Package and article carriers – Vehicle attached – Carrier associated with vehicle roof or trunk lid
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2002-12-10
Newhouse, Nathan (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Vehicle attached
Carrier associated with vehicle roof or trunk lid
C224S321000, C224S326000, C224S329000, C224S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491192
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roof carrier mounting structure for mounting a roof carrier on a member to which a roof carrier is mounted such as a roof rail of a vehicle, a roof panel thereof or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 29
shows an example of a roof carrier mounting structure (a roof baggage supporting device
100
) according to the prior art (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 7-2025).
The roof baggage supporting device
100
comprises a lateral beam
102
and a fastening device
104
. A side rail
110
is interposed between and fastened by a support jaw
106
and a fastening jaw
108
of the fastening device
104
.
However, if sufficient fastening force is to be obtained by this type of structure in which only the side rail
110
is fastened, the size of the fastening device
104
becomes large and the weight thereof is also increased. For example, if a load and the roof baggage supporting device
100
are moved greatly in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle by inertia force generated during the rapid (large) acceleration of the vehicle, the rapid (large) deceleration thereof and the like (which will be collectively referred to below as “a rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle”), there is a possibility that the support jaw
106
and the fastening jaw
108
might hit the end of the side rail
110
and be damaged. In order to prevent such damage, it is necessary to set the fastening force of the fastening device
104
at a sufficiently high level. More specifically, in order to reduce the amount of movement of the roof carrier as shown by the arrow J of
FIG. 30
, the fastening force (fastening torque) needs to be increased. Consequently, the size and weight of the fastening device
104
is further increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roof carrier mounting structure capable of reducing the amount of movement of a roof carrier during a large (rapid) acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle with a small fastening force.
A first aspect of the present invention is a roof carrier mounting structure for mounting a roof carrier on a member to which a roof carrier is mounted of a vehicle, comprising: a roof carrier; and an inclined portion formed on the roof carrier and inclined to gradually approach or move away from a member to which a roof carrier is mounted in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle for converting inertia force acting on the vehicle in the longitudinal direction into a fastening force for fastening the roof carrier to the member to which a roof carrier is mounted.
Accordingly, the roof carrier sandwiches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted so that the roof carrier is mounted on the member to which a roof carrier is mounted. Normally, that is, in the case where acceleration or a deceleration is not acting on the vehicle or when acceleration or deceleration is acting on the vehicle but has a value equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the roof carrier reliably sandwiches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted. Consequently, the roof carrier does not move unnecessarily in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
The roof carrier is provided with an inclined portion which is inclined to gradually approach or move away from the member to which a roof carrier is mounted in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. When a large inertia force acts on the roof carrier and the load in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle during a rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, the inclined portion causes the inertia force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to be converted into fastening force with which the roof carrier fastens the member to which a roof carrier is mounted. Consequently, the roof carrier sandwiches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted by a new fastening force generated during the rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle in addition to the original sandwiching force (fastening force). Thus, the sandwiching force (fastening force) with which the roof carrier sandwiches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted is increased during the rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. Therefore, the resistance to movement of the roof carrier is increased. Consequently, the amount of movement of the roof carrier due to the inertia force is reduced.
Thus, a part of the inertia force acting on the roof carrier and the load during the rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle is utilized to further increase the sandwiching force by which the roof carrier sandwiches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted. Therefore, even if the sandwiching force of the roof carrier itself is small, the amount of movement of the roof carrier can be reduced to a level less than in the prior art during the rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. Since it is not necessary to increase the sandwiching force of the roof carrier itself, the size and weight of the roof carrier can be reduced.
A second aspect of the present invention is the roof carrier mounting structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the roof carrier includes: a roof carrier main body; a sandwiching member provided on the roof carrier main body for sandwiching the member to which a roof carrier is mounted between the roof carrier main body and the sandwiching member; and a floating brake mounted on at least one of the roof carrier main body and the sandwiching member such that the floating brake can abut against the member to which a roof carrier is mounted and having at least a portion which abuts against the member to which a roof carrier is mounted able to be elastically deformed, wherein the inclined portion includes: a first inclined face formed on the floating brake which gradually approaches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted the closer to the front of the vehicle; and a second inclined face formed on the floating brake which gradually approaches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted the closer to the rear of the vehicle.
Consequently, in normal conditions, that is, when acceleration or deceleration is not acting on the vehicle or when acceleration or deceleration is acting on the vehicle but has a value equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the floating brake abuts against the member to which a roof carrier is mounted and both the floating brake and member to which a roof carrier is mounted are sandwiched by the roof carrier main body and sandwiching member. Consequently, at least the portion of the floating brake which is abutting against the member to which a roof carrier is mounted is elastically deformed and attached to the member to which a roof carrier is mounted by pressure. Therefore, the roof carrier does not unnecessarily move relative to the member to which a roof carrier is mounted.
When a large inertia force in the rearward direction of the vehicle acts on the roof carrier and the load during the rapid acceleration of the vehicle, the member (the roof carrier main body or the sandwiching member) to which the floating brake is mounted presses the first inclined face (portion) towards the rear of the vehicle. The first inclined face gradually approaches the member to which a roof carrier is mounted in the forward direction of the vehicle. (the closer to the front of the vehicle.) Therefore, a portion of the force with which the roof carrier main body or the sandwiching member presses against the first inclined face (portion) is converted into a force with which the floating brake presses against the member to which a roof carrier is mounted. Consequently, since the sandwiching force for sandwiching the floating brake and the member to which a roof carrier is mounted is increased, the resistance of the roof carrier to movement is increased, and the amount of movement due to inertia force is reduced.
Similarly, when a large inertia force in the forward direc
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Newhouse Nathan
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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