End cap for roller tonneau cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020171928-A1
Application number	US-201916590442-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 2, 2019
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	Jun 4, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An end cap for a roller tonneau cover of a truck includes, among other things, an end portion having a primary sliding surface and a first interlocking feature that provides an interface between the end cap and a slat of the tonneau cover, a tooth portion including teeth for engaging with a pinion gear, and a connection portion between the end portion and the tooth portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An end cap for a roller tonneau cover of a truck, comprising:
an end portion having a primary sliding surface and a first interlocking feature that provides an interface between the end cap and a slat of a tonneau cover; a tooth portion including teeth for engaging with a pinion gear; and a connection portion between the end portion and the tooth portion.

2 . The end cap of claim 1 , wherein the end portion, the tooth portion and the connection portion are made from plastic and formed integrally from an injection molding.

3 . The end cap of claim 2 , wherein the end cap extends along a transverse direction of the truck at an assembled position, wherein the first interlocking feature includes a first elongated protrusion and a second elongated protrusion along two edges at the transverse direction, and wherein the first and second elongated protrusions are located adjacent to the connection portion and contact the slat of the tonneau cover to create interference fits at the assembled position.

4 . The end cap of claim 3 , wherein the end portion includes a lateral sliding surface substantially perpendicular to a floor of the truck at the assembled position and positioned at an end of the end portion.

5 . The end cap of claim 4 , wherein the primary sliding surface has a curved contour.

6 . The end cap as of claim 3 , further comprising a distal portion connected to the tooth portion and having a second interlocking features, wherein the second interlocking feature includes a third elongated protrusion and a fourth elongated protrusion along two edges of the distal portion at the transverse direction, and the third and fourth elongated protrusions contact the slat of the tonneau cover to create interference fits at the assembled position.

7 . The end cap of claim 2 , wherein a lower surface of the tooth portion has a waved profile to form two teeth in a middle portion and two half-teeth at edges for engaging with the pinion gear.

8 . The end cap of claim 7 , wherein the tooth portion includes two channels recessed from an upper surface of the tooth portion for receiving two projections of the slat of the tonneau cover and each channel has a sloped guide surface to facilitate an insertion into the slat.

9 . The end cap of claim 2 wherein the connection portion is an elongated block.

10 . The end cap of claim 2 , wherein the connection portion includes two elongated blocks spaced apart each other.

11 . The end cap of claim 10 , further includes first and second distal portions connected to the two elongated blocks, wherein each of the first and second distal portions includes a third elongated protrusion and a fourth elongated protrusion along two edges of the two elongated blocks at a transverse direction of the truck, and the third and fourth elongated protrusions contact the slat of the tonneau cover to create further interference fits at the assembled position.

12 . A tonneau cover assembly of a truck, comprising:
a tonneau cover comprised of a plurality of slats, wherein the plurality of slats extends at a transverse direction of the truck; a plurality of end caps, wherein each slat is mounted with two end caps, and each end cap including:
an end portion including a primary sliding surface facing a bottom of a guide track on a truck box, a lateral sliding surface substantially perpendicular to a floor of the truck box and a first interlocking feature for interfacing with the bottom of the slat,
a tooth portion including teeth, and
a connection portion between the end portion and the tooth portion; and
a driving mechanism for moving the tonneau cover, and the driving mechanism including:
two pinion gears to engage with the tooth portions of the end caps and move the tonneau cover between an opened position and a closed position,
wherein the tooth portions of the plurality of the end caps collectively form two racks to engage with the two pinion gears respectively, the plurality of slats are coupled to two guide tracks via the end caps and moveable via an engagement of the racks with the pinion gears of the driving mechanism, and wherein the end cap is formed as a single piece.

13 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 12 , wherein each slat has a flat upper surface and two projections extended from a bottom surface of the slat for mating with a corresponding end cap.

14 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first interlocking feature includes a first elongated protrusion and a second elongated protrusion along two edges at the transverse direction, and the first elongated protrusion and a second elongated protrusion extend from a horizontal surface of the end portion and contact the slat to create interference fit.

15 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 14 , wherein each end cap further comprises a distal portion connected to the tooth portion, wherein the distal portion includes a third elongated protrusion and a fourth elongated protrusion along two edges of the distal portion at the transverse direction, and the third and fourth elongated protrusions contact the slat to create interference fit.

16 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 15 , wherein each of the slat includes an upper plate and two projections extending from the upper plate and adjacent two edges along the transverse direction and wherein the tooth portion of each of the end cap includes two channels recessed from an upper surface of the tooth portion for receiving two projections of the slat.

17 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 16 , wherein the slat includes a lower plate spaced apart from the upper plate and disposed between the two projections, wherein the lower plate is disposed away from the upper plate to create a space to receive the end cap.

18 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 17 , wherein the driving mechanism includes:
an intermediate gear concentric with the pinion gear and disposed adjacent to one of the pinion gears; a common shaft connecting the two pinion gears and the intermediate gear; a driving gear; and a motor connected to the driving gear, wherein the motor is disposed adjacent to one side of the truck box.

19 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of seals mounted between adjacent slats and extending along the transverse direction to connect the slats.

20 . The tonneau cover assembly of claim 18 , wherein the end cap includes two teeth at a middle portion and two half teeth at edges, wherein one half teeth at an edge from an end cap and one half teeth at an edge from an adjacent cap form one teeth, and wherein the teeth from the end caps collectively form a rack for an engagement with the two pinion gears.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Rawnsley Ryan
• Wilson Geoffrey Robert

Classifications

• B60J7/067 Primary

  sliding and winding up · CPC title

• B60Y2200/141

  Light trucks · CPC title

• B60P7/02

  Covering of load · CPC title

• B60J7/1607 Primary

  for covering load areas, e.g. rigid panels for pick-up truck beds · CPC title

• B60J7/068 Primary

  for utility vehicles, e.g. of tarpaulin or roller-blind type · CPC title