JPH0620144U - Automotive roof rack - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To improve the appearance and manufacture it inexpensively and rationally. [Structure] Front and rear mounting legs 5, 6 are provided at both ends of the rack rod 4.
And the surfaces of the rack rod 4 and the front and rear mounting legs 5, 6 are covered with a synthetic resin. The cross-sectional shapes of the joints between the rack rod 4 and the front and rear side mounting legs 5, 6 are formed to be substantially the same, and the synthetic resin is a recyclable synthetic resin, and the synthetic resin is made to have a substantially uniform thickness by injection molding. To cover.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a roof rack for an automobile, which has an improved appearance and can be manufactured inexpensively and rationally.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, this type of roof rack has mounting leg portions at both ends and the center of the rack rod as in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-58339, and these mounting leg portions are molded with synthetic resin or aluminum die casting. The surface of the rack is painted and then adhered or screwed to a predetermined position on the rack rod.

Therefore, in this case, the joint between the rack rod and the mounting leg is exposed and the stepped portion of the portion is conspicuous, which impairs the outer appearance of the roof rack and requires painting work for each member. There is a problem in that it takes time and labor and the cost becomes high.

On the other hand, recently, there is a structure in which each mounting leg is assembled at a predetermined position of a rack rod, and then the surface of each of them is foam-molded and the surface is covered with a synthetic resin.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, since this product is foam-molded, it takes longer to mold than injection-molding, and uneven thickness can be tolerated during molding, but sink marks easily occur and surface coating is indispensable to maintain the appearance. On the other hand, there is a problem in that the synthetic resin foam is recycled, that is, it cannot be reused, thus increasing the cost, while promoting the decrease in productivity.

The present invention solves such a problem, improves the appearance of the joint between the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs, and configures a part of this kind of rack with a recyclable synthetic resin, In addition, by injection-molding the synthetic resin, the material cost can be reduced, the molding can be speeded up, the productivity can be improved, and the roof rack for an automobile can be manufactured at low cost. It is an object.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 Therefore, the vehicle roof rack of the present invention has front and rear mounting legs arranged at both ends of the rack rod, and the surfaces of the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs are covered with synthetic resin. In the above, the joints of the rack rod and the front and rear side mounting legs are formed to have substantially the same cross-sectional shape, and the rack rod and the front and rear side mounting legs are continuously formed to give a feeling of integral molding. While improving the appearance of this type of roof rack, using a recyclable synthetic resin as the synthetic resin to promote the reuse of raw materials and reduce the material cost, the synthetic resin can be injection-molded to a substantially uniform thickness. The coating is characterized by speeding up the molding process and ensuring a good molding condition, and by eliminating the need for post-treatment of the molding surface such as painting, productivity is improved. Therefore, by molding the front and rear mounting legs with a recyclable synthetic resin, the material cost can be reduced and the molding speed can be increased. In addition, at least the surface of each leg block that constitutes the front and rear mounting legs and the surface of the rack shaft that constitutes the rack rod are provided with a groove or a protrusion, and the surface of the irregular portion is covered with a cosmetic film to make up the makeup. Since the fixing force of the film is increased, the decorative film can be prevented from peeling when the front and rear mounting legs and the rack rod are subjected to a twisting force when the roof rack is used. Further, at least the lip is formed on the peripheral edge of the mounting side end of the front and rear mounting legs, and the lip is formed integrally with the decorative film, so that a separate member for preventing the gap between the leg and the roof panel is provided. It is characterized by eliminating parts, reducing the number of parts, and eliminating the trouble of mounting.

[0008]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a roof panel of a vehicle 2 on which a pair of left and right roof racks 3a and 3b are mounted in parallel with each other in the front-rear direction. ing.

The roof racks 3a and 3b are symmetrical to each other and have substantially the same structure. These are a rack rod 4 that is gently curved, and front and rear mounting leg portions 5 and 6 provided at both ends of the rod 4. , And a central mounting leg portion 7 provided at the center of the rod 4.

The rack rod 4 is gently curved along the side end surface shape of the roof panel 1 in two directions, an up-down direction and an outer direction, and its cross-sectional shape is formed into a substantially triangular shape as shown in FIG. A rack shaft 8 made of a metal pipe is embedded in the inside thereof.

The rack shaft 8 is curved as described above, and its cross-sectional shape is formed in a similar shape slightly smaller than the rack rod 4, and the outer peripheral surface of the rack shaft 8 is made of a recyclable synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride. The decorative film 9 made of a material is evenly coated. In the embodiment, the decorative film 9 is formed by injection molding together with each decorative film 9 described later.

The front and rear mounting legs 5 and 6 are formed in a substantially identical elephant nose shape, and they are configured substantially the same. The front mounting leg 5 will be described below. A metal pipe insert metal fitting 10 that can be fitted to the end of the rack shaft 8 is embedded.

The insert fitting 10 is curved along the shape of the front mounting leg 5 as shown in FIG. 3, and its cross-sectional shape is similar to that of the rack shaft 8 as shown in FIG. The rack shaft 8 is fitted at one end thereof and adhered thereto, and the embedding plate 11 is fixed to the other end by welding or the like. A through hole 12 is formed in the embedded plate 11, a screw or a bolt 13 is inserted into the hole 12, and a screw shaft of the screw or bolt 13 projects to the outside of the front mounting leg portion 5.

Around the base of the insert metal fitting 10, the embedding plate 11 and the bolt 13, synthetic resin that is harder than the decorative film 9, and in the embodiment, injection molded synthetic resin such as recyclable polypropylene, is a leg block. It is buried in 14. The leg block 14 is formed in substantially the same shape as the front mounting leg portion 5, and has a wide flat surface on the mounting side.

A convex portion 15 is provided on the flat surface, the screw shaft of the bolt 13 projects from the end surface of the convex portion 15, and substantially the entire circumferential surface of the leg block 14 excluding the end surface of the convex portion 15, The decorative film 9 made of synthetic resin is covered by injection molding so as to have substantially the same thickness as the decorative film 9 of the rack rod 4. In the figure, 16 is an adhesive layer interposed on the adhesive surfaces of the rack shaft 8, the insert fitting 10 and the leg block 14.

The central mounting leg portion 7 has a center leg block 17 made of a synthetic resin of the same quality as the leg block 14, and the block 17 is formed in a substantially quadrangular truncated pyramid shape, and one of the mounting sides has a recessed hole. 18 is formed. An embedding plate 19 is embedded in one end of the center leg block 17 on the attachment side, and a screw or a bolt 20 is attached to the plate 19, and a screw shaft thereof projects outward.

At the other mounting side end of the center leg block 17, there is provided a through hole 22 that communicates with the anti-rotation pin 21 and the recessed hole 18, of which the pin 21 is at a fixed position of the rack shaft 8. A screw or bolt 24 is inserted into the through hole 23 formed, and the through hole 22 is screwed into a screw hole 25 formed in the rack shaft 8 adjacent to the through hole 23.

A synthetic film 9 made of synthetic resin is evenly coated on the peripheral surface of one side of the center leg block 17 on the mounting side, and a synthetic resin of the same quality as the decorative film 9 is filled in the recessed hole 18 to form a bolt 24. Is embedded inside.

7 to 9 show another embodiment of the present invention, and the same reference numerals are used for the components corresponding to those of the above-mentioned embodiment. Of these, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, concave grooves 26, 27 or convex portions are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the rack shaft 8 and the leg block 14 in the axial direction or in the form of scattered points, and the surfaces thereof are covered. In addition to strengthening the fixing force of the decorative film 9, the peeling of the decorative film 9 is prevented when the rack rod 4 and the front and rear mounting legs 5, 6 are subjected to a twisting force when the roof rack is used. It has a feature. Therefore, not only the rack rod 4 and the front and rear mounting legs 5 and 6, but also the center leg block 17 is preferably provided with a similar groove or protrusion.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, a relatively flexible lip 28 is injection-molded simultaneously with the cosmetic film 9 on the peripheral edges of the mounting side ends of the front and rear mounting legs 5 and 6 so that the mounting side ends and the roof are It serves to prevent gaps with panel 1. That is, conventionally, for this kind of purpose, the rubber base of a separate component was mounted on the mounting side end portions of the front and rear mounting leg portions 5 and 6, but by configuring it as described above, It is characterized by the increase in the number of parts and the elimination of the trouble of mounting. In this embodiment, the height H of the lip 28 is approximately twice the height h of the protrusion 15 of the protrusion 15. In this case as well, it is desirable to provide the same structure to the central mounting leg 7, not limited to the front and rear mounting legs 5 and 6.

In the above-described embodiment, the rack shaft 8 and the insert fitting 10 are made of pipe material, and these are fitted together. However, one or both of them are made of solid members instead of the pipe material. However, it is also possible to form an engaging hole at one end thereof and to fit it. Further, although the leg block 14 and the center block 17 are made of synthetic resin, they may be die cast from an aluminum alloy or the like.

[0022]

[Action]

 When manufacturing a roof rack for an automobile having such a structure, first, a predetermined member is cut into a predetermined length, and these are curved and molded to form a rack shaft 8 and inserts for the front and rear side mounting legs 5 and 6. The metal fitting 10 is manufactured to have a predetermined shape and cross section, and a through hole 23 and a screw hole 25 are provided at predetermined positions of the rack shaft 8. In addition, a predetermined member is pressed, for example, to stamp the embedded plates 11 and 19 into a predetermined shape, and the through hole 11 and the bolt insertion hole are formed in these.

Next, one end of each insert metal fitting 10 and the embedding plate 11 are welded and connected to each other, and after the bolts 13 are attached to the embedding plate 11, these are loaded into a mold of an injection molding machine and inserted. Molding, and these are integrally embedded in each leg block 14.

The leg blocks 14 thus formed are manufactured to be slightly smaller than the shape dimensions of the front and rear mounting legs 5 and 6, and a convex portion 15 is projectingly provided at the mounting side end portion thereof. The screw shaft of the bolt 13 is projected, and one end of the insert fitting 10 is projected to the other end portion.

Before and after the molding of each leg block 14, a bolt 20 is attached to the embedding plate 19, the bolt 20 is loaded into the mold of the injection molding machine, and insert molding is performed. It is embedded in 17 integrally.

The center leg block 17 molded in this way is manufactured to be slightly smaller than the shape dimension of the central mounting leg portion 7, and the embedded plate 19 is exposed at one of the mounting side end portions thereof, and the bolt 20 from the plate 19 is exposed. The screw shaft of is protruding. Further, a concave hole 18 is formed in one end of the center leg block 17 on the mounting side, a through hole 22 is formed in the bottom of the concave hole 18, and a pin 21 is formed on the other end of the block 17 on the other mounting side. Is projected.

As described above, in the present invention, since the leg block 14 and the center leg block 17 are injection-molded by using the recyclable synthetic resin, the molding time is longer than that of the conventional foam molding method. In addition to shortening, raw material costs are reduced, and defective molded products can be crushed and reused, enabling effective use of raw materials. Moreover, since the surface of the leg block 14 and the center leg block 17 is covered with the decorative film 9 after this, there is no problem even if there are some sink marks or defective appearance on the molding surface, and the grade of the raw material and the molding condition are acceptable. The range can be relaxed.

Next, the molded leg blocks 14 and the center leg block 17 are assembled to the rack shaft 8. First, when the center leg block 17 is assembled, the pin 21 provided in the block 17 is inserted into the through hole 23 of the rack shaft 8 to prevent the rack shaft 8 from rotating on the mounting surface, and the bolt 24 to have the recessed hole 18. Through the through hole 22 and screwed into the screw hole 25 of the rack shaft 8 to fix the center leg block 17 to the rack shaft 8.

Further, when assembling each leg block 14, the insert metal fitting 10 projecting from one end of the leg block 14 is inserted into the rack shaft 8, and an adhesive agent is applied to these fitting surfaces to fix them. At that time, by adjusting the amount of fitting between the insert metal fitting 10 and the rack shaft 8, variations in individual dimensions are corrected and the components are assembled to a predetermined dimensional tolerance. In this case, it is desirable to use a proper jig for the above work, and it is also possible to use a die of an injection molding machine described later in place of the above jig for assembly.

The rack assembly thus assembled is hermetically sealed with the adhesive layer 16 interposed at the joint between each leg block 14 and the rack shaft 8. Further, the leg block 14 and the rack shaft 8 adjacent to this joint are provided with the same. Since the cross-sections are formed in the same shape, there is no step in that part, and a continuous shape is formed.

Then, the rack assembly is loaded into a mold of an injection molding machine and insert molding is performed. By doing so, the peripheral surface of the rack assembly is covered with the decorative film 9 with a uniform thickness to conceal the above-mentioned seams and conceal each boundary between each leg block 14, the center block 17, and the rack shaft 8. In addition, the roof racks 3a, 3b have an appearance as if they were integrally molded by covering their surfaces uniformly.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the peripheral surface of the rack assembly is covered with the cosmetic film 9 by injection molding, the conventional coating of the molding surface is not required and the coating equipment is not required. And productivity is improved.

[0033]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, the roof rack for an automobile of the present invention has substantially the same cross-sectional shape of the joint between the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs, so that the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs are continuously connected. It is possible to improve the appearance of this kind of roof rack by being formed and causing a feeling of integral molding. In addition, since the present invention uses a recyclable synthetic resin as the synthetic resin that covers the surfaces of the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs, it is possible to promote the reuse of raw materials and reduce the material cost. Since the synthetic resin is coated by injection molding to have a substantially uniform thickness, it is possible to obtain faster molding and a better molding condition than those of conventional foam molding. Therefore, the post-treatment such as painting of the molding surface as in the past is not necessary, the productivity is improved, and in combination with the above, it can be manufactured at low cost. Therefore, by molding the front and rear mounting legs with a recyclable synthetic resin, the material cost can be reduced and the molding speed can be increased. Further, according to the present invention, at least each leg block surface constituting the front and rear mounting legs and the rack shaft surface constituting the rack rod are provided with a concave groove or a convex portion, and the surface of the irregular portion is covered with a cosmetic film. As a result, the fixing force of the cosmetic film is increased, and even if the front and rear mounting legs and the rack rod are subjected to a twisting force when the roof rack is used, peeling of the cosmetic film can be prevented. Further, according to the present invention, since at least the lip on the mounting side end of the front and rear mounting legs is provided so as to project, and the lip is formed integrally with the decorative film, a member for preventing the gap between the leg and the roof panel is provided. However, there is a practical effect that the rubber base, which is a separate part that has been used conventionally, can be eliminated and the number of parts can be reduced and the trouble of mounting can be eliminated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main part of a front mounting leg portion of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an essential part of a central mounting leg portion of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, showing the same position as in FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, showing the same position as in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Rack rod 5 Front mounting leg 6 Rear mounting leg 8 Rack shaft 14 Leg block 26, 27 Recessed groove or protrusion 28 Lip

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A vehicle roof rack in which front and rear mounting legs are provided at both ends of a rack rod, and the surfaces of the rack rod and the front and rear mounting legs are covered with a synthetic resin. For automobiles, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the joint with the mounting leg is formed to be substantially the same, the synthetic resin is a recyclable synthetic resin, and the synthetic resin is covered by injection molding to a substantially uniform thickness. Roof rack. 2. The roof rack for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the front and rear mounting legs are formed of a recyclable synthetic resin. 3. A concave groove or a convex portion is provided on at least each leg block surface constituting the front and rear mounting legs and a rack shaft surface constituting the rack rod, and the surface of the concave and convex portion is covered with a cosmetic film. Item 1. A roof rack for an automobile according to item 1. 4. The roof rack for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a lip is provided so as to project at least on the periphery of the mounting side end portions of the front and rear mounting legs, and the lip is formed integrally with the decorative film.