Awning assembly

1. An awning assembly for use with a vehicle, the awning assembly comprising:

an elongate base attachable to the vehicle, the base having a first end and an opposing second end;

a magnetic portion located proximal to the second end of the base;

a plurality of arms pivotably attached at the first end of the base, the plurality of arms pivotable relative to the base between a stowed position and a deployed position, each of the plurality of arms comprising a magnetic arm portion;

a shield protruding perpendicular to the second end of the base, the shield being shaped to shield the plurality of arms from wind when the arms are in the stowed position; and

a flexible sheet associated with the arms;

wherein:

at least one of the magnetic portion and the magnetic arm portion comprises at least one magnet, and the other comprises either a magnet of opposing polarity to the at least one magnet, or a magnetically-responsive metal;

in the stowed position, the arms are positioned adjacent the base, such that the magnetic arm portion of each of the plurality of arms is magnetically retained within the magnetic portion, thereby at least partially securing the arms in the stowed position; and

in the deployed position, the arms extend away from the base so that the flexible sheet provides cover to an area beneath the arms.

2. The awning assembly of claim 1 , wherein the arms are disposed substantially against the elongate base and parallel therewith when in the stowed position, and the arms splay outwardly from the first end when in a deployed position.

3. The awning assembly of claim 1 , wherein the arms are arranged on a pivot so that each one is disposed incrementally along a vertical pivot axis.

4. The awning assembly of claim 1 further including an arm retainer disposed at the second end of the base, the arm retainer comprising a plurality of arm receivers, each arm receiver having a recess to receive a portion of a respective arm of the plurality of arms.

5. The awning assembly of claim 4 , wherein each recess includes a guide or lead-in portion to facilitate receiving the portion of each respective arm within the recess.

6. The awning assembly of claim 5 , wherein the guide or lead-in portion is adapted to reduce slop and backlash of each respective arm when stowed therein.

7. The awning assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one arm includes an arm support pivotally connected thereto by a joint;

the arm support being disposed outboard of its respective arm, relative to the base, when the arm is in the stowed position; and

the arm support pivots to extend vertically downwards from the arm when the arm is in the deployed position.

8. The awning assembly of claim 7 , wherein the joint comprises a pivot pin; and

the pivot pin is at least partially formed of a magnetically-responsive material, thereby forming the magnetic arm portion.

9. The awning assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic arm portion of each arm comprises a magnet.

10. The awning assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base comprises an outwardly-facing base surface extending between the first and second end, the plurality of arms lying parallel thereto when in the stowed position; and

the magnetic portion of the base comprises an array of magnets mounted within the base, and a surface that receives a respective magnetic arm portion when the arms are in the stowed position;

such that the surface of the magnetic portion is flush with the base surface.

11. The awning assembly of claim 1 wherein the shield is curved in a convex manner across an outwardly-facing surface thereof.

12. The awning assembly of claim 1 wherein the shield is integral to the base.

13. The awning assembly of claim 1 further comprising an end cap at the second end of the base; and

the shield is formed by the end cap.