Two-Piece Mounting Rail For A Vehicle

Abstract

A mounting rail for receiving and holding loads in an interior of a vehicle includes a support element with a recess extending in the longitudinal direction of the support element and a rail element. The rail element is arranged in the recess of the support element and is mechanically coupled to the support element. The rail element has a receiving space for receiving and holding loads. The mounting rail is divided into two parts so that different materials can be used for the support element and the rail element, which meet the respective individual requirements hereof.

Claims

1. A mounting rail for receiving and holding loads in an interior of a vehicle, the mounting rail comprising: a support member having a recess extending in a longitudinal direction of the support member; and a rail member; wherein the rail member is disposed in the recess of the support member and is mechanically coupled to the support member; and wherein the rail member includes a receiving space for receiving and holding loads.

2. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the support member is made of a first material; wherein the rail member is made of a second material; and wherein the first material is a different material than the second material.

3. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of: Aluminum, an aluminum alloy, a plastic, a carbon fiber reinforced plastic; and wherein the rail member comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of: Aluminum, an aluminum alloy, titanium, a titanium alloy.

4. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises at least two support members arranged in the longitudinal direction of the mounting rail and adjoining one another, the support members mechanically connected to one another so that the recesses of the support members adjoin one another.

5. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the rail member comprises at least two rail members arranged in the recess.

6. The mounting rail of claim 5, wherein the two rail members are configured differently.

7. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the rail member is held in the support member in the form of a dovetail joint.

8. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the rail member is fixed in the recess of the support member with one or more fastening members, such that movement of the rail member in the longitudinal direction of the recess is prevented.

9. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the receiving space of the rail member is configured to form a first installation space for conduits in addition to receiving loads.

10. The mounting rail of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises two support legs extending away from the recess and configured to form and partially enclose a second installation space for conduits.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0043] In the following, examples of embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrations are schematic and not to scale. Identical reference signs refer to the same or similar elements. The figures show:

[0044] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a mounting rail.

[0045] FIG. 2 a schematic representation of a support member.

[0046] FIG. 3 a schematic representation of a rail member.

[0047] FIG. 4 a schematic representation of a mounting rail below floor panels.

[0048] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of a mounting rail below floor panels.

[0049] FIG. 6 a schematic representation of a mounting rail below floor panels.

[0050] FIG. 7 a schematic representation of a mounting rail below floor panels.

[0051] FIG. 8 a schematic representation of a mounting rail.

[0052] FIG. 9 a schematic representation of a rail member with a load support of an external member to be mounted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a schematic isometric view of a mounting rail 100, which comprises a support member 110 and a rail member 120. The extension of the mounting rail 100 in the longitudinal direction 114 may vary and be adapted to external requirements. The support member 110 includes an elongated recess 113 extending in the longitudinal direction 114. The recess 113 provides a receiving space for the rail member 120. The rail member 120 is inserted into the recess 113 by inserting it into the recess 113 at a end face 117 and sliding it in the longitudinal direction 114.

[0054] To facilitate insertion of the rail member 120 into the recess 113, the surfaces of the recess may be provided with an appropriate surface treatment, for example sprayed with Teflon spray. Once the rail member 113 is in its intended position, it is secured in place. A sealant may also be used, which is placed between the rail member and the support member to prevent foreign matter from entering the recess 113 along the outer surfaces of the rail member. Foreign objects at this location can make it difficult to remove and replace the rail member.

[0055] The side walls of the recess 113 prevent the rail member from moving transversely to the longitudinal direction 114. The rail member 120 also cannot be removed or lifted out of the recess in an upward direction because the side walls of the recess slope upwardly, and the opening of the recess is narrower than the width of the recess at the bottom thereof. In other words, the recess has a lateral extent that decreases upward.

[0056] The lateral outer surfaces of the rail member are correspondingly beveled to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the recess. This configuration of the cross-section of the recess and the outer shape of the rail member is referred to as a dovetail joint.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of the end face 117 of the support member 110 of FIG. 1.

[0058] The support member 110 is an extruded structure made of aluminum, for example. In addition to the recess 113, the support member 110 has two support shoulders 115 laterally adjoining it, a support leg 112 on each support shoulder, and a mounting surface 111 at the end of each support leg. In this embodiment, the support member is symmetrical about its vertical axis.

[0059] In the frontal view of FIG. 2, the sloping side surfaces of the recess can be readily seen.

[0060] The support shoulder 115 serves to allow a wall or floor panel to be placed on and connected to the support member 110. Screws, bolts or rivets may be used for this purpose, for example. The corresponding structure is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 to 8.

[0061] The support legs 112 and the adjoining mounting surfaces 111 serve to connect the support member to a carrying structure of the vehicle.

[0062] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the rail member 120 as it may be used with the support member 110 of FIG. 2 to provide a mounting rail 100 of FIG. 1.

[0063] The rail member 120 has a C-shaped profile, which is arranged with the opening facing upwards so that a load support of a member to be fixed can be inserted into the rail member 120 and fixed therein. For this purpose, the rail member 120 has two collars 122 that define and partially enclose a receiving space 124.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows the mounting rail 100 in an assembled state together with two wall panels 150 or floor panels 150, the panels 150 resting on the support shoulders 115 and leaving an access to the rail member 120. The panels 150 may be composite panels, for example. However, the type of panels may be of any type. Any materials and panels can be used with the mounting rail 100. The panels 150 are mechanically coupled to the support shoulder 115, for example, by a fastening member 128 in the form of a screw connected to the support shoulder 115. The support shoulders 115 have, at least section wise, a flat support surface on which the panels 150 rest. The support legs 112 extend from the support shoulders 115 away from the support surface for the panels and are fixed to the carrying structure 190 of the vehicle by means of the mounting surfaces 111.

[0065] In the illustration in FIG. 4, the rail member 120 is lowered relative to the upper surface of the panels 150.

[0066] FIG. 5 shows a variant of the mounting rail shown in FIG. 4 with a modified rail member 120. While the rail member 120 in FIG. 4 is recessed between the two panels 150, the rail member 120 in FIG. 5 has a greater height and the surface of the collar 122 is flush with an upper surface 152 of the panels. In the variant of FIG. 5, the receiving space 124 provides space for a conduit 130 that extends longitudinally of the rail member 120. The conduit 130 may serve as a signal cable or power cable for electronics, for example, disposed in a seat connected to the rail member 120.

[0067] A load support of an element to be fixed is placed in the lateral indentations 123 of the receiving space 124, so that no mechanical load is applied to the conduit 130.

[0068] FIG. 6 shows another variant for the design of the mounting rail 100. In FIG. 6, the rail member is recessed with respect to the panels 50, but a space for a conduit 130 is provided by the rail member having a downward bulge toward the support member. For this purpose, the support member 110 is also appropriately shaped to provide space for the conduit 130, which is located in the installation space 126.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows a section of the mounting rail in which no rail member with receiving space is arranged, but a blind element 160. The blind element can be used in such an area of the mounting rail in which no attachment of external elements is required. Thus, the blind element ensures that there is no depression at this point in which dirt can accumulate or which could pose a trip hazard. The surface of the blind element and the upper surface of the panels are at the same level, i.e., they are flush.

[0070] The mounting rail may comprise a plurality of longitudinal sections of support members 110 and a plurality of rail members disposed in the associated recess, with or without blind elements. Rail members of different materials and of different structure, and even blind elements of respective desired lengths, may be used in a support member to assemble a mounting rail in its entirety as required.

[0071] FIG. 8 shows another variant of the mounting rail 100. The support member 110 encloses with its support shoulders 115, support legs 112 and mounting surfaces 111 an installation space 116, in which one or more conduits 130 can be laid.

[0072] In FIG. 8, it is further shown that the mounting surfaces 111 are connected to a carrying structure 190 of a vehicle by means of fastening members 128 (screws, bolts, rivets, or the like). Fastening members 128 are also used to mechanically couple the panels resting on the support shoulders 115 to the support shoulders.

[0073] To prevent displacement of the rail member 120 in the longitudinal direction of the recess 113, the rail member 120 is connected to the support member 110 in a bottom region of its receiving space 124, by means of fastening members 128 arranged at regular or irregular intervals. In the example of FIG. 8, the fastening member 128 is a countersunk screw. However, other suitable fastening means such as bolts or rivets can also be used.

[0074] FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation of a rail member 120 whose collars are provided with a fastening grid. The fastening grid is provided in the form of lateral recesses in the collars of the C-profile of the rail member. A load support 200 of an external element (not shown) to be fastened is shown. This load support 200 is inserted into the receiving space 124 of the rail member 120 and secured in the desired position.

[0075] In one example, the mounting rail 100 as described herein may be constructed to use a titanium or titanium alloy rail member in a wet area. Titanium has a high specific gravity and moreover is very expensive. However, for strength reasons, it may be required that the rail member (the head of the mounting rail), which is used to support chair legs or monuments, be made of high-strength material with a standardized hole pattern. However, it is not necessary to use this high-strength, heavy and expensive material over the entire cross-section of the mounting rail. Rather, it is sufficient if the rail member meets these requirements. The support member may be made of a different material. The support member may be made of aluminum or a carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and the rail member is connected to the support member with fastening members, such as titanium bolts. The mounting rail described herein allows the combined use of carbon fiber reinforced plastics or thermoplastic materials in combination with metal, such as titanium. The rail member can even be replaced without having to remove the substructure, i.e., the support member. The rail member can also be made of or feature aluminum where lower strength requirements allow. With the mounting rail described herein, the use of heavy and expensive materials is reduced to a minimum.

[0076] Supplementally, it should be noted that “comprising” or “including” does not exclude other elements or steps, and “one” or “a” does not exclude a plurality. It should further be noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to any of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be regarded as limitation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0077] 100 mounting rail [0078] 110 support member [0079] 111 mounting surface [0080] 112 support leg [0081] 113 recess [0082] 114 longitudinal direction [0083] 115 support shoulder [0084] 116 installation space [0085] 117 end face [0086] 120 rail member [0087] 122 collar [0088] 123 lateral notch [0089] 124 receiving space [0090] 126 installation space [0091] 128 fastening member [0092] 130 conduit [0093] 150 wall panel or floor panel [0094] 152 surface [0095] 160 blind element [0096] 190 carrying structure [0097] 200 load support