VEHICLE FUEL INLET PORT STRUCTURE

Abstract

An fuel inlet port structure includes an inlet box having a box shape and having a box opening at its bottom, an inner panel disposed further inward of a vehicle with respect to the inlet box, and an inlet shield inserted through the box opening of the inlet box from outward of the vehicle and disposed between the inlet box and the inner panel. The inlet shield includes a barrel portion having a groove extending circumferentially along part of an entire circumference of an outer surface of the barrel portion at an outer edge.

Claims

1. A fuel inlet port structure of a vehicle, comprising: an inlet box having a box opening; an inner panel disposed further inward of the vehicle with respect to the inlet box; and an inlet shield having a barrel portion inserted into the box opening from outward of the vehicle and disposed between the inlet box and the inner panel, wherein the barrel portion includes a groove extending circumferentially along part of an entire circumference of an outer surface of the barrel portion at an outer edge.

2. The fuel inlet port structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a receptacle for receiving hydrogen as fuel, the receptacle being inserted through an inner panel opening formed in the inner panel and the inlet shield.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described based on the following figures, wherein:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inlet shield according to the present embodiment;

[0018] PIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the inlet shield observed from direction A-A in

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inlet box according to the present embodiment;

[0020] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a fuel inlet port structure according to the present embodiment; and

[0021] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a fuel inlet port structure of the related art.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0022] A fuel inlet port structure of a vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described below. The fuel inlet port structure according to the present embodiment differs from the related art fuel inlet port structure illustrated in FIG. 5 in the shape of its inlet shield, and is equivalent to the related art fuel inlet port structure in other portions.

[0023] Specifically, the fuel inlet port structure according to the present embodiment includes an inlet box of a box shape having a box opening at its bottom and inserted into an outer panel opening of an outer panel with its bottom directed inward, an inner panel disposed further inward with respect to the outer panel and the inlet box, and an inlet shield externally inserted through the box opening and disposed between the inlet box and the inner panel. The fuel inlet port structure of the present embodiment is an inlet port structure for injecting hydrogen, which is fuel, into a vehicle.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inlet shield 10 according to the present embodiment. The inlet shield 10 includes a barrel portion 12, and a shield flange 16 integrally formed with an end portion of the barrel portion 12 to be eccentric to the barrel portion 12. As will be described below, the barrel portion 12 is externally inserted into a box opening of an inlet box and disposed between the inlet box and an inner panel. The shield flange 16 engages with an outer edge of the box opening.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the barrel portion 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape. The barrel portion 12 is formed of a material which does not transmit liquid, such as resin. The barrel portion 12 particularly includes a sealing portion 12a formed of a high-performance sealing member, such as caulking sponge, having a higher liquid sealing property, at an end portion (hatched portion in FIG. 1) opposite the shield flange 16.

[0026] The barrel portion 12 has a through hole 18 through which a receptacle serving as a fuel-receiving member for receiving hydrogen, which is fuel, is inserted. To avoid generation of a space between the receptacle and the inlet shield 10, the through hole 18 has a cross sectional shape that conforms to the outer sectional shape of the receptacle.

[0027] The barrel portion 12 has an outer surface 14 including a groove 20 extending circumferentially along the barrel portion 12 at an end portion closer to the shield flange 16; that is, at an outward end in the vehicle in its installed state. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the groove 20 is formed only in part of the circumference of the outer surface 14, rather than along the entire circumference.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the inlet shield 10 observed in direction A-A in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the groove 20 makes part of the outer surface of barrel portion 12 at the end portion of the barrel portion 12 closer to the shield flange 16; that is, an outer surface 14b at an outer end portion 12b (corresponding to the bottom of the groove 20) located further radially inward toward the center axis C of the barrel portion 12 than is an outer surface 14a of the barrel portion 12 in the sealing portion 12a.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inlet box 40 according to the present embodiment. A box opening 40a partially has a substantially circular shape corresponding to the barrel portion 12 of the present embodiment having a substantially cylindrical shape. However, the box opening 40a includes, in part of the edge portion, a protruding portion 40b protruding inward of the box opening 40a, corresponding to the groove 20 formed partially in the circumferential direction of the barrel portion 12 as described above. This reduces the size of the box opening 40a as compared to a box opening having no protruding portion 40b, by an amount corresponding to the protruding portion 40b. The box opening 40a further includes a sealing valve (not shown in FIG. 3) at its edge portion to till a space between the box opening 40a and the inlet shield 10.

[0030] As described above, the size of the box opening 40a may be reduced by forming the groove 20 in the barrel portion 12.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the fuel inlet port structure according to the present embodiment. The inlet shield 10 is externally inserted through the box opening 40a of the inlet box 40, and, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is pushed until the inward face of the sealing portion 12a comes into contact with the outer face of an inner panel 42. This places the barrel portion 12 between the inlet box 40 and the inner panel 42. A sealing valve 44 is disposed at the edge of the box opening 40a, as described above, and seals a space between the box opening 40a and the inlet shield 10.

[0032] The sealing portion 12a and a region of the barrel portion 12 closer to the sealing portion 12a and not including the groove 20 have a substantially cylindrical shape. In contrast, as the box opening 40a includes the protruding portion 40b, as described above, it is not possible to insert the barrel portion 12 into the box opening 40a with the inlet shield 10 in its orientation illustrated in FIG. 4. Therefore, to insert the barrel portion 12 into the box opening 40a, the inlet shield 10 is first tilted such that a region of the inlet shield 10 toward the side where the groove 20 is formed (i.e., the upper region in the example in FIG. 4) is oriented inward to allow the region of the barrel portion 12 including the groove 20 to first pass through the box opening 40a. Then, after, of the region (upper region) of the barrel portion 12 including the groove 20, a region where the sealing portion 12a and the groove 20 are not formed is inserted through the box opening 40a, and the inlet shield 10 is moved toward the groove 20 (toward the upper direction in the example in FIG. 4) to make the protruding portion 40b engage with the groove 20 and simultaneously restore the orientation of the inlet shield 10 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Thereafter, the inlet shield 10 is moved toward the inner panel 42 and pushed until the sealing portion 12a abuts against the outer face of the inner panel 42. In this state, the shield flange 16 engages with the outer edge of the box opening 40a, and thus insertion of the barrel portion 12 into the box opening 40a is completed. In inserting the inlet shield 10 into the box opening 40a, the barrel portion 12 may be inserted into the box opening 40a while somewhat deforming the barrel portion 12 with elasticity.

[0033] If the groove 20 is formed along the entire circumference of the outer surface 14 so that the outer edge portion 12b of the barrel portion 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape with its outer diameter smaller than that of the sealing portion 12a and the box opening 40a has a substantially circular shape having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the outer edge portion 12b, it is very difficult to insert the barrel portion 12 into the box opening 40a.

[0034] As such, the groove 20 formed along part of the entire circumference of the outer surface 14 reduces the size of the box opening 40a and also enables easy insertion of the box opening 40a externally into the barrel portion 12. The groove 20 is formed about a quarter to half of the entire circumference of the outer surface 14, for example.

[0035] The fuel inlet port structure according to the present embodiment further includes a receptacle 50 that receives hydrogen as fuel. The receptacle 50 is inserted through the inner panel opening 42a of the inner panel 42 and a through hole 18 of the inlet shield 10 (barrel portion 12), with its outer tip end located within the inlet box 40.

[0036] When a hydrogen-injecting gun is attached to the receptacle 50, water adhered to the outer surface of the inlet shield 10 is frozen due to hydrogen, which is fuel, having a low temperature, to make the hydrogen-injecting gun fixed and impossible to remove. According to the present embodiment, the amount of water adhered to the outer surface of the inlet shield 10, which is small, is reduced, so that fixing of the hydrogen injecting gun due to water freezing can be inhibited.

[0037] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the groove 20 formed along part of the entire circumference of the barrel portion 12 enables a reduction in the size of the box opening 40a by an amount corresponding to the size of the protruding portion 40b. This further reduces the size of the inlet box 40, thereby preventing an increase in the cost and mass of the vehicle, deterioration of vehicle design quality, or a decrease in the strength of the vehicle,

[0038] While an embodiment of the disclosure has been described, the disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the disclosure.