Fuel door and vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed is a fuel door having a lid sealing structure that eliminates the lid for urea solution or water injection, and a vehicle including the fuel door. The fuel door includes: a protruding portion configured to protrude from the inside of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; a membrane member coupled to the protruding portion to cover the hollow portion of the protruding portion; and a sealing member mounted on the protruding portion along the circumferential direction of the membrane member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel door and a vehicle including the fuel door. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a lid sealing structure for a fuel door of a vehicle that eliminates a lid for urea solution or water injection. Background Art

[0002] Diesel vehicles have an exhaust aftertreatment system to reduce environmental pollution caused by exhaust. Among these systems, there is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that adds urea solution to the exhaust to reduce nitrogen oxides in the exhaust to nitrogen and oxygen.

[0003] In the SCR system, the urea solution must be replenished every certain mileage, and generally, as Figure 1 shown, a urea lid UC installed on the inlet for urea injection is provided on one side of a fuel lid FC inside a fuel door FD of a vehicle.

[0004] In addition, to improve the fuel economy and performance of a vehicle, a water injection system that requires a tank to store water can be used in some vehicles. A water injection lid WC is provided inside the fuel door FD together with the fuel lid FC in the same manner as the urea solution. In Figure 1 this, the urea lid UC and the water injection lid WC are shown as the same element (hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the urea lid UC and the water injection lid WC from each other, it will be referred to as the lid UC / WC).

[0005] A lid is used to form an airtight inlet for urea solution or water injection. The lid prevents external impurities from entering the vehicle and prevents the urea solution or water inside the vehicle from leaking out of the vehicle.

[0006] If an inlet for urea solution or water injection is included in the space inside the fuel door FD, the space inside the fuel door FD becomes narrow, which causes inconvenience to the user. For example, when the fuel lid FC or the urea lid / water injection lid UC / WC is opened or closed, the user's hand interferes with the surrounding part.

[0007] In particular, since urea solution adheres between the inlet and the urea lid UC, it may be difficult for the user to attach the urea lid UC to the inlet or detach the urea lid from the inlet.

[0008] In addition, a seal is installed in the lid UC / WC to maintain the airtightness of the lid UC / WC. When the lid UC / WC is opened or closed, noise may be generated due to the friction between the seal and the inlet.

[0009] The above information disclosed in this background art section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background art of the present disclosure, and thus it may include information that does not form the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art in this country. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present disclosure is directed to solving the above problems related to the prior art, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel door for a vehicle, the fuel door having a structure that effectively uses the space inside the fuel door.

[0011] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel door for a vehicle, the fuel door being capable of eliminating the inconvenience to a user when a cap for urea solution or water injection is provided inside the fuel door.

[0012] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel door for a vehicle that does not cause contamination of the urea solution and allows the cap for the urea solution to be easily removable.

[0013] A further object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel door for a vehicle having a structure that prevents noise generated by a seal provided in a cap for urea solution or water injection.

[0014] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a fuel door including: a protruding portion configured to protrude from an inner side of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; a film member coupled to the protruding portion to cover the hollow portion of the protruding portion; and a sealing member mounted on the protruding portion along a circumference of the film member.

[0015] In one embodiment, the cutout portion is provided in at least a part of a circumference of the protruding portion.

[0016] In one embodiment, at least one support member is provided in the hollow portion, and the film member is pressed against the support member.

[0017] In one embodiment, the film member is coupled to the protruding portion by ultrasonic welding.

[0018] In one embodiment, the sealing member includes a coupling portion coupled to an inner side of the protruding portion, and the protruding portion includes a receiving portion configured to be recessed and having a shape corresponding to a shape of the coupling portion.

[0019] In one embodiment, the sealing member has a corrugated shape including a plurality of corrugations.

[0020] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a fuel door pivotally coupled to a vehicle body, a vehicle comprising: an extension configured to extend from the inner side of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; a membrane member coupled to the extension to cover the hollow portion of the extension; a sealing member mounted circumferentially on the extension along the membrane member; and an inlet extending from the vehicle body and configured to contact the sealing member when the fuel door is closed and disposed coaxially with the extension.

[0021] In one embodiment, the inlet can be used for injecting a urea solution or water, and a cap may not be installed on the inlet.

[0022] In one embodiment, the sealing member can be configured to separate from the inlet when the fuel door is opened.

[0023] Other aspects and preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed below.

[0024] The above and other features of the present disclosure are discussed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other features of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure shown in the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and thus do not limit the present disclosure, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the interior of a general fuel door for a vehicle;

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a fuel door for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel door for a vehicle in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an extension of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a receiving portion of an extension on a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 6A is a perspective view showing the extension in a state before a membrane member for a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is installed in the extension;

[0032] Figure 6Bis a perspective view of the protruding portion in a state after a film member of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is installed in the protruding portion;

[0033] Figure 7 is a perspective view of at least one support member of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an implementation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a sealing member is coupled to a protruding portion of a fuel door;

[0035] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the shape of a sealing member of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing ventilation of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of components of a lid;

[0038] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing ventilation through an inlet with a lid installed;

[0039] Figure 13A is a perspective view of a fuel door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 13B is along Figure 13A a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A'; and

[0041] Figure 13C is along Figure 13A a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B'.

[0042] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrating the basic principles of the present disclosure. Specific design features of the present disclosure as disclosed herein (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes) will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

[0043] In the drawings, in several views of the drawings, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent components of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0044] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0045] In the following description of the embodiments, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements, but do not limit these elements. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from other elements. For example, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure, the first element may be named the second element, and similarly, the second element may be named the first element.

[0046] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "engaged with", "connected to", or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged with, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly engaged with", "directly connected to", or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements, such as "between" versus "directly between", "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent", etc., should be interpreted in a similar manner.

[0047] In the following description of the embodiments, even when the same element is depicted in different drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same element. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. In the following description of the embodiments, singular expressions may cover plural expressions unless they have an apparently different context meaning. In the following description of the embodiments, terms such as "comprising", "including", "having", etc. will be interpreted as indicating the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, or components or combinations thereof stated in the description, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0048] A fuel door according to the present disclosure includes: a protrusion configured to protrude from the inner side of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; a membrane member coupled to the protrusion to cover the hollow portion; and a sealing member mounted on the protrusion along the circumference of the membrane member.

[0049] The fuel door according to the present disclosure provides a structure in which the space inside the fuel door is effectively utilized.

[0050] The fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cover for urea solution or water injection, thereby reducing the inconvenience to the user caused by the space limitation due to the installation of the inlet for injecting urea solution or water near the fuel inlet of the vehicle.

[0051] In particular, since the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cover for urea solution or water injection, a wider space is provided inside the fuel door, which can prevent interference with the surrounding parts or areas when the user operates the cover inside the fuel door.

[0052] In addition, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure that eliminates the cover for urea solution or water injection can avoid the difficulty of rotating the cover each time it is used and can eliminate the trouble of rotating the cover each time it is used.

[0053] Furthermore, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure that eliminates the cover for urea solution or water injection can prevent the cover mounting area from being contaminated by the urea solution and reduce the difficulty of mounting the cover to the inlet due to the contamination of the urea solution.

[0054] The fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure that eliminates the cover for urea solution or water injection can prevent the noise generated by the seal installed in the cover.

[0055] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] As Figure 2 shown, the fuel door 1 for a vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a protruding portion 20, a film member 40, and a sealing member 60.

[0057] The fuel door 1 is provided on a vehicle body (not shown) so as to be opened and closed. The fuel door 1 is pivotally coupled to the vehicle body and is thus opened and closed. A space is provided through the fuel door 1 in the vehicle body. In this space, a fuel cap 110 is provided to close the fuel inlet. In this space, an inlet 210 for injecting urea solution or water (hereinafter only referred to as the inlet 210) is provided together with the fuel cap in this space.

[0058] The fuel door 1 according to the present disclosure includes a protruding portion 20 that protrudes from the inner side of the fuel door. The protruding portion 20 protrudes from the inner side of the fuel door 1 by a certain length. In addition, when the fuel door 1 is closed, the protruding portion 20 is substantially coaxial with the inlet 210 in the vehicle body.

[0059] Reference Figure 3, the protruding portion 20 includes a hollow portion 120. The hollow portion 120 penetrates the protruding portion 20. According to the disclosed implementation, the hollow portion 120 may penetrate a part of the protruding portion 20 in the longitudinal direction, or penetrate the protruding portion 20 all the way in the longitudinal direction until the inner surface of the fuel door 1.

[0060] As Figure 4 shown, the protruding portion 20 includes at least one cutout portion 220, and the at least one cutout portion 220 is in fluid communication with the hollow portion 120. The cutout portion 220 is used to facilitate the flow of air between the interior and exterior of the vehicle.

[0061] The cutout portion 220 may be a through hole or a penetrating surface in the circumferential direction of the protruding portion 20. According to one implementation of the present disclosure, as a non-limiting example, the cutout portion 220 may be substantially rectangular in shape. The cutout portion 220 may be circular, elliptical, polygonal, etc., as long as the cutout portion 220 is in fluid communication with the hollow portion 120.

[0062] According to one implementation of the present disclosure, the cutout portion 220 may be partially provided in the circumferential direction of the protruding portion 20. According to one implementation of the present disclosure, a pair of cutout portions 220 are provided facing each other along the periphery of the protruding portion 20. However, the number of the cutout portions 220 may be increased or decreased without limitation.

[0063] Referring Figure 5 , a receiving portion 320 may be provided, which is recessed inward in the longitudinal direction of the protruding portion 20. The receiving portion 320 is configured to engage with a coupling portion 260 to be described below. The receiving portion 320 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the coupling portion 260.

[0064] As Figure 6A and Figure 6B shown, the membrane member 40 is attached to the protruding portion 20 to cover the hollow portion 120. More specifically, the membrane member 40 is attached to the protruding portion 20 so as to cover the cross-section of the hollow portion 120. Liquids are not allowed to pass through the membrane member 40, while gases can pass through the membrane member 40. The membrane member 40 may be formed of any material capable of performing the above functions, and is not limited to a specific material.

[0065] The membrane member 40 may be attached to the protruding portion 20 by any one of various methods, including mechanical bonding, chemical bonding, etc. According to the implementation of the present disclosure, the membrane member 40 may be attached to the protruding portion 20 by ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding requires a shorter time for connection, resulting in excellent connection quality and being environmentally friendly compared to other methods.

[0066] Referring Figure 7, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fuel door 1 for a vehicle may include at least one support member 420. The support member 420 can minimize potential damage to the membrane member 40 due to external forces.

[0067] According to one implementation of the present disclosure, the support member 420 extends radially inward from the protruding portion 20 and crosses the hollow portion 120 or the cross-section of the hollow portion 120. Although the number of support members 420 is not limited, a plurality of support members 420 may be desirable to provide sufficient support. In addition, the support member 420 may have various cross-sectional shapes, which are not limited to the shapes shown in the figures.

[0068] When the fuel door 1 is closed, the sealing member 60 seals airtight between the fuel door 1 and the inlet 210. The sealing member 60 is mounted circumferentially along the membrane member 40 on the protruding portion 20.

[0069] As Figure 8 shown, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing member 60 is coupled to the protruding portion 20, and preferably, to the inside of the protruding portion 20. For this purpose, a coupling portion 260 is provided on the attachment surface 160 of the sealing member 60 attached to the protruding portion 20. As described above, the coupling portion 260 is inserted into the receiving portion 320. Once the coupling portion 260 is attached to the receiving portion 320, it is non-removable.

[0070] According to an implementation of the present disclosure, the coupling portion 260 may include a first portion 1260 having a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the attachment surface 160, and a second portion 2260 having a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the first portion 1260. Due to the larger cross-sectional area of the second portion 2260, the coupling portion 260 becomes non-removable once inserted into the receiving portion 320. Therefore, the sealing member 60 can be held in place for a long time. According to one implementation of the present disclosure, the sealing member 60 may be integrally formed with the fuel door 1 by double injection molding.

[0071] See Figure 9 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing member 60 may be corrugated with a plurality of flanges. When the fuel door 1 is closed, the restoring force generated by the flanges can ensure airtightness between the sealing member 60 and the inlet 210, while the space inside the fuel door 1 can be effectively ventilated through the cutout portion 220 of the protruding portion 20 and the hollow portion 120 (refer to Figure 10 ).

[0072] The functions and effects of the fuel door 1 for a vehicle according to the present disclosure and the structure of the cover for sealing urea solution / water injection will be described below.

[0073] According to the present disclosure, the fuel door 1 substantially eliminates the need for a cover UC / WC for urea solution / water injection.

[0074] As Figure 11 shown, a conventional cover UC / WC for urea solution / water injection requires a cap head 201, a spring 203, a diaphragm 205, a seal 207, a threaded assembly 209, and a lower body 211 for mounting the cover UC / WC. However, the fuel door according to the present disclosure, including the protrusion 20, the membrane member 40, and the seal member 60, eliminates the cover UC / WC, and thus there is no need to install the cap head 201, the spring 203, the threaded assembly 209, and the lower body 211. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, a smaller number of components are required, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing costs. Additionally, according to the present disclosure, when the fuel door is injection molded, the seal member 60 and the membrane member 40 can be formed by double injection molding. The process of mounting and welding the seal member 60 and the membrane member 40 to the protrusion 20 can be omitted.

[0075] As Figure 12 shown, a conventional cover UC / WC for urea solution / water injection is designed to prevent impurities from entering the vehicle and to prevent urea solution or water inside the vehicle from leaking to the outside. Further, when positive or negative pressure occurs in the urea solution tank or the water tank, a ventilation path P indicated by the arrow in Figure 12 is generated to balance the pressure imbalance, thereby maintaining the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure.

[0076] On the other hand, the fuel door 1 according to the present disclosure can perform the above functions of a conventional cover even when the cover is not in the proper position. The fuel door 1 according to the present disclosure allows air to enter and leave the vehicle, as described below with reference to Figures 13A to 13C description. Figure 13A is a perspective view showing the protrusion 20 provided on the inner side of the fuel door 1, Figure 13B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A - A' of Figure 13A , and Figure 13C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B - B' of Figure 13A .

[0077] As the fuel door 1 closes, the seal member 60 is pressed against the inlet 210, thereby preventing liquid from leaking from the inlet 210 and preventing impurities from entering through the inlet 210. At the same time, even when the fuel door 1 is closed, air moves through the cutout portion 220 of the protrusion 20 and the membrane member 40, which allows the negative or positive pressure generated inside the urea tank or the water tank to be balanced, such that the urea tank or the water tank can be maintained at atmospheric pressure.

[0078] As is apparent from the above description, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure has a structure that effectively utilizes the space inside the fuel door.

[0079] The fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cap for urea solution or water injection, thereby being able to solve the inconvenience for users during use.

[0080] In addition, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cap for urea solution or water injection, so it can overcome the trouble of rotating the cap every time it is used.

[0081] Furthermore, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cap for urea solution or water injection, so it can alleviate the difficulty of attaching or detaching the cap due to the contamination of the urea solution.

[0082] In addition, the fuel door for a vehicle according to the present disclosure eliminates the cap for urea solution or water injection, so it can prevent the noise generated by the sealing member installed in the cap.

[0083] The present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that changes can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fuel door, comprising: An extension portion configured to extend from an inner side of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; A membrane member coupled to the extension portion to cover the hollow portion of the extension portion; And A sealing member mounted on the extension portion along a circumference of the membrane member.

2. The fuel door according to claim 1, wherein, The cutout portion is provided in at least a part of a circumference of the extension portion.

3. The fuel door according to claim 1, further comprising at least one support member provided in the hollow portion, Among them, The membrane member being pressed against the support member.

4. The fuel door according to claim 1, wherein, The membrane member is coupled to the extension portion by ultrasonic welding.

5. The fuel door according to claim 1, wherein, The sealing member includes a coupling portion coupled to an inner side of the extension portion, and the extension portion includes a receiving portion configured to be recessed and having a shape corresponding to a shape of the coupling portion.

6. The fuel door according to claim 1, wherein, The sealing member has a corrugated shape including a plurality of corrugations.

7. A vehicle, comprising: A fuel door pivotally coupled to a vehicle body; An extension portion configured to extend from an inner side of the fuel door and including a hollow portion and at least one cutout portion fluidly communicating with the hollow portion; A membrane member coupled to the extension portion to cover the hollow portion of the extension portion; A sealing member mounted on the extension portion along a circumference of the membrane member; And An inlet extending from the vehicle body and configured to contact the sealing member and be coaxially provided with the extension portion when the fuel door is closed.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein, The inlet is for injecting a urea solution or water, and a cap is not mounted on the inlet.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein, The sealing member is configured to be separated from the inlet when the fuel door is opened.

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