WO1997011865A1

WO1997011865A1 - A device for releasable attachment of a load-carrier accessory unit for vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO1997011865A1
Application number: PCT/SE1996/001116
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran Andersson
Original assignee: Mont Blanc Industri Ab
Priority date: 1995-09-25
Filing date: 1996-09-09
Publication date: 1997-04-03
Also published as: AU7101896A; SE504607C2; SE9503302D0; SE9503302L

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for releasable attachment of a load-carrier accessory unit on a vehicle-mounted support structure. The device comprises clamping means (12) and a support element cooperating therewith, said latter element resting on the load-carrier accessory unit for displaceable movement thereon, and the clamping device being a grip member intended to be inserted through openings formed in the load-carrier accessory unit to a position in which it is in gripping engagement with a load-carrying bar. The clamping device is intended to be operated entirely from the upper face of the load-carrier accessory unit without any requirements of accessability from below.

Description

A DEVICE FOR RELEASABLE ATTACHMENT OF A LOAD-CARRIER ACCESSORY UNIT FOR VEHICLES

The present invention relates to a device for re¬ leasable attachment of a load-carrier accessory unit, preferably a luggage box, to a vehicle-mounted support structure, said structure comprising carrier rails which preferably form load-receiving bars extending across the roof of the vehicle. A kind of load-carrier accessory unit that is common in these contexts are luggage boxes. Through-screw joints typically attach such luggage boxes to a support structure which is mounted on the vehicle or arranged to be mounted thereon via some kind of yoke elements which are retained in assembled condition by means of said through-screw joints. Such joints are inconvenient to establish or untighten since they require tools, in addition to which the fastening means must be accessible from the inside as well as from the top.

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages above and to provide a device by means of which the joint between the load-carrier accessory unit and the supporting structure may be established and untightened by simple manual operations while at the same time the box remains securely fastened when the vehicle is in motion.

This object is achieved by means of a device of the kind outlined in the introduction and which device is essentially characterized in that the load-carrier accessory unit is provided with openings in the area of the carrier rails, in that said device comprises on the one hand a clamping means and on the other a support element cooperating with said means, said support element being displaceably supported on the load-carrier accessory unit, e.g. on the bottom face of the box or like article, and in that the clamping means is an essentially U-shaped grip member, the two leg end portions of which are adapted to be slid through said openings in the load-carrier accessory unit into a position in which said grip member encloses said load- receiving bar in grip engagement therewith, its first leg end portion having an abutment adapted, in a first position of displacement of the support element, to cooperate with the top face of the latter in support- engagement with said abutment, and, in a second position of displacement of said support element, to move freely past said support element in the vertical direction of said load-receiving bar, and its second leg end portion having a tightening handle acting on said support element for the purpose of tightening the grip member against the associated carrier rail under mechanical advantage conditions and pressing it against the face of the load carrier accessory unit turned towards said rail. The arrangement allows the load-carrier accessory unit to be fastened to the support structure in a rapid and convenient manner without it being necessary that the bottom face of the load-carrier accessory unit be accessable. The securement proper may be effected by a single manual operation effected from the top face of the load-carrier accessory unit, for instance from the top face of the luggage box bottom.

Preferably, the support element consists of a sheet metal plate having through slits therein for insertion therethrough of the grip member, the delimiting edge of said slits being adapted, in a first position of dis- placement of the support element relatively to the carrier rail and consequently also relatively to the grip member, to allow free passage of the first grip member end portion and, in a second position of displacement, to engage said leg end portion from underneath to thus prevent said end portion from passing through correspond¬ ing openings formed in the support element and in the load-carrier accessory unit. Owing to this arrangment, the grip member is prevented, in a simple and effective manner, from falling through the openings in the load- carrier accessory unit while the tightening is being effected and at the same time these openings are easy to expose when the load-carrier accessory unit is to be dismantled as the engagement means is inserted to the position in which it encloses the associated support rail in a grip engagement position.

Preferably, the abutment-forming first leg end portion of the grip member is bent outwardly in the plane of the U-shaped member in a direction away from the second end leg portion of said member. In this manner it becomes possible to restrict the support element displacement movement to a clearly defined linear move- ment while having a position relatively to the grip member which is clearly visible from the upper face of the point of attachment.

Preferably, the second end leg portion of the grip member supports said tightening handle in a manner allow- ing adjustment of said handle in the longitudinal direction of the associated U-leg, and the tightening handle is formed with an abutment arranged, upon such handle adjustment in the longitudinal direction of the U- leg, to bear against the support element in a position of grip engagement of the grip member with said carrier rail, in addition to which a gear arrangement is provided to press said abutment against the support element under mechanical advantage conditions. Thus, the clamping operation may be effected in two steps, e.g. a first step during which the mutual abutment positions are established, i.e. any play is eliminated without any considerable forces having to be exerted on the details incorporated in the clamping device, and a second step during which considerable force is exerted on the components intended to be clamped together. Owing to this two-step division, the clamping may be effected with exertion of the intended force without any need for the user to possess special skill or strength.

Preferably, the tightening handle is a lever which is provided with an eccenter cam ridge and the hinge portion of which by means of screw threads meshes with screw threads formed on the corresponding grip member leg end portion in such a manner that said adjustment may be achieved by screwing said tightening handle relatively to the threaded leg of the grip member. Furthermore, the lever-forming tightening handle preferably is mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot pin relatively to the grip member, between a release position, in which the tightening handle and the corre¬ sponding leg of said grip member extend essentially in mutual longitudinal relationship, and an active locking position, in which the tightening handle extends along¬ side the support element, i.e. at an angle to the threaded leg of the grip member, the top of the eccenter cam ridge being so located on the tightening handle that during pivotal movement of the tightening handle from the release position to the active locking position it passes a perpendicular through the fulcrum of the tightening handle to the face of the support element cooperating with the eccenter cam ridge, i.e. in the active locking position it assumes an over-center self-restraining position. In this manner bearing down, i.e. elimination of any play between the various components, may be effected with exertion of only moderate pressure, whereupon owing to the pre-defined configuration of the eccenter means a predetermined clamping force may be achieved, independently of which user carries out the clamping operation.

Preferably, the support element is formed with a raised stop which is positioned so as to block the path of the pivotal movement of the tightening until the support element has reached its position of grip engagement from below with said grip member leg end portion, said stop being raised sufficiently to prevent the tightening handle from pivoting to position its cam ridge in the over-center position of the latter in order to prevent partial locking. This efficiently prevents incomplete locking, which could have resulted in disengagement of the joint while the vehicle is in motion.

One embodiment of the invention will be described in closer detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a lateral view illustrating the upper part of a vehicle on which a luggage box is mounted by means of a device in accordance with the invention, parts of the luggage box being broken away to show one of its points of attachment,

Figs. 2-7 is a sequence illustrating the fastening of the luggage box of Fig. 1 on the vehicle by means of a clamping means in accordance with the invention, illustrated in an enlarged sectional view through the clamping means and adjoining parts of the luggage box and the supporting structure, and

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Figs 2-7, illustrating an undesirable incomplete locking position of the clamping means. In Fig. 1, numeral reference 1 designates a vehicle on the roof of which is mounted a support structure 2 which in turn, on transverse carrier rails 3, supports a load-carrier accessory unit, generally designated by 4 and in the present case being a luggage box. The luggage box consists of a lower section 5 and an upper section 6, said sections preferably being pivotally interconnected, either at one of its longitudinal sides or either at its front or rear end. In Figs 1-8 the only part of the support structure 2 that is shown is the load-receiving bar or carrier rail 3 that extends transversally across the vehicle. In the area of the carrier rail 3 openings 7 are formed in the luggage box bottom, said openings being configured as slits extending m the transverse direction of the carrier rail. On the bottom 8 of the load-carrier accessory unit/luggage box rests a support element 9 which is also provided with slit-shaped openings 10, 11 in the area of the carrier rail. Numeral reference 12 designates a clamping means generally, said means consisting of a tightening handle 13 and a grip member 14. The gr p member consists of a round bar which has been bent substantially to a U-shaped member the web portion of which is designated by reference 14a and the two leg portions of which are designated by 14b and 14c, respectively. The outmost end portion 14c' of leg portion 14c is bent outwardly in a direction away from the second leg portion 14b, in the example illustrated essentially at right angles of said second leg portion. Numeral reference 14b' designates the outer end portion of the leg 14b which outer end portion is threaded and in thread engagement with a likewise threaded transverse bore formed in a pivot pin 15 on which the tightening handle 13 is mounted for pivotal movement. The tightening handle 13 comprises a handle portion 13a and fork-shaped parts straddling the threaded portion 14b' of the grip member, and one leg of the fork part is shown in the drawings and is designated therein by 13b. The two leg portions cooperating with the pivot pin are formed with a curved cam face 13b' merging in one direction into a flat edge 13b' ' and m the opposite direction in a flat edge portion 13b' ' ' . A dash-and-dot-lme 16 is drawn through the fulcrum of the pivot pin 15 and the point on the curved cam surface 13b' that is positioned furthest away from the fulcrum. In other words, the curved cam face 13b' forms an eccentric-like portion on the tightening handle 13. Preferably, the pivot pm 15 extends laterally all the way through the tightening handle whereby the pivot pin end faces will be flush with or almost flush with the tightening handle sides. By means of his fingers, the user thus may retain the grip member 14 in the desired position relatively to the tightening handle when it is to be mounted to other structural parts, as will be described in closer detail below. References 9a and 9b designate projecting grip and stop portions on the support element. The projecting portions 9a, 9b may serve as efficient finger grip means to facilitate manual displacement of the support element along the upper face of the luggage box bottom 8.

When the luggage box 5, 6 is to be placed in position on the vehicle 1 it is initially loosely deposited on the carrier rails 3 forming part of the support structure. Said rails may be mounted on the vehicle m a conventional manner which it is not necessary to describe in this connection. Thereafter, the support element 9 is placed on the luggage box bottom 8 in such a manner that the slits 10, 11 formed therein are in registry with the slits 7 in the luggage box, approxi¬ mately in the position indicated in Fig. 2. The grip member 14 is then inserted through the support element slit 11 and the slit 7 in the luggage box bottom, to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, whereupon the support element is pushed to the right as indicated by arrow 17, to the position illustrated in Fig. 3. By exerting a retaining force on the pivot pin 15 by means of his fingers the user may now turn the grip member 14 upwards in such a manner that the end portion 14c' thereof is passed through the bottom slit 7 and the slit 10 in the support element, to the position illustrated in Fig. 4. The support element is then pushed to the position of Fig. 5, m the direction of arrow 18, resulting in the support element establishing grip engagement with the grip member end portion 14c' , said end portion thus being prevented from falling out again. In th s position, the flat end face 13b' ' of the tightening rests against the support element. The tightening handle is then pivoted to the position illustrated in Fig. 6 in which its end edge rests on the support element and the tightening handle extends essentially in the same direction as the grip member leg portion 14b. By turning the tightening handle as indicated by arrow 19 the grip member may be made to bear against the carrier rail 3 in such a manner that any play is eliminated. Because a chisel-like turning movement is involved here, the force exerted on the grip member is not very large. The tightening handle 13 is then pivoted to the position illustrated in Fig. 7 in which the projecting portion 9a of the support element allows complete pivotal movement downwards of the tightening handle. In this position the highest point on the tightening handle cam face 13b' has past an imaginary line which essentially passes through the pivot pin fulcrum at right angles to the support element and the luggage box bottom 8, essentially corresponding to the direction of the grip member leg portion 14b. In this situation, the resulting clamping effect has been achieved by means of a force which may be determined in advance by a suitable choice of the configuration of the eccenter curve 13b' . Thus, the adjustability of the tightening force is a feature built in already during the manufacture and no specific requirements on either the strength or the skill of the user are needed. Should the tightening handle be pivoted downwards without previous displacement of the support element to a position in which it efficiently engages the leg end portion 14c from below, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the stop portion 9a will prevent complete pivotal movement downwards of the tightening handle, which means that the highest point on the cam curve will not have passed said line extending through the axis of the pivot 13 at right angles to the support element and the bottom 8. Thus, no self-restrain¬ ing effect of the support element is achieved, and the tightening handle 13 will rebound, which is a clear indication of the tightening operation being deficient and having to be re-done. The eccentric effect makes it possible to produce a very high tightening force, also when the tightening force applied on the tightening handle is weak.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings only by way of example but could be varied as to its details within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the basic concept of the invention. In accordance with the embodiment shown the carrier rail 3 extends transversally across the vehicle and rests on supports positioned at the edge of the vehicle roof. Obviously, the invention is equally applicable when the carrier rails form part of other types of carrier structures. The carrier rail may extend in a different direction across the vehicle. For instance, the carrier rail may be part of a rail structure extending in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle. The carrier rail could also be supported elsewhere on the vehicle than on the roof thereof, for instance on the flanks or rear part of the vehicle. Obviously, the carrier rail could be positioned on another vehicle than a car, for instance on a trailer coupled to a car. In the the drawing figures, the load- carrier accessory unit has been shown in the form of a luggage box but other types of load-carriers obviously are possible within the scope of the invention, for instance a flat board on which is intended to be carried by the vehicle. The clamped part 8 likewise could be some type of beam that is part of the load-carrier accessory unit. Above, the support element has been described as a sliding member displaceable in the transverse direction of the carrier rail 3 but other movements of the support element may serve the same purpose, the support element may for instance be displaceable along the carrier rail or even be arranged for turning movement relatively to the latter along the plane of the element 8. The grip member may be configured differently. For instance, it could have a different cross-sectional configuration than the circular shape of a rod. The end portion 14c' could for instance have a larger lateral extension than the rest of the grip member. The tightening handle of the clamping means could be configured differently than the lever-shape shown. The tightening handle could, for instance, be in the shape of a hand wheel or the like designed for rapid pressure-exertion followed by a high mechanical advantage tightening force.

Claims

1. A device for releasable attachment of a load- carrier accessory unit (5, 6) , preferably a luggage box, to a vehicle-mounted support structure (2), said structure comprising carrier rails (3) which preferably form load-receiving bars extending across the roof of the vehicle (1), c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the load- carrier accessory unit is provided with openings (7) in the area of the carrier rail, in that said device comprises on the one hand a clamping means (12) and on the other a support element (9) cooperating with said means, said support element being displaceably supported on the load-carrier accessory unit, e.g. on the bottom face (8) of the luggage box or like article, and in that the clamping means is an essentially U-shaped grip member - (14) adapted to be slid through said openings (7) in the load-carrier accessory unit into a position in which said grip member encloses said load-receiving bar (3) in grip engagement therewith, a first leg end portion (14c') of said grip member having an abutment adapted, in one position of displacement of the support element (9), to cooperate with the top face of the latter in support- engagement therewith, and in a second position of displacement of said support element, to move freely past said support element in the vertical direction of said load-receiving bar, and a second leg end portion (14b' ) of said grip member having a tightening handle (13) acting on said support element for the purpose of tightening said grip member against the associated carrier rail under mechanical advantage conditions and pressing it against the face of the load-carrier accessory unit that is turned towards said rail.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that the support element (9) consists of a sheet metal plate having through slits (10, 11) therein for insertion therethrough of the grip member, the delimiting edges of said slits adapted, in first position of displacement of the support element relatively to the carrier rail and consequently also relatively to the grip member, to allow free passage of the first grip member leg end portion (14c' ) and, in a second position of dis¬ placement, to engage said leg end portion from underneath to thus prevent said end portion from passing through the corresponding openings (10, 7) formed in the support element and in the load-carrier accessory unit.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 and 2, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i s e d in that the abutment-forming first end leg portion (14c') of the grip member (14) is bent out¬ wardly in the plane of the U-shaped member in a direction away from the second leg end portion (14b' ) of said member (14) .

4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the second leg end portion (14b') of the grip member (14) supports said tightening handle (13) in a manner allowing adjustment of said handle in the direction of the associated U-leg

(14b), and in that the tightening handle is formed with an abutment (13b) arranged, upon said handle adjustment in the longitudinal direction of the U-leg (14b), to bear against the support element in a position of grip engage- ment of the grip member with said carrier rail, in addition to which a gear arrangement is provided to press said abutment against the support element under mechanical advantage conditions.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the tightening handle (13) is a lever which is provided with an eccenter cam ridge and the hinge portion (15) of which by means of screw threads meshes with screw threads formed on the corresponding grip member leg end portion (14b') in such a manner that said handle adjustment may be achieved by screwing said tightening handle relatively to the threaded leg of the grip member.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that the lever-forming tightening handle (13) is mounted about a pivot pin (15) for pivotal movement relatively to the grip member (14), between a release position in which the tightening handle and the corresponding leg of said grip member extend essentially in mutual longitudinal relationship, and an active locking position, in which the tightening handle extends alongside support element, i.e. at an angle to the threaded leg of the grip member, the top of the eccenter cam ridge being so located on the tightening handle that during pivotal movement of the tightening handle from the release position to the active locking position it passes a perpendicular through the fulcrum of the tightening handle to the face of the support element cooperating with the eccenter cam ridge, i.e. in the active locking - position it assumes and over-center self-restraining position.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the support element (9) is formed with a raised stop (9a) which is positioned so as to be situated in the pivotal trajectory of the tightening handle until the support element (9) has been moved to its position in grip engagement from below with said first leg end portion, said stop being raised sufficiently to prevent the tightening handle from pivoting to position its cam ridge in the over-center position of the latter, in order to prevent incomplete locking.

8. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the grip member (14) consists of a bent round bar.