JPS607937Y2 - Opening/closing devices for automobile fuel filler ports, etc. - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for opening and closing a cover such as a fuel inlet cover provided on the outer surface of an automobile body.

More specifically, an engaging element that engages with and disengages from the lid is slidably housed in the case, and the elastic force of a spring is applied to elastically bias the engaging element in the forward direction, and the spring is connected to a central coil section. The spring is a spiral spring with both ends extending outward from the casing, and one extending part is inserted through a long hole-shaped opening of the case and is engaged with the retainer, and the other extending part is engaged with the case. The present invention relates to an opening/closing device for an automobile fuel filler port cover, etc., which can be installed from outside the case, facilitates the installation process, and also uses a spring as a stopper for regulating the forward position of an engaging element.

A fuel inlet cover is provided with a recess facing the fuel inlet on the outer surface of the car body, and this recess can be opened and closed to perform fuel injection operations. Conventionally, the fuel inlet cover has a structure that can be opened and closed by key operation. In order to facilitate this, it has become desirable to have a structure that allows the lid to be opened and closed remotely while remaining in the driver's seat.

In order to achieve such a structure, a case in which an engaging element is slidably moved forward and backward is assembled to the wall of the recess, and the engaging element, which is elastically biased in the forward direction by a spring, protrudes into the recess, and the lid is closed. The lid is engaged with the striker, thereby locking the lid, and when opening the lid, by operating the operator installed in the driver's seat, the operator is connected to a connecting member such as a cable wired inside the vehicle body. The structure may be such that the engaging element connected through the lid is moved backward against the elastic force of the spring, thereby releasing the engagement between the engaging element and the lid.

In the above, a generally conceivable structure is to use a coil spring as the spring, house the coil spring in a case together with the retainer, and apply the elastic force of the spring to the engager.

However, when this structure is adopted, the coil spring must be assembled inside the case, which takes time and effort to install the spring, making the work cumbersome and complicated.

In addition, the amount of advance of the engager that slides forward inside the case is only necessary to engage with the lid, and no further sliding is necessary.If a coil spring is used as the spring as described above, In order to prevent the engager from being pulled out, it is necessary to provide the case or the engager with a stopper means for regulating the forward position, which is undesirable because it complicates the structure.

The present inventor has developed the present invention in order to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems.

The purpose of the present invention is to simplify the work by making it possible to install the spring from outside the case without the need to assemble the spring that applies elastic force in the forward direction to the engager that engages and disengages the lid. A fuel inlet cover for an automobile, etc., which is designed to be flexible and capable of regulating the forward position of an engager with a spring, does not require a special stopper means, and has a simplified structure by using the spring as a stopper means. The company provides switchgear for various industries.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the operation load path from the operator 2 to the fuel inlet cover 3 in a perspective view of the automobile 1.
placed in parts.

The operator 2 may be of any type, such as a pull type, but in the illustrated example, the operator 2 is a set of levers.

The starting end of a cable 5 is connected to the lever set operator 2, and the cable 5 is wired inside the vehicle body, with the terminal end extending to a fuel inlet cover 3 at the rear of the vehicle body.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the fuel inlet cover 3, in which a recess 7 is formed on the outer surface 6 of the vehicle body, and a cap 8 is formed on the outer surface 6 of the vehicle body.
A fuel inlet 9 with a cap facing the recess 7 faces the recess 7.

A fuel inlet cover 3 is provided at the front opening of the recess 7 , and a shaft 12 is supported by a shaft support member 11 fixed to a plate-shaped wall member 10 constituting the recess 7 . It can be opened and closed freely.

Once opened, the lid 3 is biased by the elastic force of a spring (not shown) provided on the shaft 12 to open, and fuel is injected into the injection port 9 from which the cap 8 has been removed.

The lid 3 is provided with a striker 13 that protrudes into the recess 7, and the case 1 is assembled to the side wall 10a of the wall member 10.
4 is equipped with an engaging element 15 so as to be slidable forward and backward, and when the tip of the engaging element 15 protruding into the recess 7 engages with the striker 13, the lid 3 is locked.

The cable 5 is composed of an outer cable 16 and an inner cable 17, and the terminal end of the outer cable 16 is fitted into the rear part of the case 14 to be integrated, and the inner cable 17 is further extended from the terminal end of the outer cable 16.

An enlarged portion 17a is formed at the end of this extension of the inner cable 17.

The engaging element 15, which is slidably assembled into the inner chamber 14a of the case 14, is provided with a long groove 18 that is sufficiently long in the sliding direction, and the inner cable 17 is inserted into the engaging element 15 through the rear hole 14b. The terminal enlarged portion 17a is formed into a long groove 18.
Insert and engage in a loose state.

The engaging element 15 is biased with elastic force in the forward direction by a spring 19, which will be described later.
When not in operation, the tip of the retainer 15 protrudes from the tip opening of the case 14 into the recess 7 and engages with the striker 13.

The starting end of the inner cable 17 is connected to the lever set operator 2, and when the operator 2 is pulled up and rotated,
A tensile operation force is applied to the inner cable 17, the inner cable 17 is slid and guided within the outer cable 16, the enlarged portion 17a abuts against the rear wall 14c, and as the inner cable 17 slides, the engager 15 is moved into the spring 19. She resisted and retreated, and Yako 15 came off from the striker 13.
The lid 3 is unlocked.

By operating the lever set operator 2 as described above, the lid 3 can be opened by remote control from the driver's seat 4, but the lid 3 can also be opened by key operation as in the conventional case.

That is, the striker 13 is rotatably attached to the lid 3 at the rear large diameter portion 13a, and a keyhole is formed in the front surface 13b of the large diameter portion 13a exposed from the lid 3.

When the key is inserted into the keyhole and rotated, the striker 13 rotates and the engagement between the striker 13 and the engagement element 15 is released.

When closing the opened lid 3, the striker 13
Although the engaging element 15 moves backward to collide with the inner cable 17, the engaging element 15 has a large part 17a with respect to the inner cable 17.
Since the retainer 15 can move freely due to its loose relationship with the long groove 18, which is sufficiently longer than the enlarged portion 17a, the backward movement force of the retainer 15 does not act on the inner cable 17, and the inner cable 17 and the operator 2 are not affected. It can be activated.

After the retainer 15 once retreats, it advances due to the elastic force of the spring 19 and engages with the striker 13 to lock the lid 3.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the case 14, the engager 15, and the spring 19. The spring 19 has a coil section 20 in the center as shown in the figure, and both ends of the coil section 20 expand outward in a substantially square shape. It is a spiral spring consisting of two extending portions 21 and 22 which are formed in an extended manner.

A tip 21a of each extending portion 21, 22. 22a.

A pair of raised walls 23° and 24 parallel to the axial direction of the case 14 are projected from the outer periphery of the case 14 near the front end, and an opening 25 is provided between them.

The opening 25 is formed in the shape of a long hole extending in the axial direction of the case 14, and is connected to the inner chamber 14a of the case 14 as shown in FIG.
It is formed as a through hole that reaches up to.

A locking hole 26 is provided at the rear of the outer peripheral surface of the case 14, and the engaging element 1
5 is provided with a small diameter locking hole 27.

The above case 14, engager 15, spiral spring 19
When assembling the case 14, the engaging element 15 is first put into the inner chamber 14a of the case 14.

Next, one extending portion 21 of the spring 19 is inserted into the case 14 through the elongated opening 25, and the tip bent portion 21 is inserted into the case 14 through the elongated opening 25.
a into the hole 27 of the engaging element 15.

Further, the other extending portion 22 is inserted into the hole 26 of the case 14 to lock the tip bent portion 22a.

As a result, one extending portion 21 of the spiral spring 19 is engaged with the engaging member 15 and the other extending portion 22 is engaged with the case 14, and an elastic force is applied to the engaging member 15 in the forward direction.

The installation work of the spring 19 performed in this manner can be carried out from outside the case 14, and the two extension parts 21 and 22 are attached to the case 14 while leaving the coil part 20 that exerts elastic force outside the case 14. Installation of the spring 19 is completed simply by inserting it inside, and this installation work can be easily performed.

Also, when the two extensions 21 and 22 are expanded due to the elastic force of the spring 19, one of the extensions 21 and 22 expands.
By contacting the closed end 25a of the opening 25, in the illustrated example, since the flange portion 2B is formed at the end of the opening 25 on the front side of the case 14, by contacting the side surface of the flange portion 28, The engager 15, in which the tip bent portion 21a of the extending portion 21 is inserted and locked into the hole 27, cannot slide further forward from the state shown in FIG. 2, and the spring 19 moves the retainer 15 forward. Regulate the position and spring 19
This also serves as a stopper means for the engaging element 15.

Furthermore, an opening 25 of the case 14 into which the extension part 21 is inserted
Since it has an elongated hole shape, when the engaging element 15 slides back and forth within the case 14, movement of the extension part 21 due to the sliding of the engaging element 15 can be ensured.

In the above embodiment, the device according to the present invention was applied to open and close the fuel inlet cover 3 of an automobile, but the present invention can be used as an opening/closing device for any cover.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the spring that applies elastic force to the engager installed inside the case can be attached from the outside of the case, and it is not necessary to install it inside the case like a coil spring. This simplifies the spring installation work, saves time and effort, and reduces work time, contributing to improved work efficiency.In addition, the spring also serves as a stopper for regulating the forward position of the engager, and the case or In this case, it is not necessary to separately provide a stopper means on the retainer, and the structure can be far simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile showing the path from the operator to the fuel inlet cover, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel inlet cover, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle. The figure is an exploded view of the case, engager, and spring. In the drawing, 2 is an operator, 3 is a fuel inlet cover, 5 is a cable which is a connecting member, 14 is a case, 15 is an engaging element, 19
is a spring, 20 is a coil part, 21.22 is an extension part,
25 is an elongated opening.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A case, an engager which is housed inside the case so as to be able to move forward and backward and engage with and disengage from the lid, and which is connected to the operator via a connecting member such as a cable, and which applies an elastic force in the forward direction to the retainer. The case is formed with an elongated opening in the direction of the sliding force of the retainer, which communicates the inside of the case with the engager incorporated therein, and the outside. has a shape extending outward, one extending portion of the spring is fixed to the case, and the other extending portion is fixed to the engager inside the case from the elongated opening. An opening/closing device for a fuel inlet cover of an automobile, further characterized in that the front end of the elongated opening is configured as a stopper against which the other extension of a spring fixed to the retainer comes into contact.