WO2024022731A1

WO2024022731A1 - Vehicle fitted with modular, tamper-proof roof bars

Info

Publication number: WO2024022731A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/068004
Authority: WO
Inventors: Niculae BOICEA; Adrian CALTUN; Florin-Ciprian MARINESCU
Original assignee: Renault S.A.S.
Priority date: 2022-07-25
Filing date: 2023-06-30
Publication date: 2024-02-01
Also published as: FR3138087A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle (1) comprising a roof (4), a first bar (2) and a second bar (3) each fixed to said roof by means of at least one support part (5, 6, 7, 8), said two bars (2, 3) being movable between a longitudinal position in which they each extend along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle (1) and a transverse position in which they each extend along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle (1), characterised in that said at least one support part (5, 6, 7, 8) comprises a pin (10, 10', 10''), and in that said two bars (2, 3) each comprise at least one fixing system (20) intended to cooperate with said pin (10) so as to fix the bar (2, 3) to the support part (5, 6, 7, 8), said fixing system (20) comprising a positioning element (50) allowing the fixing system (20) to come into contact with the pin (10), and a clamping element (30) mounted so as to rotate about the positioning element (50) and allowing said pin (10) to be locked in contact with the positioning element (50), said fixing system (20) being configured so that, when the positioning element (50) is in contact with the pin (10), the clamping element (30) can adopt, on the one hand, an initial position in which the pin (10) can be dissociated from the positioning element (50) and, on the other hand, a fixing position in which the clamping element (30) locks the pin (10) in contact with the positioning element (50).

Description

Title of the invention: Vehicle equipped with modular and tamper-proof roof bars

Technical area

The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with movable and tamper-proof roof bars as well as a method of fixing said bars.

In order to fully understand the positioning of the different parts involved in a vehicle according to the invention, the description is made with reference to a direct orthonormal reference XYZ in which X is a front-rear longitudinal axis of the vehicle oriented towards the rear, Y is a transverse axis oriented towards the right of the vehicle and Z is a vertical axis oriented upwards.

Currently, certain motor vehicles have two roof bars parallel to each other and extending on each side of the roof along the longitudinal axis X of the vehicle. For some of these vehicles, these bars can be dismantled and/or moved to then be fixed to the roof so as to extend along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle. In other words, for this new configuration, the two bars are parallel to each other and placed one behind the other, each extending along the transverse axis Y of the vehicle. This new arrangement of the bars allows the securing of objects on the roof of the vehicle, such as luggage, bicycles, etc.

However, the transition of bars from one configuration to another is often difficult because it requires the implementation of complicated and heavy operations, most often requiring suitable tools and restrictive handling. In addition, these bars, which are accessible to anyone from outside the vehicle, can be easily stolen without having to break into the vehicle.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a vehicle having two bars which can be positioned alternately along the longitudinal axis X or along the transverse axis Y, the passage from one position to another being carried out by simple and rapid operations, said bars also being secured so that they cannot be removed from the vehicle by a malicious person.

The first object of the invention is a vehicle comprising a roof, a first bar and a second bar each fixed to said roof via at minus one support piece, said two bars being movable between a longitudinal position for which they each extend along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle and a transverse position for which they each extend along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle, characterized in in that said at least one support piece comprises a pin and in that said two bars each comprise at least one fixing system intended to cooperate with said pin so as to fix the bar to the support piece, said fixing system comprising a positioning element allowing the fixing system to come into contact with the pin, and a clamping element mounted in rotation around the positioning element and allowing said pin to be blocked in contact with the positioning element, said fixing system being configured so that, when the positioning element is in contact with the pin, the clamping element can adopt, on the one hand, an initial position in which the pin can dissociate from the positioning element and, d on the other hand, a fixing position in which the clamping element blocks the pin in contact with the positioning element.

In the present description, a vehicle according to the invention comprises a first bar and a second bar. The expression “the bars” used in the remainder of the description is therefore equivalent to “the first bar and the second bar”. Likewise, the expression “each bar” refers indifferently to the first bar or the second bar.

In the present invention, the vehicle includes a bar fixing system which is easy to use and which does not require the use of tools. Thus, the roof bars can be manipulated simply by hand and without resorting to complex manipulations requiring strength and precision. The principle of fixing the bars which is based on the use of the fixing system associated with the presence of the pin on the support parts, is simple and quick which allows the user to be able to modify the position of the bars easily. In particular, the user can move the bars from a longitudinal position to a lateral position, and vice versa, easily.

Preferably, the pin emerges from the support piece and therefore has a base fixed to the support piece and a free end which emerges from the support piece and can be used for fixing a bar. In the invention, when it is indicated that the bars extend along the longitudinal axis deviate from this axis by at most ± 5°. Thus, when the bars are in the longitudinal position, they are not parallel to each other and are further apart at the front of the vehicle than at the rear of the vehicle.

According to embodiments taken alone or in combination:

- the clamping element may have an elongated body whose longitudinal section is in the form of a cam allowing, when moving from the initial position to the fixing position, to block the pin in a high position; in fact, the pin emerges from the support piece and, passing into the fixing position, the clamping element is positioned between the support piece and a free end of the pin and this, by lifting the pin;

- the pin may have a cylindrical body extending along a vertical Z axis and an enlarged head, preferably circular, at a free end of the pin, said enlarged head making it possible to prevent any movement of the pin when the clamping element is in the fixing position; the enlarged head of the pin allows the positioning element to support and maintain the pin in a high position when the clamping element is in the fixing position; preferably, in the fixing position, the positioning element is placed between the clamping element and the enlarged head;

- the positioning element may include a first notch and the pin can come into contact with the positioning element by sliding in said first notch; the pin is thus easily coupled to the positioning element; according to a preferred embodiment, the first notch has a longitudinal axis E1 which extends in a plane formed by the axes X and Y called the XY plane, the axis E1 extending between an open end of the first notch and a closed end of the first notch forming a bottom; when coupling the positioning element and the pin, the pin is positioned abutting against the bottom of the first notch; according to this preferred embodiment, the pin extends along an axis perpendicular to the axis E1; when the pin has a cylindrical body and an enlarged head, the cylindrical body is in contact with the side walls of the first notch and the head has a diameter larger than the width of the first notch, in particular the distance between two opposite walls of the first notch; the pin can thus be maintained in its high position by pressure exerted under the enlarged head;

- the clamping element may include a second notch and, in the fixing position, the pin can be positioned in the second notch; the pin is thus easily coupled to the clamping element; according to a preferred embodiment, the second notch has a longitudinal axis E2 which extends in a plane formed by the axes X and Y called plane XY' (parallel to the plane XY), the axis E2 extending between one end open end of the second notch and a closed end of the second notch forming a bottom; when coupling the clamping element and the pin, the pin is positioned abutting against the bottom of the second notch;

- in the fixing position, the first notch can extend along a first axis E1 located in a plane XY and the second notch can extend along a second axis E2 located in a plane XY' parallel to the plane XY, said second axis E2 forming a non-zero angle with the first axis E1; according to this embodiment, the first and second notches can thus partially overlap while extending in different directions; preferably, in the fixing position, the pin can be inserted simultaneously in the first notch and in the second notch;

- the first and second notches are superimposed so as to form a conduit extending along an axis Z and forming a housing for the pin; the pin is then held simultaneously by the first notch and by the second notch, in particular, the cylindrical body of the pin is in contact with the walls of the first notch and the walls of the second notch; according to a preferred embodiment, the second notch is positioned between the support piece and the first notch, in other words, the second notch is positioned under the first notch;

- the first and second notches can each have an open end and, in the fixing position, the open ends of the notches are offset so as to block the pin in contact with the positioning element; thus, in the fixing position, the pin cannot be dissociated from the fixing system and the bar remains fixed to the support piece; of preferably, the pin can be positioned in the housing formed by the two notches and the offset of the openings makes it possible to at least partially close the housing;

- the clamping element may comprise, in an upper part, a hollow forming a housing accommodating the positioning element; the positioning element is thus fitted into the clamping element;

- the positioning element comprises two lugs extending along an axis A which constitutes the axis of rotation of the clamping element relative to the positioning element; preferably, the two lugs are fitted into two secondary notches of the clamping element so that the latter can rotate relative to the positioning element by rotation of the secondary notches around the lugs; And

- the housing has a hemicylindrical shape which matches the shape of a rounded portion of the positioning element so that the clamping element slides around the rounded portion during rotation of the clamping element around the axis A, while remaining in close contact with said rounded portion; thus, the positioning element and the clamping element remain closely associated, whatever the position of the clamping element.

The second object of the invention is a method of fixing at least the first bar on a support part by means of the fixing system for a vehicle according to the first object of the invention, characterized in that it comprises the steps following:

- position the positioning element in contact with the pin, the clamping element being in the initial position, and

- exert pressure on the clamping element so that it rotates around the positioning element to place itself in the fixing position and thus block the pin in contact with the positioning element.

The process is easy to implement for a user who wishes to modify the position of the bars simply and without using any tools.

Furthermore, to change the position of the bars 2 and 3 again, the user can exert pressure on the clamping element to return it to the initial position and thus be able to release the pin 10 and modify the position of the bars. Brief description of the figures

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given as non-limiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be carried out. In the attached figures:

Fig. 1a] Figure 1a represents a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention for which the roof bars extend along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle;

[Fig. 1 b] Figure 1b represents a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention for which the roof bars extend along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle;

[Fig. 2] Figure 2 represents a perspective view of the end of a bar attached to a support part according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 3a] Figure 3a represents a top perspective view of a clamping element according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 3b] Figure 3b represents a top perspective view of a positioning element according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 3c] Figure 3c represents a side view of a fixing system according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 3d] Figure 3d represents a top view of a fixing system according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 4a] Figure 4a represents a side perspective view of a fixing system and a pin according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 4b] Figure 4b represents a side perspective view of a fixing system in contact with a pin in the initial position according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 4c] Figure 4c represents a side perspective view of a fixing system in contact with a pin in the fixing position according to one embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 5a] Figure 5a represents a top view of a first bar according to a first embodiment of the invention; [Fig. 5b] Figure 5b represents a top view of a second bar according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 5c] Figure 5c represents a top view of the first bar according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[Fig. 6a] Figure 6a represents a perspective view of two bars changing position according to a first embodiment;

[Fig. 6b] Figure 6b represents a perspective view of two bars changing position according to a first embodiment;

[Fig. 7a] Figure 7a represents a perspective view of two bars changing position according to a second embodiment; And

[Fig. 7b] Figure 7b represents a perspective view of two bars changing position according to a second embodiment.

Description of embodiment(s)

In the figures, and unless arranged otherwise, identical elements will bear the same reference signs.

Referring to Figures 1a and 1b, a vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the invention has a first roof bar 2 and a second roof bar 3, capable of passing:

- from a longitudinal position as illustrated in Figure 1 a and for which the two bars 2, 3 extend on each side of the vehicle substantially along a longitudinal axis X thereof, the two bars 2 and 3 being slightly more spaced at the front than at the rear;

-at a transverse position as illustrated in Figure 1 b and for which the two bars 2, 3 are parallel to each other and extend along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle.

In the context of a vehicle according to the invention, the transition from the longitudinal position to the transverse position is simple and quick to achieve, without special tools and without having to resort to complicated manipulations, requiring force and/or the precision. It should be noted that the transition from the longitudinal position to the transverse position is reversible with the same speed and the same simplicity. In this way, the bars 2, 3 are arranged on the roof 4 of the vehicle 1 at the convenience of a user, depending on their specific needs.

To fix the two bars 2, 3 on the roof 4, the vehicle has four support parts 5, 6, 7, 8, two of which 5, 6 are arranged at the rear of the roof 4 and are aligned with each other relative to the other along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle 1, and the other two 7, 8 are arranged at the front of said roof 4 and are aligned with each other along a transverse axis Y of said vehicle 1. Each of the four support pieces 5, 6, 7, 8 is elongated and is placed on the roof 4 of the vehicle 1 so that its longitudinal axis extends along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle. These four support pieces 5, 6, 7, 8 are fixed to the roof 4 in an immovable manner, and constitute protuberances projecting above said roof.

Figure 2 illustrates the bar 3 fixed on the support piece (or support piece) 8 by cooperation between a pin 10 and a fixing system 20. The pin 10 is inserted into a conduit 12 of the support piece 8 via a first end 14 permanently and it cannot therefore be dissociated from the latter. A free end 16 emerges from the support part 8 and allows the pin 10 to interact with a fixing system 20 which is positioned at each of the ends of each bar.

In particular, the pin 10 comprises a cylindrical body 18 which extends along an axis Z and by which it is inserted into the conduit 12 and the free end 16 is provided with an enlarged head 19 which is circular when viewed from above .

Advantageously, the enlarged head 19 allows the pin to be held in an optimized manner by the fixing system.

In this embodiment, the first end 14 of the pin 10 is inserted into the support part by means of a so-called “push-release” system. Thus, when the pin 10 is not used to fix a bar, it can be easily inserted into the support part 8 so as not to hinder the movements of the bars or not to be damaged. Likewise, when the pin 10 must be used for fixing a bar, the user can simply exert pressure on it so that it emerges from the support part 8. The vehicle has a total of six 10 pieces distributed as follows:

- a 10” pin is inserted into each of the front support pieces 7 and 8, and

- two 10’ and 10” pins are inserted into each of the rear support pieces 5 and 6, one (10’) in the front position and the other (10”) in the rear position.

For each rear support piece 5 and 6, the 10' pin which is in the front position is used when the bars are in the transverse position and the 10' pin, which is in the rear position, is used when the bars are in the longitudinal position.

As illustrated in Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, the fixing system 20 comprises two elements which cooperate with each other. These two elements are, on the one hand, a positioning element 50 intended to come into contact with the pin 10 and, on the other hand, a clamping element 30 mounted in rotation around the positioning element 50. On the Figures 3a and 3b, the two elements 30 and 50 of the fixing system 20 are shown independently.

When fixing the bar 3 (or in the same way for the bar 2) on one of the support parts 8, the pin 10 is inserted into an orifice 9 of the bar 3. The bar 3 then comes into position in contact with the support piece 8 and the pin 10 emerge from a lower surface 9' of the bar. The positioning element 50 then comes into contact with the pin 10, the clamping element 30 being in an initial position in which it is not in contact with the pin 10 and in which the pin 10 can dissociate from the element positioning 50 by simple pressure exerted on the positioning element in order to move it away from the pin 10. When the user exerts pressure on the clamping element 30, the latter is placed in a fixing position in which it blocks the pin in contact with the positioning element 50.

In more detail, the positioning element 50 comprises a main body 52 comprising a first notch 54 which has an open end 56 allowing the insertion of the pin 10 into the first notch and a bottom 58 against which the pin can abut . The notch 54 extends along an axis E1 which passes through the open end 56 and the center of the bottom 58 and which extends in a plane XY formed by the axes X and Y of the vehicle previously defined.

In top view, the main body 52 has a substantially rectangular shape which extends along a longitudinal axis A. A first lug 62 and a second lug 64 emerges from the main body 52 extending along axis A and in two opposite directions. Furthermore, the main body 52 is extended by a tongue 60 which extends along an axis B perpendicular to the axis A. The tongue 60 has a role of “counterweight” in order to ensure parallel positioning of the body 52 relative to the plane in which the enlarged head 19 extends when the positioning element comes into contact with the pin. Axes A and B extend, like axis E1, in the XY plane. Axis E1 is not aligned with the longitudinal axis B of the part and forms, with axis B, an angle of 25° ± 15° depending on the diameter of the pin. The first notch 54 is therefore positioned at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis B of the positioning element 50.

In longitudinal section, the main body 52 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape which is extended by the tongue 60 having a reduced thickness compared to the main body 52. The first and second lugs 62 and 64 also have a semi-cylindrical shape.

Still with reference to Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, the clamping element 30 has an elongated body 32 which, in top view, has a generally rectangular shape whose longitudinal axis E2 is superimposed on the axis B of the positioning element 50.

The elongated body 32 has a main portion 31 intended to couple with the positioning element 50 and which is extended by a support surface 35. The main portion 31 includes a second notch 34 which has an open end 36 allowing the insertion of the pin 10 and a bottom 38 against which the pin 10 can abut. The second notch 34 extends along the axis E2 which passes through the open end 36 and the center of the bottom 38.

A housing 37 is formed in an upper part of the main portion 31 so as to be able to accommodate the positioning element 50 when the latter is coupled to the clamping element 30. The housing 37 is a hollow of semi-cylindrical shape which matches the semi-cylindrical part of the main body 52. The positioning element 50 can thus be fitted into the housing 37 of the clamping element 30.

Furthermore, two secondary notches 39 and 39' emerge from the side edges of the clamping element 30. These two secondary notches 39 and 39' are intended to accommodate the lugs 62 and 64 of the positioning element 50. When the positioning element 50 is fitted into the clamping element 30, the secondary lugs/notches assembly allows rotation of the clamping element 30 around the axis A. In addition, the complementary shapes of the housing 37 and the main body 52 allow the clamping element 30 to slide around the positioning element 50 while remaining in close contact with the main body 52 .

As illustrated in Figure 3c, in longitudinal section, the main portion 31 of the clamping element 30 is in the form of a cam which allows, when the clamping element 30 passes from the initial position to the fixing position , to block pawn 10 in a high position. Indeed, when the clamping element 30 is in the initial position, a small thickness e1 of the clamping element 30 is positioned under the positioning element, whereas, in the fixing position, a thickness e2 greater than e1 is positioned under the positioning element 50 which therefore maintains the pin 10 in a higher position. In fact, the pin 10 emerges from the support piece 8 and, passing into the fixing position, the clamping element 30 is positioned between the support piece 8 and the free end 16 of the pin by lifting the pin 10.

With reference to Figures 4a, 4b and 4c, the attachment of the fixing system 20 to the pin 10 will be described. As illustrated in Figure 4a, the attachment is made when the pin 10 has previously been placed in the raised position by a user and the clamping element 30 is in the initial position in which the support surface 35 extends in substantially vertical position. The pin 10 is then positioned facing the open end 56 of the first notch 54. The fixing system 20 can then be pushed by the user so as to translate towards the pin 10 which is thus inserted into the first notch 54 to position itself against the bottom 58 of the first notch 54, as illustrated in Figure 4b. At this stage, the open end 56 is not blocked and the pin 10 can be separated from the fixing system 20 simply by moving the latter away from the pin 10.

Once the pin 10 is positioned in contact with the bottom 58, and to finalize the attachment of the fixing system 20 to the pin 10 and therefore the fixing of the bar 3 to the support part 8, the user exerts pressure on the surface of 'support 35 so as to position the clamping element 30 in a substantially horizontal position shown in Figure 3c.

When the clamping element 30 is in the initial position and the pin 10 is positioned at the bottom of the first notch, the open end 36 of the second notch 34 is positioned facing the pin 10. When the clamping element passes into the fixing position by a rotation around the positioning element along the axis A, the second notch 34, and in particular the side walls of the second notch 34, slide against the pin 10 so that the pin 10 is positioned against the bottom 38 of the second notch 34.

The second notch 34 slides along an axis E2 which is not aligned with the axis E1 and which forms an angle of 25° ± 15° with the axis E1. Thus, when the clamping element 30 is in the fixing position, the open ends 36 and 56 of the first and second notches 34 and 54 are offset as illustrated in top view in Figure 3d. The pin 10 is then blocked at the bottom of the first and second notches 34 and 54 by the first notch 54, and in particular by the side walls of the latter.

In this fixing position, the axis E2 extends in a plane XY' which is parallel and placed above a plane XY in which the axis E1 extends. The first notch 54 and the second notch 34 are thus positioned one above the other along a vertical axis. The first and second notches 34 and 54 thus form a housing for the pin 10. In particular, the cylindrical body of the pin 10 is in contact with the walls of the first and second notches 34 and 54 and it is thus held simultaneously by the two notches.

Thus, in the fixing position, the pin 10 cannot be dissociated from the fixing system 20 and the bar 3 remains fixed to the support part 8. In this embodiment the offset of the open ends 36 and 56 of the notches 34 and 54 allows the housing to be closed at least partially. According to other possible embodiments, the angle between the axes E1 and E2 can be greater and the housing can be completely closed.

The enlarged head 19 of the pin 10 has a diameter wider than the width L of the first notch. Thus, when the fixing system 20 is in the fixing position and the positioning element 50 is lifted by the fixing element tightening 30, the positioning element 50 exerts pressure under the enlarged head 19 and thus makes it possible to maintain the pin 10 in the high position. The fixing system 20 is thus closely attached to the pin 10 and the bar 3 is then fixed to the support part 8.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the bars 2 and 3 each have at least one orifice 9 whose diameter is wider than the enlarged head 19 of the pins 10. Thus, the bars 2 or 3 can be easily positioned around the pin 10. Furthermore, the bars 2 or 3 are configured so that they cannot be removed from the roof of the car and, in particular, from the support part to which they are fixed in a tamper-proof manner.

Referring to Figure 5a, the bar 2 comprises, according to a first embodiment, a first end 76 and a second opposite end 78, the first end 76 being attached in a tamper-proof manner to the support part 7. For this, the bar 2 has at its first end 76 a narrow orifice 63 which surrounds the cylindrical body of the pin 10 which is on the support part 7, the narrow orifice 63 having a diameter less than that of the enlarged head 19. Thus, the bar 2 is mounted around the pin 10 of the support part 7 during the manufacture of the vehicle and can no longer be removed without completely dismantling the support part.

The bar 2 is thus free to rotate around the pin 10 of the support piece 7 to be able to fix the second end 78 to the support piece 6 via the pin 10", the pin 10' then being in the low position , or to the support part 8. The second end 78 comprises a fixing system 20 and an orifice 9 which can be inserted around the pin 10 of the support part 6 or the support part 8 to then carry out the fixing by means of the system fixing 20 as previously described. The first end 78 also has a fixing system 20 which makes it possible to fix the bar 2 to the support part 7 so that the bar 2 is fixedly attached to the support part 7 and that it is no longer free to rotate.

Referring to Figure 5b, the bar 3 has a first end 66 and a second opposite end 68, the second end 68 being attached in a tamper-proof manner to the support part 5. For this, the second end 68 has a first orifice 9 allowing, in the longitudinal position, to insert the bar 3 around the pin 10” of the support piece 5 and a second orifice 9 allowing, in this longitudinal position, to insert the bar 3 around the pin 10 of the support piece 8, or, in the transverse position, to insert the bar 3 around the pin 10' of the support part 6. The bar 3 also has, between the first orifice 9 and the second orifice 9, a first narrow orifice 67 and a second narrow orifice 69 connected by a narrow rib 70 along which the pin 10' of the support part 5 can slide.

The change in position of bars 2 and 3 according to a first embodiment are described with reference to Figures 6a and 6b. Before any movement of the bars 2 and 3, the fixing systems 20 of the six pins are all placed in the initial position so as to unlock the pins. The first end 64 of the bar 2 is lifted to release the pin 10' then the bar 2 is rotated around the pin 10 of the support part 7 and above the roof, according to the arrow F1.

The first end 66 and the second end 68 of the bar 3 are then raised to release the pins 10” and 10 of the support pieces 5 and 8. The bar 3 is then rotated around the pin 10’ of the support piece 5 at means of the narrow orifice 69, and, once the bar 3 in the transverse position, a translation along the arrow T1 is carried out so as to slide the pin 10' of the support part 5 until the pin comes position itself in the narrow opening 67.

The second end 78 of the bar 2 is then attached to the support piece 8 and the first end 66 of the bar 3 is attached to the support piece 6. The fixing of the bars 2 and 3 is carried out by implementing the fixing method according to the invention described previously by means of the six fixing systems 20.

According to a second embodiment illustrated in Figure 5c, the bar 2 has an orifice 9 at each of its ends then a first narrow orifice 72 and a second narrow orifice 74 connected by a narrow rib 76.

The change in position of bars 2 and 3 according to this second embodiment is illustrated in Figures 7a and 7b. As described with reference to Figures 6a and 6b, the six fixing systems 20 are placed in the initial position so as to unlock the pins 10. The second end 78 of the bar 2 then performs a rotation according to arrow F3 then a translation according to arrow T2. The bar 3 is, for its part, moved as described with reference to Figures 6a and 6b.

The second end 78 of the bar 2 is then attached to the support piece 7, the first end 76 of the bar 2 is attached to the support piece 8 and the first end 66 of the bar 3 is attached to the support piece 6. bars 2 and 3 are then fixed by implementing the fixing method according to the invention described previously by means of the six fixing systems 20.

This second embodiment makes it possible to position the bar 2 in two different ways in the transverse position. This can make it possible to choose the position of bar 2, which is not symmetrical, to favor, for example, aerodynamics or to take into account the shape of the objects which will be fixed on bars 2 and 3.

Claims

[Claim 1] Vehicle (1) comprising a roof (4), a first bar (2) and a second bar (3) each fixed to said roof via at least one support part (5, 6, 7 , 8), said two bars (2, 3) being movable between a longitudinal position for which they each extend along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle (1) and a transverse position for which they each extend along an axis transverse Y of the vehicle (1), characterized in that said at least one support piece (5, 6, 7, 8) comprises a pin (10, 10', 10”) and in that said two bars (2 , 3) each comprise at least one fixing system (20) intended to cooperate with said pin (10) so as to fix the bar (2, 3) to the support part (5, 6, 7, 8), said system fixing element (20) comprising a positioning element (50) allowing the fixing system (20) to come into contact with the pin (10), and a clamping element (30) mounted in rotation around the positioning element ( 50) and allowing the blocking of said pin (10) in contact with the positioning element (50), said fixing system (20) being configured so that, when the positioning element (50) is in contact with the pin (10), the clamping element (30) can adopt, on the one hand, an initial position in which the pin (10) can dissociate from the positioning element (50) and, on the other hand, a fixing position in which the clamping element (30) blocks the pin (10) in contact with the positioning element (50).

[Claim 2] Vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping element (30) has an elongated body (32) whose longitudinal section is in the form of a cam allowing, when passing from the initial position at the fixing position, to block the pin (10) in a high position.

[Claim 3] Vehicle (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pin (10) has a cylindrical body (18) extending along a vertical Z axis and an enlarged head (19) at a free end (16) of the pin (10), said enlarged head (19) making it possible to avoid any movement of the pin (10) when the clamping element (30) is in the fixing position.

[Claim 4] Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the positioning element (50) comprises a first notch (54) and in that the pin (10) comes into contact with the positioning element (50) sliding in said first notch (54).

[Claim 5] Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping element (30) has a second notch (34) and in that, in the fixing position, the pin ( 10) is positioned in the second notch (34).

[Claim 6] Vehicle (1) according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that, in the fixing position, the first notch (54) extends along a first axis (E1) located in a plane XY and in this that the second notch extends along a second axis (E2) located in a plane XY' parallel to the plane XY, said second axis (E2) forming a non-zero angle with the first axis (E1).

[Claim 7] Vehicle (1) according to claims 4 and 5 or according to claim 6, characterized in that the first and second notches (54, 34) are superimposed so as to form a conduit extending along an axis Z and forming a housing for the pawn (10).

[Claim 8] Vehicle (1) according to claims 4 and 5 or according to one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the first and second notches (54, 34) each have an open end (56, 36) and in that, in the fixing position, the open ends (56, 36) of the notches (54, 34) are offset so as to block the pin (10) in contact with the positioning element (50).

[Claim 9] Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping element (30) comprises, in an upper part, a hollow forming a housing (37) accommodating the positioning element (50).

[Claim 10] Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the positioning element (50) comprises two lugs (62, 64) extending along an axis A which constitutes the axis of rotation of the clamping element (30) relative to the positioning element (50).

[Claim 11] Vehicle (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the housing (37) has a hemicylindrical shape which matches the shape of a rounded portion of the positioning element (50) so that the element clamping element (30) slides around the rounded portion during rotation of the clamping element (30) around the axis A, while remaining in close contact with said rounded portion.

[Claim 12] Method for fixing at least the first bar (2) on a support part by means of the fixing system (20) for a vehicle (1) according to claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it involves the following steps:

- position the positioning element (50) in contact with the pin (10), the clamping element (30) being in the initial position, and

- exert pressure on the clamping element (30) so that it rotates around the positioning element (50) to place itself in the fixing position and thus block the pin (10) in contact with the positioning element (50).