US2567662A - Hood latch - Google Patents

Description

Sept- 11, 1951 A. cLAuD-MANTLE 2,567,662 n HOOD LATCH Filed July 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. l1, 1951 A. -CLAUD-MANTLE 2,567,662

Hoon LATCH Filed July 2o, 194e 2 sheets-sheet 2 3g 4o 3e 4540 Patented Sept. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OF FICE HOOD LATCH Application July 20, 1946, Serial No. 685,027

9 Claims.

This invention relates to hood latches, and more particularly to those in which the automobile vhood is of the alligator type, the lid of .the hood being liftable from the front of the car.

One of the objects of the invention is .to provide an improved rhood latch of the type in which the lid carries a depending latch member which is adapted .to be gripped and held within a gripping device carried by the lower stationary part of the hood.

Another object is to provide for very secure fastening of a latching member in the form of a latching post or shank, -the latching member being lfirmly held against movement or play during the -travel of the vehicle.

Another object is to provide improved means for 4acting upon and holding the latching post or like member and for effecting its 4release when it is desired to open the hood.

VIn the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation with parts broken away and vwith some parts in section, showing a hood latch embodying the invention, the latch ybeing in the latched position;

Fig. 2 is an elevation with some parts broken away andisomeparts omitted, showing the latch illustrated `in Fig. l, looking from the front end of `the car;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 vof Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 Aof Fig. 3;

Fg.5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 15A is a somewhat diagrammatic view not drawn to scale, showing the operation of the mechanism of Fig. 5-when the latch is released;

Fig. 61s `asection on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 .is a view similar to Fig. 6 with parts omitted, showing the position of the elements during the releasing movement of the latch;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing the positionof the parts carried by the fixed part of the hood, when the lid is in the lifted position;

Fig. kiA is a sectional View showing certain lparts `illustrated in Fig. V8 `as they `appear when the latch vis in the released position for permitting disengagement of the latching post;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Eig. -8;

Fig. l0 isa view similar to Fig. 5 lillustrating the action of the device when the latching post is somewhat twisted;

Fig. ll is la section looking toward the rollers of Fig. l0 -from the ends; and

Figs. `.l2 and 13 are views similar to Figs. l0 and l-l illustrating another condition hereinafter described.

In the yembodiment selected for illustration, the .automobile Vhood is of the ,alligator type, hav-.ing a Ylid which is liftable from 4the front end of the -car `and .has -a hinge located adjacent the rear vend of the .engine enclosure. The latching mechanism includes a depending :latching member ,generally in a form of a post carried by the lid adjacent the Vfront end .of the Ilid .and adapted te .be Vengagediby a .gripping device ,l0- cated within the upper party of the stationary member of the engine enclosure. In this form, the latching post is xed to va transverse mounting plate carried by the lid, .and the .gripping device is carried by a mounting plate supported in and extending transversely of the lower stationary hood member. The gripping device is constructed to receive ,and center the latching ,pest when the lid is lowered, and the usual spring is employed in association with the two hood members, acting to separate them to a certain extent as soon vas the latch is released. There is also preferably associated with the latching mechanism a safety hook or other ysafety device acting to limit lifting of the lid when the safety device is in the vnormal or active position. The gripping device ,for gripping the latching post and holding the lid in thev closed position has, of course, associated therewith means whereby `the latch can be released, yand it is preferred to have the releasing means operable from the interior of the car through the use of a suitable member, such as a flexible pull member.

In the drawings, the lid is shown vat 20. the

lower hood member at 2l, the mounting plate.

carried :by the lid at 22, the mounting plate on .the other hood member at 23, the ,-latch ypost carried by member 22 at 24, and the lid-lifting spring at 25. The member 24 is preferably constructed in the ymanner hereinafter described'.

The gripping device carried by the mountingy `plate :23 Yis indicated v`generally at 26. VA pull cable leading from the gripping device to the- ;interior of the car is `shown at 2l, and an o perating knob iixed to the pull cable within the interior of the car is shown at 28. Thesafety catch previously mentioned is shown at 29. In the form shown, this `catch vis provided with a hook and `is pivoted to the plate 22` and adapted to engage in the usual manner under a portion of a rib lil (to be hereinafter described) when `the hook is in the normal position. The `.hoolr is manipulable by lmeans of a'manipulating arm or pad 2921.

The latching post 24 ispreferably of somewhat larger cross section ladjacent its upper .end than asevee adjacent its lower end, and at its upper extremity it is preferably provided with an enlargement or head 30 that is secured to plate 3ll1L in any suitable manner, as by riveting or upsetting. The spring is a helical spring which surrounds the post 24, and has its lower end received in a cup 3| which is slidably mounted on the post and is adapted to take up against the upper part of the gripping device 26 when the lid is in the latched position, as shown in Fig. 3, at which time the spring is under considerable compression.

'Ihat portion of the post 24 which engages within the gripping device 26 is preferably flattened in cross section so as to have opposite substantially flat faces, and is tapered inwardly and upwardly, and preferably the cross section of this portion of the latching member is elongated in a direction lengthwise of the hood. The opposite larger faces are adapted to be engaged by gripping elements carried by the gripping member 26, as hereinafter described. The front and rear end surfaces provided on the flattened part of the latch post are preferably slightly rounded, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but not necessarily so.

'The gripping member 26 in this form of the device comprises a `box-like part in which are located the gripping elements to grip the post at opposite faces. In the form Shown, the box-like member is constructed of sheet metal and has a top Wall 32, a front wall 33, a rear wall 34, and a bottom wall 35. .This box-like member also has in this embodiment a relatively fixed side wall 36 and a relatively movable opposite side wall 31, this side wall 31 serving as a part of the latch-releasing means, as hereinafter described.

` The upper wall 32 of the box is provided with a slot 38 which receives the latch post with some clearance to permit freedom of movement when the lid is opened. Associated with the upper wall 32 is a centering device tending to locate and center the latching post when the lid is lowered. In the form shown, this centering device is provided by fixing a metal plate 39 in position upon the wall 32, said plate having bent-up longitudinal centering ribs 40 along the sides of the slot 38. The ribs 40 may be formed integral with transverse strengthening ribs 4I on the plate 39, as in the example shown. When the lid is in the latched position, the spring cup 3| rests on the ribs 40. With in the box above described are located gripping elements adapted to hold the latching post by engaging the previously mentioned engaging faces. These elements comprise spring- -pressed rollers which are mounted so as to be movable in an up-and-down direction. The element at one side of the post is indicated at 42 and the other element at 43. The element 42 is adapted to cooperate with the side wall 36 as hereinafter described, and the element 43 with the side wall 31. The element 42 comprises in its structure a gripping roller 44, and the element 43 comprises a gripping roller 45. The two elements are in this case of identical structure, each roller having trunnions 46 at the respective ends adapted to move in clearance slots or recesses in the front and rear walls of the box, and each element also comprising a shank 41 having a fork-shaped head 48 engaging a reduced roller portion 49 intermediate the ends of the roller in the manner shown in Fig. 5, the fork engaging the roller from beneath. Each roller support has its shank protruding through a slot 50 in the bottom of the box, and between the bottom of the box and the yfork-shapedhead on the shank isa compression spring in the form of a coil, as indicated at 5|, said spring normally holding the associated roller in a predetermined upper position as, for example, in engagement with the top wall of the box, as shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the right-hand roller has its forward trunnion received in a slot 52 in the forward wall of the box, while the trunnion of the left-hand roller is in a recess 53. The rearward wall of the box is constructed similarly to the forward wall as regards the provision of these clearance recesses.

As the rollers move upwardly in the box, they also move toward each other, their movement be ing along upwardly converging lines. In the present embodiment, this upwardly converging moveu ment is caused by the fact that the rollers travel in engagement with the adjacent side walls of the box, which walls are formed at their upper portions to provide a slight incline, as shown, for example, in Fig. 8. The left-hand roller of Fig. 8 is in engagement with an inclined wall portion 54 on wall 36, and the right-hand roller is in engagement with an inclined portion 55 on wall 31. The wall 36 is, in this instance, a stationary wall, but the wall 31, on the other hand, is a movable wall, the same being pivoted to the box so as to be adapted to swing to one side for purposes of releasing the latch. In this case, the wall 31 is hinged or pivoted to the bottom of the box by having lug portions 31a provided thereon which engage slots in the box bottom in a manner to hinge the wall so that it can be moved outwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3, swinging on the hinge connection. In the form shown, an upright shaft 56 is mounted outside of the wall 31, said shaft having a bearing 51 in an extension on the upper wall of the box and having a bearing 58 in an extension of the bottom of the box. The shaft 56 carries at its upper part a rigid member in the nature of a cam, indicated at 56E, said cam having a periphery which for the most part is round but is provided with a at surface 59. The round portion of the cam periphery is adapted to engage the external surface of wall 31 to hold the wall stationary in a position in which it will force the right-hand roller (Fig. 8) inwardly. A spring 6B acts on the shaft 56, so that normally the wall 31 will be held in the position just mentioned. The spring 60 may be a coil spring, the lower coils of which frictionally engage the shaft 56. As shown, this spring also has a lower extremity engaging a notch 6| in shaft 56, although this engagement may -be omitted if it is desired to render thespring adjustable as to tension by rotation of the shaft. The spring has an upper extremity which, in this example, is extended across one of the box walls in abutting relation thereto, as shown in Fig. 1. Shaft 56 may be turned in opposition to the spring for purposes of releasing the latch, by means of an operating arm 62 suitably secured as by riveting to the upper end of the shaft, said arm being connected to the forward end of the pull cable 21 previously mentioned. When the cable is pulled, the arm 62 and shaft 56 are turned to a position in which the flat 59 is opposed to the wall 31, and this permits movement of said Wall to release the latch.

In the operation of the-device, the latching post 24 when the lid is lowered enters the slot 38 and enters between the opposite rollers and presses them downwardly from the position of Fig. 8 to the position of Fig. 3. For accomplishing this purpose, the lower end of the post isrtapered Ato an edge, as shown at 24e, whereby Vthe post wedges the rollers ap-art, and as they are wedged apart they move ydownwardly along -their *respece tive inclined guiding surfaces; The'spring's' act= ing' on the rollers press them upwardly so that, when the post is in its lowermost position, the rollers are firmly held in wedged engagement with opposite faces of the post. In this manner, the post is very strongly gripped and held without there being any play or movement between the latching post and the frame of the gripping deL- vice. The lid is, therefore, very strongly held in the closed position, and vibration due to the move: ment of thel vehicle will not cause noise or undue wear in the latching means.

when it is desired to raise the lid, the knob 28Y is pulled, which results in the turning -of the vshaftii to the releasing position. As soon as the cam 56a is turned counterclckwise with respect to Fig. 5, the wall 3l is free to swing outwardly on its lower hinged mounting. This provides lateral clearance for the adjacent roller 45 and lateral clearance for the latching post, as indicated in V'an exaggerated manner in Fig. 5A, so that the lifting spring 25 can immediately come Ainto play, after which the lid is opened in the usual manner. As'the latching member leaves the gripping box, the rollers move up to the positions shown in Fig. 8.

It is understood that, inasmuch as the lid is pivoted at the rear of the hood, the latch post, in moving to and from the latched position, swings in an arc of relatively long radius. The latch structure described is one well adapted for use under such conditions, accommodating itself to the swinging movement of the post and enabling the post to be effectively gripped as it -moves downwardly through the lower plate element when the hood is being closed. In doing this the lower end of the post enters the space between the rollers and wedges them apart and moves them downwardly to some extent `against the upward pushing action of their springs.

It is definitely of advantage to have the longer axis of the latching member shank cross section arranged generally in line with the longitudinal axis of the hood, for this allows for some inaccuracy in the locating of the hinge axis -of the lid without interfering with the effective gripping of the latching member shank. As will be noted r from Fig. 6, the slot 38 is of sufficient length to give ample clearance for an accurately positioned shank at both of thelateral edges of the shank. In the form shown, the clearance is greater in these regions than adjacent the side faces of the shank. The rollers engage the side faces of the shank over a substantial area, and in this way the gripping effect is increased. In the form shown, the elongation of the shank cross section is somewhat greater at `the extremity of the shank than it is in the regions where the rollers engage the shank v(Fig. 6), in order to retain the spring cup on the shank when the lid is open.

The construction described is also of advantage in that, if the shank or post is somewhat twisted in a horizontal plane as placed upon the lid, the rollers will nevertheless engage it and grip it effectively. This condition is illustrated in Figs. l and ll, and it will be noted that under these conditions the rollers are free to swing in planes which are at angles to the vertical longitudinal median plane of the hood in order to conform to the respective faces of the shank. Another condition which may arise, and which is compensated for in the improved construction, is illuslwith fork-'shaped heads engaging reduced portions or neck portions of the rollers intermediate of the ends of the rollers. By referring to Fig. 5, for example, it will be noted that the forks `48 engage the reduced intermediate portions of the rollers with a-certain amount of lateral clearance, and by this arrangement it is possible to support the roller resiliently between the roller ends, and at the same time permit tilting-of the roller along its inclined contacting and guiding surface, if it is necessary for lthe roller to tilt in order to conform itself Ato the rsurface of the latching-post.

It is very important in a device of this -kind to overcome play when the latching member `is Vin the latched position, with the noise and wear that result from the loosenessof the parts. It-isalso kimportant to provide against improper action of the latch as a result of slight inaccuracies inthe hinging of the lid and in the placement of the latch members and their supporting parts relatively to the hood members. The deviceas herein described admirably meets these conditions, and at the same time it is relatively simple in structure and relatively inexpensive.

While, as shown herein, the members engaging substantial lateralareas of the latching shank are guided in their upward converging movements by walls of the box structure in whichsaid members are received through direct engagement of the working surfaces of these members with the box walls, other guiding means may be used in some cases.

`Gnly one embodiment is shown in the drawings, but it is to be understood that various changes in `the organization of parts and in the details may be made without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a hood latch, a rigid post-like latching member adapted 'to -be carried -by the lid of the hood, and a gripping means adapted to be carried by the lower part of the hood,esaid gripping means comprising in its structure -a box into which the latching member can move from above, and separate rolling gripping elements in said box guided by opposite lateral walls of the box adapted to engage the latch member from opposite sides of the latter, one of said lateral walls of said box being movable to release one of said gripping elements and thereby release the latching member.

2. In a hood latch, a rigid depending post-like member adapted to be carried by the lid of the Ihood and having a flat side surface, and a gripa box adapted to be carried by the lower part of the hood having an upper slot into which said post-like member can enter, said box having lateral walls with inclined guiding surfaces thereon adjacent the upper part of the box, and gripping devices guided by said guiding surfaces comprising gripping rollers engageable with the latching member from opposite sides of the latter, and spring-pressed forked Shanks disposed beneath the rollers and urging them upwardly in converging planes with respect to the median plane of the latching member and engaging reduced neck portions intermediate of the ends of the rollers in a manner to permit tilting of the rollers in the planes in which the respective rollers are guided, one of the lateral walls of the box being displaceable to release the latch.

4. In a latch for securing a lid to a hood, the combination of a rigid depending latching member within th-e forward end portion of the lid in the form of a post of elongated flattened cross section, said post being elongated lengthwise of the hood, a plate member xed in the lower hood member having a slot into which the post enters and in which the post moves downwardly, and gripping rollers below said slot adapted to engage the respective side faces of the post to grip and hold the post, said rollers being pressed upwardly by springs and guided in upwardly converging planes and arranged to be wedged apart and moved downwardly by the post as the post moves to the latching position, said rollers being guided by and moving in a box structure arranged below said plate, and said box structure having a movable lateral wall acting as a support for one of the rollers which can be shifted to release the latch.

5,. In a latch for securing a lid to a hood, the combination of a depending latching member within the forward end portion of the lid having opposite relatively wide side faces, a plate member fixed in the lower hood member having an aperture into which the latching member enters and in which it moves downwardly, and gripping rollers below said plate member adapted to engage the respective .side laces of the latching member, said rollers being guided in upwardly converging .planes and pressed upwardly by springs and normally engaging the under surface of said plate member at opposite sides of its aperture and in partially underlying relationship to said aperture and arranged to be moved downwardly to latching position by the latching member as the latter descends, and means for releasing the latch member by the outward displacement of one of the rollers with respect to the latch member.

6. In a latch for securing a lid to a hood, the combination of a depending latching member fixed within the forward end portion of the lid and havingopposite relatively wide dat sides, a plate member fixed in the lower hood member having an aperture into which said latching member enters and in which said member moves downwardly, a box structure beneath said plate member, and gripping rollers for engaging the respective fiat sides of the latch member pressed upwardly by springs Within said box structure and guided by opposite lateral walls thereof in upwardly converging planes and normally in Contact with the lower surface of said plate member, one of said lateral walls being provided with a lower hinge so that it can be swung away from its associated roller.

7, A hood latch comprising a plate provided With an aperture to receive a latch member, a box structure arranged beneath and connected to said plate member and having a bottom and side and Yend walls, and gripping rollers within said box structure pressed upwardly by springs and guided in upwardly converging planes by opposite walls respectively of said structure and normally in contact with the lower surface of said plate member at opposite sides of said aperture, one of said opposite walls being mounted so that it can be moved away from its associated roller to release the latch member, and a device releasable from a distance for holding said Wall in the operative or latching position.

8. A hood latch comprising a plate provided with a slot to receive a latch member of attened cross section, a box structure arranged beneath and connected to said plate member and having a bottom and side and end walls, gripping rollers within said box structure at oppositesides of said slot pressed upwardly by springs and guided in upwardly converging planes by opposite walls respectively of said structure and normally in contact with the lower surface of said plate member, one of said opposite Walls being hinged at its lower part so that it can be swung away from its associated roller to release the latch member, and a spring-pressed cam device releasable from a distance for holding said hinged wall in the operative or latching position.

9. A hood latch comprising a plate provided with an aperture to receive a latch member, a box structure beneath and connected to said plate member and having a bottom and side and end Walls, gripping rollers within said box structure pressed upwardly by springs mounted on Shanks extending through the bottom of the box structure, said rollers being guided in upwardly converging planes by opposite walls respectively of said structure, one of said opposite walls being mounted so that it can be moved away from its associated roller to release the latch member, and a device releasable from a distance for holding said wall in the operative or latchng position.

ARTHUR CLAUD-MANTLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 461,167 Gaskill' Oct. 13, 1891 1,733,108 Bienaime Oct. 29, 1929 2,210,989 Sutherland Aug. 13, 1940 2,275,740 De Orlow Mar. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 571,635 France Feb. 6, 1924

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