Lid structure of vehicle

Abstract

To prevent a lid from being broken.SOLUTION: A lid structure of a vehicle, which openably and closably covers an oil filler hole 1 of a vehicle from the outside, comprises: guide rails 30a and 30b arranged adjacent to the oil filler hole 1, a lid 20 that opens and closes by sliding along the guide rails 30a and 30b, and an engagement part 40 that locks the lid 20 so that the lid covers the oil filler hole 1 from the outside and releases the lock in accordance with operation by an operator. The guide rails 30a and 30b respectively have parallel parts 31 arranged in nearly parallel to a surface of the vehicle and bent parts 32 positioned at a closing-sides of the lid 20 with respect to the parallel parts 31 and bent and formed in an inner direction of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lid structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a vehicle is provided with a lid structure that can open and close and covers a fuel filler port for filling a fuel tank with fuel, a charging port for charging a battery, and the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel lid opening and closing device for covering an opening of a fuel inlet box. In this fuel lid opening and closing device, the fuel lid is opened to a certain extent halfway by releasing a striker portion with a fuel lid opener provided at the driver's seat, and then the fuel lid is fully opened by hand. In addition, in this fuel lid opening and closing device, a cam portion and a holding bracket are interposed between a hinge pin and a holding bracket, so that the fuel lid can be held in an open state during refueling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-56567 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the fuel lid opening and closing device of Patent Document 1, if a person filling up with fuel touches the fuel lid while filling up with fuel, the fuel lid may rotate in the closing direction and become an obstacle to the person filling up with fuel. Also, if the fuel lid remains open, it may hit a person or object and be damaged.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent damage to the lid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a lid structure for a vehicle that covers an energy source supply port of a vehicle in a manner that can be opened and closed from the outside, and includes a guide rail arranged close to the energy source supply port, a lid that opens and closes by sliding along the guide rail, and an engagement portion that locks the lid in a state in which it covers the energy source supply port from the outside and releases the lock in response to operation by an operator, wherein the guide rail has a parallel portion that is arranged approximately parallel to the vehicle surface, and a curved portion that is located on the closing side of the lid relative to the parallel portion and is curved inwardly of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, damage to the lid can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a lid structure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a lid structure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a lid structure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a lid in a closed state. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a lid in a half-open state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The embodiment according to the present invention is a lid structure 10 for a vehicle that covers an energy source supply port of a vehicle from the outside in an openable and closable manner, and includes guide rails 30a, 30b arranged close to the energy source supply port, a lid 20 that opens and closes by sliding along the guide rails 30a, 30b, and an engagement portion 40 that locks the lid 20 in a state in which the energy source supply port is covered from the outside and releases the lock in response to an operation by an operator. The guide rails 30a, 30b have a parallel portion 31 arranged approximately parallel to the vehicle surface, and a curved portion 32 that is located on the closing side of the lid 20 relative to the parallel portion 31 and is curved inwardly of the vehicle. Therefore, the lid 20 can be prevented from overhanging significantly from the vehicle surface, and damage to the lid 20 can be prevented. EXAMPLES

[0010] A lid structure 10 according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The lid structure 10 according to this embodiment covers a fuel filler opening 1, which is an energy source supply opening for a vehicle, from the outside in an openable and closable manner. The lid structure 10 according to this embodiment is disposed on the side of the vehicle. For ease of explanation, in each of the drawings described below, the upper side of the lid structure 10 is indicated as "top", the side where the lid 20 is closed as "front", and the inside of the vehicle as "inside". However, the lid structure 10 is not limited to being disposed in the direction shown in the drawings.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lid structure 10. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the lid structure 10. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lid structure 10, taken along line II in Fig. 2 and viewed from the direction of the arrow. First, the fuel filler port 1 communicates with a fuel tank, and a fuel nozzle is inserted when filling the fuel as an energy source. A fuel filler cap 1a is removably attached to the opening edge of the fuel filler port 1 (see FIG. 1). The fuel filler port 1 is disposed in a fuel inlet box 2 embedded in the side surface (vehicle surface) of the vehicle. The fuel inlet box 2 has a space formed therein, and has a lower inner surface 3a, an upper inner surface 3b, a front inner surface 3c, a rear inner surface 3d, and an inner surface 3e facing the space. The above-mentioned fuel filler port 1 is located on the inner surface 3e of the fuel inlet box 2. The fuel inlet box 2 also has an opening 4 on the outside of the vehicle facing the inner surface 3e.

[0012] The lid structure 10 includes a sliding lid 20, guide rails 30a to 30c, and an engagement portion 40. The lid 20 is generally plate-shaped and has generally the same size as the opening 4. The lid 20 opens and closes the opening 4 of the fuel inlet box 2 by sliding along guide rails 30a to 30c. The lid 20 is slidable in the front-rear direction, and is in a closed state where the opening 4 is closed by sliding toward the front side, and in an open state where the opening 4 is open by sliding toward the rear side.

[0013] When the lid 20 is in a closed state, the lid 20 overlaps with the fuel filler opening 1 when viewed from outside the vehicle. That is, when the lid 20 is in a closed state, the lid 20 covers the fuel filler opening 1 from the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, when the lid 20 is in a closed state, an operator cannot access the fuel filler opening 1, and therefore cannot fill fuel through the fuel filler opening 1. When the lid 20 is in the open state, the lid 20 does not overlap the fuel filler opening 1 when viewed from outside the vehicle, and most or all of the lid 20 overlaps with the side surface of the vehicle. In other words, when the lid 20 is in the open state, the lid 20 does not cover the fuel filler opening 1 from the outside of the vehicle, and the fuel filler opening 1 is exposed. Therefore, when the lid 20 is in the open state, the operator can access the fuel filler opening 1, and therefore can fill fuel through the fuel filler opening 1.

[0014] The lid 20 also has a plurality of (three in this example) guide rollers 21a to 21c that are guided along the guide rails 30a to 30c. The guide rollers 21a to 21c function as guided portions. The guide rollers 21a to 21c are disposed on the inner surface of the lid 20. Specifically, the guide roller 21a is located at the lower end of the front side of the lid 20 and moves along the guide rail 30a. The guide roller 21b is located at the upper end of the front side of the lid 20 and moves along the guide rail 30b. The guide roller 21c is located at the center in the vertical direction of the rear side of the lid 20 and moves along the guide rail 30c. The guide rollers 21a to 21c are rotatably supported by a support member 22 fixed to the lid 20. Since the support member 22 extends from the inner surface of the lid 20 toward the inside of the vehicle, the guide rollers 21a to 21c can be positioned away from the inner surface of the lid 20. Note that the support members 22 supporting the guide rollers 21a and 21b each extend from the inner surface of the lid 20 toward the inside of the vehicle, and then extend in opposite vertical directions, thereby allowing the guide rollers 21a and 21b to be positioned within the guide rails 30a and 30b.

[0015] The lid 20 also has an engaged portion 23 that is locked by an engaging portion 40 described below. The engaged portion 23 is disposed on the inner surface of the lid 20. Specifically, the engaged portion 23 is located at the center in the up-down direction on the front side of the lid 20. The engaged portion 23 has a hole formed therein into which the tip of the engaging portion 40 is inserted.

[0016] The guide rails 30a to 30c guide the opening and closing of the lid 20. Specifically, the guide rails 30a to 30c guide the opening and closing of the lid 20 by guiding the guide rollers 21a to 21c arranged on the lid 20. The guide rails 30a to 30c are arranged along the front-rear direction.

[0017] The guide rails 30a, 30b are adjacent to the fuel filler opening 1 and are spaced apart from each other above and below with the fuel filler opening 1 in between. The guide rail 30a is disposed from the front end to the rear end of the lower inner surface 3a of the fuel inlet box 2. The guide rail 30a has a generally U-shaped cross section that opens upward. The support member 22 of the guide roller 21a is inserted through the opening of the guide rail 30a, so that the guide roller 21a is positioned within the guide rail 30a. The guide rail 30b is disposed from the front end to the rear end of the upper inner surface 3b of the fuel inlet box 2. The guide rail 30b has a generally U-shaped cross section that opens downward. The support member 22 of the guide roller 21b is inserted through the opening of the guide rail 30b, so that the guide roller 21b is positioned within the guide rail 30b. The guide rail 30c is disposed on the side of the vehicle, rearward of the fuel filler opening 1, which is the side on which the lid 20 opens. The guide rail 30c has a generally U-shaped cross section that opens toward the outside of the vehicle. The support member 22 of the guide roller 21c is inserted through the opening of the guide rail 30c, so that the guide roller 21c is positioned within the guide rail 30c.

[0018] Moreover, the guide rails 30a to 30c each have a parallel portion 31 and a curved portion 32. The parallel portion 31 and the curved portion 32 are integrally formed. The parallel portion 31 constitutes the majority of the guide rails 30a to 30c. The parallel portion 31 is disposed substantially parallel to the side surface of the vehicle. The parallel portion 31 in this embodiment is linear in the front-rear direction. The curved portion 32 is a portion that constitutes a part of the guide rails 30a to 30c. The curved portion 32 is continuous with the parallel portion 31, and is located on the front side of the parallel portion 31, which is the closing side of the lid 20. The curved portion 32 is formed by bending inwardly of the vehicle. The curved portion 32 in this embodiment is curved so as to gradually bend inwardly of the vehicle as it approaches the end on the closing side. The curved portion 32 is bent inwardly of the vehicle by at least the sum of the thickness of the lid 20 and the length of the support member 22.

[0019] Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged views showing the configuration of the front side of the guide rail 30a shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 shows the lid 20 in a closed state, and Figure 5 shows the lid 20 in a half-open state where it is slightly open. The guide rail 30a has a pressing portion 33 and an elastic member 34. The pressing portion 33 and the elastic member 34 are located in the guide rail 30a at the end of the curved portion 32. When the lid 20 is in the closed state, the pressing portion 33 is pressed by the guide roller 21a moving in the guide rail 30a. The elastic member 34 is a spring that can expand and contract along the guide rail 30a. The elastic member 34 contracts when the pressing portion 33 is pressed by the guide roller 21a. At this time, the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 engage with each other, so that the elastic member 34 is held in a contracted state. When the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 are disengaged from each other, the elastic member 34 biases the pressing portion 33 in a direction away from the end of the curved portion 32, so that the guide roller 21a is pushed toward the rear side, which is the side on which the lid 20 opens. The pressing portion 33 and the elastic member 34 may be provided on any one of the guide rails 30a to 30c, or on at least one of the guide rails 30a to 30c.

[0020] The guide rail 30a also has a protrusion 35. The protrusion 35 is located inside the guide rail 30. In this embodiment, the protrusion 35 is located near the boundary between the parallel portion 31 and the curved portion 32. When the guide roller 21a is pushed rearward by the elastic member 34, the guide roller 21a comes into contact with the protrusion 35, thereby stopping the movement of the guide roller 21a. The protrusion 35 is formed to a size that allows the guide roller 21 to get over it inside the guide rail 30a. Therefore, when the operator applies force in the opening and closing direction of the lid 20, the guide roller 21a can get over the protrusion 35 and move inside the guide rail 30a. The protrusion 35 may be provided on any one of the guide rails 30a to 30c, or on at least one of the guide rails 30a to 30c.

[0021] The engaging portion 40 locks the lid 20 in a closed state. Specifically, the engaging portion 40 locks the lid 20 in a closed state by engaging with the engaged portion 23 of the lid 20. The engaging portion 40 is disposed on the front inner surface 3c of the fuel inlet box 2 and is swingable inward and outward of the vehicle. The engaging portion 40 has a hook-shaped or hook-shaped tip, and engages with the engaged portion 23 by inserting the tip of the engaging portion 40 into a hole in the engaged portion 23. The engaging portion 40 is biased by a biasing means (not shown) in a direction to engage with the engaged portion 23. The engaging portion 40 in this embodiment is biased in a direction in which the tip faces the outside of the vehicle. The engaging portion 40 is connected to a wire 41 as a wiring member connected to a lid opener as an operating portion provided in the driver's seat of the vehicle. When an operator operates the lid opener, the engaging portion 40 moves in a direction in which the engagement with the engaged portion 23 is released against the biasing force of the biasing means. When the operator operates the lid opener, the engaging portion 40 in this embodiment swings in a direction in which the tip faces the inside of the vehicle.

[0022] In the lid structure 10 configured as described above, a case where fuel supply is completed and the lid 20 is changed from the open state to the closed state will be described. The operator places his / her hand on the lid 20 in the open state and applies force toward the front side, which is the closing side. The lid 20 slides toward the front side, which is the closing side, as the guide rollers 21a to 21c move along the parallel parts 31 of the guide rails 30a to 30c. When the guide roller 21a comes into contact with the protrusion 35 during the slide, the operator applies more force, which allows the guide roller 21a to overcome the protrusion 35.

[0023] The operator continues to apply force toward the front side, which is the closing side, so that the guide rollers 21a to 21c move along the curved portion 32 of the guide rails 30a to 30c. Since the curved portion 32 is curved toward the inside of the vehicle, the lid 20 also moves in parallel toward the inside of the vehicle as it slides toward the end of the closing side. When the guide roller 21a reaches the pressing portion 33, the operator pushes the lid 20 toward the inside of the vehicle against the biasing force of the elastic member 34. At this time, the engaged portion 23 abuts against the engaging portion 40 as the lid 20 slides, so that the engaging portion 40 swings toward the inside of the vehicle against the biasing force of the biasing means, and the tips of the engaged portion 23 and the engaging portion 40 pass each other, so that the engaging portion 40 swings toward the outside of the vehicle due to the biasing force of the biasing means. At this time, the tip of the engaging portion 40 is inserted into the hole of the engaged portion 23, and the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 engage with each other.

[0024] 4, when the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 are engaged with each other, the guide rollers 21a-21c are located at the ends of the guide rails 30a-30c on the closing side, the elastic member 34 is held in a contracted state, and the lid 20 is locked in the closed state. When the lid 20 is in the closed state, the step between the surface of the lid 20 and the side surface of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0025] On the other hand, in the lid structure 10 configured as described above, a case where the lid 20 is changed from the closed state to the open state for refueling will be described. When the operator operates the lid opener provided at the driver's seat, the engagement between the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 is released, and the lid 20 is unlocked. In response to the engagement between the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 being released, the guide roller 21a is pushed rearward by the elastic member 34 via the pressing portion 33. The guide rollers 21a to 21c move rearward along the curved portions 32 of the guide rails 30a to 30c until the guide roller 21a abuts against the protrusion 35. Therefore, the lid 20 can be changed from a closed state to a half-open state.

[0026] Next, the operator puts his / her hand on the lid 20 from the half-open state and applies more force to the rear side, which is the side to open the lid 20, so that the guide roller 21a can climb over the protrusion 35 and move inside the guide rail 30a. The operator applies force toward the rear side, which is the side to continue opening, so that the guide rollers 21a to 21c move in parallel along the parallel parts 31 of the guide rails 30a to 30c, and the lid 20 can be opened (fully open). In the open state of the lid 20, the lid 20 can be prevented from protruding significantly from the side of the vehicle. In addition, in the open state of the lid 20, the fuel filler can access the fuel filler opening 1, so that fuel can be filled from the fuel filler opening 1.

[0027] Thus, according to this embodiment, the guide rails 30a to 30c have a parallel portion 31 disposed approximately parallel to the side surface of the vehicle (vehicle surface), and a curved portion 32 positioned on the closing side of the parallel portion 31 and curved inwardly of the vehicle. Therefore, when the lid 20 is in the open state, the lid 20 does not protrude significantly from the side surface of the vehicle, which can prevent the lid 20 from hitting a person or object and being damaged when refueling. Also, when the lid 20 is in the closed state, the step between the surface of the lid 20 and the side surface of the vehicle (vehicle surface) can be reduced, which can prevent the lid 20 from being damaged by a person or object getting caught in the step.

[0028] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the engagement between the engaging portion 40 and the engaged portion 23 is released, the lid 20 is pushed out along the guide rails 30a to 30c by the elastic member 34 and stops at the protrusion 35, thereby entering a half-open state. The lid 20 is then opened manually so as to climb over the protrusion 35, thereby entering a fully-open state. In this way, by opening the lid 20 half-open, it is possible to prevent the lid 20 from being damaged by opening too forcefully or by hitting a person or object, compared to a case in which the lid 20 is opened all at once from a closed state.

[0029] In addition, according to this embodiment, the guide rails 30a, 30b are positioned above and below the fuel filler opening 1, thereby making it possible to open and close the lid 20 stably and preventing damage to the lid 20.

[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications and the like are possible within the scope of the present invention, and the following modified examples may be combined.

[0031] In the above-described embodiment, the energy source supply port is the fuel filler port 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The energy source supply port may be, for example, a charging port for charging a battery of an electric vehicle or the like, or a filling port for filling a fuel tank of a fuel cell vehicle or the like with fuel. In the above-described embodiment, the energy source supply port is located on the side of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The energy source supply port only needs to face the surface of the vehicle when exposed, and may be located, for example, on the front surface, rear surface, or top surface of the vehicle.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the case where the operator unlocks the engagement portion 40 by operating the lid opener provided at the driver's seat has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this case. The operation to unlock the engagement portion 40 may be, for example, an operation on a touch panel of a display provided around the driver's seat, an operation on the lid 20 or an operation portion provided around the lid 20, or an operation on the lid 20 with the lid 20 itself serving as the operation portion.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle is provided with the fuel inlet box 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The vehicle may be configured to have a lower inner surface 3a, an upper inner surface 3b, a front inner surface 3c, a rear inner surface 3d, and an inner surface 3e by bending the body. In the above-described embodiment, the guide rails 30a, 30b are respectively arranged on the lower inner surface 3b and the upper inner surface 3a of the fuel inlet box 2. However, this is not limited to this case, and the guide rails may be arranged on the inner surface 3e. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10: Lid structure 1: Fuel filler port 2: Fuel inlet box 4: Opening 20: Lid 21a-21c: Guide rollers 23: Engaged portion 30a-30c: Guide rails 31: Parallel portion 32: Curved portion 33: Pressing portion 34: Elastic member 35: Protrusion 40: Engagement portion

Claims

1. A vehicle lid structure that covers an energy source supply port of a vehicle in an openable and closable manner from the outside, A guide rail disposed adjacent to the energy source supply port; a lid that opens and closes by sliding along the guide rail; an engagement portion that locks the lid in a state in which the lid covers the energy source supply port from the outside and releases the lock in response to an operation by an operator; The guide rail is A parallel portion disposed approximately parallel to a vehicle surface; a curved portion located on the closing side of the lid relative to the parallel portion and curved inwardly of the vehicle.

2. The guide rail is an elastic member located at an end of the lid on the closing side; 2. The vehicle lid structure according to claim 1, further comprising a protrusion located near a boundary between the parallel portion and the curved portion.

3. 3. The vehicle lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails are positioned above and below the energy source supply port and spaced apart from each other.

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