초록 ▼

A roof bar (10) for a motor vehicle (1) includes an elongate load carrying member (13) selectively held in a deployed position by a latch mechanism (20). A crossbar portion (15) of the elongate load carrying member (13) is wider than it is thick and is orientated such that the width of the crossbar

A roof bar (10) for a motor vehicle (1) includes an elongate load carrying member (13) selectively held in a deployed position by a latch mechanism (20). A crossbar portion (15) of the elongate load carrying member (13) is wider than it is thick and is orientated such that the width of the crossbar portion (15) is vertically arranged when the roof bar (10) is in the deployed position so as to increase the resistance to vertical bending of the crossbar portion (15).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A stowable roof bar (10, 110) for a motor vehicle (1) comprising: an elongate load carrying member (13, 113) extending across the vehicle (1) and being pivotally connected to a roof (5) of the vehicle (1) for movement between stowed and deployed positions and a latch mechanism (20, 120) to select

1. A stowable roof bar (10, 110) for a motor vehicle (1) comprising: an elongate load carrying member (13, 113) extending across the vehicle (1) and being pivotally connected to a roof (5) of the vehicle (1) for movement between stowed and deployed positions and a latch mechanism (20, 120) to selectively hold the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) in the deployed position in which a crossbar portion (15, 115) of the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) is spaced above the roof (5) of the vehicle (1), wherein the width (w) of the crossbar portion (15, 115) is greater than the thickness (t) of the crossbar portion (15, 115) and the crossbar portion (15, 115) is re-orientated by the movement of the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) from the stowed position to the deployed position so as to increase the vertical resistance to bending of the crossbar portion (15, 115), wherein the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) comprises the crossbar portion (15, 115) and two end portions (16, 116) one fastened to each end of the crossbar portion (15, 115) and there are two stays (14, 114) each of which is latchable to a respective one of the two end portions (16, 116) by a respective latch mechanism (20, 120), and wherein each end portion (116) is U-shaped in cross-section and defines an internal volume in which a respective stay (114) is stowed when the roof bar (110) is in the stowed state. 2. A roof bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the stays (14, 114) is connected to the corresponding end portion (16, 116) by a control link (25, 125) used to control the motion of the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) and the stay (14, 114) when the roof bar (10, 110) is reversibly moved between its deployed and stowed positions. 3. A roof bar as claimed in claim 2 wherein each control link (125) has a detent (126) forming part of a corresponding latch mechanism (128) attached thereto and the control link (125) is transversely moveable so as to disengage the detent (126) from an aperture (117) in a wall of a corresponding stay (114) so as to release the latch mechanism (120). 4. A roof bar as claimed in claim 3 in which each control link (125) is fastened at one end to a rod (123) used to link the two latch mechanisms (120) and is pivotally connected at an opposite end to one of the two stays (114), wherein a longitudinal displacement of the rod (123) by a user of the vehicle (1) is operable to simultaneously release both latch mechanisms (120) and rotational movement of the rod (123) facilitates folding of the roof bar (110). 5. A roof bar as claimed in claim 2 in which the control link (25) has a respective U-shaped end portion at each end, each of the U-shaped end portions having a first arm pivotally engaged with a respective end portion (16) and a second arm pivotally connected to the respective stay (14) on the same end of the roof bar (10). 6. A roof bar as claimed in claim 2 wherein, when the latching means (20, 120) are released, each control link (25, 125) forms in combination with the respective end portion (16, 116), the respective stay (14, 114) and a respective base plate (11, 111) a four bar linkage. 7. A roof bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the roof (5) of the motor vehicle (1) has a high point and a low point and, when the roof bar (10, 110) is moved to its stowed state, no part of the stowed roof bar (10, 110) is located higher than the high point of the roof (5) so that the overall height of the motor vehicle (1) is not increased by the stowed roof bar (10, 110) and no part of the roof bar (10, 110) is located lower than the low point on the roof (5). 8. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 7 wherein the roof (5) of the motor vehicle (1) has a high point and, when the roof bars (10, 110) fitted to the roof (5) of the vehicle (1) are moved to their respective stowed states, no part of the stowed roof bars (10, 110) is located higher than the high point of the roof (5) so that the overall height of the motor vehicle (1) is not increased by the stowed roof bars (10, 110) and the roof (5) has a low point corresponding to a height below which a surface is not self draining and no part of each roof bar (10, 110) is stowed lower than the low point of the roof (5). 9. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 wherein the roof has a convex central portion (7) bounded on each side by a longitudinally extending drainage ditch (9) and the low point of the roof (5) corresponds to the height of the drainage ditches (9) and the central portion (7) of the roof (5) has a number of open ended channels (8) formed in it to accommodate the stowed roof bars, each of the channels (8) having a base surface (8b) located no lower than the height of the drainage ditches (9) so as to ensure that it is self draining and each roof bar (10, 110) is stowed in a respective one of the channels (8). 10. A stowable roof bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the crossbar portion (15, 115) is orientated such that the width (w) of the crossbar portion (15, 115) is vertically arranged when the elongate load carrying portion (13, 113) is in the deployed position and the thickness (t) of the crossbar portion (15, 115) is vertically arranged when the elongate load carrying portion (13, 113) is in the stowed position. 11. A roof bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two latch mechanisms (20, 120) are linked together so that they work in unison so as to facilitate the releasing of the two latch mechanisms (20, 120) from one end of the roof bar (10, 110). 12. A roof bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the roof bar (10, 110) is arranged to fold such that the end portions (16, 116) of the elongate load carrying member (13, 113) fold over onto the stays (14, 114) without increasing the stacked height of the stowed roof bar (10, 110).