Load carrier foot arrangement

A load carrier foot arrangement comprising a load carrier foot (3) which supports a load carrier (4) and which is designed to be mounted on an elongated rail profile (2) which is mounted on a vehicle body, said rail profile having a cross-section exhibiting a cavity (5) and upturned walls (6,7) enclosing between them a gap (8) which is in communication with the cavity and wherein the walls in one area thereof exhibit a mounting opening (12) in which the load carrier foot is mounted and wherein at least one of the walls exhibits along its length one or more notches (13) and wherein the load carrier foot has a locking device comprising a locking plate (27) which is located in the cavity when the load carrier foot is mounted on the rail profile and wherein the locking plate is attached by connecting elements (28,29) to a locking spindle (21) which is rotatably mounted in the load carrier foot and equipped with a first set of eccentric cams (25, 26) to which the connecting elements are attached in such a manner that the locking plate is moved towards and away from the load carrier foot depending on the direction of rotation of the locking spindle, whereby the locking plate is brought into engagement with the walls (6,7) of the rail when moved in the locking direction towards the load carrier foot, whereby the load carrier foot is prevented from moving along the rail profile, and wherein the locking spindle has a second eccentric area (35) to which a retaining catch (32) is rotatably mounted, which retaining catch, when the locking plate is moved in the direction of load carrier foot, is inserted into a notch in the rail when the load carrier foot is so positioned on the rail profile that the retaining catch assumes a position on the rail profile which is aligned with a notch, whereby any movement of the load carrier foot along the rail profile is prevented through the interference of the retaining catch with the edge regions of the notch if the load carrier foot tends to shift on the rail profile, wherein the retaining catch (32) possesses a stop face (38) engageable upon the rail wall (6) and a sensing element (39), that the retaining catch is prestressed by a tensioning means (37) to assume a position such that the sensing element contacts the rail wall (6) possessing notches (13) as the load carrier foot is moved along the rail profile (2), that the sensing element is snapped into the notches by the prestressing force as the sensing element moves past said notches, providing an indication of the position of the load carrier foot (3) in which indicated position the retaining catch can be inserted downwards into a notch.

A load carrier foot adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle-carried elongate rail profile having an internal cavity at least partially surrounded by a pair of upturned walls that define an access gap space therebetween that is variably configured to releasably accept mounting of said load carrier foot, said load carrier foot comprising:

• a locking member adjustably connected to a foot element of said load carrier foot, a locking plate configured to be insertibly received in the internal cavity of an elongate rail profile;
• a sensing member rotatably connected to a biasing member and configured to be biased into abutting engagement with the elongate rail profile and adapted to provide location indications of receiving notches in the elongate rail profile resulting from sliding motion along a length of said elongate rail;
• and
• a retaining catch connected to said foot element and configured to be transitioned into a locked position when a receiving notch is indicated by said sensing member.

A load carrier arrangement comprising:

• a load carrier foot configured to be releasably installed upon a carrying vehicle;
• an elongate rail profile mounted on a carrying vehicle, said profile having a mounting opening configured to insertibly receive an anchor portion of said load carrier foot;
• said elongate rail profile further having an internal cavity at least partially surrounded by a pair of upturned walls that define an access gap space therebetween;
• a plurality of notches extending through one of said pair of upturned walls, each of said notches configured to indicatively engage a sensing means of said load carrier foot and lockingly receive a retaining catch of said load carrier foot;
• a sensing means connected to said load carrier foot and to a biasing means for abuttingly engaging said elongate rail profile and for providing indications of encounters with receiving notches in the elongate rail profile resulting from sliding motion along a length of said elongate rail;
• and
• a catching means configured to be received in at least one of said plurality of notches in said elongate rail profile, said catch means connected to said load carrier foot, to said biasing means and to an actuator for fixing said load carrier foot along a length of said elongate rail profile exclusively when proper alignment with a notch is achieved and indicated by said sensing means.