WO2012161087A1

WO2012161087A1 - Vehicle inlet box assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2012161087A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/062662
Authority: WO
Inventors: 晃啓玉置; 裕成生田
Original assignee: トヨタ車体株式会社; トヨタ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2011-05-24
Filing date: 2012-05-17
Publication date: 2012-11-29
Also published as: JP2012240645A

Abstract

An assembly (10) comprises: an inlet box (20) comprising an opening (22) which is attached to an outer panel (2) of a vehicle; a cover (30) for opening/closing the opening (22) in the inlet box (20); and a hinge mechanism (40) for linking the cover (30) to the inlet box (20). The assembly (10) further comprises: a pressure mechanism (60) for pressing the cover (30) in the direction of opening from inside the inlet box (20); an illumination device (27) provided inside the inlet box (20); and a switch (28) for switching on the illumination device (27) by means of an ON operation and for switching off the illumination device (27) by means of an OFF operation. The switch (28) performs an ON operation when subjected to an operation in which the pressure mechanism (60) presses the cover (30) in the direction of opening, and performs an OFF operation when subjected to an operation in which the cover (30) is opened and the pressure mechanism (60) is pressed in.

Description

Vehicle inlet box assembly

The present invention relates to an inlet box assembly for a vehicle.

In the technology described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-121920, the occupant who performs the refueling operation can open and close the lid of the inlet box provided with the refueling port by remote control while in the passenger compartment. And when a lid | cover is open | released, the lighting fixture in an inlet box will light. Thereby, the efficiency of the refueling work in a dark place was improved.

However, when the lid is opened by remote control, the lighting equipment is lit not only while the occupant is refueling, but also while the occupant is still in the passenger compartment, resulting in wasted battery power. . In order to solve this point, it is conceivable to provide a lighting switch for the lighting fixture in the inlet box. However, in order to provide a lighting switch at a position that can be easily operated by the occupant in the inlet box, it is necessary to increase the opening area of the inlet box, which leads to an increase in the size of the inlet box. Therefore, it is desirable to keep the opening area of the inlet box from becoming large while minimizing the lighting time of the lighting fixture.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the assembly includes an inlet box having an opening attached to the outer panel of the vehicle, a lid that opens and closes the opening of the inlet box, and a hinge mechanism that connects the lid to the inlet box. The assembly further includes a pressing mechanism that presses the lid in the opening direction from the inlet box, a lighting fixture provided in the inlet box, and a switch that turns on the lighting fixture by the on operation and turns off the lighting fixture by the off operation. Have. The switch is turned on in conjunction with an operation in which the pressing mechanism presses the lid in the opening direction, and is turned off in conjunction with an operation in which the lid is closed and the pressing mechanism is pushed in.

According to this, at the time of work related to the inlet box, such as vehicle charging work or refueling work, the operator touches the lid to open the lid, so that the pressing mechanism presses the lid in the opening direction, and the lighting fixture Are configured to be turned on. Therefore, the lighting fixture in the inlet box is turned on only when work is performed. Further, when the work is completed and the operator closes the lid, the lighting device is turned off. Therefore, the lighting time of the lighting device is minimized, and battery power is not wasted.

In addition, since the switch is not a method of lighting the lighting fixture by direct operation by the operator, it is not necessary to arrange the switch at an operable position in the inlet box. For this reason, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the switch is improved, and it is not necessary to increase the opening area of the inlet box by providing the switch.

It is a perspective view of a vehicle provided with the assembly concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the assembly seen from the front side. It is a perspective view of the assembly which opened the lid | cover. It is a typical electric circuit diagram for the lighting fixture in an inlet box. It is a disassembled perspective view of the attachment structure of an assembly. It is a plane sectional view of the assembly which made the lid | cover fully closed. It is a plane sectional view of an assembly which made a lid the state near full closure. It is an expansion plane sectional view of the press mechanism of an assembly. It is a perspective view of the shaft member which constitutes a press mechanism. It is the X section enlarged view of the shaft member of FIG. It is a plane sectional view showing lid pushing operation of a press mechanism. It is the XII section enlarged view of FIG.

Hereinafter, an inlet box assembly for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, a vehicle having a battery that can be charged by an external power source, such as an electric vehicle (EV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), is connected to a power supply side connector when the battery is charged. A charging connector 50 is provided. The charging connector 50 is accommodated in the resin inlet box 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the inlet box 20 constitutes a part of the assembled resin inlet box assembly 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as an assembly). As shown in FIG. 1, the assembly 10 is attached to a predetermined position on the side surface of the outer panel 2 of the vehicle. In the following description, front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom mean front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom of the vehicle, respectively.

2 and 3, the assembly 10 includes a resin inlet box 20 having an opening 22, a resin lid 30 (lid) that opens and closes the opening 22 of the inlet box 20, and an inlet box 20. And a hinge mechanism 40 that rotatably connects the lid 30.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inlet box 20 includes a box main body portion 21 that accommodates the charging connector 50, and an overhang portion 23 that projects forward from the front side surface of the box main body portion 21. . The box body 21 is formed in a substantially cup shape. The overhang portion 23 is formed in a substantially square bag shape (see FIG. 2) opened on the box body portion 21 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lighting fixture 27 that illuminates the charging connector 50 is provided on the upper side surface in the box body 21. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the lighting fixture 27 includes a switch 28 that switches on and off the lighting fixture 27. As shown in FIG. 3, a pressing mechanism 60 (push lifter) that presses the rotation free end side of the lid 30 when the lid 30 is opened is provided on the rear upper surface in the box body 21. As shown in FIG. 5, a floor surface opening 21 h through which a cable (not shown) connected to the charging connector 50 accommodated in the box body 21 is passed is formed at the bottom of the box body 21. ing.

A circular flange portion 21 f is formed on the periphery of the opening 22 of the inlet box 20. A rubber seal 21e is attached along the periphery of the flange portion 21f. As shown in FIG. 5, a bolt 215 for attaching the inlet box 20 to the outer panel 2 of the vehicle is formed on the back side of the flange portion 21 f so as to protrude substantially at right angles to the back surface of the flange portion 21 f. . The bolts 215 are provided at intervals of about 90 ° in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 21f so that two bolts 215 are arranged on each of the upper side and the lower side with respect to the box body portion 21.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer panel 2 of the vehicle is formed with a circular recess 2k in which the lid 30 of the assembly 10 is accommodated. A substantially cross-shaped hole 2j into which the inlet box 20 is inserted is formed at the bottom of the recess 2k. As shown in FIG. 5, a bolt hole 2b through which each bolt 215 provided in the flange portion 21f of the inlet box 20 is inserted is formed at the peripheral edge 2f of the hole 2j, that is, at the bottom of the recess 2k. Yes. In order to attach the inlet box 20 to the vehicle, first, the inlet box 20 is inserted into the hole 2j of the outer panel 2, and the four bolts 215 of the inlet box 20 are inserted into the bolt holes of the outer panel 2 as shown in FIG. Pass 2b. Next, the nut N is fastened to each bolt 215 from the inner side of the outer panel 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lid 30 includes a disc-shaped lid body 32 and a plane U-shaped lever 35 that supports the lid body 32. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid body 32 is set to have an outer diameter that is substantially equal to the flange portion 21 f of the inlet box 20, and is configured to be received in the circular recess 2 k of the outer panel 2. ing. The lid body 32 closes the opening 22 of the inlet box 20 while being arranged coaxially with the flange portion 21 f of the inlet box 20. The lid body 32 is configured by combining the front surface plate portion 32f and the back surface plate portion 32u. A cover portion 32c of the charging connector 50 is formed at the center position of the back plate portion 32u. The lever 35 is accommodated in the overhang portion 23 of the inlet box 20 so that the lid 30 is allowed to rotate. The rotation free end side of the lever 35 is connected to the front end portion of the back plate portion 32 u of the lid body 32.

The hinge mechanism 40 is a mechanism for connecting the lid 30 to the inlet box 20 so as to be able to rotate substantially horizontally. The hinge mechanism 40 includes a spring (not shown), and can hold the lid 30 in the fully closed position or the fully open position by the biasing force of the spring. As shown in FIG. 5, the hinge mechanism 40 includes a hinge pin 41. An upper bearing portion 23j through which each end portion of the hinge pin 41 is passed and a lower bearing portion (not shown) are formed on the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion on the right side of the front end in the overhang portion 23 of the inlet box 20, respectively. ing.

When the cover 30 is opened, the pressing mechanism 60 presses the rotation free end side of the cover 30 from the inlet box 20 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, and the switch 28 of the lighting fixture 27 (see FIG. 4). To turn on. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the pressing mechanism 60 includes a pressing mechanism main body 61 and an operation unit 70 of the switch 28.

The pressing mechanism main body 61 includes a guide cylinder 62 attached to the box main body 21 in a state perpendicular to the closed lid main body 32 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11. The guide cylinder 62 includes an outer cylinder 62t and an inner cylinder 62e that are fitted in the axial direction. One end side of the outer cylinder 62t is fixed to the box body 21.

The shaft member 64 is accommodated in the guide tube 62 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the shaft member 64 includes a lid pressing shaft 64p protruding from an opening on the inner cylinder 62e side (upper opening in the figure) and an opening on the outer cylinder 62t side (in the figure). , And a switch pressing shaft 64s protruding from the lower opening). As shown in FIG. 9, the lid pressing shaft 64p includes a shaft main body 64m, a flange 64f, and a small-diameter connecting shaft 64c. The shaft portion main body 64m, the flange portion 64f, and the small-diameter connecting shaft portion 64c are provided coaxially. The connecting shaft portion 64c of the lid pressing shaft 64p is fitted into the connecting hole 64h of the switch pressing shaft 64s, and both the

pressing shafts

64p and 64s are coaxially connected. The pressing mechanism main body 61 is provided with a bellows-shaped protective cover 69 that covers the protruding portion of the lid pressing shaft 64p while preventing the movement of the shaft member 64.

A coil spring 65 is mounted around the switch pressing shaft 64s of the shaft member 64 in the guide cylinder 62 as shown in FIGS. The coil spring 65 biases the shaft member 64 so as to protrude from the opening (upper opening) of the guide tube 62 on the inner tube 62e side.

A regulating mechanism 68 is provided between the inner cylinder 62e of the guide cylinder 62 and the lid pressing shaft 64p of the shaft member 64. The regulation mechanism 68 can regulate the pressing operation of the lid pressing shaft 64p and can release the regulation. As shown in FIG. 12, the restricting mechanism 68 includes a ring member 68w that is rotatably mounted around the connecting shaft portion 64c of the lid pressing shaft 64p.

As shown in FIG. 10, a corrugated inclined surface 68k is formed on one surface (the lower surface in FIG. 12) of the flange portion 64f of the lid pressing shaft 64p. An inclined surface (not shown) that can slide along the corrugated inclined surface 68k of the lid pressing shaft 64p is formed on one end surface (upper surface in FIG. 12) of the ring member 68w in the axial direction. Each time the ring member 68w is pushed by the flange portion 64f of the lid pressing shaft 64p and moves in the axial direction together with the lid pressing shaft 64p, the ring member 68w is connected to the connecting shaft of the lid pressing shaft 64p by the sliding action of the inclined surface 68k. It rotates around the part 64c by a certain angle.

A guide groove 68m and an engagement groove 68s are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 62e of the guide cylinder 62. The guide groove 68m is formed from one end to the other end in the axial direction of the inner cylinder 62e, and the engagement groove 68s is formed at one end of the inner cylinder 62e (the central portion of the guide cylinder 62). The ring member 68w includes an outer peripheral claw (not shown) on the outer peripheral surface. The outer peripheral claw can be fitted into either the guide groove 68m or the engagement groove 68s. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the outer peripheral claw is engaged with the engaging groove 68s, and FIG. 12 shows a state in which the outer peripheral claw is engaged with the guide groove 68m. The guide grooves 68m and the engagement grooves 68s are alternately formed at a constant angular interval. Each time the ring member 68w rotates by a certain angle, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is alternately engaged with the guide groove 68m or the engagement groove 68s.

11, when the shaft member 64 is pushed in the axial direction against the urging force of the coil spring 65, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w moves along the guide groove 68m of the inner cylinder 62e. When the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is disengaged from the guide groove 68m, the ring member 68w is rotated by a certain angle by the action of the inclined surface 68k of the lid pressing shaft 64p. Thereby, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is aligned with the position of the engagement groove 68s. Next, when the pushing force of the shaft member 64 is removed, the ring member 68w is moved by the urging force of the coil spring 65, the outer peripheral claw is engaged with the engaging groove 68s, and the shaft member 64 is pushed into the pressing mechanism main body 61. (See FIG. 8).

When the shaft member 64 is pushed in the axial direction against the urging force of the coil spring 65 in the state shown in FIG. 8, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is disengaged from the engagement groove 68s of the inner cylinder 62e, and the ring member 68w is The lid pressing shaft 64p is rotated by a fixed angle by the action of the inclined surface 68k. Thereby, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is aligned with the position of the guide groove 68m. Next, when the pushing force of the shaft member 64 is removed, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w moves along the guide groove 68m by the biasing force of the coil spring 65. During this time, the shaft member 64 moves together with the ring member 68w and protrudes from the guide tube 62 in the direction of pressing the lid 30. Thus, the pressing mechanism main body 61 is held in a state in which the shaft member 64 protrudes (see FIG. 11).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the operation unit 70 of the switch 28 includes a housing 72 and a switch operation lever 74 (movable unit) that can move in the housing 72. The housing 72 is attached to the other end side of the guide cylinder 62 (outer cylinder 62t) located on the back side of the inlet box 20. The switch operation lever 74 is connected to the switch pressing shaft 64s. Specifically, the switch operation lever 74 is urged by a spring provided between the housing 72 and the switch operation lever 74 as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the lid 30 is closed and the shaft member 64 is pushed in, the protruding amount of the switch pressing shaft 64s with respect to the guide tube 62 increases. When the protrusion amount becomes maximum, the switch operation lever 74 is held at the lower limit position in FIG. When the switch operation lever 74 is turned off, the switch 28 is turned off and the lighting fixture 27 is turned off.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the cover 30 is opened and the shaft member 64 protrudes, the switch pressing shaft 64s protrudes from the guide cylinder 62 by the action of a spring provided between the housing 72 and the switch operating lever 74. The amount becomes smaller. When the protrusion amount is minimized, the switch operation lever 74 is held at the upper limit position in FIG. When the switch operation lever 74 is turned on, the switch 28 is turned on and the lighting fixture 27 is turned on.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, when the lid 30 of the assembly 10 is closed, the shaft member 64 is held in the pushed state, and the lighting device 27 is turned off when the switch 28 is turned off. ing. Further, the lid 30 of the assembly 10 is held in the fully closed position by the biasing force of a spring (not shown) of the hinge mechanism 40.

To open the lid 30 of the assembly 10, the operator first presses the lid 30 in the closing direction, and pushes the shaft member 64 of the pressing mechanism 60 (the pressing mechanism main body 61) with the lid 30. As a result, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is disengaged from the engagement groove 68s of the inner cylinder 62e. As a result, the ring member 68w is rotated by a constant angle by the action of the inclined surface 68k of the shaft member 64, and the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is aligned with the position of the guide groove 68m of the inner cylinder 62e.

Next, when the operator releases his / her hand from the lid 30, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68 w is moved along the guide groove 68 m by the biasing force of the coil spring 65, and the shaft member 64 is moved from the guide cylinder 62 to the lid 30. It protrudes in the direction which presses (refer FIG.7 and FIG.11). Thereby, the lid 30 is opened by a certain amount, the switch 28 is turned on, and the lighting fixture 27 is turned on. In this state, the lid 30 can be opened to the fully open position. Further, since the lighting fixture 27 is turned on, it becomes easy to connect the power supply side connector (not shown) to the charging connector 50 even in a dark position.

To close the lid 30 of the assembly 10, the operator first closes the fully opened lid 30 to a position near the fully closed position in FIG. 11 against the biasing force of a spring (not shown) of the hinge mechanism 40. Next, the operator presses the lid 30 in the closing direction and pushes the shaft member 64 by the lid 30. As a result, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is disengaged from the guide groove 68m of the inner cylinder 62e. Thereby, the ring member 68w is rotated by a fixed angle by the action of the inclined surface 68k of the shaft member 64, and the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68w is aligned with the position of the engagement groove 68s of the inner cylinder 62e.

Next, when the operator removes his / her hand from the lid 30, the outer peripheral claw of the ring member 68 w is engaged with the engagement groove 68 s by the biasing force of the coil spring 65. While the shaft member 64 is held in the pushed state, the switch 28 is turned off and the lighting fixture 27 is turned off. The lid 30 is held in the fully closed position by a biasing force of a spring (not shown) of the hinge mechanism 40.

As described above, the assembly 10 includes the inlet box 20 having the opening 22 attached to the outer panel 2 of the vehicle, the lid 30 that opens and closes the opening 22 of the inlet box 20, and the hinge that connects the lid 30 to the inlet box 20. And a mechanism 40. Further, the assembly 10 includes a pressing mechanism 60 that presses the lid 30 from the inlet box 20 in the opening direction, a lighting fixture 27 provided in the inlet box 20, and a lighting fixture 27 that is turned on by an on operation and a lighting fixture that is turned off. And a switch 28 for turning off 27. The switch 28 is turned on in conjunction with the operation of the pressing mechanism 60 pressing the lid 30 in the opening direction, and is turned off in conjunction with the operation of closing the lid 30 and pushing the pressing mechanism 60.

As described above, when an operation related to the inlet box 20 such as a charging operation is performed, an operator touches the lid 30 to perform an opening operation, so that the pressing mechanism 60 presses the lid 30 in the opening direction and the switch 28 of the lighting fixture 27. Is turned on, the lighting fixture 27 in the inlet box 20 is turned on only when work is performed. Further, when the work is completed and the operator closes the lid 30, the lighting fixture 27 is turned off. Therefore, the lighting time of the lighting fixture 27 is minimized, and battery power is not wasted.

Further, since the switch 28 is not directly operated by the operator to turn on the luminaire 27, it is not necessary to provide the switch 28 in the inlet box 20 at a position where the operator can operate. For this reason, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the switch 28 improves and it becomes unnecessary to enlarge the opening area of the inlet box 20 by providing the switch 28. FIG.

Specifically, the switch 28 has a movable part that is turned on and off. The pressing mechanism 60 includes a shaft member 64, a guide tube 62, and a spring 65. The shaft member 64 presses the lid 30 with one end portion in the axial direction (lid pressing shaft 64p) and presses the movable portion (switch operation lever 74) of the switch 28 with the other end portion in the axial direction (switch pressing shaft 64s). . The guide cylinder 62 is attached to the inlet box 20 and supports the shaft member 64 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The spring 65 urges the shaft member 64 in the pressing direction of the lid 30 with respect to the guide tube 62. Thus, since the switch 28 is provided at a position overlapping the pressing mechanism 60, the opening area of the inlet box 20 does not increase by providing the switch 28.

The pressing mechanism 60 has a regulation structure 68 (regulation structure). The restricting mechanism 68 restricts the pressing operation of the shaft member 64 when the shaft member is pushed to a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring 65 when the lid 30 is closed. Further, the restriction structure 68 releases the restriction of the pressing operation of the shaft member 64 when the shaft member 64 is pushed from the predetermined position when the cover member 30 is pressed in the closing direction from the position where the cover 30 is closed when the cover 30 is opened. Thereby, since the shaft member 64 presses the lid 30 only when the lid 30 is opened, the lid opening operation is facilitated.

In the inlet box, a charging connector to which a power supply side connector is connected when charging the battery of the vehicle is provided, so that the above-described effects can be obtained during the charging operation.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described structure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many substitutions, improvements, and changes can be made without departing from the object of the present invention. Accordingly, aspects of the invention may include all alterations, modifications, and variations that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the form of the present invention is not limited to the special structure described above, and can be modified as follows.

The lid pressing shaft 64p and the switch pressing shaft 64s constituting the shaft member 64 are not only separated as in the present embodiment, but the lid pressing shaft 64p and the switch pressing shaft 64s can be integrally formed. .

The assembly 10 may include an oil filler port instead of the charging connector 50.

Claims

An inlet box assembly of a vehicle,
An inlet box having an opening attached to the outer panel of the vehicle, a lid for opening and closing the opening of the inlet box, a hinge mechanism for connecting the lid to the inlet box, and the lid in the opening direction from the inlet box A pressing mechanism for pressing, a lighting fixture provided in the inlet box, and a switch for turning on the lighting fixture by an on operation and turning off the lighting by an off operation,
The switch is turned on in conjunction with an operation in which the pressing mechanism pushes the lid in the opening direction, and is turned off in conjunction with an operation in which the lid is closed and the pressing mechanism is pushed in. Configured vehicle inlet box assembly.
An inlet box assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The switch has a movable part that performs the on operation and the off operation,
The pressing mechanism includes an axial member that presses the lid at one end in the axial direction and presses the movable portion of the switch at the other axial end, and the axial member that is attached to the inlet box in the axial direction An inlet box assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a guide cylinder that is slidably supported; and a spring that urges the shaft member in the pressing direction of the lid with respect to the guide cylinder.
An inlet box assembly for a vehicle according to claim 2,
The pressing mechanism restricts the pressing operation of the shaft member when the shaft member is pushed to a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring during the closing operation of the lid, and the lid is operated during the opening operation of the lid. An inlet box assembly for a vehicle having a restricting structure for releasing restriction of the pressing operation of the shaft member when the shaft member is further pushed from the closed position in the closing direction and the shaft member is pushed from the predetermined position.
An inlet box assembly for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A vehicle inlet box assembly in which a charging connector to which a power supply side connector is connected when the vehicle battery is charged is provided in the inlet box.