Striker cover for a vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLivianu Dorin Puscas, Bhupendra A. Patel, Kosta Papanikolaou, David Manuel Rogers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Striker cover for use with a vehicle closure. The striker cover having two cover pieces with coaxial pivot edges, that when contacted by a latch, pivot into a cam and separate to provide access of the latch to the striker. When the vehicle closure is open, springs bias the cover pieces toward each other and into the cam, rotating the cover pieces back into a first position. In the first position the cover pieces cover the striker and obstruct the striker from view.
Claims17
A cover assembly for a striker on a vehicle comprising:
- an axle disposed adjacent a striker on a vehicle;
- a cover including first and second cover halves assembled to pivot and axially slide on the axle, each of the first and second cover halves having a major side and a mating edge that is substantially perpendicular to the major side, wherein a pair of springs disposed on the axle bias the mating edges to be in contact with each other when the cover is in a first position covering the striker with the major sides;
- and
- a cam including first and second sides that each engage one of the first and second cover halves as the cover pivots about the axle to a second position to slide the first and second cover halves in opposite directions along the axle separating the mating edge of the first cover half from the mating edge of the second cover half to provide access to the striker.
A vehicle closure system comprising:
- a latch disposed on a closure;
- a striker engagable with the latch;
- adjacent covers having coaxial pivot edges disposed on a same axle, and covering the striker when the closure is open;
- and
- a cam sliding the covers in opposite directions along the axle to separate the covers as the latch pushes the covers into the cam providing access for the latch and striker to engage when the closure closes.
A striker assembly comprising:
- an axle;
- a striker;
- first and second covers each defining a journal disposed around the axle, and mating edges that are abutting to cover the striker when in a first position;
- and
- a cam engaging the first and second covers to slide the covers in opposite directions along the axle to separate the mating edges as the first and second covers rotate about the axle to a second position providing access to the striker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.