US-20260125925-A1 - AWNING

US20260125925A1US 20260125925 A1US20260125925 A1US 20260125925A1US-20260125925-A1

Abstract

An awning for a camping vehicle. The awning includes an awning fabric, an awning roller which can have the awning fabric rolled thereon, and awning arms. The awning roller and/or the awning arms pretension the awning fabric.

Inventors

Charles Philip Pozzi
John-David Pozzi

Assignees

FIAMMA S.P.A.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230822
Priority Date: 20220823

Claims (20)

1 - 25 . (canceled)
26 : An awning for a camping vehicle, the awning comprising: an awning fabric; an awning roller which is configured to have the awning fabric be rolled thereon; and awning arms, wherein, at least one of the awning roller and the awning arms are configured to pretension the awning fabric.
27 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , wherein the at least one of the awning roller and the awning arms each comprise a pretensioning device to pretension the awning fabric.
28 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , wherein each of the awning arms has a length which is configured to be adjustable so as to pretension at least one of the awning fabric and the awning roller.
29 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , further comprising: a front bar, wherein, each of the awning arms has a longitudinal end, the awning roller comprises coupling devices, a respective one of the coupling devices being arranged at each longitudinal end of the awning arms, each coupling device is provided in a form of a plug-in pin, and each coupling device is configured to couple to a portion of the front bar which at least one of carries and supports the awning roller.
30 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , wherein, the awning arms are each configured to be telescopic, and the awing arms each comprise a first arm portion and at least one second arm portion, the at least one second arm portion being telescopic in a longitudinal direction with respect to the first arm portion.
31 : The awning as recited in claim 30 , further comprising: a locking system which is configured to block the at least one second arm portion from being telescopic in the longitudinal direction with respect to the first arm portion, the locking system being arranged in at least one of two possible movement directions in a longitudinal extent.
32 : The awning as recited in claim 31 , wherein the locking system is configured so that the blocking of the at least one second arm portion from being telescopic in the longitudinal direction with respect to the first arm portion acts exclusively in one of the two possible movement directions in the longitudinal extent so as to prevent a pushing-in or a pushing-together of the first arm portion and the at least one second arm portion with respect to each other.
33 : The awning as recited in claim 32 , wherein the locking system is arranged between the first arm portion and the at least one second arm portion and is further configured so that the blocking can be automatically triggered when the first arm portion and the at least one second arm portion are pulled apart.
34 : The awning as recited in claim 31 , wherein the locking system comprises a locking apparatus which is configured to act exclusively in one of the two possible movement directions.
35 : The awning as recited in claim 34 , wherein the locking apparatus comprises, a toothed rack which is arranged on the first arm portion or on the at least one second arm portion, the toothed rack comprising a plurality of ramp teeth each of which have a locking face which is arranged to face the first arm portion or the at least one second arm portion on which the toothed rack is not arranged, and a locking tongue which is arranged on the first arm portion or on the at least one second arm portion on which the toothed rack is not arranged, the locking tongue comprising a locking flank and a locking projection, wherein, the locking projection is configured to allow a telescopic pulling-apart of the arm portions by sliding in a freely movable manner over the ramp teeth, and when the arm portions are pushed telescopically one into the other, the locking flank is configured to come into contact against the locking face to block a movement.
36 : The awning as recited in claim 35 , wherein the locking apparatus is further configured so that, to release the locking flank from the locking face, the locking tongue is pressed on in a first portion in a direction of the toothed rack counter to a resilient action so that an opposing second portion, which comprises the locking projection of the locking tongue, is thereby raised from the toothed rack via a lever action, or the locking tongue is displaced in a direction of the locking face.
37 : The awning as recited in claim 35 , wherein the locking apparatus further comprises a displaceable actuating member which is operationally connected to the locking tongue via a wedge connection so that the locking tongue, when the actuating member is displaced in a direction of the locking tongue, is pressed in a direction away from the toothed rack.
38 : The awning as recited in claim 37 , wherein the displaceable actuating member is arranged at least predominantly between the locking tongue and the toothed rack.
39 : The awning as recited in claim 31 , wherein, each of the awning arms has a projected outer circumferential contour, and the locking system is further configured so that the locking system is always arranged inside the projected outer circumferential contour of a respective one of the awning arms.
40 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , further comprising: awning legs which are configured to be telescopic, wherein, a respective one of the awning legs is configured to be storable inside a respective one of the awning arms, and a longitudinal end of the respective one of the awning legs is configured to be secured to the respective one of the awning arms.
41 : The awning as claimed in claim 40 , wherein the awning arms and the awning legs have a cross sectional contour which is configured in a substantially identical manner.
42 : The awning as recited in claim 26 , further comprising: a front bar which comprises a first end cap and a second end cap, wherein, the awning roller comprises a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end, and the awning roller is rotatably supported with the first longitudinal end arranged in the first end cap and the second longitudinal end arranged in the second end cap.
43 : The awning as recited in claim 42 , wherein, the front bar is arranged between the first end cap and the second end cap along a longitudinal extent of the awning roller, and the first end cap, the second end cap and the front bar are each configured to be non-rotatable with respect to the awning roller.
44 : The awning as recited in claim 42 , further comprising: a pretensioning device which is configured to pretension at least one of the awning fabric and the awning roller between the first end cap, the second end cap and the awning roller, wherein, the pretensioning device is provided as an axial spring, and the pretensioning device is arranged so that, when the awning fabric is unrolled, the axial spring is increasingly tensioned and, when the awning fabric is rolled in onto the awning roller, the axial spring is increasingly untensioned.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2023/073040, filed on Aug. 22, 2023 and which claims benefit to German Patent Application No. 10 2022 121 265.3, filed on Aug. 23, 2022. The International Application was published in German on Feb. 29, 2024 as WO 2024/042083 A 1 under PCT Article 21(2). FIELD The present invention relates to an awning for a camping vehicle, in particular to a manually operable awning, having an awning fabric, an awning roller, on which the awning fabric can be rolled, and having at least two awning arms. BACKGROUND Such awnings are known in numerous configurations. Such an awning is described, for example, in DE 20 2014 104 014 U1. In such awnings, there is generally provision for the awning to be permanently mounted with a housing on a vehicle, in particular a camping vehicle. In order to construct the awning, a base frame, in particular the awning arms which act as spars and the awning legs which may be optionally provided and which act at the free end of the awning arms in a supporting manner on underlying ground to be removed from the housing are provided as separate individual components and assembled. The awning fabric which is rolled on the awning roller can subsequently be unrolled manually, that is to say by hand, in the direction of the free end of the awning arms and secured with one end, often with the awning roller itself, to the free end of the awning arms. In order to enable different depths, also called unrolling lengths, the awning arms can often be mounted in different lengths. To this end, the respective awning arm may comprise a plurality of portions or elements which can be positioned and secured in different positions with respect to each other so that different lengths of the overall awning arm are produced. It has been found that camping nowadays is often no longer undertaken over a relatively long period of time at one and the same location, but instead, in substantially shorter periods, that is to say with a number of short stays or overnight stays at different locations, sometimes also, for example, at near-to-nature and impassable locations. There is thereby often a desire for an awning which can be assembled and disassembled in a rapid and uncomplicated manner. The assembly and disassembly with conventional awnings is often relatively cumbersome and complex. The production costs of such awnings which comprise a large number of individual components are also often relatively high. For example, for the construction of such an awning it is thus generally necessary for initially all the individual components to be removed manually from a respective storage container or housing, temporarily stored beside the vehicle, and then successively orientated relative to each other and assembled and/or secured to one another to form the final base frame. The same applies in the reverse order when disassembling the awning, wherein the user in this instance, as a result of the sizing, must often provide that the individual components of the awning again reach the storage location provided therefor. After a construction of such an awning, an adaptation or adjustment of the awning is also often possible only with a relatively high level of complexity. For example, with such awnings the depth of the awning, in particular the length of the awning arms, is often determined in one of the first assembly steps and, after construction of the awning, can no longer be changed or only changed with a considerable level of working complexity. In order to change the length of the awning arms, a partial dismantling of the awning, in particular a release of the securing of the awning fabric from the free end of the awning arms and at least partial rolling-in of the awning fabric on the awning roller, is thus generally required. With the entire base frame being simultaneously lifted in order to avoid bending of the awning legs, the individual elements of the awning arms can then be changed in terms of their length and locked in a new position with respect to each other. The awning fabric may subsequently be again unrolled and secured at the newly positioned free end of the awning arms. At least two people are therefore generally required for such a re-adjustment. The criterion of energy efficiency of a vehicle, in particular with regard to its wind resistance, is currently also becoming increasingly important. It is therefore desirable not only to configure the vehicle itself but also the attachments which are fitted to the outer face thereof as far as possible so that, when the vehicle is moving, they have only a small surface which is exposed to wind and consequently do not increase the overall wind resistance of the vehicle to an undesirable degree. The disadvantage with numerous prior art awnings is their often relatively bulky and large structural shape, in particular of th