Actuated mechanism for active pedestrian safety latch

Abstract

A latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch, the latch for retaining the closure panel; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate, the support plate for connecting to a body of the vehicle; and an actuation mechanism mounted on at least one of the support plate or the body and coupled to either the closure panel or the mounting plate to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from a home position to an extended position; wherein the latch is moved from the home position to the extended position when mounted on the mounting plate. The latch travel mechanism also has a locking member mounted on the support plate and configured for retaining the mounting plate in a home position when engaged with the one or more linkages and for disengaging from the one or more linkages when operated.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A latch travel assembly for cooperating with a latch associated with a closure panel of a vehicle, the assembly comprising:
 a striker plate mounting the striker, the striker for engaging with the latch for retaining the closure panel, the striker plate mounting the striker to the closure panel;   a support plate coupling to a body of the vehicle, the support plate for mounting the latch to the body;   one or more linkages coupling the striker to the striker plate; and   an actuation mechanism mounted on at least one of the support plate or the body and coupled to the striker plate for extending the one or more linkages in order to move the striker plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position;   wherein the striker plate is moved from the home position to the extended position while the striker is retained by the latch.   
     
     
         22 . The latch travel assembly of  claim 21 , further comprising a locking assembly comprising a locking member mounted on the striker plate and configured for retaining the one or more linkages in a home position when engaged with the one or more linkages and for disengaging from the one or more linkages when operated. 
     
     
         23 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 22 , wherein the actuation mechanism is coupled to the locking member for disengaging the locking member from one of the striker plate and the one or more linkages. 
     
     
         24 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 23 , wherein a decoupling plate is used to retain the locking member in the engaged position with the one or more linkages. 
     
     
         25 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 21 , further comprising the latch mounted on the striker plate in order to provide a latch travel assembly, wherein the striker moves with the striker plate while the closure panel remains retained by the latch. 
     
     
         26 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 22 , further comprising a pin connected to the striker plate and received in a notch of the locking member in order to inhibit movement of the striker plate from the home position to the extended position. 
     
     
         27 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 22 , further comprising a pin connected to the striker plate and received in an abutment surface of the locking member in order to inhibit movement of the striker plate from the home position to the extended position. 
     
     
         28 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the linkages are connected by a first pivot to the striker plate and connected by a second pivot to the support plate. 
     
     
         29 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the one or more linkages includes at least one two-bar linkage. 
     
     
         30 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the linkages extend in a plane parallel to at least one of the support plate and the striker plate. 
     
     
         31 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 22 , wherein the locking member is coupled to the striker plate by a pivot. 
     
     
         32 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 24 , further comprising the decoupling plate having an abutment positioned adjacent to an abutment surface of the locking member, such engagement of the abutment with the abutment surface inhibits movement of the locking member. 
     
     
         33 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 32 , wherein the decoupling plate is coupled to the actuation mechanism such that operation of the actuation mechanism moves the abutment out of engagement with the abutment surface, thus providing for movement of the locking member. 
     
     
         34 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 24 , wherein the decoupling plate is mounted to the mounting plate by a pin and slot arrangement, such that movement of the decoupling plate provides for movement of the pin within and along the slot. 
     
     
         35 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 34 , wherein the pin is connected to the striker plate and the slot in formed in the decoupling plate. 
     
     
         36 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 33 , further comprising a travel stop mounted on the decoupling plate, wherein engagement of the travel stop with striker plate provides for said move the striker plate. 
     
     
         37 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 22 , further comprising a travel slot formed in the locking member, the travel slot for guiding movement of the pin as the locking member moves during displacement of the striker plate from the home position to the extended position. 
     
     
         38 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 37 , further comprising a locking notch positioned at one end of the travel slot, such that when the pin is received in the locking notch the striker plate is retained in the extended position. 
     
     
         39 . The latch travel mechanism of  claim 21  further comprising a pin and slot arrangement between the striker plate and the support plate, such that movement of the pin within the slot provides for guiding of relative movement between the support plate and the striker plate wherein one of: the slot is provided on the support plate and the pin is mounted on the striker plate, the pin and slot arrangement is positioned on a side of the support plate, and the pin and slot arrangement is positioned on between a pair of sides of the support plate and opposite to the latch. 
     
     
         40 . A method for operating a latch travel mechanism coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
 maintaining a linkage provided between a striker plate and a support plate in a collapsed state, the striker plate having a striker mounted thereon for retaining the closure panel in a closed position with respect to a body of the vehicle, the striker plate coupled to a support plate connected to the body of the vehicle;   operating an actuation system in order to move the striker plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position; and   expanding the linkage to a deployed state in response to moving the striker plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position;   wherein the striker is also moved from the home position to the extended position as mounted on the striker plate.