ES2778949A1 - IMPROVED FOLDING LUGGAGE CASE (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Improved folding luggage box (1) comprising a base (2), an upper wall (3), a rear wall (4) and side walls (5), which can adopt folded chest (1) configurations, hood (1) unfolded closed and hood (1) unfolded open. The folding chest (1) comprises at least one anchoring means (24) of the base (2), located on the rear edge of the base (2), at least one lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4), at least one upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) and at least one anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3), located at the rear edge of the upper wall (3), and also comprises a transmission system (6) of the movement of the lock (22) to the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4), which in the configuration of the chest (1) deployed closed allows the lock (22) act on said anchoring means (43). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

D E S C R I P T I O N

IMPROVED FOLDING LUGGAGE CASE

TECHNICAL SECTOR

This invention has its application within the industry dedicated to the manufacture of luggage racks and automobile accessories.

The present invention relates to a folding luggage box, applicable on the roof of motor vehicles. Its obvious purpose is to constitute a totally closed baggage transport nexus, being able to adopt two positions: unfolded, it allows to house the cargo inside, being protected from external agents; folded, it occupies a minimum volume, which allows improving the aerodynamics of the car that carries it when its use is not necessary, as well as facilitating its storage by the user or for commercial distribution purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, luggage boxes that are fixed to the roof of vehicles for the transport of luggage are well known. These boxes can in principle be attached to any vehicle to increase the volume available for luggage in case the space available in the conventional trunk of the vehicle is not enough. These are primarily rigid chests having an essentially parallelepiped shape with improved aerodynamic characteristics through rounded edges, a forward slant of the top surface, or other additional elements.

A common problem with currently known roof boxes is that they occupy the same volume both when in use and when not in use. For this reason, users are forced to disassemble them when not in use if they want their vehicle to regain normal aerodynamic performance. It is a time-consuming operation that can be quite cumbersome given the volume of the chest and the height to which it is attached. He The volume of these luggage boxes is also an inconvenience during their transport, storage and distribution by the manufacturing company.

To overcome these drawbacks, different designs of folding luggage boxes have been developed where at least the side walls are folding, for example thanks to bellows-type mechanisms or by manufacturing them from a naturally folding material, such as fabric, canvas or the like. Although these designs do make it possible to obtain a folding luggage box, they have drawbacks due to the lack of rigidity of the side walls. First of all, this lack of rigidity results in security gaps, as these chests can easily be forced to access their contents. Second, the aerodynamic performance of this type of hood is relatively low due to the absence of rigid surfaces that can consistently guide the airflow that circulates around it.

To solve these problems, the inventor of the present application has presented various designs of rigid folding luggage boxes, such as those described in applications U200800984, U201000390 or P201230453. However, the fact that the upper face of the deployed chests described in said applications is made up of two independent walls and their joint is located in the direction of travel or in the upper part of the chest can make the assembly more difficult and rigid. And it can be dangerous because, mounted on the vehicle and at a certain speed, a small opening can cause accidental lifting of part of the cover. Furthermore, due to the folding systems they use, to ensure the tightness of these folding luggage boxes, rubber gaskets or other additional elements are required. On the other hand, the manufacturing cost of the folding luggage boxes described in said applications is high, because their morphology implies that at least some of the walls that make them up must be manufactured by thermo-injection. The articulation system of the application U200800984 makes it difficult to achieve an aerodynamic design of the hood. The case described in the application P201230453 includes a very complex internal system of articulations that makes the folding and unfolding processes difficult. Another drawback, particularly related to the application U201000390, is related to the complexity of the mobile system for anchoring the side pieces to the upper piece and the need to actuate it manually from inside the box.

In short, there is still a need in this field for a folding luggage box made up of rigid parts that is relatively simple to fold and unfold, inexpensive to manufacture and that guarantees protection of the load.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

This box differs from the chests of the prior art in the way in which the folding and unfolding of the box occurs, due to the set of anchoring means, retention means and joints that interconnect the walls of the present invention, which allow a solid and stable union of the parts that make up the hood cover. This folding and unfolding system, which will be described in detail throughout this document, is simpler and simplifies the folding and unfolding processes, without the need to manually actuate anchoring elements from the inside, as was the case in the hood of the application U201000390. The folding system and the morphology of the walls and the base that make up the box aim to make these walls more economical, such as thermoforming.

Next, some terms that will be used in this document for the description of the box of the invention are defined.

In this document, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "top", "top1 '," bottom ","bottom1',"front","rear","rear1' and the like refer to to the corresponding geometric positions or directions, taking into account the natural orientation of use of the hood fixed to a vehicle, with the base resting horizontally on the roof, where the end where the tip of the wedge shape is in unfolded configuration is the front end and the end where the highest side of the wedge shape is located is the rear end; the term "longitudinal" refers to the direction of travel of the vehicle; and the term "transverse" refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, that is, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

The present invention is directed to a collapsible chest comprising two walls sides, a rear wall and a top wall, which make up the cover of the unfolded chest, and a base. The chest of the invention may adopt a folded chest configuration, a closed unfolded chest configuration and an open unfolded chest configuration. Unlike the previous chests and in order to solve the problem of tightness without the need for joints and increase the rigidity of the unfolded chest, it has been decided to replace the two walls that formed the upper part with a single upper wall, so that the joints that can compromise the tightness are minimized. Said upper wall is anchored at the rear to the rear wall by means of anchoring systems, in an area much less sensitive to the entry of water with the vehicle in motion. This provides greater safety to the hood because, due to its aerodynamic design, even without being anchored by mistake or by accident, the walls tend to maintain the configuration even with the vehicle in motion.

In the folded chest configuration, the side walls and the rear wall are stacked on the base, essentially parallel thereto, within the cavity formed by the top wall and the base.

In the closed unfolded chest configuration, the chest cover, formed by the side walls and the rear wall in an essentially vertical position and the top wall in an inclined position rigidly coupled to each other, is coupled to the base, so that it takes a shape essentially wedge.

In the open deployed hood configuration, the hood cover is tilted over one edge of the base and the interior of the hood is accessible.

The chest comprises at least one means of anchoring the base located on the rear edge of the base, at least one means of anchoring the upper wall located on the rear edge of the upper wall, at least one means of lower anchoring the rear wall and at least one upper anchoring means of the rear wall, so that: - in the folded box configuration, the anchoring between the anchoring means of the base and the anchoring means of the upper wall firmly holds the base and top wall to keep the hood folded or can be released to allow the hood to unfold,

- in the closed deployed chest configuration, the anchor between the middle of the The top wall anchor and the rear wall top anchor means hold the top wall and the rear wall firmly together and the anchor between the base anchor means and the rear wall bottom anchor means firmly holds the base and rear wall to keep the unfolded hood closed; or both anchors can be released to allow folding of the chest; or the anchor between the upper wall anchor means and the rear wall upper anchor means can be maintained and the anchor between the base anchor means and the rear wall lower anchor means can be released to allow opening from the chest.

The box of the invention comprises at least one lock that operates the anchoring means to prevent or allow the movement of the walls and therefore the change in the configuration of the box, that is, the folding or unfolding and the opening or closing of the unfolded box. .

The chest of the invention comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a lock that can adopt at least three positions, closed, open and folded, which allow the following provisions of the chest:

- arrangement of the folded box with the lock in the closed position, where the anchoring means of the base is anchored to the anchoring means of the upper wall to keep it in the folded box configuration;

- arrangement of the folded box with the lock in the open position or in the folded position, where the anchoring means of the base is released from the anchoring means of the upper wall, which allows to start the unfolding process of the box; - Unfolded box arrangement closed with the lock in the closed position, where the base anchoring means is anchored to the lower anchoring means of the rear wall and the upper anchoring means of the rear wall is anchored to the anchoring means of the upper wall, to keep it in the closed unfolded chest configuration;

- arrangement of the unfolded box closed with the lock in the open position, where the upper anchoring means of the rear wall is anchored to the anchoring means of the upper wall and the anchoring means of the base is released from the lower anchoring means of the rear wall, so that it is possible to open the box by tilting the cover to access the interior of the box; and

- Unfolded chest arrangement closed with the lock in the folded position, where all the anchors are released, so that all the walls can rotate around the corresponding axes to proceed with the folding of the chest.

To avoid the need for a second lock that activates the anchoring means that joins the rear wall and the upper wall without resorting to manual operation of another mechanism that fulfills this function, the box of the invention incorporates in a preferred embodiment an internal system of transmission of movement, by means of cables, plates or similar elements, connected to the lock in the deployed chest configuration, which allows said lock to act on the upper anchoring means of the rear wall. This movement transmission system is disconnected from the lock when the unfolded chest is opened or the rear wall is folded down in the folding process.

Preferably, the upper wall comprises a perimeter edge essentially perpendicular to its upper face. In the folded chest configuration, the perimeter edge of the upper wall covers the entire perimeter edge of the base, ensuring watertightness. In the closed deployed chest configuration, the perimeter edge of the top wall covers the top flap of the rear wall, the top flaps of the side walls, and a forward portion of the perimeter edge of the base in a manner that retains the seat in position. rear wall and, together with retaining means comprising the upper wall and the rear wall, it also retains the side walls. Therefore, the perimeter edge of the upper wall hugs the upper edges of the side and rear walls, which gives the box strength and tightness.

In a preferred embodiment, the retention means comprising the upper and rear wall are configured in the form of projections molded into the surface of the walls themselves. The retaining means located on the upper wall can be configured to also fulfill a function of a gutter.

The chest of the invention comprises hinges that could be configured in different ways, as long as they allow the walls to acquire the configurations of a folded, unfolded closed or unfolded open chest. However, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the joint assembly It mainly comprises the systems described below:

a) Joints of the upper wall

It comprises joints located in the front area of the chest, which interconnect the upper wall and the base, with a transverse axis of rotation parallel to the front edge of the base so that, from the closed deployed chest configuration and with the anchoring means released, allow the top wall to be raised by rotation in the folding process to release the retaining means from the side walls and, once the side walls and rear wall have been folded down, allow the top wall to rotate to reach the chest configuration creased; and from the arrangement of the unfolded box with the lock in the open position, they allow the upper wall to be tilted, together with the other walls that together form the cover, to access the interior of the box.

b) Rear articulation systems

These are two articulation systems located in the rear corners of the hood that interconnect each side wall with the rear wall.

c) Front articulation systems

These are two articulation systems located in the front corners of the hood that interconnect each side wall with the base.

The front and rear systems corresponding to each side wall, acting together, allow it to rotate around a longitudinal axis parallel to the edge of the base to which it is attached, to fold it down or raise it in the folding / unfolding processes.

Both rear hinge systems, acting together, allow the rear wall to rotate around a transverse axis parallel to the rear edge of the base, so that in the folding process, after lifting the top wall, the rear wall can rotate back to release the side walls of the means of retention and, once the side walls are folded down, it can be rotated forward to be housed in the cavity formed by the top wall and the base.

Both front articulation systems, acting together, allow both side walls to rotate jointly with the upper wall around a transverse axis parallel to the front edge of the base, to tilt the cover of the unfolded box.

The box comprises support systems that keep the cover of the unfolded open box elevated, preferably located on the sides of the box, which in a preferred embodiment comprise a locking means that prevents its action when the corresponding side wall is not in a vertical position. , to avoid accidental lifting of the side walls without the cover being assembled, which could damage the hood.

The box preferably incorporates a means for hanging the box when not installed in the vehicle and means for fixing to the roof of the vehicle.

FUNCTIONING

To unfold the chest, in a preferred embodiment, the lock is operated to place it in the open or folded position, so that the anchor between the top wall and the base is released. The upper wall is rotated by the hinges of the upper wall, so that the rear wall is released for rotation by the rear hinge systems to an essentially vertical position, where it supports the upper wall. Each side wall is rotated upward by their respective front and rear hinge systems, while the top wall is rotated slightly upward and the rear wall is rotated slightly backward so that the top and rear flaps of each side wall overhang respectively the retaining means of the upper and rear walls, until the side walls reach the essentially vertical position. The rear and top walls are rotated, until the rear and top flaps of both side walls are retained by their respective retaining means and the rear wall flap is retained by the perimeter edge of the top wall. The lock is then actuated to place it in the closed position, so that acting on the anchoring means that join the rear wall to the base and, through the transmission system of the lock movement, on the anchoring means that join the rear wall to the upper wall, leaving the box unfolded and closed, with the walls that form the cover solidly assembled.

To open the hood once unfolded, the lock is actuated to place it in the open position, so that the anchor between the rear wall and the base is released, while maintaining the anchor between the upper wall and the rear wall, allowing the The hood cover, consisting of the upper wall, the rear wall and the side walls, can be tilted, by means of the joints of the upper wall and the front joint systems, with the help of the support systems, which keep the hood open.

To fold the chest, the lock is activated to place it in the folded position, so that the anchor between the rear wall and the base is released and acts on the movement transmission system, which in turn releases the anchor between the rear wall and the upper wall. In this way, the cover can be disassembled. The top wall is rotated slightly upwards and the rear wall is rotated slightly backwards so that the side walls are released from the respective retaining means of the top wall and the rear wall and can be rotated downwards by the systems front and rear hinge on the corresponding side. The rear wall is folded down and rotates by both rear linkage systems. The upper wall which rotates is lowered by the joints of the upper wall. Finally, the lock can be operated in the closed position, which acts on the anchoring means of the base and the upper wall to anchor them, so that the box remains folded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Next, to facilitate the understanding of the invention, by way of illustration but not limitation, an embodiment of the invention will be described which refers to a series of figures:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the folded chest.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the box in an intermediate phase of the folding or unfolding processes, with the side walls folded down.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the closed unfolded chest.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the back of the unfolded open chest.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the unfolded chest with the axes of rotation of the joints where the upper and right side walls have been removed to show the anchoring means and the joint systems.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the left rear portion of the folded chest.

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the left rear portion of the closed unfolded chest.

Figure 8 shows an exploded perspective view of the lock, the lock movement transmission system and the anchoring means, seen from the inside of the box.

Figure 9 shows an exploded perspective view of the lock, the lock movement transmission system and the anchoring means, seen from the external face of the box.

Figure 10 shows the situation of the elements of the movement transmission system and of the lock in the closed unfolded box arrangement with the lock in the closed position.

Figure 11 shows the situation of the elements of the movement transmission system and of the lock in the arrangement of the unfolded box closed with the lock in the open position.

Figure 12 shows the situation of the elements of the movement transmission system and of the lock in the unfolded closed box arrangement with the lock in the folded position.

Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the right rear portion of the folded chest.

Figure 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the right rear portion of the closed deployed hood.

Figure 15 shows a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the left front portion of the closed unfolded chest.

Figure 16 shows a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the left front portion of the open unfolded chest.

Figure 17 shows a view of a longitudinal section of the left front portion of the closed unfolded chest.

Figure 18 shows an exploded perspective view of the front linkage system and the support system.

Figure 19 shows a view of a longitudinal section of the left rear hinge system.

Figure 20 shows an exploded perspective view of the left rear linkage system.

In these figures, reference is made by numbering to the following elements:

1 Chest

10 Cover

11 Hanging medium

12 Means of attachment to the vehicle

2 Base

21 Perimeter edge of base

22 Lock

221 Bulb

222 Sprocket

223 Fixing element of the lock to the base

224 Lock housing

225 Lock trim

226 Lock stop

227 Stop area of the locking element

23 Moving part

231 Zipper

232 Mobile part housing

24 Base anchoring means

241 Housing for the anchoring element of the lower anchoring means of the rear wall

242 Base anchor means latch

25 Rear articulation system support

251 Housing for pivoting element

26 Base fixing element

261 First hole of the fixing element to the base for the axle of the front articulation system

Second hole of the fixing element to the base for the axle of the support system

Upper wall

Perimeter edge of top wall

Articulation of the upper wall

Upper wall fixing element

Top wall fixing element hole for front linkage system shaft

Top wall retention means

Top wall anchor medium

Anchoring element of the upper wall anchoring means

Top wall anchor medium hole

Rear wall

Rear wall top flap

Rear wall lower anchor means

Rear wall lower anchor means anchor element Rear wall lower anchor means hole

Rear wall top anchor means

Housing for the anchoring element of the upper wall anchoring means

Rear wall top anchor middle latch

Rear wall upper anchor means latch channeling Rear wall retaining means

Rear wall side edge

Lower edge of rear wall

Side wall

Side wall top flap

Side wall rear flap

Lower edge of side wall

Lock movement transmission system

Cable

Means for fixing the cable to the latch of the upper anchoring means of the rear wall

Transmission system support

Cable ducting

Lever

Lever lock stop

Curved end of lever

End of the cable connection lever

Drive system housing

Lever shaft

Lever locking element

Lever locking element spring

Protrusion of lever locking element

Rear articulation system

Fixing element to the rear wall

Ball joint

Fixing element to the side wall

Pivoting element

Patella cavity

Groove for rear wall fixing element

Patella retention plug

Front articulation system

Fixing element to the side wall

Cylindrical hole of the fixing element to the side wall

Side wall fixing element cavity

Longitudinal joint shaft parts

Housing for the pin of the front connector element

Side wall transverse hinge element

Side wall hinge element hole

Clamp

Bar

Axis of the articulation between the top wall and the base, and of the front articulation system

Support system

Spring

Front connector element

Front connector element lug

Stop of the support system locking means

Rear connector element

931 Rear connector element hole for the axle of the support system 94 Axle of the support system

95 Blocking means of the support system

E1 Rotation axis of upper wall and cover

E2 Rear wall pivot axis

E3 Longitudinal rotation axis of the side wall

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

An example of a chest according to the present invention is described below with reference to the attached figures.

The improved folding roof box (1) comprises an upper wall (3), a rear wall (4) and two side walls (5), which make up the cover (10) of the unfolded chest (1), and a base (2) . The chest (1) can adopt a folded chest (1) configuration shown in Fig. 1, a folded chest (1) configuration closed shown in Fig. 3. and a chest (1) folded open configuration showing Fig. 4. An intermediate phase of the folding or unfolding processes, with the side walls (5) folded down, is shown in Fig. 2.

The proposed folding system seeks that the joints between pieces and their overlaps allow the pieces that form the walls to be molded from plastic sheets by thermoforming.

As can be seen in Fig. 5, the chest (1) object of the invention, in this preferred embodiment, comprises an anchoring means (24) of the base (2) located on the rear edge of the base (2) , an anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) located at the rear edge of the upper wall (3), a lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) and an upper anchoring means ( 43) from the rear wall (4).

In Fig. 6, which shows an arrangement of the chest (1) folded with the lock (22) closed, it can be seen how the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) and the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) hold the base (2) and the upper wall (3) firmly together, to keep the chest (1) folded.

In Fig 7, which shows an arrangement of the chest (1) unfolded closed with the lock (22) closed, it can be seen how the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) is anchored to the lower anchoring means (42 ) of the rear wall (4) and the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) is anchored to the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3), to keep the unfolded chest (1) closed .

In this preferred embodiment, the anchoring means (24, 34, 42 and 43) include the following elements which are shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9:

- The lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) comprises an anchoring element (421) that includes a hole (422).

- The anchoring means (24) of the base (2) comprises a housing (241) for the anchoring element (421) of the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) and a latch (242), which is housed in the hole (422) of said anchoring element (421) to rigidly hold the base (2) and the rear wall (4) together or can be removed from said hole (422) to release the anchor between the base ( 2) and the rear wall (4).

- The anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) comprises an anchoring element (341) that includes a hole (342).

- The upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) comprises a housing (431) for the anchoring element (341) of the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) and a latch (432) , which is housed in the hole (342) of said anchoring element (341) to rigidly hold the rear wall (4) and the upper wall (3) together or can be removed from said hole (342) to release the anchor between the rear wall (4) and top wall (3).

In this preferred embodiment, the chest (1) of the invention comprises a lock (22) that includes the following elements that are shown in detail in Figures 8 and 9:

- a key-operated cylinder (221);

- a movable part (23) including a rack (231) and the latch (242) of the anchoring means (24) of the base (2);

- a toothed wheel (222) that transmits the movement of the cylinder (221) to the latch (242) by means of the rack (231);

- a fixing element (223) to the base (2);

- a housing (224);

- a trim (225); and

- a stop (226) that limits the movement of the movable part (23).

In this preferred embodiment, the lock (22) adopts three positions, closed as shown in Fig. 10, open as shown in Fig. 11 and folded as shown in Fig. 12. Each of these figures shows the state of the means of anchoring corresponding to each position of the lock (22) in the deployed chest configuration.

In this preferred embodiment, the box (1) of the invention incorporates a movement transmission system (6) that is connected with the lock (22) in the configuration of the box (1) deployed closed, as shown in Fig. 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12 and allows said lock (22) to act on the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4). The movement transmission system (6) is disconnected from the lock (22) in the chest configuration (1) unfolded open as shown in Fig. 4 or in the chest configuration (1) folded as shown in Fig. 6.

In this preferred embodiment, the movement transmission system (6) includes the following elements, which are shown in detail in Figures 8 and 9:

- a movable part (23) including a housing (232);

- a cable (61), connected to the latch (432) of the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) by means of a fixing means (611);

- A support (62) of the transmission system (6), rigidly fixed to the internal face of the rear wall (4), which includes a channel (621) for the cable (61) and a channel (433) for the latch (432 ) of the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4);

- A lever (63), comprising a locking stop (631) and whose curved end (632) is housed in the housing (232) of the movable part (23), connected by the end (633) opposite the cable ( 61);

- a housing (64), comprising a shaft (641) around which the lever (63) rotates; and

- a locking element (65) of the movement of the lever (63), comprising a spring (651) and a shoulder (652).

When the rear wall (4) is in an essentially vertical position supported on the base (2), and therefore the movement transmission system (6) is connected to the lock (22), the locking element (65) is supported in a stop zone (227) of the housing (224) of the lock (22), so that the locking stop (631) of the lever (63) is released and the lever (63) can rotate.

When the movement transmission system (6) is disconnected from the lock (22), when the rear wall (4) is folded down in the folding process or when the cover (10) is tilted to open the chest (1) and access inside it, the locking element (65) is moved by the spring (651), so that the projection (652) of the locking element (65) retains the locking stop (631) of the lever (63), in such a way as to prevent accidental movement of the lever (63), which could cause the involuntary disengagement of the walls that form the cover (10). The housing (232) of the movable part (23) of the lock (22) is of the same length as its displacement between the open and closed positions plus the width of the curved end (632) of the lever (63). Therefore, when the lock (22) is operated between the closed positions, which can be seen in Fig. 10, and open with the upper (3) and rear (4) walls anchored, which can be seen in Fig. 11 , the movement of the movable part (23) does not actuate the lever (63), which makes it possible to maintain the anchorage of the upper (3) and rear (4) walls when alternating the configurations of the chest (1) deployed closed and open. To release the anchors and be able to start the folding of the chest (1), it is necessary to actuate the stop (226) of the lock (22), which allows the movement of the mobile part (23) that pushes the curved end (632) of the lever (63), so that the cable (61), connected to the lever (63) at one end (633), moves the latch (432) of the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4 ), as shown in Fig. 12, which releases the anchor between the upper wall (3) and the rear wall (4).

In this preferred embodiment, the upper wall (3) and the rear wall (4) are molded in such a way that they respectively comprise retention means (33 and 44) of the side walls (5) in the form of projections and the retention means (33) corresponding to the upper wall (3) is configured to also fulfill the function of a gutter.

In the folded chest (1) configuration, the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) covers the perimeter edge (21) of the base (2), as shown in Fig. 1, 6 and 13.

In the configuration of the chest (1) unfolded closed, the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) covers the upper flap (41) of the rear wall (4), and the lower edge (46) of the rear wall (4) covers the rear portion of the perimeter edge (21) of the base (2), as shown in Fig. 7.

In Figs. 3 and 14 it is shown how, in the closed unfolded chest (1) configuration, the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) covers the upper flaps (51) of the side walls (5) and , together with the retention means (33) of the upper wall (3), keep the side walls (5) in their essentially vertical position; and the lower edge (53) of the side walls (5) and a portion of the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) cover the side portion of the perimeter edge (21) of the base (2).

In the configuration of the chest (1) deployed closed, the retention means (44) and the side edge (45) of the rear wall (4) retain the rear flap (52) of the corresponding side wall (5), as shown shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to keep it in its essentially vertical position.

In this preferred embodiment, the base (2), the upper wall (3), the rear wall (4) and the side walls (5) are interconnected by hinges described below:

a) Joints (32) of the upper wall (3)

Figures 5, 15 and 16 show the joints (32) that pivotally interconnect the upper wall (3) and the base (2). Each joint (32) comprises elements that can be seen in Figures 17 and 18 and are described below: - a fixing element (26) to the base (2), which is rigidly fixed to the base (2) and comprising a first hole (261);

- a fixing element (321) to the upper wall (3), which is rigidly fixed to the upper wall (3) and comprising a hole (322); and

- a shaft (86), which is simultaneously housed in the first hole (261) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2) and in the hole (322) of the fixing element fixing (321) to the upper wall (3).

The hinges (32) allow the upper wall (3) to rotate around a transverse axis (E1) parallel to the front edge of the base (2) to alternate between its folded and unfolded position.

b) Rear articulation systems (7)

In Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 9 the rear articulation systems (7) are shown. Each rear articulation system (7), which pivotally interconnects the corresponding side wall (5) with the rear wall (4), comprises elements that are described below and that can be seen in Figures 19 and 20: - a fixing element (71), which is rigidly attached to the rear wall (4) and which comprises a ball joint (72);

- a fixing element (73), which is rigidly attached to the side wall (5) in its rear area and which comprises a pivoting element (731), a cavity (732) that houses the ball joint (72), and a groove (733) longitudinal that allows the folding of the rear wall (4);

- a retaining plug (74) of the ball joint (72), which is rigidly attached to the fixing element (73) to the side wall (5); and

- a support (25), which is rigidly attached to the base (2) and which comprises a housing (251) for the pivoting element (731).

The rear hinge systems (7) allow the rotation of the rear wall (4) around a transverse axis (E2) parallel to the rear edge of the base (2) during the folding / unfolding processes.

c) Front articulation systems (8)

The front articulation systems (8) are shown in Figs. 4, 5, 15 and 16. Each front articulation system (8), which pivotally interconnects the corresponding side wall (5) with the base (2), comprises elements that are described below and can be seen in Figures 17 and 18:

- a fixing element (26) to the base (2), which is rigidly fixed to the base (2) and comprising a first hole (261);

- a fixing element (81) to the side wall (5), which is rigidly fixed to the corresponding side wall (5) and which comprises a cylindrical hole (811) and a cavity (812);

- longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82), pivotally connected with the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) and comprising respective housings (821);

- a transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5), comprising a hole (831);

- a clamp (84), which joins the longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82) and maintains the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) in its position with the ability to rotate;

- a bar (85), joined at one end to the longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82) and at the other end to the transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5); and

- a shaft (86), which is simultaneously housed in the first hole (261) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2) and in the hole (831) of the transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5).

The corresponding rear (7) and front (8) articulation systems acting together allow the rotation of each side wall (5) around a longitudinal axis (E3) parallel to the lateral edge of the base (2) to which it is attached, to swing it down or raise it during the folding / unfolding processes.

The front articulation systems (8) together with the articulations (32) of the upper wall (3) allow the cover (10) to be tilted, rotating around a transverse axis (E1) parallel to the front edge of the base (2), to access the inside of the chest (1).

In this preferred embodiment, the chest (1) further includes a support system (9) on each side of the chest (1), pivotally connected with the base (2) and with the front articulation system (8) of the corresponding side , which can be seen in Figs. 4, 5, 15, and 16, each of which comprises elements that are described below and which are seen in Figs. 17 and 18:

- a fixing element (26) to the base (2), which is rigidly fixed to the base (2) and comprising a second hole (262);

- a spring (91);

- a front connector element (92), joined at one end to the spring (91) and comprising two lugs (921) and a stop (922);

- a rear connector element (93), attached to the spring (91) at the opposite end and comprising a hole (931);

- a shaft (94), which is simultaneously housed in the second hole (262) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2) and in the hole (931) of the rear connector element (93); and

- A locking means (95), formed by the stop (922) of the front connector element (92) and a cavity (812) of the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) of the front articulation system (8 ).

The front connector element (92) is pivotally connected with the longitudinal joint axis pieces (82) of the front joint system (8) by means of the lugs (921), which are housed in the housings (821) of the pieces longitudinal hinge axis (82). The blocking means (95) consists of a stop (922) that prevents the actuation of the spring (91) except when the corresponding side wall (3) is in an essentially vertical position, so that the stop (922) is aligned with the cavity (812) of the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) of the front articulation system (8).

In this preferred embodiment, a single fixing element (26) to the base (2) is used for the support system (9) and for the front articulation system (8), which acts as a tie to prevent the force exerted by the spring (91) and the weight of the cover (10) can move the shaft (94) of the support system (9).

In this preferred embodiment, the hood (1) also comprises a means for hanging (11) the hood (1) when it is not installed on the vehicle, located on the base (2), and fixing means (12) to the vehicle , which can be seen in Fig. 15 and 16.

Claims (16)

1. Improved folding roof box (1) for fixing to the roof of a vehicle and intended to transport cargo, comprising a base (2), an upper wall (3), a rear wall (4) and some side walls (5 ), which can adopt: - a folded chest (1) configuration, where the side walls (5) and the rear wall (4) are stacked on the base (2) essentially parallel thereto, within the cavity formed by the upper wall (3) and the base (2); - a configuration of the chest (1) unfolded closed, where the cover (10), formed by the side (5) and rear (4) walls in an essentially vertical position and the upper wall (3) in an inclined position, is located on the base (2), so that the chest (1) assumes an essentially wedge shape; and - a configuration of the chest (1) unfolded open, where the cover (10) of the chest (1) is pivoted on an edge of the base (2) and it is possible to access the interior thereof; characterized in that it comprises at least one anchoring means (24) of the base (2) located on the rear edge of the base (2), at least one anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) located on the edge rear of the upper wall (3), at least one lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) and at least one upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4), so that: - In the folded chest configuration (1), the anchoring between the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) and the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) holds the base (2) firmly together and the upper wall (3) to keep the chest (1) folded or can be released to allow the unfolding of the chest (1), - in the box configuration (1) unfolded closed, the anchoring between the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) and the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) holds the wall firmly together upper (3) and the rear wall (4) and the anchoring between the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) and the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) hold the base firmly together ( 2) and the rear wall (4) to keep the unfolded chest (1) closed; or both anchors can be released to allow folding of the chest (1); or the anchoring between the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) and the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) can be maintained and the anchoring between the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) and the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) to allow the opening of the chest (1). 2. Chest (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one lock (22) that activates the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) and, in the configuration of the chest (1) unfolded closed, also activates upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) and admits at least three preset positions, closed, open and folded, which allow the following arrangements of the box (1): - box arrangement (1) folded with the lock (22) in closed position, where the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) is anchored to the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) to keep it in the folded chest (1) configuration; - Chest arrangement (1) folded with the lock (22) in the open position or in the folded position, where the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) is released from the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall ( 3), which allows starting the process of unfolding the chest (1); - Chest arrangement (1) deployed closed with the lock (22) in the closed position, where the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) is anchored to the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) and the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) is anchored to the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3), to keep it in the closed-deployed chest (1) configuration; - Chest arrangement (1) deployed closed with the lock (22) in the open position, where the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) is anchored to the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3 ) and the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) is released from the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4), so that it is possible to tilt the cover (10) to access the interior of the chest (one); and - Disposition of the chest (1) unfolded closed with the lock (22) in the folded position, where all the anchors are released, which allows the process of folding the chest (1) to start. 3. Chest (1) according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises a movement transmission system (6), which allows the lock (22) to act on the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4 ) in the configuration of the chest (1) deployed closed, and which is disconnected from the lock (22) in the configurations of chest (1) deployed open and chest (1) folded. 4. Chest (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The upper wall (3) comprises a perimeter edge (31) essentially perpendicular to its upper face and retention means (33) and the rear wall (4) comprises retention means (44), so that: - in the chest configuration (1) folded, the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) covers the perimeter edge (21) of the base (2); and - in the configuration of the chest (1) unfolded closed, the perimeter edge (31) of the upper wall (3) covers the upper flap (41) of the rear wall (4), the upper flaps (51) of the side walls (5) and a front portion of the perimeter edge (21) of the base (2), and retains in position the rear wall (4) and, together with the retention means (33) of the upper wall (3) and the retention means (44) of the rear wall (4), retain the side walls (5) in position. Chest (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises joints (32), which interconnect the upper wall (3) and the base (2) with a transverse axis of rotation parallel to the front edge of the base (2), which allow the upper wall (3) to rotate in the folding and unfolding processes. Chest (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises respective rear articulation systems (7), which interconnect each side wall (5) with the rear wall (4), and respective front articulation systems ( 8), which interconnect each side wall (5) with the base (2), so that: - the corresponding rear hinge (7) and front hinge (8) systems, acting together, allow each side wall (5) to rotate around a longitudinal axis (E3) parallel to the edge of the base (2) to which they are respectively coupled, to lower or raise them in the folding / unfolding processes; - both rear articulation systems (7), acting together, allow the rear wall (4) to rotate around a transverse axis (E2) parallel to the rear edge of the base (2), both backwards to release the side walls ( 5) of the retention means (44), as forward to lodge in the cavity formed by the upper wall (3) and the base (2); and - Both front articulation systems (8), acting together with the articulations (32) of the upper wall (3), allow both side walls (5) to rotate jointly with the upper wall (3) around a transverse axis (E1 ) parallel to the front edge of the base (2), to tilt the cover (10) of the unfolded chest (1). 7. Chest (1) according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises support systems (9) that keep the cover (10) of the chest (1) unfolded open and that comprise a locking means (95) raised. which prevents its action when the corresponding side wall (5) is not in an essentially vertical position. Chest (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the anchoring means (24) of the base (2) comprises a housing (241) for the anchoring element (421) of the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) and a latch (242); the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3) comprises an anchoring element (341) and a hole (342); the lower anchoring means (42) of the rear wall (4) comprises an anchoring element (421) including a hole (422); and the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) comprises a housing (431) for the anchoring element (341) of the anchoring means (34) of the upper wall (3), a latch (432) and a channel (433) of the latch (432). 9. Chest (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the lock (22) comprises a cylinder (221) operated by a key; a movable part (23), comprising a rack (231) and the latch (242) of the anchoring means (24) of the base (2); a toothed wheel (222), which transmits the movement of the cylinder (221) to the latch (242) through the rack (231); and a stop (226) limiting the movement of the movable part (23). Chest (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the transmission system (6) of the movement of the lock (22) comprises a movable part (23) that includes a housing (232); a cable (61) attached to the latch (432) of the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4) by means of a fixing means (611); a support (62) of the movement transmission system (6), rigidly fixed to the internal face of the rear wall (4), which includes a channel (621) for the cable (61) and a channel (433) for the latch ( 432) of the upper anchoring means (43) of the rear wall (4); a lever (63), comprising a locking stop (631) and whose curved end (632) is housed in the housing (232) of the movable part (23) and which It is attached to the cable (61) at the opposite end (633); a housing (64), comprising a shaft (641) around which the lever (63) rotates; and a locking element (65) of the movement of the lever (63), comprising a spring (651) and a projection (652). Chest (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the retention means (33) of the upper wall (3) and the retention means (44) of the rear wall (4) are configured in the form of projections molded into the walls themselves, so that said projections (33) of the upper wall (3) can also act as a gutter. Chest (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that each of the joints (32) of the upper wall (3) comprise a fixing element (321) to the upper wall (3), which is rigidly fixed to the upper wall (3) and comprising a hole (322); a fixing element (26) to the base (2), which is rigidly fixed to the base (2) and comprising a first hole (261); and a shaft (86), which is housed in the hole (322) of the fixing element (321) to the upper wall (3) and in the first hole (261) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2 ). 13. Chest (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that each rear hinge system (7) comprises a fixing element (71) to the rear wall (4), which is rigidly fixed to the rear wall (4), which It comprises a ball joint (72); a fixing element (73) to the side wall (5), which is rigidly connected to the side wall (5) in its rear area, and which comprises a pivoting element (731), a cavity (732) that houses the ball joint (72) and a longitudinal groove (733) that allows the rear wall (4) to be folded down; a retaining plug (74) of the ball joint (72), rigidly attached to the fixing element (73) to the side wall (5); and a support (25), rigidly attached to the base (2), comprising a housing (251) for the pivoting element (731). 14. Chest (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that each front articulation system (8) comprises a fixing element (81) to the side wall (5), which is rigidly connected to the corresponding side wall (5), and comprising a cylindrical hole (811); some longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82), pivotally connected with the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) and comprising two housings (821); a transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5), comprising a hole (831); a fixing element (26) to the base (2) rigidly attached to the base (2), comprising a first hole (261); a shaft (86), which is housed in the first hole (261) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2) and in the hole (831) of the transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5 ); a bar (85), connected at one end to the transverse articulation element (83) of the side wall (5) and connected at the other end to the longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82); and a clamp (84). Chest (1) according to claims 7 and 14, characterized in that each support system (9) comprises a fixing element (26) to the base (2), rigidly attached to the base (2), comprising a second hole (262); a spring (91); a front connector element (92), comprising two lugs (921) and a stop (922), which is attached to the spring (91) and pivotally connected with the longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82) by means of the lugs (921) housed in the housings (821) of the longitudinal articulation axis pieces (82); a rear connector element (93), comprising a hole (931), attached to the spring (91) and pivotally connected with the fixing element (26) to the base (2); a shaft (94) housed in the hole (931) of the rear connector element (93) and in the second hole (262) of the fixing element (26) to the base (2); and a locking means (95), formed by the stop (922) of the front connector element (92) and a cavity (812) of the fixing element (81) to the side wall (5) of the front articulation system (8 ). 16. Chest (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for hanging (11) the chest (1) when it is not installed on the roof of the vehicle.