CN120569305A - Trunk lid latch assembly and release mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The tailgate is foldable into a stack having a horizontal position and a substantially vertical position above the cargo bed of the pick-up truck, wherein a manually actuated locking mechanism is not required. In some embodiments, the tailgate includes a biased latch bolt that rides along a surface of the catch as the stack moves from the horizontal position to the substantially vertical position. Then, in the vertical position, the latch, catch and stop are disposed in an interference fit securing the stack. In other embodiments, a rotary latch assembly is used that includes a jaw that receives a striker pin on a side rail of a tailgate. When the stack is disposed in a substantially vertical position, the jaws close, thus locking the stack in place. A release mechanism is also provided to permit movement back to the horizontal position.

Description

Trunk lid latch assembly and release mechanism

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a tailgate (tonneau cover) for a motor vehicle (i.e., a pick-up truck). More particularly, the present invention relates to a folding tailgate and to maintaining the folding tailgate in an upright position relative to a cargo box of a pickup truck.

Background

The trunk lid may be used to cover the cargo box/bucket of the pick-up truck for a variety of reasons. These include aesthetics, fuel economy, and protection of the contents located in the cargo hold. This protection is against environmental factors such as rain, dirt, snow and debris, and from being thrown out of the bucket during truck travel.

While various styles of tailgates exist, one of the most popular styles is a foldable tailgate. Collapsible trunk lids are favored because when it is not necessary to cover the bucket of a truck, the trunk lid can be folded toward the rear of the truck cab, leaving at least a portion of the bucket open and exposed. When a portion of the bucket is exposed, the items in the bucket may be accessed and items higher than the sides of the bucket may be placed in the bucket.

There are two types of foldable tailgates, known as soft folding tailgates and hard folding tailgates. The soft folding tailgate employs a foldable frame having three or more sections defined by frame members on which a flexible fabric material, such as vinyl, is disposed. The sections of the frame are connected by hinges allowing the sections to fold in a so-called roll-over method from the tailgate of the truck towards the cab.

When folded, the rearmost section of the tailgate (i.e., the section closest to the tailgate) is folded in a forward direction, which is defined as the direction toward the cab of the truck. The rear section is folded over the top of the next rearmost section of the rear box cover. The two sections are then folded forward together onto the next rearmost section of the tailgate. This folding process is continued until all sections of the tailgate are folded over one another, forming a stack of tailgate sections positioned adjacent the cab of the truck. In this stacked state, the section of the unfolded rear cover located closest to the cab forms the bottom of the stack. To unwind the stack, the process is reversed. A representative construction of a soft folding rear cover is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 10,399,420.

The hard folding tailgate includes rigid panel sections interconnected by hinges. The sections of the rear cover are folded in substantially the same manner as discussed above. Thus, the rigid sections of the hard-folded tailgate may be folded forward one on top of the other into a stack positioned adjacent the rear of the cab of the pickup truck. A representative construction of a hard folding rear cover is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 10,596,887.

When folded into a stack, the stack of trunk lid sections still covers a portion of the truck bed. In a three-section trunk lid configuration, approximately one third of the truck bed remains covered by the stack. In a trunk lid configuration with four panels, approximately one-quarter of the truck bed remains covered. To expose a greater portion of the truck bed, the stack must be removed from the truck bed or moved to an orientation in which the stack extends up or down from the top rail of the truck bed into the bed itself. As used herein, these upward and downward orientations are referred to as vertical orientations, with the understanding that the stack of trunk lid sections may or may not be in a precise vertical orientation (at right angles to a plane defined across the top of the truck bed).

If the truck is to be driven with the stack of trunk lid sections in such a vertical orientation, the stack must be secured. A well-known method of fixing the stack in a vertical orientation is to use support bars. The support bar is mounted on a side rail of the truck bed with the ends of the support bar releasable to extend obliquely toward the rear side of the vertically oriented stack where the ends of the support bar may be secured to the stack. A second support bar may similarly be provided on a laterally opposite side of the truck bed to further secure the stack of tailgate sections.

As seen above, securing the stack of trunk lid sections in this vertical position is labor intensive and requires an operator to maneuver the support bar across the sides of the truck bed and move from side to side of the truck in order to adequately and safely secure the stack. In order to relocate the trunk lid to the bucket of the pick-up truck, the stack must be released from the support bar in a similar laborious process.

Disclosure of Invention

In one implementation, the present invention provides a tailgate for covering a cargo bed of a pickup truck, the cargo bed including a floor surrounded by a pair of opposing side walls, a front wall, and a rear wall. At least two cover sections are movable relative to each other between an extended position and a folded position, the at least two cover sections including a front cover section and a rear cover section. In the extended position, the cover sections are adjacent to one another substantially coplanar so as to cover the cargo bed of the pick-up truck. In the folded position, the back cover section overlies the front cover section and defines a stack therewith. The stack is movable between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially upright position. In the horizontal position, the stack covers only a portion of the bucket of the pick-up truck, while in the upright position the stack extends upwardly relative to a plane defined across and atop the side walls of the bucket. The tailgate includes at least one upright latch assembly configured to secure the stack in an upright position. The upright latch assembly includes an upright latch catch and an upright latch member. One of the upright latch catch and the upright latch member is configured to be fixedly mounted relative to the cargo bucket of the pick-up truck and the other of the upright latch catch and the upright latch member is mounted to the front cover section and movable with the front cover section into retaining engagement with the one of the upright latch catch and the upright latch member during movement of the stack to the upright position to secure the stack in the upright position.

In one implementation, the upright latch assembly is an active latch assembly and automatically engages during movement of the stack to the upright position, thereby securing the stack in the upright position.

In another implementation, an upstanding latch member is mounted to the front cover section.

In one of the examples, the upright latch member is provided as a latch bolt that is movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

In another implementation, the upright latch member includes a biasing member that biases the latch bolt to the extended position.

In yet another implementation, the latch bolt includes a sloped leading face and an opposing trailing face, whereby the leading face engages the shackle during movement of the stack to the upright position, thereby causing the latch bolt to move to the retracted position, and the trailing face engages the shackle in an interference fit (INTERFERENCE ENGAGEMENT) during holding of the stack in the upright position.

In yet another implementation, at least one rail is provided that is mountable to a cargo bed of a pick-up truck and supports an upright latch catch.

In yet another implementation, the stop is configured to define a limit of movement of the stack to the upright position, and the upright latch member includes a latch bolt located between the stop and the upright latch catch when the stack is secured in the upright position.

In another one of the examples, the upright latch assembly is a rotary latch assembly and the upright latch member includes a latch housing, a jaw, and a pawl rotatably supported by the latch housing.

In another implementation, a portion of the latch housing defines a catch channel having an open end facing a lateral side of the latch housing and configured to receive a catch therein during movement of the stack to the upright position.

In yet another implementation, the jaw is movable between an open position and a closed position and includes first and second portions defining a latch recess therebetween. In the open position, the first portion of the jaw extends into the latch channel and the second portion of the jaw extends out of the latch housing such that the latch recess is generally laterally presented to receive the latch therein and move the jaw to the closed position during movement of the stack to the upright position. In the closed position, the second portion of the jaw extends across the latch channel and closes the open end, whereby the latch remains engaged in both the latch channel and the latch recess.

In yet another implementation, the jaws are biased to an open position.

In further implementations, the jaw includes a recess and the pawl includes a tab that is biased to a position that positions the tab in the recess and locks the jaw in the closed position.

In another example, the tailgate is provided with at least one horizontal latch assembly configured to secure the stack in a horizontal position. The horizontal latch assembly includes a horizontal latch catch configured to be fixedly mounted with respect to the bucket and a horizontal latch member positioned adjacent the rear edge of the front cover section. The horizontal latch member includes a latch bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position and biased to the extended position. The upstanding latch member is positioned adjacent the front edge of the front cover section. The release mechanism is coupled to both the upright latch assembly and the horizontal latch assembly. The release mechanism is configured to release the upright latch member from the upright latch catch when the stack is in the upright position and release the horizontal latch member from the horizontal latch catch when the stack is in the horizontal position.

In one implementation, the release mechanism includes a first actuating member connected to the latch bolt and extending generally across the front cover section adjacent the rear edge, whereby pulling the first actuating member moves the latch bolt from the extended position to the retracted position.

In another implementation, the horizontal latch assembly is coupled to the upright latch member, whereby movement of the blocking bolt to the retracted position causes the upright latch member to move out of retaining engagement with the upright latch catch.

In yet another implementation, the horizontal latch assembly is coupled to the upright latch member by a second actuation member.

In further implementations, a portion of the second actuation member extends in a first direction from the horizontal latch assembly and another portion of the second actuation member extends in a second direction from the upright latch member.

In yet another implementation, the first direction is a direction extending generally across the front cover section adjacent the rear edge, and the second direction is a direction extending generally from the rear edge toward the front edge of the front cover section, the second actuating member extending about a pivot at which the second actuating member transitions from the first direction to the second direction.

In another implementation, the stationary panel is positioned adjacent the front cover section and extends over a portion of the cargo bed of the pick-up truck, and a portion of the upright latch member extends beyond the front edge to a position below the stationary panel.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pickup truck with a rear deck lid extending over a cargo bed of the pickup truck.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the truck bed showing the deck lid folded and forming a stack of deck lid sections adjacent the front end of the truck bed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the tailgate stack rotated to a substantially upright position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pickup truck showing a tailgate stack moved to a substantially upright position and positioned generally adjacent a rear of a pickup truck cab and equipped with a latch assembly, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A is a lower perspective cross-sectional view of the tailgate and latch assembly shown in a substantially downward or horizontal position.

Fig. 5B is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the tailgate and latch assembly seen in fig. 5A.

Fig. 6 is an upper perspective cross-sectional view of the tailgate and latch assembly shown in a substantially vertical or upright position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the tailgate and latch assembly seen in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a trunk lid and latch assembly and further depicts a release mechanism in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure and in combination with the latch assembly.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the latch assembly seen in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the latch assembly and release mechanism seen in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of an alternative release mechanism according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12A is a lower perspective cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the tailgate and latch assembly shown in a substantially downward or horizontal position.

Fig. 12B is also a lower perspective cross-sectional view of the trunk lid and latch assembly seen in fig. 12A, as viewed from a perspective generally perpendicular to the side wall of the bucket of the pick-up card.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of the latch assembly seen in fig. 12A during initial engagement after the tailgate stack has been moved to a substantially upright position.

Fig. 14A is an enlarged view of the latch assembly seen in fig. 12A, with the lid fully engaged after the tailgate stack has been moved to a substantially upright position, and is shown without the lid disposed thereon.

Fig. 14B is an enlarged view similar to fig. 14A showing the latch assembly fully engaged and the cover disposed on the latch assembly.

Fig. 14C is an upper perspective view of the tailgate and latch assembly of fig. 12A in a substantially upright position.

Fig. 15A is a perspective view of a release mechanism for the tailgate and latch assembly of fig. 12A.

Fig. 15B is an inverted perspective view of the tailgate and a portion of the latch assembly seen in fig. 12A, and showing a release mechanism associated with the laterally opposing latch assembly.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, a collapsible tailgate attached to a truck bed is shown generally in FIG. 1 and indicated at 10. A collapsible trunk lid 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as a "trunk lid") is shown mounted to a cargo bed 12 of a pick-up truck 14 so as to cover or enclose the cargo bed 12. The cargo bucket 12 is generally located rearward of a passenger compartment 16 (hereinafter "cab") and includes a pair of opposed side walls 18 joined at forward and rearward ends by opposed front and rear walls 20, 22, also referred to as a bulkhead 20 and a tailgate 22, respectively. The top of the side wall 18 defines a bucket rail 24 and the tailgate 10 is typically supported on the bucket rail 24, but may be supported on other structures mounted to the bucket rail 24, such as side rails 26.

As previously mentioned, the foldable trunk lid has various styles, such as a soft folding trunk lid and a hard folding trunk lid. As described herein, the present invention is not limited to a particular style of foldable trunk lid embodiment. Thus, as described below, references to the tailgate 10 apply to all types of foldable tailgates unless the language or context of the specification requires otherwise to the contrary.

The tailgate 10 is shown in fig. 1 in an extended position in which sections or panels 28 of the tailgate 10 are coplanar adjacent one another and cover the cargo hopper 14. As seen in fig. 2, the tailgate 10 has been moved from its extended position to a folded position in which the panel 28 has been folded toward the cab 16 and the bulkhead 20, exposing at least a portion of the cargo bucket 14 and exposing a floor or bottom wall 30 of the cargo bucket 14.

As mentioned, the tailgate 10 includes a plurality of panels 28. As shown, the tailgate 10 includes four panels 28 (collectively designated as panels 28 and individually designated as panels 28a, 28b, 28c, 28 d) connected to one another by a hinge 32 or hinge mechanisms 34, 40. In the extended or deployed position, the final or rear panel (i.e., panel 28 a) is positioned adjacent the tailgate 22. The foremost or front panel (i.e., panel 28 d) is positioned adjacent to bulkhead 20. Located between the rear panel 28a and the front panel 28d are intermediate panels 28b and 28c.

As seen in fig. 1, the rear panel 28a is rotatably attached to the intermediate panel 28b via a hinge mechanism 32 (i.e., a hinge, flexible substrate, or similar connection). In this manner, the rear panel 28a is hingedly connected and rotatable about the hinge mechanism 32 to initiate movement of the tailgate 10 to its folded position. In so doing, the back panel 28a is folded about the hinge mechanism 32 such that the top surface of the back panel 28a is adjacent to the top surface of the first intermediate panel 28b, with the back panel 28a being atop the intermediate panel 28b.

The first intermediate panel 28b is in turn rotatably attached to the second intermediate panel 28c via a hinge mechanism 34. Accordingly, the rear panel 28a and the first intermediate panel 28b may be rotated together about the hinge mechanism 34 such that the bottom surface of the rear panel 28a is adjacent to the top surface of the second intermediate panel 28c. To accommodate the combined thickness of the rear panel 28a and the first intermediate panel 28b during this movement, the hinge mechanism 34 has a double hinge construction that includes a spacer 36 (see fig. 3) located between pivot portions 38 of the hinge mechanism 34. Thus, the front edge of the first intermediate panel 28b is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the spacer 36 by the pivot portion 38 (e.g., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or the like), and the front edge of the spacer 36 is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the second intermediate panel 28c by the pivot portion 38 (e.g., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or the like).

Similarly, the second intermediate panel 28c is in turn rotatably attached to the front panel 28d by a hinge mechanism 40. So connected, the rear panel 28a, the first intermediate panel 28b, and the second intermediate panel 28c may be rotated together about the hinge mechanism 40 such that the bottom surface of the first intermediate panel 28c is adjacent to the top surface of the rear panel 28d. The combined thickness of the back panel 28a, the first intermediate panel 28b, and the second intermediate panel 28c is also accommodated during this movement by providing the hinge mechanism 40 with a double hinge construction that includes a spacer 42 (see fig. 3) between the pivot portions 44 of the hinge mechanism 40. Thus, the front edge of the second intermediate panel 28c is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the spacer 42 by the pivot portion 44 (e.g., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or the like), and the front edge of the spacer 42 is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the front panel 28d by the pivot portion 44 (e.g., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or the like).

In this folded position of the tailgate 10, seen in fig. 2, the panels 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d collectively define a stack 46 of panels 28.

To extend the tailgate 10, the above process is reversed from the stack 46 until the top surfaces of the panels 28a, 28b, 28c are substantially aligned and coplanar with the top surface of the front panel 28 d. In other words, an angle of approximately 180 degrees should be provided between each of the rear panel 28a, the intermediate panels 28b, 28c, and the front panel 28 d.

While the above embodiment includes four panels 28, it will be readily appreciated that the tailgate 10 may include more or less than four panels 28.

When the stack 46 is formed, the folded trunk lid 10 still covers a portion of the bucket 12 of the truck 14. The coverage may be 1/3 or more of the length of the bucket 12. To provide additional opening and access to the cargo bucket 12, the tailgate 10 may be configured to allow the stack 46 to rotate from a horizontal orientation, as seen in fig. 2, to a generally upright or vertical position, as seen in fig. 3-4. With the stack 46 in the upright position, substantially full access to the bucket 12 is provided. As used herein, the term "vertical" or "upright" refers to an orientation or position of the tailgate that is approximately perpendicular to a plane defined across the top of the truck bed. This may include not only angles of 90 degrees ± 15%, but also angles beyond right angles (i.e., angles toward the cab) but less than 45 degrees beyond vertical, such as for trucks with inclined C-pillars.

To permit the stack 46 to rotate to the upright position, the front panel 28d is rotatably attached to a fixed panel (DEAD PANEL) 48 by a hinge mechanism 50 (i.e., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or similar connection). The securing panels 48 are secured to the bucket 12, at the bucket rail 24, and/or on the top rail of the deck 20 by clamps or other means. The front edge of the front panel 28d is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the fixed panel 48 by a hinge mechanism 50. In this manner, hingedly connected, the stack 46 may be rotated about the hinge mechanism 50 in an upward and forward direction to move the stack 46 to a substantially upright position adjacent the rear of the cab 16. To accommodate the thickness of the stack 46, the fixed panel 48 may have a width (W) in the horizontal position that is greater than the height (H) of the stack 46.

Although access to the cargo hopper 12 is provided with the stack 46 in the upright position, the truck 14 should not be operated unless the stack 48 is secured and/or locked in the upright position. Fig. 4 generally depicts an upright latch assembly (hereinafter "latch assembly") 52 provided with the tailgate 10 to accomplish this objective. The latch assembly 52 is an active latch assembly, meaning that upon movement of the stack 46 to the substantially upright position, the latch assembly 52 automatically engages to secure the stack 46 in the substantially upright position.

Fig. 5-10 depict exemplary structures that permit the latch assembly 52 to automatically engage, in turn, allowing the stack 46 to be secured in a substantially upright position without the need for a support bar or other manually actuated locking mechanism. As seen, the latch assembly 52 generally includes a latch pin 54 secured to the front panel 28d and, optionally, a latch box 56 secured to the bucket 12 of the truck 14. As the stack 46 rotates to the upright position, portions of the latch pin 54 engage portions of the latch box 56 to lock the stack 46 in the upright position.

The latch pin 54 is secured to the front panel 28d by a support bracket 58 that is rigidly attached to the front panel 28d adjacent the front edge and lateral sides of the panel 28d. The support bracket 58 may be secured to the front panel 28d in any manner that rigidly holds the two components together. Thus, the brackets 58 may be mechanically fastened (by screws, bolts, etc.) or permanently fixed (by welding, etc.) to the surface of the panel or its frame members. The support brackets 58 preferably, but not necessarily, extend beyond the front edge of the front panel 28d in a direction toward the deck 20 of the bucket 12 such that the brackets 58 have "free ends" that move in unison with the stack 46.

The latch pin 54 received on or in the support bracket 58 includes a housing 60 within which a spring biased latch bolt 62 is retained. The latch bolt 62 is biased to extend a predetermined distance from the housing 60 and is at least partially retractable into the housing 60 when a force sufficient to overcome the biasing force of the spring is encountered. As seen in fig. 5A-5B, for example, when the stack 46 is in a horizontal or downward position, the latch pin 54 and latch bolt 62 extend to a position below the fixed panel 48, but do not extend so far as to engage the separator 20. As the carriage 58 and latch bolt 62 move toward the upright position, the latch bolt may encounter an obstruction, such as a catch 68, that causes the latch bolt 62 to retract at least partially into the housing 60. Such an automatically retracted latch facilitates operation by the end user because the end user no longer needs to manually pull back the latch for engagement.

The latch box 56 may be mounted directly to the bucket rail 24 of the bucket 12 by a clamp 64 or other means. Alternatively, the latch box 56 may be mounted to a side rail 26 that is used in conjunction with the tailgate 10 and thereby secured to the bucket rail 24. The latch box 56, which itself is not necessarily a box, includes a base plate 66 for engaging the clamp and supporting a catch/clasp 68, and a stop 70. The catch 68 is positioned to engage the latch bolt 62 when the stack 46 completes its movement to the substantially upright position. Thus, the catch 68 is positioned along the arc of movement of the end of the latch bolt 62. The location of the catch 68 is also such that the catch 68 can retract the latch bolt 62 into the housing 60 against the force of the spring in the direction of the tailgate 22 of the bucket 12 a distance that will allow the bracket 58, the housing 60 and the latch bolt 62 to pass over and beyond the catch 68. Once rotated past the catch 68, the spring will bias the latch bolt 62 away from the housing 60. Due to the interference fit between the catch 68 and the latch bolt 62, the latch bolt 62 extends from the housing 60 a distance sufficient to prevent the stack 46 from being able to rotate in the opposite direction, i.e., back to a downward or horizontal position.

The latch bolt 62 and catch 68 include opposed sloped leading faces 72, 74 for retaining engagement and facilitating forced retraction of the latch bolt 62 as the latch bolt passes over and past the catch 72. The leading face 72 of the latch bolt 62 may be a flat surface, a convex surface, or an inclined surface of other shape. Similarly, the leading surface 74 of the catch 68 may be a flat surface, a convex surface, or an angled surface of other shape.

The respective rear end surfaces 76, 78 of the latch bolt 62 and catch 68 are preferably flat surfaces oriented to co-planar surface-to-surface engagement once the latch bolt 62 has been rotated past the catch 68 by the spring and extended away from the housing 60. Thus, engagement of the rear end surfaces 76, 78 is an interference fit that prevents the stack 46 from being accidentally moved from the upright position to the horizontal position, and that does not result in the latch bolt 62 being retracted into the housing 60, which could otherwise result in accidental rotation of the stack 46.

As mentioned above, the base plate 66 may also support a stop 70. The stop 70 is preferably made of a resilient material, such as rubber, and serves to limit rotational movement of the stack 46 toward the cab 16 once the latch bolt 62 has rotated past the catch 68. To achieve this restriction on movement, a stop 70 is preferably located on the base plate 66 behind the catch 68 and in a position to engage the housing 60 of the latch pin 54. Preferably, the distance of the stop 70 behind the catch 68 is such that slight compression of the stop 70 is required to move the latch bolt 62 past the catch 68.

The catch 68 and stop 70 may be secured to the base plate 66 by mechanical fasteners or the like. Additionally, the latch box 56 may include a cover 80 secured to the base plate 66 and enclosing the catch 68, the stop 70, and the latch bolt 62 therebetween.

Although one latch assembly 52 has been described, preferably two latch assemblies 52 are used with the rear case cover 10, one on each lateral side of the stack 46, as seen in fig. 8.

To permit the stack 46 to rotate from a substantially vertical or upright position to a downward or horizontal position, a release assembly 82 is provided and various implementations can be seen in fig. 8, 10 and 11. In one implementation, the release assembly 82 includes a cable 83 secured to an opposite end 84 of the latch bolt 62 opposite the end of the latch bolt 62 having the leading face 72 and the trailing face 76 discussed previously. By pulling cable 83 in a direction opposite the biasing force of the spring, latch bolt 62 may be retracted into housing 60, thereby disengaging rear end surfaces 76, 78 from one another and allowing latch bolt 62 to pass beyond catch 68 in the direction of bulkhead 20. With the latch bolt 62 disengaged from the catch 68, the stack 46 may be rotated from the upright position to the downward position.

In the embodiment seen in fig. 10, the cables 83 from the laterally opposing latch assemblies 52 may extend along the lower surface of the front panel 28d to pulleys 86 that redirect the cables 83 laterally across the panel 28d, where the cables 83 merge or join together. Instead of the pulley 86, the cable 83 may extend around any pivot, including rollers, bushings, or even fixed non-rotating pins. In this way, a single pull of the linked cable 83 will effect retraction of the latch bolts 62 on both sides of the rear case cover 10 to release the latch bolts 62 of the respective catches 68, thereby permitting the stack 46 to rotate from the substantially vertical position to the horizontal position.

The rear case cover 10 may additionally include a horizontal latch assembly in the form of a quick or snap latch 88 for securing the stack 46 in a horizontal position, as seen in fig. 10 and 11. In this case, the quick latch 88 may be similarly configured and include a spring biased latch bolt 90 retained within a housing 92. A quick latch is provided on front panel 28d near the rear edge of panel 28d and is oriented so that latch bolt 90 may be snap-engaged with a cargo bed secured to the pick-up truck. In one implementation, the catch may be part of a side rail 26 defining a suitable catch surface. After the stack 46 is lowered to the downward position, the latch bolts 90 of the quick latches 88 will engage the catch portions of the side rails 26 and secure the stack 46 in the downward position.

The quick latches 88 may be coupled to a second release assembly 94, which may include an actuation member, which may be a cable (fig. 8 and 10) or a strap 96 (fig. 11) extending between laterally opposing quick latches 88. The strap 96 may be secured to an opposite end 98 of the latch bolt 90, whereby pulling the strap 96 retracts the latch bolt 88 from engagement with the catch portion of the side rail 26, allowing the stack to rotate to a substantially upright position.

A cable or strap 96 may be coupled to the cable 83 of the release assembly 82 for the latch assembly 52. In one embodiment shown in fig. 10, the cables 83, 96 extend parallel to each other over a portion of their length and are secured by clamps wrapped around both cables 83, 96.

In yet another embodiment, the cables 83 of the release assembly 82 of the latch assembly 52 for securing the stack 46 in the vertical position are not joined together. In contrast, as indicated in fig. 11, after passing through the pulley 86, the cable 83 does not extend laterally through the panel 28d. Instead, the end of the cable 83 is secured to a side extension 102 of the latch bolt 90 of the quick latch 88. Thus, retracting the latch bolt 90 by pulling the strap 96 also causes the latch bolt 62 of the latch assembly 52 to retract, and only a single strap 96 need be provided transversely across the front panel 28d.

In an alternative embodiment, the latch assembly may be a rotary latch. An embodiment of the tailgate and rotary latch assembly is seen in fig. 12A-15B.

As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, a collapsible trunk lid 110 is supported on the bed rail 24 of the pick-up truck 14 so as to cover the bed 12 of the pick-up truck 14 and extend in a horizontal direction. The illustrated tailgate 110 includes a rear panel 112a rotatably attached to a front panel 112b via a hinge mechanism 114 (i.e., a hinge, flexible substrate, or similar connection). In this manner, the rear panel 112a is hingedly connected and rotatable about the hinge mechanism 114 to move the rear cover 110 toward its folded position. In so doing, the rear panel 112a is folded about the hinge mechanism 114 such that the top surface of the rear panel 112a is adjacent to the top surface of the front panel 112b, with the rear panel 112a being atop the front panel 112b. In this folded position, the panels 112a, 112b collectively define a stack 116 of panels 112.

When the stack 116 is formed, the folded tailgate 110 still covers a portion of the cargo bed 12 of the pick-up truck 14. To provide additional opening and access to the cargo bucket 12, the tailgate 110 is configured to allow the stack 116 to rotate from a horizontal orientation to a generally upright or vertical position. As previously described, the term "vertical" or "upright" is used herein to refer to an orientation or position of the tailgate that is approximately perpendicular to a plane defined across the top of the truck bed, and may include not only angles of 90 degrees ± 15%, but also angles beyond right angles (i.e., angles toward the cab) but less than 45 degrees beyond perpendicular, such as for trucks having an inclined C-pillar, as seen in fig. 14C.

To permit the stack 116 to rotate to the upright position, the front panel 112b is rotatably attached to the fixed panel 118 by a hinge mechanism 120 (i.e., via a hinge, flexible substrate, or similar connection). The securing panel 118 is secured to the bucket 12, at the bucket rail 24, and/or to the top rail of the deck 20 by clamps or other means. The front edge of the front panel 112b is rotatably attached to the rear edge of the fixed panel 118 by a hinge mechanism 120. In this manner, hingedly connected, the stack 116 may be rotated about the hinge mechanism 120 in an upward and forward direction to move the stack 46 to a substantially upright position, such as the angled position toward the rear of the cab 16 as seen in fig. 14C.

While shown as having two panels 112, it will be appreciated that the tailgate 110 may include three, four or more panels 112 and have a similar construction to the tailgate 10 discussed above, but with a pair of rotary latch assemblies 122, as described below.

Each rotary latch assembly 122 is an active latch assembly and, thus, upon movement of the stack 116 to the substantially upright position, the latch assemblies 122 automatically engage to secure the stack 116 in the substantially upright position without the need for a support bar or other manually actuated locking mechanism. The rotary latch assembly 122 is rigidly attached to the front panel 112b adjacent the front edge and lateral sides of the panel 112b. The rotary latch assembly 122 has a common construction. Accordingly, the configurations described herein are applicable to each rotary latch assembly 122.

The rotary latch assembly 122 includes a latch mechanism 124 that is received within a latch cover 126 and secured to the front panel 112b by the latch cover 126. The latch cover 126 may be secured to the front panel 112b by any means that rigidly holds the two components together, and thus, the latch cover 126 may be mechanically fastened (by screws, bolts, etc.) or permanently secured (by welding, etc.) to the surface of the front panel 112b or a frame member thereof. Preferably, but not necessarily, the latch cover 126 extends beyond the front edge of the front panel 112b in a direction toward the bulkhead 20 of the bucket 12 so that the latch cover 126 may have a "free end" that moves in coordination with the stack.

Latch mechanism 124, which is received in latch housing 126, includes latch housing 128, jaw 130, and pawl 132. Jaw 130 and pawl 132 are each rotatably supported on a hollow sleeve or shaft 134, 135 extending through latch housing 128. Because of being hollow, the sleeves 134, 135 define mounting holes through which fasteners 136 (i.e., threaded bolts or other mechanical fasteners) extend to rigidly secure the latch mechanism 124, and in particular the latch housing 128, to the latch cover 126. When secured to the latch cover 126, one end of the latch housing 128 extends beyond the end of the latch cover 126, is exposed and moves to a substantially upright position in coordination with movement of the stack 116.

The exposed end of the latch housing 128 includes a portion defining a catch channel 138. The catch channel 138 has a bottom surface from which extends a flared side surface that gradually widens as the side surface approaches the lateral side of the latch housing 128. Specifically, the catch channel 138 opens onto a front lateral side 140 of the latch housing 128, as defined during movement of the stack 116 to the substantially upright position.

Configured as described above, the latch channel 138 is configured to receive a latch pin (STRIKER PIN) 142. Latch pins 142 are mounted to side rails 144 of the tailgate 110, which is itself secured to one of the transverse cargo rails 24 of the cargo bed 12 of the pick-up truck 14. The mounting of the latch pin 142 is an adjustable mounting allowing the latch pin 142 to be positioned along the length of the side rail 144 such that the latch pin is received in the latch channel 138 when the stack 116 is rotated to the substantially upright position. To facilitate such installation, the latch pin 142 extends laterally from a mounting plate 146 that is secured to a rail 148 defined in the side rail 144 by bolts 150.

Jaw 130 includes a latch recess 152 and is mounted on sleeve 134 so as to be rotatable between an open position shown in fig. 13 and a closed position shown in fig. 14A and 14B. A biasing mechanism, such as a return spring or more specifically a torsion spring, is provided in the latch mechanism 124 to bias the jaws 130 to the open position. When the jaws 130 are in the open position, the jaws 130 extend outwardly relative to the latch housing 128 and the catch recess 152 is configured to receive the catch pin 142 when the stack 116 is rotated to the substantially upright position. Continued movement of stack 116 to the substantially upright position forces jaws 130 to rotate to a closed position in which jaws 130 are received within latch housing 128. The latch recesses 152 are configured to capture and secure the latch pins 142 within the latch channels 138 when the jaws 130 are in the closed position, thereby locking the stack 116 in a substantially upright position.

Locking of jaw 130 in the closed position is accomplished by engagement between notches 131 and jaw locking tabs 133, typically formed on jaw 130 and pawl 132, respectively. Rotation of jaw 130 to the closed position allows pawl 132 to rotate about its sleeve 135 under the influence of a return spring and moves jaw locking tab 133 into recess 131, thereby preventing jaw 130 from rotating back to the open position.

Pawl 132 includes an actuating arm 154 that extends radially away from the pivot axis defined by sleeve 135 and extends obliquely relative to latch cover 126. By applying sufficient force to actuating arm 154 in the clockwise direction in fig. 14A and 14B, pawl 132 rotates about sleeve 135 and the jaw locking tab moves out of engagement with the notch on jaw 130, allowing jaw 130 to rotate to the open position as stack 116 moves from the substantially upright position back to the horizontal orientation.

In order to apply the above force to the actuation arm 154, the rear case cover 110 includes a release mechanism 156, as shown in fig. 13, 14A to 14C, and 15A to 15B. Alternatively, the release mechanism 156 may be configured in the same manner as the release assembly 82, with or without the quick latch 80. The illustrated release mechanism 156 includes a release strap 158 or, alternatively, a cable that extends from one latch mechanism 124 through a first guide 160 along a lateral side of the front panel 122b, then laterally across the front panel 122b, through a second guide 162, and finally along the other lateral side of the front panel 122b to a laterally opposite latch mechanism 124. At its opposite end, the release strap 158 terminates in a buckle 162 connected to the actuation arm 154 by a rocker 166.

The rocker 166 is connected to the buckle 164 of the strap 158 via a first pivotable joint 168 and to the actuation arm 154 via a second pivotable joint 170 that is laterally offset from the first pivotable joint 168. The first pivotable joint 168 is generally unconstrained in its position relative to the latch cover 126, but the second pivotable joint 170 is constrained.

As seen in fig. 14A, rocker 166 includes a post or protrusion 172 corresponding to second pivotable engagement 170. The post 172 is received within an arcuate slot 174 defined in the latch cover 126 and corresponding to the radius of curvature of the actuation arm 154 about the sleeve 135 at the second pivotable joint 170. Thus, when the release strap 158 is pulled, for example, in a direction away from the surface of the front panel 122b or in a region of the front panel 122b laterally along the surface, the buckle 162 pulls the rocker 166 in a direction away from the latch mechanism 124. Because the pivotable members 168, 170 are staggered and the first pivotable member 168 is unconstrained and the second pivotable member 170 is constrained to the arcuate slot 174, the rocker 166 will rotate about the two members 168, 170, causing the post to move along the arcuate slot 174 from one end to the other, thereby rotating the pawl 132 about the sleeve 135 via the actuator arm 154. This rotation moves the jaw locking tab out of the notch and allows the jaw 130 to move to the open position and allows the stack 116 to move from the substantially upright position to the horizontal orientation.

An additional return spring 176 (i.e., a torsion coil spring) may be provided at the second pivotable engagement member to bias pawl 132 and rocker 166 to the position seen in fig. 14A and to engage the jaw locking tab with jaw 130 and the notch each time jaw 130 is rotated to the closed position by engagement with latch pin 142.

The above description is intended to illustrate at least one preferred implementation incorporating the principles of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications, variations and changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the terminology used herein is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Claims (20)

1. A tailgate for covering a cargo bed of a pickup truck, the cargo bed including a floor surrounded by a pair of opposed side walls, a front wall, and a rear wall, the tailgate comprising:

At least two cover sections including a front cover section and a rear cover section, the cover sections being movable relative to one another between an extended position in which the cover sections are generally co-planar adjacent and cover the bucket of the pick-up truck, and a collapsed position in which the rear cover section overlies the front cover section and together therewith defines a stack, the stack being movable between a generally horizontal position in which the stack overlies only a portion of the bucket of the pick-up truck, and a generally upright position in which the stack extends upwardly relative to a plane defined across and atop the side wall of the bucket of the pick-up truck, and

At least one upstanding latch assembly configured to secure the stack in the upstanding position, the upstanding latch assembly including an upstanding latch catch and an upstanding latch member, one of the upstanding latch catch and the upstanding latch member configured to be fixedly mounted relative to the bucket of the pick up truck, the other of the upstanding latch catch and the upstanding latch member mounted to the front cover section and movable with the front cover section into retaining engagement with the one of the upstanding latch catch and the upstanding latch member during movement of the stack to the upstanding position, thereby securing the stack in the upstanding position.

2. The tailgate of claim 1 wherein said upright latch assembly is an active latch assembly and automatically engages during movement of said stack to said upright position, thereby securing said stack in said upright position.

3. The tailgate according to claim 1 wherein said upstanding latch member is mounted to said front cover section.

4. The tailgate of claim 1 wherein said upstanding latch member comprises a latch bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

5. The tailgate of claim 4 wherein said upstanding latch member includes a biasing member that biases said latch bolt to said extended position.

6. The tailgate of claim 4 wherein said latch bolt includes a sloped leading face and an opposing trailing face, whereby during movement of said stack to said upright position said leading face engages said catch, thereby causing movement of said latch bolt to said retracted position, and during retention of said stack in said upright position said trailing face engages said catch in an interference fit.

7. The tailgate of claim 4 further comprising at least one rail mountable to said cargo bed of said pick-up truck and supporting said upright latch catch.

8. The tailgate of claim 7, further comprising a stop configured to define a limit of movement of the stack to the upright position, the upright latch member comprising a latch bolt located between the stop and the upright latch catch when the stack is secured in the upright position.

9. The tailgate of claim 1 wherein said upright latch assembly is a rotary latch assembly and said upright latch member comprises a latch housing, a jaw, and a pawl rotatably supported by said latch housing.

10. The rear case lid of claim 9, wherein a portion of the latch housing defines a catch channel having an open end that faces a lateral side of the latch housing and is configured to receive the catch therein during movement of the stack to the upright position.

11. The rear case lid of claim 10, wherein the jaw is movable between an open position in which the first portion of the jaw extends into the latch channel and the second portion of the jaw extends out of the latch housing such that the latch recess is generally laterally presented to receive the latch in the latch recess and move the jaw to the closed position, and a closed position in which the second portion of the jaw extends across the latch channel and closes the open end, whereby the latch is retentively engaged in both the latch channel and the latch recess.

12. The rear case lid of claim 11, wherein the jaws are biased to the open position.

13. The rear case lid of claim 9, wherein the jaw includes a recess and the pawl includes a protrusion, the pawl being biased to a position that positions the protrusion in the recess and locks the jaw in a closed position.

14. The rear case lid of claim 1, further comprising:

At least one horizontal latch assembly configured to secure the stack in the horizontal position, the horizontal latch assembly comprising a horizontal latch catch configured to be fixedly mounted relative to the bucket of the pick-up truck and a horizontal latch member positioned adjacent a rear edge of the front cover section and comprising a latch bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position and biased to the extended position;

the upstanding latch member positioned adjacent the front edge of the front cover section, and

A release mechanism coupled to both the upright latch assembly and the horizontal latch assembly, the release mechanism configured to release the upright latch member from the upright latch catch when the stack is in the upright position and to release the horizontal latch member from the horizontal latch catch when the stack is in the horizontal position.

15. The tailgate of claim 14 wherein said release mechanism comprises a first actuating member connected to said latch bolt and extending generally across said front cover section adjacent said rear edge, whereby pulling said first actuating member moves said latch bolt from said extended position to said retracted position.

16. The tailgate of claim 15 wherein said horizontal latch assembly is coupled to said upright latch member whereby movement of said latch bolt to said retracted position moves said upright latch member out of retaining engagement with said upright latch catch.

17. The tailgate according to claim 14 wherein said horizontal latch assembly is coupled to said upright latch member by a second actuating member.

18. The tailgate of claim 17 wherein a portion of said second actuating member extends in a first direction from said horizontal latch assembly and another portion of said second actuating member extends in a second direction from an upstanding latch member.

19. The tailgate of claim 18 wherein said first direction is a direction extending generally across said front cover section adjacent said rear edge and said second direction is a direction extending generally from said rear edge toward said front edge of said front cover section, said second actuating member extending about a pivot axis at which said second actuating member transitions from said first direction to said second direction.

20. The tailgate of claim 14 further comprising a securing panel positioned adjacent said front cover section and extending over a portion of said cargo bed of said pickup truck, a portion of said upstanding latch member extending beyond said front edge to a position below said securing panel.