WO2018153537A1

WO2018153537A1 - A vehicle roof rail and a method for manufacturing a roof rail

Info

Publication number: WO2018153537A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/084695
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Roberts
Original assignee: Sapa Components Uk
Priority date: 2017-02-21
Filing date: 2017-12-28
Publication date: 2018-08-30
Also published as: DE112017007096T5

Abstract

A vehicle roof rail (1) comprises a rail member (10; 110) and at least one cap (30; 130), wherein the rail member has a hollow interior (12; 112) and is provided with at least one through hole (13; 113) leading into the hollow interior. The cap (30; 130) is configured to cover said at least one through hole (13; 113) and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the through hole. The rail member (10; 110) is provided with a first set of locking members (14, 15; 114, 115, 116, 117), and the cap is provided with a second set of locking members (34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137). The first set of locking members comprises locking members that are configured to enter into locking engagement with locking members of the second set and thereby prevent relative movement of the cap and the rail member. At least one locking member (14, 15; 114, 115, 116, 117) of the first set of locking members is located inside the hollow interior (12; 112) of the rail member (10; 110), and is configured to enter into engagement with a corresponding locking member (34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137) of the second set of locking members, when a corresponding locking member of the second set of locking members of the cap (30; 130) is inserted into the hollow interior (12; 112) of the rail member (10; 110), and wherein the cap (30; 130) is made in one piece.

Description

A VEHICLE ROOF RAIL AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A ROOF RAIL

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle roof rail comprising a rail member and at least one cap. The rail member has a hollow interior and is provided with a through hole leading into the hollow interior. The cap is configured to cover the through hole. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle roof rail.

Background

In order to be able to attach or mount different types of carrier devices onto the roof of a vehicle, vehicles may be provided with roof rails. The roof rails are attached to the roof of the vehicle and they function as supports for different types of carrier devices. Usually a vehicle is provided with a pair of roof rails, extending in parallel along the vehicle roof.

From CN 203681422U is known a vehicle roof rail comprising an elongated rail member. In order to be able to attach the rail member to a vehicle roof, holes are made in the rail member for the insertion of attachment devices. The hole is then covered by a two-piece cap that is partly made of plastic.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle roof rail that can be manufactured in an economic and efficient way, and have an advantageous exterior.

According to this disclosure is defined a vehicle roof rail comprising a rail member and at least one cap, wherein the rail member has a hollow interior and is provided with at least one through hole leading into the hollow interior, wherein the cap is configured to cover said at least one through hole and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the through hole, wherein the rail member is provided with a first set of locking members, and the cap is provided with a second set of locking members, wherein the first set of locking members comprises locking members that are configured to enter into locking engagement with locking members of the second set and thereby prevent relative movement of the cap and the rail member, wherein at least one locking member of the first set of locking members is located inside the hollow interior of the rail member, and is configured to enter into engagement with a

corresponding locking member of the second set of locking members, when a corresponding locking member of the second set of locking members of the cap is inserted into the hollow interior of the rail member, and wherein the cap is made in one piece.

By this vehicle roof rail is obtained the advantage that by having a cap that is made in one piece, the cap can be made of the same material as the rail member. Thus it will be possible to have a vehicle roof rail where the cap as such is hardly distinguishable from the rail member, which gives an attractive appearance. The rail member can e.g. be made as an extruded hollow profile, of e.g. aluminium or an aluminium alloy, and the cap with its set of locking members can also be made from an extruded profile of the same material. The through hole of the rail member is adapted for the insertion of an attachment device into the hollow interior, and this attachment device is then used for attaching the rail member to the roof of a vehicle. The attachment device penetrates the bottom of the rail member and also the roof of the vehicle and is then secured. Alternatively, the attachment device may be attached and secured to some other device which in turn is secured to the vehicle roof. The attachment device may e.g. be a screw device or a rivet device.

The through holes can be made in the extruded profile by any suitable method, e.g. cut out. Thus, with the defined vehicle roof rail that is suitable for manufacturing by extrusion, the number of through holes can easily be adapted to match the required number of attachment points where the roof rail is attached to the roof. The cap is configured to cover a through hole and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the through hole. Thus the cap can be made to fit into the through hole. The cap can then be mounted in the through hole and it is possible to have a cap that is flush with the surface of the rail member, since the locking members ensure that relative movement of the cap and the rail member is prevented.

When the cap is made from an extruded profile, it may e.g. be stamped out of the extruded profile and if necessary further cut into the shape of the final cap. The shape of the cap and the through hole may be any suitable shape.

The upper side of the cap may preferably have been treated to have the same surface appearance as the rail member.

The cooperating locking members may also be described as achieving an interlocking engagement. They may also be described as having complementary shapes.

In analogy with the above and according to one embodiment, the rail member and the cap are made from the same material. An example of a material is aluminium or an aluminium alloy. This may e.g. be anodized aluminium or an anodized aluminium alloy.

The first set of locking members of the rail member may comprise snap fit locking members and the second set of locking members of the cap may comprise snap fit locking members. Locking members configured for a snap fit function are easy to handle, no additional devices are required and their function can be made very reliable.

The first set of locking members may comprise locking members configured as a protrusion extending from an interior side wall of the rail member and into the hollow interior, and the second set of locking members may comprise locking members configured as a leg extending from a bottom surface of the cap, which bottom surface is configured to face inwards when the cap is mounted in the through hole of the rail member, and said leg being provided with a snap fit portion having a shape that is configured to enter into snap fit engagement with an end of the protrusion.

According to one embodiment, the snap fit portion of the leg may have the shape of a recess that is configured to enter into locking engagement with an end of the protrusion, whereby relative movement of the cap and the rail member is prevented. By having a recess that is configured to enter into locking engagement with an end of the protrusion is obtained the advantage of two complementary shapes that provides an interlocking function. As a result no additional locking members are required, since the cooperation of the recess and the end of the protrusion when they are assembled will prevent relative movement of the cap and the rail member both in the inwards direction, and the outwards direction. I.e. the cap cannot move further into the hollow interior of the rail member.

At least one cap support shelf may be arranged in the vicinity of the through hole. This will provide additional support for the cap when mounted in the through hole. The cap support shelf may be arranged at a location at a distance away from where the locking members of the second set are inserted into rail member.

According to another embodiment, the snap fit portion of the leg may have a shape of a projecting part that is configured to enter into engagement with an end of the protrusion of the rail member, whereby relative movement of the cap and the rail member is prevented in an outward direction of removing the cap from the rail member, and the first set of locking members of the rail member may further comprise at least one locking member configured as a cap support shelf arranged in the vicinity of the through hole, against which the cap is configured to abut when inserted into the through hole, whereby relative movement of the cap and the rail member is prevented in an inward direction of inserting the cap further into the hollow interior of the rail member.

The rail member may comprise at least two through holes and the roof rail may further comprise a number of caps that corresponds to the number of through holes.

The upper side of the cap may preferably be flush or close to flush with the upper side of the rail member, when they are assembled. The upper side of the cap may preferably also have been treated to have the same surface appearance as the rail member.

The locking members may generally comprise at least two locking members.

According to another aspect is defined a method for manufacturing a vehicle roof rail as defined above, comprising manufacturing the rail member from an extruded profile and making the at least one through hole in the extruded profile, and comprising manufacturing the cap from an extruded profile. The cap may e.g. be stamped out from the profile. The

advantages of this have already been described above. Further features and advantages of the invention will also become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail, with reference being made to the enclosed schematic drawings illustrating different aspects and embodiments of the invention, given as examples only, and in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle roof rail, Fig. 2 shows an exploded partial view of a first embodiment of a vehicle roof rail, Fig. 3 shows a cross section view of the first embodiment of a vehicle roof rail in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 shows a cross section view of a second embodiment of a vehicle roof rail.

Elements that are the same or represent corresponding or equivalent elements have been given the same reference numbers in the different figures.

Detailed description

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a vehicle roof rail 1 . In Figs. 2 and 3 is illustrated a first embodiment of a vehicle roof rail and in Fig. 4 is illustrated a second embodiment of a vehicle roof rail, given as examples of embodiments.

The vehicle roof rail 1 comprises a rail member 10 and at least one cap 30. The exterior of the vehicle roof rail 1 , as shown in Fig. 1 , would look the same for both the first and the second embodiments illustrated in Figs. 2-3 and 4, respectively. Consequently, the cross sections shown in Figs. 3 and 4 can both represent a cross section taken along A-A in Fig. 1.

The rail member 10; 1 10 has a hollow interior 12; 1 12 and is provided with at least one through hole 13; 1 13 leading into the hollow interior 12; 1 12. The cap 30; 130 is configured to cover the at least one through hole 13; 1 13 and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the through hole.

The rail member 10; 1 10 is provided with a first set of locking members 14, 15; 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 1 17 and the cap 30; 130 is provided with a second set of locking members 34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137. The first set of locking members 14, 15; 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 1 17 comprises locking members that are configured to enter into locking engagement with locking members 34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137 of the second set and thereby prevent relative movement of the cap and the rail member. At least one locking member 14, 15; 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 1 17 of the first set of locking members of the rail member 10; 1 10 is located inside the hollow interior 12; 1 12 of the rail member, and is configured to enter into engagement with a corresponding locking member 34, 35; 134, 135; 136, 137 of the second set of locking members, when a corresponding locking member of the second set of locking members 34, 35; 134, 135; 136, 137 of the cap 30; 130 is inserted into the hollow interior 12; 1 12 of the rail member 10; 1 10. The cap is made in one piece.

According to both the first and second embodiment, the first set of locking members of the rail member 10, 1 10 may comprise snap fit locking members 14, 15; 1 14, 1 15 and the second set of locking members of the cap 30, 130 may comprise snap fit locking members 34, 35; 134, 135.

According to both embodiments, the first set of locking members may comprise locking members configured as a protrusion 24, 25; 124, 125 extending from an interior side wall 18, 19; 1 18, 1 19 of the rail member 10; 1 10 and into the hollow interior 12; 1 12. The second set of locking members may comprise locking members configured as a leg 40, 41 ; 140, 141 extending from a bottom surface 42; 142 of the cap 30; 130, which bottom surface is configured to face inwards, towards the interior 12; 1 12, when the cap is mounted in the through hole 13; 1 13 of the rail member, and said leg being provided with a snap fit portion 44, 45; 144, 145 having a shape that is configured to enter into snap fit engagement with an end of the protrusion 24, 25; 124, 125. The snap fit effect can be obtained either by making the legs resilient in themselves or by making their connection to the cap resilient, and/or by making the protrusion resilient in itself or making its connection to the side wall of the rail member resilient.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the snap fit portion 44, 45 of the leg 40, 41 may have the shape of a recess that is configured to enter into locking engagement with an end of the protrusion 24, 25, whereby relative movement of the cap and the rail member is prevented. Each recess and the corresponding protrusion have

complementary shapes in order to obtain interlocking engagement and thereby prevent relative movement of the cap 30 and the rail member 10.

According to the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, the snap fit portion 144, 145 of the leg 140, 141 may have a shape of a projecting part that is configured to enter into engagement with an end of the protrusion 124, 125 of the rail member 1 10, whereby relative movement of the cap 130 and the rail member 1 10 is prevented in an outward direction of removing the cap from the rail member. The first set of locking members of the rail member further comprises at least one locking member 1 16, 1 17 configured as a cap support shelf 126, 127 arranged in the vicinity of the through hole 1 13, against which the cap 130 is configured to abut when inserted into the through hole, whereby relative movement of the cap 130 and the rail member 1 10 is prevented in an inward direction of inserting the cap further into the hollow interior 1 12 of the rail member. The underside of the cap that abuts the cap support shelf thus forms a corresponding locking member 136, 137. Usually there would be at least two cap support shelves 126, 127 in order to provide an even support for the cap. The cap support shelves in the shown example are arranged in the hollow interior 1 12, below the through hole 1 13. They project into the through hole, and consequently the legs 140, 141 projecting down from the bottom surface 142 of the cap will be located at a distance from the outer rim of the cap, such that there is sufficient space between the leg and the rim of the cap, for a part of the underside of the cap to abut against the cap support shelf 126, 127, and form a corresponding locking member 136, 137.

As seen in the example embodiment of Fig. 4, the cap support shelf 126, 127 may be configured as shelves hanging down from the edge of the through hole 1 13, and spaced apart from the through hole. However, as an alternative, the cap support shelves may be configured as projecting from the side wall of the through hole, directly into the through hole.

Optionally, also the rail member 10 of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may have at least one cap support shelf 26, 27 that is arranged in the vicinity of the through hole 13. In the shown embodiment of Fig. 4, the cap support shelves are arranged above the protrusions 124, 125 functioning as locking members 1 14, 1 15. However, in Fig. 2 and 3, the cap support shelves are arranged such that they do not interfere with the protrusions 24, 25 of the locking members 14, 15. They are instead arranged approximately perpendicular to the locking members 14, 15. Naturally, this way of arranging the cap support shelves may also be implemented in the embodiment of Fig. 4. Also, the way of arranging the cap support shelves and the configuration of the cap with the legs shown in Fig. 4 may be used and adapted to the embodiment of Figs. 2 and 3.

The rail member 10, 1 10 may comprise at least two through holes 13, 1 13, or any suitable number, and the vehicle roof rail 1 further comprises a number of caps 30, 130 that corresponds to the number of through holes.

The through holes provide access into the interior of the rail member and thus attachment devices for attaching the rail member to a vehicle roof can be inserted into the interior of the rail member. The attachment devices can e.g. be screws that can be screwed into the bottom of the rail member and further into some other device which in turn is secured to the vehicle roof, or possibly directly into the underlying vehicle roof. For this purpose, there may be made a hole 29; 129 in the bottom of the rail member. Alternatively, the attachment devices may be rivets or any other suitable attachment device.

The rail member 10, 1 10 and the cap 30, 130 are preferably made from the same material. For example, they may be made from aluminium or an aluminium alloy, e.g. anodised aluminium or aluminium alloy.

In the illustrated embodiments, the through hole and the cap have a roughly circular shape, but any shape is possible. The upper side of the cap is preferably flush or close to flush with the upper side of the rail member, when they are assembled. The upper side of the cap preferably also has been treated to have the same surface appearance as the rail member.

In the illustrated embodiments, the snap fit members have been shown as one snap fit portion formed as a recess or a projecting part on each leg of the cap. However, it is also possible to have several recesses/projecting parts on each leg, in a serrated or wave like fashion. It would also be possible to vary the snap fit protrusions on the interior side walls of the rail member in a similar way as a series of protrusion in a serrated or wave like way. Any suitable combination of these designs can be foreseen.

The above described vehicle roof rail may be manufactured by a method for manufacturing a vehicle roof rail comprising manufacturing the rail member from an extruded profile and making the at least one through hole in the extruded profile, and comprising manufacturing the cap from an extruded profile.

The shape of the cap may be stamped out from the extruded profile, or cut in some other way.

The invention shall not be considered limited to the illustrated embodiments, but can be modified and altered in many ways, as realised by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Patent Claims

1 . A vehicle roof rail (1 ) comprising a rail member (10; 1 10) and at least one cap (30; 130), wherein the rail member has a hollow interior (12; 1 12) and is provided with at least one through hole (13; 1 13) leading into the hollow interior,

wherein the cap (30; 130) is configured to cover said at least one through hole (13; 1 13) and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the through hole,

wherein the rail member (10; 1 10) is provided with a first set of locking members (14, 15; 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 1 17), and the cap is provided with a second set of locking members (34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137),

wherein the first set of locking members comprises locking members that are configured to enter into locking engagement with locking members of the second set and thereby prevent relative movement of the cap and the rail member,

wherein at least one locking member (14, 15; 1 14, 1 15, 1 16, 1 17) of the first set of locking members is located inside the hollow interior (12; 1 12) of the rail member (10; 1 10), and is configured to enter into engagement with a corresponding locking member (34, 35; 134, 135, 136, 137) of the second set of locking members, when a corresponding locking member of the second set of locking members of the cap (30; 130) is inserted into the hollow interior (12; 1 12) of the rail member (10; 1 10), and wherein the cap (30; 130) is made in one piece.

2. A vehicle roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein the rail member (10; 1 10) and the cap (30; 130) are made from the same material.

3. A vehicle roof rail according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rail member (10; 1 10) and cap (30; 130) are both made from aluminium or an aluminium alloy.

4. A vehicle roof rail according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first set of locking members of the rail member comprises snap fit locking members (14, 15; 1 14, 1 15) and the second set of locking members of the cap comprises snap fit locking members (34, 35; 134, 135.

5. A vehicle roof rail according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first set of locking members comprises locking members configured as a protrusion (24, 25; 124, 125) extending from an interior side wall (18, 19; 1 18, 1 19) of the rail member (10; 1 10) and into the hollow interior (12; 1 12), and the second set of locking members comprises locking members configured as a leg (40, 41 ; 140, 141 ) extending from a bottom surface (42; 142) of the cap (30; 130), which bottom surface is configured to face inwards when the cap is mounted in the through hole of the rail member, and said leg (40, 41 ; 140, 141 ) being provided with a snap fit portion (44, 45; 144, 145) having a shape that is configured to enter into snap fit engagement with an end of the protrusion (24, 25; 124, 125).

6. A vehicle roof rail according to claim 5, wherein the snap fit portion of the leg (44, 45) has the shape of a recess that is configured to enter into locking engagement with an end of the protrusion (24, 25), whereby relative movement of the cap (30) and the rail member (10) is prevented.

7. A vehicle roof rail according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one cap support shelf (26, 27; 126, 127) is arranged in the vicinity of the trough hole (13; 1 13).

8. A vehicle roof rail according to claim 5, wherein the snap fit portion (144, 145) of the leg (140, 141 ) has a shape of a projecting part that is configured to enter into engagement with an end of the protrusion (124, 125) of the rail member (1 10), whereby relative movement of the cap (130) and the rail member (1 10) is prevented in an outward direction of removing the cap from the rail member, and wherein the first set of locking members of the rail member further comprises at least one locking member (1 16, 1 17) configured as a cap support shelf (126, 127) arranged in the vicinity of the through hole (1 13), against which the cap (130) is configured to abut when inserted into the through hole, whereby relative movement of the cap 1 (30) and the rail member (1 10) is prevented in an inward direction of inserting the cap further into the hollow interior of the rail member.

9. A vehicle roof rail according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rail member (10; 1 10) comprises at least two through holes (13; 1 13) and the roof rail further comprises a number of caps (30; 130) that corresponds to the number of through holes.

10. A method for manufacturing a vehicle roof rail as defined in any one of claims 1 -9, comprising manufacturing the rail member from an extruded profile and making the at least one through hole in the extruded profile, and comprising manufacturing the cap from an extruded profile.