AN APPARATUS FOR CARRYING A LOAD

Abstract: A load carrier for a vehicle is provided with a strut (1) which extends transversely over the roof (6) of the vehicle, and, in each end, has a foot member (2) for fixed securement on edge portions (5, 6) of the roof (6). The foot member (2) has a support member (3) and a gripping member (4) urgable thereagainst by means of an operating device (21, 22), the gripping member having a gripping portion (19). The gripping member (4) is, with an upper portion, in sliding abutment against a fixed sliding surface (14) in the foot member (2). In one embodiment, there is provided, in the lower end of the foot member (2), a horizontal bottom portion (15) on which a cam portion (17) is slidable in towards the centre of the vehicle. The cam portion (17) has a cam surface (18) which inclines obliquely from the outside downwardly and inwardly, in engagement with a pin (20) on the gripping member (4). In a further embodiment, the pin (20) is longer and engages in obliquely directed grooves in the insides of the laterally defining portions (8, 9) of the foot member (2).

Description: • k-k-k-kie TITLE OF INVENTION: AN APPARATUS FOR CARRYING A LOAD TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for carrying a load on a vehicle, with a strut extending over the roof of the veh¬ icle, and with feet disposed in the regions at the opposing sides of the vehicle for securement on the vehicle, the foot at least on the one side of the vehicle including a support member for abutment ag¬ ainst the vehicle and a gripping member which, under the action of an operating device, is movable in relation to the support member for fixedly securing the foot on the vehicle. BACKGROUND ART Load carriers, or 'roof racks' for vehicles, of the type intim¬ ated by way of introduction are previously known.in many different variations. One prior art type of such a load carrier is provided with a fixed support foot which is intended to be placed in the gut¬ tering on a vehicle. In order to retain the support foot in the gut¬ tering, use is made of a gripping member with a catch-shaped portion which grips in under the guttering as good as straight from beneath. In more modern vehicles, demands have been set at steadily higher levels in the matter of design with respect to streamlining and low air-resistance. For this reason, use of the above-considered guttering is becoming more and more seldom in the design of vehicle bodies. Instead, two new types of bodies have become steadily more common, in which one body type completely lacks any part which could be likened to the guttering. In this body type, the upper edge of the door opening may slope from the top and downwardly in a di¬ rection in towards the centre of the vehicle to quite a marked deg¬ ree. Furthermore, the roof portion connecting to the door opening may be powerfully arched and, in the corner region, make approxi- mately a right angle with the upper defining surface of the door opening. In the second modern vehicle body type, use is, granted, made of a laterally protruding projection which, in certain cases, may also have the function of a roof guttering, but this projection is concealed in behind the vehicle door so that it is only accessible from above by the intermediary of a narrow, slit-shaped opening. In the body type which lacks the laterally directed projection and in which, hence, the anchorage devices of the load carrier must be applied to the transitional region between the door opening of the body and the roof connecting thereto, the geometric clamping conditions are poor, primarily because the upper defining surface of the door opening may slope steeply. Since, in addition, the load carrier will, on being loaded, show a tendency to be bent downwardly in its central region, so that thereby the foot members of the load carrier 'splay out' laterally, it will be readily appreciated that such an operation as contemplated here, carried out on a portion of the vehicle body designed in this manner, is not particularly simple. In the second vehicle body type with the laterally protruding projection, the clamping geometry itself may perhaps be better, but nevertheless problems arise because of the extreme precision which must be imparted to the load carrier itself and especially its grip¬ ping members. In particular, it will be appreciated that a loading on the load carrier may not have as a consequence that the gripping members of the load carrier slide out laterally and strike the upper edge of the door so that this is damaged. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to realise a load car- rier of the type mentioned by way of introduction, this load carrier being designed in such a manner as to offer a rapid, ready and - above all - reliable anchorage of the load carrier on the vehicle irrespective of the body type of the vehicle. The present invention also has for its object to realise an apparatus of such type that the downward bending caused by loading of the load carrier will not entail any problems for anchorage of the load carrier. Furthermore, the present invention has for its object to devise a load carrier which is of such high precision that any risk of damage to either the vehicle body or the door can be discounted. Finally, the present invention also has for its object to realise an apparatus which may readily be adapted to or after-adjusted on vehicle bodies designed in different manners. SOLUTION The objects forming the basis of the present invention will be attained if the apparatus intimated by way of introduction is chara¬ cterised in that the gripping member is, at an upper portion, in slidable abutment against a sliding portion disposed in the foot member; that the foot member is provided, a distance beneath the sliding portion, with a cam portion; and that the gripping member, by movement in relation to the cam portion, is simultaneously slid¬ able against the sliding portion and pivotal, with a lower portion, towards a longitudinal centre line of the vehicle. One preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the pre¬ sent invention is characterised in that the cam portion is shiftably disposed in the foot member; that the gripping member is provided with engagement devices for guiding engagement with the cam portion; and that the cam portion has a direction of influence on the grip¬ ping member which makes an angle with the sliding direction of the gripping member in relation to the sliding portion. This embodiment is suitably further characterised, in one prac¬ tical realisation thereof, that the gripping member is provided with an upper, elongate portion; that the cam portion, under the action of the operatin device, is shiftable along a guide surface disposed in the foot member, the guide surface being approximately trans- versely disposed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the elongate portion of the gripping member; and that the cam portion has a cam surface which makes an angle with the guide surface. A modified embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention is suitably characterised in that the cam portion is fixedly disposed in the foot member; that the gripping member is provided with gripping means for guiding engagement with the cam portion; and that the operating device has a direction of influence on the gripping member which makes an angle with the direction of influence of the cam portion on the gripping member. This embodiment is suitably further characterised in that the gripping member has an upper, elongate portion; and that the oper ¬ ating device has a direction of influence on the gripping member which approximately extends along the elongate portion. Further advantages will be attained according to the present invention if the apparatus as herein disclosed is also characterised by one or more of the characterising features as set forth in claims 4-6 or in claims 9 and 10. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The nature of the present invention and its aspects will be more readily understood from the following brief description of the accompanying Drawings, and discussion relating thereto. In the accompanying Drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a preferred em- bodiment of a foot member included in the ap¬ paratus of the present invention, the section lying transversely of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; Fig. 2 shows the foot member of Fig. 1 seen in the longitudinal direction of the transverse strut and with certain protective caps dismounted; Fig. 3 is a cross-section corresponding to the cross- section of Fig. 1, the embodiment being, however, modified; Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 2 of the embodiment according to Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross-section corresponding to the cross- section of Fig. 1, the embodiment being, however, further modified; and Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 2 of the embodiment according to Fig. 5. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the Drawings, the load carrier, or roof rack, ac¬ cording to the present invention includes, in the preferred embodi ¬ ment, a load carrying strut 1 extending transversely over the roof of the vehicle, the strut being secured in a foot member 2 which, in ■ its lower end, is provided with a support member 3 and a gripping member 4, the essential purpose of the support member being to bear from above against the vehicle bodywork, while the purpose of the gripping member is to grasp about a suitably projecting portion of the vehicle bodywork so that thereby the support member is urged thereagainst. In Fig. 1, that surface 5 against which the gripping member 4 abuts with a catch portion 19 constitutes, for example, an upper defining surface of a door opening in the vehicle body, and this surface slopes steeply down in a direction in towards the centre line of the vehicle. The outer contour of the roof has an outer surface 6 against which the support member 3 abuts, and in the embodiment illustrated here, the outer surface 6 makes roughly a right angle with the inner surface 5, at least in the corner region immediately above the door opening. Suitably, the support member 3 is, in a conventional manner, pivotally secured in the foot member 2 by means of a pivot shaft 7 so that it may adjust to the true slope of the outer surface 6. Furthermore, the gripping member 4 is suit¬ ably specifically designed for the bodywork model which is appli¬ cable in each individual case, whereby the gripping member is de¬ signed in such a manner that it may readily be replaced without the necessity of effecting any other modifications to the foot member 2. The foot member 2 has a rigid body portion, possibly produced by a moulding process, with forward and rear defining portions 8 and 9, these being interconnected at the top by the intermediary of an upper portion 10 which serves to carry and fixedly retain the strut 1. To this end, one end portion of the strut is provided, in its lower defining wall, with a slit-shaped opening which is open to¬ wards the end of the strut. In the inner end of this opening, an an¬ chorage portion 11 is fixed by means of rivets or other suitable de¬ vices, the anchorage portion having a threaded opening for co- operation with a screw 12 which, with its head, abuts against a heel 13 upstanding from the upper portion 10. In this instance, the heel 13 is of such width that it guides in the groove of the strut 1. Furthermore, the anchorage portion 11 is provided with a shaft (not shown) which extends down through a corresponding groove in the upper portion 10 of the foot member. On the underside thereof, the anchorage portion 11 is provided with a crosspiece which, by abut¬ ment against the upper portion 10, prevents the strut 1 from being lifted therefrom. The anchorage portion 11 will hereby have the function of a 'T-grooved bolt' and thereby allow the strut 1 to be shifted into the foot member but not that it can be lifted there¬ from. As will be apparent from the Drawing, both of the defining portions 8 and 9 in the foot member are united, in the upper portion thereof, by the intermediary of an approximately vertically directed transverse wall which has the function of a sliding portion 14 against which an upper end portion of the gripping member 4 abuts. The arrangement is, in this instance, such that the gripping member may slide in the vertical direction of the foot member and in its own longitudinal direction along the sliding portion. Furthermore, the two defining portions 8 and 9 are provided, at their lower ends, with a bottom portion 15 whose upper defining sur¬ face has a guide surface which is transversely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the gripping member 4 and which is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the strut 1. The bottom portion 15 extends through an aperture 16 in the grip¬ ping member 4, and in this aperture there is also accommodated a cam portion 17 which slidably rests on the guide surface of the bottom portion 15. The cam portion 17 has an upwardly facing cam surface 18 which abuts against an engagement device 20 which is designed in the form of a shaft surrounded by a rotary sleeve and extending along the upper.edge of the aperture 16 in the gripping member 4. Hereby, the engagement device 20 will, with its longitudinal direction, be approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The cam portion 17 is displaceable transversely of the longi- tudinal axis of the vehicle, i.e. also transversely of the longi¬ tudinal direction of the gripping member 4 under the action of an operating device which includes a screw 21 which engages with the cam portion 17 and with a fixed counter member 22 disposed in the foot member 2. In this instance, the longitudinal direction of the screw 21 is parallel to the guide surface on the bottom portion 15 and is also directed in towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle, substantially in a horizontal plane. For anchoring the foot member 2 to the vehicle roof, the grip¬ ping member 4 is applied to the edge surface 5 of the vehicle roof, at the same time as the upper end of the gripping member is brought into abutment against the sliding portion 14 of the foot member. Here, the gripping member 4 is completely unguided by the engagement device 20 so that its position may freely be adapted to the bodywork configuration and to the position of the foot member 2 on the ve¬ hicle roof, as well as to the position of the foot member along the load carrying strut 1. When the operating device is subsequently actuated, the cam portion 17 may be reciprocated along the guide surface of the bottom portion 15 so that the cam surface 18, which makes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the screw 21, will come into abutment against the gripping member by the intermediary of the engagement device 20. In this instance, the relative engage- ment position between the engagement device 20 and the cam surface 18 may vary depending upon the position of the gripping member 4. On tightening of the screw 21, the engagement device will partly be displaced in its longitudinal direction substantially in a vertical direction so that the upper end of the engagement device slides in the vertical direction along the sliding portion 14. At the same time however, the lower portion of the gripping member 4, in par¬ ticular its catch portion 19, will be urged in a transverse movement towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle so that hereby the gripping member 4 will simultaneously undergo a vertical dis- placement and a pivotal movement about the contact point with the sliding portion 14. It will be apparent from the foregoing that, because the en¬ gagement position between the cam surface 18 and the engagement de¬ vice 20 may vary greatly (on condition that the cam surface is of sufficient size), such tolerances as affect the varying location of the foot member 2 on the vehicle roof 6 and/or along the load car¬ rying strut 1 can be compensated for hereby. Furthermore, because of this facility, different designs of the corner portion of the ve ¬ hicle roof at 5 and 6 may be catered for without the need of em¬ ploying a specifically designed gripping member 4 and/or support member 3 for each and every roof design. The varying engagement position between the cam surface 18 and the engagement device 20 thus permits a high degree of flexibility in the engagement between the foot member 2 and the vehicle roof 5 and 6 without highly placed demands on accurately defined mutual positions for the components interacting in the engagement. In practice, on anchorage of the foot member 2, there will first be realised an inwardly directed, substantially horizontal movement of the lower portion of the gripping member 4, so that the catch portion 19 will assume a reliable abutment position against the inner bodywork surface 5. On continued tightening of the screw, the gripping member 4 will then substantially be displaced in an up¬ ward direction, i.e. will slide against the sliding portion 14 so that the gripping member 4 and the support member 3 will fixedly clamp therebetween the corner region of the vehicle body between the surfaces 5 and 6. However, there will simultaneously be generated a force from the foot member directed in towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle. DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS The embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2 may be modified in such a manner that the sliding portion 14 need not be substantially vertical and substantially straight or planar, but instead this sliding portion may incline in relation to the vertical plane and may also be curved so that a different movement cycle will be re- alised in the gripping member 4. For example, it is conceivable that the upper region of the sliding portion 14 is outwardly arched in a direction away from the centre line " of the vehicle, whereby re¬ inforced inward urging towards the centre line of the vehicle could be achieved for the catch portion 19 in the final phase of the tightening of the screw 21. In a corresponding manner, it is possible, by suitable arching of the cam surface 18, to realise a modified cycle of movement of the gripping member 4. Thus, it is fully possible to employ a cam surface which is upwardly convex, whereby, on tightening of the screw 21, a rapidly inwardly directed movement would first be ob¬ tained (substantially horizontal) of the catch portion 19 and, thereafter, a powerfully upwardly directed movement of the gripping member 4. According to the invention, the bottom portion 15 may, also in the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, be inclined so that it is not substantially parallel with the load carrying strut 1. However, irrespective of the direction of inclination, the screw 21 and the bottom portion 15 should be approximately parallel. If, for example, the inner end of the bottom portion 15 turned to face the centre of the vehicle is located at a higher level than the outer end, priority will be given to the vertical tensioning direction of the gripping member 4 over its horizontal direction. If, on the other hand, the inner end is located lower than the outer, this entails that the gripping member 4 will have a greater horizontal force. However, according to the present invention it is also pos¬ sible, in the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, to dispense with the engagement device 20 and instead cause the upper edge of the aperture 16 to assume this function. In this embodiment, the cam surface 18 will, thus, abut directly against the upper edge portion of the aperture 16, this edge portion being possibly rigidified by being provided with an angular bent portion or by being double- -folded. The embodiment according to Figs. 3 and 4 differs from the above-described embodiment primarily in that the screw 21 included in the operating device is directed in the longitudinal direction of the gripping member 4 and, therefore, substantially in a vertical direction, but with a slight inclination upwardly and inwardly. Analogous with that described above, the gripping member 4 has an upper, elongate portion which, with its upper end, slidingly abuts against a sliding portion 14 which, in this embodiment, may incline with its upper portion inwardly towards the centre of the vehicle. Also in this embodiment, the engagement device 20 is designed as a shaft which is fixedly secured in a lower portion of the gripping member 4 and which extends in a direction which is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As opposed to that described previously, the screw 21 engages directly in the engagement device 20, in the central portion there¬ of, and the engagement device is extended in the direction ofthe ve¬ hicle forwardly and rearwardly out on the front and rear sides of the gripping member 4. The engagement device guidingly engages, with these end portions projecting ahead of and behind the gripping mem¬ ber, with cam portions 17 which are disposed on the insides of the defining portions 8 and 9. In Fig. 1, the cam surface on the one cam portion is intimated by the broken line 18. The cam surfaces 18 incline in a direction from the bottom and upwardly in towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle and, therefore, make an angle with both the longitudinal axis of the gripping member 4 and the longitudinal direction of the screw 21. On anchorage of the foot member on a vehicle, tightening of the screw 21 is effected, whereupon the gripping member 4 will simul- taneously undergo a lifting movement approximately in its longi¬ tudinal direction and a pivotal movement counterclockwise so that the catch portion 19 is displaced in towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle. Hereby, the corner portion between the surfaces 5 and 6 on the vehicle body will be clamped in between the catch portion 19 and the support member 3 at the same time as the catch portion 19 receives a horizontal movement component which, thus, urges in towards the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle. According to the present invention, both of the cam surfaces 18 in this embodiment may be completely straight, approximately as il- lustrated by the broken line, but could just as well be arched in such a manner that the cam surface is convex in a downward direc¬ tion. Hereby, a rapid inward movement would first be realised for the catch portion 19, and thereafter an upwardly directed movement thereof with great force. The anchorage of the strut 1 in the foot member is effected, in the embodiment according to Figs. 3 and 4, in such a manner that the strut 1 is provided, in its lower side, with a slit-shaped groove open towards the free end, through which the screw 21 extends. Furthermore, the strut is provided, along an end portion on the underside, with an anchorage portion 11 which is provided with downwardly directed grooves which are disposed transversely of the longitudinal direction of the strut and which may be brought into engagement with complimentary grooves on the upper face of the upper portion 10 of the foot member. By varying the engagement position between the grooves, the position of the foot member in the longi¬ tudinal direction of the strut may be slightly varied, whereby ad- aptation of the load carrier may be effected to suit different ve- hide body types. Furthermore, tightening of the screw 21 will re¬ sult in the forcible mutual urging of the strut 1 and the upper portion 10 of the foot member so that thereby the strut is pos- itionally fixed in relation to the foot member. In principle, the embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 differs from the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4 only by a differing design of the support member 3 and the gripping member 4. In this latter embodiment, the load car¬ rier is intended for a vehicle body type in which there is provided, in behind the upper edge of the door 23 on the body proper, a lat¬ erally protruding projection 24 which may have the function of rigidifying in the body, which may serve for anchorage of a sealing strip, or which may possibly function as a roof guttering. In a body model of this type, there is formed, between the up- per edge of the door 23 and the adjacent portion of the outside sur¬ face 6 of the roof, but a narrow slit-shaped opening 25. In the em¬ bodiment under consideration here, the support member 3 is, there¬ fore, designed as a plate which is elongate in the longitudinal di¬ rection of the vehicle and which extends down through the slit- shaped opening 25 between the door 23 and the roof surface 6. The under edge of this elongate support member - which is narrow in the transverse direction of the vehicle - is designed to abut against the upper side of the projection 24. Correspondingly, the lower portion of the gripping member 4 is designed in such a manner as to extend into a recess 26 in the cen¬ tral region of the support member, in order to pass down through the slit-shaped opening 25 and in order, with its curved gripping 12 portion 19, to be able to grasp about a lower portion or an edge portion on the projection 24. In a comparison between Figs. 3 and 5, it will be apparent that the support member 3 is fixedly retained in a covering plate 27 which, by means of a screw union 28, is fixed in the body portion of the foot member 2, preferably in the sliding portion 14. It will be further apparent from Fig. 1, that, also in this em¬ bodiment, use is made of a covering plate 27 in which the support member 3 is fixed and which, by means of which a screw 28, is se- cured in the body portion of the foot member in the region immed¬ iately beneath the sliding portion 14. According to the present invention, the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2 may have the same design of both the gripping member 4 and the support member 3 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The present invention should not be considered as restricted to that described above and shown on the Drawings, many modifications being conceivable without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended Claims.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. An apparatus for carrying a load on a vehicle, with a strut (1) extending over the roof of the vehicle, and with foot members (2) disposed in the regions of the opposing sides of the vehicle for fixed securement to the vehicle, the foot member including, at least on one side of the vehicle, a support member (3) for abutment ag¬ ainst the vehicle, and a gripping member (4) which, under the action of an operating device (21, 22), is movable in relation to the sup¬ port member for fixedly securing the foot member on the ve¬ hicle, characterised in that the gripping member (4) is, at an upper portion, in sliding abutment against a sliding portion (14) disposed in the foot member (2); that the foot member is provided with a cam portion (17) a distance beneath the sliding portion; and that the gripping member (4), by movement in relation to the cam portion, is simultaneously slidable towards the the sliding portion (14), and, with a lower portion (19), pivotal towards a longitudinal centre line of'the vehicle. 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the cam portion (17) is fixedly disposed in the foot member (2); that the gripping member (4) has an engagement device (20) for guiding engagement with the cam portion; and that the operating de¬ vice (21, 22) has a direction of influence on the gripping member which makes an angle with the direction of influence of the cam portion on the gripping member. 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the gripping member (4) is provided with an upper, elongate portion; and that, the operating device (21, 22) has a direction of influence on the gripping member which approximately extends along the elongate portion. 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the sliding portion (14) is substantially planar and is directed ap¬ proximately along the direction of influence of the operating device (21, 22) on the gripping member (4). 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterised in that, a cam portion (17) is disposed on each of the forward and rear¬ ward walls (8, 9) of the foot member (2), seen in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; that the engagement device (20) of the gripping member (4) extends, seen in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, forwardly and rearwardly from the gripping member into engagement with the cam portions; and that the operating device in¬ cludes a screw (21), which engages partly with the engagement device (20) and partly with a counter member (22) in the foot member (2). 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the screw (21) extends through an aperture in the strut (1) for urging same into engagement with an upper wall (10) in the foot mem¬ ber (2), and thereby positionally fixing the strut in the foot mem¬ ber. 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the cam portion (17) is displaceably disposed in the foot member (2); that the gripping member (4) is provided with an engagement de¬ vice (20) for guiding engagement with the cam portion; and that the cam portion has a direction of influence on the gripping member which makes an angle with the sliding direction of the gripping mem¬ ber in relation to the sliding portion (14). 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the gripping member (4) is provided with an upper, elongate portion; that the cam portion (17) is, under the action of the operating de- vice (21, 22), displaceable along a guide surface (15) disposed in the foot member (2), the guide surface being approximately trans¬ versely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the elongate portion of the gripping member; and that the cam portion (17) has a cam surface (18) which makes an angle with the guide sur- face. 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the gripping member (4) is provided with an aperture (16) through which the cam portion (17) extends; and that the engagement device (20) is disposed on the upper side of the cam portion in this aperture. 10. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the operating device includes a screw (21), whose longitudinal direction is transversely directed in relation to the slide portion (14), and which engages partly with the cam portion (17) and partly with a counter member (22) disposed in the foot member (2) .

Inventors: ARVIDSSON JAN-IVAR, THULIN WILLIS, ARVIDSSON, JAN-IVAR, THULIN, WILLIS
Applicants: THULE IND AB, INDUSTRI AB THULE
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B60R9
IPC codes: B60R9