Vehicles including front grille assemblies with auxiliary lever access panels
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsMingher Fred Shen, Scott L. Frederick, Brandon W. Letcher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a hood assembly that is located above an engine compartment. A hood latch assembly includes an auxiliary latch assembly. The auxiliary latch assembly includes an auxiliary lever that unlatches the auxiliary latch assembly from the hood assembly. A front grille assembly has an auxiliary lever access location formed as an opening between the hood assembly and the front grille assembly. An auxiliary lever access panel has a closed configuration that conceals at least a portion of the opening and an open configuration that exposes the opening to access the auxiliary lever.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a hood assembly located above an engine compartment;
- a hood latch assembly comprising an auxiliary latch assembly, the auxiliary latch assembly comprising an auxiliary lever that unlatches the auxiliary latch assembly from the hood assembly;
- a front grille assembly having an auxiliary lever access location formed as an opening between the hood assembly and the front grille assembly and within the front grille assembly;
- and
- an auxiliary lever access panel having a closed configuration that conceals at least a portion of the opening and an open configuration that exposes the opening to access the auxiliary lever.
A front grille assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
- an auxiliary lever access location formed as an opening through an exterior panel;
- and
- an auxiliary lever access panel connected to the exterior panel and located within the front grille assembly, the auxiliary lever access panel having a closed configuration that conceals at least a portion of the opening and an open configuration that exposes the opening.
A method of providing access to an auxiliary lever of a hood latch assembly, the method comprising:
- providing an auxiliary lever access location through an exterior panel of a front grille assembly;
- and
- connecting an auxiliary lever access panel to the front grille assembly thereby concealing at least a portion of the opening, the auxiliary lever access panel having a closed configuration that conceals the at least the portion of the opening and an open configuration that exposes the opening to access the auxiliary lever.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.