The invention relates to a load carrier for passenger cars, such as a tow hitch.

It is known to provide passenger cars with a tow hitch having a hitch ball for coupling a caravan or the like to the car. In one conventional embodiment, the tow hitch forms part of an assembly that is to be mounted in the rear of a car. The assembly comprises a crossbar onto which the hitch is secured and which itself is secured to the chassis of the car. Such an assembly can be secured to new cars or to cars that have already been used for some time. Two kinds of systems can be distinguished: systems with a fixed hitch ball and systems having a hitch ball that can be uncoupled from a sleeve that is permanently secured to the crossbar. A drawback of such assemblies is that the crossbars add weight to the cars in question. In addition, the crossbars take up space, which space must be available and therefore must be reckoned with in the design of the car.

It is furthermore known to permanently include a fixed coupling member in the form of a sleeve for a removable hitch ball having a mating coupling member in the rear cross beam of the chassis of a car, vide WO-A-2004/026598.

There is a need for a tow hitch assembly for passenger cars that adds but little weight to the car.

There is furthermore a need for a tow hitch assembly for passenger cars that takes up little space.

From one aspect, the invention provides a passenger car having a supporting structure, such as a chassis, com- prising longitudinal side girders, and having a bumper or crash beam, in particular a rear crash beam, made in accordance with the standard design for the passenger car in question, and a load carrier assembly, such as a tow hitch assembly, in which the load carrier assembly comprises a rigid load carrier member and a first mounting member, and in which said first mounting member is secured to the crash beam and said crash beam is secured to the longitudinal side girders by means of second mounting members.

Thus, the original crash beam, which has been mounted on the car in the production or assembly plant of the car type in question, is additionally used for mounting the load carrier. Due to the current high standards for the design of crash beams the crash beam may often have sufficient strength to enable a proper transfer of all forces exerted on the load carrier during use (for instance during acceleration and deceleration of the car) to the connections to the longitudinal girders, and therewith enable a proper transfer to the supporting structure of the car. In that case, there will be no need for replacement of the crash beam by a crash beam having increased strength, or for addition of a crossbar. The second mounting members ensure a proper transfer of forces and torques from the crash beam to the longitudinal girders.

Thus, the crash beam, the main function of which is acting as a shock absorber, performs an additional function in transferring forces generated by the use of the carrier, such as a tow hitch. Consequently, providing a passenger car with a load carrier, such as a tow hitch, after some time of use of the car, does not require removal and dis- posal of the original crash beam, thus avoiding waste.

The first mounting member can be supported by the crash beam only.

Preferably, the first mounting member is rigidly secured to a centre section of the crash beam.

The positioning of the first mounting member as well as the transfer of forces is enhanced in case the first mounting member has an outer contour matching the inner contour of the crash beam.

The transfer of forces is further enhanced when the second mounting members are rigidly secured to the longitudinal girders. For example, the longitudinal girders may have a web, in particular a vertical web, the second mounting members being rigidly secured to the web.

The transfer of forces is further enhanced in case the second mounting members are rigidly secured to the crash beam. In one embodiment, the load carrier member is a tow hitch.

The first mounting member may comprise a first coupling member and the load carrier member may comprise a second coupling member, said first and second coupling mem- bers being adapted for detachable coupling engagement with each other. Examples of such a detachable coupling are shown in EP-A-O .934.838, EP-A-I.526.010, EP-A-I.539.511 and NL-A-1008215.

From another aspect, the invention provides a method for providing a passenger car with a load carrier assembly, said car having a supporting structure, such as a chassis, comprising longitudinal side girders, and having a crash beam, in particular a rear crash beam, made in accordance with the standard design for the passenger car in question, in which the load carrier assembly comprises a rigid load carrier member and a first mounting member, wherein said first mounting member is rigidly secured to the crash beam and said crash beam is rigidly secured to the longitudinal side girders by means of second mounting members. In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the original crash beam is detached from the chassis, after which the first and second mounting members

are secured to the crash beam and after which the crash beam is secured to the longitudinal girders again by means of the second mounting members.

In another further embodiment, the second mounting members are already rigidly secured to the longitudinal girders, in which case the first mounting member is secured to the crash beam without the crash beam being detached from the car.

From yet another aspect, the invention provides a mounting set for mounting a load carrier on a passenger car, said car having a supporting structure, such as a chassis, comprising longitudinal side girders, and having a crash beam made in accordance with the standard design for the passenger car in question, in which the mounting set comprises a rigid load carrier member and a first mounting member provided with first securing means for securing the load carrier member to the crash beam, and two second mounting members provided with second and third securing means for being secured to the longitudinal girders and to the crash beam, respectively.

Preferably, the first mounting member has an outer contour matching the inner contour of the crash beam.

The aspects and measures described this description and claims of the application and/or shown in the drawings of this application may where possible also be used individually. Said individual aspects may be the subject of divisional patent applications related thereto. This particularly applies to the measures and aspects described per se in the sub claims. The invention will be elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

Figures IA and IB show a front view and a back view of an assembly of a first mounting member and a tow hitch according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figures 2A and 2B show a rear view and a front view of a second mounting member, respectively, for use in a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

Figures 3A, 3B and 3C show a rear view, a front view and a side view, respectively, of a preferred embodiment according to the invention, mounted on longitudinal girders of a car frame. Figure IA and Figure IB show a tow hitch assembly 1 comprising a hitch bar 2 having a hitch ball 3 at its outer end and being provided with a vertical bar 4 at the opposite end. Vertical bar 4 is accommodated in a first mounting member 12. First mounting member 12 is composed of a steel plate 13 which has been bent to a general U- shape with an upper plate 10, a front plate 9, provided with channel 9a, and a lower plate 11, divided in plate portions lla, 11a spaced from each other to provide a passage for bar 4. The first mounting member 12 furthermore includes two vertical plates 6a, 6b, which have been welded to the inner side of the U-shaped metal plate 13.

The various plate portions of first mounting member 12 have been provided with holes 7 through which fastening means such as screws or rivets can be inserted.

The second mounting members 20 depicted in Figures 2A and 2B are made of steel and have a generally U-shaped transverse cross-section. The second mounting members 20 have a vertical web 23 and an upper flange 24a and a lower flange 24b as well as a front flange 26a and a rear flange 26b. The web 23 is provided with two holes 27 for fastening means. Likewise, the upper flange 24a and the lower flange 24b, as well as the front flange 26a have been provided with such securing holes 27. The second mounting member 20 depicted in Figure 2B, differs from the second mounting member 20 depicted in Figure 2A in that a mounting flange 22 has been secured by welding to the web 23 and to the upper and lower flanges 24a, 24b. The mounting flange 22 has been provided with holes 28 for fastening means.

Figures 3A-C show a bumper or crash beam 30 without the usual cover or cap. The crash beam 30 has been made of

a steel, for instance Domex 024B (Borium-alloyed steel) according to EN 10083-3, and has a generally U-shaped transverse cross-section, comprising an upper leg 31 and a lower leg 32 and a front base 34 provided with a channel 34a. The outer ends of the upper leg 31 and lower leg 32 are turned upwards and downwards, respectively, by flanges 33a, 33b. The crash beam is obtained from a steel plate having a thickness of several mm, for instance 3 mm. Near the centre of the crash beam, the legs 31, 32 can have a width of about 60 mm, and the distance between the outer ends of the legs 31,32 can be about 120 mm.

The crash beam 30 is a standard type crash beam mounted on a passenger car during the initial assembling of the car in question. The crash beam 30 will then usu- ally be attached to the rear end of longitudinal girders 50 of the chassis of the car, by means of end plates (not shown) secured on end plates (not shown) on the longitudinal girders.

When the owner of the car decides to provide his car with a load carrier, such as the tow hitch assembly depicted in the figures, the crash beam 30 will be removed from the car by loosening the connection between the aforementioned end plates.

Next, the first mounting member 12, having hitch as- sembly 1 rigidly secured thereto, is placed in the hollow space, in the centre of the crash beam 30. The shape of the U-shaped plate 13 corresponds to the inner contour of the crash beam 30 in the centre area thereof. The legs 31, 32 and base 34 of the crash beam 30 have been provided with holes (not shown) for fastening means, which holes will become aligned with the various holes 7 of the first mounting member 12, after which the fastening means are placed and tightened. As a result, the first mounting member 12 and therewith the hitch assembly 1 will be rigidly secured to the crash beam 30 enabling transfer of transverse forces and torques from the tow hitch member to the

crash beam 30. The first mounting member 12 is supported by the crash beam 30 only.

In the next step, the second mounting members 20 are inserted with there wider ends into the hollow space of the crash beam 30, positioning the flange 22 against the upturned and downturned flanges 33a, 33b and aligning the holes 28 with holes 29a provided in the flanges 33a, 33b. In addition, hole 27 in flange 26a will become aligned with hole 29b in the channel 34a of the crash beam 30. When the second mounting members 20 have been correctly positioned, fastening means (not shown) are inserted through the various holes 27, 28, 29a, b, and tightened. As a result, the second mounting members 20 will be rigidly secured to the crash beam 30, enabling transfer of transverse forces and torques from the crash beam 30 to the smaller end of the second mounting members 20.

The smaller ends of the second mounting members 20 are then inserted into the open ends of the longitudinal girders 50. These girders 50 are box-shaped having an up- per wall 52a, lower wall 52b and sidewalls 51. One vertical sidewall 51 is provided with holes which are to be aligned with the holes 27 in the web 23 of the second mounting members 20. As can been seen in Figure 3C the smaller ends of the second mounting members 20 extend into the box-shaped girders 50, and are attached to web 51 of the longitudinal girders 50. Note that other ways of securing the second mounting members to the longitudinal girders could be possible, for instance by securing these members to horizontal webs of the girders. Subsequently, the second mounting members 20 are secured to the ends of de longitudinal girders 50 by fastening means, to form a rigid connection. This connection is such that normal forces and transverse forces as well as torques can be properly transferred from the second mounting members 20 to the longitudinal girders 50. The crash beam 30 will not be plastically deformed.

Modifications can been applied, for instance the hitch assembly shown long can be divided into a fixed part fixedly attached to the first mounting member 12 and provided with a sleeve, in which a coupling member has been provided, for cooporation with a mating coupling member provided on a releasable towhook.

Instead of a tow hitch assembly other types of load carriers could be secured to the crash beam 30, such as a bike rack, a tow-step or the like.