GB2305155A

GB2305155A - Supporting foot for an extendible roof rail.

Info

Publication number: GB2305155A
Application number: GB9612204A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerrit Fluss; Karl-Heinz Lumpe; Reinhard Drees; Brigitte Evels
Original assignee: JAC Products Deutschland GmbH
Current assignee: JAC Products Deutschland GmbH
Priority date: 1995-09-14
Filing date: 1996-06-11
Publication date: 1997-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-11
Also published as: FR2738784B1; FR2738784A1; GB9612204D0; GB2305155B; DE19534044A1

Description

2305155 SuPT)ortinq foot for a vehicle roof rail The invention relates to

a supporting foot for a vehicle roof rail, which can be fastened on a vehicle roof and has a mounting for supporting and fastening the end region of a rail tube.

A very wide variety of embodiments for supporting feet for vehicle rails are known. DE 40 04 829 C2 shows, for example, a supporting foot which is designed as one part, whilst, for example, DE 43 32 524 A1 shows a supporting foot which is configured as a number of parts. In addition to these supporting feet, which are to be arranged at the ends of a rail tube, central supports is (cf., for example, DE 42 40 080 C2) have also been disclosed, which support relatively long rail tubes approximately in the centre and are intended to prevent them from bending.

The object of the present invention is therefore to develop a supporting foot of the type mentioned at the outset such that it is possible to extend a vehicle roof rail, if required.

This object is achieved, in accordance with the invention, in that, for the purpose of optionally supporting and fastening an end region of an extension rail tube or for supporting and fastening a cover cap, the supporting foot is designed with a second mounting which is aligned axially with respect to the first mounting.

By means of this measure according to the inven- tion, the effect is achieved that both the supporting foot which is situated at the front end of a rail tube and that at the rear end of a rail tube is in each case provided with two mountings. Normally, the mountings which face one another support the two end regions of a rail tube which rest thereon, whilst the second mountings, which face away from one another, bear a cover - 2 cap, thus guaranteeing a pleasing appearance of the roof rail. Normally, therefore, two rail tubes are arranged on the roof of a vehicle, which extend approximately parallel to the edges of the roof and are supported at their end regions by supporting feet. The rail tubes are used for connecting cross-beams, which in turn bear roof loads. It is now conceivable for a vehicle manufacturer to supply a vehicle having a basic version of a roof rail, but to offer the purchaser the possibility of equipping his vehicle with an extended roof rail version. A roof rail can thus be extended towards the front and/or towards the rear, depending on the arrangement of the basic version. of course, the vehicle purchaser also has the possibility of constructing a roof rail himself, or of extending a basic version subsequently by purchasing of two extension rail tubes and two supporting feet.

A first embodiment of the invention provides for the mountings to be formed from a single supporting surface which extends over the top-side length of the supporting foot. This supporting surface is intended to be adapted to the respective rail tube, thus it can be of either planar or grooved configuration. Differing from a plug-in connection, in this configuration according to the invention, a screw connection is to be provided between the supporting feet and the rail tube or the extension rail tube.

A second embodiment of the invention provides for the first mounting to comprise a plug-in pin and the second mounting to comprise a supporting surface.

The supporting foot can be fastened in a manner known per se, in particular by the supporting foot having a stepped bore for passing through a fastening element. Furthermore, the supporting foot can have bores provided with an internal screw thread, for the screwed fixing of a rail tube and of an extension rail tube. The internal screw threads can also be dispensed with, if self -tapping screws are used.

The cover cap, which is provided to complete the visual appearance of the supporting foot, is designed - 3 is with at least one fastening attachment, such as a plug-in pin which engages in a bore in the supporting foot. The cover cap can preferably consist of a plastic injection moulding, which can be produced simply and costeffectively.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a vehicle roof with roof rails arranged thereon, shows a first design of a supporting foot, shows a second design of a supporting foot, shows a side view of a roof rail with supporting feet according to Fig. 2, and shows an extended version of the roof rail according to Fig. 4.

Fastened on a vehicle roof 1, in Fig. 1, are two roof rails, which extend along the side edges of the roof. Each roof rail comprises, as shown by solid lines, a rail tube 2 and supporting feet 3 at the ends of the rail tube. Fig. 1 further shows, in dot-dashed lines, that each roof rail can be extended, specifically by means of an extension rail tube 4 and an additional supporting foot 3. Each supporting foot 3 has a mounting 5 for supporting and fastening the rail tube 2, and furthermore is designed, for optionally supporting and fastening an end region of the extension rail tube 4 or for supporting and fastening a cover cap 7, with a second mounting 6 which is aligned axially with respect to the first mounting.

The supporting feet 3 shown in Fig. 1 can, in a first embodiment, have a configuration corresponding to Fig. 2. The supporting foot according to Fig. 2 is provided overall with the reference numeral 3, as are also those which are to be described subsequently. The supporting foot 3 has, on its underside, a sealing collar 8 and, on its top side, the mountings 5 and 6.

Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 The supporting foot 3 has a screw 12 which rests in a stepped bore 11, for the purpose of fastening on the vehicle roof 1.

The embodiment of the supporting foot 3 according to Fig. 2 has mountings 5, 6 which are formed by a single supporting surface 13 which extends over the top-side length of the supporting foot. Aligned parallel to the stepped bore 11, which is provided for the screw 12, are two throughbores 14 for fastening screws 15, by means of which a rail tube 2 and, if desired, an extension rail tube 4 can be fixed to the supporting foot 3.

If a roof rail comprises only two supporting feet 3 according to Fig. 4 and one rail tube 2, as shown in Fig. 4, in each case one of the throughbores 14, and also one of the mountings 5, 6, remains unused. In this case a visually satisfactory termination is achieved by means of cover caps 7, which for the purpose of reliable fixing on the supporting feet 3 are designed with dowellike projections 16 which engage in the stepped bores 11.

After removing the cover cap 7, which is on the right in Fig. 4, an extension rail tube 4 can be f itted on the supporting surface 5 and fixed at the other end by an additional supporting foot 3. The fastening screws 15, which can be passed through upper and lower openings in the rail tube 2 or extension rail tube 4, respectively, and screwed into the through-bores 14 in the supporting f oot 3, are used f or f ixing. The upper openings in the tubes 2 and 4 can be closed of f in a simple manner by means of a cover element 17 which can be clipped in.

The embodiment of the supporting f oot 3 according to Fig. 3 has, on the right-hand side of the drawing, a mounting 5 in the form of a plug-in pin 9 and, on the left-hand side of the drawing, a mounting 6 in the form of a supporting surface 18. A rail tube 2 and a cover cap 7 are indicated by dot-dashed lines. A throughbore 14 is situated next to the stepped bore 11. It is clear that the rail tube 2 can be replaced by an extension rail tube 4, just as the cover cap 7 can be replaced by a rail tube 2 or by an extension rail tube 4.

HFD 1428

Claims

Patent claims:

31.08.1995, Pom/Gei 1. Supporting foot (3) for a vehicle roof rail, which can be fastened on a vehicle roof (1) and has a mounting (5, 6) for supporting and fastening the end region of a rail tube (2), characterized in that, for the purpose of optionally supporting and fastening an end region of an extension rail tube (4) or for supporting and fastening a cover cap (7), the said supporting foot is designed with a second mounting (5, 6) which is aligned axially with respect to the first mounting.
2. Supporting foot according to Claim 1, charac terized in that the mountings (5, 6) are formed from a single supporting surface (13) which extends over the top-side length of the supporting foot
3. Supporting foot according to terized in that the first mounting (5) in pin (9) and the second mounting supporting surface (18).
4. Supporting foot according to at least one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the said supporting foot has a stepped bore (11) passing through a fastening element (12) for a roof fastening.
5. Supporting foot according to at least one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized.in that the said supporting foot has bores (14) provided with an internal screw thread, for the screwed fixing of a rail tube (2) and of an extension rail tube (4).
6. Supporting foot according to at least one of Claims 1 to 5, having a cover cap (7), characterized in that the cover cap (7), which is provided to complete the visual appearance of the supporting foot (3), has at least one fastening attachment, such as a plug-in pin (16) which engages in a bore (11) in the supporting foot (3).

Claim 1, characcomprises a plug(6) comprises a