Modular canopy assembly system

Abstract

A modular canopy system is provided. The modular canopy system may include a roof panel assembly, a rear panel assembly, and two side panel assemblies. The two side panel assemblies may be configured to be detachably fixed to a vehicle. The rear panel assembly may be configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies. The roof panel assembly may be configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly to form a canopy on a part of the vehicle.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a canopy assembly system, more specifically, a modular canopy assembly system. Background Technology

[0002] A canopy is a large piece of material that covers the rear of a vehicle. Canopies are available with or without a separate front section and often cover the vehicle's storage compartments.

[0003] There is a market for SUVs with a rugged exterior. Part of this appeal stems from the inclusion of a removable hard-top rear canopy / roof panel. These removable panels allow for an "open-air" driving experience. However, these panels are bulky and difficult to assemble and remove from the vehicle, often detracting from user satisfaction. Competitor rugged SUVs utilize aftermarket solutions for the specialized storage of the rear canopy / roof panel. However, this requires purchasing specialized racks and shelves to properly store the hard-top canopy. Consequently, customers are left with insufficient storage space when both the canopy and the racks used to secure it are stored. Without specialized equipment, the process of removing and reattaching the canopy is not simple for customers, and without auxiliary tools, removing and assembling the rear canopy can sometimes require the work of two people.

[0004] For at least these reasons, a canopy assembly and storage solution that allows for easy assembly and accessible storage is required. means of solving the problem

[0005] According to the purpose of the present disclosure, a modular canopy system is provided. The modular canopy system may include a roof panel assembly, a rear panel assembly, and two side panel assemblies. The two side panel assemblies may be configured to be detachably fixed to a vehicle. The rear panel assembly may be configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies. The roof panel assembly may be configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly to form a canopy on a part of the vehicle.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system may include a magnetic locking system. The roof panel assembly may be configured to be detachably secured to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly through the magnetic locking system.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, the magnetic locking system may include one or more magnetic placement mechanisms; and one or more mounting plates.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more magnetic placement mechanisms may include one or more magnets.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more magnets may be attracted to the one or more mounting plates.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, the rear panel assembly may include one or more protruding studs.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the two side panel assemblies may include one or more holes configured to allow one or more protruding studs to protrude through the elements, as elements that accommodate one or more protruding studs when the rear panel assembly is detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system may include one or more handles, and each handle may be configured to be connected to a stud protruding through the hole to secure the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment, the roof panel assembly may include one or more latching handles configured to secure the roof panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, the roof panel assembly may include one or more guide pins that support placing the roof panel assembly over the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system may include a vehicle.

[0016] According to the purpose of the present disclosure, a method for assembling a modular canopy system is provided. The method may include the steps of installing two side panel assemblies along a vehicle, detachably securing a rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies, and detachably securing a roof panel assembly to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies to form a canopy over a part of the vehicle.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, the step of installing the two side panel assemblies may include aligning each side panel assembly with a receiving structure of a vehicle using a bracket and one or more placement pins.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment, the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies may include the step of inserting one or more studs of the rear panel assembly through one or more holes of the two side panel assemblies.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies may include the step of fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies by connecting a handle to each stud protruding from each hole.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment, the step of detachably securing the roof panel assembly to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies may include the step of rotating one or more latching handles of the roof panel assembly.

[0021] According to an exemplary embodiment, the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies may include the step of interconnecting a magnetic locking system coupled to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment, the magnetic locking system may include one or more magnetic placement mechanisms; and one or more mounting plates.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more magnetic placement mechanisms may include one or more magnets.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more magnets may be attracted to the one or more mounting plates. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0025] The attached drawings are incorporated into and constitute part of this Detailed Description. They serve to illustrate various non-limiting and non-exclusive embodiments of the subject matter and to explain the principles of the subject matter discussed below in conjunction with this Detailed Description. Unless specifically noted otherwise, it should be understood that the drawings referred to in this Brief Description are not in proportion, and that the same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various drawings unless otherwise specified. FIG. 1 shows a partially exploded perspective view of a vehicle including a modular canopy system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a partially exploded perspective view of a vehicle including a modular canopy system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a rear panel assembly of a modular canopy system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of a vehicle including a side panel assembly of a modular canopy system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for assembling a modular canopy system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates a side panel assembly disposed on a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 7a-7c illustrates a rear panel assembly installed on a side panel assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 8a-8c illustrate a roof panel assembly installed on a rear panel assembly and a side panel assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0026] The following detailed description is provided merely as an example and is not restrictive. Furthermore, there is no intention to bind you to any explicit or implicit theories presented in the background of the introduction or in the following detailed description.

[0027] We will now refer in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the subject matter, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While various embodiments are discussed herein, it will be understood that this is not intended to limit the subject matter. Rather, the presented embodiments are intended to include alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments defined in the appended claims. Additionally, many specific details are mentioned in this detailed description to provide a complete understanding of the embodiments of the subject matter. However, the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, widely known methods, procedures, components, and circuits are not described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the various aspects of the described embodiments.

[0028] Some parts of the following detailed description are presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data within electrical devices. These descriptions and representations are means used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In this application, procedures, logic blocks, processes, etc., are considered as one or more self-consistent procedures or instructions leading to a desired result. A procedure is a procedure that requires the physical manipulation of a physical quantity. Generally, but not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in electronic systems, devices, and / or components.

[0029] However, it should be kept in mind that these terms and similar terms must be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to such quantities. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the following discussion, throughout the description of the embodiments, any discussion utilizing terms such as "determining," "transmitting," "taking," "comparing," "monitoring," "correcting," "estimating," "initiating," "providing," "receiving," "controlling," "transmitting," "separating," "generating," "aligning," "synchronizing," "identifying," "maintaining," "indicating," "converting," etc., refers to the operation and process of electronic articles such as processors, sensor processing units (SPUs), processors of sensor processing units, application processors of electronic devices / systems, etc., or combinations thereof. This article manipulates data represented as physical (electronic and / or magnetic) quantities within registers and memory and converts it into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within memory or registers or other components for storing, transmitting, processing, or displaying such information.

[0030] As used herein, the terms “vehicle,” “of a vehicle,” or other similar terms generally include automobiles such as passenger cars, including sports utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, vessels including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and are understood to include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As mentioned herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as, for example, a gasoline-powered and an electric-powered vehicle. In various embodiments, a vehicle may include an internal combustion engine system as disclosed herein.

[0031] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the content of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated in the context, singular expressions used herein are intended to include plural forms. These terms are intended merely to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the characteristics, sequence, or order of the components. It will be further understood that the terms “include” and / or “include” used herein specify the presence of the mentioned features, integers, steps, actions, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The term “and / or” used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. Throughout this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the word “include” and variations such as “include” or “include” are understood to mean that the specified elements are included but other elements are not excluded. Additionally, the terms “unit,” “-gi,” “-ja,” and “module” as described in this specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function and operation, and may be implemented as a hardware component or a software component and a combination thereof.

[0032] Unless specifically stated or evident in the context, the term “about” as used herein is understood to be within the customary tolerance range in the art, for example, within 2 standard deviations of the mean. “About” may be understood to be within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise evident in the context, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified to the term “about.”

[0033] The embodiments described herein may be discussed in the general context of processor execution instructions present on some form of non-transient processor-readable medium, such as program modules executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment, a modular canopy assembly system is provided.

[0035] Now, referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view (Fig. 1) of a vehicle (100) including a modular canopy system (102) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a perspective view (Fig. 2) of a roof panel assembly (104), a perspective view (Fig. 3) of a rear panel assembly (106), and a perspective view (Fig. 4) of a side panel assembly (108) are illustrated exemplarily. The vehicle (100) may include a sports utility vehicle (SUV) or other suitable vehicle type.

[0036] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may include a roof panel assembly (104), a rear panel assembly (106), and one or more side panel assemblies (108). According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may include four individual panels (roof panel assembly (104), rear panel assembly (106), and two side panel assemblies (108)). However, it should be noted that the modular canopy system (102) may include more or fewer panels while maintaining the spirit and function of the present disclosure.

[0037] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may be configured so that one panel is assembled to the vehicle (100) at a time. The panels may be lightweight so that one person can assemble and / or disassemble the modular canopy system (102).

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may include an embedded magnetic locking system (110). The embedded magnetic locking system (110) may include one or more magnetic locating mechanisms (112) embedded in the modular canopy system (102) and one or more mounting plates (114) embedded in the modular canopy system (102). Each of the one or more magnetic locating mechanisms (112) may include one or more magnets (116). The mounting plates (114) may include steel, iron, and / or other suitable materials configured to be fixed to one or more magnets (116). According to an exemplary embodiment, one or more magnets (116) are attracted to one or more mounting plates (114). While the user fixes the panel in place without assistance, the magnetic force between one or more magnets (116) on one or more magnetic placement mechanisms (112) and one or more mounting plates (114) can be configured to fix each panel in the appropriate position.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment, each side panel assembly (108) may include one or more loop mounting plates (118) and one or more rear mounting plates (120). According to an exemplary embodiment, each mounting plate (114) may be integrated into the edge of the side panel assembly (108).

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment, each side panel assembly (108) may include a bracket (122) configured to be mounted on a receiving structure (124) of a vehicle (100). According to an exemplary embodiment, the bracket (122) may include one or more placement pins (126) or other suitable mechanisms for properly positioning the side panel assembly (108) on the vehicle (100). According to an exemplary embodiment, the bracket (122) may be positioned at the bottom edge of the side panel assembly (108).

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment, the rear panel assembly (106) may include one or more loop mounting plates (128) and one or more magnetic placement mechanisms (112). One or more loop mounting plates (128) may be located at the upper edge of the rear panel assembly (106). One or more magnetic placement mechanisms (112) may be located on each side of the front (130) of the rear panel assembly (106). According to an exemplary embodiment, each mounting plate (114) may be integrated at the edge of the rear panel assembly (106).

[0042] According to an exemplary embodiment, the roof panel assembly (104) may include a plurality of magnetic placement mechanisms (112) each comprising one or more magnets (116). One or more magnetic placement mechanisms (112) of the roof panel assembly (104) may be positioned along the bottom surface (132) of the roof panel assembly (104). One or more magnets (116) of the plurality of magnetic placement mechanisms (112) of the roof panel assembly (104) are configured to interact with one or more roof mounting plates (118) of the side panel assembly (108) and one or more roof mounting plates (128) of the rear panel assembly (106), so that the roof panel assembly (104) can be secured to the side panel assembly (108) and the rear panel assembly (106) while the user secures the roof panel assembly (104) in place without assistance.

[0043] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may include one or more locking mechanisms (134) configured to secure a panel to another panel. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the roof panel assembly (104) may include one or more latching handles (136). Each of the one or more latching handles (136) may be configured to be secured to one or more receiving areas (138) and to slide within them. The one or more receiving areas (138) may be located along the upper surface of one or more side panel assemblies (108) and / or roof panel assemblies (106).

[0044] Now, referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a method (200) for assembling a modular canopy system (102) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0045] In 202, the user may install a side panel assembly (108) on a vehicle (100), for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Installing the side panel assembly (108) on the vehicle (100) may include aligning each side panel assembly (108) using placement pins (126) and positioning brackets (122) on each receiving structure on the vehicle (100). According to an exemplary embodiment, installing the side panel assembly (108) may include securing each side panel assembly (108) to the vehicle (100). This may be done via screws, bolts, latches and / or other suitable mechanisms.

[0046] In 204, the user may prepare a rear panel assembly (106) and one or more rear handles (140), for example, as illustrated in FIG. 7a. According to an exemplary embodiment, the user may prepare four rear handles (140). However, it should be noted that other quantities of rear handles (140) may be incorporated while maintaining the spirit and function of the present disclosure.

[0047] In 206, the user may position the rear panel assembly (106) against the side panel assemblies (108), for example, as illustrated in FIG. 7b. According to an exemplary embodiment, positioning the rear panel assembly (106) against the side panel assemblies (108) may include positioning one or more self-positioning mechanisms (112) of the rear panel assembly (106) against one or more rear mounting plates (120) of the side panel assemblies (108).

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment, the rear panel assembly (106) may include one or more protruding studs (142), and the side panel assembly (108) may include one or more holes (144) configured to receive one or more studs (142). When the rear panel assembly (106) is placed on the side panel assemblies (108), one or more studs (142) protrude from one or more holes (144), for example, as shown in FIG. 7c. In 208, when one or more studs (142) protrude through one or more holes (144), one or more handles (140) are each fixed to the studs (142) to hold the rear panel assembly (106) in place with respect to the side panel assembly (108) and the vehicle (100), for example, as shown in FIG. 7c.

[0049] In 210, the user can prepare a roof panel assembly (104), for example, as shown in the perspective and bottom views of FIG. 8a. According to an exemplary embodiment, before assembly, one or more latching handles (136) of the roof panel assembly (104) must be in an open position, for example, as shown in FIG. 8a.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment, the roof panel assembly (104) may include one or more guide pins (146) configured to align with one or more holes (148) within one or more side panel assemblies (108) and / or rear panel assemblies (106) when the roof panel assembly (104) is aligned with one or more side panel assemblies (108) and / or rear panel assemblies (106). The one or more guide pins (146) may be configured to support positioning the roof panel assembly (104) over the rear panel assembly (106) and the side panel assembly (108). In 212, the roof panel assembly (104) may be aligned with one or more side panel assemblies (108) and rear panel assemblies (106) using one or more pins (146) and one or more holes (148), for example, as shown in FIG. 8b.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of magnetic placement mechanisms (112) comprising one or more magnets (116) may be configured to interact with one or more loop mounting plates (118) of a side panel assembly (108) and one or more loop mounting plates (128) of a rear panel assembly (106) to secure the roof panel assembly (104) to the side panel assembly (108) and the rear panel assembly (106). In 214, one or more latching handles (136) of the roof panel assembly (104) may be rotated to a locked position within one or more receiving areas (138), for example, as shown in FIG. 8c, to complete the assembly of the modular canopy system (102). According to an exemplary embodiment, one or more latching handles (136) may be configured to pivot 90 degrees to a locked position. However, it should be noted that pivots at other angles may be incorporated while maintaining the spirit and function of the present disclosure.

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment, each panel may be configured to latch onto one or more other panels and / or the vehicle (100) itself.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment, the modular canopy system (102) may be configured to be fixed at the rear of the vehicle (100), the front of the vehicle (100), and / or other suitable locations along the vehicle (100).

[0054] According to an exemplary embodiment, the roof panel assembly (104), the rear panel assembly (106), and the plurality of side panel assemblies (108) may be configured to be detachably fixed to the vehicle (100) and / or to each other.

[0055] The foregoing description includes examples of the present disclosure. Of course, it is impossible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for the purpose of describing the subject matter, but it should be recognized that many additional combinations and permutations of the present disclosure are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to encompass all changes, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0056] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the aforementioned components, devices, systems, etc., the terms used to describe such components (including references to “means”) are intended to correspond, unless otherwise specified, to any component that performs a specific function of the described component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if it is not structurally identical to the disclosed structure performing a function in an exemplary mode of the claimed subject matter.

[0057] The aforementioned systems and components have been described in relation to the interactions between various components. It should be understood that these systems and components may include the aforementioned components or specific sub-components, some of the specific components or sub-components and / or additional components, and may be configured according to various permutations and combinations of the aforementioned. Sub-components may be implemented as components combined to communicate with other components without being included in the parent components (hierarchical). Additionally, it should be noted that one or more components may be combined into a single component providing integrated functions or divided into multiple individual sub-components. All components described herein may also interact with one or more other components not specifically described herein.

[0058] Additionally, while certain features of the present innovation may be disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments that may be desirable and advantageous for a given or specific application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “include,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” variations thereof, and other similar words are used in the detailed description or claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open-ended transitional term, without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0059] Accordingly, the embodiments and examples disclosed herein are disclosed to best describe various selected embodiments of the invention and their specific applications, and are provided to enable those skilled in the art to construct and use embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples are presented for illustrative and illustrative purposes only. The foregoing description is not intended to complete the embodiments of the invention or to limit them to the exact form disclosed.

Claims

Claim 1 A modular canopy system comprising: a roof panel assembly; a rear panel assembly; and two side panel assemblies, wherein the two side panel assemblies are configured to be detachably fixed to a vehicle; the rear panel assembly is configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies; and the roof panel assembly is configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly to form a canopy on a part of a vehicle. Claim 2 A modular canopy system according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic locking system, wherein the loop panel assembly is configured to be detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly through the magnetic locking system. Claim 3 A modular canopy system according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic locking system comprises: one or more magnetic placement mechanisms; and one or more mounting plates. Claim 4 A modular canopy system according to claim 3, wherein the one or more magnetic placement mechanisms comprise one or more magnets. Claim 5 A modular canopy system according to claim 4, wherein one or more magnets are attracted to one or more mounting plates. Claim 6 A modular canopy system according to claim 1, wherein the rear panel assembly comprises one or more protruding studs. Claim 7 A modular canopy system according to claim 6, wherein the two side panel assemblies comprise one or more holes configured to allow one or more protruding studs to protrude through the elements, as elements that accommodate one or more protruding studs when the rear panel assembly is detachably fixed to the two side panel assemblies. Claim 8 A modular canopy system according to claim 6, further comprising one or more handles, each handle configured to be connected to a stud protruding through the hole to secure the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies. Claim 9 A modular canopy system according to claim 1, wherein the roof panel assembly comprises one or more latching handles configured to secure the roof panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly. Claim 10 A modular canopy system according to claim 1, wherein the roof panel assembly comprises one or more guide pins that support placing the roof panel assembly over the two side panel assemblies and the rear panel assembly. Claim 11 A modular canopy system according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle. Claim 12 A method for assembling a modular canopy system comprising: installing two side panel assemblies along a vehicle; detachably fixing a rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies; and detachably fixing a roof panel assembly to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies to form a canopy over a part of the vehicle. Claim 13 The method of claim 12, wherein the step of installing the two side panel assemblies comprises: aligning each side panel assembly with a receiving structure of a vehicle using a bracket and one or more placement pins. Claim 14 The method of claim 12, wherein the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies comprises: inserting one or more studs of the rear panel assembly through one or more holes of the two side panel assemblies. Claim 15 A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies comprises: the step of fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies by connecting a handle to each stud protruding from each hole. Claim 16 A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of detachably fixing the roof panel assembly to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies comprises the step of rotating one or more latching handles of the roof panel assembly. Claim 17 A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of detachably fixing the rear panel assembly to the two side panel assemblies comprises the step of interconnecting a magnetic locking system coupled to the rear panel assembly and the two side panel assemblies. Claim 18 The method of claim 17, wherein the magnetic locking system comprises: one or more magnetic placement mechanisms; and one or more mounting plates. Claim 19 A method according to claim 18, wherein the one or more magnetic placement mechanisms comprise one or more magnets. Claim 20 A method according to claim 19, wherein one or more magnets are attracted to one or more mounting plates.

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