JP2020111238A - Structure for preventing forgetting to attach filling port cap - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent forgetting to attach a fuel gas filling port cap to a filling port in a case that the fuel gas filling port cap in a vehicle is engaged with a lid inner surface when removed.SOLUTION: A vehicle body 10 is provided with a fuel gas filling port, a removable filling port cap 36a is attached to the filling port, and the filling port is sealed. Further, a lid 50 which covers the filling port and an area around the filling port is attached to the vehicle body in an openable and closable manner. An inner surface of the lid 50 is provided with a cap temporary placing projection 58 in which the removed filling port cap 36a is engaged with a tip side as seen in an attachment direction facing downward. Furthermore, a filling part case 38 of the vehicle body 10 is provided with an interference part 38a which interferes a side surface of the filling port cap 36a engaged with the cap temporary placing projection 58 when the lid 50 is closed. A rib 40 is provided above the interference part 38a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2C

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for preventing forgetting to attach a filling port cap that is attached to a fuel gas filling port.

Patent Document 1 describes a removable filling port cap that seals a filling port for refueling a vehicle. The removed filling port cap is engaged with the temporary placement portion provided on the inner surface of the lid (the outer lid forming the outer wall of the vehicle) that covers the filling port and its surroundings. Since the filling port cap is thick, a part of the cap protrudes from the outer edge of the lid at the time of engagement, so that the lid interferes with the surroundings when the lid is closed. This makes it possible to prevent forgetting to tighten the filling port cap after refueling.

Patent Document 2 describes a relatively thin filler cap for refueling. The filling port cap removed at the time of refueling is engaged with a temporary placement portion provided on the inner surface of the lid. The filling port cap is engaged with the lid so as to face it. However, when the lid is closed in this state, the filling port cap interferes with the filling port.

Patent Document 3 describes a vehicle in which, in addition to an oil filling port, a refilling port for urea water or the like is provided inside the lid. On the inner surface of the lid, temporary placement parts for the filling port cap and the refilling port cap are provided. The filling port cap engaged with the inner surface of the lid interferes with the filling port cap in the closed state, and the filling port cap engaged with the inner surface of the lid interferes with the filling port cap in the closed state. Is configured.

Patent Document 4 describes a filling port cap in a vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle that uses high-pressure fuel gas as fuel. The fuel gas filling port is formed to have a relatively small diameter, and a valve mechanism, a filter, or the like for preventing the backflow of the fuel gas is provided inside the filling port. The filling port cap is formed of an elastic body that seals the filling port to prevent foreign matter from entering. The filling port cap is attached to the inner surface of the lid, and when the lid is opened and closed, the filling port cap is also interlocked to open and close the filling port.

JP, 2006-182046, A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-046823 JP, 2017-178049, A JP, 2007-196920, A

In the vehicles described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 that use oil such as gasoline as a fuel, the filling port for refueling has a relatively large diameter, and the size of the filling port cap is also large. Therefore, it is possible to easily form a structure for interfering with the filling port cap engaged with the inner surface of the lid.

On the other hand, in the vehicle described in Patent Document 4 described above in which fuel gas is used as the fuel, since the filling port has a small diameter, the filling port cap also has a small diameter and is relatively long. Therefore, when the lid is closed while the removed filling port cap is engaged with the inner surface of the lid, it may not be possible to reliably cause interference. In addition, even if interference occurs, the filling port cap may drop off from the temporary placement part after that, and the lid may be closed.

An object of the present invention is to prevent forgetting to attach the filling port cap to the filling port when engaging the inner face of the lid when the filling port cap of the fuel gas filling port in the vehicle is removed.

A filling port cap forgetting prevention structure according to the present invention includes a fuel gas filling port provided in a vehicle body, a removable filling port cap attached to the filling port to seal the filling port, and A lid that is openably attached and covers the filling port and its surroundings, and a cap provided on the inner surface of the lid that is engaged with the distal end side of the removed filling port cap with the distal end side facing downward. A placement section, an interference section provided on the vehicle body, which interferes with a side surface of the filling port cap engaged with the cap temporary placement section when the lid is closed, and an interference section provided on the vehicle body above the interference section. And a rib located above the filling port cap engaged with the cap temporary placement part when the lid is closed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent forgetting to attach the fuel gas filling port cap in the vehicle to the filling port. The present invention employs a simple configuration and can be expected to be manufactured at low cost.

It is a schematic perspective view of the filling port system concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which put the filler cap in the opened lid temporarily. It is a figure which shows the state in the middle of closing the lid. It is a figure which shows the state which closed the lid further. It is a figure which shows the rib concerning a modification.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description, specific modes are shown to facilitate understanding, but these are examples of the embodiment, and various other embodiments are possible.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a filling port system 20 in a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment. It is assumed that the filling port system 20 is provided on the left rear side of the vehicle body 10 of the fuel cell vehicle. In the coordinate system in the figure, the F axis indicates the vehicle front direction, the U axis indicates the upward direction, and the L axis indicates the passenger's left hand direction.

The filling port system 20 includes a filling portion 30 provided on the vehicle body side and a lid 50 that is a lid that is openably and closably attached to the vehicle body. The filling portion 30 has a recessed space 32 that is recessed from the outer surface of the vehicle body. Inside the concave space 32, a filling port 34 for hydrogen gas, which is a high-pressure fuel gas, is provided. The filling port 34 is formed of a pipe having a relatively small diameter. However, it should be noted that in FIG. 1, the filling port 34 is covered and sealed by the filling port cap 36 and is not directly illustrated. The filling port cap 36 is fitted and attached to the outside of the filling port 34 by being pressed against the filling port 34 from the outside of the vehicle body toward the inside of the vehicle body (referred to as a mounting direction). The form of the filling port cap 36 is merely an example. The filling port cap 36 only needs to be capable of closing the opening of the filling port 34, and may be formed as, for example, a plug fitted and fitted inside the filling port 34. Alternatively, the mounting surface of the filling port cap 36 and the filling port may be threaded to enhance the coupling between the two.

A valve mechanism that prevents backflow of high-pressure hydrogen gas, a filter that prevents foreign matter from entering the interior, and the like are provided on the inner side of the filling port 34. The filling port cap 36 is provided to prevent foreign matter from entering through the filling port 34. The filling port cap 36 is formed of, for example, an elastic member made of rubber, resin, or the like, and seals the filling port 34 in close contact with the outer surface of the filling port 34 to prevent foreign matter from entering. .. A fall prevention string 37 is attached near the rear end of the filling port cap 36 in the mounting direction.

The filling portion case 38 is a housing that also serves as a frame body of the filling portion 30 and a frame body into which the lid 50 is fitted. The outer edge of the filling portion case 38 is formed in a substantially quadrangular shape, and the inside thereof is recessed toward the inside of the vehicle body to secure the concave space 32. The filling portion case 38 is formed by resin molding and is fixed at a predetermined position with a screw. The filling portion case 38 is provided with ribs 40 for preventing the provisionally placed filling port cap 36 from falling off. The rib 40 is a small protrusion protruding toward the outside of the vehicle body and is integrally formed when the filling case 38 is molded. The rib 40 will be described in detail later.

The lid 50 includes a lid outer 52 and a lid arm 54. The lid outer 52 is a component that forms the outer surface of the vehicle body 10 when the lid 50 is closed. The lid outer 52 is formed of a steel plate or the like. The lid arm 54 is a member formed by resin molding, one end thereof is joined to the inner surface of the lid outer 52 (the surface facing the inside of the vehicle body when the lid 50 is closed), and the other end of the lid arm 54 to the filling portion case 38. It is rotatably attached. When the lid arm 54 rotates toward the vehicle body 10, the lid 50 fits into the filling portion case 38 and closes the filling portion 30. Further, when the lid arm 54 is rotated in the direction away from the vehicle body 10, the lid 50 is detached from the filling portion case 38 and opened to guide the filling portion 30 to the open state.

A lock portion 56 and a cap temporary placement protrusion 58 are provided on the inner surface of the lid arm 54 or the lid outer 52. The lock part 56 is a mechanism for locking the lid 50 to the filling part case 38 when the lid 50 is closed. The temporary cap placement protrusion 58 is an example of a lid temporary placement portion, and is an upward protrusion provided for temporary placement when the filling port cap 36 is removed from the filling port 34. The cap temporary placement protrusion 58 is integrally formed when the lid arm is molded. The cap temporary projection 58 will be described in detail below. Further, one end of the fall prevention string 37 of the filling port cap 36 is attached to the lid arm 54.

Subsequently, the functions of the ribs 40, the cap temporary placement protrusions 58, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C are a series of diagrams in chronological order, and all show the AA surface of the lid 50 and the BB surface of the filling section 30 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A shows the filling port cap 36a engaged with the temporary cap placement protrusion 58 with the lid 50 opened. The temporary cap placement protrusion 58 is provided on the inner surface of the lid arm 54 as described above. The lid arm 54 is provided on the inner surface of the lid outer 52. That is, the temporary cap placement protrusion 58 is a protrusion provided on the inner surface of the lid 50. The cap temporary placement projection 58 projects upward, and the filling port cap 36a is engaged with the cap temporary placement projection 58 with the tip side in the mounting direction facing down.

This state is assumed, for example, when the fuel cell vehicle arrives at the hydrogen gas station and is filled with hydrogen gas. At this time, the service person or the operator of the hydrogen gas station opens the lid 50 and then removes the filling port cap 36 from the filling port 34 shown in FIG. Then, the filling port cap 36 is moved downward with the tip end side in the mounting direction facing downward with respect to the cap temporary placement protrusion 58 which is an upward protrusion, so that the filling port cap 36a is temporarily placed in the cap temporary placement position as shown in FIG. 2A. The protrusion 58 is engaged. After that, a hydrogen filling gas nozzle is inserted into the filling port 34 to fill the hydrogen gas.

The outer diameter of the cap temporary placement protrusion 58 can be set to be, for example, slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the filling port cap 36a. Even if there is a slight gap between the two, they can be engaged with each other by utilizing the combination of the concave shape of the filling port cap 36a and the convex shape of the temporary cap projection 58. As a result, the service person or the driver can easily engage the filling port cap 36a with the cap temporary placement protrusion 58, but also can be detached from the cap temporary placement protrusion 58 even when an external force is applied to the filling port cap 36a. It is possible to secure a difficult state.

Alternatively, the outer diameter of the temporary cap placement protrusion 58 may be set to be equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the filling port cap 36a. Even if there is no gap between the two, the elasticity of the filling port cap 36a can be used to engage the two by fitting with a slight assembly load. In this mode, the filling port cap 36a can be relatively easily engaged with the cap temporary placement protrusion 58, and can be easily removed from the cap temporary placement protrusion 58 unless a large external force acts. Becomes

The filling portion case 38 of the filling portion 30 provided on the vehicle body 10 is illustrated on the right side of FIG. 2A. As described above, the filling portion case 38 has a shape recessed inward of the vehicle body 10 so as to secure the recessed space 32. The flat surface located above the recess serves as an interference portion 38a that interferes with the filling port cap 36a. A rib 40 protruding outward in the vehicle width direction is provided on the upper portion of the interference portion 38a.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a process in which the hydrogen gas nozzle is removed from the filling port 34 and the lid 50 is closed after filling the hydrogen gas. Normally, the service person or the driver removes the filling port cap 36a from the temporary cap projection 58 and attaches it to the filling port 34. However, in this case, the service person or the driver forgets this operation and tries to close the lid 50 while the filling port cap 36a is engaged with the temporary cap placement protrusion 58.

Therefore, the interference portion 38a of the filling portion case 38 interferes with the filling port cap 36a. Specifically, the upper side surface of the filling port cap 36a is in contact with the interference portion 38a. At this time, the rib 40 is located at a position close to the upper portion of the upper surface (the rear end surface in the mounting direction) of the filling port cap 36a (a position which is not in contact with the upper surface of the filling port cap 36a at this stage but is close in distance).

FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a state in which the lid 50 is further moved in the closing direction from the state of FIG. 2B, but is not completely closed yet. In FIG. 2C, the lid 50 has moved further, so that the upper side surface of the filling port cap 36 a receives a large reaction force from the interference portion 38 a of the filling portion case 38. Then, the filling port cap 36a relatively inclines toward the outside of the vehicle body 10 (L-axis direction) and undergoes strain deformation extending upward. Along with this, the lower portion (front side in the mounting direction) of the filling port cap 36a has also moved slightly upward, and there is a sign that it will fall off the cap temporary placement protrusion 58.

However, the upper surface of the filling port cap 36a comes into contact with the lower surface of the rib 40 and receives a downward reaction force from the rib 40, so that the upward movement is restricted. Therefore, the filling port cap 36 a remains without dropping from the cap temporary placement protrusion 58. Further, even if the lid 50 is closed from this, the filling port cap 36a becomes an obstacle, and the closing operation becomes difficult. Therefore, the service person or the driver can notice that the filling port cap 36a is still engaged with the temporary cap protrusion 58.

On the other hand, let us consider a case where the rib 40 is not provided. In this case, as the closing operation of the lid 50 progresses, the filling port cap 36a receives a larger load from the interference portion 38a and is greatly distorted. That is, the filling port cap 36a is deformed such that the filling port cap 36a is largely inclined to the outside of the vehicle body 10 and is extended upward. As a result, it is considered that the filling port cap 36a falls off from the temporary cap placement protrusion 58 and rolls down into the recessed space 32. In this case, the service person or the driver can completely close the lid 50. Therefore, the filling port 34 is not sealed.

The position, size, and shape of the lid 50 in the above description are examples, and the position, size, and shape can be changed as appropriate within the range in which the filling port cap 36a can be prevented from falling off. Further, the position, size, and shape of the temporary cap placement protrusion 58 are also examples, and the cap temporary placement protrusion 58 can be appropriately modified in cooperation with the lid 50 within a range capable of preventing the filling port cap 36a from falling off.

Finally, a modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to the filling section 30 shown on the right side of FIGS. 2A to 2C, and shows a filling section 130 according to a modification. In the filling portion case 138 provided in the filling portion 130, an interference portion 138a is provided on an upper portion of a large concave portion forming the concave space 32, and a small concave portion 138b is further formed on the upper portion thereof. A spring 142 is attached to the recess 138b, and a rib 140 is attached to the tip of the spring 142. The rib 140 extends longer in the outer side direction of the vehicle body 10 than the rib 40 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C when no load is applied.

With the configuration according to this modification, the rib 140 is pressed against the inner surface of the lid 50 when the lid 50 is closed. At this time, the spring 142 contracts and the rib 140 moves toward the recess 138b, so that there is no problem in the closing operation of the lid 50. On the other hand, when the lid 50 is opened, the spring 142 returns to its original length and the rib 140 also returns to its original position. The rib 140 widely covers the upper surface of the filling port cap 36a engaged with the cap temporary placement protrusion 58, and prevents the filling port cap 36a from falling off.

10 vehicle body, 20 filling port system, 30 filling part, 32 concave space, 34 filling port, 36, 36a filling port cap, 37 captive string, 38 filling part case, 38a interference part, 40 rib, 50 lid, 52 lid outer, 54 lid arm, 56 lock part, 58 cap temporary placement protrusion (temporary placement part), 130 filling part, 138 filling part case, 138a interference part, 138b concave part, 140 rib, 142 spring.

Claims (1)

A fuel gas filling port provided on the vehicle body,
A removable filling port cap attached to the filling port to seal the filling port,
A lid that is openably and closably attached to the vehicle body and covers the filling port and the periphery thereof,
A cap temporary placement portion provided on the inner surface of the lid with the distal end side being engaged with the distal end side facing downward in the mounting direction of the removed filling port cap,
An interference portion provided on the vehicle body and interfering with a side surface of the filling port cap engaged with the cap temporary placement portion when closing the lid,
A rib that is provided above the interference portion of the vehicle body and that is located above the filling port cap engaged with the cap temporary placement portion when closing the lid,
A structure for preventing the user from forgetting to put on the filling port cap, which is provided with.