectively hold shut a vehicle entry door, a hatch, a decklid, a trunk, or various other structures. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , in some embodiments the latch assembly  22  includes a catch  24  (e.g., forkbolt, seen partially in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and a pawl (e.g., detent lever). The catch  24  may be rotatable about a first axis to selectively engage and trap a striker such as a striker  26  ( FIG. 1 ) located on the cargo bed  14 . In other embodiments the striker  26  may be located on another component of a vehicle (e.g., pillar, side frame, etc.). The detent lever of the latch assembly  22  may include an engagement surface configured to engage one or more corresponding engagement surfaces of the catch  24  to retain the catch  24  in one or more latched positions, retaining the striker  26 . In some vehicles, the positions of the striker  26  and the latch assembly  22  can be reversed. For example, the latch assembly  22  may be located on the cargo bed  14  (or pillar, side frame, etc. of a vehicle) and the striker  26  may be located on the tailgate  18  (or along a rear hatch, lift gate, trunk etc.). 
     Other embodiments include latch assemblies  22  at different locations on the motor vehicle  10  than that illustrated, as well as on other types of vehicles or structures than that illustrated (e.g. on minivans, sedans, RVs, etc.). Additionally, other embodiments include latch assemblies  22  having components other than the catch  24  described above. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , the latch assembly  22  includes at least one of a bottle opener feature  30  (e.g., to facilitate removing a bottle cap from a bottle) and a tie-down feature  34  (e.g., to facilitate tying down an object to the motor vehicle  10 ). In the illustrated embodiment, the latch assembly  22  includes an outer housing  38  having both the bottle opener feature  30  and the tie-down feature  34 . The outer housing  38  at least partially houses one or more latching elements (e.g., the catch  24 , a pawl, or other latching elements such as hooks, detents, etc. that may engage a striker  26  or other similar component to latch an element in place). The outer housing  38  may be fixed to the rest of the latch assembly  22  (e.g., to another housing via fasteners), or may be integrally formed as a single piece with the rest of the latch assembly  22 . In some embodiments the outer housing  38  is a thin plate (e.g., comprised of metal or other suitable material). As illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5 , the outer housing  38  includes apertures extending through the outer housing  38 . In some embodiments, the latch assembly  22  may include a forkbolt or detent that are each at least partially enclosed and housed by the outer housing  38 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5 , the outer housing  38  may be planar in one or more regions, and may be curved or non-planar in other regions. Other embodiments include different shapes and sizes for the outer housing  38  than that illustrated, as well as other numbers of apertures. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the tailgate  18  includes an aperture  42  along a side of the tailgate  18 . In the illustrated embodiment a central portion  46  of the outer housing  38  extends at least partially through the aperture  42 , such that the central portion  46  of the outer housing  38  is exposed and accessible along the side of the tailgate  18  when the tailgate  18  is released from the raised (closed) position and is pivoted down to the lowered (open) position. The central portion  46  has elements including a front wall  50  that faces away from the tailgate  18 , as well as four side walls  54  that are generally perpendicular to the front wall  50  and form a periphery around the front wall  50 , and together with the front wall  50  form a generally rectangular-shaped, three-dimensional region of the outer housing  38 . Other embodiments include different sizes and shapes for the outer housing  38  than that illustrated, including central portions  46  having other sizes and shapes. In some embodiments the outer housing  38  (or latch assembly  22  itself) does not extend through an aperture (e.g., aperture  42 ) in the tailgate  18 . Rather, the latch assembly  22  is coupled to an outside of the tailgate  18 , or to whatever structure the latch assembly  22  is being used for (e.g., a vehicle entry door, a hatch, a decklid, a trunk, etc.). 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , in the illustrated embodiment the central portion  46  includes both the bottle opener feature  30  and the tie-down feature  34 . The bottle opener feature  30  is an aperture that extends through the front wall  50 , near a lower corner of the front wall  50 . In other embodiments the bottle opener feature  30  is an aperture that extends through one of the side walls  54 , or along a combination of the front wall  50  and one of the side walls  54 , or is located at a different location along one of the walls  50 ,  54  than that illustrated. In yet other embodiments the bottle opener feature  30  is an aperture that is located elsewhere along the outer housing  38  or other portion of the latch assembly  22  than that illustrated. The bottle opener feature  30  is sized and shaped such that when the tailgate  18  is open ( FIG. 1 ), an end of a bottle  58  ( FIG. 5 ) may be inserted into the bottle opener feature  30  and the cap of the bottle  58  may be removed (e.g., by twisting or otherwise moving the bottle  58 ). Other embodiments include different shapes and sizes for the bottle opener feature  30  than that illustrated. 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , the tie-down feature  34  is an aperture that extends through outer housing  38 . In the illustrated embodiment the tie-down feature  34  is an aperture located on a lower side wall  54 , near the same corner of the outer housing  38  as the bottle opener feature  30 , such that the bottle opener feature  30  and the tie-down feature  34  are adjacent one another. In other embodiments the tie-down feature  34  is an aperture that extends through a different one of the side walls  54 , or extends through the front wall  50 , or along a combination of the front wall  50  and one of the side walls  54 . In yet other embodiments the tie-down feature  34  is an aperture that is located elsewhere along the outer housing  38  or other portion of the latch assembly  22  than that illustrated. The tie-down feature  34  is sized and shaped such that a hook  62  ( FIG. 4 ) or other securing structure may be inserted into the tie-down feature  34  and may engage (e.g., hook onto) the outer housing  38 . In the illustrated embodiment the hook  62  is coupled to a tie-down strap  66 . The hook  62  and tie-down strap  66  may be used, for example, to secure a piece of cargo that is in the cargo bed  14  when the tailgate  18  is open. Alternatively, the hook  62  and tie-down strap  66  may be used to hold the tailgate  18  itself in a given position. In some embodiments, a second hook  62  may be coupled to an opposite end of the tie-down strap  66  (not shown), and the second hook  62  may be engaged with a second latch assembly  22  (e.g., on an opposite side of the tailgate  18 ). The second latch assembly  22  may be identical to the latch assembly  22  illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5 . Other embodiments include different shapes and sizes for the tie-down feature  34  than that illustrated. 
     In some embodiments, the bottle opener feature  30  and/or the tie-down feature  34  may be part of an additional element that is added to the latch assembly  22  to integrate the bottle opener feature  30  and/or the tie-down feature  34  into the latch assembly  22 . For example, an additional bracket or brackets may be added to (e.g., separately fixed to or integrally formed as part of) the latch assembly  22  (e.g., fixed to the outer housing  38  or to another area of the latch assembly  22 ). The additional bracket(s) may include the bottle opener feature  30  and/or the tie-down feature  34 . Thus, rather than a wall of outer housing  38  having the tie-down and/or bottle opener features  30 ,  34 , the additional element (e.g., bracket, wall, protrusion, etc.) of the latch assembly instead would include the tie-down and/or bottle opener features  30 ,  34 . 
     Overall, the latch assembly  22  described herein may be used as a multifunctional latch assembly on a vehicle or other structure. The latch assembly  22  may incorporate at least one of the bottle opener feature  30  and tie-down feature  34 . By incorporating these features with the latch assembly  22 , the latch assembly  22  may serve not only as a latch, but also for providing an area to open a bottle and as an area for a tie-down. 
     Although various embodiments have been described in detail with reference to certain examples illustrated in the drawings, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects described and illustrated.