Roof carrier

Abstract

To provide a roof carrier that does not reduce aerodynamic performance and does not deteriorate the appearance of the vehicle during traveling of a vehicle even when no load is mounted.SOLUTION: This roof carrier attached above a roof of a vehicle comprises: a pedestal base disposed along the upper surface of the roof; and a wall disposed in at least a part of the outer peripheral part of the base and extending upward. The lower part of the wall is rotatably or detachably attached to the base. The base is provided with a recess opened above the vehicle. The recess has a depth for storing at least a part of the wall rotated to fall along the base or at least a part of the wall removed from the base to fall along the base.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a roof carrier that is attached to a vehicle so as to be disposed above the roof of the vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a box-shaped roof carrier device disposed on the roof. The roof carrier device includes a flat floor plate and a frame member surrounding the periphery of the floor plate. With this carrier device, luggage can be loaded on the roof, so that three-dimensional and bulky luggage can be transported by the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the box-shaped roof carrier device is a heavy object having a predetermined rigidity, it cannot be easily removed from the roof. Therefore, even when no luggage is loaded on the roof, the roof carrier device often remains attached to the roof. When no luggage is loaded on the roof, the roof carrier device remaining attached to the roof cannot exhibit the merit of being able to carry bulky luggage, and causes demerits such as deteriorating the aerodynamic characteristics during vehicle running or deteriorating the appearance of the vehicle.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a roof carrier that does not deteriorate the aerodynamic characteristics during vehicle running or deteriorate the appearance of the vehicle even when no luggage is placed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The roof carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention is a roof carrier mounted above the roof of a vehicle, comprising a pedestal-shaped base portion disposed along the upper surface of the roof, and a wall portion disposed at least partially on the outer peripheral portion of the base portion and extending upward. The lower portion of the wall portion is attached to the base portion rotatably or detachably. The base portion includes a recess that opens above the vehicle. The recess has a depth capable of accommodating at least a part of the wall portion that is rotated and laid down along the base portion, or at least a part of the wall portion that is removed from the base portion and laid down along the base portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] In the above roof carrier, since luggage is placed in the recess of the base portion, it is difficult for the luggage to protrude from the roof carrier. Further, since the protrusion of the luggage is suppressed by the wall portion, it is difficult for the luggage to fall from the roof carrier. When the vehicle is parked, a person can ride on the roof carrier. At that time, the wall portion functions as a fence to prevent the person from falling. Further, in the above roof carrier, by rotating or removing the wall portion and storing it in the recess of the base portion, it is possible to suppress a decrease in aerodynamic characteristics and a deterioration in appearance due to the roof carrier even when no luggage is placed on the roof carrier.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a roof carrier according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The sizes of the members shown in each drawing are represented for the purpose of clarifying the description and do not necessarily represent actual dimensions. In the drawings, "UP" indicates above the vehicle, "LWR" indicates below, "FR" indicates the front, "RR" indicates the rear, "RH" indicates the right, and "LH" indicates the left. Each of "up", "down", "front", "rear", "right", and "left" in the following description corresponds to "above", "below", "front", "rear", "right", and "left" of the vehicle, respectively. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following examples, but is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> ≪Overall Configuration≫ As shown in FIG. 1, the roof carrier 1 is disposed on the roof 110 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 in this example is a minivan. The form of the vehicle 100 is not particularly limited, and it may be a wagon, a sedan, or a hatchback. The roof carrier 1 is used to place luggage thereon. When the vehicle 100 is parked, a person or the like may ride on the roof carrier 1. The roof carrier 1 includes a pedestal-shaped base portion 2 attached onto the roof 110 along the roof 110, and a wall portion 3 disposed at at least a part of the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 2.

[0011] ≪Base Portion≫ As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base portion 2 of this example includes a recessed portion 20 that is recessed downward toward the vehicle 100. The base portion 2 of this example includes a bottom portion 25 that constitutes the bottom surface of the roof carrier 1 and a frame-shaped frame portion 26 that surrounds the bottom portion 25. The recessed portion 20 is formed by a space surrounded by the upper surface of the bottom portion 25 and the inner wall surface of the frame portion 26.

[0012] The material of the frame portion 26 may be plastic or metal. Since plastic is lightweight, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 100 caused by the weight of the roof carrier 1. Since metal is excellent in strength, damage to the frame portion 26 is likely to be suppressed.

[0013] The outer shape of the frame portion 26 of this example has a frustum of a pyramid shape with an open top and bottom. More specifically, the frame portion 26 includes an upper portion 26U disposed above the vehicle 100, a lower portion 26D disposed below the vehicle 100, and a peripheral wall portion 26P connecting the upper portion 26U and the lower portion 26D. The shape of the upper portion 26U when viewed from above the vehicle 100 is a rectangular ring shape. The shape of the lower portion 26D when viewed from below the vehicle 100 is a rectangular ring shape larger than the upper portion 26U. Therefore, the peripheral wall portion 26P connecting the upper portion 26U and the lower portion 26D has a shape that inclines toward the center of the rectangular ring shape as it goes from bottom to top.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the frame portion 26 includes a mounting portion 5 for fixing the roof carrier 1 to the vehicle 100. The mounting portion 5 is a small piece that extends generally downward and is attached to, for example, a roof drip rail or a roof drip mold of the vehicle 100 by screws or the like. The roof carrier 1 is firmly fixed to the vehicle 100 by the mounting portion 5, and the roof carrier 1 does not fall off from the vehicle 100.

[0015] The bottom 25 of this example is a member independent of the frame portion 26. The lower surface of the bottom 25 of this example is separated from the upper surface of the roof 110 (FIG. 1). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the load of the luggage or person on the bottom 25 from acting on the roof 110. As shown in Modifications 1 and 2 described later, the bottom 25 may be integrally formed with the frame portion 26. The bottom 25 of this example is a flat plate-like member and is longer than the length of the through hole 26DH of the lower portion 26D in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the bottom 25 is placed on the upper surface of the lower portion 26D and does not fall downward from the through hole 26DH.

[0016] The material of the bottom 25 may be plastic or metal. Since plastic is lightweight, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 100. Since metal is excellent in strength, it is possible to suppress the bottom 25 from deforming and contacting the roof 110.

[0017] The plate-like member constituting the bottom 25 may have a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate-like member. By forming a plurality of through holes in the plate-like member, it is possible to reduce the weight of the plate-like member while ensuring the strength of the plate-like member. In addition, it is possible to suppress rainwater from accumulating in the roof carrier 1 during rainy weather due to the through holes. In addition, the bottom 25 may be, for example, a slatted grid-like member or a net-like member. These members are lightweight and excellent in strength.

[0018] <<Wall portion>> The wall portion 3 is disposed at at least a part of the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 2. In this example, the frame portion 26 of the base portion 2 corresponds to the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 2. The wall portion 3 of this example is composed of a front wall portion 3F, a rear wall portion 3B, a left wall portion 3L, and a right wall portion 3R that are independent of each other. The front wall portion 3F is disposed along the front side portion of the rectangular ring-shaped frame portion 26. The rear wall portion 3B is disposed along the rear side portion of the frame portion 26. The left wall portion 3L and the right wall portion 3R are respectively disposed along the left side portion and the right side portion of the frame portion 26. The heights of the four wall portions 3 of this example as viewed from the base portion 2 are the same, but they may be different. Also, the number of the wall portions 3 is not particularly limited, and it may be one, two, or three. For example, the roof carrier 1 may include at least one of the four wall portions 3.

[0019] The wall portion 3 is composed of a material having a predetermined strength. For example, the material of the wall portion 3 may be plastic or metal. The wall portion 3 is, for example, a flat plate-like member. The plate-like member may have a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate-like member. Alternatively, the wall portion 3 may be a net-like member.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the lower portion of the wall portion 3 is rotatably attached to the base portion 2 by a rotation shaft portion 4. Therefore, the wall portion 3 is configured to be rotatable between an erected position erected so as to extend upward and a fallen position laid down along the base portion 2. In FIG. 3, the wall portion 3 is disposed at the erected position. By disposing the rotation shaft portion 4 in the recess 20, the inner wall surface of the recess 20, in this example, the inner end surface of the upper portion 26U of the frame portion 26 functions as a stopper for stopping the rotation of the wall portion 3. The rotation shaft portion 4 may include a latch mechanism for holding the wall portion 3 at the erected position. Further, the rotation shaft portion 4 may include a latch mechanism for holding the wall portion 3 at the fallen position. The four wall portions 3 laid down at the fallen position may be held in the laid-down state by a band. Alternatively, the roof carrier 1 may include a connection mechanism for connecting adjacent wall portions 3 to each other. The connection mechanism is, for example, a fastener such as a draw latch for connecting adjacent aoris of a light truck.

[0021] In this example, the lower part of each of the four wall parts 3 is rotatably supported on the base part 2 by an independent rotating shaft part 4 disposed in the recess 20. The rotating shaft part 4 of this example is provided on the bottom part 25. The rotating shaft part 4F that rotatably supports the front wall part 3F and the rotating shaft part 4B that rotatably supports the rear wall part 3B extend in the left - right direction of the vehicle 100. The rotating shaft part 4R that rotatably supports the right wall part 3R and the rotating shaft part (not shown in FIG. 3) that rotatably supports the left wall part 3L (FIG. 2) extend in the front - rear direction of the vehicle 100. The rotating shaft part 4R is disposed at a position higher than the rotating shaft parts 4F and 4B.

[0022] When no load or person rides on the roof carrier 1, the four wall parts 3 are rotated from the erected state to the fallen state. As shown in FIG. 4, when the four wall parts 3 are rotated to the fallen position, at least a part of the wall parts 3 is stored in the recess 20. In this example, after the front wall part 3F (FIG. 3) and the rear wall part 3B (FIG. 3) are laid down along the bottom part 25 (FIG. 2) of the base part 2, the left wall part 3L and the right wall part 3R are laid down. As shown in FIG. 3, since the rotating shaft part 4R is disposed at a position higher than the rotating shaft parts 4F and 4B in the recess 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the left wall part 3L and the right wall part 3R are stored in the recess 20 so as to overlap above the front wall part 3F and the rear wall part 3B. The depth of the recess 20 of this example is equal to or greater than the total thickness of the plurality of wall parts 3 that are laid down in the fallen position and overlap in the height direction of the vehicle 100. The total thickness of this example is the sum of the thickness of either the front wall part 3F or the rear wall part 3B laid down in the fallen position and the thickness of either the left wall part 3L or the right wall part 3R laid down in the fallen position. In this case, the entire four wall parts 3 are stored in the recess 20, and when the roof carrier 1 is viewed from the horizontal direction, the wall parts 3 do not protrude from the recess 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the wall parts 3 from degrading the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle 100 during the running of the vehicle 100, and it is possible to suppress the appearance of the vehicle 100 from being deteriorated by the wall parts 3.

[0023] The depth of the recess 20 may be less than the total thickness of the plurality of wall portions 3 that are toppled in the height direction of the vehicle 100 when it is toppled to the toppled position. In that case, when the roof carrier 1 is viewed from the horizontal direction, a part of the four wall portions 3 that are toppled to the toppled position is exposed. Even in that case, the deterioration of the aerodynamic characteristics and the appearance is suppressed more than when the wall portion 3 is fixed to the standing position.

[0024] Here, the height of the wall portion 3 arranged at the standing position is set to a height that fits into the recess 20 when it is toppled to the toppled position. As shown in FIG. 4, the height of the wall portion 3 in this example is less than half of the width of the recess 20 in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100. The wall portion 3 having such a height can be entirely accommodated within the recess 20.

[0025] <Embodiment 2> The wall portion 3 described in Embodiment 1 may be configured to be detachable from the base portion 2. In that case, the base portion 2 is formed with a fitting recess for fitting the lower portion of the wall portion 3. The wall portion 3 removed from the base portion 2 can be stored in the recess 20 in a state of being toppled along the base portion 2.

[0026] <Modification> The base portion 2 having a structure different from that of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIGS. 5 and 6 are both longitudinal sectional views of the base portion 2 of the modification cut along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the wall portion 3 is omitted.

[0027] ≪Modification 1≫ The base portion 2 of Modification 1 shown in FIG. 5 has a hollow structure having a hollow portion 28. Such a base portion 2 can be produced, for example, by blow molding. Since the base portion 2 having a hollow structure has resistance to bending stress, even if a load or a person gets on the recess 20, the base portion 2 is less likely to deform. Therefore, stress is less likely to act on the roof 110 where the roof carrier 1 is arranged.

[0028] The base portion 2 of Modification 2 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with an opening 29 that opens downward. Such a base portion 2 can be produced, for example, by press forming. This base portion 2 is lighter than the base portion 2 of Modification 1 and is likely to suppress deterioration of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 100.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0029] 1 Roof carrier 2 Base portion 20 Concave portion 25 Bottom portion, 26 Frame portion, 28 Hollow portion, 29 Opening 26D Lower portion, 26DH Through hole, 26P Peripheral wall portion, 26U Upper portion 3 Wall portion 3B Rear wall portion, 3F Front wall portion, 3L Left wall portion, 3R Right wall portion 4, 4B, 4F, 4R Rotation shaft portion 5 Mounting portion 100 Vehicle 110 Roof

Claims

[Claim 1] A roof carrier that is attached to an upper portion of a vehicle roof, A pedestal-shaped base portion disposed along an upper surface of the roof; a wall portion disposed on at least a portion of an outer periphery of the base portion and extending upward; a lower portion of the wall portion is rotatably or detachably attached to the base portion, The base portion includes a recess that opens toward an upper portion of the vehicle, The recess has a depth capable of accommodating at least a portion of the wall portion that is turned so as to be tilted along the base portion, or at least a portion of the wall portion that is removed from the base portion and tilted along the base portion. Roof carrier.

Images