JP2001301534A - Roof rack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a roof rack capable of safely and lightly standing a frame of a loading space drawn along rails from an automobile roof by slowly tilting on an outside of an automobile, and capable of safely and lightly housing the frame of the loading space between the rails on the automobile roof by slowly tilting the standing frame of the loading space. SOLUTION: The roof rack includes the frame 2 of the loading space for moving along a pair of left and right fixed rails 1 arranged on a roof upper surface R of the automobile M. The frame 2 of the loading space is provided with a damper 4 for arranging the frame 2 of the loading space, which is drawn to be internally contact with an end part stopper 1A of the rail 1 by a pair of left and right rollers 2A supported and pivoting at a middle part 3 near a center of the frame 2 of the loading space, so as to tilt by the aid of each of the roller 2A as a supporting point on an outside of the automobile M, and for relieving tilting movement.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roof rack suitable for mounting a conveyed object such as a ladder or ski on an upper surface of a roof of an automobile such as a wagon or a light van. The present invention relates to a roof rack capable of safely and lightly tilting a seesaw outside a vehicle from a cargo frame drawn out of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a roof rack or a roof carrier of this type, a roof carrier mounted on a ceiling of a vehicle, such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-262183, is used. 2. Description of the Related Art A roof carrier is known in which a base rail portion is fixed to the base rail portion, a carrier frame portion is slidably fitted on the base rail portion, and a ground portion is provided at one end of the carrier frame portion.

[0003] Separately from this, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-2026, projecting piece receivers are provided at both ends of one side of a fixed base, and projecting pieces are provided at both ends of the same side of a movable inclined loading platform.
There is also known a movable carrier in which a wire for the fixed base and the interlocking relay pipe for receiving the protruding piece is provided with an unlocking pull at the end of the wire, and dampers are provided before and after the fixed base and the movable inclined carrier.

[0004]

The former of the above-mentioned prior arts can be stored by placing the carrier frame portion at the same position in parallel with the base rail portion on the automobile roof and pulling out the carrier frame portion. By tilting down and locking the upper end to the base rail and grounding the lower end, the luggage can be fixed or released on the carrier frame, and when the carrier frame is returned to the stowed state, the cargo is stacked I can do it.

Therefore, in order to stack the carrier frame together with the load on the roof in this conventional example, it is necessary to lift the carrier frame by pivoting upward with the upper end of the carrier frame as a fulcrum. In order to resist the gravity of the sum of the weight of the load and lift the frame grounding part to a height equal to or higher than the vehicle height and rotate the frame greatly, the work of stacking the load is
There is an essential problem of considerable labor.

Further, when pulling down the cargo together with the carrier frame, the long frame is pulled out of the ram together with the cargo by the principle of leverage at the upper fulcrum, and the above-mentioned gravity is supported by hand, and it is rotated greatly while tilting. However, since it must be grounded slowly, this is also a heavy labor, and if care is not taken, there is a serious problem that the foot or hand can easily be caught in the grounding portion and there is a risk of injury.

Further, in the latter case of the conventional example, that is, the conventional example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-2026, when loading on a movable inclined bed and mounting it on a car,
The inclined carrier is pushed up from the position lower than the car roof together with the load to a height equal to or greater than the damper length in the contracted state against the total force of the gravity of the self-weight of the carrier itself, the load, and the sum of the degenerate stress of the damper. There is a problem that it has to be rotated, which also causes considerable labor.

Further, in the conventional carrier, the fulcrum at the time of standby for tilting is near the upper end portion and is close to the damper coupling portion. When a force is applied, a large upward force is applied to the damper and the fulcrum according to the principle of leverage, and there is also a second problem that the damper and the fulcrum are easily damaged and there is a risk of being broken.

Further, as a result of actually making a sample based on this conventional example and conducting an experiment, in this conventional example, the heavier inclined loading bed is loaded by hand, and the damper is lifted by this contracted height while being contracted by hand. In fact, when pushing in to the back, in reality, the dumper leans toward the back while the damper is close to vertical and it is in a contracted state, so the cargo platform tends to fall aiming at the roof upper surface, There is a danger that the carrier will suddenly collide with the roof without the cushioning effect.

[0010] In addition, when the loader that has become heavier due to loading is pushed up by a hundred steps, and the vertical damper is in a loaded state in front of the loader while being extended, the damper is The loading platform contracts with the load as it goes to the back, while tilting due to the load, and at this time, the dumping function of the damper is exhibited. Conversely, when the loading platform with the above-mentioned cargo is pulled out, the above-described contraction occurs. After the damper shrinks and then becomes vertical, it shrinks and leans forward, so the damper does not exhibit a buffering effect, and once the carrier drops to the near position, pull the carrier forward while extending the damper. Because of the inclination, there is a danger due to the above-mentioned drop of the cargo bed, and there are also inconsistent major operational problems such as the need for traction force to extend the damper.

According to the present invention, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, the loading frame extracted from the roof of the vehicle along the rail is slowly tilted on the outside of the vehicle by a seesaw to achieve safety.
An object of the present invention is to be able to safely and lightly store a cargo frame between rails on an automobile roof by causing the cargo frame to be erected lightly and by tilting the carrier frame in the upright state slowly with a seesaw.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a load carrier frame which is movable along a pair of right and left fixed rails disposed on the upper surface of an automobile roof, and an intermediate portion near the center of the load carrier frame. A load carrier frame which is pulled out until a pair of left and right rollers pivotally supported by the roller is inscribed in the end stopper of the rail is disposed outside the vehicle so as to be tiltable with a seesaw using each roller as a fulcrum, and this tilting operation is reduced. Was achieved by equipping the carrier frame with a damper.

Further, the vehicle has a carrier frame which can be moved along a pair of left and right fixed rails disposed on the upper surface of the roof of the automobile, and a pair of left and right rollers pivotally supported at an intermediate portion near the center of the carrier frame. A roof rack provided with a loading frame pulled out until it is inscribed in the end stopper so that the seesaw can be tilted around each roller as a fulcrum outside the automobile, and a damper for relaxing this tilting operation is provided on the loading frame. In the configuration, a front portion of a damper is pivotally supported at a rear portion of the intermediate portion of the loading frame by a pivot portion, and a rear portion of the damper is pivotally connected to a movable body movably disposed along a guide rail arranged in parallel with the middle of the rail. The front portion of the movable rod, which is pivotally supported by the support portion and moves while maintaining the parallel state with the guide piece with respect to the damper, is pivotally supported by the pivot portion to the rear portion of the intermediate portion of the carrier frame. A self-returning hook that locks the provided protruding piece at the drawing end position of the loading frame is pivotably supported near the front portion of the guide rail so that the damper can be retracted when the loading frame is returned to the inside of the rail. By pushing the hook against the self-returning force almost in synchronism with the movable rod, the pushing piece for releasing the lock of the hook with respect to the movable body projecting piece was protrudingly provided on the movable rod. .

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the basic form of the present invention is:
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of right and left fixed rails 1 made of a U-shaped channel material disposed on a roof upper surface R of a vehicle M by a well-known means such as a rain gutter attachment RA are respectively one before and after the left and right. A load carrier frame 2 that can move horizontally from the state of FIG. 3 to the rail 1 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided by a total of four rollers 2A, and the roller 2A in the intermediate portion 3 near the center of the carrier frame 2 3, the loading frame is pulled out as shown in FIG. 3 until the loading frame 2 is inscribed in the front end stopper 1A, and the loading frame 2 can be tilted seesaw at the rear of the vehicle M with the roller 2A of the intermediate portion 3 as a fulcrum. And an oil cylinder to alleviate this tilting motion.
The damper 4 using the fluid viscosity of a piston type or the like
It is a roof rack prepared for.

More specifically, the front end of the piston rod P at the front part 4A of the damper 4 is pivotally supported at the rear part 3A of the carrier frame intermediate part 3 by a pivot part 4B as shown in FIG. A rear portion of the cylinder S is provided with a damper pivot 4D on a rear portion of a movable body 6 slidably disposed across a guide rail 5 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction of the rail 1 as shown in each of the drawings. It pivots as shown in FIG. Then, the front portion 7A of the movable rod 7 which moves parallel to the damper 4 by a guide piece 4E projecting laterally on the outer surface of the damper 4 as shown in FIG. At the rear portion 3A of the intermediate portion 3 of the carrier frame.

The locking projection 6A projecting laterally from the movable body 6 in FIG. 5 is locked at the drawing end point position of the loading frame 2 shown in FIG. 3 through the state shown in FIG. 6 as shown in FIG. Then, a self-returning push-up leaf spring 8A for immobilizing the movable body 6 and a hook 8 with an upper limit stopper 8B are pivotally supported near the front portion 5A of the guide rail 5 by a pivotal support 8C.

Next, from the state of handling the cargo in FIGS. 8 and 9 to the state shown in FIGS. Immediately before the end of the contraction, the hook 8 is pushed by the pressing portion 8D against the self-return force through the state of FIG. 10 as shown in FIG. A push piece 9 for releasing the lock as shown in FIG. 12 is projected downward from the movable rod 7 as shown in each of the drawings to constitute a roof rack according to the present invention.

The loading frame 2 is formed in a ladder shape by a horizontal rail 2B as shown in each figure, and the center and rear portions of the rail 1 made of U-shaped channel material roll in the length direction thereof. The rail 1 is made up of four rollers 2A, one on each side.
It can be moved back and forth along. FIG.
At the end of pulling out the loading frame 2 shown in FIG. 2, the front roller 2A near the center is in contact with the inner surface of the rail stopper 1A or falls into a rail recess (not shown) below the rail stopper 1A. The loading frame 2 is tilted or returned horizontally as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the roller 2A as a fulcrum. In these cases, the rear roller 2A
The rail 1 is configured to be able to enter and exit through a notch 1a.

Further, the storage state of the loading frame 2 in the rail shown in FIG. 4 is based on a well-known state such as a key pin locking means or a hook locking mechanism in which a well-known key pin is inserted by a handle H into a key hole at the front of the rail 1 and the loading frame 2. Of the loading frame 2 against the rail 1 is prevented by the storage lock mechanism.

Since the roof rack according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, the well-known storage lock mechanism can be used to pull out the loading frame 2 from the empty loading frame 2 shown in FIG. The front side of the loading frame 2 can be pulled out of the rails together with the damper 4 and the movable body 6 as shown in FIG. 3 by operating the handle H or the like. As the roller 2A rolls on the rail 1 and the movable table 6 slides on the guide rail 5,
The loading frame 2 can be pulled out lightly as shown in FIG. 3 until the roller 2A pivotally supported by the intermediate portion 3 near the center comes in contact with the rail front end stopper 1A.

Next, by pushing down the front portion of the loading frame 2 downward (in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3), the loading frame 2 is supported by the roller 2A inscribed in the rail stopper 1A as a fulcrum in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6. 8 to FIG. 8, the loading frame 2 can be erected substantially upright with the damper 4 fully extended as shown in FIGS. It can be in a handling state such as unloading.

That is, with the start of the tilting of the loading frame 2 at the end position of the drawer, the movable body 6 slightly advances and passes through the state of FIG. 6 to contact the front portion of the guide rail 5 as shown in FIG. And the movable rod 7 is also moved forward, the pushing piece 9 pushes down the hook piece 8 and then returns to the horizontal state, whereby the locking projection 6A of the movable body 6 can be locked with the hook piece 8. The movable body 6 becomes immobile, and with the continuation of the tilting of the carrier frame 2, this time, the damper 4 changes from the contracted state in FIG. 6 to the state in which the piston rod P in FIG. Since the fluid such as oil in the cylinder slowly expands due to the dumping action until the state, the tilting of the seesaw of the carrier frame 2 can be performed slowly even if it is performed casually, and the handling of the carrier frame 2 shown in FIGS. State.

Loads (not shown) such as folding ladders, stepladders and skis can be easily mounted and fixed on the loading frame 2 close to the upright position. As shown in FIG. 10, when starting to fall in the direction of the upper surface R of the automobile roof while approaching the horizontal, the movable body 6 fixed and locked in advance with the hook 8 at the front part of the guide rail 5 causes the rear part (cylinder S) of the damper to move. Because it does not retreat, the front part of the damper 4 (Biston rod P) as the loading frame 2 tilts and falls down
Due to the damping action of the fluid such as the oil in the cylinder, the load carrier frame 2 starts to contract slowly, and the cargo carrier frame 2 can start to gradually fall down as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and before the contraction of the damper 4 ends as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows that the downward pressing piece 9 protruding from the movable rod 7 which is retreating together with the front part of the damper (piston rod P) pushes the pressing part 8D of the hook piece 8 against the pushing elasticity of the return leaf spring 8A. Immediately after the pressing starts, as shown in FIG. 11, immediately before the retraction of the damper 4 is completed, as shown in FIG.
12, the retractable lock of the movable body 6 can be released as shown in FIG.
And, as shown in FIG.

Next, the horizontal loading platform frame 2 is pushed along with the load (not shown) along the rails 1 so that the loading platform frames 2 are lightly moved by the rollers 2A that roll the rails 1 as shown in FIG. In this state of retreating, the loading frame 2 is fixedly locked to the rail 1 by the above-mentioned well-known locking mechanism by operating the lock handle H or the like, so that the debris of the loading frame 2 can be prevented. The load (not shown) mounted on the roof upper surface R can be safely transported to a remote place.

In order to lower the transported luggage from the roof upper surface R, the respective parts may be operated in the same manner as in the case where the empty cargo frame 2 is pulled out and then tilted upright, and the empty cargo frame 2 is moved to the roof upper surface R. When loading on the cargo, the loading frame 2 already loaded
May be arranged in the same manner as in the example in which is mounted on the roof upper surface. In addition,
If a rail recess (not shown) into which the roller 2A falls is provided below the rail stopper 1A, the roller 2A is provided in this recess.
The loading frame 2 can be more stably tilted in a stable fulcrum state where the loading platform frame 2 is lowered.
At the time of storage between the rails after the horizontal return, the front of the loading frame 2 may be lifted by the recessed height of the roller 2A, and the loading frame 2 may be pushed between the rails 1.

[0026]

The present invention adopts the above-described embodiment, and has the following effects. According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a pair of left and right rollers 2A is pivotally supported at an intermediate portion 3 near the center of a loading frame 2 movable along a pair of left and right fixed rails 1 disposed on a roof upper surface R of an automobile M. After the carrier frame 2 is pulled out until the rollers 2A are inscribed in the end stoppers 1A of the rails 1, the carrier frame 2 can be tilted seesaw outside the vehicle M with each roller 2A as a fulcrum. At the same time, since the tilting operation can be reduced by the damper 4, there is an effect that the load handling operation such as loading and unloading can be performed safely and lightly.

According to each of the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, a fluid damper using a piston / cylinder utilizing fluid viscosity is adopted as the damper 4, so that the effect of reducing the tilt of the carrier frame 2 is reduced. The effect of maintaining stability was added.

In each of the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the piston rods are provided at both ends of the cylinder so as to penetrate the cylinder, so that the piston and the cylinder can be prevented from being deflected, and more stable. The damper operation was realized.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the loading frame 2 is tilted in a seesaw manner in a stable fulcrum state in which the roller 2A falls into the recess of the rail provided below the rail stopper 1A. As a result, the effect that the tilting of the loading frame 2 can be further stabilized can be added.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of what is shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state different from that shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state different from that shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the one shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part showing an operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a main part showing an operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a main part showing an operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an example of a handling state of a roof rack according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a main part showing an operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the main part showing the operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a main part showing an operation sequence of the roof rack according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 M Automobile R Roof top surface 1 Rail 1A Rail end stopper 2 Loading frame 2A Left and right pair of rollers 3 Intermediate portion 3A Rear portion of loading frame intermediate portion 4 Damper 4A Damper front 4B Pivot support 4C Damper rear 4D Pivot support 4E Guide piece Reference Signs List 5 Guide rail 5A Front part of guide rail 6 Movable body 6A Projection piece protruding from movable body 7 Movable rod 7A Front part of movable rod 7B Pivot 8 Hook piece 9 Push piece

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toyoho Yamaguchi Shinagawa Station Building 4F, 4-23-5 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Shiro Yoshii 8-14 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. 24 NTT FANNET SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (72) Inventor Yasunori Miyamoto 2-14-11 Shimanouchi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka NTT TME Kansai F-term (reference 3D020 AA01 AB01 AC05 AD03 AD06 AD13 AD23

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A left and right pair of left and right pivots supported at an intermediate portion 3 near the center of the luggage frame 2 having a luggage frame 2 movable along a pair of left and right fixed rails 1 disposed on a roof upper surface R of the vehicle M. The loading frame 2 pulled out until the roller 2A is inscribed in the end stopper 1A of the rail 1 is disposed outside the automobile M so as to be able to tilt the seesaw with each roller 2A as a fulcrum, and the tilting operation is reduced. Rack provided with a damper 4 for the loading frame 2 for the vehicle. 2. A left and right pair of right and left pivots supported by an intermediate portion 3 near the center of the left and right fixed frame 1 which is movable along a pair of right and left fixed rails 1 disposed on a roof upper surface R of the vehicle M. The loading frame 2 pulled out until the roller 2A is inscribed in the end stopper 1A of the rail 1 is disposed outside the automobile M so as to be able to tilt the seesaw with each roller 2A as a fulcrum, and the tilting operation is reduced. Rack provided with a damper 4 for the load carrier frame 2 for supporting the front part 4A of the damper 4 at a rear part 3A of the intermediate part 3 of the carrier frame with a pivotal support part 4B, and a rear part 4C of the damper 4 for the rail 1 A movable rod 7 that is pivotally supported by a pivot 4D on a movable body 6 movably disposed along a guide rail 5 disposed in the middle and that is parallel to the damper 4 by a guide piece 4E thereof and moves. Remove front 7A A self-returning hook piece 8 for pivotally supporting the rear portion 3A of the intermediate portion 3 of the loading frame by the pivotal support portion 7B, and locking the protruding piece 6A protruding from the movable body 6 at the drawing end point position of the loading frame 2. Is pivotably supported in the vicinity of the front portion 5A of the guide rail 5 so that the hook piece 8 resists its self-returning force substantially in synchronism with the end of the retraction of the damper 4 when the loading frame 2 is retracted in the rail. By pressing the movable body projection 6
A push piece 9 for releasing the lock of the hook piece 8 with respect to A
And a roof rack protruding from the movable rod 7. 3. The roof rack according to claim 1, wherein the damper includes a fluid damper having a piston rod in which a valve body having a small hole is sealed in an oil cylinder so as to be liquid-tightly displaceable. 4. The roof rack according to claim 1, wherein the damper (4) is a fluid damper having a piston rod in which a valve body with a small hole is sealed in an air cylinder so as to be airtightly displaceable. 5. As the damper 4, piston rods penetrate and protrude from both sides of an oil cylinder so as to be liquid-tightly displaceable, and a rear portion of a rod cover pipe extending to a rear portion of the cylinder is pivotally connected to a movable body 6 by a pivot 4D. The roof rack according to claim 3, which is supported. 6. As the damper 4, piston rods are provided on both sides of an air cylinder so as to penetrate the air cylinder so as to be airtightly displaceable, and a rear part of a rod cover pipe extending to a rear part of the cylinder is pivotally supported on a movable body 6 by a pivot part 4D. The roof rack according to claim 4, which is formed. 7. The roof rack according to claim 1, wherein a recess in which a roller 2A falls is formed at a front end of the rail 1 below the stopper 1A of the rail 1.