GB2104018A - Vehicle roof rack - Google Patents

Abstract

The roof rack comprises a generally flat base (1), for supporting luggage secured to the car roof, and a cover (2) which fits on the base to form a closed compartment and which can be removed or opened. The cover at its front (12) and top (13) has a streamlined shape which fairs generally aerodynamically with an upward and rearwardly inclined windscreen of the car. The base may be in the form of a tray with a small side wall extending around its periphery, and preferably has a downwardly depending skirt (20) around its periphery which fits the rain gutters of the car and closes the gap between the base and the car roof. The base and cover are conveniently made as one-piece mouldings or pressings. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Roof rack for a motor car This invention relates to a roof rack for a motor car.

The roof rack, in accordance with the b-oadest aspect of the invention, comprises a generally flat base, for supporting luggage, which is adapted to be secured to the car on or above the roof, and a cover which fits on the base to form a closed compartment and which can be removed therefrom or opened, the outside of the cover at least at its front and top faces having a streamlined shape which fairs generally aerodynamically with an upward and rearwardly inclined windscreen of the car.

The base is preferably in the form of a tray with a small side wall extending around its periphery, and conveniently this wall is designed to support the lower edge of the cover which is preferably in the form of a thin-walled shell. Both the base and cover are conveniently made as one-piece mouldings or pressings of plastics, metal, resin or any other suitable material.

The cover may of course, be in more than one piece to allow sections to be opened without opening the whole cover; for example the cover may be in two longitudinal halves so that each side can be lifted up independently.

The cover may be removable from the base completely or connected by hinges to the base.

The base preferably has a downwardly depending skirt around its periphery, the lower edges of which, along the sides of the base, are shaped so as to fit in and be supported by the rain gutters which extend along both sides of the roof of a conventional motor car. The skirt at the front serves to close any gap between the flat base and the roof of the car, and preferably this front skirt section is also inclined so as to fair in aerodynamically with the windscreen of the car and the front face of the cover. The base will be fastened to the roof by, for example, clips onto the rain gutters.

When made as a one-piece moulding the base will have, as viewed in section, a continuous wall which extends upwardly to form the side wall of the tray and from the top of this wall the sheet material bends downwardly and extends to below the flat base to form the skirt.

The invention may be put into practice in a number of ways but one specific embodiment will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roof rack in accordance with the invention, on a motor car; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the roof rack; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the base of the roof rack without the cover; Figure 4 is a plan view of the base, from above; and Figures 5 and 6 are sections taken respectively on the lines V-V and VI--VI of Figure 4, the latter also showing a section of the cover located on the base.

The roof rack shown in the drawings comprises generally a base 1 which can be removably attached to the roof of a car and a cover 2 which fits on the base 1 to form a closed compartment for luggage or the like.

The base 1 is in the form of a tray affording a generally flat surface 4 on which luggage is supported, and side walls 5 extending around its periphery. The base 1 is attached to the car roof by four clips or clasps 7 of any suitable design, these conveniently hooking under the rain gutters 8 which extend along both sides of the roof of an ordinary motor car.

The cover 2 is in the form of a thin-walled shell conveniently made as a one-piece moulding or pressing, the lower edge 10 of which matches the shape of the side walls 5 of the base 2 so th3t i rests on those side walls and is supported on t'iem as will be explained.

As shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 2 is provided with a special shape the main features of which are smoothly inclined front and top faces 1 2 and 13, these being so configured as to present a streamlined shape which fairs in aerodynamically with the aerodynamic shape of the front of the car, notably the upward and rearwardly inclined windscreen of the car. The drag caused by the roof rack is thus considerably reduced as compared with conventional roof racks, thus making for more economic running of the car when fitted with the roof rack.

The generally triangular side panels 14 of the cover 2, being aligned with the airstream, do not affect the drag significantly and these may be planar or slightly bowed outwardly, as required.

Also the rear panel 1 5 has no great affect on drag and it too may be planar or curved. Likewise the corners and edges between the side and rear panels 14 and 15 and the top panel 13 may be curved or fairly sharp to suit manufacture and rigidity requirements. The top panel 13, which gradually rises to a maximum height at the rear, may have longitudinal gutters 18 to provide rigidity and to allow rainwater to run off the top.

The shape of the base is shown more particularly in Figures 4 and 5. It will be seen that the side walls 5 are formed in one piece with an outer, downwardly projecting skirt 20 which extends around the periphery of the base, the skirt including a small ledge or shoulder 21 on which the lower edge 10 of the cover 2 rests. The ledge 21 extends right round the periphery of the base 1 and so provides support around the whole of the bottom edge of the cover 2. A sealing strip (not shown) may be provided around the upper part of the skirt and/or on the side of the cover to stop rain getting inside the cover The skirt 20 projects below the ledge 21 by approximately the same depth as the height of the side walls 5 above the tray 4 and its lower edge 22 is shaped, along each side of the base, to fit into the rain gutter 8.At the front, the skirt is upwardly and rearwardly inclined with the same general inclination as the windscreen of the car and the front panel 12 of the cover 2. The lower edge of the skirt at the front is curved to match the top of the windscreen opening of the car body. At the back, the skirt 20 extends down to the roof of the car. Thus, the skirt 20 encloses the gap between the roof of the car and the tray 4 of the base, thereby avoiding turbulence which results from most known types of roof rack.

The tray part 4 of the base 1 includes longitudinally extending grooves 24 to provide rigidity and to act as drainage channels if the base 1 gets water in it when being used on the car without the cover 2. Small holes (not shown) may be provided to allow water, which would otherwise be trapped in the tray, to drain. The tray 4 may also include transverse grooves or ribs to provide rigidity, and it may also be provided with additional holes or fitments for attaching specialist equipment, such as a bicycle rack.

The cover 2 may be completely removable from the base 1 and be secured by means of an edge hooking engagement at the front, rear or along the side, a catch and lock being provided along the opposite edge to secure the cover in its closed position.

Alternatively, the cover 2 may be hinged to the base 1, again along either of its sides or at its front or rear, with a lock provided to keep it closed. The hinges (not shown) may include dampers to allow the cover to close slowly, and springs to assist opening. Stays may be provided to hold the cover in its open position.

It will be appreciated that the roof rack according to the invention is efficient to use and inexpensive to manufacture, the main components being the two one-piece mouldings or pressings of plastics, metal, fibre glass resin our any other suitable material. It is envisaged that one and the same model will suit different car makes with a similar range, perhaps with slight variations in the lower edge of the skirt 20 to suit different rain gutter contours. Possibly, the base moulding could initially include a skirt which is deeper than necessary and which can subsequently be trimmed to suit a particular make of car. Even for rather larger cars, it is envisaged that the same cover size and shape will be used, the side walls and skirt of the base being modified from that shown, to suit the different sized car roof. Bases and covers could be available separately and they would be interchangeable.

Claims (17)

1. A roof rack comprising a generally flat base, for supporting luggage, which is adapted to be secured to the car on or above the roof, and a cover which fits on the base to form a closed compartment and which can be removed therefrom or opened, the outside of the cover at least at its front and top faces having a streamlined shape which fairs generally aerodynamically with an upward and rearwardly inclined windscreen of the car.

2. A roof rack as claimed in claim 1, in which the base is in the form of a tray with a small side wall extending around its periphery.

3. A roof rack as claimed in claim 2, in which the side wall of the base tray is designed to support the lower edge of the cover.

4. A roof rack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the base is made as a one-piece moulding or pressing.

5. A roof rack as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the base has a downwardly depending skirt around its periphery, the lower edges of which, along the sides of the base, are shaped so as to fit in and be supported by the rain gutters which extend along both sides of the roof of a conventional motor car, the skirt at the front serving to close any gap between the flat base and the roof of the car.

6. A roof rack as claimed in claim 5, in which the front skirt section is also inclined so as to fair in aerodynamically with the windscreen of the car and the front face of the cover.

7. A roof rack as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 when dependent upon claim 2, in which the base has a continuous wall which extends upwardly to form the side wall of the tray and from the top of this wall the sheet material bends downwardly and extends to below the flat base to form the skirt.

8. A roof rack as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the base is provided with fastenings adapted for securing the base to the rain gutters of a car.

9. A roof rack as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the cover is removable completely from the base.

10. A roof rack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the cover is connected to the base by hinges.

11. A roof rack as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the cover is in the form of a thin-walled shell.

12. A roof rack as claimed in claim 11, in which the cover is made as a one-piece moulding or pressing.

13. A roof rack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, in which the cover is in more than one piece to allow sections to be opened without opening the whole cover.

14. A roof rack as claimed in claim 13, in which the cover is in two longitudinal halves so that each side can be lifted independently.

1 5. A roof rack as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the cover is provided with longitudinal gutters for rigidity and water runoff.

16. A roof rack as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the base is provided with grooves for rigidity and drainage.

17. A roof rack as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the base is provided with holes or other fitments for attaching specialist equipment.

1 8. A roof rack substantially as specifically described herein with reference to the accompanying drawingss.