Lid attachment structure

Abstract

To provide a lid attachment structure which prevents flapping of a lid and occurrence of noise when the lid is fully opened and inhibits increase of costs.SOLUTION: In a lid attachment structure, a box 30 having a box main part 31 and an arm storage part 37 for storing an arm 22 of a lid attachment member 21 is attached to an oil supply port or the like. An arm storage part side engagement part 35 of the arm storage part 37 and an arm side engagement part 26 of the arm 22 are engaged to allow the arm 22 to rotate, and a spring 40 attached to the arm 22 engages with the arm storage part 37. In an area near a connection part 60 connected to the arm storage part 37 in the box main part 31, a protruding part 55 protruding to the side surface 22a side of the arm 22 is formed. The side surface 22a is provided with a slide contact arm 50 including: a first arm part 51 which may slidably contact with the protruding part 55, has flexibility, and protrudes in a direction away from the side surface 22a; and a second arm part 52 which is connected to the first arm part 51 and located close to the side surface 22a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a lid that is attached to the body of a vehicle such as an automobile to cover a fuel filler port, charging port, etc. of the vehicle body and has an openable and closable lid, and in particular to a mounting structure for a lid that can move to a fully open position without stopping midway when the lock on the vehicle body side is released. [Background technology]

[0002] When refueling or filling an automobile fuel tank with fuel such as gasoline or hydrogen, the fuel filler cap or filler lid that covers the filler or filler port on the vehicle body is opened, the fuel cap is removed, and fuel is added through the filler port, or a filler plug is inserted into the filler port to fill hydrogen.In addition, when charging an electric vehicle or PHV (plug-in hybrid vehicle), the charging lid is opened and a charging connector is inserted into a quick charging port or normal charging port to charge.

[0003] For example, when filling a fuel tank for an automobile, as shown in Figure 1, a lid (fuel filler lid) 110 that covers a fuel filler opening 101 provided on a vehicle body 201 is opened, and fuel is filled through the fuel filler opening 101. A lid mounting member 200 is attached to the back surface of the lid 110. The lid mounting member 200 has a large curved arm 220 that enables the lid 110 to be opened and closed, and is attached to a box (fuel filler box) 300.

[0004] As shown in Figure 10, the box 300 has an opening 340 corresponding to the fuel filler opening 101, and is composed of a box main body 310 that is attached to the vehicle body, and an arm storage section 370 that stores the arm 220 of the lid mounting member 200 in a rotatable manner.

[0005] The arm 220 is rotatably attached to the arm housing portion 370 , and a spring 400 that engages with the spring engaging portion 360 of the arm housing portion 370 is attached to the arm 220 .

[0006] Although not shown, spring 400 is roughly V-shaped and has an arm side portion 410 attached to spring attachment portion 240 of arm 220, an arm storage section side portion 420 engaged with and held by spring engagement portion 360 of arm storage section 370 of box 300, and a spring main body portion 430 located between arm side portion 410 and arm storage section side portion 420. Also formed is a spring protrusion 440 connected to arm side portion 410 of spring 400 for popping up the lid 110 slightly above the surface of the vehicle body when the lock with the vehicle body side is released.

[0007] When lid 110 is closed (fully closed), spring main body 430 bends so as to narrow the distance between arm side 410 and arm storage section side 420 of spring 400, and spring protrusion 440 abuts against the inner wall of arm storage section 370 and bends toward spring main body 430, with both being biased in the direction of returning to their original shapes. As a result, when lid 110 is unlocked from the vehicle body side (box 300) during refueling or the like, the biasing forces of spring protrusion 440 and spring main body 430 cause arm 220 to rotate in the direction of opening lid 110.

[0008] Patent Document 1 describes that the rotation of arm 220 causes the tip of lid 110 to lift slightly from the surface of vehicle body 201, and that the lifted tip of lid 110 is then lifted by hand to fully open the lid 110. However, when the biasing force of spring protrusion 440 is released, the position of arm side 410 of spring 400 is closer to the box main body 310 than the line connecting spring engagement portion 360 and the center of rotation of arm 220, and if the biasing force of spring main body 430 is increased, when the lock between lid 110 and the vehicle body side is released, lid 110 can be moved to the fully open position without stopping midway, eliminating the need to fully open the lid manually.

[0009] However, if lid 110 is moved to the fully open position without stopping midway, when lid 110 opens, a biasing force acts on spring main body 430 in the direction of returning to its original shape, and lid 110 continues to accelerate, so arm 220 may collide with box main body 310, or even if no collision occurs, the rotation of arm 220 may suddenly stop when spring main body 430 of spring 400 returns to its original shape, and the recoil may cause lid 110 to flap when fully open, generating an abnormal noise.

[0010] Patent Document 2 describes the following technology as a method for preventing the above-mentioned flapping of the lid and generation of abnormal noise. As shown in Fig. 11, a lid 110 is rotatably supported on a base 600 provided inside the housing via a first link 610 and a second link 620. A first spring body 630 is disposed between the first link 610 and the base 600, and a second spring body 640 is disposed between the second link 620 and the base 600. The lid 110 is locked in the closed position by a locking means attached to the outer periphery of the housing.

[0011] For example, when the locking means is released via an opener inside the vehicle cabin or when the lock is released in conjunction with the door unlocking operation, a push lifter (not shown) opens the lid slightly from the closed position against the biasing force of the first spring body 630. When the lid 110 is then rotated by hand or the like to the second position in the opening direction, the biasing direction of the second spring body 640 and the like is significantly reversed at the second position, and the lid is then rotated in the fully open direction by the biasing force. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-85086 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-209834 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] However, the technology of Patent Document 2 has a complex structure, which significantly increases costs. It also requires manual rotation from the first position to the second position. Therefore, the present invention relates to a lid mounting structure that moves to the fully open position without stopping midway when the lock on the vehicle body is released, and provides a lid mounting structure that prevents the lid from flapping and generating abnormal noise when fully open, while minimizing cost increases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention of claim 1 provides a lid that covers a fuel filler port or a charging port of a vehicle body, and is attached to or integrated with a lid mounting member having a lid mounting portion for mounting the lid and an arm that curves and extends from the lid mounting portion. The fuel filler port or charging port is attached to a box main body having an opening for the fuel filler port or charging port, and a box that is connected to the box main body and has an arm storage portion for storing the arm of the lid mounting member. An arm storage portion side engaging portion formed in the arm storage portion engages with an arm side engaging portion formed on the arm, making the arm rotatable, and the arm storage portion side engaging portion formed on the arm is attached to the box. This is a lid mounting structure in which a spring engages with an arm storage section, and a protrusion is formed near the connection point between the box main body and the arm storage section, which protrudes toward the side of the arm and has an inclined surface so that the amount of protrusion toward the side of the arm increases in the direction in which the lid opens, and a flexible sliding contact arm is formed on the side of the arm so that it can slide against the protrusion, and the sliding contact arm has a first arm that protrudes in a direction away from the side of the arm and a second arm that is connected to the first arm and approaches the side of the arm, and when the lid opens, the connection point between the first arm and second arm abuts against the protrusion.

[0015] In the present invention of claim 1, a protrusion is formed near the connecting portion of the box main body with the arm storage portion, protruding toward the side of the arm and having an inclined surface whose amount of protrusion toward the side of the arm increases in the direction of lid opening, and a flexible sliding contact arm is formed on the side of the arm so that it can slide against the protrusion, and the sliding contact arm has a first arm that protrudes in a direction away from the side of the arm and a second arm that is connected to the first arm and approaches the side of the arm, and when the lid opens, the connecting portion between the first arm and the second arm abuts against the inclined surface of the protrusion, and after abutment, the connecting portion presses against the inclined surface of the protrusion, causing the first arm to bend. As a result, a force is applied to the connecting portion in a direction that causes the first arm to eliminate the bending, and this force presses against the inclined portion of the protrusion, and a reaction force is applied to the arm, so that the accelerating opening of the lid can be braked and the speed at which the lid opens can be suppressed.

[0016] The speed at which the lid opens is suppressed while the connecting part is in contact with the protrusion, so even if the arm collides with the box body, the impact noise (abnormal noise) is minimal. Furthermore, if there is no collision, the arm's rotation is prevented from suddenly stopping when the spring's biasing force is released, preventing the lid from flapping and generating abnormal noise when fully opened due to the reaction. Furthermore, the above effects can be achieved with a simple structure in which a sliding contact arm is formed on the side of the arm, thereby suppressing cost increases.

[0017] It should be noted that "the vicinity of the connecting portion with the arm storage portion in the box main body" includes the connecting portion.

[0018] The present invention of claim 2 is a lid mounting structure in which, in the invention of claim 1, after the connecting portion abuts against the inclined surface of the protruding portion, the tip of the second arm abuts against the side of the arm and the angle between the first arm and the second arm at the connecting portion widens.

[0019] In the present invention of claim 2, after the first connecting portion abuts against the inclined surface of the protruding portion, the tip of the second arm abuts against the side surface of the arm and the angle between the first arm and the second arm at the connecting portion widens, so that a force acts on the connecting portion, which is the contact point with the protruding portion, to return the angle between the first arm and the second arm to its original value. At this time, the tip of the second arm moves on the side surface of the arm in a direction away from the first arm while pressing against the side surface of the arm.

[0020] As a result, the pressing force on the protrusion at the connecting part is a combination of the pressing force based on the bending of the first arm and the pressing force based on the bending of the widening angle between the first arm and the second arm, and the pressing force on the protrusion of the sliding arm increases, so that these reaction forces act on the arm, continuously braking the accelerating opening of the lid and suppressing the speed at which the lid opens.

[0021] Furthermore, the speed at which the lid opens is suppressed when the lid is fully open, so even if the arm collides with the box body, the collision sound (abnormal noise) is very slight, and if there is no collision, the arm's rotation is prevented from suddenly stopping when the spring force is released, preventing the lid from flapping when the lid is fully open due to the reaction, and preventing abnormal noise.

[0022] Furthermore, the braking force can be adjusted by the first stage in which the connecting portion abuts against the protruding portion and the first arm bends, and the second stage in which the tip of the second arm abuts against the side of the arm and the angle between the first arm and the second arm at the connecting portion widens, making it easier to adjust the speed at which the lid opens.Furthermore, since the pressing force based on the bending of the angle between the first arm and the second arm widens, rather than just the bending of the first arm, is used, damage to the sliding contact arm is prevented and its durability is improved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] A lid that covers a fuel filler port or charging port of a vehicle body is attached with or integrated with a lid mounting member having a lid mounting portion for mounting the lid and an arm that curves and extends from the lid mounting portion, and the fuel filler port or charging port is attached with a box main body portion in which an opening for the fuel filler port or charging port is formed, and a box is attached to the fuel filler port or charging port, the box having an arm storage portion that is connected to the box main body and stores the arm of the lid mounting member, and an arm storage portion-side engaging portion formed in the arm storage portion engages with an arm-side engaging portion formed on the arm to make the arm rotatable, and a spring attached to the arm engages with the arm storage portion. a protrusion having an inclined surface that protrudes laterally toward the arm near the connecting portion of the box main body with the arm storage portion and that protrudes laterally toward the arm in a direction that increases in the direction that the lid opens; a flexible sliding contact arm that can slide against the protrusion is formed on the side of the arm; the sliding contact arm has a first arm that protrudes away from the side of the arm and a second arm that is connected to the first arm and approaches the side of the arm; when the lid opens, the connecting portion between the first arm and the second arm abuts against the protrusion, and after abutment, the connecting portion presses the inclined surface of the protrusion, causing the first arm to bend. As a result, a force is applied to the connecting portion in a direction that causes the first arm to eliminate the bending, and this force presses the inclined portion of the protrusion, and a reaction force is applied to the arm, thereby braking the accelerating opening of the lid and suppressing the speed at which the lid opens.

[0024] The speed at which the lid opens is suppressed while the connecting part is in contact with the protruding part, so even if the arm collides with the box body, the collision noise (abnormal noise) is very slight, and if there is no collision, the arm's rotation is prevented from suddenly stopping when the spring force is released, preventing the lid from flapping and generating abnormal noise when fully opened due to the reaction.In addition, the above effects can be achieved with a simple structure in which a sliding contact arm is formed on the side of the arm, so costs can be kept down. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fuel filler opening with the lid open. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an arm used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a side view of the arm used in the embodiment of the present invention, seen from the direction A in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a bottom view of the arm used in the embodiment of the present invention, seen from the direction B in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a spring used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a connecting portion between the box body and the arm housing portion, showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a side view illustrating the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the positional relationship between the box, the arm, and the spring, and the sliding contact state between the protrusion and the sliding contact arm. FIG. [Figure 9] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the direction of arrow L in FIG. 7 with the cover open. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a conventional lid mounting structure, showing an arm and the vicinity of an arm storage portion of a box (Patent Document 1). [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a main part of a conventional lid biasing structure (Patent Document 2). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The following embodiment will describe an attachment structure for a lid 11 (fuel filler cap) that closes a fuel filler opening 1 of a vehicle body 2 and has an openable and closable lid 11, but it can also be used when filling hydrogen by inserting a filling plug into a filling port, or when charging an electric vehicle or a PHV (plug-in hybrid vehicle).

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, lid 11 is formed to fit the shape of fuel filler opening 1 in order to close the fuel filler opening 1 of vehicle body 2. When filling a fuel tank for an automobile, lid 11 that closes fuel filler opening 1 provided on vehicle body 2 is opened, and fuel is filled through fuel filler opening 1. A lid mounting member 20 is attached to the back surface of lid 11, and lid mounting member 20 is attached to box 30.

[0028] 2, the lid mounting member 20 has a lid mounting portion 21 that is attached to the lid 11, and a greatly curved, arc-shaped arm 22 that enables the lid 11 to be opened and closed. The lid mounting portion 21 also has a lid lock portion 23 that engages with a lock pin 32 of the box 30, which will be described later. The lid 11 and the lid mounting member 20 may also be formed integrally.

[0029] The box 30 attached to the vehicle body 2 has a box main body 31 with an opening 34 at the fuel filler opening 1, and an arm storage section 37 that stores the arm 22 of the lid mounting member 20. To ensure sufficient space for the arm 22 to be opened and closed within the box 30, the arm storage section 37 is formed further inward into the vehicle body 2 than the box holding section 3 that holds the box main body 31 to the vehicle body 2. Therefore, the rotation center O of the arm 22 engages with the arm storage section 37 at a portion of the arm storage section 37 that is laterally deeper than the lid 11. The box 30 and the lid mounting member 20 including the arm 22 are both made of resin.

[0030] A sealing member 33 is attached around the upper end of the box main body 31, and when the box main body 31 is attached to the box holding portion 3 of the vehicle body 2, it seals the gap between the box holding portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the upper end of the box main body 31.

[0031] A lock pin 32 is formed on the box body 31 on the side opposite the arm storage section 37 of the box 30, and when the lid 11 is closed, the lock pin 32 engages with the lid lock section 23 of the lid mounting member 20 to lock the lid 11. When the lid 11 is opened, the lock pin 32 of the box 30 retracts and disengages from the lid lock section 23 of the lid mounting section 21.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the arm 22 used in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side view of the arm 22, as viewed from direction A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the arm 22, as viewed from direction B in FIG. 3.

[0033] An arm-side engaging portion 26 is formed at the tip portion of the arm 22, and a cylindrical recess 28 is formed on the side of the arm-side engaging portion 26. Furthermore, a spring mounting portion 24 for mounting an arm side portion 41 of a spring 40 (described later) is formed on the arm 22 closer to the lid mounting portion 21 than the arm-side engaging portion 26. The spring mounting portion 24 is composed of first holding portions 24a formed in two locations on the tip side of the arm 22, and second holding portions 24b in two locations that hold the arm side portion 41 of the spring 40 (described later) from the opposite side to the first holding portions 24a.

[0034] A sliding contact arm 50 protruding from the side surface 22a of the arm 22 is formed on the side surface 22a. As shown in Fig. 5, the sliding contact arm 50 has a first arm portion 51 protruding in a direction away from the side surface 22a of the arm 22, and a second arm portion 52 connected to the first arm portion 51 and approaching the side surface 22a of the arm 22, and the first arm portion 51 and the second arm portion 52 are formed in the shape of the hiragana character "ku" with a connecting portion 54 sandwiched therebetween.

[0035] In the connecting portion 54, the distance between the connecting portion top 54a opposite the side 22a and the side 22a, i.e., the height of the side 22a of the connecting portion 54, is set higher than the distance between the second protrusion 56 of the protrusion 55 formed near the connection portion with the arm storage portion 37 of the box main body portion 31 of the box 30 described later and the side 22a of the arm 22 when the arm 22 is attached to the arm storage portion 37.

[0036] The widthwise cross section and both widthwise ends of the tip 53 of the second arm 52 are formed in an arc shape. When the tip 53 comes into contact with the side surface 22a of the arm 22 and then the angle between the first arm 51 and the second arm 52 at the connecting portion 54 widens, the tip 53 presses against the side surface 22a of the arm 22 and moves on the side surface 22a of the arm 22. At this time, this is to prevent the tip 53 from getting caught on the side surface 22a of the arm 22 and becoming unable to move, to prevent the side surface 22a of the arm 22 from being scratched, and to prevent the sliding contact arm 50 from being damaged.

[0037] Furthermore, the widthwise cross section and both widthwise ends of the tip 53 of the second arm 52 are not limited to an arc shape, and may have other shapes as long as the tip 53 does not get caught on the side surface 22a of the arm 22.

[0038] Furthermore, when the sliding contact arm 50 is formed on the side surface 22 a of the arm 22 , the tip end 53 of the second arm portion 52 does not abut on the side surface 22 a of the arm 22 .

[0039] 6 is a plan view of a spring 40 used in an embodiment of the present invention. The spring 40 is manufactured by bending a single wire, which is a metal linear member, into a generally V-shape. The spring 40 is composed of an arm storage section side section 42 that is held in a spring engagement section 36 of the arm storage section 37 (described later), an arm side section 41 that is attached to the spring attachment section 24 of the arm 22, a spring main body section 43 that connects the arm storage section side section 42 and the arm side section 41, and a spring protrusion section 44 that bends from the tip of the arm side section 41 almost perpendicularly toward the arm storage section side section 42 and extends out of the spring plane formed by the arm storage section side section 42 and the arm side section 41.

[0040] 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the joint between the box body 31 and the arm housing section 37 of the box 30 used in the first embodiment of the present invention. A protrusion 55 is formed on the inner wall of the box body 31 from the joint 60 between the box body 31 and the arm housing section 37 toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22. Note that the joint 60 between the box body 31 and the arm housing section 37 refers to the boundary between the box body 31 and the arm housing section 37 in the case where the protrusion 55 is not formed. In other words, in FIG. 7, the joint 60 is defined as the line segment extending from the intersection E between the dashed line C corresponding to the surface along the side surface 22a of the arm 22 of the box body 31 and the dashed line D corresponding to the surface in the width direction of the arm 22. The line segment extends from the intersection E along the side surface 22a of the arm 22 of the box body 31 toward the rear.

[0041] The protrusion 55 is connected to a second protrusion 56 formed to jut out toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22 so as to be approximately parallel to the side surface 22a of the arm 22, and a first protrusion 57 is formed on the rear side of the second protrusion 56 and in the direction of the arm storage section side engagement section 35 of the arm storage section 37. The second protrusion 56 is formed to be approximately parallel to the side surface 22a of the arm 22 in order to keep the speed at which the lid 11 opens constant at the second protrusion 56. In addition, an arc-shaped corner 58 is formed at the connecting portion between the second protrusion 56 and the first protrusion 57.

[0042] The first protrusion 57 is an inclined surface on the surface side of the box body 31 that protrudes more toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22. The first protrusion 57 also extends toward the arm storage section 37. This is due to the trajectory of the connecting portion apex 54a, which will be described later. The first protrusion 57 protrudes more in the direction in which the lid 11 opens. In other words, the first protrusion 57 gradually increases the load on the sliding contact arm 50. This improves the durability of the sliding contact arm 50 compared to when the first protrusion 57, which is an inclined surface, is not formed and the sliding contact arm 50 suddenly abuts against the second protrusion 56. This also prevents unnatural movements, such as sudden slowdowns in the opening of the lid 11. An arc-shaped corner 58 is formed at the connecting portion between the second protrusion 56 and the first protrusion 57. By forming the arc-shaped corner portion 58, the transition from the first protruding portion 57 to the second protruding portion 56 of the connecting portion apex 54a of the sliding contact arm 50 can be made smooth without a step.

[0043] 8 is a side view illustrating the positional relationship between the box 30, arm 22, and spring 40, and the sliding contact state between the protrusion 55 and the sliding contact arm 50. When the arm 22 is in position G (solid line), the lid 11 is fully closed, and when it is in position H (two-dot chain line), the lid 11 is fully open.

[0044] A storage section-side inclined portion 38 that defines the space of the arm storage section 37 toward the inside of the vehicle and a step portion 39 that connects to the storage section-side inclined portion 38 are formed at the end of the arm storage section 37 in the longitudinal direction thereof, opposite the box main body portion 31. In addition, a spring engaging portion 36 that engages with an arm storage section side portion 42 of a spring 40 (described later) is formed on the inner surface between the storage section-side inclined portion 38 and the step portion 39 that connects to the storage section-side inclined portion 38.

[0045] When the arm side portion 41 of the spring 40 is attached to the spring attachment portion 24 of the arm 22 and the arm 22 is inserted into the arm storage portion 37 of the box 30, the arm storage portion side portion 42 of the spring 40 moves along the inner surface of the storage portion-side inclined portion 38 of the arm storage portion 37 and comes into contact with and is held by the spring engaging portion 36. Then, the arm 22 is rotatably attached by engaging the arm-side engaging portion 26 of the arm 22 with the arm storage portion-side engaging portion 35 (FIG. 7) of the arm storage portion 37, for example, by fitting a cap that reaches the recess 28 of the arm-side engaging portion 26 of the arm 22 into the arm storage portion-side engaging portion 35.

[0046] When the lid 11 is closed, the spring 40 has its spring main body 43 bend and deform so as to shorten the distance between the arm side portion 41 and the arm storage section side portion 42. The spring protrusion 44 also abuts against the storage section side inclined portion 38, and bends and deforms so as to reduce the angle between the arm side portion 41 and the spring plane formed by the arm storage section side portion 42. As a result, a biasing force F is generated in the spring main body 43 in a direction returning the distance between the arm side portion 41 and the arm storage section side portion 42 to its original position, and a biasing force f is generated in the spring protrusion 44 in a direction returning the angle with the spring plane to its original position.

[0047] When the lock pin 32 and the lid lock portion 23 of the lid mounting member 20 are disengaged, the biasing force of the spring protrusion 44 and the spring main body 43 causes the arm 22 to rotate in the direction in which the lid 11 is opened.

[0048] 8, the widthwise center of the connecting portion apex 54a of the connecting portion 54 of the sliding contact arm 50 formed on the side surface 22a of the arm 22 traces a locus indicated by a dashed line. For a while after the lid 11 begins to open, nothing abuts the connecting portion apex 54a. Therefore, the urging force of the force F of the spring main body 43 accelerates the opening of the lid 11.

[0049] Next, when the widthwise center portion of the connecting portion apex 54a of the connecting portion 54 reaches point J, the first protrusion 57 of the protrusion 55 is formed on the box 30 on the fully-open side of the lid 11, and therefore the connecting portion apex 54a of the sliding contact arm 50 abuts against the first protrusion 57. The first protrusion 57 is formed so that the amount of protrusion toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22 increases in the front side direction, that is, in the direction in which the lid 11 opens. Therefore, after the widthwise center portion of the connecting portion apex 54a reaches point J, the connecting portion apex 54a is pressed by the first protrusion 57, and the first arm 51 bends toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22. Then, a force acts on the connecting portion 54 in a direction to eliminate the bending of the first arm 51, pressing the first protrusion 57, and a reaction force acts on the arm 22, which acts in a direction to suppress the rotation of the arm 22. As a result, the accelerating opening of the lid 11 can be braked, and the speed at which the lid 11 opens can be suppressed.

[0050] Furthermore, because first protrusion 57 is formed so that it protrudes more toward the surface, as lid 11 opens, the degree of bending of first arm 51 increases, and accordingly, the reaction force on arm 22 also increases. Therefore, the force with which connecting portion apex 54a suppresses the rotation of arm 22 gradually increases. Furthermore, as the degree of bending of first arm 51 increases, connecting portion apex 54a approaches side surface 22a of arm 22, and accordingly, tip 53 of second arm 52 also approaches side surface 22a of arm 22. The above stage is the first stage.

[0051] Next, when the widthwise center of the connecting portion apex 54a of the connecting portion 54 reaches point K on the first protrusion 57, which is near the arc-shaped corner 58 that connects to the first protrusion 57, the tip 53 of the second arm 52 abuts against the side 22a of the arm 22, and the second stage begins.

[0052] Then, when the widthwise center of connecting portion apex 54a passes point K, the amount of protrusion toward arm 22 continues to increase up to the surface sides of first protrusion 57 and arc-shaped corner 58, so that as first arm 51 bends, the angle between first arm 51 and second arm 52 at connecting portion 54 also bends, widening. At this time, because the widthwise cross section of tip 53 of second arm 52 and both widthwise ends are formed in an arc shape, tip 53 of second arm 52 moves toward the back of box 30 by sliding along the side of side 22a while pressing against side 22a of arm 22.

[0053] A pressing force based on the bending of first arm portion 51 is added to a pressing force based on the bending of connecting portion 54 as the angle between first arm portion 51 and second arm portion 52 increases, and the pressing force acting on protruding portion 55 increases. A reaction force acts on arm 22, and this reaction force acts in a direction that suppresses the rotation of arm 22.

[0054] Next, when the widthwise center of the top 54a of the connecting portion is on the fully open side of the lid 11 from point M, a second protrusion 56 is formed on the protrusion 55, and the second protrusion 56 is formed to be approximately parallel to the side surface 22a of the arm 22.Therefore, the angle between the first arm 51 and the second arm 52 at the connecting portion 54 when they overcome the arc-shaped corner 58 is maintained, and the tip 53 of the second arm 52 abuts against the side surface 22a of the arm 22, and the lid 11 continues to open at a constant speed.

[0055] Next, when the widthwise center of the connecting portion apex 54a passes point N, the abutment between the second protrusion 56 and the connecting portion apex 54a of the connecting portion 54 is released, the angle between the first arm 51 and the second arm 52 of the connecting portion 54 returns to its original angle, and the abutment between the tip 53 of the second arm 52 and the side surface 22a of the arm 22 is also released.

[0056] Then, arm 22 reaches position H, and lid 11 is fully open. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of lid 11 when open, as viewed from the direction of arrow L in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 9, lid 11 is in the fully open state with connecting portion apex 54a and second protrusion 56 no longer in contact with each other. At the center of connecting portion apex 54a in the width direction, there is a small distance between point N and the fully open position, so when lid 11 is fully open, lid 11 will come into contact with box 30. However, from point J to just before point N, a force is acting on arm 22 in a direction that suppresses its rotation, and therefore the rotation speed of arm 22 is sufficiently reduced, and there is only a slight noise when arm 22 comes into contact with box 30.

[0057] The lid 11 is closed manually. At this time, as the lid 11 rotates in the closing direction, the connecting portion apex 54a of the sliding contact arm 50 abuts against the second protrusion 56, the arc-shaped corner 58, and the first protrusion 57, and the tip 53 of the second arm 52 of the sliding contact arm 50 also abuts against the second protrusion 56, the arc-shaped corner 58, and the first protrusion 57. When the tip 53 of the second arm 52 and the first protrusion 57 are released from contact at the first protrusion 57, the angle between the first arm 51 and the second arm 52 of the connecting portion 54 returns to the original angle. After the connecting portion apex 54a and the first protrusion 57 are released from contact, the bending of the first arm 51 of the sliding contact arm 50 is also released.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present invention.

[0059] For example, in the above embodiment, the protrusion 55 has a second protrusion 56 formed to protrude toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22 so as to be approximately parallel to the side surface 22a of the arm 22, but it is also possible to not form the second protrusion 56 and instead form only a first protrusion 57 formed on the surface side of the box main body 31 so that the amount of protrusion toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22 increases.

[0060] For example, in the above embodiment, the second protrusion 56 is formed so as to be approximately parallel to the side surface 22a of the arm 22, but the amount of protrusion of the second protrusion 56 toward the side surface 22a of the arm 22 may be slightly increased on the front side compared to the rear side, so that the opening speed of the second protrusion 56 slows down as the lid 11 opens.

[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, the second protrusion 56 of the protrusion 55 is formed on the inner wall of the box main body 31 from the connection portion 60 with the arm storage portion 37 in the box main body 31, but it may also be formed across the connection portion 60 from the box main body 31 to the arm storage portion 37.

[0062] For example, in the above embodiment, the sliding contact arms 50 protruding from the side surfaces 22a of the arm 22 are formed on both side surfaces 22a of the arm 22, but the sliding contact arm 50 protruding from the side surface 22a may be formed on one of the side surfaces 22a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 11 Lid 20 Lid mounting member 22 Arm 26 Arm side engagement part 30 boxes 31 Box body 35 Arm storage side engagement part 36 Spring engagement part 37 Arm storage compartment 38 Storage section side inclined section 39 Step 40 springs 43 Spring body 50 Sliding arm 51 1st arm 52 2nd arm 53 Tip 54 Connecting part 55 Protrusion 56 Second protrusion 57 1st protrusion (slanted surface)

Claims

1. A lid mounting structure in which a lid for closing a fuel filler port, charging port, etc. of a vehicle body is attached with or integrated with a lid mounting member having a lid mounting portion for mounting the lid and an arm extending in a curved manner from the lid mounting portion, and the fuel filler port, charging port, etc. is attached with a box main body portion in which an opening for the fuel filler port, charging port, etc. is formed, and a box is attached with the box main body portion and has an arm storage portion for storing the arm of the lid mounting member, and an arm storage portion side engaging portion formed in the arm storage portion engages with an arm side engaging portion formed on the arm to make the arm rotatable, and a spring attached to the arm engages with the arm storage portion, a protrusion having an inclined surface that protrudes in a lateral direction of the arm and increases in the direction in which the lid is opened, in the vicinity of a connection portion between the box main body and the arm storage portion; a flexible sliding contact arm is formed on the side surface of the arm and is capable of sliding contact with the protruding portion, the sliding contact arm including a first arm portion that protrudes in a direction away from the side surface of the arm, and a second arm portion that is connected to the first arm portion and approaches the side surface of the arm; A lid mounting structure, characterized in that when the lid is opened, the connecting portion between the first arm portion and the second arm portion abuts against the inclined surface of the protrusion.

2. 2. A lid mounting structure as described in claim 1, wherein after the connecting portion abuts against the inclined surface of the protrusion, the tip of the second arm abuts against the side of the arm and the angle between the first arm and the second arm at the connecting portion widens.

Images