Loading hatch with improved sealing means for vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a loading hatch (4) comprising a bowl (5) and a lid (6) hinged around the bowl, particularly with rotation about a substantially vertical axis, the bowl (5) comprising at least one opening (50-55), characterized in that it comprises a sealing means (2), particularly for water sealing, disposed near at least one opening provided in the hatch. The invention also relates to an arrangement of a vehicle body part (10) and a loading hatch (4), the sealing means (2) being disposed in the upper part of the hatch (4) such that the flow of water along the body part (10), particularly along a substantially vertical axis, bypasses at least one opening (50-55) of the hatch (4). The invention also relates to a vehicle having the hatch and / or the arrangement. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Loading hatch with an improved sealing means for vehicle

[0001] Technical domain The invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, particularly electric vehicles, more specifically to hatches, particularly for charging electricity, and associated protection systems, particularly protection through improved water tightness.

[0002] Prior techniques This is common in electric vehicles equipped with a traction battery that can be recharged via a wired connection to a charging station. For this purpose, electric vehicles include a charging port that is attached to a body panel, typically a front or rear fender, using a bracket. This body panel has an opening through which the charging port extends, connecting the battery's drive connector to the charging cable. The wing opening is closed by a cover that is hinged to the vehicle's socket bowl, which is connected to the battery. The cover can, for example, be mounted to rotate on the bowl, specifically to rotate around a nearly vertical axis. The bowl allows the vehicle's socket to be housed in a recessed position relative to the bodywork so that the cover extends in a different plane than the wing opening, the planes being notably parallel to each other. In addition to the main opening in the base of the bowl, through which the vehicle's charging port extends, the bowl base may include other openings for an electronic module with control pushbuttons and / or charging indicator lights. The vehicle's charging port and the electronic module are attached to the inner face of the bowl base, and extend through these openings. It has been observed that rainwater comes into contact with the bottom of the bowl, notably through a flow effect along the bodywork on which the intake bowl is mounted, and that consequently this creates a risk of water flowing towards the inner side of the bodywork. Therefore, there is a need for optimization in order to propose a water collection device on a charging point so that the sealing can be increased to reduce the risks of corrosion of the vehicle body.

[0003] Summary of the invention The invention relates to a loading hatch comprising a bowl and a lid hinged around the bowl, in particular with rotation about a substantially vertical axis, the bowl comprising at least one opening, the hatch comprising a sealing means, in particular against water, disposed near at least one opening provided on the hatch. The use of such a loading hatch aims advantageously to improve the intrinsic sealing of the loading hatch which includes enhanced functionalities, notably through the presence of an electronic module located in the immediate vicinity of the loading socket.

[0004] The object of the invention may further comprise the following features taken separately or in combination with each other: - said sealing means comprises at least one rib, in particular secondary ribs surrounding in whole or in part at least one opening in order to form a projecting wall to guide water out of the opening, the opening being intended to receive an electronic module fixed against an inner face of the bowl, - the rib, particularly the secondary rib, has a substantially inverted U-shaped profile such that it surrounds the upper and lateral edges of a wide opening, - the rib, particularly the secondary rib, has a substantially inverted U-shaped profile such that it surrounds both an upper and a lateral edge of a first and a second opening, the first and second openings being arranged side by side. - the first and second openings are each positioned below the large opening, - said sealing means comprises a rib extending along a peripheral edge of the bowl, in particular an upper peripheral edge, in order to form a projecting wall for guiding water out of the bottom of the bowl, - at least one rib and the bowl are made by molding a plastic material, - said sealing means comprises at least one sealing gasket extending in whole or in part along a peripheral edge of an opening, in particular a grip opening and / or an opening for a locking means and / or an opening for supporting the cover panel, - said sealing means comprises at least one sealing joint extending around the periphery of an edge of the hatch, in particular an internal seal located on an internal peripheral edge of the bowl and / or a seal located on a peripheral edge of the support and / or an external seal located on an external peripheral edge of the bowl, - the sealing gasket is made by overmolding a deformable plastic material of the bowl and / or the lid support.

[0005] The invention also relates to an arrangement of a body part, in particular of the type of a wing or a rear wing, of a vehicle, in particular of type EV or PHEV, and of a loading hatch as previously described, according to which the sealing means is disposed in the upper part of the hatch in such a way that the flow of water along the body part, in particular along a substantially vertical axis, bypasses at least one opening of the hatch. The arrangement according to the invention can be characterized in that the body part includes an opening, the loading hatch being assembled to an inner face of the body part such that the sealing means extends to the junction of the opening in the body part and the hatch. The arrangement is also characterized in that it includes an electronic module assembled in a removable manner to the hatch, in particular by clipping.

[0006] The invention also relates to an EV or PHEV type vehicle, characterized in that it includes a hatch having, in whole or in part, the aforementioned characteristics, or an arrangement such as previously described.

[0007] Drawings The attached drawings represent, by way of example, a thermal management device for a vehicle, according to the invention. Fig. 1 represents one side of a vehicle, more particularly a rear wing, on which is arranged an open loading hatch, the hatch comprising a means of protection according to the invention; [Fig.2] represents an enlargement of a loading hatch bowl of [Fig.1] taken in isolation, comprising the sealing means according to the invention; [Fig.3] represents a portion of the loading hatch bowl of [Fig.1], seen from the rear, comprising a control module according to the invention.

[0008] Description of the invention Fig. 1 represents a rear part of a vehicle 1 comprising an electrical charging socket 3 intended for a phase of electrical charging of a traction battery of the vehicle carried out by an electrical connection to a charging station connected to an electricity distribution network. The electrical charging socket 3 is connected to the vehicle body part 10 by means of a charging hatch 4 comprising a bowl 5, a cover 6, and a sealing means 2. The cover 6 is preferably connected to the bowl via a hinged mechanism allowing the cover to rotate about a substantially vertical axis. To achieve this, the cover 6 is assembled to the bowl 5 by means of a hinged support 7 which includes a gooseneck portion allowing the cover to be positioned in the open position in a plane substantially perpendicular to that of the plane in which the bottom of the bowl 5 of the charging hatch rotates, while freeing almost entirely the access to the opening made at the level of the bodywork part 10 giving access to the vehicle's charging point. The bodywork part 10 can be a wing, in particular a front wing or a rear wing as shown in [Fig.1].

[0009] The enlargement of the traction battery charging hatch 4 as shown in [Fig.2] highlights the particular sealing means 2 of the charging hatch 4. Preferably, said sealing means 2 is disposed at the junction of the various components assembled on, or constituting, the loading hatch 4. The bowl 5 of the loading hatch includes an opening 50 intended to receive the vehicle's plug 3. The bowl 5 of the loading hatch includes at least one opening 51, 52, 53 intended to receive at least one element of an electronic control module 8, in particular via at least one push button, or an information module, in particular via an indicator light. As can be seen in [Fig. 3], said electronic module 8 is attached and fixed by clipping onto an inner face of the bowl 5, so that its mounting is reversible to allow for its replacement in case of malfunction.

[0010] In [Fig.1] the electronic module 8 is made visible by its arrangement partly through the openings 51, 52, 53 which are dedicated to it, as shown in [Fig.2]. The parts of the electronic module 8 extending through the aforementioned openings may be a battery charge status indicator, a control for unlocking the connection of the vehicle's socket 3 to an electrical cable and / or a control for locking the connection of the vehicle's socket 3 to an electrical cable and / or a motorized closing control for the charging hatch cover and / or a delayed start control for battery charging, and / or any other type of control associated with an electric vehicle.

[0011] The aforementioned controls can respectively be of the push-button type such that an assembly set is required between the control module 8 and the bowl 5. Due to the arrangement of the loading hatch 4 on the body part 10, such The assembly gap creates a risk of air and / or water flowing towards the inner face of the loading hatch 4, resulting in water flowing into the vehicle.

[0012] The sealing means 2 includes at least one rib intended to guide the flowing water out of the openings 50 to 54 of the loading hatch 4. Preferably, the rib is rigid, and can be obtained by molding a bowl from the loading hatch 4. In particular, the sealing means 2 comprises a rib 21, also referred to as the main rib due to its geometry relative to the other ribs that will be described later. The main rib 21 extends near an upper peripheral edge, specifically along almost the entire upper peripheral edge of the bowl 5, so that water flowing along the bodywork 10 can be guided towards at least one of the lateral edges of the hatch, thus preventing flow towards the openings in the bowl of the loading hatch. Given the geometry of the bowl 5, the bottom of the bowl is set back, particularly towards the interior of the vehicle, from the peripheral edge of the bowl, such that the arrangement of the main rib 21 connects the two opposite lateral edges of the peripheral edge intended for attaching the bowl 5 to the inner face of the bodywork 10.Such a design is advantageous in that it tends to prevent water flowing along the bodywork from flowing at the level of a wall recessed inside the bowl 5, or even at the level of the bottom of the bowl in which the opening 50 of the charging socket 3 is provided, or the openings 51, 52, 53 through which parts of the electronic module 8 extend. .

[0013] In a further particular manner, the sealing means 2 comprises at least one secondary rib 21a, 21b extending near at least one opening in the bowl through which the control module 8 extends. The enlargement of [Fig. 2] highlights two secondary ribs 21a, 21b arranged one above the other. The upper secondary rib 21a extends approximately around the periphery of the upper and lateral edges of the opening 51. The lower secondary rib 21b extends approximately around the periphery of the upper and lateral edges of a set of two adjacent openings 52 and 53. The secondary ribs are intended to guide water out of the assembly gap present between the control module 8 and the bowl 5 of the loading hatch 4.Due to the presence of secondary ribs 21a, 21b, water can be guided out of openings 51, 52, 53 so that there is no flow towards the interior area of ​​the vehicle.

[0014] Each rib 21, 21a or 21b can be considered, given its shape, as a gutter which aims to guide the water flowing in particular by gravity along the bodywork part and then along the hatch 4, out of the openings so as to improve the sealing of the hatch. The sealing means 2 may also be of the type of sealing gasket 20, made of a deformable material, in particular rubber. As such, it may include a sealing gasket 25 which is positioned at the opening 54 and which is intended to to receive a locking means 60 of the cover 6 in the closed position. Given the cylindrical shape of the opening 54, the sealing gasket 25 can be an annular sealing gasket encircling the body of the lock 60 extending through the opening 54. The sealing means 2 may also include a sealing gasket 26 which is positioned at the opening 50 and is intended to receive the socket 3 electrically connected to the traction battery. Given the ovoid shape of the opening 50, the sealing gasket 25 may have a complementary shape such that it encircles the body of the socket 3 extending through the opening 50.

[0015] The sealing means 2 may further include a seal 27, in particular a straight seal, extending at the opening 55 leading into a chamber of the bowl 5 intended for positioning the support 7 inside when the lid is closed. The straight seal 27 is intended to bear against the pivoted support 7 in the closed state so that water flowing horizontally along the bodywork when the vehicle is in motion can be diverted from the inlet 3 located behind it. The sealing means 2 may further include a double sealing track formed by the seals 23 and 24, which is supported partly by the cover 6 and partly by the bowl 5, in order to seal the loading hatch 4 when the cover 6 is in the closed position. The sealing track 23 may, in particular, be located at the junction of the hinged support 7 and the panel 61 fixed to the support, the panel 61 being intended to close the opening of the bodywork part 10 by being flush with the latter. The seal 24 may, in particular, be located at the junction of the bowl 5 and the bodywork part 10 such that it bears peripherally against the outer edge of the panel 61. The main rib 21 is arranged between the sealing joints 22 and 24 of the bowl 5 such that in the open position of the lid 6, the water collected by the main rib 21 can be evacuated by following at least one of the channels delimited vertically by the two joints. The loading hatch 4 incorporating the sealing means 2 considerably improves the water tightness of the arrangement comprising the loading hatch 4 and the bodywork part 10, thereby preventing increased corrosion due to water flowing into a dry area of ​​the vehicle's passenger compartment. The protection against water flow at the level of the electronic module 8 and the bowl 5 on which the module 8 is assembled is improved by the presence of the water guides, so that in the open position of the cover 6, the runoff water bypasses the openings of the hatch through which the module 8 extends.

Claims

Demands

1. Loading hatch (4) comprising a bowl (5) and a lid (6) hinged around the bowl, in particular with rotation about a substantially vertical axis, the bowl (5) comprising at least one opening (50-55), characterized in that it comprises a sealing means (2), in particular against water, disposed near at least one opening provided on the hatch.

2. Hatch (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that said sealing means comprises at least one rib (21a, 21b), in particular secondary ribs (21a, 21b) surrounding in whole or in part at least one opening (51, 52, 53) in order to form a projecting wall for guiding water out of the opening, the opening (51, 52, 53) being intended to receive an electronic module (8) fixed against an inner face of the bowl (5).

3. Hatch (4) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rib (21a), in particular the secondary rib, has a substantially inverted U-shaped profile such that it surrounds the upper and lateral edges of a wide opening (51).

4. Hatch (4) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the rib (21b), in particular the secondary rib, has a substantially inverted U profile such that it surrounds both a top edge and a side edge of a first opening (52) and a second opening (53), the first and second openings (52, 53) being arranged side by side.

5. Hatch (4) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the first and second openings (52, 53) are each arranged below the wide opening (51).

6. Hatch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said sealing means comprises a rib (21) extending along a peripheral edge of the bowl (5), in particular an upper peripheral edge, in order to form a projecting wall for guiding water out of a bowl bottom.

7. Hatch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one rib and the bowl are made by molding from a plastic material.

8. Hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sealing means comprises at least a sealing gasket (25, 26, 27) extending in whole or in part along a peripheral edge of an opening (50, 54, 55), in particular an opening (50) for a grip (3) and / or an opening (54) for a locking means (60) and / or an opening (55) for a support (7) of the panel (61) of the cover (6).

9. Hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sealing means comprises at least one sealing gasket (22, 23, 24) extending peripherally from an edge of the hatch, in particular an inner gasket (22) located on a peripheral inner edge of the bowl (5) and / or a gasket (23) located on a peripheral edge of the support (7) and / or an outer gasket (24) located on a peripheral outer edge of the bowl (5).

10. Hatch according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the sealing joint is made by overmolding a deformable plastic material of the bowl (5) and / or the support (7) of the lid (6).

11. Arrangement of a body part (10), in particular of the type of a wing or rear wing, of a vehicle, in particular of type EV or PHEV, and of a loading hatch (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing means (2) is disposed in the upper part of the hatch (4) such that the flow of water along the body part (10), in particular along a substantially vertical axis, bypasses at least one opening (50-55) of the hatch (4).

12. Arrangement according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the body part (10) includes an opening, the loading hatch (4) being assembled against an inner face of the body part so that the sealing means (2) extends to the junction of the opening of the body part (10) and the hatch (4).

13. Arrangement according to any one of claims 11 and 12, characterized in that it comprises an electronic module (8) assembled in a detachable manner to the hatch (4), in particular by clipping.

14. EV or PHEV type vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a hatch (4) according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, or an arrangement according to one of claims 11 to 13.

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