US 12,123,231 B2
Latch assembly for a power tailgate system
Ryan Heins, Wixom, MI (US); Nicholas Ozog, South Lyon, MI (US); Takashi Nishio, Novi, MI (US); Toshio Machida, Kariya (JP); and Shinsuke Takayanagi, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to Aisin Corporation, Kariya (JP); and Aisin Technical Center of America, Inc., Northville, MI (US)
Filed by Aisin Technical Center of America, Inc., Northville, MI (US); and Aisin Corporation, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Jun. 1, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/335,529.
Prior Publication US 2022/0381071 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. E05B 85/26 (2014.01); E05B 79/08 (2014.01); E05B 81/14 (2014.01); E05B 81/20 (2014.01); E05B 85/24 (2014.01)
CPC E05B 85/26 (2013.01) [E05B 79/08 (2013.01); E05B 81/14 (2013.01); E05B 81/20 (2013.01); E05B 85/243 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A powered latch assembly for a vehicle tailgate, the latch assembly comprising:
a latch including a slot structured to receive a striker therein during closing of the vehicle tailgate, the latch being structured to be rotatable about a rotational axis into a latched position of the latch when the striker is received in the slot, so as to maintain the vehicle tailgate in at least one closed position of the vehicle tailgate associated with the latched position, the latch being structured so that, with respect to a vertical plane extending through the latch rotational axis, a centroid of a cross-section of the striker taken through a portion of the striker residing inside the slot resides a first distance from the vertical plane when the latch is in a fully-latched position, and resides a second distance from the vertical plane when the latch is in an over-stroke position, the second distance being less than the first distance,
the latch also including a bearing edge structured to be slidable along the striker to move the vehicle tailgate from a fully-closed position of the tailgate in a direction toward an over-closed position of the vehicle tailgate as the latch rotates toward the over-stroke position of the latch, the bearing edge being structured so that a distance that the striker slides along the bearing edge for a given amount of latch rotation increases as the latch rotates from the fully-latched position toward the over-stroke position of the latch.