Swiveling flap on a vehicle as well as vehicle

Abstract

A pivotally mounted flap (2) on a vehicle (1) for covering a charging socket (3), wherein the flap (2) is assigned at least one display unit (17) for displaying the current operating state of at least one electrical storage element (4) of the vehicle (1), and wherein the flap (2) is pivotally mounted on the vehicle (1) by means of at least one arc-shaped pivot arm (14), characterized in that the flap (2) is designed to pivot such that, in the open state, it is arranged parallel or nearly parallel to the outer contour of the vehicle (1), wherein the flap (2) itself is pivotably mounted on the pivot arm (14).

Description

[0001] According to the preamble of claim 1, the invention relates to a pivotably mounted flap on a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for covering a charging socket. The invention further relates to a flap module according to claim 6, and according to claim 7, to a vehicle with such a flap or flap module.

[0002] For some time now, due to the ever-dwindling supply of fuels for internal combustion engine powertrains in motor vehicles, great efforts have been made to provide alternative drive systems. Electric motors, which are supplied with electrical energy from one or more electrical storage elements such as accumulators or batteries, are becoming increasingly important. The motor vehicle can be operated exclusively by means of one or more electric motors or, as a so-called hybrid vehicle, can have both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors for propulsion. These storage elements are charged in particular by means of external charging stations, which in turn can be connected to a charging socket integrated in the vehicle via a charging cable with a charging plug. The operating state of the electrical storage elements, in particular their capacity and / orThe remaining capacity of the same as well as the charge level with regard to any required or to be carried out charging process are monitored by an electronic control unit (ECU) present in the vehicle. The charging socket is arranged in a recess or recess in an outer skin part of the vehicle, which is accessible from the outside. The said recess or recess can mostly be closed by means of a flap (cf. e.g. US 5 757 595 A, WO 2011 / 086 697 A1). In order to make the said information about the operating status of the electrical storage elements visually accessible to the driver, US 5 757 595 A and WO 2011 / 086 697 A1 propose arranging a corresponding display unit near the charging socket, in this case on the floor of the said recess directly adjacent to the charging socket. However, such an arrangement requires increased installation space.

[0003] From the generic document DE 10 2012 001 672 A1, a cover for a supply access of a vehicle is known, which comprises a display device via which a supply status, for example, a battery charge level, can be displayed. The cover has a cover section and a hinge section. The display device can be arranged on the outside of the cover section or on the inside or outside of the hinge section. The hinge section has an arcuate shape, at least in sections.

[0004] DE 10 2011 006 481 A1 discloses a display device for an electric vehicle that can signal or display the charge level of the electric vehicle's battery using a light-emitting element or illumination device. With the aid of the illumination device, the display device projects the information about the charge level of the battery onto, for example, an at least partially transparent flap or at least a partially transparent cover that closes an interior space that is part of a charging device of the electric vehicle.

[0005] A similar solution is known from DE 10 2010 007 204 A1, which describes a tank cap comprising a transparent window in which, when backlit with a light source, such as a light-emitting diode, a lettering relating, for example, to a charging process of an accumulator is shown.

[0006] From DE 199 33 512 A1 a device for filling a fuel tank of a motor vehicle is known, comprising a fuel filler neck and a tank flap, the latter being pivotable about a lateral hinge by means of a pivoting arm thereof.

[0007] From KR 10 2007 0 110 618 A, a device for detecting the fuel type of a vehicle with a diesel engine is known. The device comprises a detection unit, a control unit, a memory unit, a voice output unit, a display unit, and a power supply unit. The control unit controls the fuel type to be displayed in letters.

[0008] DE 10 2011 114 075 A1 discloses a fuel tank recess for a vehicle with a fuel filler flap pivotably mounted on a recess body and a tank interface arranged in the recess body, for example, for externally charging a battery. A display means for displaying, for example, the battery charge level in graphic and / or numerical form is provided, which is arranged, for example, on the inside of the fuel tank flap.

[0009] US Pat. No. 4,527,825 A discloses a vehicle fuel filler flap with a gooseneck hinge mount. The gooseneck hinge bracket comprises a gooseneck hinge bracket pivotably attached to the vehicle body at one end. The fuel filler flap is pivotably connected to the other end of the gooseneck hinge bracket.

[0010] The object of the invention is to minimize the required installation space for a corresponding display unit while maintaining the advantages of the prior art, namely optical communication of the operating state of electrical storage elements.

[0011] This object is achieved in the generic flap with the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 5.

[0012] According to this, starting from a pivotably mounted flap on a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for covering a charging socket, wherein the flap is assigned at least one display unit for displaying the current operating state of at least one electrical storage element of the vehicle, and wherein the flap is pivotally mounted on the vehicle by means of at least one arc-shaped pivot arm, the stated object is achieved in that the flap is designed to be pivotable such that, in the open state, it is arranged parallel or almost parallel to the outer contour of the vehicle, wherein the flap itself is pivotally mounted on the pivot arm.

[0013] This has the advantage that, in view of the state of the art, which favors the arrangement of a display unit on the recess floor directly adjacent to the charging socket, the required installation space for said display unit is minimized. Because the flap is designed to be pivotable in such a way that, when open, it is arranged parallel or almost parallel to the outer contour of the vehicle, said display unit is particularly easy to see. In order to achieve the desired large pivoting or opening angle of the flap using simple and cost-effective means, it is provided that the flap is pivotally mounted on the vehicle part by means of at least one arc-shaped pivot arm and is also pivotally mounted on the pivot arm.

[0014] A particularly practical embodiment is achieved by arranging the at least one display unit, when the lid is closed, on the surface of the lid facing the charging socket or integrating it into the lid. Thus, when the lid is closed, the display unit is located in front of the charging socket, so to speak, rather than next to it.

[0015] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the at least one display unit is formed by a screen display, in particular an LCD screen display, by one or more lights, in particular LED lights, and / or the like. Such display units are particularly suitable for placement in front of the charging socket, as they require little installation space and can be designed relatively thin.

[0016] In order to fix the pivot arm and / or the flap in one or more selected pivot positions in a functionally reliable manner, according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, one or more locking means for releasably locking the pivot arm and / or the flap in said pivot positions thereof are assigned to the at least one pivot arm and / or the flap.

[0017] Said locking means can be formed, for example, by form-fitting means, in particular releasable latching means, which are integrated into pivot joints of the pivot arm and / or the flap. Regarding the operating state of the at least one storage element, which is visually displayed, this is defined by a sensed capacity or residual capacity and / or, with regard to any required or to be performed charging process, by a sensed charge state of the electrical storage element and / or by an activated and / or deactivated charging operation.

[0018] The stated object is further achieved according to the invention by a flap module with a flap of the type described above. By providing a flap module that has said flap with a display unit, assembly costs are advantageously reduced.

[0019] Furthermore, the stated object is achieved by a vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, with a flap or a flap module of the type described above.

[0020] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment schematically illustrated in the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a vehicle in a side view with a flap of the generic type designed according to the invention, Fig. 2 a sectional view of the vehicle according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a flap module having the flap designed according to the invention, the flap being shown in two operating positions (half and fully open), and Fig. 3 a perspective view of the flap module with the flap largely fully open.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a side view of a vehicle 1, in the rear right side area of ​​which a hinged flap 2 is arranged in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the charging socket 3 is arranged. This vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle 1 with an exclusively electric motor drive. In the present case, the charging socket 3 in this vehicle 1 is arranged in an area of ​​the body of the vehicle 1 which, in conventional vehicles with an internal combustion engine drive, has a tank filler neck behind a conventional tank flap. This measure advantageously makes it possible to use a body for a vehicle with a conventional combustion engine drive equally well for a vehicle 1 with an electric drive. However, the invention is not limited to vehicles 1 with an exclusively electric motor drive, but also includes so-called hybrid vehicles 1 with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine drive. The invention will now be described using a vehicle 1 with an exclusively electric motor drive.

[0022] Vehicle 1 has, according to Fig. 3 therefore has at least one electrical storage element 4, which is formed by an electrical storage cell, in particular by an accumulator, but preferably by a storage cell pack comprising several storage cells, in particular accumulators, connected in series and / or in parallel. To ensure the electric motor drive, said electrical storage element 4 must have sufficient capacity or a sufficient charge quantity. In view of this, said charging socket 3 is provided with a charging plug 5 ( Fig. 2), which in turn is part of an external electrical charging station not shown in the drawing and is electrically connected to it.

[0023] The flap 2 is presently part of a flap module 6, which according to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is formed by a cup-shaped base element 7 made of metal or plastic and the flap 2 pivotably attached thereto. The flap module 6 is inserted into a prepared opening 10 in the outer panel 11 of the vehicle 1 in the area of ​​the right C-pillar 8 and the rear right wheel house 9 and is secured thereto in a force-fitting, form-fitting, and / or material-fitting manner. Said charging socket 3 is inserted into a receiving opening 12 in the base 13 of the cup-shaped base element 7 and secured to the base element 7 and / or to another load-bearing component of the body of the vehicle 1.

[0024] The flap 2 is pivotally mounted on the vehicle 1 by means of two arcuate pivot arms 14, in this case on the said base element 7 of the flap module 6 thereof ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The flap 2 is also pivotally mounted on the pivot arms 14. This allows a particularly large pivoting or opening angle of the flap 2 to be realized, namely such that the flap 2, when opened, is arranged parallel or almost parallel to the outer contour of the vehicle 1, in this case to the outer panel 11 of the vehicle. This results in increased convenience with regard to equipping the charging socket 3 with the charging plug 5.

[0025] In order to reliably fix the pivot arms 14 and / or the flap 2 in one or more selected pivot positions, at least one pivot arm 14 and / or the flap 2 is assigned one or more locking means for releasably locking the at least one pivot arm 14 and / or the flap 2 in said pivot positions. The locking means can be formed, for example, by releasable form-fitting means, in particular releasable latching means, which are integrated into pivot joints 15, 16 of the pivot arm 14 and / or the flap 2 (not shown in the drawing). Fig. 2 shows, by way of example, two pivoting positions of the flap 2, namely a first pivoting position in which the flap 2 is half-open (solid line) and is in an unpivoted state relative to the pivoting arm 14, and a second pivoting position in which the flap 2 is fully open (dashed line) in that it is pivoted relative to the pivoting arm 14.

[0026] It is considered expedient if the current operating state of the at least one electrical storage element 4 of the vehicle 1 is visible from outside the vehicle 1, particularly during charging of the same at the charging station. To this end, the flap 2 is assigned at least one display unit 17 for displaying said operating state of the at least one electrical storage element 4. The display unit 17 is formed here by a screen display, in particular an LCD screen display, and is attached to the surface 18 of the flap 2 facing the charging socket 3, as seen in the closed state of the flap 2. An LCD screen display is understood to mean a so-called liquid crystal display (LCD), the function of which is based on the fact that liquid crystals influence the polarization of light when a certain level of electrical voltage is applied.

[0027] Said LCD screen display is controlled by an electronic control unit 19 (ECU) present in the vehicle 1, which in turn uses sensors to detect the current operating state of the at least one storage element 4 and, by evaluating the detected measured values ​​20, generates control signals 21 for the display unit 17 or the LCD screen display. Furthermore, the ECU monitors any required charging process. The driver can determine the current operating state of the at least one electrical storage element 4 from the information communicated via the display unit 17 and, by evaluating the information, can, for example, conclude that charging is required and / or monitor the charging process.

[0028] The said operating state of the at least one storage element 4 is essentially defined by a sensed capacity or residual capacity and / or with regard to any required or to be carried out charging process by a sensed charge state of the electrical storage element 4 and / or by an activated and / or deactivated charging operation, for example by measuring and displaying whether charging current 22 is flowing or not. Due to the fact that the flap 2 is to be opened wide (second operating state according to Fig. 2), the display unit 17 is particularly easy to see and read.

[0029] However, the invention is not limited to a display unit 17 mounted on the surface 18 of the flap 2, but also encompasses a display unit 17 integrated into the flap 2, for example, a display unit 17 flush with the surface 18 of the flap 2 and thus not protruding (not shown in the drawing). Likewise, the invention is not limited to said screen display, but also encompasses, for example, one or more lights, in particular inexpensive LED lights (LED = light-emitting diode). If current flows through the diode in the forward direction, it emits light.

[0030] The above exemplary embodiment is based on a flap 2 or a flap module 6 covering a charging socket 3, which is arranged in a lateral outer skin area of ​​the vehicle 1. However, it also encompasses a charging socket 3 arranged elsewhere on the vehicle 1. Thus, it can be arranged in a front section, for example, in the area of ​​the vehicle's radiator grille, or in a rear section, accessible from the outside, and covered by a flap 2 of the type according to the invention (not shown in the drawing). List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 flap 3 charging sockets 4 storage element 5 charging plugs 6 flap module 7 Basic element 8 C-pillar 9 Wheelhouse 10 Opening 11 Outer sheet 12 Receiving opening 13 Floor (basic element 7) 14 Swivel arm 15 Swivel joint (swivel arm 14) 16 Swivel joint (flap 2) 17 Display unit 18 Surface 19 Control and regulation unit (ECU) 20 measured values 21 control signals 22 Charging current

Claims

[1] Pivotably mounted flap (2) on a vehicle (1) for covering a charging socket (3), wherein the flap (2) is assigned at least one display unit (17) for displaying the current operating state of at least one electrical storage element (4) of the vehicle (1), and wherein the flap (2) is pivotally mounted on the vehicle (1) by means of at least one arcuately designed pivot arm (14), characterized by that the flap (2) is designed to be pivotable in such a way that, in the open state, it is arranged parallel or almost parallel to the outer contour of the vehicle (1), wherein the flap (2) itself is pivotably mounted on the pivot arm (14). [2] Flap (2) according to claim 1, characterized by that the at least one display unit (17) is mounted on the surface (18) of the flap (2) facing the charging socket (3) or is integrated into the flap (2) when the flap (2) is in the closed state. [3] Flap (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the at least one display unit (17) is formed by a screen display, in particular an LCD screen display, by one or more lights, in particular LED lights, and / or the like. [4] Flap (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the swivel arm (14) and / or the flap (2) can be fixed in one or more swivel positions. [5] Flap (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that said operating state of the at least one storage element (4) is defined by a sensed capacity or residual capacity and / or with regard to any charging process required or to be carried out by a sensed charge state of the electrical storage element (4) and / or by an activated and / or deactivated charging operation. [6] Flap module (6) with a flap (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5. [7] Vehicle (1) with a flap (2) or a flap module (6) according to one of claims 1 to 6

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