US2865668A - Hood latch with ratchet locking means - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 23, 1958 H. KRAUSE noon LATCH WITH RATCHET LOCKING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 30, 1956 J72 0977207 jfererz jfrazrsg Dec. 23, 1958 H. KRAUSE 2,865,668

HOOD LATCH WITH RATCHET LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 50, 1956 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I72 V87? for" -ifer erl ifraase United States Patent HOOD LATCH WITH RATHET LOCKING MEANS Herbert Krause, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Forging and Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 30, 1956, Serial No. 607,080

3 Claims. (Cl. 292216) efiective to lock the main latch in latching position.

Another purpose is to provide a latching structure in which a main latch may be be moved into and secured in a variety of latching positions.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of the device as installed;

Figure 2 is a view on an enlarged scale showing the parts in latching position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, showing the parts in latching position.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, a keeper member is indicated generally by the numeral 1. The keeper 1 may comprisea generally L-shaped cylindrical prong or pin having a shank portion 2 and a latch engaging, laterally disposed portion 3. A main or latch supporting plate 4 may carry a keeper receiving opening or slot 5 which may be formed in a side edge of the plate 4 and may extend an appreciable distance into the plate 4. Plate 4 may be mounted upon the body or hood closure in any suitable manner. I illustrate, for example, the wings or flanges 6 secured by connectors or nut and bolt elements 7.

Rotatably mounted on the plate 4 is a main latch 10. The latch 10 has a latching portion generally indicated by the numeral 11 and a lock supporting portion generally indicated at 12. The main latch portion 11 has a pair of spaced keeper engaging extensions or ears 13, 14 defining between them a generally U-shaped keeperreceiving slot 15. A comparatively strong yielding member such as the spring 16 may be coiled about latch pivot 17 and may have its opposite ends in engagement with the pivot pin 17 as at 18 and with an car 19 struck from an edge of the latch 10, thus causing the spring 16 to urge the latch 10 toward unlatching position. It will be observed that the latch portion 13 is, at all positions of the latch 10, in alignment with, and may be described as overlying the keeper-receiving slot 5 of the plate 4. The keeper-retaining portion 14 is movable into a position overlying the slot 5 when the latch is moved to latching position. An abutment 20 is positioned to be engaged by a latch abutment 21 when the latch 10 is moved toward nonlatching position by the spring 16. The abutment 20 may be formed by an up-set ear to which a shock absorbing member 22, which may be formed of rubber,

"ice

for example, is attached in position to be contacted by the abutment 21.

Latch locking means generally indicated by the numeral 30 may comprise a fixed locking element 31 and a movable locking element 32. The element 31 may be fixed to the plate 4 and the element 32 may be movably mounted upon the latch portion 12. For example the element 31 may comprise an arcuate bar having its opposite ends secured to the plate 4 as by the rivets 33, 34, the portion between the rivets 33, 34 being raised or spaced from the plate 4. The element 31 may have a serrated or curved or roughened arcuate edge 35.

The member 32 may comprise a latch locking arm 40 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to the latch 10 and upon the latch portion 12 as at 41. It will be observed that the arm 40 is positioned generally in alignment with the arm portion 12 of the latch 10. The arm 40 has an outer end portion 45 overlying and extending beyond the element 31 and carrying adjacent its outer end a pin or roller 46 positioned to overlie and, when desired, to engage the edge 35 of the element 31. A yielding member, such as the spring 50 may surround the pivot 41 and may have its opposite ends in engagement with an ear or abutment 51 fixed on the latch portion 12 and an ear or abutment 52 up-set from the arm 40 to cause the spring 50 to urge the locking arm 40 toward locking position and thus to urge the pin or roller 46 into engagement with the serrations or formations 35. The arm 40 has an opposite end portion 60 extending along the portion 12 and overlying the latch portion 11 and pivot 17. The portion 60 may be considered a release arm portion and means, such as the Bowden wire 61 may be connected to the arm 40 as at 62 to provide for manual release of the lock arm 40. In the structure illustrated, the release element 61 is slidably mounted in a portion 63 formed for this purpose in the plate 4. t It will be understood that a variety of means for moving the arm 40 toward nonlocking position may be provided without departing from the nature and scope of my invention.

Whereas I have described and claimed a practical and operative device, nevertheless, many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as, in a broad sense, illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

When the hood A and closure B are moved toward each other, the keeper portion 3 enters the slot 5. The latch 10 is at this point in nonlatching position to which it is urged by the strong spring 16. As the keeper portion 3 further penetrates the slot 5 it comes into contact with the slot defining edge 13a of the latch portion 13 and continued penetration of the keeper portion 3 causes rotation of the latch 10 about the pivot 17 against the action of the spring 16 and toward latching position as shown in Figure 2. Rotation of the latch 10 brings-the keeper retaining latch portion 14 into position overlying the slot 5 and behind the keeper portion 3, the latching slot defining edge 14a being effective to retain the keeper 1 in latched position within the slot 5.

As the latch 10 was rotated toward latching position, as described above, the arm 12 carried the locking element 40 along the arcuate bar 31, the bar 31 being positioned in the position of an arc corresponding substantially to that described by the laterally directed latch portion 12. The pin 46 was permitted to ride along the serrations 35 as the latch it) moved toward latching position. At any position during the course of its travel toward latching position, the latch 10 would be efiectively locked in such position by engagement of the pin or roller 46 with the serrations 35. Since cessation of movement of the keeper 1 into the slot 5 would permit the spring 16 to exert a force tending to rotate the latch back toward latching position and such action by the latch 10, in cooperation with the action of the spring 'il, is efifective to. urge the pin 46 more deeply into engagement with the serrations 35 and thereby to lock the latch 10 against movement toward nonlatching position. Since even partial movement of the latch 10 toward latching position in response to penetration of the slot 5 by the keeper 1 is efiective to urge a segment of the latch portion 14 into keeper-retaining position across the slot 5, it will be realized that the latching stnlcture of my invention is efifective to retain the keeper 3 at a variety of positions within the slot 5.

When it is desired to release the latch 10 to permit separation of the hood A and closure B, it is necessary only that the operator rotate the arm 40 in a clockwise direction, as the parts are shown in the drawings and to rotate it only the very slightest distance suificient merely to disengage the pin or roller 46 from the relatively shallow serrations 35, the action of the strong spring being effective promptly to snap the latch 10 toward nonlatching position, the edge 13a being effective to urge the keeper 1 outwardly from the slot 5, the keeper-retaining portion 14 being rotated out of the escape path of the keeper 1.

i I claim:

1. In a hood latch, a latch-supporting plate, a keeperreceiving opening in said plate, a latch pivotally mounted on said plate, said latch having keeper-engaging portions positioned to lie across said opening when said latch is in latching position, yielding means positioned to urge said latch toward non-latching position, and means for locking said latch in latching position, said last-named means comprising a generally arcuate member fixed on said plate, said latch having an arm portion pivotal in an arc paralleling and adjacently within the arc of said fixed member, a locking lever pivoted to and movable with said latch arm portion, said locking lever having a lever portion paralleling said latch arm portion at one side of the pivot of said locking lever, said locking lever having a second arm portion on the opposite side of said last named pivot, said second locking lever portion overlying said arcuate member at all positions of said locking lever, said arcuate member having serrations formed along its outer arcuate edge, said last-named locking lever portion having an element positioned thereon overlying said serrations at all positions of said locking lever, and yielding means operative against said main latch arm portion and said locking lever and effective to urge said element into engagement with said serrations at all positions of said latch.

2. In a hood latch, a latch plate having a keeper-receiving opening therein, a latch member having a portion overlying said opening and positioned to be engaged by said keeper when said keeper penetrates said opening, said latch having a keeper-engaging portion and an arm portion disposed substantially perpendicularly thereto, said latch being pivotally mounted on said latch plate at a point adjacent said keeper-engaging portion, stop means on said plate positioned to be engaged by said latch at the non-latching position thereof, said latch being mounted on said plate for rotation through an are limited by said keeper and said stop means, yielding means connected to said plate and said latch to urge said latch toward non-latching position, and means for locking said latch in a variety of locking positions, said last-named means comprising an arcuate member fixed on said plate immediately adjacent the outer end of said latch arm portion, the are of said member paralleling the arcuate path traversed by said arm portion and a locking lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to said arm portion, said locking lever having an end portion overlying said arcuate member at all positions of said main latch, said arcuate member having gripping formations along its outer arcuate edge, said overlying locking lever portion having an element thereon positioned to engage said gripping formations at all positions of said latch, and yielding means operative against said main latch arm portion and said locking lever and effective to urge said element into engagement with said gripping formations at all positions of said latch and locking lever.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said locking lever element is offset from said latch arm portion in the direction traveled by said latch arm portion when said latch moves toward latching position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,246,787 Dall June 24, 1941 2,508,090 Beems et al May 16, 1950 2,729,487 Krause et al Jan. 3, 1956

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