Fuel tank cap assembly for motor vehicle

Abstract

A fuel tank cap assembly of this type is disclosed, which has an outer partition and a support structure that supports the outer partition, which, when mounted on the vehicle side, is adapted to an adjacent body section of the motor vehicle in a gap-adjusting and skin-flush manner, and the support structure is supported so as to be movable relative to the body section between a closed position that closes a fuel tank opening and a released position that releases the fuel tank opening. According to the invention, the outer partition is held on the support structure by means of a manually operable, mechanical adjustment system, which is designed for spatial adjustment of the outer partition and for fixing the adjusted adjustment. Charging cap for electric vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel tank cover assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising an outer partition and a supporting structure for supporting the outer partition, wherein the outer partition is adapted to an adjacent body section of the motor vehicle in a manner that conforms to the gap dimensions and has a flush outer skin when assembled on the vehicle side, and the supporting structure is supported in a manner that allows movement relative to the body section between a closed position that closes a fuel tank opening and a released position that releases the fuel tank opening. Background Art

[0002] In general, known fuel tank cap assemblies for motor vehicles are used not only for motor vehicles with internal combustion engines but also for motor vehicles with electric motors. In motor vehicles with internal combustion engines, fuel tank cap assemblies are used to close the filler opening, the fuel connection or the electrical plug connection. Such fuel tank cap assemblies have an outer partition which, when the fuel tank cap assembly is in its closed position, is positioned flush with the vehicle body skin in accordance with the gap dimensions. In the case of known fuel tank cap assemblies, it is relatively complex to adjust and align the outer partition before the motor vehicle is put into service for the first time. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel filler flap assembly of the type mentioned in the introduction which allows a simple and functionally reliable insertion of an outer partition into an adjacent body section of a motor vehicle.

[0004] This task is solved in the following way: the outer partition is held on the support structure by means of a manually operable, mechanical adjustment system, which is designed for spatial adjustment of the outer partition and fixing the adjusted adjustment. The mechanical adjustment system is arranged on the support structure and supports the outer partition. Preferably, the adjustment system can be operated even when the outer partition is not put on, so that the operator can easily access the adjustment system. Particularly advantageously, in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles that combine internal combustion engine drive (Verbrennerantrieb) and electric drive, the solution according to the invention can be used for a tank cap assembly in the form of a charging cap assembly. Such a charging cap assembly is used to close and release an on-board electric interface, preferably in the form of a socket arranged on the vehicle side, to which a charging plug present on the charging station side can be connected in a detachable manner. Such a charging cap assembly preferably has a charging cap, which can be displaced between its closed position and its released position by means of a drive system. Such charging covers are designed in multiple parts and have an outer panel on the outside which, in the closed position of the charging cover, is positioned in the opening for the charging socket with uniform gap dimensions and flush with the outer skin relative to the adjacent body section of the outer skin of the motor vehicle.

[0005] In one embodiment of the invention, the adjustment system has a plane adjustment unit, a height adjustment unit and a spatial tilting unit, which can be operated independently of one another. This configuration allows for a stepwise adjustment and adjustment of the outer partition, so that the adjustment can be completed and fixed for each unit separately before starting to adjust the next of the three units. The plane adjustment unit is used for adjustment in the plane of the support structure or parallel to the plane of the support structure, the height adjustment unit is used for adjustment in the height direction at a positive angle to the plane of the support structure, and the spatial tilting unit is adjusted spatially relative to the orientation in the height direction and relative to the orientation of the plane of the support structure.

[0006] In another embodiment of the present invention, the height adjustment unit and the spatial tilting unit are each assigned at least one manually operable adjustment mechanism. The respective manually operable adjustment mechanism is part of the respective unit and can easily adjust and set the height adjustment unit or the spatial tilting unit depending on which adjustment mechanism is actuated. Since both units are each assigned an adjustment mechanism, it is not necessary to use additional tools for actuating the height adjustment unit or the spatial tilting unit.

[0007] In another embodiment of the invention, the plane adjustment unit, the height adjustment unit and the spatial tilting unit are arranged one above the other in this order starting from the support structure. This means that the plane adjustment unit is positioned as the lowest unit in the region of the support structure. The plane adjustment unit is followed by the height adjustment unit, which in turn is followed by the spatial tilting unit, which in the adjusted state is positioned in close proximity to the outer partition. Preferably, in this embodiment, the adjustment system is oriented and fixed in a plane relative to the bottom surface of the support structure by means of the plane adjustment unit supporting the height adjustment unit and the spatial tilting unit. Then, the spatial tilting unit located above is adjusted and fixed by means of the height adjustment unit in the height direction relative to the plane adjusted by the plane adjustment unit, i.e. orthogonally to the plane adjusted by the plane adjustment unit. Finally, the receiving area for the outer partition is spatially adjusted with a suitable slope by means of the spatial tilting unit so that when the outer partition is finally put on, the desired outer partition, which is flush with the outer skin and is positioned circumferentially with a uniform gap size relative to the adjacent vehicle body section, fits.

[0008] Therefore, the spatial tilting unit is preferably arranged between the height adjustment unit and the outer partition.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the height adjustment unit is positioned between the support structure and the spatial tilting unit. This embodiment preferably enables height adjustment before spatial tilting of the outer partition.

[0010] In another embodiment of the invention, the height adjustment unit has a stroke assembly that can be activated by a rotational movement. The stroke assembly thus has a screw guide function or a helical guide function in order to cause a stroke movement of the spatial tilting unit located above it coaxially with the rotation axis.

[0011] In another embodiment of the invention, the stroke assembly is equipped with a mechanical fixing device for fixing the adjusted height displacement. Preferably, the fixing device is equipped with at least one clamping screw, which can be tightened after reaching the desired adjustment position and can be loosened again when readjustment is possible.

[0012] In another embodiment of the invention, the spatial tilting unit has a spherical cap-shaped support surface and a triangular adjustment mechanism that cooperates with the spherical cap-shaped support surface. The triangular adjustment mechanism has three support points that are spaced apart from each other and that cooperate with the spherical cap-shaped support surface. The three support points ensure a statically defined support. The corresponding spherical convex curvature of this support surface, in combination with the support and support at the three support points of the triangular adjustment mechanism, enables any orientation of the support surface in space.

[0013] In another embodiment of the invention, the spatial tilting unit is equipped with a mechanical fixing device for fixing the adjusted relative position between the spherical cap-shaped support surface and the triangular adjustment mechanism. The mechanical fixing device can be provided with at least one clamping screw or with differently designed components that can be moved manually between a fixed position and a released position. The three support points of the triangular adjustment mechanism can achieve a statically defined support of the spherical cap-shaped support surface in each position.

[0014] In another embodiment of the present invention, the spherical cap-shaped support surface is part of a receiving plate, which is provided with a receiving area for clamping the outer partition, in particular with a locking profile for locking the outer partition. The receiving area is preferably located on the side of the receiving plate opposite the spherical cap-shaped support surface. Advantageously, the receiving area is provided with a locking profile for locking the outer partition. The locking profile is designed to complement the corresponding locking profile of the outer partition so as to achieve a reliable locking of the outer partition on the receiving plate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention which is illustrated with reference to the drawing.

[0016] Figures 1a to 1dSchematically shows a partial area of ​​a passenger vehicle in the area of ​​the front fender with an embodiment of the fuel tank flap assembly according to the invention, wherein different open positions and closed positions of the fuel tank flap assembly are respectively shown,

[0017] Figure 2 The fuel tank cap assembly according to FIG. 1 is shown in a perspective exploded schematic diagram,

[0018] Figure 3 In the perspective illustration of the assembled structure, the outer partition is omitted and the Figure 2 Fuel tank cap assembly,

[0019] Figure 4 The enlarged schematic diagram shows Figure 3 Part of the fuel tank cap assembly,

[0020] Figure 5 In the top view, the Figure 3 Fuel tank cap assembly,

[0021] Figure 6 Shown along the basis Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel tank cap assembly along the section line VI-VI,

[0022] Figure 7 Shows the basis in another functional state Figure 5 A top view of the fuel tank cap assembly.

[0023] Figure 8 Shown along the basis Figure 7 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel tank cap assembly along the section line VIII-VIII,

[0024] Fig. 9 Showing the basis in another functional position Figure 7 Fuel tank cap assembly,

[0025] Fig.10 Shown along the basis Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional view of a fuel tank cap assembly along a section line XX,

[0026] Fig.11 Showing the basis in another functional position Fig. 9 Fuel tank cap assembly,

[0027] Fig.12 Shown along the basis Fig.11 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel tank cap assembly along the section line XII-XII,

[0028] Fig.13 Showing the basis in another functional position Fig.11 A top view of the fuel tank cap assembly.

[0029] Fig.14 Shown along the basis Fig.13 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel tank cap assembly along the section line XIV-XIV,

[0030] Fig.15 In the top view, the Fig.13 Another functional state of the fuel tank cap assembly, and

[0031] Fig.16 Show according to Fig.15 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel tank cap assembly along section line XVI-XVI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] According to FIG. 1 , a motor vehicle F in the form of a passenger car has a vehicle body, in the outer skin of which—here in the region of the left front fender—an opening (not shown in detail) is formed, which is closed by a fuel tank cap assembly 1. The opening is provided with an electrical plug connection, via which a charging plug of a charging station can be attached in order to charge an onboard battery of the motor vehicle F, which supplies power to the electric drive of the motor vehicle F. The opening is bounded all around by a body section K of the outer skin of the vehicle body. The fuel tank cap assembly 1 has a housing which can be seen in FIG. 1 and is Figure 2 The outer partition 8 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed into the vehicle body outer skin flush with and with a uniform gap dimension to the adjacent vehicle body section K, as long as the fuel tank flap assembly 1 is in its closed position according to FIG. 1 .

[0033] The fuel tank flap assembly 1 is assigned a schematically shown adjusting drive S, by means of which the fuel tank flap assembly 1 can be moved from a closed position into an open position in which an opening for an electrical plug connection is released. In this case, the fuel tank flap assembly 1 is displaced into the open position within the vehicle body skin, so that in the open position the fuel tank flap assembly 1 is arranged at least partially—when viewed from the outside—behind a corresponding vehicle body section K of the vehicle body skin. The corresponding opening step can be performed from Figure 1a to Figure 1d It can be seen in.

[0034] In order to be able to adjust the outer panel 8 in a simple manner relative to the adjacent body section K before the motor vehicle F is put into operation for the first time, according to Figures 2 to 16 The fuel tank cap assembly 1 is provided with an adjustment system, which is described in detail below.

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, the body section K is a component of a fender, more precisely, a left front fender. In other embodiments of the invention, other body sections of the vehicle body in the side region, in the front region, in the rear region or in the transition region can circumscribe an opening that can be closed by the fuel tank flap assembly.

[0036] according to Figures 2 to 16 The fuel tank cover assembly 1 has a support ring 2 as a support structure, which is connected to the above-mentioned adjustment drive or to a differently designed adjustment mechanism in a manner not shown in detail, in order to move the fuel tank cover assembly 1 from the closed position to the open position and back again. The support ring 2 supports a plane adjustment unit, which will be described in detail below, which in turn supports a height adjustment unit, which will also be described in detail below, which ultimately supports a spatial tilting unit, to which the outer partition 8 is fastened.

[0037] The plane adjustment unit has a support plate 3, which is provided with integrally formed bearing supports 9 and 10 on opposite sides. The support plate 3 has a substantially disk-shaped bottom surface. The bearing supports 9 and 10 are provided with rectangular through-holes (in the present case with square through-holes), through which in the assembled state a fixing screw assembly 12 is respectively passed, which consists of a cap screw and a washer. As can be seen from Figure 2 As can be clearly seen in the figure, the support ring 2 has an annular support portion on the opposite sides and a threaded hole coaxial with the annular support portion on the other hand. The annular support portion and the threaded hole respectively form a fastening receptacle 11 for fixing the screw assembly 12. In addition, each fastening receptacle 11 is respectively assigned a receptacle area 11a with a groove in an approximately rectangular shape, the bottom surface of which is larger than the bottom surface of the corresponding bearing seat 9, 10. The term "bottom surface" should be understood as the corresponding surface extension in the top view. Therefore, each bearing seat 9, 10 can be limitedly moved laterally and / or longitudinally relative to the associated receptacle area 11a of the support ring 2 in a radial plane relative to the central longitudinal axis L of the support ring 2, and thus in the annular plane of the support ring 2. The movability in this support ring plane corresponds to the difference between the length and width of the corresponding bottom surface of the bearing support 9, 10 and the length and width of the corresponding bottom surface of the receptacle area 11a. The square-shaped openings in the bearing supports 9, 10, which are much larger than the diameter of the respective fixing screw assembly 12, support this limited planar mobility. Therefore, before tightening the two fixing screw assemblies 12, the support plate 3 can be adjusted relative to the support ring 2 in the support ring plane. After the adjustment, the fixing screw assembly 12 is fixedly tightened, thereby fixing the adjusted orientation relative to the support ring 2 in the support ring plane.

[0038] In addition, the support plate 3 of the plane adjustment unit is also used as a bracket for the height adjustment unit. Here, the support plate 3 has an external ring for bearing supports 9 and 10 and an upward stepped, disc-shaped inner plate area, and six support tongues not drawn in detail protrude outward from the plate area in the plane of this inner plate area in a manner evenly distributed on the circumference. The support tongues are spaced apart from the outer support ring in the height direction. With these functional sections, the support plate 3 is used to accommodate and rotate the travel ring 4 in a limited manner. The travel ring 4 is designed as a circular ring and has a plurality of arc-shaped, radially inwardly protruding support connecting pieces, which are spaced apart from each other so that the support tongues can be guided through in the height direction when the travel ring 4 is placed. The support connecting pieces of the travel ring 4 and the support tongues of the support plate 3 together form a rotary bearing for the travel ring 4, so as to realize the rotational movement of the travel ring 4 around the central longitudinal axis L of the adjustment system.

[0039] The travel ring 4 has a sliding groove-shaped spiral guide 16 on the outside, which forms a guide groove that is open radially outward. The spiral guides 16 rise along an inclined plane when viewed in the circumferential direction, wherein all spiral guides 16 are provided with the same pitch. Each spiral guide 16 has an upwardly open introduction section at the lower end and a stop in the upper end area opposite in the circumferential direction. The open receiving section is used to introduce the sliding groove connecting piece of the support component 5 located above it from above, wherein the opening of the opening of the spiral guide 16 is provided in the upper end area. Figure 2 The middle slide link is shielded. The slide link protrudes radially inwards, such as can be particularly Figure 6 As can be seen in FIG. For this purpose, the support component 5 has a circular protrusion, which is closed upward and open downward. On the lower side, the protrusion forms an annular groove open downward, in which a sliding groove connecting piece is molded. Figure 6 It can be seen that the not-detailed sliding slot connecting piece protrudes horizontally inward in this annular groove and is integrally formed at the outer edge of the annular groove of the annular protuberance. The sliding slot connecting piece is immersed in the corresponding receiving section of the spiral guide 16 from above. Through the subsequent relative rotation between the stroke ring 4 and the support assembly 5, the sliding slot connecting piece enters the spiral guide 16 and gradually slides upward along the corresponding inclined plane. It is necessary to change the spacing of the support assembly 5 relative to the support plate 3 in the height direction, that is, coaxially with the central longitudinal axis L. The relative rotatable mobility between the stroke ring 4 and the support plate 3 is limited by the adjustment assembly, which has a fixing screw 12 on the one hand and a circular arc guide 13 on the other hand at the stroke ring 4. The circular arc guide 13 is coaxially positioned at the outer circumference of the stroke ring 4 with the central longitudinal axis L and is constructed in an integrally formed plastic section. The circular arc guide 13 is also equipped with an adjustment mechanism 14 in the form of an integrally formed adjustment tongue.

[0040] In addition, the support assembly 5 is supported in a stroke-movable manner relative to the support plate 3 by means of linear guides 17, 18 effective in the height direction. Here, the support assembly 5 has longitudinal slots 18 extending in the height direction and opening radially outward on the opposite sides, which longitudinal slots are assigned complementary guide webs 17 oriented radially inward in the region of the corresponding bearing seats 9, 10 of the support plate 3. The corresponding guide webs 17 and the longitudinal slots 18 form a sliding guide for the support assembly 5 relative to the support plate 3. In addition, a threaded hole 15 is provided on the support plate 3, into which a fixing screw 12 can be screwed. Here, during assembly, the fixing screw 12 can first be screwed into the threaded hole 15 from above through the circular arc guide 13, so that there is still a gap between the circular arc guide 13 and the fixing screw 12 in the height direction. Therefore, the stroke ring 4 can - limited by the circular arc guide 13 - rotate within the angle of the circular arc guide 13 in a limited manner. A corresponding rotational movement of the stroke ring 4 necessarily results in a stroke movement of the support assembly 5. Once the desired stroke of the support assembly 5 relative to the support ring 2 and relative to the support plate 3 has been set, the fixing screw 12 can be tightened and the set adjustment can be fixed in the height direction. An adjustment mechanism 14 is used to rotate the stroke ring 4 and can be easily grasped and rotated by hand.

[0041] As per Figure 2 and 3 As can be seen, the support element 5 has a recess A1 in order to allow access to the fixing screw 12 when the support element 5 is put on.

[0042] The annular bulge of the support assembly 5 surrounds a flat torus, on which the triangular triangular adjustment mechanism 6 of the spatial tilting unit is arranged in a movable manner. The triangular adjustment mechanism 6 has an elongated hole 23, which in the assembled state surrounds a cylindrical bearing socket 27, which protrudes upward from the flat upper surface of the support assembly 5 coaxially with the central longitudinal axis L. The bearing socket 27 also has a threaded hole, the function of which is described below. The triangular adjustment mechanism 6 is provided with an operating mechanism 22 in the form of a clamping connecting piece, which protrudes upward from the flat bottom surface of the triangular triangular adjustment mechanism 6. The triangular adjustment mechanism forms an equilateral triangle, and support bolts 21 are arranged at its three corners respectively. All three support bolts 21 protrude upward from the upper surface of the triangular adjustment mechanism 6. The support bolts 21 are designed to be spherical cap-shaped and are used to support the spherical and thus spherical cap-shaped support surface 24 of the receiving plate 7 for the outer partition 8. The receiving plate 7 has a circumferential edge arranged in a common plane, on which a total of four receiving slots 20 are arranged in a manner evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. Starting from this circumferential edge, the spherical cap-shaped supporting surface 24 is sunken spherically and thus concavely toward the center, as can be seen from Figure 6 , 8 , 10, 12, 14 and 16. The support surface 24 is supported on the bottom by three support pins 21, which provide a statically defined support for the support surface 24. The support surface 24 of the receiving plate 7 and the triangular adjustment mechanism 6 belong to the aforementioned spatial tilting unit.

[0043] The support assembly 5 has a total of four positioning webs 19 in the region of its outer edge, which protrude upward at a right angle and, in the assembled state, are embedded in the receiving slots 20 of the receiving plate 7. The receiving plate 7 is therefore not able to rotate relative to the support assembly 5 about the central longitudinal axis L. On the contrary, the receiving slots 20 and the positioning webs 19 are matched to one another in such a way that the receiving plate 7 can be oriented tilted in space relative to the support assembly 5 depending on the orientation of the triangular adjustment mechanism 6, but relative rotation between the receiving plate 7 and the support assembly 5 is not permitted. Figure 2 and 3 Or you can also Fig. 9 , 11, 13 and 15, the support surface 24 has a semicircular annular groove 25, which is oriented coaxially with the central longitudinal axis L. This semicircular annular groove 25 is used to limit the mobility of the operating mechanism 22 of the triangular adjustment mechanism 6. Therefore, the operating mechanism 22 protruding upward in the form of a connecting piece can be moved in the groove 25, and the operating mechanism is integrally formed on the triangular adjustment mechanism 6. The triangular adjustment mechanism 6 is additionally guided by the long hole 23 and the bearing socket 27. Once the desired orientation for the receiving plate 7 is reached, the adjusted spatial slope of the receiving plate 7 can be fixed by the central fixing screw assembly 12, which passes through the through-portion 26 and further engages in the threaded hole of the bearing socket 27 of the support assembly 5. The receiving plate 7 is also provided with a groove A2, which is aligned with the groove A1 in the height direction so that the fixing screw 12 for the arc guide 13 can be approached from above.

[0044] The different functional units, namely the surface adjustment unit on the one hand, the height adjustment unit on the other hand, and the spatial tilting unit, can therefore be adjusted individually and each can be fixed individually, resulting in very simple and functionally reliable adjustability.

[0045] Finally, the outer panel 8 has latching lugs 28 on the inner side facing the alignment system, by means of which the outer panel 8 can be latched to the receiving plate 7 after the desired adjustment and fixing for the orientation of the outer panel 8 has taken place.

[0046] according to Figure 6 And according to Figure 8 , showing a height adjustment structure ( Figure 6 ) and the height adjustment structure above ( Figure 8 ).exist Figure 5 and 7 This is also illustrated in FIG. 1 by the different orientations of the circular arc guide 13 .

[0047] Finally, according to Figures 9 to 16 , different final positions of the spatial tilting unit can be seen, wherein attention must be paid to the different orientations of the actuating element 22 within the semicircular annular recess 25 .

Claims

1. A fuel tank cover assembly (1) for a motor vehicle (F), comprising an outer partition (8) and a support structure (2) for supporting the outer partition (8), wherein the outer partition is adapted to an adjacent body section (K) of the motor vehicle (F) in a state in which it is assembled on the vehicle side in accordance with the gap dimensions and with the outer skin flush, and the support structure is supported in a manner that allows movement relative to the body section (K) between a closed position for closing a fuel tank opening and a released position for releasing the fuel tank opening, characterized in that: The outer partition (8) is held on the support structure (2) by means of a manually operable, mechanical adjustment system, which is designed to spatially adjust the outer partition (8) and fix the adjusted adjustment, wherein the adjustment system has a plane adjustment unit, a height adjustment unit and a spatial tilting unit, which can be operated independently of each other, wherein the plane adjustment unit, the height adjustment unit and the spatial tilting unit are arranged in this order one above the other starting from the support structure.

2. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height adjustment unit and the spatial tilting unit are each assigned at least one manually operable adjustment mechanism.

3. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The height adjustment unit is positioned between the support structure (2) and the spatial tilting unit.

4. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The spatial tilting unit is arranged between the height adjustment unit and the outer partition (8).

5. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The height adjustment unit has a stroke assembly which can be activated by a rotational movement.

6. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that: A mechanical fixing device is assigned to the stroke assembly and serves to fix the adjusted height displacement.

7. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The spatial tilting unit comprises a spherical cap-shaped supporting surface (24) and a triangular adjustment mechanism (6) cooperating with the spherical cap-shaped supporting surface (24).

8. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spatial tilting unit is equipped with a mechanical fixing device, which is used to fix the adjusted relative position between the spherical cap-shaped supporting surface (24) and the triangular adjustment mechanism (6).

9. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spherical cap-shaped supporting surface (24) is a part of a receiving plate (7), and the receiving plate is provided with a receiving area for clamping the outer partition plate (8).

10. The fuel tank cap assembly (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that: The receiving plate is provided with a locking profile for locking the outer partition plate (8).

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