Patent Publication Number: US-2022219630-A1

Title: Vehicle roof rail integrated power outlet systems

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to vehicle roof rails with integrated power outlet systems. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vehicle roofs may include roof rails that can be used as mounting points for securing cargo. Vehicle owners may desire to further leverage the space offered by the vehicle roof when enjoying outdoor activities, such as camping and tailgating activities. 
     SUMMARY 
     A roof rail power outlet system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a roof rail cover and a power outlet assembly received within a housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing system, the roof rail cover includes a main body and the housing. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of either of the foregoing systems, the main body and the housing establish a unitary, integrated, single-piece structure of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the power outlet assembly includes a housing, a power socket, and a cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the housing of the power outlet assembly is snap connected to the housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the housing of the power outlet assembly includes a slider guide received within a slot of the housing of the roof rail cover and a retention arm that engages a corresponding retention arm of the housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a wiring harness is connected to the power outlet assembly. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the wiring harness includes a connector and a wiring bundle. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the wiring bundle is routed through an opening in a roof panel. 
     A vehicle includes a roof rail power outlet system. The roof rail power outlet system includes a roof rail cover and a power outlet assembly received within a housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to an interior side of a first roof rail, and the interior side faces toward a centerline of the vehicle. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a second roof rail power outlet system includes a second roof rail, a second roof rail cover, and a second power outlet system. 
     A roof rail power outlet system according to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a roof rail, a roof rail cover secured to the roof rail, and a power outlet assembly connected to an integrated housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing system, the roof rail is mounted to a roof panel of a vehicle roof. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of either of the foregoing systems, a wiring harness includes a connector connected to the power outlet assembly and wiring bundle routed through an opening in the roof panel. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a housing of the power outlet assembly includes a slider guide received within a slot of the integrated housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a retention arm of a housing of the power outlet system engages a corresponding retention arm of the integrated housing of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to an interior side of the roof rail. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the integrated housing protrudes from an exterior surface of a main body of the roof rail cover. 
     In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to a rear portion of the roof rail. 
     The embodiments, examples, and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, the claims, or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible. 
     The various features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates select portions of a vehicle equipped with roof rails. 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates select portions of another vehicle. 
         FIG. 3  is a blown up view of a roof rail power outlet system of the vehicle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an open position of the roof rail power outlet system of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the roof rail power outlet system of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view through section  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary connection between a power outlet assembly and a roof rail cover of a roof rail power outlet system. 
         FIG. 8  schematically illustrates an exemplary use of a vehicle roof rail power outlet system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This disclosure details roof rail power outlet systems for establishing power sources on vehicle roofs. An exemplary roof rail power outlet system may include a roof rail cover and a power outlet assembly received by a housing of the roof rail cover. The power outlet assembly may be snap connected to the housing of the roof rail cover. The power outlet assembly includes a power socket that is capable of providing a source of power at the vehicle rooftop. These and other features of this disclosure are described in greater detail in the following paragraphs of this detailed description. 
     Figure illustrates a motor vehicle  10 . In an embodiment, the vehicle  10  is a sport utility vehicle (SUV). However, the vehicle  10  could alternatively be configured as a car, a truck, a van, or any other type of vehicle within the scope of this disclosure. The vehicle  10  could also be a conventional motor vehicle, a battery powered hybrid or electric vehicle, or an autonomous vehicle (i.e., a driverless vehicle). 
     Although a specific component relationship is illustrated in the figures of this disclosure, the illustrations are not intended to limit this disclosure. In other words, the placement and orientation of the various components of the vehicle  10  are shown schematically and could vary within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, the various figures accompanying this disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to emphasize certain details of a particular component. 
     The vehicle  10  includes a roof  12  that establishes an upper barrier surface for enclosing a passenger cabin  14  of the vehicle  10 . The roof  12  may additionally establish an upper cargo space for storing and hauling cargo atop the vehicle  10 . For example, the vehicle  10  may include a pair of roof rails  16  that are mounted to a roof panel  15  of the roof  12  and extend longitudinally along opposite sides of the roof  12 . One or more cross bars (not shown) may connect between the opposing roof rails  16 . The roof rails  16  and cross bars may establish a roof rack system for securing cargo on the roof  12 . 
     An owner/user of the vehicle  10  may desire to leverage the space afforded by the roof  12  for additional purposes beyond cargo storage and transport. As an example, the vehicle owner/user may desire to utilize the vehicle  10  as a social gathering spot during outdoor activities (e.g., roof camping, roof tailgating, etc.). This disclosure therefore describes roof rail integrated power outlet systems for establishing one or more power sources at the roof  12 , thereby providing roof-integrated features for enhancing the user experience during the outdoor activities. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 3-4 , the vehicle  10  may include a power outlet systems  18 . One of the roof rails  16  may be part of the power outlet system  18 . In the illustrated embodiment, the power outlet system  18  is integrated with a rear portion  20  of the roof rail  16  that is associated with the driver&#39;s side of the vehicle  10 . The rear portion  20  is closer to a rear end of the vehicle  10 . 
     In another embodiment, each roof rail  16  could be part of two power outlet systems  18 , with one power outlet system  18  being located at both a front portion  22  and a rear portion  20  of each of the roof rails  16  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 2 ). Other configurations are further contemplated within this disclosure. It should thus be understood that the vehicle  10  could be equipped with one or more power outlet systems  18 . 
       FIGS. 5-6  illustrate an exemplary roof rail power outlet system  18  for a vehicle, such as the vehicle  10  of  FIG. 1 , for example. The power outlet system  18  may include a roof rail  16 , a roof rail cover  24 , a power outlet assembly  26 , and a wiring harness  28 . 
     The roof rail cover  24  may be secured to an interior side  30  of the roof rail  16  for concealing various internal structures associated with the roof rail  16 . The interior side  30  of the roof rail  16  may face in a direction toward a centerline  32  (see  FIG. 1 ) of the vehicle  10 . The interior side  30  may sometimes be referred to as the “B-side” of the roof rail  16 . 
     The roof rail cover  24  may include a main body  34  and a housing  36  that protrudes from an exterior surface  38  of the main body  34 . In an embodiment, the housing  36  is an integrated feature that is integrally formed with the main body  34 . The main body  34  and the housing  36  therefore establish a unitary, integrated, single-piece structure of the roof rail cover  24 . In another embodiment, a lower section  45  of the housing  36  protrudes a greater distance from the exterior surface  38  than an upper section  55  of the housing  36  (best shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     The power outlet assembly  26  of the power outlet system  18  may include a housing  40 , a power socket  42 , and a cover  44 . The power socket  42  may be secured to the housing  40  and may embody any socket type (e.g., Type A or B for North America, Type E or F for Europe, Type C for South America, etc.). The specific configuration of the power socket  42  is not intended to limit this disclosure. 
     The cover  44  may be movably secured to either the housing  40  or the power socket  42  of the power outlet assembly  26 . The cover  44  may be manually pivoted between closed and open positions to either conceal the power socket  42  (see  FIG. 3 ) or expose the power socket  42  for use (see  FIGS. 4 and 6 ). 
     The housing  36  of the roof rail cover  24  may establish an opening  46  that is sized and shaped to receive the housing  40  of the power outlet assembly  26 . As discussed in greater detail below, the housing  40  of the power outlet assembly  26  may be snap connected to the housing  36  of the roof rail cover  24 . When connected to the housing  36 , the power outlet assembly  26  essentially becomes a sub-assembly of the roof rail  16  and is located on the B-side, rear portion  20  of the roof rail  16 . 
     The wiring harness  28  may electrically connect the power outlet assembly  26  to a power supply located inside the vehicle  10 . The power socket  42  may be powered by the power supply for establishing the power outlet system  18  as a rooftop power source. When powered, the power socket  42  of the power outlet assembly  26  can provide alternating current power at a voltage level (e.g., 120 volts, 220 volts, etc.) suitable for powering various electronic devices on top of the vehicle  10  when using the roof  12  for camping or other outdoor activities. 
     The wiring harness  28  may include a connector  48  that connects to a corresponding connector  50  of the power outlet assembly  26 . A wiring branch  52  of the wiring harness  28  may be routed through an interior region  54  (see  FIG. 6 ) of the roof rail  16  and then through an opening  56  formed through the roof panel  15  for connection to the power supply. 
     One or more wiring retainers  58  may be utilized for routing and securing the wiring branch  52  between the power outlet assembly  26  and the power supply. In an embodiment, the wiring retainer  58  is clipped to a surface of the roof panel  15  that surrounds the opening  56  and includes a strap  60  for tying down portions of the wiring branch  52 . 
       FIGS. 6-7  illustrate exemplary connection features for snap connecting the housing  40  of the power outlet assembly  26  to the housing  36  of the roof rail cover  24 . In an embodiment, the housing  40  includes slider guides  62  that may be received within slots  64  of the housing  36 . Once the housing  40  is pushed far enough into the housing  36 , retention arms  66  of the housing  40  may engage corresponding retention arms  68  of the housing  36 . In an embodiment, a protruding ledge  70  of each retention arm  68  may engage an engagement surface  72  of each retention arm  68  for snap connecting the housing  40  to the housing  36 . 
       FIG. 8  schematically illustrates an exemplary use of the roof rail power outlet system  18  described above. With the cover  44  of the power outlet assembly  26  positioned in the open position, a user may insert (i.e., plug) an electrical device  74  into the power socket  42 . The electrical device  74  may thereby be powered by the power outlet system  18 , which is conveniently packaged near the user when the roof  12  is being used for roof camping or some other outdoor activity. 
     The electrical device  74  could be any electrical device having a power plug that is compatible with the power socket  42 . Non-limiting examples of electrical devices that could be powered by the power outlet system  18  include but are not limited to a smart device (e.g., smart phone, tablet, computer, etc.), an entertainment console, a charger, a fan, a heater, an air conditioning device, a lighting device (e.g., light bar, fog lamp, etc.), a radio, etc. 
     The roof rail power outlet systems described herein allow vehicle owners to leverage the space of the vehicle roof when enjoying outdoor activities, such as roof camping and tailgating. The exemplary roof rail power outlet systems are integratable with vehicle roof rails, easy to assemble, packaged at convenient roof locations, and interchangeable depending on the market where the power socket will be used. 
     Although the different non-limiting embodiments are illustrated as having specific components or steps, the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from any of the non-limiting embodiments in combination with features or components from any of the other non-limiting embodiments. 
     It should be understood that like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. It should be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed and illustrated in these exemplary embodiments, other arrangements could also benefit from the teachings of this disclosure. 
     The foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense. A worker of ordinary skill in the art would understand that certain modifications could come within the scope of this disclosure. For these reasons, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.