Vehicle Deployable Front Step
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsCary Ochen Diehl, Nadia Preston, Julee Harlow, Scott Milke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle and a hood release system are provided. The vehicle may include a hood release lever disposed within a vehicle cabin connected to a hood latch assembly and a step assembly disposed within a front portion of the vehicle. The hood release lever may be configured to release the step assembly from a stowed to a deployed position in coordination with releasing the hood latch from primary latching position to a secondary latching position. The step assembly may be configured to release the hood latch from the secondary latching position to allow the hood to fully open.
Claims17
A vehicle comprising:
- a latch assembly connected to the vehicle having a primary and a secondary latch configured to maintain a hood in primary and secondary closed positions, respectively;
- a step assembly disposed within a front portion of the vehicle, the step assembly having a stowed and a deployed position;
- and
- a hood release disposed within a vehicle cabin configured to release the primary latch and deploy the step assembly.
A hood release system comprising:
- a hood release operatively coupled to a hood latch assembly configured to releasably latch a vehicle hood;
- and
- a step member pivotally mounted to a front portion of a vehicle, the step member operatively coupled to the hood latch assembly, wherein in response to actuation of the hood release, the step member pivots from a stowed position to a deployed position.
A hood release system comprising:
- a hood releasably connected to a vehicle via a latch assembly;
- a hood release connected to the latch assembly;
- and
- a step assembly connected to the vehicle and the latch assembly, the step assembly disposed proximate a front portion of the vehicle, wherein in response to a downward force applied to the step assembly, the hood is released from a closed position to an open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.