The present invention relates to an arrangement for a vehicle for carrying a load on the roof of the vehicle, comprising a carrier which can be moved between a "trans¬ porting position" in which the carrier is disposed on the roof of the vehicle, and a "loading and unloading position" in which the carrier is disposed at the side of the vehicle to enable a load to be loaded or unloaded onto or from the carrier respectively, the carrier being connected via a hinge arrangement to a holder frame mounted on the vehicle. The main object of the present invention is primarily to provide an arrangement of the kind described above which makes it possible to accomplish the movement of the carrier and the load simply and efficiently between the two said positions. This object is achieved with an arrangement according to the present invention which is primarily characterised in that the said hinge arrangement is formed by a pivot arm arrangement which is pivotably mounted on the holder frame via one section by means of a primary bearing and is pivot- ^a bly mounted on the carrier via another section by means of a secondary bearing in such a way that the said secondary bearing is located on orre side of an imaginary line which extends through the primary bearing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the carrier has been moved into the said "transporting position" and the said "loading and unloading position" is located on the other side of the said line.

The invention is described in the following with ref¬ erence to the accompanying drawings, on which Figure 1 shows the arrangement in a "transporting posi¬ tion" and in a "loading and unloading position" respective¬ ly, with a wind surfing board accommodated in and supported on the arrangement,

Figure 2 shows the arrangement disposed in a trans¬ porting position and viewed from one side, looking at an angle from above,

Figure 3 shows the arrangement moved into an "inter- mediate position",

Figure 4 shows the arrangement moved into a so-called "loading and unloading position", and

Figure 5 shows the arrangement moved into its "loading and unloading position" and viewed at an angle from below. On the roof 1 of a vehicle 2 a holder frame 6 is fixed to the roof rack 3 which may consist of a plurality of trans¬ verse struts 5 which extend across the roof 1 of the vehicle and are fastened to the side edges 1A of the roof by mea s of fixing devices 4. In the embodiment example shown on the drax.ingε the said holder frame 6 is formed by a plura¬ lity of bars 7 extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and disposed at a distance from each other, being connected to each other via connecting bars 8 extending in the longitudinal direction of the veh- icle and designed to rest on the roof rack 3, for example, and to be connected to the latter "with the aid of bolts, for example, or in some other suitable manner.

A carrier 9 on 'which it is intended to secure the load, such as a wind surfing bp_ard 10, for example, on the roof 1 of the vehicle, is designed to be supported by the said hol¬ der frame 6. A hinge arrangement 11 connects the carrier 9 to the holder frame 6 and the said hinge arrangement 11 is formed by a pivot arm arrangement 12. A pivot arm arrange¬ ment 12 is connected to the carrier and a bar 7 of the holder frame respectively via, for example, pin-type hinges 3 and 1 respectively, having a hinge 3 _. 1 located at the respective ends 12A and 12B of a pivot arm arrangement 12. Preferably, the end 12A of the pivot arm arrangement 12, which is connected to the carrier 9 _. is constructed with an upv/ardly projecting part 5, like an upright, which is sub¬ stantially congruent with a corresponding part 6 on the

carrier 9 _^ Tbe other end 12B of the pivot arm arrangement has a cavity 17 which is designed to accommodate and sur¬ round a holder frame bar ~7 as is shown clearly in Figure 3. The hinge 14 is accommodated in the side shanks 7A and 7B respectively of the said cavity 17 and in a hole which ex¬ tends through the holder frame bar 7 or a member connected to the bar and projecting out towards the roof 1 of the vehicle, for example.

On its other end the carrier preferably also.has a plurality of upwardly projecting carrier members 18, like uprights, to provide effective support and retention for a wind surfing board 10, for example, as shown in Figure 1, and to prevent the board frommoving in a lateral direction. Vith the aid of suitable lashing devices which are wound round the board 10, the latter is secured to the carrier arrangement with the aid of loop-type fixing devices 19- Appropriate locking devices may also be used with the arr¬ angement, to prevent the board 10 from being taken away from the vehicle 2 by unauthorised persons. ϊbe carrier 9. and preferably the angular arm 12 as well, has a profile hich is open towards the vehicle 2, and preferably has a U-shaped cross-section so that the carrier 9 can engage round and accommodate the angular arm 12 and the holder frame bar 7. and so that the angular arm 12 in turn can engage round and accommodate part of the holder frame bar 7-

The two carrier profile bars are connected to each other via a pull-push device 20 which extends in the longi¬ tudinal direction of the vehicle and is connected to the up- right shanks 18 on the respective profiles. The said pull- push device 20, which is designed to form a hand-hold, pre¬ ferably has a section 20A in the centre which, is bent out¬ wards to form a readily-gripped section, to facilitate mani¬ pulation of the arrangement. The bearing 14 which connects the angular arm 12 to _. the holder frame 6 forms the so-called "primary bearing",

and the bearing 3 which connects the angular arm 12 to the carrier forms the so-called "secondary bearing", and in the example shown the secondary bearing 3 is located at a higher level than that at which the primary bearing 14 is located when the arrangement takes up the so-called ^■ "transporting position" A.

The functioning of the arrangement is as follows, where reference is made to Figures 1 and 3 on the drawings: A board 10 is supported on the carrier 9 close to the roof 1 of the vehicle, this position being called the "transport¬ ing position" and indicated on the drawing in Figure 1 with the letter A. When the carrier 9 is operated by pulling the handle 20 in the direction of the arrow 21, the carrier 9 and the board 10 supported on it are swung around the pri- nary hinge 14, and the angular arms 12 are lifted up at their free ends so that the secondary bearing 13 moves from its original resting position 13 and is pivoted around the primary bearing 14. In Figure 3 the carrier 9 held in an intermediate position, and if pulling on the handle 20 is continued the carrier 9 moves in the direction away from the vehicle roof 1 into a position wherein the carrier 9 i dis¬ posed at the side of the vehicle 2, in a so-called "loading and unloading position" B, at a suitable level to enable easy loading or unloading of the board 10 onto or out of the carrier to be carried out with an ergono ically correct work¬ ing position.

A part 7 of the respective holder frame bars 7 forms an element which rests against the cavity 9A on the respec¬ tive lower face of the carrier, with the aim o controlling and supporting the carrier 9 during its movement between the two said positions (A and B

The secondary bearing 3A is located at one side of an imaginary line 22 which extends through the primary bearing 14 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the carrier 9 has been moved into the said "transportingposition" A. When the carrier 9 has been into the said "loading

and unloading position" B the secondary bearing 13B is lo¬ cated on the other side of the said imaginary line 22, as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5.

By operating the handle 20 in the direction of the arrow 23 the carrier 9 is brought back into its so-called "transporting position".

The arrangement is simple to use and it is not necess¬ ary to exert very much force to move the carx-ier 9 with the load 10 into the desired position A, B, since it is poεε- ible for the carrier to slide v.'hen it is being moved be¬ tween the two said terminal positions A, B, and it is not therefore necessary to lift and stretch across the roof 1 of the vehicle vhen loading or unloading the load, with the risk in so doing of injuring the back, or incurring other injury.

In the example shown only one arrangement is supported on the vehicle roof 1, but it is also possible to have more than one such arrangement supported on the roof of a vehicle disposed adjacent to each other. 1^ i also possible to fix the holder frame 6 to the vehicle roof 1 with the aid of fixing devices 4 similar to those used for the vehicle roof rack 3 and these fixing de¬ vices are then arranged appropriately on the respective ends of the holder frame bars- 7- The invention is not limited to the embodiment des¬ cribed above and shown on the drawings merely by way of ex¬ ample, but its details can be modified within the framework of the following Patent Claims.

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