JP4135140B2 - Filler cap structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a filler cap structure provided at a fuel inlet of an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a filler cap is attached to a fuel filler port of an automobile so as to prevent fuel leakage and fuel evaporation, and in particular, a male screw portion provided in the filler cap is provided in the fuel filler port. A screw-in type filler cap structure that is screwed into and attached to a female screw part is common.
[0003]
For example, according to the prior art described in Patent Document 1, a filler cap structure is disclosed in which a cap handle (handle portion) is formed on one side of a filler cap body and a male screw portion (screw portion) is formed on the other side. Yes.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-121978
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of the filler cap structure of Patent Document 1, the filler cap is a screw-in type, so that, for example, when the vehicle collides, the filler cap is loosened by the impact of an object such as a deformed body on the cap handle. There is a possibility that it may lead to fuel leakage.
[0006]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and it is possible to prevent the cap body from loosening even when the handle portion is rotated due to an impact that an object hits at the time of a vehicle collision, and fuel leakage occurs. An object of the present invention is to provide a filler cap structure capable of avoiding the above-mentioned problem.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, a filler having a cap body that is detachably provided at a fuel inlet of a fuel tank and has a male screw threadedly engaged with the fuel inlet, and a handle portion for operating the cap body. In the cap structure, the attachment / detachment given to the handle portion is performed only when a lock operation is performed by holding the cap body rotatably on the handle portion and pressing an operation portion protruding from the handle portion. operations together with comprising an idle holding means with lock function of transmitting to the cap body, when the handle portion is not subjected to the locking operation, the idling handle portion when rotating the handle part in the opening direction, the handle When the part is rotated in the closing direction, the rotational force of the handle part is transmitted to the cap body.
[0008]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the idling holding means with a lock function is provided in the handle portion, and the attaching / detaching operation given to the handle portion is applied to the cap body only when the lock operation is performed by pressing the operating portion protruding from the handle portion. In general, the handle portion is idled with respect to the cap body, so that the cap body can be prevented from slacking even when the handle portion is rotated by an impact hit by an object at the time of a vehicle collision. Thus, it is possible to provide a filler cap structure capable of avoiding fuel leakage.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
1 is a perspective view showing a filler cap structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view thereof, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the filler cap in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an attachment state of the filler cap.
[0011]
1 to 5, reference numeral 1 denotes an entire filler cap to which the present invention is applied, and a cap main body 3 having a male screw that is screwed into a fuel filler port 2 a (FIG. 5) as a fuel inlet in the filler tube 2 (FIG. 5). And a circular handle portion 4 for operating the cap body 3, and the cap body 3 and the handle portion 4 constitute an engagement side of the handle portion 4 with the cap body 3. A plurality of claw portions 43 provided at the lower portion of the bottom portion 4 c are engaged with engagement grooves 32 formed above the peripheral edge portion of the cap body 3 so as to be rotatably attached. Incidentally, a groove 33 directed in the circumferential direction is formed in the base portion of the male screw of the cap body 3, and an oil seal O made of a rubber material or the like is fitted therein.
[0012]
The handle portion 4 has a flange portion 4a that is substantially perpendicular to the cap body 3 and a bottom portion 4c that constitutes an engagement side of the handle portion 4 with the cap body 3 so as to be rotatable. A handle portion 4b that protrudes perpendicularly by connecting the peripheral edge portion through the center thereof is provided on 4a.
[0013]
Further, as the cap body 3 is rotatably held inside the handle portion 4, as an idling holding means with a lock function for transmitting the attaching / detaching operation given to the handle portion 4 to the cap body 3 only when locked. The idling holding mechanism 5 and an operation unit 6 for operating the idling holding mechanism 5 are provided.
[0014]
The idling holding mechanism 5 includes an engagement portion 31 that constitutes an engagement side between the circular protrusion 51 integrally formed at the center of the bottom portion 4 c of the handle portion 4 and the handle portion 4 in the cap body 3. Are configured to be engaged at a predetermined pressure.
[0015]
Further, the idling holding mechanism 5 has a ratchet function for releasing the engagement between the protruding portion 51 and the engaging portion 31 when the tightening torque of the cap body 3 to the oil supply port 2a by the handle portion 4 exceeds a predetermined value. A tightening prevention mechanism that stops transmission of the tightening operation from the handle portion 4 to the cap main body 3 and prevents the filler cap 1 from being excessively tightened with respect to the fuel filler opening 2a (FIG. 5) is provided.
[0016]
Specifically, the engaging portion 31 has a plurality of radially extending projections 31 a extending in the closing direction of the filler cap 1 indicated by an arrow Y in the drawing, and the protruding portion 51 includes the operation portion 6. A plurality of (in this case, four) key grooves 51a for engaging with key portions 61b and 62b, which will be described later, are formed at predetermined intervals in the peripheral portion, and a filler cap indicated by an arrow X in the figure on the inner peripheral side thereof. A plurality of projecting portions 51b projecting in one opening direction (that is, a direction engaging with each projecting portion 31a of the engaging portion 31) are provided.
[0017]
Therefore, the idling holding mechanism 5 is indicated by an arrow X in the figure given to the handle portion 4 only when the key portions 61b and 62b are engaged with the key groove 51a of the protruding portion 51 in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 6. The rotation operation of the filler cap 1 in the opening direction is transmitted to the protruding portion 51 via the operation portion 6, and the protruding portion 51b rotates accordingly, and the protruding portion 31a engaged with the protruding portion 51b is rotated. Therefore, since the filler cap 1 is transmitted to the cap body 3, the filler cap 1 can be loosened with respect to the oil filler 2a (FIG. 5).
[0018]
Similarly, the idling holding mechanism 5 is provided to the handle portion 4 only when the key portions 61b and 62b are engaged with the key groove 51a of the protruding portion 51 in accordance with the operation of the operating portion 6. A rotation operation in the closing direction of the filler cap 1 indicated by the middle arrow Y is transmitted to the protruding portion 51 via the operation portion 6, and accordingly, the engaging portion 31 engaged with the protruding portion 51 with a predetermined pressure. Since the rotation is transmitted to the cap body 3, the filler cap 1 can be tightened with respect to the fuel filler opening 2a (FIG. 5).
[0019]
At this time, since the idling holding mechanism 5 has a locking prevention mechanism, when the tightening torque with respect to the oil supply port 2a of the cap main body 3 by the handle portion 4 exceeds a predetermined value, the protrusion 51 and the engaging portion Since the engagement with 31 is released by the ratchet function, the protrusion 51b of the protrusion 51 gets over the protrusion 31a of the engagement part 31 and rotates (idle) to tighten the handle 4 from the handle 4 to the cap body 3. The transmission of the operation is stopped, and the filler cap 1 can be prevented from being excessively tightened with respect to the fuel filler opening 2a (FIG. 5).
[0020]
As described above, the idling holding mechanism 5 is a filler provided to the handle portion 4 only when the key portions 61 b and 62 b are engaged with the key groove 51 a of the protruding portion 51 in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 6. The removal operation of the cap 1 is transmitted to the protrusion 31 of the cap body 3 via the operation portion 6 and the protrusion 51, and the filler cap 1 is attached to and detached from the fuel filler opening 2a (tightened or loosened). be able to.
[0021]
In the case of this embodiment, in addition to such a configuration, the handle portion 4 has a bottom portion 4c and a plurality of partition walls 41 perpendicular to the peripheral portion at the peripheral portion of the flange portion 4a. Protruding portions 42 corresponding to the partition walls 41 projecting in the direction indicated by the arrow X in the drawing (the opening direction of the filler cap 1) are provided on the peripheral side of 4c.
[0022]
As a result, when the filler cap 1 is rotated in the opening direction (arrow X direction) without the lock operation of the operation portion 6 (usually), the partition wall 41 moves over the protruding portion 42 and rotates. When the handle portion 4 is idled and is rotated in the closing direction (in the direction of arrow Y) without the operation portion 6 being locked, the partition wall 41 is brought into contact with the protruding portion 42 to engage with each other. It can be transmitted to the cap body 3 and tightened to the oil filler 2a.
[0023]
Therefore, the filler cap 1 can be performed only for the attachment (tightening) operation to the fuel filler opening 2a without performing the locking operation by the operation unit 6, and forgetting to tighten the filler cap 1 can be avoided. it can.
[0024]
On the other hand, the operation portion 6 has button portions 61a and 62a protruding on both sides at the substantially center of the handle portion 4b of the handle portion 4 on one surface, and the keyway 51a of the protrusion portion 51 in the idling holding mechanism 5 on the other surface. The first and second operating elements 61, 62 having a crank-shaped cross section provided with key portions 61b, 62b for engaging with the first and second operating elements 61, 62 are provided. An elastic member such as a spring 64 that holds the first and second operating elements 61 and 62 in an initial state (that is, a normal state in which the button portions 61a and 62a are not pressed) from the handle portion peripheral side toward the center. And a holding portion 63 that is biased.
[0025]
The holding portion 63 is located between the first and second operating elements 61 and 62, and one end is formed in a shape along the side surface 61d of the fan-shaped surface 61c of the first operating element 61, and the other end Is formed so as to be in contact with a surface 62d of the surface portion 62c of the second operation element 62 facing the first operation element 61.
[0026]
Here, the operation of the operation unit 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0027]
First, in the initial state, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation unit 6 has a holding unit 63 positioned between the first and second operation elements 61 and 62, and one end of the operation unit 6 is a fan shape in the first operation element 61. And the other end is in contact with the surface 62 d of the surface portion 62 c of the second operating element 62. Thus, the holding part 63 holds the button parts 61a and 62a in the initial state where they are not pressed.
[0028]
Then, when the operation unit 6 is moved to a lock state in which the button 61a of the operation element 61 is pressed and the idling holding mechanism 5 is locked, as shown in FIG. It moves along the side surface 61d of the operation element 61 against the urging force of 64, and when the button part 61a is pushed into the handle part 4b (FIG. 2) of the handle part 4, the operation element 62 is held by the other end. To release. At this time, the key portion 61b of the operation element 61 is in a state of being engaged with the key groove 51a in the protruding portion 51 of the idling holding mechanism 5 at the corresponding position.
[0029]
Incidentally, when the button portion 61a is not completely pushed into the handle portion 4b, the key portion 61b and the key groove 51a are not accurately engaged with each other. In this case, the handle portion 4 may be rotated in either the opening or closing direction to accurately engage the key portion 61b and the key groove 51a.
[0030]
In this state, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation portion 6 is pushed into the handle portion 4 b (FIG. 2) of the handle portion 4 by pressing the button portion 62 a of the operation portion 62, thereby 62b is engaged with the keyway 51a in the protrusion 51 of the idling holding mechanism 5 at the corresponding position.
[0031]
As described above, the operation unit 6 causes the key portions 61b and 62b of the operation elements 61 and 62 to be moved from the key groove 51a in the protruding portion 51 of the idling holding mechanism 5 at the corresponding position when the button portions 61a and 62a are pressed. In this state, the handle portion 4 is rotated in the opening and closing directions of the filler cap 1 as indicated by arrows X and Y, whereby the filler cap 1 is attached to and detached from the handle portion 4 as described above. Is transmitted to the cap body 3 through the idle holding mechanism 5.
[0032]
In addition, since the button parts 61a and 62a are respectively provided on both sides of the center of the handle part 4b of the handle part 4, they are hardly pressed simultaneously from both sides by an object such as a body deformed at the time of a vehicle collision. It is difficult to think about, and even if it is pressed, it is difficult to think of generating torque that rotates the button portions 61a and 62a. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an advantage that the filler cap 1 can be reliably prevented from loosening.
[0033]
As described above, according to the filler cap 1, if the buttons 61 a and 62 a of the operation unit 6 are not pressed by the idling holding mechanism 5 and the operation unit 6 provided in the handle unit 4 (that is, In a normal case where the idling holding mechanism 5 is not in a locked state), the handle unit 4 is rotated by an impact hit by an object such as a body deformed at the time of a vehicle collision because the handle unit 4 is idled even when the handle unit 4 is rotated in the opening direction. However, it is possible to prevent the fuel supply port 2a from being slackened, and thus to prevent fuel leakage.
[0034]
The filler cap structure in the present invention has been described by taking the above-described embodiment as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various embodiments can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. it can. For example, in the above description, the case has been described in which the keys 61b and 62b are provided on the operation elements 61 and 62 of the operation unit 6, respectively, but by providing the key part 62b only on the operation element 62 side. Since the button portion 62a cannot be pushed unless the holding portion 63 is moved by the button portion 61a, the handle portion 4 is idled by only pushing the button portion 61a, and an impact such as a body or the like deformed at the time of a vehicle collision is hit. Thus, it is possible to almost certainly prevent the handle portion 4 from rotating, and it is possible to obtain an advantage that the rate of prevention of looseness of the filler cap 1 with respect to the fuel filler opening 2a can be remarkably improved.
[0035]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the oil seal O made of a rubber material is fitted in the groove 33 formed in the root of the male screw of the cap body 3 has been described as an example. The material of O is not limited to this.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a filler cap structure according to the present invention.
2 is a top view of the filler cap structure in FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the filler cap in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a filler cap in FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing an attached state of the filler cap in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the operation unit.
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the operation unit.
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the operation unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Filler cap 2a ... Refueling port (fuel injection port)
3 ... Cap body 31 ... Engagement part 31a ... Projection part 4 ... Handle part 4a ... Flange part 4b ... Handle part 4c ... Bottom part 5 ... Idle holding mechanism ( Idling holding means with lock function)
51... Projection 51 a .. Keyway 6... Operation part 61... First operation element 62... Second operation elements 61 a and 62 a. Key portion 61c, 62c ... surface portion 61d ... side surface 62d ... surface 63 ... holding portion 64 ... spring

Claims (4)

In a filler cap structure that is detachably provided at a fuel inlet of a fuel tank and has a cap body formed with a male screw that is screwed into the fuel inlet, and a handle portion for operating the cap body.
In the handle part,
The cap body is rotatably held, and the attachment / detachment operation given to the handle portion is transmitted to the cap body only when a lock operation is performed by pressing an operation portion protruding from the handle portion. Including an idling holding means with a locking function,
When the handle is not locked , when the handle is rotated in the opening direction, the handle is idle, and when the handle is rotated in the closing direction, the rotational force of the handle is transmitted to the cap body. A filler cap structure characterized in that The handle part is
A flange portion substantially perpendicular to the cap body,
A handle portion that vertically connects the peripheral edge portion through the center of the flange portion,
2. The filler cap structure according to claim 1, wherein an operation part for bringing the idling holding means with a lock function into the locked state is provided on both sides of the substantially central part of the handle part. The handle part is
The filler cap structure according to claim 1, further comprising an anti-spinning mechanism that prevents idling in a tightening direction. The idling holding means with a lock function is
A tightening prevention mechanism for stopping transmission of a tightening operation from the handle portion to the cap body when a tightening torque of the cap body to the fuel inlet by the handle portion exceeds a predetermined value; The filler cap structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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