JP2012111245A - Fuel filler device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to stabilize the support of a cap by a lid and reduce the cost.
A vehicle fuel supply comprising a cap that opens and closes a fuel supply port, a lid that collectively covers the fuel supply port and the cap, and a cap holding portion that holds the cap on the lid. The mouth device 20. The lid 24 includes a lid main body 25 and a stiffener 27 coupled to the back surface 26 of the lid main body 25. The lid body 25 has a flange 35 that extends toward the back surface 26 on the peripheral edge 34. The cap holding part 33 includes a flange 35 and a pair of claw parts 36 and a contact part 37 formed on the stiffener 27. A pair of nail | claw part 36 has a space | interval from the back surface 26 of the lid 24 so that the cap 23 can be hung. The abutting portion 37 is positioned between the pair of claw portions 36 so as to support the other portion of the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 supported by the end surface of the annular flange 35.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an improved technique for a vehicle fuel filler device for replenishing fuel to a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle.

  A fuel supply port connected to the fuel tank via a fuel supply pipe can be opened and closed by a cap. When refueling, first, the lid covering the fuel supply port and the cap is opened first, then the cap is removed, the fuel supply port is opened, and then the fuel supply gun is inserted into the fuel supply port to start refueling. The removed cap is temporarily held on the lid so that it will not be lost. Various types of such vehicle fuel filler devices are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The vehicle fuel filler apparatus known from Patent Document 1 is provided with a cap holder on the back surface of a lid and hooks the removed cap onto the cap holder from above.

  Generally, the periphery of the lid employed in the vehicle fuel filler apparatus has a so-called annular flange that is folded back to the back side over the entire periphery. For this reason, when the cap removed from the fuel supply port is hooked on the cap holder from above, the cap may interfere with the upper edge of the lid flange.

  In order not to interfere, the cap hooking portion of the cap holder may be sufficiently separated from the back surface of the lid, as in the vehicle fuel filler device known from Patent Document 1. However, if the tip end surface of the cap that is hooked on the cap holder is separated from the back surface of the lid, the holding state of the cap by the cap hooking portion becomes unstable. There is room for improvement in order to hold the cap stably and securely without looseness on the lid.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to dispose the cap hooking portion at a position far away from the flange of the lid. However, when the refueling gun is inserted into the fuel supply port, the cap held by the cap holder is required not to interfere with the refueling gun. That is, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the cap hooking portion is low.

  Therefore, in order to stably hold the cap on the lid while preventing interference between the flange and the cap of the lid, a receiving seat made of a separate member may be interposed between the back surface of the lid and the cap hooking portion. Conceivable. This receiving seat receives the front end surface of the cap hooked on the cap hooking portion. The distance from the rear surface of the lid to the receiving seat is set to be substantially the same as the height from the rear surface of the lid to the tip of the annular flange. However, since a new receiving seat is joined to the lid and the cap holder, the number of parts increases and a joining process is required. This increases the cost, so there is room for further improvement.

JP-A-2005-104184

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of achieving both stability of cap support by a lid and cost reduction.

  In the first aspect of the invention, a cap for opening and closing a fuel supply port connected to a fuel tank via a fuel supply pipe, and a swing to the vehicle body so that the fuel supply port and the cap can be collectively covered. A vehicle fuel filler apparatus comprising: a lid that is detachably attached; and a cap holding portion that is capable of holding the cap in a state of being removed from the fuel supply port on the lid. The lid body includes a lid body for covering the supply port and the cap, and a stiffener coupled to the back surface of the lid body. The lid body has a flange extending to the back surface at the periphery, and the cap holding portion is The flange includes a pair of claw portions and a contact portion integrally formed with the stiffener, and the pair of claw portions hangs the cap. The flange has an end surface facing the pair of claw portions, and the end surface is connected to the pair of claw portions. The cap is a part capable of supporting a part of the front end surface of the cap facing the back surface of the lid body when being hung, and the abutting portion is supported by the end surface It is located between said pair of nail | claw parts in order to support the other site | part of a front-end | tip surface.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the pair of claw portions are members that can be hung by sliding the cap along the back surface of the lid body, and the contact portion is A guide for guiding the cap from the back surface of the lid body toward the abutting portion when the cap body is slid so as to be hooked on the pair of claws, and is positioned with a gap from the back surface of the lid body. The guide portion is inclined upwardly from the back surface of the lid body toward the contact portion.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the guide portion is joined to the back surface of the lid main body at the start point of the upward slope or in the vicinity of the start point.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the said guide part is set so that the magnitude | size of the width | variety along the back surface of the said lid main body may become large gradually as it goes to the starting point from the end point of the said up-slope. Features.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the said contact part is integrally formed in the said stiffener by connecting with the connection part integrally formed in the said stiffener, The said connection part is the back surface of the said lid main body. The width along the direction is set so as to gradually increase from the abutting portion toward the stiffener.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the said contact part is formed in the flat surface shape in the site | part which supports the front end surface of the said cap.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 7, the said stiffener has a pair of notch parts for isolate | separating between the said pair of nail | claw part and the said contact part, respectively, The bottom of this pair of notch part is Further, it is bent in a direction away from the contact portion.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 1, the front end surface of the cap currently hung on a pair of nail | claw part is supported by both the end surface of a cyclic | annular flange, and the contact part located between a pair of nail | claw part. be able to. For this reason, the cap removed from the fuel supply port can be held stably and reliably without rattling in the lid. Moreover, a pair of nail | claw part and contact part are integrally formed in the stiffener. For this reason, it is not necessary to comprise a pair of nail | claw part and contact part with another member with respect to a stiffener. Therefore, the number of parts for holding the cap in a stable state does not increase, and the cost of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus can be reduced. In this way, it is possible to achieve both stability of cap support and cost reduction.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the contact part is located with the space | interval from the back surface of a lid main body. When the cap is slid along the back surface of the lid body so as to hang on the pair of claw portions, the tip end surface of the cap slides while being guided by the end surface of the annular flange and the guide portion. Thereafter, in a state where the cap is hung on the pair of claws, the front end surface of the cap is supported by the end surface of the flange and the contact portion.
As described above, since there is a gap between the back surface of the lid body and the abutting portion, this gap is set appropriately (for example, set to be optimal according to the height of the annular flange or the claw portion). By doing so, the end surface of the cap can be sufficiently supported by the end surface of the flange and the contact portion. Further, when the cap is slid so as to be hooked on the pair of claw portions, the guide portion can guide the cap body from the back surface to the contact portion. For this reason, a cap can be easily set to a cap holding | maintenance part.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the starting point of the upward slope in a guide part or the vicinity of a starting point is joined to a lid main body. For this reason, a guide part and a contact part are integrated with a lid main body, and rigidity increases. As a result, the front end surface of the cap can be stably guided to the contact portion by the guide portion. Furthermore, the end surface of the cap can be stably supported by the end surface of the flange and the contact portion.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the width | variety of a guide part becomes large gradually as it goes to the starting point from the end point of an up slope. That is, the width of the guide portion is large at the start point or the vicinity of the start point joined to the lid body. The joint strength can be increased by increasing the joint area to be joined to the lid main body as much as it becomes wider.
Furthermore, the width of the guide portion becomes wider as the base end portion joined to the lid main body is approached. For this reason, the guide part has increased rigidity in the front and back direction of the lid body, so-called surface rigidity. As a result, the front end surface of the cap can be more stably guided to the contact portion by the guide portion. Furthermore, the end surface of the cap can be supported more stably by the end surface of the flange and the contact portion.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the contact part is integrally formed in the stiffener via the connection part. The width of the connecting portion gradually increases from the contact portion toward the stiffener. For this reason, the connecting portion has increased rigidity in the front and back directions of the lid body, so-called surface rigidity. As a result, the front end surface of the cap can be more stably guided to the contact portion by the guide portion. Furthermore, the end surface of the cap can be supported more stably by the end surface of the flange and the contact portion.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the front-end | tip surface of a cap can be reliably supported in the stable state by the contact part formed in flat surface shape. For this reason, the support stability which supports a cap by a contact part further increases.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 7, between a pair of nail | claw part and a contact part is mutually isolate | separated by a pair of notch part currently formed in the stiffener. For this reason, a pair of nail | claw part and a contact part can make an mutually independent effect | action.
Since the contact portion supports the tip end surface of the cap, a force in the front and back direction of the lid body acts. The stress accompanying this force is concentrated on the bottom of the pair of notches. On the other hand, in the invention according to the seventh aspect, the bottoms of the pair of notches are bent in directions away from the contact portions. For this reason, the stress which concentrates on the bottom of a pair of notch part can be relieved. As a result, the durability of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus can be increased.

It is a figure of the vehicle provided with the vehicle fuel filler apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle fuel filler device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the lid shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the procedure which puts a cap on the vehicle fuel filler apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the state which is refueling the fuel supply port of the vehicle fuel supply apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The form for implementing this invention is demonstrated below based on an accompanying drawing.

  A vehicle fuel filler apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a fuel tank 12 at a rear portion of a vehicle body 11, and a fuel supply pipe 13 that leads fuel to the fuel tank 12 is connected. A fuel supply port 14 is connected to an end of the fuel supply pipe 13. Is provided. A vehicle fuel filler device 20 is provided in the outer panel 15 at the rear of the vehicle body 11, and a fuel supply port 14 is disposed at a position of the vehicle fuel filler device 20.

  The position of the fuel tank 12 is not limited to the rear portion of the vehicle body 11 and may be near the center of the vehicle body 11. Further, the position of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20 is not limited to the left side of the vehicle body 11 and may be the right side of the vehicle body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20, the outer panel 15 is provided with a recess 21 for housing the fuel supply port 14, and a pipe hole 22 through which the fuel supply pipe 13 is passed is provided at the bottom of the recess 21. A fuel supply port 14 is provided at the end of the fuel supply pipe 13 protruding from the pipe hole 22.

  The fuel supply port 14 is closed by a cap 23, and the fuel supply port 14 can be opened and closed by the cap 23. Further, a lid 24 that closes the recess 21 is swingably attached to the vehicle body 11, and the fuel supply port 14 and the cap 23 can be collectively covered by the lid 24.

  The lid 24 spans the lid main body 25 for covering the fuel supply port 14 and the cap 23, a stiffener 27 coupled to the back surface 26 of the lid main body 25 to reinforce the lid main body 25, and the stiffener 27 and the recess 21. And a hinge portion 28 that supports the lid 24 so as to be freely opened and closed. The stiffener 27 has a hook portion 32 that keeps the lid 24 closed by being hooked on the hook receiving portion 31 of the recess 21 on the opposite side of the hinge portion 28.

  Further, the lid 24 is provided with a cap holding portion 33 that holds the cap 23 indicated by an imaginary line removed from the fuel supply port 14 by sliding it as indicated by an arrow.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cap holding portion 33 is formed integrally with an annular flange 35 extending from the back surface 26 toward the stiffener 27 over the entire periphery 34 of the lid body 25 so as to face the stiffener 27. And a contact portion 37 that is integrally formed with the stiffener 27 so as to extend between the claw portions 36. The contact portion 37 is formed integrally with the stiffener 27 by being connected to a connecting portion 38 formed integrally with the stiffener 27.

The claw portion 36 includes a rising portion 41 that rises from the base surface 39 of the stiffener 27 and a bent portion 42 that is bent from the upper end of the rising portion 41 in a direction facing each other.
The distal end 43 of the bent portion 42 is a portion on which the threaded portion 44 of the cap 23 is hung, and the distal end 43 has an arc shape so that it can be reliably hung according to the shape of the substantially cylindrical threaded portion 44.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the claw portion 36 can hang the cap 23 as shown in FIG. 5B by sliding the cap 23 along the back surface 26 of the lid body 25. At this time, the cap 43 is held by the tip 43 of the claw portion 36 fitting into the valley of the screw portion 44 of the cap 23.
When the cap 23 is slid so as to be hung on the claw portion 36, the guide portion 45 is guided from the back surface 26 of the lid main body 25 toward the contact portion 37. The guide portion 45 is inclined upward from the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 toward the contact portion 37. The distance from the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 to the upper part 46 of the guide part 45 is L1, and the distance from the upper part 46 of the guide part 45 to the end point 47 of the ascending slope of the contact part 37 is L2. Since L2 <L1, the guide portion 45 is steeper than the contact portion 37. Accordingly, the contact portion 37 is positioned with a space from the back surface 26 of the lid main body 25.

  The guide portion 45 is joined to the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 at the starting point 48 of the ascending slope or the vicinity of the starting point 48. Thereby, the position of the contact part 37 can be fixed reliably, and the cap 23 can be firmly held by the cap holding part 33.

  In addition, the abutting portion 37 is formed such that a portion a that supports a part of the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 is a flat surface. The flange 35 has an end surface 53 facing the claw portion 36, and the end surface 53 supports a part of the front end surface 51 of the cap 23.

Returning to FIGS. 3 and 4, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 is supported at three points: the part a supported by the contact portion 37 and the support points b and c of the end surface 53 of the flange 35.
The guide portion 45 is set such that the width in the direction along the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 gradually increases from the rising gradient end point 47 toward the start point 48. On the other hand, the connecting portion 38 is set such that the width in the direction along the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 gradually increases from the end point 47 of the gradient of the contact portion 37 toward the base surface 39 of the stiffener 27. ing.
In the embodiment, the flange 35 is annular. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the flange 35 may be interrupted or intermittently formed as long as the cap 23 can be supported by the end surface 53 of the flange 35. Absent.

  The stiffener 27 is provided with a pair of notches 56 for separating the claw portion 36 and the contact portion 37 from each other. The notch portion 56 includes an inlet portion 57 between the tip 43 of the claw portion 36 and the guide portion 45, and a bottom 58 between the claw portion 36 and the connecting portion 38. The bottom 58 is bent in a direction away from the contact portion 37. Thereby, the connecting portion 38 is set so that the width in the direction along the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 gradually increases from the end point 47 of the gradient of the contact portion 37 toward the base surface 39 of the stiffener 27. it can

The operation of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20 described above will be described next.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the cap 23 is moved as indicated by the arrow (1), and the tip surface 51 is abutted against the guide portion 45. As shown in (b), the tip surface 51 is moved along the guide portion 45 and moved as indicated by an arrow (2) of the cap 23. As shown in (c), the cap 23 is moved as indicated by the arrow (3), and the screw portion 44 of the cap 23 is hooked on the claw portion 36. Then, as shown in (d), the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 is supported by the end surface 53 of the flange and the contact portion 37, and the screw portion 44 of the cap 23 is hooked on the claw portion 36. As a result, the cap 23 can be reliably held on the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20 without rattling.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cap 23 is held by the opened lid 24, and the position of the cap 23 and the position of the fuel supply port 14 are sufficiently separated. Since the cap 23 is sufficiently separated from the movement path of the fueling gun, the fueling gun nozzle 61 is easily inserted into the fuel supply port 14 as shown by the arrow (4) without contacting the cap 23 during fueling. be able to.

The effects of the contents described above are summarized below.
1 to 4, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 that is hung on the pair of claws 36 is positioned between the end surface 53 of the annular flange 35 and the pair of claws 36. It can support by both the contact part 37 which is. For this reason, the cap 23 removed from the fuel supply port 14 can be stably and reliably held on the lid 24 without rattling. Further, the pair of claw portions 36 and the contact portion 37 are formed integrally with the stiffener 27. For this reason, it is not necessary to comprise a pair of nail | claw part 36 and contact part 37 with another member with respect to the stiffener 27. FIG. Therefore, the number of parts for holding the cap 23 in a stable state does not increase, so that the cost of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20 can be reduced. Thus, it is possible to achieve both the stability of supporting the cap 23 and the reduction in cost.

  With the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the abutting portion 37 is located at a distance from the back surface 26 of the lid body 25. When the cap 23 is slid along the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 so as to hang the cap 23 on the pair of claws 36, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 is guided to the end surface 53 of the annular flange 35 and the guide portion 45. Slide while being done. Thereafter, in a state where the cap 23 is hung on the pair of claw portions 36, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 is supported by the end surface 53 of the flange 35 and the contact portion 37.

  Thus, since there is a gap between the back surface 26 of the lid body 25 and the abutting portion 37, this gap is set appropriately (for example, optimally according to the height of the annular flange 35). By setting), the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be sufficiently supported by the end surface 53 of the flange 35 and the contact portion 37. Further, when the cap 23 is slid so as to be hung on the pair of claw portions 36, the guide portion 45 can guide the cap 23 from the back surface 26 of the lid main body 25 toward the contact portion 37. For this reason, the cap 23 can be easily set on the cap holding portion 33.

  With the configuration shown in FIG. 5 described above, the starting point 48 of the ascending slope in the guide portion 45 or the vicinity of the starting point 48 is joined to the lid body 25. For this reason, the guide part 45 and the contact part 37 are integrated with the lid main body 25, and rigidity increases. As a result, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be stably guided to the contact portion 37 by the guide portion 45. Furthermore, the end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be stably supported by the end surface 53 of the flange 35 and the contact portion 37.

With the configuration shown in FIG. 3 described above, the width of the guide portion 45 gradually increases from the ascending end point 47 toward the starting point 48. That is, the width of the guide portion 45 is large at the start point 48 or the vicinity of the start point 48 joined to the lid body 25. The joint strength can be increased by increasing the joint area to be joined to the lid main body 25 as much as the width is increased.
Furthermore, the width of the guide portion 45 becomes wider as the base end portion joined to the lid body 25 is approached. For this reason, the guide part 45 increases the rigidity in the front and back direction of the lid body 25, so-called surface rigidity. As a result, the front end surface 51 of the cap can be more stably guided to the contact portion 37 by the guide portion 45. Furthermore, the end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be supported more stably by the end surface 53 of the flange 35 and the contact portion 37.

  With the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the contact portion 37 is formed integrally with the stiffener 27 via the connecting portion 38. The width of the connecting portion 38 gradually increases from the contact portion 37 toward the stiffener 27. For this reason, the connection part 38 increases the rigidity in the front and back direction of the lid body 25, so-called surface rigidity. As a result, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be more stably guided to the contact portion 37 by the guide portion 45. Furthermore, the end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be supported more stably by the end surface 53 of the flange 35 and the contact portion 37.

  With the configuration shown in FIG. 5 described above, the front end surface 51 of the cap 23 can be reliably supported in a stable state by the contact portion 37 formed in a flat surface shape. For this reason, the support stability which supports the cap 23 by the contact part 37 further increases.

  3 and 5, the pair of claw portions 36 and the contact portion 37 are separated from each other by the pair of notches 56 formed in the stiffener 27. For this reason, a pair of nail | claw part 36 and the contact part 37 can perform the mutually independent effect | action. Since the contact portion 37 supports the front end surface 51 of the cap 23, a force in the front and back direction of the lid body 25 acts. The stress accompanying this force is concentrated on the bottoms 58 of the pair of notches 56. On the other hand, in the present invention, the bottoms 58 of the pair of cutout portions 56 are bent in directions away from the contact portions 37. For this reason, the stress which concentrates on the bottom 58 of a pair of notch part 56 can be relieved. As a result, the durability of the vehicle fuel filler apparatus 20 can be enhanced.

  In the vehicle fuel filler apparatus according to the present invention, the lid 24 has a circular shape in the embodiment, but is not limited thereto, and may be a rectangular shape or the like as long as the fuel supply opening and the cap can be covered together. Even if it is the shape of.

  The vehicle fuel filler apparatus of the present invention is suitable for use in passenger cars.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Vehicle body, 12 ... Fuel tank, 13 ... Fuel supply pipe, 14 ... Fuel supply port, 20 ... Vehicle fuel supply device, 23 ... Cap, 24 ... Lid, 25 ... Lid main body, 26 ... Back surface, 27 ... Stiffener, 33 ... cap holding part, 34 ... periphery, 35 ... flange, 36 ... claw part, 37 ... contact part, 38 ... connecting part, 45 ... guide part, 47 ... gradient end point, 48 ... gradient start point, 51 ... cap Front end surface, 53... End surface of flange, 56... Notch, 58.

Claims (7)

A cap for opening and closing a fuel supply port connected to a fuel tank via a fuel supply pipe; and a lid swingably attached to the vehicle body so as to cover the fuel supply port and the cap collectively; A vehicle fuel filler apparatus comprising: a cap holding portion capable of holding the cap in a state removed from the fuel supply port;
The lid includes a lid main body for covering the fuel supply port and the cap, and a stiffener coupled to the back surface of the lid main body.
The lid body has a flange extending on the back surface side at the periphery,
The cap holding portion includes the flange and a pair of claw portions and abutting portions formed integrally with the stiffener,
The pair of claws are positioned at a distance from the back surface of the lid body so that the cap can be hung.
The flange has end faces facing the pair of claws,
This end surface is a part capable of supporting a part of the front end surface of the cap facing the back surface of the lid body when the cap is hung on the pair of claws.
The vehicular fuel filler apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is positioned between the pair of claw portions so as to support another portion of the tip end surface of the cap supported by the end surface. The pair of claws are members capable of hanging the cap by sliding the cap along the back surface of the lid body,
The abutting portion is located at a distance from the back surface of the lid main body, and when the cap is slid so as to be hung on the pair of claw portions, the back surface of the lid main body is moved to the abutting portion. Having a guide part for guiding
The vehicle fuel filler apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is inclined upwardly from the back surface of the lid main body toward the contact portion.   The vehicular fuel filler apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion is joined to a back surface of the lid main body at a start point or a vicinity of the start point of the ascending slope.   The width of the guide portion in the direction along the rear surface of the lid body is set so that the width gradually increases from the end point of the upward slope toward the start point. The vehicle fuel filler apparatus according to the description. The contact portion is formed integrally with the stiffener by connecting to a connecting portion formed integrally with the stiffener,
The connecting portion is set such that the width in the direction along the rear surface of the lid body is gradually increased from the contact portion toward the stiffener. Item 5. The vehicle fuel filler apparatus according to any one of Items 4 to 4.   The vehicular fuel filler apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the abutting portion is formed to have a flat surface at a portion supporting the tip surface of the cap. . The stiffener has a pair of notches for separating the pair of claw portions and the contact portion, respectively.
The vehicle filler opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bottoms of the pair of notches are bent in a direction away from the contact portion.

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