WO2022139266A1

WO2022139266A1 - Charging inlet cover for electric vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2022139266A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/018615
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이준호
Original assignee: 주식회사 니프코코리아
Priority date: 2020-12-23
Filing date: 2021-12-09
Publication date: 2022-06-30
Also published as: KR20220091122A

Abstract

Provided is a charging inlet cover for opening or closing a charging port of a charging inlet housing provided in the vehicle body of an electric vehicle. The charging inlet cover has a back cover, a cover housing, and an opening/closing device. The back cover is fixed to the charging inlet housing, and has formed therein a through hole corresponding to the charging port. The cover housing is coupled to the back cover at the rear end thereof, and has an accommodation space therein. The cover housing has a pass-through hole through which a charging plug passes and which communicates with the accommodation space. The opening/closing device is arranged in the accommodation space, and opens or closes the pass-through hole.

Description

Charging port cover for electric vehicle

The present disclosure relates to a charging port cover for an electric vehicle.

An electric vehicle drives an electric motor with electric energy supplied from a battery. Examples of the electric vehicle include a hybrid EV (HEV), a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV), and a battery electric vehicle (BEV) vehicle. An HEV (Hybrid EV) is an electric vehicle that combines power from an internal combustion engine and power from an electric motor. A PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid EV) is an electric vehicle in which the HEV's battery is designed to be charged from an external power source. A BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is an electric vehicle powered only by a battery and an electric motor.

Electric vehicles of HEVs, PHEVs, and BEVs commonly use electric energy to drive the vehicle. The HEV's electric vehicle's battery is charged with electrical energy generated within the HEV's vehicle. The batteries of electric vehicles of PHEVs and BEVs are charged with power supplied from the outside.

BACKGROUND Electric vehicles such as PHEVs and BEVs have a charging inlet for charging a battery. The charging ports are disposed at various locations, such as a portion of the vehicle body adjacent to the wheel or a front portion of the vehicle body. The charging port includes a housing having an opening, a charging port disposed in the housing, and a door opening and closing the opening of the housing. The charging port is exposed through an opening in the housing. When charging the battery of the electric vehicle, a charging plug connected by a charging cable to the electric vehicle charging system is detachably inserted into the charging port.

When charging the battery of the electric vehicle, the user opens the door of the housing, and removes the foreign object prevention cover or cap blocking the charging port. After that, the user aligns the charging plug with the charging port, and performs charging of the battery. When the battery is fully charged, the user must reattach the cover or cap to the charging port so that the terminal installed in the charging port is not contaminated by foreign substances such as rainwater or dust. According to the prior art charging port cover for an electric vehicle, the user must remove or reinstall the cover or cap. Also, the user may lose the cover or cap or close the door without reinstalling the cover or cap. As such, the charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to the prior art is disadvantageous in terms of user convenience.

In order not to lose the charging port cover when charging the battery of the electric vehicle, the charging port cover for opening and closing the charging port may be rotatably installed in the housing by a hinge. However, rotatably installing the charging port cover on the housing requires a large installation space and limits the design of the electric vehicle.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a charging port cover for an electric vehicle that can be easily and quickly opened and closed when charging a battery of an electric vehicle, and can effectively prevent foreign substances from entering a charging port.

In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a charging port cover that does not limit the design of the electric vehicle by minimizing the amount protruding from the charging port.

The charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure opens and closes a charging port of a charging port housing provided in a vehicle body of the electric vehicle. A charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment includes a back cover, a cover housing, and an opening/closing device. The back cover is fixed to the charging port housing, and a through hole corresponding to the charging port is formed in the back cover. The cover housing is coupled to the back cover at the rear end, and is configured to have an accommodating space therein. The cover housing has a through hole through which the charging plug passes and through which the receiving space passes. The opening/closing device is disposed in the receiving space and configured to open and close the through hole.

In one embodiment, the opening and closing device includes a pair of guide spacers, a pair of rotating covers, and a pair of sliding covers. A pair of guide spacers are respectively fixed to the upper and lower sides of the front surface of the back cover. A pair of rotation covers are respectively rotatably connected to a pair of guide spacers at one end. The pair of sliding covers are each connected to a pair of guide spacers to be guideably coupled to each other to be slidably coupled to a pair of rotation covers, and are configured to open and close the through hole. The pair of sliding covers are configured to slide toward or away from respective rotation centers of the pair of rotation covers while being rotated with the pair of rotation covers and guided by the pair of guide spacers.

In one embodiment, when the pair of rotating covers are rotated toward the charging port, the pair of sliding covers slide respectively toward the rotation center of the pair of rotating covers to open the through hole. When the pair of rotary covers are rotated away from the charging port, the pair of sliding covers respectively slide away from the center of rotation to close the through hole.

In one embodiment, the opening/closing device includes a pair of hinge shafts respectively coupled to left and right ends of the pair of guide spacers, and the pair of rotation covers are rotatable at one end on the pair of hinge shafts. are connected to each other.

In one embodiment, each of the pair of sliding covers has a guide projection on the top and bottom. Each of the pair of guide spacers has a pair of guide slits into which the guide projections are respectively inserted and slide. The pair of guide slits is configured to slide each of the pair of sliding covers relative to the corresponding rotating cover as the guide projection slides along the guide slits.

In one embodiment, each of the pair of guide slits has an inner end at which the guide protrusion is located when the pair of sliding covers close the through hole, and the guide protrusion when the pair of sliding covers open the through hole. It has an outer end that is located. Each of the pair of guide slits is configured such that the distance between the rotation center and the outer end of the rotation cover is shorter than the distance between the rotation center and the inner end.

In one embodiment, the opening/closing device includes a first elastic member for urging the pair of rotating covers in a direction away from the charging port to close the through hole.

In one embodiment, each of the pair of rotating covers is disposed between a rail portion to which one of the pair of sliding covers is slidably fitted, and one end and one of the pair of sliding covers, so as to form a pair of and a second elastic member for pressing one of the sliding covers in a direction to close the through hole.

According to the charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cover housing covers the charging port, and the through hole through which the charging plug passes is opened and closed by the opening and closing device. Therefore, the charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment can not only effectively prevent foreign substances such as rainwater and dust from entering the charging port, but also do not use a cap blocking the charging port in the prior art.

According to the charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the through hole may be opened only by pushing the charging plug through the through hole, and the through hole may be closed only by pulling out the charging plug from the through hole. . Accordingly, the charging port cover according to an embodiment may improve user convenience when charging the battery, and the user may insert the charging plug into the charging port through the charging port cover with a simple operation and charge the battery.

According to the charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sliding cover slides inside and outside the rotating cover while being guided by the guide spacer. Accordingly, the sliding amount of the sliding cover may be varied according to the rotational amount of the rotating cover, and accordingly, the opening/closing speed of the through hole may be increased and the size of the charging port cover may be reduced.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a charging port cover for an electric vehicle and a charging plug of an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment.

3 is a front perspective view illustrating a back cover, a cover housing, and an opening/closing device of a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the opening/closing device shown in Fig. 3;

It is a top view which shows the guide spacer of the opening-and-closing apparatus shown in FIG.

6 is a plan view illustrating an opening/closing device in a state in which a through hole of a charging port cover for an electric vehicle is closed according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a guide spacer, a rotating cover, and a sliding cover in the state shown in Fig. 6 .

8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a charging plug is inserted through a through hole of a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a charging plug, a guide spacer, a rotating cover, and a sliding cover in the state shown in Fig. 8 .

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device in the state shown in Fig. 8 .

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a guide spacer, a rotating cover, and a sliding cover in the state shown in Fig. 8 .

12 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a charging plug is completely inserted through a through hole of a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a charging plug, a guide spacer, a rotating cover, and a sliding cover in the state shown in Fig. 12 .

Fig. 14 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device in the state shown in Fig. 12 .

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing a guide spacer, a rotating cover, and a sliding cover in the state shown in Fig. 12 .

16 is a perspective view illustrating a charging port cover for an electric vehicle and a charging plug of the electric vehicle according to another embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplified for the purpose of explaining the technical spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of rights according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented below or specific descriptions of these embodiments.

All technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure, unless otherwise defined, have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. All terms used in the present disclosure are selected for the purpose of more clearly describing the present disclosure and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

As used in this disclosure, expressions such as 'comprising', 'including', 'having', etc. are open-ended terms connoting the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included. (open-ended terms).

Expressions in the singular in this disclosure may include the meaning of the plural unless otherwise stated, and the same applies to expressions in the singular in the claims.

In the present disclosure, when it is stated that a component is 'connected', 'coupled', or 'fixed' to another component, the component may be directly connected, coupled, or fixed to the other component. It is to be understood that existing or new other components may be interposed between the certain components and the other components.

The forward direction, the rearward direction, the left direction, and the right direction used in the present disclosure correspond to directions of arrows indicated by FD, BD, LD, and RD shown in FIG. 1 , respectively. The left-right direction XD used in the present disclosure includes a left direction LD and a right direction RD. The front-rear direction YD used in the present disclosure includes a forward direction FD and a rearward direction BD. The forward direction FD refers to a direction in which the charging port cover faces the charging plug, and other directions may be defined based on the forward direction FD. The above-described directions are given to provide a clear understanding of the present disclosure, and each direction may be defined differently according to a position of a reference.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a charging port cover for an electric vehicle and a charging plug of an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment. 3 is a front perspective view illustrating a cover housing and an opening/closing device of a charging port cover for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the opening/closing device shown in Fig. 3; It is a top view which shows the guide spacer of the opening-and-closing apparatus shown in FIG.

1 and 2 , the charging port cover 100 for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, simply referred to as a charging port cover) includes a charging port 200 installed in the vehicle body of the electric vehicle. is coupled to The charging port 200 may include a charging port housing 210 provided in the vehicle body of the electric vehicle and a charging port 220 provided in the charging port housing 210 . In order to charge the battery of the electric vehicle, the charging plug 310 may be inserted into the charging port 220 through the charging port cover 100 . The charging port cover 100 covers and protects the charging port 200 so that foreign substances do not enter the charging port 200 . The charging port cover 100 is configured to open and close the charging port 220 of the charging port housing 210 .

1 to 3 , the charging port cover 100 according to an exemplary embodiment includes a back cover 110 , a cover housing 120 , and an opening/closing device 130 .

The back cover 110 is fixed to the charging port housing 210 . A through hole 111 is formed in the back cover 110 , and the charging port 220 may be fitted into the through hole 111 . The through hole 111 may be formed to have the same size as the size of the charging port 220 , or may have a size that allows the charging port 220 to pass therethrough.

The cover housing 120 may be fixed to and coupled to the back cover 110 . For example, the rear end of the cover housing 120 may be fixed to the front surface of the back cover 110 . A through hole 121 through which the charging plug 310 can pass passes through the cover housing 120 , and the through hole 121 is formed on the front side of the cover housing 120 . The charging plug 310 may be inserted into the charging port 220 through the through hole 121 . The through hole 121 may have the same or similar size as the through hole 111 . Alternatively, the through hole 121 may have a size corresponding to the outer shape of the charging plug 310 . The cover housing 120 is configured to have an accommodating space 122 between the back cover 110 and the cover housing 120 , that is, inside the back cover 110 . The through hole 121 communicates with the receiving space 122 .

The opening/closing device 130 is disposed in the accommodation space 122 between the cover housing 120 and the back cover 110 . The opening/closing device 130 is configured to open and close the through hole 121 of the cover housing 120 . The opening/closing device 130 may be fixed to the back cover 110 . The opening/closing device 130 may be configured to open the through hole 121 by rotation toward the charging port 220 and to close the through hole 121 by rotation away from the charging port 220 . For example, the opening/closing device 130 may open the through hole 121 by a force applied to the opening/closing device 130 through the charging plug 310 . Also, as an example, as the charging plug 310 is separated from the charging port 220 and pulled out from the charging port cover, the opening/closing device 130 may close the through hole 121 .

According to an embodiment, the opening/closing device 130 may include a pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 , a pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 , and a pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 . can

A pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 are installed to be fixed to the upper and lower sides of the front surface of the back cover 110 , respectively. Each of the

guide spacers

141 and 142 may be fixed to the front surface of the back cover 110 by fitting or screwing at the rear end thereof. The pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction VD with the through hole 111 interposed therebetween. Each of the

guide spacers

141 and 142 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape.

The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 may be located near the rear surface of the cover housing 120 to open and close a portion of the through hole 121 . As another embodiment, the pair of

rotating covers

151 and 152 may be located on the outside of the through hole 121 near the rear surface of the cover housing. The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 are disposed between the pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 in the vertical direction, and are rotatably connected to the pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142, respectively. Each of the rotation covers 151 and 152 has an upper end facing the lower surface of the guide spacer 141 located on the upper side, and a lower end facing the upper surface of the guide spacer 142 located on the lower side. In addition, each of the rotary covers 151 and 152 has one end 153 positioned on the outside of the rotary cover, and the other end 154 positioned on the inside of the rotary cover, that is, on the opposite side of the one end 153 . Each rotation cover (151, 152) is rotatably connected to a pair of guide spacers (141, 142) at one end (153).

The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 may be positioned to close a portion of the through hole 121 at a position for closing the through hole 121 , and the cover housing 120 at a position for opening the through hole 121 . ) can be positioned so as to be perpendicular to the back of the That is, each of the rotation covers 151 and 152 may be rotated to open and close a portion of the through hole 121 in a state where one end connected to the guide spacer is a rotation center.

Each of the rotation covers 151 and 152 may be rotatably connected to a pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 by a hinge structure provided at one end thereof. According to an embodiment, in the opening and closing device 130 , the rotation cover and the guide spacer may be connected to each other through a hinge shaft. 2 to 4 , the opening and closing device 130 may include a pair of

hinge shafts

171 and 172 respectively coupled to the left and right ends of the pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 . have. The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 are respectively rotatably connected at one end 153 to the pair of

hinge shafts

171 and 172, and the pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 and the pair of hinges The

shafts

171 and 172 are disposed within a rectangular area formed by the

shafts

171 and 172 . An insertion hole 143 is penetrated at the left end and right end near the front end of each

guide spacer

141 , 142 . Each of the

hinge shafts

171 and 172 passes through the insertion hole 143 of the upper guide spacer 141 and the lower guide spacer 142, and the lower guide spacer 142 insertion hole 143 The lower end passing through is coupled to the lower guide spacer 142 by the E-ring 173, so that the hinge shaft may be coupled to the guide spacer.

A pair of sliding covers (161, 162) is rotated together with a pair of rotation covers (151, 152), respectively, and opens and closes the through hole (121). A pair of sliding covers (161, 162) is respectively connected to a guide to a pair of guide spacers (141, 142), and are respectively coupled to the pair of rotation covers (151, 152) to be slidably coupled.

The pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 are guided by a pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 when the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 rotate. The guide spacers 141 and 142 convert the rotational motion of the rotary covers 151 and 152 into the sliding motion of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 while maintaining the sliding

covers

161 and 162 in the vertical direction. A pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 that are guided by the

guide spacers

141 and 142 during rotation of the rotary covers 151 and 152 and rotated together with the rotary covers 151 and 152 are a pair of rotary covers By sliding toward or away from the respective rotational centers RC of 151 and 152, the through holes 121 are opened and closed.

The pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 are rotated about the rotation center RC (eg, the center of the hinge shaft) of the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 and the corresponding rotation covers 151, 152) slide to one end and the other end. Accordingly, the amount of slide of each of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 may be varied according to the amount of rotation of each of the rotary covers 151 and 152 .

The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 have respective rotation centers RC (eg, hinge shafts 171 and 172) in the receiving space 122 formed between the back cover 110 and the cover housing 120. may be rotated toward the charging port 220 around the center of the ). While the pair of sliding covers rotate with the rotation of the rotating cover, the pair of sliding covers are respectively guided by a pair of guide spacers to move the rotation center RC (eg, one end 153) of the rotating cover. slide towards Accordingly, the through hole 121 may be opened. The pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 may be rotated away from the charging port 220 with respect to their respective rotation centers RC within the accommodation space 122 . While the pair of sliding covers rotate with the rotation of the rotating cover, the pair of sliding covers are respectively guided by a pair of guide spacers to move away from the rotation center RC of the rotating cover (eg, the other end 154). ) to protrude from). Accordingly, the through hole 121 may be closed. That is, according to the rotational state of each of the rotary covers (151, 152), each sliding cover (161, 162) slides in the corresponding rotary cover (151, 152) in the receiving space (122) to pass the hole (121) open and close

By the force applied to the opening and closing device 130 in the rear direction through the charging plug 310, each of the rotation covers 151 and 152 may be rotated in the rear direction toward the charging port 220 with the rotation center as the center. . In addition, at the same time, each sliding cover (161, 162) may slide toward one end of the rotation cover (151, 152) while being guided by the guide spacers (141, 142). Therefore, as the charging plug 310 is moved toward the charging port 220 through the through hole 121 , the sliding

covers

161 and 162 may be opened away from each other and the through hole 121 may be opened. can As the charging plug 310 is separated from the charging port 220 and removed in the forward direction, each of the rotating

covers

151 and 152 can be rotated forwardly away from the charging port 220 with the center of rotation as a center. have. Also, at the same time, the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 may protrude from the other end of the rotary covers 151 and 152 and slide closer to each other while being guided by the

guide spacers

141 and 142 . Accordingly, the through hole 121 may be closed. Therefore, as the charging plug 310 is separated from the charging port 220 through the through hole 121, the rotating

covers

151 and 152 and the sliding

covers

161 and 162 can be closed and the through hole ( 121) can be closed.

As described above, as the charging plug 310 is inserted into the charging port 220 through the through hole 121 , the sliding

covers

161 and 162 close one end of the corresponding

rotating covers

151 and 152 . While moving toward the rotation cover (151, 152) is rotated toward the charging port (220). That is, in response to the insertion movement of the charging plug 310 , the rotating

covers

151 and 152 are rotated in the rear direction, and at the same time, the sliding

covers

161 and 162 are one side of the corresponding

rotating covers

151 and 152 . slide towards the podium. In addition, when the charging plug 310 is separated and removed from the charging port 220 , the rotating

covers

151 and 152 are rotated in the forward direction, and at the same time the sliding

covers

161 and 162 are rotated by the rotating cover 151 . , 152) to protrude from the other end of the slide. The sliding movement of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 may be realized by a guide spacer that converts the rotational movement of the rotational cover into the sliding movement of the sliding cover. The guide spacer has a structure for performing a cam action for converting a rotational motion into a slide motion.

According to one embodiment, each sliding cover (161, 162) has a guide projection 163 at the top and bottom, each guide spacer (141, 142) is a pair of guide projections 163 are inserted and slide, respectively. has a guide slit 144 of A pair of guide slits 144, as the guide protrusion 163 slides along the guide slits 144, slide each of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 with respect to the corresponding

rotational covers

151 and 152. is composed of

A pair of guide slits 144 penetrate each of the pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 in the vertical direction. The pair of guide slits 144 are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the

guide spacers

141 and 142 . Each guide slit 144 is formed along the circumferential direction of the insertion hole (143). Each guide slit 144 may have a substantially circular arc shape or a straight line shape. Each guide slit 144 extends to be inclined with respect to the front surface of the back cover 110 . Alternatively, each guide slit 144 extends to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the charging plug is inserted into the charging port.

4 and 5 , each guide slit 144 has an inner end 145 and an outer end 146 . The inner ends 145 of each guide slit face each other in the left and right directions. The outer ends 146 of each guide slit are spaced apart in the left and right directions by a distance greater than the distance between the inner ends 145 .

When the sliding cover (161, 162) and the rotating cover (151, 152) are rotated by the force applied by the charging plug to the rotating cover (151, 152) or the sliding cover (161, 162), the guide projection 163 is the inner end Slide along guide slit 144 from 145 towards outer end 146 . Accordingly, the sliding cover (161, 162) slides toward the rotation center (RC) (ie, one end) of the rotation cover (151, 152) through the other end of the rotation cover (151, 152). When the charging plug 310 is disconnected and removed from the charging port 220 , the guide protrusion 163 slides along the guide slit 144 from the outer end 146 to the inner end 145 of the guide slit 144 . . Accordingly, the sliding cover (161, 162) slides so as to protrude from the rotation cover (151, 152) through the other end of the rotation cover (151, 152). That is, when the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 close the through hole 121 , the guide protrusion 163 may be located at the inner end 145 of the guide slit. Also, when the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 open the through hole 121 , the guide protrusion 163 may be located at the outer end 146 of the guide slit.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the pair of guide slits 144, the distance D1 between the rotation center (RC) and the outer end 146 of the rotation cover is the rotation center (RC) and the inner end of the rotation cover. It is configured to be shorter than the distance D2 between (145). Accordingly, when the through hole is opened and the guide protrusion 163 is located at the outer end 146 of the guide slit, the sliding

covers

161 and 162 are the maximum rotational centers RC of the rotation covers 151 and 152 (eg, , may be located close to one end 153). Therefore, the

guide spacers

141 and 142 may be configured to have a shorter length in the front-rear direction, and the amount of the charging port cover 100 protruding from the charging port 200 may be minimized, and the charging port cover 100 may be configured to have a shorter length. ) can be reduced in size.

In one embodiment, the charging port cover 100 is a first elastic member 180 that presses the pair of

rotating covers

151 and 152 in a direction away from the charging port 220 to close the through hole 121 . ) is included. The first elastic member 180 may be a torsion spring. Due to the pressing force of the first elastic member 180 , the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 may be pressed to close the normally passing hole 121 . Accordingly, when the charging plug 310 is disconnected and removed from the charging port 220 , the rotating

covers

151 and 152 are positioned in the vicinity of the rear surface of the cover housing 120 to partially close the through hole 121 . can be rotated. That is, when the charging plug 310 is removed from the charging port 220 , the rotating

covers

151 and 152 return to their original positions to partially close the through hole 121 by the first elastic member 180 . can be 3 and 4, the first elastic member 180, which may be configured as a torsion spring, is hinged so that one end thereof contacts the inner surface of the cover housing 120 and the other end contacts the rear surface of the rotating cover. It may be disposed on the

shafts

171 and 172 .

The rotating covers 151 and 152 may be configured to slidably receive the sliding

covers

161 and 162 . Referring to FIG. 4 , each of the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 may include a rail unit 155 and a second elastic member 156 . Each of the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 is fitted to the rail part 155 and slides along the rail part 155 . The second elastic member 156 is disposed between one end 153 of the rotating cover and one of the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 . The second elastic member 156 may be a coil spring. The second elastic member 156 presses the sliding

covers

161 and 162 in a direction to close the through hole. The charging port cover of an embodiment may include the first and second elastic members described above. The charging port cover of another embodiment may include only the aforementioned first elastic member or only the aforementioned second elastic member.

According to the charging port cover 100 of the embodiment, the back cover 110 is fixed to the charging port housing 210 . The pair of

guide spacers

141 and 142 are vertically spaced apart and fixed to the upper and lower sides of the front surface of the back cover 110 , respectively. A guide slit 144 and an insertion hole 143 are penetrated in the left and right halves of each of the

guide spacers

141 and 142 . A pair of

hinge shafts

171 and 172 are inserted and fixed to each of the left and right ends of the guide spacer 141 located at the upper side and the guide spacer 142 located at the lower side through the insertion hole 143 .

The rotation cover 151 on the left is rotatably coupled to the hinge shaft 171 located on the left side at one end thereof, and the rotation cover 152 on the right side is on the hinge shaft 172 located on the right side from the one end. rotatably coupled. A first elastic member 180 is disposed on each hinge shaft and each rotation cover, and presses each rotation cover to its original position (ie, a position for closing the through hole).

The sliding cover 161 on the left is slidably installed through the other end on the rotating cover 151 on the left, and the sliding cover 162 on the right is slidably installed on the rotating cover 152 on the right through the other end. do. At this time, the upper and lower guide protrusions 163 of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 are slidably inserted into the guide slit 144 of the upper guide spacer and the guide slit 144 of the lower guide spacer, respectively. By the interaction between the guide slit 144 in a fixed state and the guide protrusion sliding along the guide slit 144, the sliding

covers

161 and 162 rotate the center of rotation RC of the rotating

covers

151 and 152. It can slide toward and protrude from the other end of the rotation cover (151, 152). A cover housing 120 having a through hole 121 is coupled to the back cover 110 in which the rotation covers 151 and 152 and the sliding

covers

161 and 162 are installed at the rear end thereof.

An example of operation of each component in the charging port cover according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 to 15 . 1, 6, and 7 illustrate a state in which the through hole of the charging port cover is closed and the charging plug is not inserted into the charging port according to an embodiment. 8 to 11 illustrate a state in which the charging plug is being inserted through the through hole of the charging port cover according to an embodiment. 12 to 15 illustrate a state in which the charging plug is completely inserted through the through hole of the charging port cover according to an embodiment.

As shown in Figure 1, in the state before the charging plug 310 is inserted into the charging port, the through hole 121 of the cover housing 120 is a pair of rotating covers (151, 152) and a pair of sliding It is closed by

covers

161 and 162 . At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the first elastic member applies a pressing force to the rotating

covers

151 and 152 and the second elastic member applies a pressing force to the sliding

covers

161 and 162 . In this state, the guide protrusion 163 is positioned at the inner end 145 of the guide slit 144, and the through hole is closed.

In order to charge the battery of the electric vehicle, the user moves the charging plug 310 toward the charging port of the charging port through the through hole 121 while positioning the charging plug 310 to face the through hole 121 . make it Accordingly, the end of the charging plug 310 is in contact with the sliding cover (161, 162) or the rotating cover (151, 152).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , by the force applied by the charging plug 310 to the rotating

covers

151 and 152 , the pair of

rotating covers

151 and 152 are accommodating space inside the cover housing 120 . It begins to rotate towards the charging port within 122 . That is, the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 start to rotate to the left and right of the accommodation space 122 , respectively. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, by the interaction between the guide protrusion 163 and the guide slit 144, the sliding

covers

161 and 162 rotate the rotational centers of the rotating covers 151 and 152 ( RC) begins to slide. The guide protrusion 163 slides along the guide slit 144 from the inner end 145 of the guide slit 144 toward the outer end 146 . As the guide protrusion 163 slides from the inner end 145 , the distance between the guide protrusion 163 and the rotation centers RC of the rotation covers 151 and 152 is reduced. That is, as the rotating cover (151, 152) is rotated toward the charging port by the charging plug, a pair of sliding covers (161, 162) slide toward the rotational center (RC) of the corresponding rotating cover (151, 152). do. Accordingly, the gap between the pair of sliding

covers

161 and 162 is widened, and the through hole is gradually opened.

In a state in which the sliding

covers

161 and 162 slide into the inside of the rotating

covers

151 and 152 to some extent and the rotating

covers

151 and 152 are rotated toward the charging port to some extent, the charging plug 310 is continuously charged It moves toward the port 220 . Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 , the rotary covers 151 and 152 and the sliding

covers

161 and 162 completely open the through hole 121 . Therefore, the charging plug 310 can be inserted into the charging port, and the battery of the electric vehicle can be charged. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the guide protrusion 163 is positioned at the outer end 146 of the guide slit 144 , and the sliding

covers

161 and 162 rotate the rotating

covers

151 and 152 . It is maximally slid towards the center (RC).

After the charging of the battery of the electric vehicle is completed, the user separates the charging plug 310 from the charging port and takes it out through the through hole. Accordingly, the charging plug 310 moves in a direction away from the charging port through the through hole 121 . As the charging plug 310 is separated from the charging port and moved in a direction away from the charging port, the rotating

covers

151 and 152 return to the original position for closing the through hole 121 by the pressing force of the first elastic member. rotated In addition, by the rotational force of the rotating

covers

151 and 152 , the guide protrusion 163 slides along the guide slit 144 from the outer end 146 to the inner end 145 of the guide slit 144 . As the distance between the guide protrusion 163 and the rotation centers of the rotation covers 151 and 152 increases, the sliding

covers

161 and 162 slide to protrude from the other ends of the rotation covers 151 and 152 . In addition, at this time, the pressing force of the second elastic member helps the sliding cover (161, 162) to move. When the charging plug 310 is completely pulled out from the through hole of the cover housing, the through hole is closed by the rotating

covers

151 and 152 rotated to the closed position and the sliding

covers

161 and 162 in contact with each other. Accordingly, since the through hole is closed and the cover housing covers and protects the charging port, foreign substances such as rainwater are prevented from entering the interior of the cover housing and the charging port.

As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 to 15 , when charging the battery of the electric vehicle, the user can open the charging port cover only by pushing the charging plug into the charging port cover, and insert the charging plug into the charging port. can be inserted into Therefore, the user can perform the charging operation with improved convenience.

16 is a perspective view illustrating a charging port cover and a charging plug of an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; Referring to FIG. 16 , each

rotation cover

151 , 152 of the charging port cover 100 may be composed of two parts separated vertically, and each sliding

cover

161 , 162 includes two parts separated vertically. It may consist of parts. The charging plug 320 may have a size smaller than the size of the through hole 121 , and the charging port of the charging port may be configured to be coupled to the charging plug 320 . The charging plug 320 may be inserted into the charging port cover 100 through the upper portion of the through hole 121 . When the charging plug 320 is inserted into the charging port cover 100 , only the upper part of each of the rotating

covers

151 and 152 can be rotated, and only the upper part of each of the sliding

covers

161 and 162 is rotated. can be slid.

Although the technical idea of the present disclosure has been described by examples shown in some embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it does not depart from the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure that can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs It should be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations within the scope may be made. Further, such substitutions, modifications, and alterations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

It is a charging port cover 100 that opens and closes the charging port 220 of the charging port housing 210 provided in the vehicle body of the electric vehicle,

A through hole 111 corresponding to the charging port 220 is formed and a back cover 110 fixed to the charging port housing 210;

A cover housing coupled to the back cover 110 at the rear end and configured to have an accommodating space 122 inside, through which the charging plug 310 passes and a through hole 121 passing through the accommodating space 122 is penetrated. (120) and

and an opening/closing device 130 disposed in the accommodation space 122 and configured to open and close the through hole 121

charging port cover.
According to claim 1,

The opening and closing device 130 is

a pair of guide spacers 141 and 142 respectively fixed to the upper and lower sides of the front surface of the back cover 110;

A pair of rotation covers (151, 152) rotatably connected to the pair of guide spacers (141, 142) at one end (153), respectively;

A pair of guide spacers connected to the pair of guide spacers 141 and 142 , respectively slidably coupled to the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 , and configured to open and close the through hole 121 , respectively. Including sliding covers (161, 162),

The pair of sliding covers 161 and 162 is rotated together with the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 and guided by the pair of guide spacers 141 and 142, the pair of rotation covers configured to slide toward or away from a respective center of rotation of (151, 152);

charging port cover.
3. The method of claim 2,

When the pair of rotating covers 151 and 152 are rotated toward the charging port 220, the pair of sliding covers 161 and 162 slide toward the center of rotation of the pair of rotating covers, respectively. to open the through hole 121,

When the pair of rotating covers (151, 152) are rotated away from the charging port 220, the pair of sliding covers (161, 162) slide away from the rotation center, respectively, and the through hole ( 121) plugging,

charging port cover.
3. The method of claim 2,

The opening/closing device 130 further includes a pair of hinge shafts 171 and 172 respectively coupled to the left and right ends of the pair of guide spacers 141 and 142,

The pair of rotation covers (151, 152) are respectively connected to the pair of hinge shafts (171, 172) rotatably at the one end (153),

charging port cover.
3. The method of claim 2,

Each of the pair of sliding covers (161, 162) has a guide projection 163 at the top and bottom,

Each of the pair of guide spacers 141 and 142 has a pair of guide slits 144 into which the guide projections are respectively inserted and slide,

The pair of guide slits 144 slide with respect to the rotation covers 151 and 152 corresponding to each of the pair of sliding covers 161 and 162 as the guide projection slides along the guide slits. configured to let

charging port cover.
6. The method of claim 5,

Each of the pair of guide slits 144 has an inner end 145 on which the guide protrusion 163 is positioned when the pair of sliding covers close the through hole, and the pair of sliding covers It has an outer end 146 where the guide protrusion 163 is located when opening the through hole,

Each of the pair of guide slits 144 is configured such that the distance between the rotation center and the outer end 146 of the rotation cover is shorter than the distance between the rotation center and the inner end 145,

charging port cover.
3. The method of claim 2,

The opening/closing device 130 further includes a first elastic member 180 for pressing the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 in a direction away from the charging port 220 to close the through hole 121 . containing,

charging port cover.
3. The method of claim 2,

Each of the pair of rotation covers 151 and 152 includes a rail part 155 to which one of the pair of sliding covers is slidably fitted, and between the one end and one of the pair of sliding covers. and a second elastic member 156 disposed on the second elastic member 156 to press one of the pair of sliding covers in a direction to close the through hole 121,

charging port cover.