Lock unit having a slotted pawl

Abstract

A lock unit for a vehicle includes a rotatable catch biased in an opening direction about a catch rotation axis toward an open position of the lock unit in which a first recess of the catch is configured to receive a striker of the vehicle. Additionally, the catch includes a second recess disposed before the first recess in the opening direction. A pawl including a slot rotatable about a fixed pawl pivot axis is biased toward both the catch and the pawl pivot axis. The pawl includes a blocking arm which extends into the second recess of the catch when the lock unit is in a secondary latched position. A blocking lever of a ratchet abuts the blocking arm of the pawl against the catch in a primary latched position of the lock unit preventing rotation of the pawl away from the catch. When the lock unit is forced from the secondary latched position to the primary latched position, the pawl moves in a longitudinal direction of the slot avoiding the rotational blocking action of the ratchet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.