CN217649389U - Vehicle and roof rail power socket system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a "vehicle and roof rail power outlet system". The present disclosure details a roof rail power outlet system for establishing power on a vehicle roof. An example roof rail electrical outlet system may include a roof rail cover and an electrical outlet assembly received by a housing of the roof rail cover. The power receptacle assembly may be snap-fit connected to the housing of the roof rail cover. The power outlet assembly includes a power outlet capable of providing a source of power at the vehicle roof.

Description

Vehicle and roof rail power socket system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle roof rail with an integrated power outlet system.

Background

The vehicle roof may include a roof rail that may be used as a mount for securing cargo. Vehicle owners may wish to further utilize the space provided by the vehicle roof when enjoying outdoor activities, such as camping and travel picnic activities.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a prior art's technical problem.

A roof rail power outlet system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a roof rail cover and a power outlet assembly received within a housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing system, the roof rail cover includes a main body and the housing.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the main body and the housing establish a unitary, integrated, one-piece construction of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the electrical outlet assembly comprises a housing, an electrical outlet, and a cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the housing of the power receptacle assembly is snap-fit connected to the housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the housing of the electrical outlet assembly includes a slider guide received within a slot of the housing of the roof rail cover and a retaining arm that engages a corresponding retaining arm of the housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a wiring harness is connected to the power outlet assembly.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the wiring harness includes a connector and a wire bundle (wire bundle).

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the wire bundle is routed through an opening in the roof panel.

A vehicle includes a roof rail power outlet system. The roof rail electrical outlet system includes a roof rail cover and an electrical outlet assembly received within a housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to an interior side of the first roof rail, and the interior side faces a centerline of the vehicle.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the second roof rail electrical outlet system comprises a second roof rail, a second roof rail cover, and a second electrical outlet system.

A roof rail power outlet system according to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, inter alia, a roof rail cover secured to the roof rail, and a power outlet assembly connected to the integrated housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the foregoing system, the roof rail is mounted to a roof panel of a vehicle roof.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the wiring harness includes a connector connected to the electrical outlet assembly and a bundle of wires routed through an opening in the roof panel.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the housing of the power receptacle assembly includes a slide guide received within a slot of the integrated housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, a retaining arm of a housing of the power outlet system engages a corresponding retaining arm of the integrated housing of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to an inner side of the roof rail.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the integrated housing protrudes from an exterior surface of the body of the roof rail cover.

In another non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing systems, the roof rail cover is secured to a rear portion of the roof rail.

The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, claims or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be employed independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments unless such features are incompatible.

Various features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates selected portions of a vehicle equipped with a roof rail.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates selected portions of another vehicle.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the roof rail electrical outlet system of the vehicle of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates an open position of the roof rail power outlet system of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the roof rail power outlet system of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view through section 6-6 of fig. 4.

Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary connection between a power receptacle assembly and a roof rail cover of a roof rail power receptacle system.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an exemplary use of the vehicle roof rail electrical outlet system.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure details a roof rail power outlet system for establishing power on a vehicle roof. An example roof rail electrical outlet system may include a roof rail cover and an electrical outlet assembly received by a housing of the roof rail cover. The power receptacle assembly may be snap-fit connected to the housing of the roof rail cover. The power outlet assembly includes a power outlet capable of providing power at the roof of the vehicle. These and other features of the present disclosure are described in more detail in the following paragraphs of this detailed description.

The figures show a motor vehicle 10. In an embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). However, the vehicle 10 may alternatively be configured as a minibus, truck, van, or any other type of vehicle within the scope of the present disclosure. The vehicle 10 may also be a conventional motor vehicle, a battery-powered hybrid or electric vehicle, or an autonomous vehicle (i.e., an unmanned vehicle).

Although particular component relationships are shown in the drawings of the present disclosure, the illustrations are not intended to limit the disclosure. In other words, the placement and orientation of the various components of the vehicle 10 are shown only schematically and may vary within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the various drawings accompanying the present disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to emphasize certain details of particular components.

The vehicle 10 includes a roof 12 that establishes an upper barrier surface for enclosing a passenger compartment 14 of the vehicle 10. The roof 12 may additionally establish an upper cargo space atop the vehicle 10 for storing and hauling cargo. For example, the vehicle 10 may include a pair of roof rails 16 mounted to a roof panel 15 of the roof 12 and extending longitudinally along opposite sides of the roof 12. One or more crossbars (not shown) may be connected between the opposing roof rails 16. The roof rails 16 and the cross bars may establish a roof rack system for securing cargo to the roof 12.

An owner/user of the vehicle 10 may wish to utilize the space provided by the roof 12 for additional purposes beyond cargo storage and transportation. As an example, a vehicle owner/user may wish to utilize the vehicle 10 as a social gathering place during outdoor activities (e.g., camping on a roof, picnic on a roof, etc.). Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a roof rail integrated power outlet system for establishing one or more power supplies at the roof 12, thereby providing a roof integrated feature to enhance the user experience during outdoor activities.

Referring now to fig. 1 and 3-4, the vehicle 10 may include an electrical outlet system 18. One of the roof rails 16 may be part of an electrical outlet system 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical outlet system 18 is integrated with a rear portion 20 of the roof rail 16 that is associated with the driver side of the vehicle 10. The rear portion 20 is closer to the rear end of the vehicle 10.

In another embodiment, each roof rail 16 may be part of two power outlet systems 18, with one power outlet system 18 located at both the front and rear portions 22, 20 of each of the roof rails 16 (see, e.g., fig. 2). Other configurations are also contemplated within the present disclosure. Thus, it should be understood that the vehicle 10 may be equipped with one or more electrical outlet systems 18.

Fig. 5-6 illustrate an exemplary roof rail electrical outlet system 18 for a vehicle, such as, for example, the vehicle 10 of fig. 1. The power outlet system 18 may include a roof rail 16, a roof rail cover 24, a power outlet assembly 26, and a wiring harness 28.

The roof rail cover 24 may be secured to an interior side 30 of the roof rail 16 to conceal various interior structures associated with the roof rail 16. The inner side 30 of the roof rail 16 may face in a direction toward a centerline 32 (see FIG. 1) of the vehicle 10. The inner side 30 may sometimes be referred to as the "B side" of the roof rail 16.

The roof rail cover 24 may include a main body 34 and a shell 36 protruding from an outer surface 38 of the main body 34. In one embodiment, the housing 36 is an integral feature integrally formed with the body 34. Thus, the main body 34 and the shell 36 establish a unitary, integrated, one-piece construction of the roof rail cover 24. In another embodiment, the lower section 45 of the housing 36 protrudes from the outer surface 38 a greater distance than the upper section 55 of the housing 36 (best shown in FIG. 5).

The power receptacle assembly 26 of the power receptacle system 18 may include a housing 40, a power outlet 42, and a cover 44. The power outlet 42 may be secured to the housing 40 and may be embodied as any outlet type (e.g., type a or B for north america, type E or F for europe, type C for south america, etc.). The particular configuration of power outlet 42 is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

The cover 44 may be removably secured to the housing 40 or the power outlet 42 of the power receptacle assembly 26. The cover 44 is manually pivotable between a closed position and an open position to conceal the power outlet 42 (see fig. 3) or to expose the power outlet 42 for use (see fig. 4 and 6).

The housing 36 of the roof rail cover 24 may establish an opening 46 sized and shaped to receive the housing 40 of the power receptacle assembly 26. As discussed in more detail below, the housing 40 of the power receptacle assembly 26 may be snap-fit connected to the housing 36 of the roof rail cover 24. When connected to the housing 36, the power receptacle assembly 26 essentially becomes a subassembly of the roof rail 16 and is located on the B-side rear portion 20 of the roof rail 16.

The wiring harness 28 may electrically connect the power receptacle assembly 26 to an electrical power supply located inside the vehicle 10. The power outlet 42 may be powered by a power supply to establish the power outlet system 18 as an on-board power source. When energized, the power outlets 42 of the power outlet assembly 26 may provide ac power at a voltage level (e.g., 120 volts, 220 volts, etc.) suitable for powering various electronic devices on the roof of the vehicle 10 when the roof 12 is used for camping or other outdoor activities.

The wiring harness 28 may include a connector 48 that connects to a corresponding connector 50 of the power receptacle assembly 26. A wire branch 52 of the wiring harness 28 may be routed through an interior region 54 (see fig. 6) of the roof rail 16 and then through an opening 56 formed through the roof panel 15 to connect to a power supply.

One or more wire retainers 58 may be used to route and secure the wire branches 52 between the power receptacle assembly 26 and the power supply. In an embodiment, the wire retainer 58 is clamped to a surface of the roof panel 15 surrounding the opening 56 and includes a strap 60 for tying portions of the wire branch 52.

Fig. 6-7 illustrate exemplary connection features for snap-connecting the housing 40 of the power receptacle assembly 26 to the housing 36 of the roof rail cover 24. In an embodiment, the housing 40 includes a slider guide 62 that may be received within a slot 64 of the housing 36. Once the housing 40 is pushed far enough into the housing 36, the retaining arms 66 of the housing 40 may engage the corresponding retaining arms 68 of the housing 36. In an embodiment, the protruding flange 70 of each retention arm 68 may engage the engagement surface 72 of each retention arm 68 to snap connect the housing 40 to the housing 36.

Fig. 8 schematically illustrates an exemplary use of the roof rail electrical outlet system 18 described above. With the cover 44 of the power receptacle assembly 26 positioned in the open position, a user may plug (i.e., plug) the electrical device 74 into the power outlet 42. Thus, the electrical devices 74 may be powered by the electrical outlet system 18, which is conveniently packaged in the vicinity of the user when the roof 12 is used for roof camping or some other outdoor activity.

The electrical device 74 may be any electrical device having a power plug compatible with the power outlet 42. Non-limiting examples of electrical devices that may be powered by the power outlet system 18 include, but are not limited to, smart devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, etc.), entertainment consoles, chargers, fans, heaters, air conditioning devices, lighting devices (e.g., light bars, fog lights, etc.), radios, and the like.

The roof rail electrical outlet system described herein allows vehicle owners to utilize the space on the vehicle roof while enjoying outdoor activities such as roof camping and travel picnics. The exemplary roof rail power socket system may be integrated with a vehicle roof rail, easily assembled, packaged in a convenient roof location, and interchanged depending on the market in which the power socket will be used.

Although different non-limiting embodiments are shown with specific components or steps, embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to those specific combinations. Some features or characteristics from any one of the non-limiting embodiments may be used in combination with features or characteristics from any one of the other non-limiting embodiments.

It should be understood that the same reference numerals indicate corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views. It should be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed and shown in these exemplary embodiments, other arrangements may benefit from the teachings of this disclosure.

The foregoing description is to be construed in an illustrative and not a restrictive sense. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that certain modifications may occur within the scope of the present disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.

Claims (15)

1. A roof rail electrical outlet system, comprising:

a roof rail cover; and

a power outlet assembly received within a housing of the roof rail cover.

2. A roof rail electrical outlet system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said roof rail cover includes a main body and said housing and wherein said main body and said housing establish a unitary, integrated, one-piece construction of said roof rail cover.

3. A roof rail electrical outlet system as set forth in claim 1 or 2 wherein said electrical outlet assembly comprises a housing, an electrical outlet, and a cover.

4. A roof rail power outlet system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said housing of said power outlet assembly is snap-fit connected to said housing of said roof rail cover.

5. A roof rail power outlet system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said housing of said power outlet assembly includes a slider guide received in a slot of said housing of said roof rail cover and a retaining arm engaging a corresponding retaining arm of said housing of said roof rail cover.

6. A roof rail electrical outlet system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, including a wiring harness connected to said electrical outlet assembly.

7. A roof rail electrical outlet system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said wiring harness includes a connector and a bundle of wires and wherein said bundle of wires is routed through an opening in the roof panel.

8. A vehicle comprising a roof rail electrical outlet system according to any preceding claim.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the roof rail cover is secured to an interior side of a first roof rail, and further wherein the interior side faces a centerline of the vehicle, and the vehicle includes a second roof rail power receptacle system including a second roof rail, a second roof rail cover, and a second power receptacle system.

10. A roof rail electrical outlet system, comprising:

a roof rail;

a roof rail cover secured to the roof rail; and

a power outlet assembly connected to the integrated housing of the roof rail cover.

11. A roof rail power outlet system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said roof rail is mounted to a roof panel of a vehicle roof and said system includes a wiring harness including a connector connected to said power outlet assembly and a bundle of wires routed through an opening in said roof panel.

12. A roof rail power outlet system as set forth in claim 10 or 11 wherein said power outlet assembly housing includes a slide guide received in a slot of said integrated housing of said roof rail cover.

13. A roof rail power outlet system as set forth in claim 10 or 11 wherein a retaining arm of a housing of said power outlet system engages a corresponding retaining arm of said integrated housing of said roof rail cover.

14. A roof rail electrical outlet system as set forth in claim 10 or 11 wherein said roof rail cover is secured to an interior side of said roof rail and wherein said integrated housing protrudes from an exterior surface of a body of said roof rail cover.

15. A roof rail electrical outlet system as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the roof rail cover is secured to a rear portion of the roof rail.

Images