ES2804084B2 - IMPROVED FOLDING LUGGAGE CASE - Google Patents

Description

ID ESCRIPTION

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 an improved folding luggage box applicable on the roof of motor vehicles. Its obvious purpose is to constitute a totally closed baggage transport nexus that adopts two configurations: unfolded, it allows the cargo to be stored 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

There are numerous rigid roof boxes on the market that are fixed to the roof of vehicles for the transport of luggage. They occupy the same volume both loaded and empty, so users are forced to disassemble them, when they do not need to use them, to avoid unnecessary repercussions on the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle. It is a time-consuming operation that can be quite cumbersome due to the volume of the chest and the height to which it is attached. The large volume of these roof boxes is also a drawback during their transport, storage and distribution by the manufacturer.

As an alternative that avoids these drawbacks, different designs of folding luggage boxes have been developed where at least the side walls are foldable, for example thanks to the use of flexible materials, which have drawbacks due to the lack of rigidity of said side walls: noise and low aerodynamic performance, due to the absence of rigid surfaces that can consistently guide the air flow that circulates around it; and poor safety, as these roof boxes can easily be forced to access its content.

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, P201230453, for example. Chests in which the upper face in unfolded configuration is made up of two independent pieces joined by anchoring in the upper part of the hood, the rear overlapping the front, present problems of tightness, rigidity and safety, since a small opening when the vehicle is The porta travels at a certain speed can cause the accidental lifting of part of the cover. On the other hand, some folding systems require rubber gaskets or other additional elements to ensure tightness. In some cases, the design of the box implies a high manufacturing cost because, due to its morphology, it requires that at least some of the walls or main parts be manufactured by thermo-injection. The articulation system of the application U200800984 makes it difficult to achieve an aerodynamic design of the hood. Another drawback is the complexity of some of the mechanisms that incorporate the chests, such as the internal articulation system that hinders the processes of folding and unfolding the chest described in the application P201230453, or the mobile anchoring system of the side pieces to the piece upper corresponding to the application U201000390, which is necessary to operate 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, with an optimal load capacity, that guarantees protection of the load and prevents it from being thrown in the event collision.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

In order to avoid or reduce the drawbacks mentioned above, the present invention proposes a folding luggage box that alternates the configurations of the folded and unfolded box by means of the longitudinal displacement of its upper wall, which causes the anchoring or un-anchoring between the walls that make up the hood cover, as will be described in detail throughout this document. This method of anchoring allows a more solid and stable joint between the walls that constitute the folding luggage box of the present invention, which optimizes its resistance to impact, since the anchoring of the upper wall with the base or with the rear wall is carried out in the direction of travel so, in case of frontal collision, the inertia of movement of the upper wall would tend to strengthen the union between these pieces. In addition, this method of anchoring provides greater security to the hood, since the push of the air with the vehicle in motion makes the walls tend to maintain their configuration, even without being anchored by carelessness or accident. This anchoring method is specially developed for side opening chests and allows folding and unfolding to be carried out quickly and easily, without the need to manually actuate anchoring elements from the inside. On the other hand, this anchoring method offers the possibility for the front part of the upper wall to acquire a higher position in the unfolded box configuration than in the folded box configuration, which allows to give the box a greater capacity and improve its aerodynamic performance. The front part of the upper wall covers the front edge of the base in both configurations to ensure tightness and prevent the entry of air, which with the vehicle in motion could cause accidental opening. The folding / unfolding method of the invention and the morphology of the walls and the base that make up the cassette aim to make these walls more economical than thermo-injection, such as thermoforming.

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

In this document, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "top", "top", "bottom", "bottom", "front", "rear", "rear", "rear", "front" and other similar ones refer 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 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 in the horizontal plane to the longitudinal direction, that is, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

The present invention is directed to a folding luggage box comprising a base, an upper wall, a rear wall and two side walls, which can take different configurations:

- A folded chest configuration, where the side walls and the rear wall are stacked on the base, essentially parallel to it, within the cavity formed by the top wall and the base.

- A closed unfolded chest configuration, where the cover, formed by the side walls, the rear wall and the top wall coupled to each other, with the side walls and the rear wall in an essentially vertical position, is attached to the base; Y

- An open deployed chest configuration, where the chest cover is tilted over one edge of the base, and it is possible to access the interior thereof.

The foldable luggage box of the invention comprises at least one means of anchoring the base, located at the rear of the base, and at least one means of anchoring the upper wall, located at the rear of the upper wall, which it remains anchored to the corresponding anchoring means of the base in the folded chest configuration, to hold the rear parts of the base and the top wall together. It also comprises an anchoring system, located at the front of the box, which alternates a locking state and an unlocking state. In the locked state, the anchoring system holds the front portions of the base and the top wall together to maintain the folded chest configuration. The necessary disengagement between the anchoring means of the upper wall and the base in order to be able to unfold the box is caused by the essentially longitudinal rearward movement of the upper wall, which is not possible with the upper wall attached to the base in the configuration of folded chest. To make said movement possible, the anchoring system adopts the unlocked state, so that the connection between the front parts of the upper wall and the base is released, and said upper wall performs an essentially lifting movement, which allows at its leading edge, exceed the leading edge of the base. In this way it is possible to move the upper wall backwards, which allows the unlocking between the rear parts of the base and the upper wall and the subsequent tilting of the upper wall in the unfolding process.

To keep the walls that make up the cover of the box coupled in the open and closed deployed box configurations, in a preferred embodiment, the foldable luggage box of the invention comprises at least one anchoring means of the rear wall, located in the upper part of the rear wall to which, in the closed and open deployed chest configurations, the corresponding top wall anchoring means remains anchored, to hold the top of the rear wall and the rear of the top wall together. To provide a more solid anchoring, it is desirable that the box incorporates at least two anchoring means of the upper wall and their corresponding means of anchoring the base and the rear wall. The anchoring system, in the locked state, holds the front part of the top wall attached to the front parts of the side walls and, in the unlocked state, releases the front part of the top wall to carry out an essentially lifting movement , which allows the upper wall to make an essentially longitudinal rearward movement with respect to the rear wall, which causes the release of the anchor between the anchoring means of the upper wall and the rear wall in the process of folding the box.

In one embodiment, the foldable luggage box of the invention comprises at least one anchoring means on each side wall that, in the closed and open deployed box configurations, remains anchored to its respective anchoring means of the upper wall to hold the roofs together. side walls and top. To increase the solidity of the cover, in another embodiment the upper wall comprises anchoring means which, in the unfolded box configuration, remain anchored respectively to the side walls and to the rear wall.

Preferably, the anchoring means are fixed elements that do not need actuation and the anchoring or unlocking between them occurs simply by the longitudinal displacement of the upper wall respectively forwards or backwards. In the unfolding process, the longitudinal rearward displacement of the upper wall causes the disengagement between the corresponding anchoring means of the upper wall and the base and, after raising the upper, rear and side walls, the longitudinal displacement towards in front of the upper wall originates the anchoring of the corresponding anchoring means of the upper wall and of the rear wall. In the folding process, the longitudinal rearward displacement of the upper wall causes the disengagement between the corresponding anchoring means of the the upper wall and the rear wall and, after the lateral, rear and upper walls are folded down, the longitudinal movement forward of the upper wall causes the anchoring of the corresponding anchoring means of the upper wall and of the base.

Although in one embodiment the front of the top wall is positioned at the same height in the folded and unfolded chest configurations, in a preferred embodiment, the anchor system, in the locked state, retains the front of the top wall in place. a higher anchoring position in the unfolded chest configuration than the corresponding anchoring position in the folded chest configuration. In both anchoring positions, the front edge of the upper wall covers the front part of the perimeter edge of the base, guaranteeing the tightness of the box. This difference in height of the front part of the top wall in the two configurations makes it possible that the slope of the hood cover is not very pronounced, which allows to increase the capacity of the chest and improve its aerodynamic performance.

The anchoring system comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a locking means, located on each side of the front part of the chest, comprising:

- an anchoring element fixed to the upper wall, including a first anchoring site and a second anchoring site, located in a lower position than the first anchoring site; Y

- a locking element that, with the anchoring system in the locked state, remains anchored to the first anchoring site in the folded chest configuration and to the second anchoring site in the deployed chest configuration; and with the anchoring system in the unlocked state, it remains unlocked.

In an alternative embodiment, the anchoring system comprises a locking means, located on each side of the front part of the chest, comprising:

- an anchoring element fixed to the upper wall, including an anchoring site; - a first locking element, which remains anchored to the anchoring site in the folded chest configuration, with the anchoring system in the locked state; and - a second locking element, located in a higher position than the first locking element, which remains anchored to the anchoring site in the deployed chest configuration with the anchoring system in the locked state, and both locking elements remain unlocked with the anchoring system in the unlocked state.

Preferably, the folding luggage box of the invention comprises a guiding-positioning system, which guides the front part of the upper wall to position it and keep it in the anchoring positions corresponding to the folded box and unfolded box configurations; and in a stationary position, higher and rearward than said anchoring positions, which keeps the anchoring means of the base, the upper wall and the rear wall released.

In one embodiment, the guiding-positioning system, when starting the folding and unfolding processes, forces the upper wall to make a slight forward movement so that, due to the elasticity of the upper wall itself or that of the anchoring means of the top wall, base and rear wall, resist such displacement and increase the tendency of the front of the top wall to maintain the anchor positions corresponding to the chest folded and chest unfolded configurations.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the guide-positioning system comprises a guide-positioning means, located on each side of the front part of the chest, comprising:

- at least one anchoring positioning means, which can be a seat, a housing, a retention means or the like, which maintains the front part of the upper wall in the anchoring position corresponding to the folded chest configuration and in the anchoring position corresponding to the unfolded chest configuration; Y

- a stationary positioning means, which can be a seat, a housing, a retention means or the like, which keeps the front part of the upper wall in the stationary position during the folding and unfolding processes, so that the side walls and the rear wall are released from the top wall to rotate.

To alternate and maintain the positions of the side walls corresponding to the different configurations, in a preferred embodiment the folding luggage box of the invention comprises:

- respective means of retention of the upper wall, located in each lateral part of the upper wall, and respective means of retention of the rear wall, located in each lateral part of the rear wall;

- respective articulation means of the rear wall, connecting it in a pivotal manner with the corresponding side wall;

- a transverse connection means, comprising an articulation means at each of its two ends, which pivotally connects said transverse connection means to the corresponding side wall; Y

- a lateral connection system on each side of the box, comprising at least two lateral connection means, it being convenient that each lateral connection system incorporates at least three lateral connection means, to provide a more solid connection;

so that:

- the retaining means and the side edges of the upper wall, together with the retaining means and the side edges of the rear wall, retain the side walls in the position corresponding to the deployed chest configuration, which are released from the means for retaining the upper wall, when the rear part of the upper wall is raised slightly by tilting on the front part of said upper wall, located in the stationary position in the folding process;

- the joint action of both articulation means of the rear wall allows said rear wall to rotate around a transverse axis parallel to the rear edge of the base, in the folding process, to rotate slightly backwards and release each side wall from the respective rear wall retaining means and for collapsing onto the base, or in the unfolding process, for raising and slightly forwardly rotating and retaining the side walls with respective retaining means;

- each lateral connection system, in a retention state, maintains pivotally connected the corresponding lateral wall with the base;

- the joint action of the articulation means of the rear wall, the articulation means of the transverse connection means and the lateral connection system, in a state of retention, corresponding to each side of the box allows the corresponding side wall to rotate around a longitudinal axis essentially parallel to the edge of the base to which it is attached, to be folded or raised in the folding and unfolding processes;

- in the closed unfolded box configuration, the two lateral connection systems, in the retention state, keep the cover coupled to the base; Y

- at least the lateral connection system on one side of the box alternates its retention state and a release state in which, with the box deployed, it allows the corresponding side wall to be disconnected from the base, so that the box cover can tilt by means of the articulation formed by the lateral interconnection system on the opposite side, which maintains its retention state.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the lateral connection means comprises: - a connector element, fixed to the corresponding lateral wall; Y

- a connector means, including a base fixing element and a retention element.

In one embodiment, the retention elements belonging to a first lateral connection system in a single retention state are fixed and retain the corresponding connecting elements on that side, while the retention elements of a second lateral connection system, which alternate the retention and release states are movable in such a way that, with the second lateral connection system in the retention state, they retain the corresponding connector elements and, with the second lateral connection system in a release state, they keep said connector elements to allow the cover to be tilted from that side of the box. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the retaining elements on both sides of the box are movable, so that they allow the cover to be tilted from either side.

Preferably, the folding luggage box of the invention comprises at least one means of actuating the anchoring system, which acts on said anchoring system to alternate its locking state, where it maintains the configurations of the folded box and the unfolded box, and its unlocked status, where it allows you to alternate these settings.

Preferably, the folding luggage box of the invention comprises at least one means for actuating the lateral connection system on one side of the box, which acts on said lateral connection system to alternate its retention state, where it maintains the side wall on the corresponding side connected to the base, and its release state, where it allows disconnecting said side wall so that the cover can tilt.

In a preferred embodiment, the foldable luggage box of the invention comprises a rear support means and a front support means, located respectively at the rear and front parts of the box, which keep the cover of the open unfolded box elevated. The rear support means is connected to the base and to the rear wall by means of respective articulation means, which allow it to be folded integrally with the rear wall, to be located in an essentially horizontal position in the folded box configuration.

In one embodiment, the upper wall is a continuous piece and in an alternative embodiment, it is composed of at least two pieces, articulated to each other. The articulation between said pieces is configured in such a way that each piece overlaps the rear one, to prevent the rear piece from being raised by aerodynamic effect, as happened in previous embodiments. To achieve their tightness, molded grooves are necessary in the overlapping area of said pieces or resort to rubber gaskets or the like. This articulated upper wall configuration allows a lower height of the folded box, which optimizes its storage although it is less solid and its manufacturing cost is higher than in the case of a single continuous piece.

In a preferred embodiment, in order to facilitate the manipulation of the upper wall to carry out the necessary movements in the folding and unfolding processes, the upper wall comprises a handle.

In one embodiment, the anchoring system, the guiding-positioning system, the transverse connection system, the articulation means of the rear wall and the lateral connection means comprise springs that facilitate their operation and / or motors that perform their functions. , rather than having to do it manually.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, it is attached as part part of said description, a set of drawings where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following is represented:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a folded box.

Figure 2 represents a perspective view of a closed unfolded chest. Figure 3 represents a perspective view of a chest unfolded open from the left side.

Figure 4 represents a longitudinal section of a folded chest, with two details of the front and rear portions.

Figure 5 represents a longitudinal section of a chest, with two details of the front and rear parts, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the side and rear walls are folded under the upper wall, where the anchoring means from the top wall and the base are released and the front of the top wall is in the stationary position.

Figure 6 represents a longitudinal section of a closed unfolded chest, with two details of the front and rear parts.

Figure 7 represents a longitudinal section of a chest, with two details of the front and rear parts, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the side and rear walls are in an essentially vertical position, where the anchoring means of the upper wall and the rear wall are released and the front of the upper wall is in the stationary position.

Figure 8 represents a perspective view of the front interconnection system.

Figure 9 represents an exploded view of the anchoring system of the front interconnection system.

Figure 10 represents the detail of a longitudinal section of the front part of a folded box with an alternative anchoring system.

Figure 11 represents the detail of a longitudinal section of the front part of a closed unfolded box with an alternative anchoring system.

Figure 12 represents the detail of a perspective view of a section of the front part of the box, where the guiding-positioning system of the front interconnection system places the front part of the upper wall in an intermediate position in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes.

Figure 13 represents an exploded view of the guidance-positioning system.

Figure 14 represents a perspective view, without the upper wall, of a section longitudinal section of a closed unfolded chest, with details showing the lateral connection system on the left side of the chest in its retention state. Figure 15 represents the right side wall in a vertical position and the left side wall folded down, connected by the transverse connection system.

Figure 16 represents an exploded view of the transverse connection system.

Figure 17 represents an exploded view of the left rear interconnect system. Figure 18 represents an exploded view of the left side connection means of the front interconnection system.

Figure 19 represents an exploded view of the lateral connection means of the left rear interconnection system.

Figure 20 represents an exploded view of the left independent side connection means.

Figure 21 represents a perspective view of a longitudinal section of an open box, with details showing the lateral connection system on the left side of the box in its released state.

Figure 22 represents an exploded view of the actuating means of the anchoring system.

Figure 23 represents a partial exploded view of the driving means of the lateral connection system on the left side of a box.

Figure 24 represents a cross section of a folded chest, seen from its front.

Figure 25 represents a perspective view of a cross section of a closed unfolded chest, seen from its front part.

Figure 26 represents a perspective view of a folded box with the upper wall made up of two pieces articulated with each other.

Figure 27 represents a perspective view of a box with the upper wall composed of two pieces articulated together, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the side and rear walls are folded under the upper wall, where the anchoring means of the upper wall and the base are released and the front part of the front part of the upper wall is in the stationary position.

Figure 28 represents a perspective view of an unfolded box with the upper wall made up of two pieces articulated with each other.

Figure 29 represents a perspective view of a folded box.

Figure 30 represents a perspective view of a chest, in one phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the side and rear walls are folded under the top wall, where the anchoring means of the top wall and the base are released and the front of the top wall is in the stationary position.

Figure 31 represents a perspective view of a chest, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the front part of the upper wall is in a raised stationary position, the side walls are folded down and the rear wall is tilted in an intermediate position between vertical and horizontal. Figure 32 represents a perspective view of a chest, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the front part of the upper wall is in the stationary position, the rear wall is in an essentially vertical position and the side wall left is tilted to an intermediate position between vertical and horizontal.

Figure 33 represents a perspective view of a chest, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the front part of the upper wall is in the stationary position, the rear part of the upper wall is tilted upwards, the rear wall is tilted back and the left side wall is in an essentially vertical position, with its top and rear edges projecting past the retaining means of the top and rear walls.

Figure 34 represents a perspective view of a chest, in a phase of the folding / unfolding processes in which the front part of the upper wall is in the stationary position, the side walls and the rear wall are in an essentially vertical position and the anchoring means of the upper wall and the rear wall are released.

Figure 35 represents a perspective view of a closed unfolded chest.

In these figures, reference is made to the following elements by numbering: 1 Chest

10 Cover

2 Base

21 Base anchoring means

22 Perimeter edge of base

23 Means of attachment to the vehicle

24 Rear lift

241 First means of articulation of the rear support means

42 Second means of articulation of the rear support means

5 Front airfoil

6 Front interconnect system half connector

61 Front Interconnect System Connector Half Retainer

62 Fixing element to the base of the front interconnection system connector half

63 Cover of the fixing element to the base of the front interconnection system 7 Half connector of the rear interconnection system

71 Retaining element of the rear interconnection system connector half 72 Fixing element to the base of the rear interconnection system connector half

8 Separate side connecting means half connector

81 Separate side connecting means connecting means retaining element

82 Fixing element to the base of the connecting means of the independent lateral connecting means

Upper wall

a Front part of the upper wall

b Rear part of the upper wall

1 Anchoring means of the upper wall

2 Front edge of top wall

3 Top wall retention means

4 Rear edge of top wall

5 Side edges of the top wall

6 Anchor element

61 First anchorage site

62 Second anchorage site

63 Guide pin

7 Anchor element

71 Anchorage site

8 Shooter

Rear wall

1 Rear wall anchor means

2 Bottom edge of rear wall

Top edge of rear wall

Rear wall retention means

Rear wall side edge

Pivoting connecting element

Ball joint

Side wall

Lower edge of side wall

Top edge of side wall

Rear edge of side wall

Front interconnect system connector element

Housing for the retention element of the front interconnection system

Housing for the pivoting connecting shaft of the transverse connecting means

Rear interconnect system connector element

Housing for rear interconnection system retention element Housing for ball joint

Independent side connection means connector element Housing for independent side connection means retention element

Front interconnection system

Lateral connection means of the front interconnection system Anchorage system

Locking medium

Locking element

Lever

Half connector of the locking elements

Sure

Locking medium

First locking element

Second locking element

Guidance-positioning system

Guiding-positioning medium

Cross connection medium

Articulation means of the transverse connecting means

65 Interconnection element

651 Guiding pipeline

652 Stationary positioning means

653 Anchor positioning means

654 Interconnection element housing

655 Pivoting connecting shaft

66 Connecting element

67 Clamp

7 Rear interconnection system

71 Side connecting means of rear interconnection system

72 Rear wall hinge means

8 Side connection system

81 Separate lateral connection means

91 Actuating means of the anchoring system

911 Transmitting medium of movement

912 Holder for lever

913 Cam Guide

914 First element transmitting movement

915 Second element transmitting movement

92 Actuating means of the lateral connection system

921 First means of transmitting movement

922 Cam Guide

923 Second means of transmitting movement

924 Cam Guide

925 First transmitting element of movement

926 Second element transmitting movement

93 Bulb

94 Camshaft

E1 Longitudinal rotation axis of the side wall

E2 Rear wall transverse rotation axis

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

An example of a folding luggage box 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) , and it can adopt three configurations:

- Chest (1) folded, represented in Fig. 1.

- Chest (1) unfolded closed, represented in Fig. 2.

- Chest (1) unfolded open, represented in Fig. 3.

The upper wall (3) comprises two anchoring means (31), fixed inside the rear edge (34) of the upper wall (3), which are respectively anchored, in the folded chest (1) configuration, to two means anchoring (21) of the base (2), fixed to the rear edge of the base (2), as can be seen in Fig. 4; and in the configuration of the chest (1) deployed, to two anchoring means (41) of the rear wall (4), as can be seen in Fig. 6. The anchoring means (21, 31 and 41) can be hooks , pieces with housings or similar elements that fulfill their retention function, but in this embodiment, the anchoring means (41) of the rear wall (4) are slots molded in the upper edge (43) of the rear wall (4 ).

In order to simplify the mechanisms of the box (1) of the invention that allow the different configurations of the box (1) to alternate, the means and systems that comprise the box (1) share some of the pieces, therefore they are interrelated. The chest (1) of this preferred embodiment comprises a front interconnection system (6), two rear interconnection systems (7) and a side connection system (8).

The front interconnection system (6), which can be seen in Fig. 8, comprises an anchoring system (62), a guiding-positioning system (63), a transverse connection means (64) of the side walls ( 5) and two lateral connection means (61).

The anchoring system (62) of the front interconnection system (6), as can be seen in Fig. 9, comprises a locking means (621), located on each side of the front part of the chest (1), comprising :

- an anchoring element (36) fixed to the upper wall (3), including two anchoring sites (361 and 362);

- a locking element (622), which is anchored to the first anchoring site (361), as seen in Fig. 4, in the lower anchoring position corresponding to the folded chest (1) configuration, and to the second anchoring site (362), as seen in Fig. 6, in the raised anchoring position corresponding to the deployed chest (1) configuration; and that remains unmoored to allow the unfolding and folding processes, as can be seen in Figs. 5 and 7; Y

- an interconnection element (65) comprising a hole (654).

Both locking elements (622) are joined by a connecting means (624), which serves as their axis of rotation, the ends of which are housed in the respective holes (654) of the interconnection elements (65). The anchoring system (62) comprises a safety (625), housed in the left interconnection element (65), which prevents the unlocking between the upper wall (3) and the side walls (5) when the cover (10) is tilted .

In an alternative embodiment, each locking means (626) is made up of:

- an anchoring element (37), fixed to the upper wall (3), which includes a single anchoring site (371), and

- a first locking element (627), which is anchored to the anchoring site (371) in the lower anchoring position corresponding to the folded chest (1) configuration that can be seen in Fig. 10, or which operates, by means of two movement transmitting elements (914 and 915), a second locking means (628), which is anchored to the anchoring site (371) in the raised anchoring position corresponding to the unfolded chest configuration (1), which can be seen in Fig. 11.

The guiding-positioning system (63) of the front interconnection system (6), shown in Figs. 12 and 13, comprises two guiding-positioning means (631), each of which comprises:

- a guide pin (363), included in the anchoring element (36),

- an interconnection element (65), comprising a guide channel (651) for the corresponding guide pin (363); a stationary positioning means (652), which maintains the corresponding anchoring element (36) in a stationary position, which can be seen in Figures 5 and 7, higher and backward than the anchoring position corresponding to the chest configuration (1) folded, shown in Fig. 4, and the anchoring position corresponding to the chest configuration (1) unfolded, shown in Fig. 6; and an anchoring positioning means (653), which maintains the corresponding anchoring element (36) in the anchoring positions corresponding to the folded and unfolded chest (1) configurations.

As shown in Fig. 14, the box (1) of the invention comprises a transverse connection means (64) of the side walls (5), integrated in the front interconnection system (6); two rear interconnection systems (7); and a lateral connection system (8) on each side of the chest (1).

The transverse connection means (64) of the side walls (5), which are represented in Figures 15 and 16, comprises:

- respective connector elements (56) of the front interconnection system, fixed to the corresponding side wall (5), each of which comprises a housing (562);

- respective interconnection elements (65), each of which comprises a pivoting connection shaft (655), which is housed in the housing (562) of the corresponding connector element (56), forming an articulation means (641), pivotally connecting the interconnection element (65) with the corresponding connector element (56);

- a clamp (67), which retains each pivoting connection shaft (655) in the housing (562) of the corresponding connector element (56); Y

- A connecting element (66) in the form of a tube that rigidly joins both interconnection elements (65), inside which the connecting means (624) of the locking elements (622) is hidden protected, and provides robustness to the system of front interconnection (6), provides the box (1) with greater resistance and prevents the objects carried inside from being thrown in the event of a collision.

Each rear interconnection system (7), as shown in Fig. 17, comprises a lateral connection means (71); and an articulation means (72), which connects the rear wall (4) with the corresponding side wall (5), and includes:

- a pivoting connection element (47), fixed to the rear wall (4), comprising a ball joint (471), and

- a connector element (57), fixed to the corresponding side wall (5), comprising a housing (572) for the ball joint (471).

Although each lateral connection system (8) only needs strictly two, in this preferred embodiment each lateral connection system (8) is provided with three lateral connection means (61, 71 and 81) to achieve greater stability and resistance: a lateral connection means (61) comprised in the front interconnection system (6), a lateral connection means (71) comprised in the corresponding rear interconnection system (7) and a separate side connection means (81).

Each lateral connection means (61) belonging to the front interconnection system (6), as can be seen in Fig. 18, comprises:

- a housing (561) located in the corresponding connector element (56), and - a connector means (26) comprising a fixing element (262) to the base (2) and a mobile retaining element (261) that alternates a retention state when it is inserted into the housing (561) of the connector element (56) and a release state, when it is outside said housing (561).

The lateral connection means (71) of each rear interconnection system (7), as can be seen in Fig. 19, comprises:

- a housing (571) located in the corresponding connector element (57), and - a connector means (27) comprising a fixing element (272) to the base (2) and a mobile retaining element (271) that alternates a retention state when it is inserted in the housing (571) of the connector element (57) and a release state, when it is outside said housing (571).

Each independent side connection means (81) shown in Fig. 20 comprises: - a connector element (58), fixed to the corresponding side wall (5), comprising a housing (581), and

- a connecting means (28), comprising a fixing element (282) to the base (2) and a movable retention element (281) that alternates a retention state, when inserted in the housing (581) of the element connector (58) and a release state, when out of said housing (581).

The retention elements (261, 271 and 281) of the respective lateral connection means (61, 71 and 81), in this preferred embodiment, are pins in the shape of a stem, but they can be hooks or the like. At all times, the connecting means (26, 27 and 28) remain connected to the corresponding connecting elements (56, 57 and 58) of the lateral connection system (8) in a retention state, as can be seen in detail in the configuration of chest (1) unfolded closed represented in Fig. 14, except in the box configuration (1) unfolded open, where the lateral connection system (8) on the side of the chest (1) that remains connected to the base (2) is in a retention state, while the lateral connection system (8) of the open side of the box (1) is in a release state and the connector means (26, 27 and 28) are disconnected from the respective connector elements (56, 57 and 58), as can be seen in Fig. 21.

The box (1) comprises a means of actuation (92) of each lateral connection system (8), to allow the opening of the box (1) indistinctly from both sides, and a means of actuation (91) of the anchoring system ( 62). Although the three actuation means may be independent, in this preferred embodiment, the actuation means (91) of the anchoring system (62) and the actuation means (92) of the lateral connection system (8) on the left side of the box (1) share some of their pieces. The box (1) comprises two bulbs (93) that are operated by means of a key.

One of the bulbs (93), located on the left side, operates by means of a camshaft (94) both the anchoring system (62) and the lateral connection system (8) on the left side, and has three positions:

- closed, which keeps the anchoring system (62) in a locked state and the lateral connection system (8) in a retention state, to keep the box configurations (1) folded and unfolded closed;

- folding / unfolding, which keeps the lateral connection system (8) in the retention state and the anchoring system (62) in the unlocked state, to allow alternating the configurations of the chest (1) folded and unfolded closed; Y

- open, which keeps the anchoring system (62) in a locked state and the lateral connection system (8) on that side in a released state, to allow the cover (10) to tilt.

The other light bulb (93), located on the right side, operates only the lateral connection system (8) on that side, so it has two positions, closed and open.

The actuating means (91) of the anchoring system (62), as can be seen in Fig. 22, comprises:

- a means for transmitting the movement (911), including a housing (912) and a cam guide (913),

- a lever (623), included in the locking element (622) of the left locking means (621), which is housed in the housing (912) of the movement transmitting means (911),

- a connecting means (624) that rigidly connects the two locking elements (622),

- a fixing element (262) to the base (2),

- a cover (263) of the fixing element (262) to the base (2),

- a camshaft (94), and

- a bulb (93).

The movement necessary to actuate the lateral connection systems (8) is transmitted by elements connected to them, such as cables or elongated pieces, although in this preferred embodiment flat bars are used.

Each drive means (92) of the lateral connection system (8) on each side of the box (1), as can be seen in Fig. 23, comprises:

- a first means for transmitting the movement (921), attached to the retention element (261) of the lateral connection means (61) included in the front interconnection system (6), comprising a cam guide (922);

- a second means for transmitting the movement (923), comprising a cam guide (924);

- a first element for transmitting movement (925) in the form of a plate, joined at one end to the second means transmitting movement (923) and at the opposite end to the retention element (281) of the independent lateral connection means (81), as shown in Fig. 20;

- a second element for transmitting the movement (926) in the form of a plate, joined at one end to the retention element (281) of the independent lateral connection means (81), as shown in Fig. 20, and at the opposite end to the element retention (271) of the lateral connection means (71) included in the rear interconnection system (7), as shown in Fig. 19;

- a fixing element (262) to the base (2),

- a cover (263) of the fixing element (262) to the base (2),

- a camshaft (94), and

- a bulb (93).

To keep the cover (10) elevated in the configuration of the hood (1) deployed open, the hood (1) comprises a rear support means (24) and a front support means (25):

- The rear support means (24), located at the rear of the box (1), is pivotally connected with the rear wall (4) by means of a first articulation means (241) and with the base (2) by a second articulation means (242), which allow it to move integrally with the rear wall (4), to be located in an essentially horizontal position in the folded chest (1) configuration, as shown in Fig. 24, or in a position essentially vertical in the unfolded chest (1) configuration, as shown in Fig. 25; Y

- the front support means (25), located in the front part of the box (1), as shown in Fig. 21, is pivotally connected with the base (2) and with the connecting element (66) of the means cross connection (64).

The chest (1) comprises fixing means (23) to the vehicle to keep it attached to the luggage rack or the like, which are shown in Figs. 24 and 25.

In an alternative embodiment, which can be seen in Figs. 26 to 28, the upper wall (3) is composed of two pieces (3a and 3b) articulated to each other, so that the rear edge of the front piece (3a) is flap over the front edge of the back piece (3b).

In Fig. 29 to 35 a sequence of the unfolding of the chest (1) is shown, starting from the configuration of the folded chest (1), shown in Fig. 29, where the front edge (32), the rear edge (34 ) and the lateral edges (35) of the upper wall (3) cover the perimeter edge (22) of the base (2); the front of the upper wall (3) is in its lower anchoring position, in which the locking elements (622) are anchored to the respective first anchoring sites (361); and the anchoring means (31) of the upper wall (3) and the anchoring means (21) of the base (2) remain anchored to each other, as shown in detail in Fig. 4. The cylinder (93) on the left side in the folding / unfolding position which, by means of the corresponding actuating means (91), places the anchoring system (62) in the unlocked state, in which the locking elements (622) are unanchored from their respective first anchoring sites (361), as shown in detail in Fig. 5, which allows moving the front part of the upper wall (3) upwards and the upper wall (3) backwards, with the help of a handle (38) located at its leading edge (32) and directed by the guide-positioning means (63). The front part of the upper wall (3) is located in the stationary position, as can be seen in Fig. 30, when the anchoring elements (36) rest on the respective stationary positioning means (652), so that the anchoring means (31) of the upper wall (3) are released from the anchoring means (21) of the base (2), as can be seen in Fig. 5. In this way, as can be seen in Fig. 31, the upper wall (3) is released to tilt on its front part and allow the rear wall (4) to rise, by rotation, to an essentially vertical position, serving as support for the rear part of the upper wall (3) , as can be seen in Fig. 32. The side walls (5) are released to be raised by rotation, passing the respective retention means (33 and 44) of the upper wall (3) and the rear wall (4), to the raise the rear part of the upper wall (3) slightly and fold back slightly the pair rear ed (4), as can be seen in Fig. 33, until the side walls (5) reach an essentially vertical position, shown in Fig. 34, the anchoring means (31) remaining unmoored from the upper wall ( 3) of the anchoring means (41) of the rear wall (4), as can be seen in greater detail in Fig. 7. Finally, the upper wall (3) is moved forward with the help of the handle (38) and directed by the positioning guide means (63) and its front part moves downwards, until it is located in its upper anchoring position, so that the anchoring means (31) of the upper wall (3) and the anchoring means (41) of the rear wall (4) are anchored to each other. By actuating the cylinder (93) on the left side in its closed position, the corresponding actuating means (91) places the anchoring system (62) in a locking state, in which the locking elements (622) are anchored in the respective second anchoring sites (362), as seen in Fig. 6. In this way, as shown in Fig. 35, the chest (1) acquires the closed deployed configuration, in which the upper edge (53) each side wall (5) is retained between the corresponding side edges (35) of the upper wall (3) and retention means (33) in the form of a projection molded into the upper wall (3); the rear edge (54) of each side wall (5) is retained between corresponding side edges (45) of the rear wall (4) and retaining means (44) in the form of a projection molded into the rear wall (4); the rear edge (34) of the upper wall (3) retains the upper edge (43) of the rear wall (4); and the leading edge (32) of the upper wall (3), together with the lower edge (42) of the rear wall (4) and the lower edge (52) of the side walls, cover the perimeter edge (22) of the base (2), and the lateral connection systems (8) on both sides of the box (1) remain in a retention state, as can be seen in Fig 14, solidly forming the cover (10) of the box (1).

To access the interior of the box (1), the cylinder (93) is operated on either of the two sides in its open position which, by means of the corresponding actuating means (92), positions the lateral connection system (8) on that side in the release state, when disconnecting the connector elements (56, 57 and 58) from the corresponding connector means (26, 27 and 28), as can be seen in Fig. 21; and the cover (10) of the chest (1) is folded down by rotating, around a longitudinal axis (E1) essentially parallel to the side of the base (2) to which it remains attached, by means of the articulation formed by the lateral connection system (8 ) on the side that remains connected to the base (2), until the chest (1) is open with the help of the support means (24 and 25).

Once the invention has been described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it is stated for the opportune purposes that, as will be evident to the person with experience in the art, different modifications of the details of this exposition are possible as long as they do not alter the essential characteristics of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. Improved folding roof box (1) for fixing to the roof of a vehicle and intended for the transport of cargo that comprises a base (2), an upper wall (3), a rear wall (4) and two 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 chest configuration (1) unfolded closed, where the cover (10) is coupled to the base (2), formed by the side walls (3), the rear wall (4) and the top wall (5) coupled between yes, with the side walls (3) and the rear wall (4) in an essentially vertical position; Y - a chest configuration (1) unfolded open, where the cover (10) is tilted 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 (21) of the base (2), located at the rear of the base (2); - At least one anchoring means (31) of the upper wall (3), located at the rear of the upper wall (3), which remains anchored to the corresponding anchoring means (21) of the base (2) in the chest configuration (1) folded, to keep together the rear parts of the base (2) and the upper wall (3); and - an anchoring system (62), located in the front part of the box (1), which alternates a locking state and an unlocking state; so that the anchoring system (62), in a locked state, holds together the front parts of the base (2) and of the upper wall (3), to maintain said folded chest (1) configuration; and the anchoring system (62), in the unlocked state, keeps the front part of the upper wall (3) released, so that it carries out an essentially lifting movement, which allows the upper wall (3) to carry out an essentially longitudinal movement backwards with respect to the base (2), which causes the release of the anchor between the anchoring means (21 and 31) of the base (2) and the upper wall (3) in the process of unfolding the chest (1). 2. Luggage box (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one anchoring means (41) of the rear wall (4), located in the upper part of the rear wall (4), to which it remains anchored the corresponding anchoring means (31) of the upper wall (3) in the chest (1) deployed closed and open configurations, to hold together the upper part of the rear wall (4) and the rear part of the upper wall (3) ; so that the anchoring system (62), in a locked state, keeps the front part of the upper wall (3) attached to the front parts of the side walls (5); and, in the unlocked state, it releases the front part of the upper wall (3), to carry out an essentially lifting movement, which allows the upper wall (3) to carry out an essentially longitudinal movement backwards with respect to the rear wall ( 4), which causes the release of the anchor between the anchoring means (31 and 41) of the upper wall (3) and the rear wall (4) in the process of folding the chest (1). 3. Luggage carrier box (1), according to any of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the anchoring system (62), in the locked state, retains the front part of the upper wall, in the folded box (1) configuration in an anchoring position, and in the unfolded chest configuration (1) in an anchoring position higher than that corresponding to the folded chest configuration (1); so that, in both anchoring positions, the leading edge (32) of the upper wall (3) covers the front part of the perimeter edge (22) of the base (2). 4. Luggage box (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anchoring system (62) comprises a locking means (621) located on each side of the front part of the box (1), comprising : - an anchoring element (36), fixed to the upper wall (3), including a first anchoring site (361) and a second anchoring site (362), located in a lower position than the first anchoring site (361); Y - a locking element (622) that, with the anchoring system (62) in a locked state, remains anchored to the first anchoring site (361) in the folded chest configuration (1) and to the second anchoring site (362 ) in the chest configuration (1) unfolded; and with the anchoring system (62) in the unlocked state, it remains unlocked. 5. Luggage box (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anchoring system (62) comprises a locking means (626) located on each side of the front part of the box (1), comprising : - an anchoring element (37), fixed to the upper wall (3), which includes a place of anchor (371); - a first locking element (627), which remains anchored to the anchoring site (371) in the folded chest configuration (1), with the anchoring system (62) in the locking state; Y - a second locking element (628), located in a higher position than the first locking element (627), which remains anchored to the anchoring site (371) in the chest configuration (1) deployed with the anchoring system (62) in the locked state, and both locking elements (627 and 628) remain unlocked with the anchoring system (62) in the unlocked state. 6. Luggage box (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a guide-positioning system (63), which guides the front part of the upper wall (3), to position and maintain it: in the anchoring positions corresponding to the chest configuration (1) folded and the chest configuration (1) unfolded; and in a stationary position higher and rearward than said anchoring positions, in which the anchoring means (21, 31 and 41) of the base (2), the upper wall (3) and the rear wall ( 4). 7. Luggage box (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the guide-positioning system (63) comprises a positioning guide means (631) located on each side of the front part of the box (1), comprising: - at least one anchoring positioning means (653), which maintains the front part of the upper wall (3) in the anchoring position corresponding to the folded chest (1) configuration and in the anchoring position corresponding to the configuration chest (1) unfolded; Y - a stationary positioning means (652), which maintains the front part of the upper wall (3) in the stationary position during the folding and unfolding processes. 8. Luggage box (1) according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises: - respective retention means (33) of the upper wall (3), located on each lateral part of the upper wall (3), and respective retention means (44) of the wall rear (4), located on each side of the rear wall (4); - respective articulation means (72) of the rear wall (4), connecting it in a pivotal manner with the corresponding side wall (5); - a transverse connection means (64), comprising an articulation means (641) at each of its two ends, pivotally connecting said transverse connection means (64) to the corresponding side wall (5); Y - a lateral connection system (8) on each side of the box (1), comprising at least two lateral connection means (61, 71 and 81); so that: - the retention means (33) and the lateral edges (35) of the upper wall (3), together with the retention means (44) and the lateral edges (45) of the rear wall (4), retain in the position corresponding to the configuration of the chest (1) deployed to the side walls (5), which are released from the retention means (33) of the upper wall (3), as the rear part of the upper wall (3) rises , swinging over the front part of said upper wall (3), located in the stationary position in the folding process; - the joint action of both articulation means (72) of the rear wall (4) allows said rear wall (4) to rotate around a transverse axis (E2) parallel to the rear edge of the base (2), in the process fold, to rotate slightly backwards and release each side wall (5) from the respective retaining means (44) from the rear wall (4) and to fold down on the base (2), or in the unfolding process, to raise and to rotate slightly forward and retain the side walls (5) with the respective retention means (44); - each lateral connection system (8), in a retention state, maintains pivotally connected the corresponding lateral wall (5) with the base (2); - the joint action of the articulation means (72) of the rear wall (4), the articulation means (641) of the transverse connection means (64) and the lateral connection system (8), in the retention state, corresponding On each side of the chest (1), it allows the corresponding side wall (5) to rotate around a longitudinal axis (E1) essentially parallel to the edge of the base (2) to which it is attached, to fold down or rise in the processes of fold and unfold; - in the configuration of the chest (2) unfolded closed, the two lateral connection systems (1), in a retention state, keep the cover (10) coupled to the base (2); Y - at least the lateral connection system (8) on one side of the box (1) alternates its retention state and a release state in which, with the chest (1) unfolded, it allows the corresponding side wall (5) to be disconnected from the base (2), so that the cover (10) of the chest (1) tilts by means of the articulation formed by the lateral interconnection system (8) on the opposite side, which maintains its retention state. 9. Luggage box (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that each lateral connection means (61, 71 and 81) belonging to a lateral connection system (8) capable of adopting the release state comprises a connector element ( 56, 57 and 58), fixed to the corresponding side wall (5), and a connector means (26, 27 and 29), which includes a fixing element (262, 272 and 282) to the base (2) fixed to the base (2) and a movable retaining element (261, 271 and 281) which, when the lateral connection system (8) is in a retention state, holds the corresponding connector element (56, 57 and 58) of the lateral wall (5) and when the lateral connection system (8) is in a release state, it keeps said connector element (56, 57 and 58) released. 10 Luggage box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one means of actuation (91) of the anchoring system (62), which acts on said anchoring system (62) to alternate its state of lock, where it keeps the settings of the hood (1) folded and the hood (1) unfolded, and its unlock status, where it allows to alternate these settings. 11. Luggage carrier box (1), according to any of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that it comprises at least one actuating means (92) of the lateral connection system (8) on one side of the box (1), which acts on said lateral connection system (8) to alternate its retention state, where it maintains the lateral wall (5) of the corresponding side connected to the base (2), and its release state, where it allows disconnecting said lateral wall (5) to that the cover (10) tilts. 12. Luggage box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a rear support means (24) and a front support means (25), which keep the cover (10) of the box (1) raised. deployed open, where the rear support means (24) is attached to the base (2) by means of a first articulation means (241) and to the rear wall (4) by a second articulation means (242), which allow it to fold down jointly with the rear wall (4) in the folding process. 13. Luggage box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper wall (3) is made up of at least two pieces (3a and 3b) articulated with each other so that each piece overlaps the rear. 14. Luggage box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper wall (3) comprises a handle (38) that facilitates the manipulation of the upper wall (3) to perform the necessary movements in the folding processes and deployed. 15. Luggage box (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the anchoring system (62), the guiding-positioning system (63), the transverse connection system (64), the articulation means (72 ) of the rear wall (4) and the lateral connection means (61, 71 and 81) comprise springs that facilitate their operation and / or motors that perform their functions.