Mounting device with adapter for mounting on a vehicle awning

Abstract

The invention relates to an adapter (20), in particular a roof rack adapter, for various vehicle types with an awning, for mounting on an awning holder (8), for holding a secondary element, in particular a longitudinal and / or transverse cross member (32, 33). With several adapters (20) on the awning side and additional holders 4 on the opposite side of the vehicle, a rigid support structure for superstructures such as photovoltaic systems, roof tents, roof terraces, transport boxes, etc. can be created. The adapter 20 is screwed to the awning holder (8). The adapter (20) is designed so that the fastening section (29) is aligned parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal axis. Depending on the adapter variant (20), a longitudinal cross member (32) can be attached to the fastening section (29) on the side facing the vehicle center or on the opposite side of the adapter. Different hole patterns on the fastening section (29) make it possible to attach the longitudinal cross members at different heights. The adapter has a recess (28) so that it can be mounted over an existing retaining clip (10), which is necessary for attaching the awning box. Furthermore, the base section (30) of the adapter (20) additionally locks the awning box (6). The adapter (20) according to the invention is characterized in that it has a recess (28) which is arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the L-shaped adapter profile, forms a distance from the retaining clip (10) of the awning (5) and the adapter 20 is supported on the awning holder (8).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a fastening device with an adapter for mounting on an awning of a vehicle according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

[0002] Vehicles are known in the prior art that have mounting systems for attaching secondary elements to an awning. These mounting systems have L-shaped projections. Such mounting systems are typically integrated into an awning mount and extend there essentially as a molded L-profile with mounting holes for a secondary element, see, for example, DE 20 2016 103 609 U1.

[0003] A fastening device of this type is known from DE 20 2016 107 220 U1. A disadvantage of this fastening device is that it is structurally weakened by a slotted hole, which reduces its mechanical strength and makes its production more complex.

[0004] In addition, the component is asymmetrically designed, resulting in a U-shaped opening facing in the opposite direction when mounted on the cover. This can lead to difficult handling and limitations in application.

[0005] Furthermore, the slotted hole allows for unintentional displacement of the load carrier, which compromises the stability of the fastening. Furthermore, depending on the design, the load carrier coupling component is complex to manufacture, resulting in increased material requirements and higher production costs.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a fastening device with an adapter for mounting and supporting an awning bracket of a vehicle, which can directly accommodate a longitudinal cross member in the direction of travel. This object is achieved by a fastening device according to claim 1. The subclaims identify advantageous embodiments of the adapter of the fastening device.

[0007] The adapter can, for example, be a roof rack adapter for a supporting structure.

[0008] The adapter is a one-piece design with an L-shaped profile.

[0009] A version as a bent part is also possible.

[0010] The adapter is preferably made of stainless steel. For example, it can be made of aluminum or stainless steel, as the awning components are also made of stainless steel and aluminum.

[0011] The adapter has at least two through holes in the base section. These through holes are intended for attaching the adapter to an awning bracket.

[0012] The adapter rests with its base section on the vehicle's awning holder, i.e. indirectly on the vehicle roof.

[0013] The roof load and the dead weight of the supporting structure are transferred to the awning bracket and thus to the vehicle roof via the adapter. The adapter has a fastening section that serves to hold a secondary element, in particular a longitudinal cross member of a supporting structure.

[0014] An awning consists of an awning box, several awning brackets, each with a retaining clip, the corresponding slotted screw with nut and the screws for fastening to the vehicle fixing point.

[0015] An awning is attached to the vehicle using several awning brackets.

[0016] The awning bracket is designed as a profile. The awning bracket is available in a long and a short version. The short awning bracket has two through holes for attachment to a vehicle anchor point. The long version of the awning bracket, on the other hand, has two pairs of four through holes. The second pair of through holes is positioned offset on the awning bracket in the extension direction of the profile.

[0017] A pair of through holes, consisting of two, is used to attach the awning bracket to the vehicle anchor point. The other pair of through holes on the long version is free. A pair of through holes is always equally spaced from each other and parallel to the long edge of the awning bracket. The through holes in the base section of the adapter are equally spaced and thus aligned with the pair of through holes in the awning bracket. Using the same hole pattern, it is possible to screw the adapter to the awning bracket. Alternatively, the second hole pattern can be used for the long awning bracket. If the adapter is also used on the vehicle anchor point, the screws can also be used.

[0018] The adapter is screwed to the awning adapter and thus to the vehicle fixing point using two screws at the through holes.

[0019] By tightening the screws, the adapter is firmly connected to the awning bracket and the vehicle. This has the advantage that the force is applied directly to the vehicle's anchor point. The base section of the adapter also provides a positive locking of the awning.

[0020] Several adapters are aligned with their mounting sections and can be connected to each other using a longitudinal crossbar. With at least one or more mounting devices on the opposite side of the awning, which also provide a longitudinal crossbar at the same height, the longitudinal crossbars can be connected to the crossbars to form a stable support structure.

[0021] A retaining clip is used to secure the awning box. There is one retaining clip per awning bracket. Since the awning bracket is designed as an extruded profile with profile grooves, the retaining clip can be moved freely within the groove using a square head screw and a fastening nut.

[0022] The retaining clip for locking the awning is preferably located between the two through holes used to attach the awning bracket to the vehicle. Since this also provides the shortest distance to the force introduction point in the vehicle, it is also the preferred position for attaching additional force-introducing elements. A recess is required to install the adapter at this location.

[0023] The adapter has a recess for the retaining clip in the base section. The recess is located centrally between the two through-holes. The recess on the adapter is large enough to allow free movement of the retaining clip on the awning side. The retaining clip must not be moved by the adapter. The recess on the adapter makes it possible to attach the adapter exactly in the position where the retaining clip is usually located. The retaining clip does not need to be moved to a different position. With a short awning bracket 8, the retaining clip cannot be moved anyway, as the adapter is roughly the same length as a short awning bracket. The adapter does not need to be removed to change the retaining clip. The awning bracket has two fastening projections and. The awning box also has two matching fastening projections.The grooved screw and nut press the retaining clip in the direction of the screw against the awning box, which in turn presses the box against the mounting projections of the awning bracket. The clip has a spring-loaded action so that the awning box always remains secured and locked without play. The base section of the adapter additionally locks the awning in place.

[0024] The longitudinal cross member is attached to the adapter's mounting section with at least one fastening bolt. There is at least one fastening hole for this purpose. To prevent the longitudinal cross member from shifting under high inertial forces (e.g., in the event of a crash), two fastening holes were selected to achieve the strongest possible clamping effect with the fastening bolts. The fastening holes are designed as through-holes. This has the advantage of creating a positive screw connection. This allows the supporting structure to bear higher weights. Elongated holes are also possible, but they limit the weight force.

[0025] To accommodate different mounting heights for the longitudinal cross members, the adapter can also have multiple mounting holes in the mounting section, either individually or in combination, at different heights. Direct attachment of the longitudinal cross member to the mounting section has the advantage that the longitudinal cross member can be positioned very close to the vehicle roof.

[0026] At least one adapter can be attached to all awning brackets. Two adapters can also be installed on the long awning bracket with two hole patterns. This allows multiple adapters to hold the longitudinal crossbar.

[0027] The longitudinal cross member can be attached to the adapter, particularly to the fastening section, either on the inside of the vehicle or optionally on the outside of the vehicle.

[0028] The mounting holes on the adapter are horizontally aligned with the mounting holes on the driver's side bracket on the opposite side. This is necessary to ensure that the longitudinal and cross members are aligned at the same distance from the vehicle roof.

[0029] A major advantage of the adapter described below is that it is possible to screw a secondary element, e.g. a longitudinal cross member, onto the vehicle-side awning, whose attachment points are already occupied by the awning attachment and which does not have an integral attachment section for a secondary element.

[0030] Another advantage is that the adapter can be attached to the existing hole pattern of the awning bracket without having to create a new hole pattern in the awning bracket. This is due to the two through holes in the adapter being precisely aligned with the hole pattern of the awning bracket.

[0031] The adapter thus enables further construction of a supporting structure.

[0032] Another advantage is that the adapter can essentially be made from a simple L-shaped angle piece.

[0033] In the following, embodiments are explained using the figures. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a roof section of a vehicle with recesses into which awning attachments are screwed to the vehicle. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an adapter 20 which can be screwed to an awning holder 8. Fig. 3 shows a perspective exploded view with the adapter 20, the awning holder 8, the awning box 6, the retaining clip 10 and the associated grooved screw with nut 9 for retaining clip 10. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of an assembly of an adapter 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is screwed to an awning adapter 8. Fig. 5 shows a sectional view of an adapter 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is screwed to an awning adapter. Fig. 6 shows a top view of an adapter 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 shows a 3D view of the adapter 20 and the awning 5 Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of an adapter variant with different hole pattern heights for fastening the longitudinal cross member 32.

[0034] Where the same reference symbols are used in different figures in the following description of exemplary embodiments, they denote identical or similar elements. However, identical or similar elements may also be denoted by different reference symbols.

[0035] Fig. Figure 1 shows a vehicle with the awning 5 mounted on one side and the adapters 20 mounted thereon. On the opposite side, there are brackets 4 to which a longitudinal cross member 32 is also attached. The mounting holes of the opposite brackets 4 and the adapters 20 mounting holes 24 and 26 have the same roof spacing so that the supporting structure with the longitudinal and transverse cross members 32 and 33 is aligned parallel to the vehicle roof.

[0036] Fig. Figure 2 shows the adapter 20 as an L-shaped profile. The vertical upper part is the mounting section 29, and the lower part is the base section 30.

[0037] The recess 28 is arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 20. The recess 28 is preferably arranged centrally to the extension length so that the force is distributed symmetrically across the adapter 20. The recess 28 forms a free space for the retaining clip 10. The base section 30 has two through-holes 21 and 23. The through-holes 21 and 23 are arranged opposite one another with respect to the recess 28. At least one fastening opening 24, 46 is located in the fastening section 29.

[0038] Fig. 3 shows an adapter 20 in an exploded view with a short awning holder 8. The through holes 21 and 23 of the adapter 20 are aligned with the existing through holes 11 and 12 of the awning holder 8. The adapter 20 can be placed flat on the awning holder 8. The retaining clip 10 can be moved along the groove in the awning holder 8. In order for the adapter 20 to be mounted, the retaining clip 10 must be located between the through holes 11 and 12. The adapter 20 can also be fastened using the existing fastening elements 36 and 38, with which the awning holder 8 is fastened to the vehicle fixing point on the vehicle roof 3. The fastening section 29 of the adapter 20 is aligned parallel to the vehicle direction as well as to the longitudinal direction of the awning box 6.This makes it possible to mount a secondary element, in particular a longitudinal cross member 32, in the vehicle direction to the fastening section 29 of several adapters 20.

[0039] Fig. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the adapter 20 mounted on the awning 5. The awning 5 consists of the awning box 6 and awning bracket 8, as well as the retaining clip 10 and fastening material. The sectional view AA runs through the center of the retaining clip 10.

[0040] Fig. 5. shows the sectional view AA centered through the retaining clip 10. The adapter 20 locks the awning box 6 with the base section 30 of the adapter 20. This increases the security that the awning box 6 remains positively locked. The grooved screw with nut 9 presses the retaining clip 10 in the screwing direction against the awning box 6. The recess 28 on the adapter 20 is selected to be large enough to allow the retaining clip 10 to have free access to the adapter 20.

[0041] The adapter 20 rests flat on the awning bracket 8. The screws 34 and 36 secure the adapter 20 and the awning bracket 8 to the vehicle 2. The longitudinal cross member 32 is attached to the mounting section 29 with two fastening bolts 42 and 44 and two slot nuts with internal threads. The longitudinal cross member 32 is mounted on the mounting surface facing the center of the vehicle.

[0042] Fig. 6 shows a top view of the adapter 20 and the awning 5. The retaining clip 10 can fix the awning box 6 without hindrance.

[0043] Fig. Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the awning 5 with the adapter 20 and the longitudinal cross member 32 and the cross member 33. The longitudinal cross member 32 is movably mounted on the fastening section 29. The longitudinal cross member 32 is arranged on the side of the fastening section 29 facing the vehicle center. One or more cross members 33 can be attached to the longitudinal cross member 32 at any position in the vehicle direction.

[0044] Fig. 8 shows a modification of the Fig. 2. The structure of the adapter 20 shown is largely identical to the previous adapter 20, as indicated by the identical reference numerals. The adapter 20 simply has a different hole pattern, consisting of two mounting holes 25, 27, with which the longitudinal cross member 32 can be screwed to a different height relative to the vehicle roof. One hole pattern or several hole patterns in combination are possible. List of reference symbols 2 vehicles 3 Vehicle roof 4 holders 5 awning 6 awning boxes 8 awning brackets 9 Slotted screw with nut 10 retaining clips for awning 11 Through hole 12 through holes 13 Mounting projection 14 Mounting projection 20 adapters 21 through holes 23 through holes 24 Mounting hole 25 alternative mounting opening 26 Mounting hole 27 alternative mounting opening 28 recess 29 Fastening section 30 foot section 32 Longitudinal cross member 33 Crossbeam 34 screw 36 screw 42 fastening bolts 44 fastening bolts 46 T-slot nut with internal thread 48 T-slot nut with internal thread

Claims

[1] Fastening device with an adapter (20) for mounting and supporting on an awning holder (8) of a vehicle (2) and for holding a secondary element, in particular a longitudinal cross member (32) of a supporting structure, wherein the adapter (20) has a recess (28), characterized by that the adapter (20) is supported on the awning holder (8) and the recess (28) is arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (2), wherein the recess (28) is designed and arranged such that a retaining clip (10) of the awning (5) arranged on the awning holder (8) is freely accessible. [2] Fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the adapter (20) is made of metal. [3] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the adapter (20) is designed as an L-shaped pull-out profile. [4] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a fastening section (29) of the adapter (20) is aligned parallel in the vehicle longitudinal direction. [5] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the adapter (20) has two through-bores (21, 23) in a foot section (30) into which screws (34, 36) can engage, which are arranged opposite one another with respect to the recess (28) and which are aligned with through-bores (11, 22) of the awning holder (8). [6] Fastening device according to one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the fastening section (29) has at least one fastening opening (24, 26) into which at least one fastening bolt (42, 44) can be inserted for attaching the secondary element (40). [7] Fastening device according to one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the foot portion (30) locks the awning box (6). [8] Fastening device according to one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the fastening openings (24, 26) are horizontally aligned with fastening openings of holders (4) on the opposite side of the vehicle. [9] Fastening device according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the longitudinal cross member (32) can be arranged at fixed, defined different heights relative to the vehicle roof (3), these heights being predetermined by correspondingly positioned fastening openings (24, 25, 26, 27).

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