Roof rack

Abstract

To provide a roof rack capable of more appropriately suppressing air resistance.SOLUTION: A roof rack 10 includes a rack body 12, and a wind breaking member 20 provided in a front end of the rack body 12. The wind breaking member 20 can be switched between an upright posture of blocking wind toward the rack body 12 and a lying posture of lying so as to approaches a horizontal state than the upright posture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a roof rack attached to the roof of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to load luggage on the roof of a vehicle, it has been proposed to attach a roof rack to the roof of the vehicle. In order to prevent wind and foreign objects from hitting the loaded luggage, usually, a wind blocking member that blocks the wind heading towards the roof rack is provided at the front end of the roof rack.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] While such a wind blocking member has the advantage of protecting the loaded luggage, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, it causes an increase in air resistance. Here, in many cases, the roof rack remains attached to the vehicle without being removed even when no luggage is loaded. Also, in the case of a conventional roof rack, the posture of this wind blocking member was unchanged. Therefore, when the vehicle travels at high speed without loading luggage, there is a problem that the air resistance increases unnecessarily due to the wind blocking member.

[0005] Note that Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle in which a front roof spoiler is arranged in front of a connecting bar constituting a roof rack. However, the front roof spoiler in Patent Document 1 is only used to house the connecting bar. Therefore, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, air resistance cannot be sufficiently suppressed.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a roof rack that can more effectively suppress air resistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The roof rack disclosed herein is a roof rack comprising a rack body and a windbreak member provided at the front end of the rack body, wherein the windbreak member is switchable between an upright position that blocks wind directed toward the rack body and a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than the upright position.

[0008] As described above, the roof rack allows the windbreak components to change their orientation, thus more effectively reducing air resistance depending on the situation.

[0009] In this case, the roof rack further includes an elastic member that biases the windbreak member in the direction of the upright position, and the windbreak member may maintain the upright position by receiving the biasing force from the elastic member when the vehicle is stopped.

[0010] By allowing the windbreak components to maintain an upright position when the vehicle is stopped, the aesthetic design of the vehicle is improved when it is stationary.

[0011] The roof rack may also further include: a pressure-receiving member provided at the bottom of the rack body, which descends when luggage is placed on the rack body to receive the weight of the luggage; a support member that can be switched between a support position that presses the windbreak member in the direction of the upright position and a retracted position that is separated from the windbreak member; and a transmission mechanism that transmits the downward movement of the pressure-receiving member to the support member, and the transmission mechanism that changes the support member from the retracted position to the support position as the pressure-receiving member descends.

[0012] With this configuration, when cargo is placed on the rack, the windbreak members remain in an upright position. As a result, the adhesion of foreign objects to the cargo and the increase in air resistance are prevented.

[0013] Further, the windproof member may swing about an axis extending in the vehicle width direction near the lower end of the windproof member, so as to switch between the upright posture and the fallen posture.

[0014] With such a configuration, the wind hitting the roof is suppressed, and the air resistance is further reduced.

[0015] Further, the upper edge of the windproof member may be wavy with continuous concavities and convexities in the vehicle width direction.

[0016] With such a configuration, the wind noise is reduced.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the roof rack disclosed in this specification, since the posture of the windproof member changes, the air resistance is more appropriately suppressed according to the situation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a schematic perspective view of a roof rack. [Figure 2] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the roof rack when the windproof member is in the upright posture. [Figure 3] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the roof rack when the windproof member is in the fallen posture. [Figure 4] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the roof rack when luggage is placed on the bottom plate. [Figure 5] It is a view showing another example of the windproof member. [Figure 6] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example of the roof rack.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, the structure of the roof rack 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the roof rack 10. This roof rack 10 is a rack attached to the outer surface of the roof of a vehicle. The roof rack 10 includes a rack body 12, a windproof member 20, and a bottom plate 32. The rack body 12 is a container for receiving luggage 100. In this example, the rack body 12 is a cage-shaped member composed of a combination of a plurality of wires 14. More specifically, at the front end of the rack body 12, a front upper wire 14a and a front lower wire 14b are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Also, at the rear end of the rack body 12, a rear upper wire 14c and a rear lower wire 14d are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. These four wires 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d all extend in the vehicle width direction. Also, side wires 14g are arranged at both ends of the rack body 12 in the vehicle width direction. Between the two side wires 14g, a plurality of horizontal wires 14e are spanned. Further, a vertical wire 14f is spanned between the plurality of horizontal wires 14e.

[0020] Here, the front end face of the rack body 12 is composed of a front upper wire 14a, a front lower wire 14b, and two side wires 14g. In this example, the front upper wire 14a is located behind the vehicle relative to the front lower wire 14b. Therefore, the front end face of the rack body 12 is inclined downward at the front.

[0021] The windproof member 20 is a plate-shaped member arranged at the front end of the rack body 12. The windproof member 20 has a size that covers all or most of the front end face of the rack body 12. In this example, the windproof member 20 can be switched between a standing posture and a fallen posture. The windproof member 20 in the standing posture stands upright from the bottom surface of the rack body 12 so as to block the wind toward the rack body 12. Also, the windproof member 20 in the fallen posture is tilted so as to be closer to the horizontal than the standing posture. The change in the posture of the windproof member 20 will be described in detail later.

[0022] The bottom plate 32 is a plate placed on the bottom surface of the rack body 12. The luggage is placed on this bottom plate 32. Therefore, the bottom plate 32 functions as a pressure-receiving member 30 that bears the weight of the luggage. The bottom plate 32 lowers when it receives the weight of the luggage, which will also be described later.

[0023] As mentioned above, the roof rack 10 is attached to the outer surface of the vehicle's roof. Therefore, when the vehicle is in motion, the luggage placed on the roof rack 10 will naturally be exposed to the wind. When the wind blows directly on the luggage, air resistance increases. In addition, foreign objects (such as dirt or insects) may adhere to the luggage along with the wind.

[0024] On the other hand, when the windbreak member 20 is in place, wind and foreign objects directed towards the cargo are blocked. Naturally, if the wind hits the windbreak member 20 while driving, the air resistance will increase accordingly. However, the air resistance generated when the wind hits the windbreak member 20, which has few irregularities, is smaller than the air resistance generated when the wind hits the cargo, which has many irregularities, directly.

[0025] Thus, the windbreak member 20 is provided to prevent an increase in air resistance and to protect luggage from foreign objects. However, naturally, there may be cases where there is no luggage on the roof rack 10. Users often leave the roof rack 10 attached to the vehicle even when there is no luggage to store on the roof. In this case, the presence of the windbreak member 20 unnecessarily increases air resistance compared to when the windbreak member 20 is not present. Therefore, in this example, the windbreak member 20 of the roof rack 10 is made swingable in order to prevent an increase in air resistance. This will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0026] Figures 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional views of the roof rack 10. In Figure 2, the windbreak member 20 is in an upright position, and in Figure 3, the windbreak member 20 is in a reclined position. As shown in Figure 2, in the upright position, the windbreak member 20 is positioned just behind the front end surface of the rack body 12. That is, the windbreak member 20 is positioned behind the front upper wire 14a and the front lower wire 14b. A first rotation axis 22 extending in the vehicle width direction is set at the lower end of the windbreak member 20. The windbreak member 20 is connected to the rack body 12 in a state that it can rotate around this first rotation axis 22.

[0027] Furthermore, the windbreak member 20 is biased by the first elastic body 24 in the direction of upright posture. In Figures 2 and 3, the arrows indicate the biasing directions of the first elastic body 24 and the second elastic body 38, which will be described later. In the example in Figure 2, the first elastic body 24 is, for example, a compression coil spring having a first end connected to the windbreak member 20 and a second end connected to the bottom surface of the rack body 12. The force with which the first elastic body 24 biases the windbreak member 20 is greater than the weight of the windbreak member 20, but less than the wind pressure that the windbreak member 20 experiences when the vehicle is traveling at high speed.

[0028] Therefore, when the vehicle is not moving, the windbreak member 20 maintains an upright position due to the biasing force of the first elastic body 24. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, the windbreak member 20 is subjected to wind pressure and swings around the first rotation axis 22. As a result, the windbreak member 20 changes to a tilted position, as shown in Figure 3, where it is closer to horizontal than the upright position. When in the tilted position, the airflow is not obstructed by the windbreak member 20 and flows smoothly to the rear of the vehicle. This reduces air resistance and improves the vehicle's fuel efficiency.

[0029] As is clear from the above explanation, in this example, the windbreak member 20 stands upright when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at low speed, improving the appearance of the roof rack 10. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, the windbreak member 20 tilts over, preventing an increase in air resistance. Also, as is clear from the above explanation, in this example, the first rotation axis 22 is set at the lower end of the windbreak member 20. With this configuration, the windbreak member 20 is in a downward-sloping position from the upright position to the tilted position. As a result, the wind hitting the windbreak member 20 is directed to the upper side of the vehicle. Consequently, the amount of wind hitting the upper surface of the roof can be reduced, further reducing air resistance.

[0030] By the way, when luggage is placed on the roof rack 10, the windbreak member 20 needs to maintain an upright position in order to protect the luggage. Therefore, in this example, a support member 40 is provided to keep the windbreak member 20 in an upright position when luggage 100 is placed on it. This support member 40 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 4.

[0031] The support member 40 is, for example, a substantially seesaw-shaped member that swings around a second rotation axis 48 extending in the vehicle width direction. In this example, the support member 40 is a substantially L-shaped member with a cross-section that is bent near the second rotation axis 48. Hereinafter, the part of the support member 40 in front of the second rotation axis 48 will be called the "support part 40a," and the part behind the second rotation axis 48 will be called the "transmission part 40b." The support member 40 switches between a support position and a retracted position by swinging around the second rotation axis 48 while moving straight in the front-rear direction. In the support position, as shown in Figure 4, the support member 40 presses the windbreak member 20 from behind, keeping the windbreak member 20 in an upright position. In the retracted position, as shown in Figure 2, the support member 40 is separated from the windbreak member 20.

[0032] The roof rack 10 is further provided with a transmission mechanism 42 that transmits the movement of the bottom plate 32 to the support member 40. The transmission mechanism 42 changes the support member 40 from a retracted position to a supported position as the bottom plate 32 descends. The configuration of this transmission mechanism 42 is not particularly limited, but in this example, the transmission mechanism 42 has a link mechanism and a second elastic body 38.

[0033] To explain in more detail, the bottom plate 32 is connected to the bottom of the rack body 12 via a connecting link 33. That is, one end of the connecting link 33 is connected to the bottom plate 32, and the other end of the connecting link 33 is connected to the bottom of the rack body 12. The connecting link 33 is swingable, but its length is constant. Therefore, when the bottom plate 32 receives a downward force from the load 100, the bottom plate 32 will descend and move forward of the vehicle.

[0034] Furthermore, the bottom plate 32 is biased by the second elastic body 38 in a direction that causes it to float away from the bottom of the rack body 12. When the load 100 is removed from the bottom plate 32, as shown in Figure 2, the bottom plate 32 floats away from the bottom of the rack body 12 due to the biasing force of the second elastic body 38. The second elastic body 38 is, for example, a tension coil spring. In this case, the first end of the tension coil spring is connected to the bottom plate 32, and the second end of the tension coil spring is connected to the bottom of the rack body 12.

[0035] The transmission section 40b of the support member 40 is connected to the bottom plate 32. A portion of the support member 40 is also connected to the movable shaft 46. The movable shaft 46 is a shaft member arranged coaxially with the second rotation axis 48. A guide member 43 is fixed to the rack body 12, which guides the movement of the movable shaft 46 and, consequently, the support member 40. The guide member 43 has an elongated guide hole 44 formed in the front-rear direction. The movable shaft 46 is inserted through this guide hole 44 and moves straight along the guide hole 44.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, when luggage 100 is placed on the bottom plate 32, the bottom plate 32 moves downward and forward against the biasing force of the second elastic body 38. As the bottom plate 32 moves forward, the position and orientation of the support member 40 connected to the bottom plate 32 change. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the support member 40 swings so that the support portion 40a stands up and moves forward. As a result, the support portion 40a of the support member 40 presses against the windbreak member 20 to prevent it from tipping over. Consequently, even when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, the windbreak member 20 is prevented from tipping over. This prevents the wind from directly hitting the luggage 100, thus preventing an increase in air resistance. Furthermore, because the wind does not directly hit the luggage 100, the adhesion of foreign matter to the luggage can be effectively prevented.

[0037] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, when the cargo 100 is removed from the bottom plate 32, the bottom plate 32 floats up under the biasing force of the second elastic body 38 and moves to the rear of the vehicle. In conjunction with this floating and moving backward of the bottom plate 32, the support member 40 connected to the bottom plate 32 moves to the rear and swings so that the support portion 40a tilts horizontally. As a result, the support member 40 takes a retracted position, separated from the windbreak member 20. Therefore, when the cargo 100 is not placed on the bottom plate 32, the windbreak member 20 is subjected to a large wind pressure and changes to an overturned position. And when the windbreak member 20 changes to an overturned position, the air resistance at high speeds is reduced.

[0038] In this way, by providing a support member 40 that supports the windbreak member 20, a bottom plate 32 that lowers under the weight of the cargo, and a transmission mechanism 42 that transmits the movement of the bottom plate 32 to the support member 40, the posture of the windbreak member 20 can be changed according to the presence or absence of cargo 100 and the vehicle's speed. As a result, the vehicle's fuel efficiency can be further improved while properly protecting the cargo.

[0039] Note that the configuration described above is just one example. As long as the roof rack 10 has the configuration of claim 1, other configurations may be changed. For example, in Figures 1 to 4, the windbreak member 20 is shown as a rectangle, but the shape of the windbreak member 20 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the upper edge of the windbreak member 20 may be wavy with continuous bumps in the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figure 5. This configuration reduces wind noise. That is, consider the case where the upper edge of the windbreak member 20 is a straight line parallel to the front upper wire 14a. In this case, as the windbreak member 20 tilts, a long, narrow gap is formed between the upper edge of the windbreak member 20 and the front upper wire 14a in the vehicle width direction. Wind noise is likely to occur when the airflow passes through this long, narrow gap. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, when the upper edge of the windbreak member 20 is wavy, a long, narrow gap is not formed, so wind noise is less likely to occur.

[0040] Furthermore, in the explanation so far, both the first elastic body 24 and the second elastic body 38 have been described as coil springs. However, the elastic bodies 24 and 38 may be other than coil springs, as long as they can exert an appropriate biasing force. For example, the elastic bodies 24 and 38 may be torsion springs or dampers. The configuration of the transmission mechanism 42 may also be changed as appropriate. For example, the above-described transmission mechanism 42 may have other mechanical elements in place of, or in addition to, the connecting link 33 and the second elastic body 38. For example, the transmission mechanism 42 may have gears, cams, cranks, etc.

[0041] Furthermore, if the roof rack 10 has a windbreak member 20 that can be changed between an upright position and a tilted position, other elements may be omitted. For example, in Figures 2 to 4, a first elastic body 24 is provided to bias the windbreak member 20, but the first elastic body 24 may be omitted. In this case, unless luggage 100 is placed on the bottom plate 32, the windbreak member 20 will be subjected to gravity and will assume a tilted position. On the other hand, when luggage 100 is placed on the bottom plate 32, the windbreak member 20 is pushed up by the support member 40 and changes to an upright position. This allows the luggage 100 to be properly protected from foreign objects. Alternatively, the first elastic body 24 may be provided while the support member 40 is omitted.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above description, the first rotation axis 22 is set at the lower end of the windbreak member 20. However, the first rotation axis 22 may be set at another location. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the first rotation axis 22 may be set at the upper end of the windbreak member 20. Moreover, the pressure receiving member 30 that receives the weight of the load 100 is not limited to a plate-shaped member, but may be a member of other shapes, such as a rod-shaped member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Roof rack, 12 Rack body, 14 Wire, 20 Windbreak member, 22 First rotating shaft, 24 First elastic body, 30 Pressure receiving member, 32 Bottom plate, 33 Connecting link, 38 Second elastic body, 40 Support member, 42 Transmission mechanism, 43 Guide member, 44 Guide hole, 46 Moving shaft, 48 Second rotating shaft, 100 Luggage.

Claims

1. A roof rack, The rack unit and A windbreak member provided at the front end of the rack body, Equipped with, The windbreak member can be switched between an upright position that blocks wind directed toward the rack body and a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than the upright position. moreover, The windbreak member has an elastic member that biases it in the direction of the upright position, When the vehicle is stopped, the windbreak member maintains the upright position by receiving a biasing force from the elastic member. A roof rack characterized by the following features.

2. A roof rack, The rack unit and A windbreak member provided at the front end of the rack body, Equipped with, The windbreak member can be switched between an upright position that blocks wind directed toward the rack body and a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than the upright position. A pressure-receiving member is provided at the bottom of the rack body and, when a load is placed on the rack body, it lowers to receive the weight of the load, A support member that can switch between a support position in which the windbreak member is pressed in the direction of the upright position and a retracted position separated from the windbreak member, A transmission mechanism for transmitting the downward movement of the pressure-receiving member to the support member, comprising a transmission mechanism that changes the support member from the retracted position to the supported position as the pressure-receiving member descends, A roof rack characterized by having the following features.

3. A roof rack according to claim 1, The roof rack is characterized in that the windbreak member swings around an axis extending in the vehicle width direction near the lower end of the windbreak member, thereby switching between the upright position and the tilted position.

4. A roof rack, The rack unit and A windbreak member provided at the front end of the rack body, Equipped with, The windbreak member can be switched between an upright position that blocks wind directed toward the rack body and a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than the upright position. The roof rack is characterized in that the upper edge of the windbreak member has a wavy shape with continuous irregularities in the vehicle width direction.

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