GB2086315A - Elevating roof for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The longitudinal dimension of the roof opening 3 over which the elevating roof 2 is fitted is sufficient to accommodate a longitudinally extending double-width collapsible berth which comprises a first longitudinally extending berth support member 15 movable transversely from a stowed position over the roof opening to an extended position in the region where an opposite canopy wall portion 26 juts out and a second berth support member 17 movable with respect to the first berth support member from a stowed position in substantially overlapping relationship with the latter to an extended position within said roof opening, so as effectively to extend the width of the first berth support member and thereby provide a support surface for the double-width berth. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to elevating roofs This invention relates to elevating roofs for use in conjunction with a vehicle such as a van or caravan having a roof provided with a substantially rectangular opening which has a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of transverse edges.

The invention is particularly concerned with an elevating roof arrangement which incorporates a collapsible berth, the arrangement being generally of the type comprising, in combination, a rigid substantially rectangular member which is adapted to be hinged along one edge thereof for movement between a lowered position covering said roof opening and a raised position where it provides one wall of said roof arrangement. a canopy of foldable material which is attached to the other edge of said rigid member and arranged to be unfolded by movement of said rigid member to its raised position to provide the other wall of said roof arrangement.

In one known elevating roof of this type, one or two hammock type berths is or are rolled-up against a respective longitudinal edge of the roof opening, and when the roof is raised, the or each berth can be unfolded and erected with the aid of a support rod within said opening.

A disadvantage of such a berth arrangement is that the hammock, whilst being readily stowable, can be uncomfortable in use, particularly for adults.

Two constructions of elevating roof of the general type referred to above are described and claimed in British Patent Specification No. 1485975 and British Patent of Addition Specification No. 1 565322.

In each of these constructions, support means are provided which are movable from a stowed inward position to an extended position, with the roof member raised, to cause the wall portion of the canopy opposite to the raised roof member to overhangingly jut out beyond its respective edge of the roof opening to create an appreciable width within which two longitudinally extending collapsible berths can be accommodated side-byside.

One preferred arrangement for the two longitudinally extending berths is described and claimed in British Patent Application No. 7904736.

An object of the present invention is to provide an elevating roof arrangement generally in accordance with British Patent Specification No. 1485975 or 1565322, with an alternative collapsible berth arrangement in which, instead of two longitudinally extending collapsible berths, one collapsible double-width berth can be erected in a simple manner.

According to the present invention, such an elevating roof arrangement is characterised in that the longitudinal dimension of the roof opening is sufficient to accommodate a longitudinally extending double-width collapsible berth, in that the longitudinally extending double width collapsible berth comprises a first longitudinally extending berth support member which is movable transversely from a stowed position over the roof opening to an extended position in the region where the said opposite canopy wall portion juts out, and a second berth support member which is movable with respect to said first berth support member from a stowed position in substantially overlapping relationship with the latter to an extended position within said roof opening, so as effectively to extend the width of the first berth support member and thereby provide a support surface for the double-width berth.

Preferably the inner longitudinal edge of said second support member is connected to an adjacent longitudinal facing strip for the roof opening, and is moved to its said extended position by inward sliding movement of said facing strip effectively to reduce the transverse dimension of said roof opening.

According to a subsidiary feature of this invention, in an elevating roof arrangement as described hereinbefore, the roof member is of appreciable depth and includes a wall providing a stowage area, (e.g. for use as a wardrobe) said wall defining an access opening having a shutter, door, or like closure member.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and further features made apparent, the elevating roof generally as described in British Patent of Addition Specification No. 1 565322 and incorporating a double-width, collapsible berth in accordance with this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the elevating roof arrangement in its raised condition, taken on the line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an internal plan view on the line Il-Il of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 2 of the longitudinally extending double-width berth incorporated in the roof arrangement, and, Figure 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged view in the direction of arrow IV of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1,2 and 3, as described in British Patent of Addition Specification No.

1 565322, the roof 1 of a motor caravan has an elevating roof arrangement 2 which, when elevated, has an area which is significantly larger in plan than the rectangular roof opening 3 it covers, said opening having a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of transverse edges which are faced with elongated facing strips 3a and 3b respectively.

The roof arrangement 2 includes a rigid roof member 4 and a waterproof, collapsible canopy 5.

With the elevating roof closed; the roof member 4 extends over the entire area of the roof 1, said member having a peripheral wall 4a, the lower edge of which has a rubber sealing strip 6 and is dimensioned to sit within or adjacent a gutter 7 around the periphery of the roof 1. The roof member 4 is releasably closed by suitable catch means (not shown). One longitudinal lower edge of the roof member 4 is hinged, via a hinge 10, either directly to the roof 1, or adjacent the gutter 7 as shown, or indirectly via suitable brackets. The wall 4a of said roof member is of a sufficient depth to accommodate the collapsible canopy 5 together with its associated support framework described below. In this embodiment the depth of the roof member is increased for a purpose described hereinafter, particularly with reference to Figure 4.

To move the elevating roof to its raised condition, all that is necessary is to release said catch means, then (by standing inside the vehicle) to push the roof member 4 upwardly to the angled position shown in Figure 1, and finally to adjust the support framework to open out the canopy 5.

To facilitate raising the roof member 4, gas-filled telescopic arms (not shown) may be provided adjacent each transverse wall of the canopy 5, acting between said roof member 4 and the roof 1.

In its opened-out condition, the canopy overhangingly juts out beyond the side of the vehicle by a significant amount. This is achieved by the support framework, which will now be described particularly with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Thus, the support framework comprises an upper and a lower longitudinally extending elongated rod 12, 1 3 respectively, which rods are located at predetermined spaced positions. The lower rod 1 3 is attached, via brackets 14, onto a planar member in the form of a board 1 5.The board 1 5 extends for the length of the roof opening 3 and is arranged to move from a stowed position directly over the roof opening 3 to an extended position (as shown in Figures 1 and 2) to one side of said opening, in which it projects beyond the side of the vehicle and thereby provides for the overhang of the canopy 5.

In this embodiment, relatively strong telescopic units 48 (see Figure 2) are mounted transversely on the vehicle adjacent each end of the canopy 5 to provide a stronger support for the overhang, the movable arm 49 of each unit being rigidly fixed to the ends of the support rod 1 3, and the stationary part 50 of each telescopic unit being generally of "U" form (see Figure 3), the limbs of which embrace the movable arm 49. Each movable arm 49 has a bracket 20 fixed thereon, to which is pivoted one end of a support arm 24, the other end of the arm being connected to the upper support rod 12. Hence, when the roof member 4 is raised, the upper rod 12 is partially raised by the canopy material, and the sliding board 1 5 is then slidably moved to its extended position to provide, via the lower rod 13, the canopy overhang.

Simultaneously the arms 24, are urged, via their brackets 20, to move the rod 12 further upwardly and to push the canopy material outwardly into the position shown in Figure 1. In cross-section, the canopy 5 provides an angled side wall 26 and a top wall 27 and the interior canopy space thus provided is of substantial width (i.e. the transverse dimension) with adequate headroom.

In accordance with the invention, the sliding board 15 provides one half of the double-width berth, the other half being provided by a pair of further sliding boards 1 6 and 1 7. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the boards 1 6 and 17 are supported in alignment and, between them, extend the full length of the roof opening 3, each board being slidable between a pair of runners 1 8, 1 9 respectively, which runners extend transversely and are carried on the underside of the board 15.

The inner edges of the two boards 1 6 and 1 7 are attached to their adjacent facing strip 3a' of the roof opening (see Figure 1) and this facing strip is slidable on guides 21 fixed to the lower edges of the transverse facing strips 3b of said roof opening. Thus, after the roof member 4 has been raised and the canopy erected as discussed hereinbefore, the boards 16 and 17 are in an overlapping stowed position beneath the overhanging board 1 5 and their said adjacent facing strip 3a' is in the position shown dotted in Figure 1 abutting its respective longitudinal edge of the roof opening 3. In this position the board 1 5 can be used as a single bed.T convert to a doublewidth bed, this is simply achieved by sliding the facing strip 3a' to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 so as to bring the boards 1 6 and 1 7 to their extended position partly within the area of the roof opening 3: it will be appreciated that suitable loose mattresses 29 (preferably of foam) would be provided to fit over the boards 1 5, 1 6 and 17 to provide the bed surface.

It will also be appreciated that the board 1 5 can be releasably fixed in its extended overhanging position by bolts 54 which slideably fit into respective apertures provided in each of the transverse facing strips 3b.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, according to a subsidiary feature of the invention, in this embodiment the roof member is of appreciable depth and the side wall 4a is stepped to provide an area 30 which is closed by a wall 31.

The wall 31 has an access opening which is covered by a sliding shutter 32, which latter is provided with a handle 33; it will be appreciated that the area 30 provides an additional stowage space and can conveniently be used as a wardrobe.

Claims (7)

1. An elevating roof arrangement for use in conjunction with a vehicle having a roof in which is provided a substantially rectangular opening having a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of transverse edges, said arrangement comprising a rigid substantially rectangular roof member which is adapted to be hinged along one edge thereof for movement between a lowered position covering the roof opening and a raised position where it provides one wall of said roof arrangement, a canopy of foldable material which is attached to the other edges of the rigid roof member and arranged to be unfolded by movement of said rigid member to its raised position to provide the other walls of said roof arrangement, and support means which are movable from a stowed inward position to an extended position, with the roof member raised, to cause the wall portion of the canopy opposite the raised roof member to overhangingly jut out beyond its respective edge of the roof member, characterised in that the longitudinal dimension of the roof opening is sufficient to accommodate a longitudinally extending double-width collapsible berth, and in that the longitudinally extending double width collapsible berth comprises a first longitudinally extending berth support member which is movable transversely from a stowed position over the roof opening to an extended position in the region where the opposite canopy wall portion juts out and a second berth support member which is movable with respect to the first berth support member from a stowed position in substantially overlapping relationship with the latter to an extended position within said roof opening, so as effectively to extend the width of the first berth support member and thereby provide a support surface for the double-width berth.

2. An elevating roof arrangement according to Claim 1, characterised in that the inner longitudinal edge of said second support member is connected to an adjacent longitudinal facing strip for the roof opening, and is moved to its said extended position by inward sliding movement of said facing strip effectively to reduce the transverse dimension of said roof opening.

3. An elevating roof arrangement according to Claim 1, or Claim 2, characterised in that the canopy support means includes a support framework comprising a longitudinally extending rod connected to an intermediate portion of the inner surface of the said opposite wall of the canopy, the rod being pivotally connected, via a pair of arms, to each end of the said first berth support member, and in that the outer longitudinal edge of said first berth support member is connected directly, or via a further rod, to the inner surface of a lower portion of said opposite wall of the canopy, the arrangement being such that movement of said first berth support member to its extended position acts on said opposite wall of the canopy to produce an angled side wall portion and a top wall portion.

4. An elevating roof arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the ends of said first berth support member are supported on two suitably spaced, transversely extending telescopic units.

5. An elevating roof arrangement according to Claim 4 when dependent on Claim 3, characterised in that said pair of arms for the longitudinally extending rod are connected to said first berth support member via respective said telescopic units.

6. An elevating roof arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that said first berth support member is in the form of a board, and in that said second berth support member comprises two half boards which are slidably supported in alignment in respective pairs of tranversely arranged runners carried on the underside of the first berth board.

7. An elevating roof arrangement constructed and adapted for use substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.