JP4967966B2 - Charging port structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging port structure of a battery unit used as a power source for an electric vehicle, for example.

  An electric vehicle is equipped with a battery unit as a power source for traveling. The battery unit includes a battery module, a battery case that houses the battery module, and the like.

  The battery module needs to be charged. For this reason, a charging port is provided on the outer wall of the vehicle body. Generally, the charging port is provided in a recess formed in the outer wall of the vehicle body. The recess is covered with a lid. The lid covers the recess so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge provided on the periphery of the recess.

  A terminal that is electrically connected to the terminal of the charging gun and a switch for confirming whether the charging gun is inserted are arranged at the charging port. And the said terminal and the said switch are covered by the charging port cap so that opening and closing is possible. The charging port cap covers the inside of the charging port with a hinge.

  On the other hand, even when the lid is closed, the charging port cap may not be closed to the end. This is likely to occur, for example, when the opening / closing direction of the charging port cap is the same as the opening / closing direction of the lid.

  Specifically, when the lid opening / closing direction and the charging port cap opening / closing direction are the same, if the lid is closed while the charging port cap is open, the lid contacts the charging port cap. Touch. At this time, since the opening / closing direction of the charging port cap is the same as the opening / closing direction of the lid, the charging port cap is urged by the lid and rotates in the closing direction. When the lid is closed in this state, the concave portion is covered by the lid, so that it is impossible to visually check whether the charging port cap is closed to the end. Therefore, even if the lid is closed, the charging port cap is opened. Can occur.

  Even when the lid is closed, in a state where the charging port cap is open, the charging port cap vibrates due to vibration while the vehicle is running, and the vibration may cause the charging port cap to hit the lid or the charging port. If the charging port cap hits the lid or the charging port, noise is generated, which is not preferable.

  In addition, if the charging port cap is not completely closed and the charging port is to be waterproof, it must be waterproof even between the recess and the lid, and a double waterproof structure is required. End up.

For this reason, a structure for reliably closing the charging port cap has been proposed. In this type of structure, the hinge axis of the lid and the hinge axis of the charging port cap are arranged so that their extension lines intersect at 90. This is because the opening / closing direction of the charging port cap is different from the opening / closing direction of the lid, so that even if the lid comes into contact with the charging port cap while the charging port cap is open, It is used that the charging port cap does not close depending on the urging by. As a result, the lid and the charging port cap are closed separately, and therefore the charging port cap is closed to the end (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 7-29635 A

  If the hinge shaft of the charging port cap and the hinge shaft of the lid are arranged so that the extension lines intersect each other as in Patent Document 1, the opening and closing directions of the charging cap and the lid shaft are different. Even when the lid is in contact with the charging port cap when closing, the charging port cap is not closed by the urging of the lid.

  However, as in Patent Document 1, when the extension lines of the hinge shaft of the charging port cap and the hinge shaft of the lid intersect, the impact of the collision between the charging port cap and the lid is caused by the charging port cap. It acts on the hinge in a direction that is not the movable direction of the hinge.

  If a load is input in a direction that is not the movable direction of the hinge (the direction in which it is bent), the hinge is twisted. If the hinge does not move, the waterproof property of the charging port cap may be impaired, which is not preferable.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging port structure capable of preventing a state where a charging port cap is opened in a state where a lid is closed while suppressing breakage in which a hinge is not movable.

The charging port structure of the present invention is a charging port structure including a charging port used when charging a battery unit mounted on a vehicle body. The charging port structure comprises a recess which is open in a circular shape on the outside is formed on the vehicle body, and a lid covering the recess openably, the hinge axis to also when provided in the vehicle body includes a hinge shaft A lid hinge that rotatably supports the lid, the charging port that is provided in the recess and has a cylindrical shape and has a terminal on an end surface, and a charging port cap that covers the terminal so that the terminal can be opened and closed, And a hinge for charging port cap which is provided at the charging port with a hinge shaft at an edge of the end face and which rotatably supports the charging port cap around the hinge shaft. The hinge shaft of the charging port cap hinge is parallel to the hinge shaft of the lid hinge, and is disposed on the opposite side of the lid hinge from the charging port. The charging port cap abuts against the opening edge of the recess at a position where the battery cap is opened to charge the battery.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent that the state which the charge port cap opens in the state which the lid is closed, suppressing the damage which a hinge becomes unable to move.

  A charging port structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of an electric vehicle 10 having a charging port structure according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 10 includes a traveling motor 12 and a charging device 13 disposed at the rear of the vehicle body 11, a battery unit 14 disposed under the floor of the vehicle body 11, and the like.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the battery unit 14 is removed from the vehicle body 11. The battery unit 14 includes a battery case 50 as a housing, a battery module 60 (partially shown in the drawing) accommodated in the battery case 50, and the like. The battery module 60 is indicated by a dotted line in the figure.

  The battery module 60 needs to be charged. For this reason, a charging port 800 (shown in FIG. 3) is provided on the side wall portion of the rear portion of the vehicle body 11. The charging port 800 is accommodated in a recess 801 (shown in FIG. 3) described later. The recess 801 is open to the outside, and the opening is covered with a lid 802. The charging port 800 is electrically connected to the charging device 13, and power supplied from a charging gun (not shown) is sent to the charging device 13 through the charging port 800. The electric power sent to the charging device 13 is sent to the battery module 60.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of F2 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lid 802 in the vehicle body 11. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the lid 802 taken along line F3-F3 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the charging port structure 803 of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lid 802 covers the opening of the recess 801 with a lid hinge 804 so as to be opened and closed. In FIG. 3, the lid 802 in a closed state is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the lid 802 in an open state is indicated by a solid line. In FIG. 2, the hinge shaft 805 of the lid hinge 804 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the charging port 800 is accommodated in the recess 801. The charging port 800 has a shape that protrudes outward from the bottom surface 806 of the recess 801. An end surface 807 of the charging port 800 is covered with a charging port cap 808 so as to be opened and closed. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the charging port cap 808 and the lid 802 are open. FIG. 4 shows the inside of the recess 801 and the end face 807 of the charging port 800.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the outer shape of the recess 801 is substantially circular. Therefore, the lid 802 is also circular. Charging port 800 has a cylindrical shape that is disposed substantially concentrically with recess 801. A pair of terminals 809 that are electrically connected to terminals of a charging gun (not shown) inserted into the recess 801 when charging the battery module 60 are provided on the end surface 807 of the charging port 800, and terminals of the charging gun And a switch 810 for detecting whether or not the terminal 809 of the charging port 800 is electrically connected.

  Charging port cap 808 is fixed to charging port 800 by charging port cap hinge 811 and covers end face 807 (terminal 809 and switch 810) so as to be opened and closed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the charging port cap hinge 811 is disposed on the edge of the end surface 807 of the charging port 800 on the side opposite to the lid hinge 804. The hinge shaft 812 of the charging port cap hinge 811 is arranged in parallel with the hinge shaft 805 of the lid hinge 804.

  In FIG. 3, the charging port cap 808 in the closed state is indicated by a solid line, and the charging port cap 808 in the open state is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The charging port cap 808 is urged in the opening direction.

  The structure of the charging port cap hinge 811 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the charging port 800 is formed with a pair of charging port side protrusions 830 that protrude toward the charging port cap 808. . A cap-side protrusion 831 is formed on the charging port cap 808. The cap side protrusion 831 is accommodated between the pair of charging port side protrusions 830. In this way, the charging port cap 808 is fixed to the charging port 800 so as to freely rotate about the hinge shaft 812 by passing through the charging port side protrusion 830 and the cap side protrusion 831 arranged in a row. Is done.

  A lock portion 820 is provided on the peripheral side of the charging port 800 on the opposite side (the lid 802 side) of the charging port cap hinge 811. The lock portion 820 includes a lock portion hinge 821 provided at the charging port 800 and a lock portion arm 822.

  The lock portion hinge 821 is disposed on the opposite side of the charging port cap hinge 811, and supports the lock portion arm 822 around the hinge shaft 823 so as to freely rotate. The hinge shaft 823 is disposed in parallel with the hinge shaft 812 of the charging port cap hinge 811. Therefore, the lock portion arm 822 can freely rotate between the lock position P1 and the release position P2, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The release position P2 is a position opened outward with respect to the lock position P1.

  An engaging portion 824 that engages with the edge of the charging port cap 808 that is closed when the lock portion arm 822 is in the locked position P1 (closed state) is provided at the distal end of the lock portion arm 822. Is provided. When the lock portion arm 822 rotates to the release position P2, the engagement between the engagement portion 824 and the peripheral edge of the charging port cap 808 is released.

  3 and 4, an opening direction A1 and a closing direction A2 of the lid 802 and an opening direction B1 and a closing direction B2 of the charging port cap 808 are shown. As described above, the hinge shaft 805 of the lid hinge 804 and the hinge shaft 812 of the charging port cap hinge 811 are arranged at the ends located on the opposite sides of the recess 801 and the charging port 800, The opening / closing directions A1, A2 of the lid 802 are different from the opening / closing directions B1, 2 of the charging port cap 808.

  Specifically, when the lid 802 is closed, the leading end 802a of the lid 802 (the end opposite to the lid hinge 804) moves from the lid hinge 804 toward the charging port cap hinge 811 side. To do. When the lid 802 is opened, the tip 802a of the lid 802 moves from the charging port cap hinge 811 side to the lid hinge 804 side.

  On the other hand, when the charging port cap 808 is closed, the front end 808a of the charging port cap 808 (the end opposite to the charging port cap hinge 811) is used for the lid from the charging port cap hinge 811 side. Move to the hinge 804 side. Further, when the charging port cap 808 is opened, the tip end portion 808a of the charging port cap 808 moves from the lid hinge 804 side to the charging port cap hinge 811 side.

  As described above, the opening direction A1 of the lid 802 and the opening direction B1 of the charging port cap 808 are different from each other, and the closing direction A2 of the lid 802 and the closing direction B2 of the charging port cap 808 are different from each other. When the lid 802 collides with the charging port cap 808 when closing the charging port, the charging port cap 808 is not closed due to the urging of the lid 802.

  However, the impact input to the charging port cap 808 when the lid 802 collides with the charging port cap 808 is input along the movable direction (bending direction) of the charging port cap 808.

  In other words, since the hinge shaft 805 of the lid hinge 804 and the hinge shaft 812 of the charging port cap hinge 811 are parallel, the input direction of the load caused by the collision between the lid 802 and the charging port cap 808 is respectively The hinges 804 and 811 are in the movable direction (bending direction).

  When the hinge shafts 805 and 812 are not parallel, the load at the time of collision does not act along the movable direction of the hinges 804 and 811, so that the hinges 804 and 811 are twisted. Due to this twisting, the charging port side protrusion 830 and the cap side protrusion 831 of the charging port cap hinge 811 are deformed. When the charging port side protrusion 830 and the cap side protrusion 831 are deformed, the charging port cap hinge 811 cannot be moved. However, since the hinge shafts 805 and 812 are parallel, the hinges 804 and 811 are not twisted even if an impact is input.

  In the charging port cap structure configured as described above, the opening / closing directions A1 and A2 of the lid 802 are opposite to the opening / closing directions B1 and B2 of the charging port cap 808, so that the lid 802 is attached when the lid 802 is closed. Depending on the power, the charging port cap 808 does not close. Therefore, since the charging port cap 808 and the lid 802 must be closed separately, the charging port cap 808 is closed to the end.

  Furthermore, since the load resulting from the collision between the lid 802 and the charging port cap 808 is input along the movable direction of the lid hinge 804 and input along the moving direction of the charging port cap hinge 811, The hinges 804 and 811 are not twisted, and therefore deformation that prevents the hinges 804 and 811 from moving is suppressed.

  As described above, in the charging port structure of the present embodiment, the charging port cap 808 is opened in a state where the lid 802 is closed while preventing the lid hinge 804 and the charging port cap hinge 811 from being damaged. Can be prevented from occurring.

In the present embodiment, the motor 12 disposed at the rear portion of the vehicle body 11 has been described. However, the position of the motor 12 is not limited to this. For example, the motor 12 may be disposed at the front portion of the vehicle body 11. Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[1]
A charging port structure including a charging port used when charging a battery unit mounted on a vehicle body,
A recess formed in the vehicle body and opening outward;
A lid that covers the recess so as to be openable and closable;
A lid hinge provided on the vehicle body with a hinge shaft and rotatably supporting the lid around the hinge shaft;
The charging port provided in the recess and provided with a terminal;
A charging port cap covering the terminal so as to be openable and closable;
A charging port cap hinge that includes a hinge shaft and is provided at the charging port and rotatably supports the charging port cap around the hinge shaft;
Comprising
The charging port structure according to claim 1, wherein a hinge shaft of the charging port cap hinge is parallel to the hinge shaft of the lid hinge and is disposed on the charging port opposite to the lid hinge.

The perspective view which shows an example of an electric vehicle provided with the charging port structure which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The top view which expands and shows the range of F2 shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the vicinity of a lid shown along the F3-F3 line | wire shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where a charging port cap and a lid shown in FIG. 2 are open.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Vehicle body, 14 ... Battery unit, 800 ... Charging port, 801 ... Recess, 802 ... Lid, 803 ... Charging port structure, 804 ... Lid hinge, 805 ... Hinge shaft, 808 ... Charging port cap, 809 ... Terminal, 811 ... Hinge for charging port cap, 812 ... Hinge shaft.

Claims (1)

A charging port structure including a charging port used when charging a battery unit mounted on a vehicle body,
A recess formed in the vehicle body and opening outward in a circular shape ;
A lid that covers the recess so as to be openable and closable;
When provided on the vehicle body includes a hinge shaft and both lid hinges for supporting the lid to the hinge axis rotatably,
The charging port provided in the recess , cylindrical and provided with a terminal on an end surface ;
A charging port cap covering the terminal so as to be openable and closable;
A charging port cap hinge provided on the charging port with a hinge shaft at an edge of the end surface and rotatably supporting the charging port cap around the hinge shaft;
The hinge shaft of the charging port cap hinge is parallel to the hinge shaft of the lid hinge, and is disposed on the charging port opposite to the lid hinge,
The charging port structure, wherein the charging port cap is in contact with the opening edge of the recess at a position where the battery is opened to charge the battery.

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