ROTARY LATCH ASSEMBLY WITH MULTIPLE STRIKER ENGAGEMENTS

A rotary latch assembly includes a latch release having a detent and a pawl that is rotatable relative to the latch release about a pivot axis. The pawl includes at least one catch for engaging the detent to releasably hold the pawl in a fixed orientation. At least two contact surfaces are offset from the pivot axis. At least one spring is mounted to the pawl. The pawl is rotatable relative to the latch release between a neutral orientation and at least one non-neutral orientation. The at least one spring accumulates a stored energy during rotation of the pawl toward the at least one non-neutral orientation in response to force applied to one of the at least two contact surfaces, and the spring releases the stored energy when force is removed from one of the at least two contact surfaces to rotate the pawl toward the neutral orientation.