Lid opening and closing device

Abstract

To stably position and fix a lid relative to a lid box at an open position.SOLUTION: A lid opening / closing device includes: a lid box provided with an opening; a lid for opening and closing the opening; and an opening / closing mechanism for allowing the lid to perform opening / closing operation. The opening / closing mechanism includes a link interposed between the lid box and the lid. The link includes: a main arm which is rotatably supported on the lid box at a main arm one end part, and rotatably supported on the lid at a main arm other end part, and which transmits, to the lid, opening / closing driving force applied from an outside; and an auxiliary arm which restricts a posture of the lid during the opening / closing operation of the lid so as to keep the posture in a predetermined posture, by rotation in conjunction with rotation of the main arm. The main arm includes an arm-side restriction part which extends in a direction parallel to a rotation axis on the main arm other end part side, and comes into contact with a lid-side restriction part on a back surface side of the lid at an open position of the lid to restrict the rotation of the main arm to an open side. An axial length of the arm-side restriction part is longer than an axial length of the main arm one end part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lid opening and closing device that is capable of opening and closing a lid that opens and closes an opening of a lid box. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a lid opening and closing device that is mounted on, for example, a vehicle and uses a lid to open and close the opening of a lid box (for example, Patent Document 1). The lid box is a base material that is attached to the vehicle body and exposes the vehicle's charging port, fuel filler port, etc. The lid is a covering material that opens and closes between a closed position that closes the opening of the lid box and an open position that opens the opening. The opening and closing operation of the lid is achieved by an opening and closing mechanism.

[0003] In the lid opening / closing device described in Patent Document 1, the opening / closing mechanism has a link interposed between the lid box and the lid. The link has two arms extending parallel to each other between the lid box and the lid. Each arm is rotatably supported on the lid box and also rotatably supported on the lid. One arm rotates in response to applied power to transmit an opening / closing driving force to the lid. The other arm rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the other arm to regulate the orientation of the lid during opening / closing operations so that it remains parallel to the opening. Each of these arms has a bifurcated portion that branches axially from a plate portion at the center of the arm and extends in the arm longitudinal direction, and each tip of the bifurcated portion is supported by the lid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0375630 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to stably fix the lid in the open position, it is important to restrict the lid from opening further from the open position. One method for restricting the lid from opening further from the open position is to abut the lid-side end of one of the longitudinal ends of the arm of the opening / closing mechanism against the back surface of the lid when the lid reaches the open position.

[0006] However, in the structure described above in which the longitudinal end of the arm is forked, the part of the arm that abuts against the back side of the lid is limited to the tip of the fork on the lid side, and the area where the arm and the lid abut against each other when the lid is in the open position is narrow, which may result in unstable positioning of the lid in the open position.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to provide a lid opening and closing device that can stably fix the position of the lid relative to the lid box in the open position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention includes a lid box having an opening, a lid that opens and closes between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening, and an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the lid with respect to the lid box, wherein the opening / closing mechanism has a link interposed between the lid box and the lid, the link comprising a main arm that is rotatably supported by the lid box at one end and the lid at the other end, and that transmits an opening / closing driving force applied from the outside to the lid, and an auxiliary arm that is rotatably supported by the lid box at one end and the lid at the other end. and an auxiliary arm that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm to regulate the lid so that the posture of the lid during opening and closing operations is kept at a predetermined posture, wherein the main arm is provided at the other end of the main arm, has an arm-side regulating part that extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis on the other end side of the main arm and abuts against the back surface side of the lid when the lid is in the open position to regulate the rotation of the main arm to the open side, and the lid has a lid-side regulating part that is provided on the back surface side and abuts against the arm-side regulating part when the lid is in the open position to regulate the rotation of the main arm to the open side, and the axial length of the arm-side regulating part is longer than the axial length of the one end of the main arm.

[0009] According to this configuration, the lid can be stably fixed in position relative to the lid box in the open position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a lid opening and closing device mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid in a closed position. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a lid opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a lid open position. [Figure 3] 1 is a front perspective view of a lid opening and closing device according to an embodiment in a lid open position, viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a lid opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention when the lid is in an open position, viewed obliquely from above at the rear; [Figure 5]1 is an exploded perspective view of a lid opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of a main arm of a link of an opening and closing mechanism included in a lid opening and closing device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front view of a main arm included in the lid opening and closing device of the embodiment. [Figure 8] 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a positional relationship between a lid, a lid box, and a main arm when the lid is in an open position of the lid opening and closing device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the main part of the positional relationship shown in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Specific embodiments of a lid opening and closing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.

[0012] A lid opening and closing device 1 according to one embodiment is a device that opens and closes a lid of a lid box.

[0013] The lid opening and closing device 1 is mounted on vehicles such as gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles, and is installed in a mounting hole 2a provided on a vehicle surface 2, such as the side or front of the vehicle. A supply port 3 (specifically, a charging port, a fuel filler port, etc.; see FIG. 2) for supplying energy to the vehicle is arranged on the inner side of the mounting hole 2a.

[0014] In this embodiment, directions are indicated based on the lid opening / closing device 1 as viewed from outside the vehicle, and the direction connecting the outside of the vehicle (front side) and the inside of the vehicle (rear side) is referred to as the inside-outside direction X, the horizontal direction along the vehicle body surface 2 is referred to as the left-right direction Y, and the vertical direction along the vehicle body surface 2 is referred to as the up-down direction Z.

[0015] 1 and 2, the lid opening and closing device 1 includes a lid box 10, a lid 20, and an opening and closing mechanism 30. The lid opening and closing device 1 transmits power to the lid 20 by driving the opening and closing mechanism 30, thereby opening and closing the lid 20 relative to the lid box 10.

[0016] The lid box 10 is a container- or box-shaped box member that houses the supply port 3. The lid box 10 is attached and fixed to the vehicle body surface 2 so as to fit into the mounting hole 2a. The lid box 10 has a bottom wall portion 11, a side wall portion 12, an accommodation space 13, and an opening 14. The lid box 10 is a cylindrical, bottomed member in which the bottom wall portion 11 is formed at the back side and the side wall portion 12 surrounds the periphery of the bottom wall portion 11 to define the accommodation space 13, and the opening 14 is formed at the front side. The lid box 10 is an injection-molded body made of resin or the like.

[0017] The supply port 3 is provided at one end of a pipe or cable that is connected at the other end to a fuel tank, a battery, or the like. The fuel tank and the battery are located further back than a through-hole 11a provided in the bottom wall portion 11. The supply port 3 is located closer to the front than the through-hole 11a and is housed in a housing space 13. The supply port 3 is hidden behind the lid 20 when the lid 20 is in a closed position, but is exposed to the outside of the vehicle through an opening 14 when the lid 20 is in an open position so that fuel supply and charging are possible.

[0018] The lid box 10 has a frame portion 15. The frame portion 15 is formed in an annular shape along the periphery of the opening 14, and is formed in a flange shape so as to extend from the periphery of the opening 14 toward the outside of the frame. The lid box 10 is positioned on the vehicle body surface 2 by the back surface of the frame portion 15 abutting against a flange surface around the mounting hole 2a on the vehicle body surface 2.

[0019] The lid 20 is a cover member that opens and closes the opening 14 of the lid box 10. The lid 20 is formed in a plate shape. The lid 20 has a size that matches the opening 14 and the frame portion 15 around the opening 14. The lid 20 closes the opening 14 so that it is flush with the vehicle body surface 2 when the lid 20 is in the closed position. The surface of the lid 20 may be curved to match the vehicle body surface 2. The lid 20 is, for example, an injection-molded body made of resin. Furthermore, the lid 20 may be formed by assembling an inner member 21 on the inside of the vehicle and an outer member on the outside of the vehicle together to form an integrated body, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0020] The lid 20 can perform an opening and closing operation by moving between a closed position and an open position. The closed position is a position where the lid 20 closes the opening 14. The open position is a predetermined position where the lid 20 opens the opening 14. The lid 20 is supported so as to be movable relative to the lid box 10. The lid 20 can be opened and closed by power from the opening and closing mechanism 30.

[0021] The opening / closing mechanism 30 is a mechanism for opening and closing the lid 20 relative to the lid box 10 between a closed position and an open position. The opening / closing mechanism 30 may be a mechanism for opening and closing the lid 20 using power generated by an actuator such as a motor, or may be a mechanism for opening and closing the lid 20 using external force associated with manual operation by an operator (for example, pulling a wire) as power. Furthermore, the opening / closing mechanism 30 may be a mechanism for opening and closing the lid 20 selectively using power from an actuator and external force from manual operation.

[0022] The opening / closing mechanism 30 may also be a mechanism in which the power source for opening the lid 20 and the power source for closing the lid 20 are of different types. For example, the power source for opening the lid 20 may be an actuator, and the power source for closing the lid 20 may be manual operation by an operator. The opening / closing mechanism 30 may also be a mechanism that normally opens the lid 20 using an actuator, but opens the lid 20 manually by an operator in an emergency such as a malfunction of the actuator.

[0023] 3 and 4, the opening / closing mechanism 30 includes an electric actuator 31 and an operating member 32. The electric actuator 31 is a device that generates an opening / closing driving force as a power for opening and closing the lid 20 when power is supplied to the electric actuator 31. The operating member 32 is a member that converts an external force generated by a manual operation by an operator into a power for opening the lid 20.

[0024] The electric actuator 31 generates an opening driving force that opens the lid 20 from the closed position to the open position when a predetermined opening switch is turned on. In addition, the electric actuator 31 generates a closing driving force that closes the lid 20 from the open position to the closed position when a predetermined closing switch is turned on. The operating member 32 can be manually operated to open the lid 20 in an emergency, for example, when the electric actuator 31 breaks down. The power generated by the electric actuator 31 and the power converted by the operating member 32 are transmitted to the lid 20 via a link 40, which will be described later.

[0025] The direction in which the opening and closing mechanism 30 opens and closes the lid 20 relative to the lid box 10 may be the vertical direction Z or the horizontal direction Y. In this embodiment, the opening and closing mechanism 30 opens and closes the lid 20 in the horizontal direction Y. Furthermore, it is preferable that the direction in which the opening and closing mechanism 30 moves the lid 20 relative to the lid box 10 near the closed position is the inward / outward direction X in order to ensure the airtightness of the storage space 13 when the lid 20 is in the closed position.

[0026] The opening / closing mechanism 30 is a slide-type mechanism that moves the lid 20 while keeping it parallel to the vehicle body surface 2 and the opening 14 when opening or closing the lid 20. The opening / closing mechanism 30 has a link 40 interposed between the lid box 10 and the lid 20. The link 40 has a main arm 41 and an auxiliary arm 46.

[0027] The main arm 41 is an arm member that transmits the opening / closing driving force applied as power from the electric actuator 31 and the operating member 32 to the lid 20. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the main arm 41 extends in an arm shape between the lid box 10 and the lid 20. The main arm 41 is formed in a T-shape. As shown in Fig. 5, the main arm 41 includes a main arm one end portion 41a provided on the lid box 10 side in the arm longitudinal direction, and a main arm other end portion 41b provided on the lid 20 side in the arm longitudinal direction.

[0028] The main arm 41 is formed in a shape corresponding to the narrow width portion 18 of the lid box 10 and the narrow width portion 25 of the lid 20, which will be described later. For example, when the lid box 10 is disposed close to the slope of the vehicle body surface 2, that is, when the narrow width portions 18, 25 are portions where one of the two ends of the lid box 10 in the vertical direction Z is inclined, the main arm 41 is formed so as to be asymmetric in a direction (direction extending left and right in FIG. 7) perpendicular to the arm longitudinal direction (direction extending up and down in FIG. 7).

[0029] Specifically, the center line of the width of the main arm one end 41a in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the arm longitudinal direction and the center line of the width of the main arm other end 41b in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the arm longitudinal direction are misaligned in the orthogonal direction. That is, the main arm other end 41b has different lengths of protrusion on both sides of the center line of the width of the main arm one end 41a in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the arm longitudinal direction. Note that Figure 7 shows a main arm 41 in which the length of the main arm other end 41b protruding to the left is longer than the length of the main arm other end 41b protruding to the right.

[0030] The main arm 41 is rotatably supported by the lid box 10 at one end 41a of the main arm, and is rotatably supported by the lid 20 at the other end 41b of the main arm. The main arm 41 rotates relative to the lid box 10 around a rotation shaft 42 (hereinafter referred to as the box-side main rotation shaft) provided on the main arm one end 41a side. The main arm 41 rotates relative to the lid 20 around a rotation shaft 43 (hereinafter referred to as the lid-side main rotation shaft) provided on the main arm other end 41b side. The lid-side main rotation shaft 43 extends parallel to the box-side main rotation shaft 42.

[0031] The auxiliary arm 46 is an arm member that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm 41 to regulate the posture of the lid 20 during opening and closing operations so that the posture is kept in a predetermined posture, i.e., parallel to the opening 14. The auxiliary arm 46 extends in an arm shape between the lid box 10 and the lid 20. As shown in Fig. 5, the auxiliary arm 46 includes an auxiliary arm one end 46a provided on the lid box 10 side in the arm longitudinal direction, and an auxiliary arm other end 46b provided on the lid 20 side in the arm longitudinal direction.

[0032] The auxiliary arm 46 is rotatably supported by the lid box 10 at one end 46a of the auxiliary arm, and is rotatably supported by the lid 20 at the other end 46b of the auxiliary arm. The auxiliary arm 46 rotates relative to the lid box 10 around a box-side auxiliary rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the auxiliary arm one end 46a. This box-side auxiliary rotation shaft extends parallel to the box-side main rotation shaft 42 at a position radially offset from the box-side main rotation shaft 42. The auxiliary arm 46 rotates relative to the lid 20 around a lid-side auxiliary rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the other end 46b of the auxiliary arm. This lid-side auxiliary rotation shaft extends parallel to the lid-side main rotation shaft 43 at a position radially offset from the lid-side main rotation shaft 43.

[0033] The main arm other end 41b of the main arm 41 is formed to include a shape extending in the axial direction of the lid-side main rotation shaft 43. The main arm other end 41b extends continuously in the axial direction of the lid-side main rotation shaft 43. The main arm other end 41b may also be provided so as to extend discontinuously in the axial direction of the lid-side main rotation shaft 43. Specifically, this discontinuous structure may be realized by arranging multiple portions extending from a main body on the main arm one end 41a side toward the main arm other end 41b side side in the axial direction of the lid-side main rotation shaft 43.

[0034] The main arm other end 41b is formed to extend longer in the axial direction than the main arm one end 41a. That is, the length of the main arm other end 41b in the axial direction along which the lid-side main pivot shaft 43 extends (i.e., the axial length) is longer than the length of the main arm one end 41a in the axial direction along which the box-side main pivot shaft 42 extends (i.e., the axial length). Note that the axial lengths of the main arm other end 41b and the main arm one end 41a may be the lengths between both axial ends of the main arm other end 41b and the main arm one end 41a.

[0035] The auxiliary arm 46 is disposed next to the main arm 41 between the lid box 10 and the lid 20. The auxiliary arm 46 is disposed so as to be partially adjacent to the main arm 41 in the axial direction. Two auxiliary arms 46 may be provided with the main arm 41 sandwiched between them in the axial direction, or only one auxiliary arm 46 may be provided on one axial side of the main arm 41. In a structure in which two auxiliary arms 46 are provided, the two auxiliary arms 46 may be connected to each other in the axial direction, or may be independent of each other.

[0036] 6, 7, and 9, the main arm 41 has an arm-side restricting portion 44. The arm-side restricting portion 44 is a portion that abuts against the back surface of the lid 20 (specifically, the inner member 21) when the lid 20 is in the open position, thereby restricting the rotation of the main arm 41 to the open side. The arm-side restricting portion 44 is provided on the other end portion 41b of the main arm. The arm-side restricting portion 44 extends in a direction parallel to the lid-side main rotation shaft 43 on the side of the other end portion 41b of the main arm.

[0037] The arm-side restricting portion 44 extends continuously in the axial direction of the lid-side main pivot shaft 43 between both axial ends of the main arm other end 41b. The arm-side restricting portion 44 is formed in a planar shape so as to come into surface contact with the back surface side of the lid 20 when it abuts against the back surface side of the lid 20. In other words, the arm-side restricting portion 44 is formed so as to have a surface that extends including the axial direction of the lid-side main pivot shaft 43 and a direction perpendicular to the lid-side main pivot shaft 43. The area of ​​the arm-side restricting portion 44 is preferably, for example, 750 square millimeters or more in order to ensure sufficient rigidity when the arm-side restricting portion 44 abuts against the back surface side of the lid 20.

[0038] The arm-side restricting portion 44 is formed to extend longer in the axial direction than the main arm one end portion 41a. That is, the length of the arm-side restricting portion 44 in the axial direction along which the lid-side main pivot shaft 43 extends (i.e., the axial length) is longer than the length of the main arm one end portion 41a in the axial direction along which the box-side main pivot shaft 42 extends (i.e., the axial length). Note that the axial length of the arm-side restricting portion 44 may be the length between both axial ends of the arm-side restricting portion 44.

[0039] 6, the arm-side restricting portion 44 may extend continuously in the axial direction of the lid-side main pivot shaft 43, or may be provided intermittently and extend in the axial direction of the lid-side main pivot shaft 43. That is, the arm-side restricting portion 44 may be configured to abut against the back surface side of the lid 20 with a space between them in the axial direction of the lid-side main pivot shaft 43, or with a plurality of restricting pieces lined up. In this structure, it is preferable that the ratio of the total axial length that can actually come into surface contact with the back surface of the lid 20 to the length between both ends of the arm-side restricting portion 44 in the axial direction is, for example, 80% or more.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 9 , the lid 20 has a lid-side restricting portion 24. The lid-side restricting portion 24 is a portion that abuts against the arm-side restricting portion 44 of the main arm 41 when the lid 20 is in the open position, restricting the rotation of the main arm 41 to the open side. The lid-side restricting portion 24 is provided on the back surface side of the lid 20 (specifically, the inner member 21). The lid-side restricting portion 24 extends on the back surface of the inner member 21 in a direction parallel to the lid-side main rotation shaft 43. The arm-side restricting portion 44 and the lid-side restricting portion 24 come into surface contact with each other. The lid-side restricting portion 24 may be formed to protrude from the back surface of the inner member 21 toward the lid abutment side as a receiving portion when the lid-side restricting portion 24 abuts against the arm-side restricting portion 44.

[0041] 1 and 5, the lid box 10 has a portion that is inclined with respect to the left-right direction Y in which the lid 20 opens and closes relative to the lid box 10. That is, the lid box 10 is formed in a shape in which the width in the up-down direction Z changes depending on the position in the left-right direction Y. The width in the up-down direction Z is the width in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction Y, and refers to the width between both axial ends of the lid box 10 in a direction parallel to the box-side main pivot shaft 42 on the main arm one end 41a side. The position in the left-right direction Y refers to the position in a direction perpendicular to the direction parallel to the box-side main pivot shaft 42.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5, the lid box 10 has a narrow width portion 18. The narrow width portion 18 is a portion that is narrower in the vertical direction Z than a general portion 19 of the lid box 10, and refers to the portion (left side in Figure 1) where the width in the vertical direction Z changes depending on the position in the horizontal direction Y. The general portion 19 is a portion (right side in Figure 1) that is relatively wide in the vertical direction Z and where the width in the vertical direction Z does not change depending on the position in the horizontal direction Y. The through hole 11a, in which the supply port 3 is located in front, is preferably provided on the general portion 19 side rather than the narrow width portion 18 side in order to ensure a sufficient size of the supply port 3.

[0043] The narrow width portion 18 corresponds to the portion that is inclined with respect to the left-right direction Y. The narrow width portion 18 may be a portion in which both sides of the lid box 10 in the up-down direction Z are inclined, or a portion in which only one side is inclined. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the narrow width portion 18 may be formed so that the lower side is inclined to match the inclination of the vehicle body surface 2 corresponding to the tire house. In this case, the lid box 10 is positioned so that the narrow width portion 18 is close to the inclination of the vehicle body surface 2 corresponding to the tire house.

[0044] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the lid 20 has a narrow width portion 25. The narrow width portion 25 is provided to correspond to the narrow width portion 18 of the lid box 10. The narrow width portion 25 is a portion that is narrower in width in the up-down direction Z than the general portion 26 of the lid 20, and refers to a portion whose width in the up-down direction Z changes depending on the position in the left-right direction Y. The general portion 26 refers to a portion whose width in the up-down direction Z does not change depending on the position in the left-right direction Y. In the closed position, the lid 20 is positioned so that the general portion 26 overlaps the general portion 19 and the narrow width portion 25 overlaps the narrow width portion 18.

[0045] The main arm 41 is rotatably supported by the lid box 10 at the narrow width portion 18, and is rotatably supported by the lid 20 at the general portion 26. That is, one end portion 41a of the main arm is disposed in the narrow width portion 18 of the lid box 10. The main arm 41 is supported with the one end portion 41a of the main arm contained within the area of ​​the narrow width portion 18. The other end portion 41b of the main arm is disposed in the general portion 26 of the lid 20. The main arm 41 is supported with the other end portion 41b of the main arm contained within the area of ​​the general portion 26.

[0046] Next, the operation of the lid opening and closing device 1 will be described. In the lid opening / closing device 1, when no operation is performed with the lid 20 in the closed position, the electric actuator 31 is not driven, and the operating member 32 is not manually operated, no power is generated by the electric actuator 31 and no power is generated by the operating member 32, so the lid 20 is maintained in the closed position.

[0047] When a predetermined opening switch is turned on with the lid 20 in the closed position, the electric actuator 31 generates an opening driving force that opens the lid 20. This opening driving force is transmitted to the main arm 41 of the link 40. When the opening driving force is transmitted to the main arm 41, the main arm 41 rotates in the forward direction, and the auxiliary arm 46 rotates in the forward direction in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm 41. When the main arm 41 and the auxiliary arm 46 rotate in the forward direction, the lid 20 opens from the closed position toward the open position while being maintained in a state parallel to the vehicle body surface 2 and the opening 14. This opening operation of the lid 20 continues until it reaches the fully open position.

[0048] Furthermore, when a predetermined close switch is turned on with the lid 20 in the open position, the electric actuator 31 generates a closing drive force that closes the lid 20. This closing drive force is transmitted to the main arm 41 of the link 40. When the closing drive force is transmitted to the main arm 41, the main arm 41 rotates in the opposite direction, and the auxiliary arm 46 rotates in the opposite direction in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm 41. When the main arm 41 and the auxiliary arm 46 rotate in the opposite direction, the lid 20 performs a closing operation from the open position toward the closed position while being maintained in a state parallel to the vehicle body surface 2 and the opening 14. This closing operation of the lid 20 continues until it reaches the closed position.

[0049] Furthermore, when the operating member 32 is manually operated by the operator, an external force accompanying the manual operation is transmitted to the main arm 41 as power for opening the lid 20. When this power is transmitted to the main arm 41, the main arm 41 rotates in the forward direction, and the auxiliary arm 46 rotates in the forward direction in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm 41, so that the lid 20 opens from the closed position toward the open position while being maintained in a state parallel to the vehicle body surface 2 and the opening 14.

[0050] Therefore, in the lid opening and closing device 1, the power from the electric actuator 31 or the power from the operating member 32 can be transmitted to the lid 20 via the link 40 to open and close the lid 20 between the closed position and the open position.

[0051] In the lid opening and closing device 1, the main arm 41 of the link 40 has an arm-side restricting portion 44 that abuts against the back side of the lid 20 when the lid 20 is in the open position, restricting the rotation of the main arm 41 to the open side. The lid 20 also has an arm-side restricting portion 44 that abuts against the arm-side restricting portion 44 of the main arm 41 when the lid 20 is in the open position, restricting the rotation of the main arm 41 to the open side. The arm-side restricting portion 44 of the main arm 41 is provided on the main arm other end 41b side where the main arm 41 is rotatably supported by the lid 20. With this structure, when the lid 20 is in the open position, the rotation of the main arm 41 to the open side is restricted, thereby suppressing changes in the posture of the lid 20 relative to the lid box 10.

[0052] The main arm other end 41b extends in a direction parallel to the lid-side main rotation shaft 43, and the axial length of the main arm other end 41b is longer than the axial length of the main arm one end 41a. The axial length of the arm-side restricting portion 44 is longer than the axial length of the main arm one end 41a of the main arm 41. With this structure, the area where the main arm 41 and the lid 20 abut against each other when the lid 20 is in the open position can be made wider, compared to a comparable structure in which the axial length of the arm-side restricting portion 44 is the same as or shorter than the axial length of the main arm one end 41a of the main arm 41.

[0053] If the contact area between the main arm 41 and the lid 20 is widened as described above, it is possible to ensure the rigidity required to fix the lid 20 in the open position, and it is possible to stabilize the posture of the lid 20 in the open position. Therefore, according to the lid opening and closing device 1, it is possible to stably fix the position of the lid 20 relative to the lid box in the open position.

[0054] Furthermore, in the structure in which the main arm 41 abuts over a wide area against the back surface of the lid 20 when the lid 20 is in the open position as described above, the positions of the main arm 41 and the lid 20 when they are assembled together can be set to the abutting position, thereby fixing the reference position during assembly. This makes it easier to assemble the main arm 41 and the lid 20, improving the ease of assembly.

[0055] Furthermore, in the configuration in which the main arm 41 and the lid 20 come into contact with each other when the lid 20 is in the open position as described above and the opening and closing operation of the lid 20 is performed using the electric actuator 31, if the lid 20 comes into contact with the main arm 41 during the opening operation of the lid 20 by the electric actuator 31, the lid 20 can be stopped in the open position by executing control to stop the operation of the electric actuator 31. Therefore, after the opening operation by the electric actuator 31, the lid 20 can be reliably fixed in the desired open position.

[0056] Furthermore, in the structure in which the main arm 41 and the lid 20 abut against each other when the lid 20 is in the open position as described above, the open position of the lid 20 can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation position of the main arm 41 and the timing of abutment between the arm-side regulating portion 44 of the main arm 41 and the lid-side regulating portion 24 of the lid 20. In this structure, the fully open position of the lid 20 can be adjusted without changing the structure of the lid box 10 or the structure of the main arm one end portion 41a of the main arm 41 connected to the lid box 10.

[0057] Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, by applying lids 20 and main arms 41 of links 40 with different structures to the same lid box 10, it is possible to construct a lid opening and closing device 1 with different fully open positions, thereby making it possible to standardize parts when constructing a lid opening and closing device 1 that is tailored to the vehicle model.

[0058] In the lid opening and closing device 1, the lid box 10 has a narrow width portion 18 in which at least one side of both ends of the lid box 10 in the vertical direction Z is inclined, and the lid 20 has a narrow width portion corresponding to the narrow width portion 18. 25 One end 41a of the main arm 41 is disposed in the narrow portion 18 of the lid box 10 and is contained within the area of ​​the narrow portion 18, and is rotatably supported by the lid box 10 at the narrow portion 18. Meanwhile, the other end 41b of the main arm 41 is disposed in the general portion 26 of the lid 20 and is contained within the area of ​​the general portion 26, and is rotatably supported by the lid 20 at the general portion 26.

[0059] In other words, even when there are restrictions on the installation position of the lid opening / closing device 1 and the shape of the lid box 10 or the lid 20 is cut out from a rectangle, specifically when the lid box 10 or the lid 20 is formed in a shape in which at least one side of both ends in the vertical direction Z is inclined, the main arm 41 is formed so that the main arm other end 41b side in the arm longitudinal direction is longer in the axial direction than the main arm one end 41a side, and is arranged so that the main arm one end 41a is connected to the narrow width portion 18 side of the lid box 10 and the main arm other end 41b is connected to the general portion 26 side of the lid 20.

[0060] In this structure, the main arm 41 can be connected at one end 41a to the narrow width portion 18 of the lid box 10, while the other end 41b can be connected to the lid 20 over most of the length between both ends in the axial direction. This makes it possible to avoid limiting the portion between both ends of the axial direction where the main arm 41 is connected to the lid 20 to a narrow range, thereby making it possible to stabilize the connection between the lid 20 and the link 40.

[0061] In particular, in a structure in which the lid box 10 is positioned so that the narrow width portion 18 is close to the slope of the vehicle body surface 2 corresponding to the wheel housing, it is possible to prevent the portion between both axial ends where the main arm 41 is connected to the lid 20 from being biased to one side in the axial direction, thereby further stabilizing the connection between the lid 20 and the link 40.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the lid-side main rotating shaft 43 corresponds to the "rotating shaft on the other end side of the main arm" recited in the claims, and the box-side main rotating shaft 42 corresponds to the "rotating shaft on the one end side of the main arm" recited in the claims.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, this specification not only discloses the technical ideas indicated by the citation relationships set forth in the claims at the time of filing, but also discloses technical ideas obtained by appropriately combining the matters set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: lid opening / closing device, 10: lid box, 13: storage space, 14: opening, 20: lid, 24: lid side regulating portion, 30: opening / closing mechanism, 40: link, 41: main arm, 41a: one end of main arm, 41b: other end of main arm, 42: box side main pivot shaft, 43: lid side main pivot shaft, 44: arm side regulating portion, 46: auxiliary arm, 46a: one end of auxiliary arm, 46b: other end of auxiliary arm.

Claims

1. a lid box provided with a narrow portion disposed adjacent to a tire house of a vehicle and formed to have a width narrower than that of other portions, and an opening formed in a shape corresponding to the narrow portion and the other portions; a lid formed in a shape corresponding to the opening and adapted to open and close between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening; an opening / closing mechanism that performs a sliding opening / closing operation of the lid and positions the lid so as to cover the wheel well as the lid slides from the closed position to the open position; Equipped with The opening and closing mechanism is a link interposed between the lid box and the lid; an electric actuator that generates an opening / closing driving force for opening and closing the lid; and The link is: a main arm that is rotatably supported at one end thereof on the narrow portion of the lid box and at the other end thereof on the lid, and that transmits the opening / closing driving force applied from the electric actuator to the lid; an auxiliary arm that is rotatably supported at one end by the lid box and at the other end by the lid, and that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the main arm to regulate the orientation of the lid during opening and closing operations so as to maintain the orientation parallel to the opening; and the main arm has an arm-side regulating portion that is provided at the other end of the main arm, extends in a direction parallel to a rotation axis on the other end side of the main arm, and abuts in surface contact with a back surface side of the lid when the lid is in the open position to regulate rotation of the main arm toward the open side, the lid has a lid-side regulating portion that is provided on a back surface side and abuts in surface contact with the arm-side regulating portion when the lid is in the open position to regulate rotation of the main arm toward the open side, The axial length of the arm-side restricting portion is longer than the axial length of the one end of the main arm.

2. 2. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the lid box is formed in a shape in which a width between both axial ends in a direction parallel to the pivot axis on one end side of the main arm changes depending on a position in a direction perpendicular to the parallel direction.

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