Locking mechanism for a rack mountable to a roof of a vehicle and rack mountable to a roof of a vehicle comprising same

A rack mountable to a roof rack of a vehicle and movable to a transport configuration where the rack extends over the roof of the vehicle, the rack comprising:

• at least one elongated base section mountable to the roof rack of the vehicle;
• at least one pivoting link associated to a corresponding elongated base section of the at least one elongated base section and being rotatably mounted thereto;
• an article support including at least one bracket associated to a corresponding one of the at least one pivoting link, each one of the at least one bracket having an upper end pivotally connected to the corresponding pivoting link;
• a locking mechanism comprising:
• a locking tab;
• a rotating locking pin extending along a longitudinal axis and rotatable about the longitudinal axis, the rotating locking pin being longitudinally movable along the longitudinal axis as the rack is moved to the transport configuration or is moved away from the transport configuration,
• a locking tooth positioned at a distal end of the rotating locking pin, with the rotating locking pin being rotatable between a locking angular orientation where the locking tooth is engageable with the locking tab as the locking pin is moved longitudinally along the longitudinal axis and an unlocked angular orientation where the locking tooth does not engage with the locking tab as the locking pin is moved longitudinally along the longitudinal axis;
• a rotation biasing member rotatively biasing the rotating locking pin towards the locking angular orientation;
• and
• an angular rotation restriction assembly activatable when the rotating locking pin is rotated into the unlocked angular orientation and the rack is configured in the transport configuration, the angular rotation restriction assembly being configured to maintain the rotating locking pin in the unlocked angular orientation until the angular rotation restriction assembly is deactivated.