Apparatus for mounting roof rack

An apparatus for mounting a roof rack including a roof garnish and a bracket for mounting a roof rack, in which the roof garnish and the roof rack mounting apparatus can be separately mounted on a vehicle panel. Due to a simple construction, the roof rack mounting apparatus can be conveniently operated and the mounting costs and time thereof can be reduced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority to Korean Patent Application 10-2005-0005421 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jan. 20, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a roof rack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for mounting a roof rack (hereinafter, “roof rack mounting apparatus”) is used for mounting a roof rack on a roof of a vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is provided, which includes a roof rack mounting apparatus, which is simplified in construction, thereby allowing the manufacturing costs thereof to be reduced and making the roof rack apparatus convenient to use.

There is provided a roof rack mounting apparatus including a roof garnish, a shutter, and a mounting bracket. The roof garnish is formed to be engaged with a vehicle panel, in which the roof garnish is formed with a fitting opening formed through the top portion thereof The shutter is mounted in the fitting opening to be capable of opening and closing the fitting opening. The mounting bracket is fixed on the vehicle panel underneath the fitting opening. The mounting bracket has an arrangement for allowing the roof rack to be mounted on the mounting bracket. The shutter includes a pair of guides and first and second covers. The guides are mounted on the roof garnish to be spaced from each other at a predetermined distance. The first cover is pivotally connected to each guide and the second cover is pivotally connected to the first cover.

As the second cover of the shutter is folded over the first cover or horizontally extended from the first cover, the fitting opening can be opened or closed. Each guide is formed with a guide slot, and the opposite ends of the first cover are engaged in and guided along the guide slots formed in the guides.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4, a roof rack mounting apparatus according to the present invention for use in mounting a roof rack for a vehicle includes a roof garnish101, a shutter411, and a mounting bracket203. The shutter411includes a pair of guides407, a first cover105, and a second cover106. The garnish101is configured to be capable of being clamped to vehicle panels301,303. A fitting opening201is formed in the garnish101through the top portion. The roof garnish101also includes clamping projections103formed on the opposite sides of the roof garnish101, so that the clamping projections103may be fitted in a groove formed by a roof panel301and a side-out panel303of a vehicle body, and a fitting opening201within which the shutter411may be mounted. The clamping projections103are engaged with the lateral walls of the groove formed by the roof panel301and the side-out panel303, thereby securing the roof garnish101. The shutter411is mounted in fitting opening of the roof garnish101in such a way that the shutter411may open or close the fitting opening201.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting bracket203may be located under the fitting opening203and clamped to the panels301,303of the vehicle body The mounting bracket201may be configured to allow a roof rack210to be mounted on the mounting bracket203. When the shutter411is opened, it is possible to mount the roof rack210on the mounting bracket203. According to an embodiment of the present invention, one or more screw holes can be formed in the mounting bracket203so as to fasten the roof rack210to the mounting bracket203.

AlthoughFIG. 2schematically illustrates a roof rack210, the shape of the roof rack210is not limited to the illustrated one.

Because the roof rack mounting apparatus and the mounting bracket203according to the present embodiment of the present invention are not interconnected with each other, it is possible to mount any one of them on the vehicle panels301,303.

FIG. 5is a cross-sectional view of the roof rack mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 6shows a procedure of opening the cover of the roof rack mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 7shows the roof rack mounting apparatus in the state in which the cover is opened.

The guides407are mounted in the roof garnish101to be spaced from one another at a predetermined distance. More specifically, the guides407are respectively mounted under the opposite longitudinal ends of the fitting opening201of the roof garnish101.

Referring toFIG. 1, the first cover105is provided with a latch110for opening and closing the shutter411. As shown inFIG. 4, a projection401of the first cover105is slidably inserted into a guide slot409of the guide407. The edge of the second cover106is pivotally connected to the edge of the first cover105. The first and second covers105,106are connected via a pin305, so that they can be pivoted in relation to one another. A pin hole307is formed along an edge of first and second covers105,106, so that the pin305may be inserted into the pin hole307. As the second cover106is folded over the first cover105or horizontally extended from the first cover105, the fitting opening201can be opened or closed. Each guide407is formed with a guide slot409, and the opposite ends of the first cover105are engaged in and guided along the guide slots409formed in the guides407. In addition, each guide407is formed with a hole405and the projection403of the second cover106is pivotally fitted in the holes405formed in the guides407.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, the opposite ends of the first cover105are formed with projections401in such a way that the projections401can be engaged in the guide slots409formed in the guides407.

Referring toFIGS. 4 to 7, the shutter411mounted in the roof garnish101opens and closes the fitting opening201in the garnish101.

As shown inFIG. 5, the fist and second covers105,106close the fitting opening201in the roof garnish103at the initial position. If force is exerted on the latch110in the direction indicated by arrow A, as shown inFIG. 5, the projections401of the first cover105move along the guide slots409formed in the guides407. In addition, the angle formed between the first and second covers105,106is reduced and the pin305that connects the first and second covers105,106is moved upwardly in the direction perpendicular to the direction indicated by arrow A.

Furthermore, the second cover106pivots about the holes405formed in the guides407. If the force is continuously applied to the latch110in the direction indicated by arrow shown inFIG. 5, the projections401of the first cover105arrive at the other end of the guide slots409. In addition, the first and second covers105,106are folded over one another, and the second cover106is vertically positioned with respect to the roof garnish101. As a result, the shutter411is formed into the open position and the fitting opening201of the roof garnish101is exposed.

Each guide407has first and second stop projections600,800protruding into a corresponding guide slot409, in which the first and second projections600,800are formed adjacent to the opposing ends of the corresponding guide slot409, respectively, as shown inFIG. 7. Also shown inFIG. 7, when the fitting opening201is fully opened, the projections401of the first cover105are temporarily clamped by the stop projections600in the guide slots409. Therefore, the fitting opening201can remain opened.

FIG. 8is a magnified view of the part indicated dotted lines inFIG. 5. As shown inFIG. 8, when the fitting opening201is closed, the projections401of the first cover105are temporarily clamped in the guide slots409by the first stop projections800.

Because the fitting opening201of the roof garnish101may be opened as described above, the roof rack mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment may be opened by a single operation process. In addition, because the roof rack mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment may be closed by performing the above-mentioned process in the reversed order, the roof rack mounting apparatus is convenient to use.

According to an embodiment of present invention, a roof garnish101can be mounted regardless of whether a mounting bracket for mounting a roof rack is provided: It is unnecessary to separately fabricate a garnish for use when a roof rack is mounted and a garnish for use when no roof rack is mounted.