Cap device
A tether mechanism includes a rotatable ring rotatably mounted to a ring mounting element, a linking member and a rotatable connector. The linking member has a long linking member main body, a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and a second support end connected to the fuel supply lid. The rotatable connector has a U-shaped connector, and the linking member main body can rotate relative to the rotatable ring around the longitudinal axis thereof.
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This application claims the benefit of and priority from Japanese Application No. 2005-249099 filed Aug. 30, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cap device in which one end of a long linking member is connected to a cap.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, in an automobile fuel tank, in order to prevent the fuel cap from becoming lost during refueling, the fuel cap is connected to the member around the fueling port of the fuel tank via a long linking member such as a tether. As a fuel cap with the tether is disclosed in JP-A- 2005-47293. In other words, a tether and integrated rotatable ring are rotatably mounted in a mounting groove formed in the outer circumference of the fuel cap cover, and the tether is movably mounted to a mounting member that protrudes from the rotatable ring.
However, in the prior art, when the resistance encountered by the rotatable ring against the mounting groove becomes large due to errors in the dimensions of the fuel cap or deformation of the fuel cap over time, when the fuel cap is rotated, the rotatable ring no longer rotates smoothly around the mounting groove. As a result, the tether rotates together with the fuel cap, becoming wound around the outer circumference thereof or twisted. In order to eliminate such twisting of the tether, the fuel cap or the tether formed separately from the fuel cap must be unwound in an inconvenient operation.
SUMMARYAn advantage of some aspect of the invention is provided with a fuel cap having a tether that does not become twisted and enjoys superior rotatability.
The present invention is a fuel cap device that includes a tether mechanism that connects a cap that opens and closes a tank opening to a member formed around the periphery of this tank opening. The tether mechanism includes a ring mounting element formed along the outer circumference of the cap, a rotatable ring that is rotatably mounted to the ring mounting element, a linking member having an elastic long linking member main body, a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and a second support end that is formed at the other end of the linking member main body and connected to a peripheral member, and a rotatable connector that is mounted such that the rotatable ring can rotate relative to the peripheral member around the longitudinal axis of the linking member main body.
In the cap device according to the present invention, when the cap is removed from the tank opening, the cap is supported on a car-side member around the tank opening via the linking member. As a result, the cap can be prevented from being lost or left behind without closing the tank opening. The tether mechanism includes a rotatable connector. Because the rotatable connector is mounted such that the rotatable ring can rotate relative to the peripheral member around the longitudinal axis of the linking member main body, even if the linking member main body becomes twisted, it rotates by itself in a direction that will eliminate the twisting. Therefore the operation to rotate the cap is not hindered.
So long as the rotatable connector is disposed at a location at which twisting in the linking member can be eliminated, there is no particular limitation on its location, and it may be disposed on the first support end or second support end or in the middle of the linking member main body. In this case, if the rotatable connector is disposed on the first support end, which is close to the location at which the cap rotation operation is performed, twisting of the linking member main body can be quickly eliminated.
As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a construction may be adopted in which the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and can extend along the longitudinal axis of the linking member, and at least the first support end or the second support end is rotatably connected to this connector main body. With such a construction, because the curved connector main body extends or contracts even where force is applied to stretch the linking member along its longitudinal direction, the linking member main body does not receive excessive force and does not easily break. Here, in a preferred embodiment of the connector main body, a U-shape, S-shape, W-shape or other configuration may be used.
These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Summary Construction of Cap Device
(2) Construction of Fuel Cap 20
(3) Construction of Tether Mechanism 30
The tether mechanism 30 is mounted to the cover 22.
The rotatable ring 32 includes an annular ring main body 32a and a mounting part 33 that protrudes from the outer circumference of the ring main body 32a, and these two components are integrally formed from a soft material such as polyurethane (PUR) or thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE). The ring main body 32a has a slightly larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the ring mounting element 25, and is mounted to the ring mounting element 25 by being stretched via elastic deformation. The mounting part 33 is a part used to mount the linking member 36, and includes a projected section 33a and an engaging protrusion 33b that protrudes from the projected section 33a and has a larger head.
The linking member 36 includes a string-like linking member main body 36a and a first and second support ends 37, 38 (see
As shown in
(4) Opening and Closing of Fuel Cap 20
The opening and closing of the fuel cap 20 will now be described. From the state shown in
The operation to remove the fuel cap 20 will now be explained. When the fuel supply lid 12 is opened and the operation to open the fuel cap 20 is performed, the fuel cap 20 separates from the fuel supply opening 16a of the filler pipe 16. When the fuel cap 20 is then released from the hand, the fuel cap 20 hangs down at a position away from the body panel 10 with the cover 22 thereof facing the body, thereby permitting the vehicle to be refueled. In other words, because the fuel cap 20 can be positioned during refueling at a position away from the body panel 10, it does not obstruct the fueling nozzle, and the fuel adhering to the casing 21 does not contaminate the body panel 10.
(5) Operation and Effect of the Embodiment
The above embodiment has the operation and effect described below.
(5)-1 Because the rotatable connector 39 mounts the linking member 36 to the rotatable ring 32 such that the linking member 36 can rotate around the longitudinal axis AX of the linking member main body 36a, even if the linking member main body 36a becomes twisted, this twisting is eliminated by the linking member 36 rotating in the unwinding direction. Therefore, there is no obstacle to the rotation of the fuel cap 20.
(5)-2 Because the rotatable connector 39 is disposed at the first support end 37 near the location where the fuel cap 20 is rotated, twisting of the linking member main body 36a can be quickly eliminated.
(5)-3 Because the rotatable connector 39 includes a U-shaped connector main body 39a and one end of the connector main body 39a is rotatably supported on the linking member main body 36a, even if extension or contraction force is exerted on the linking member main body 36a, the extension or contraction of the U-shaped connector main body 39a ensures that excessive force is not received by the linking member main body 36a, and the linking member main body 36a is not damaged.
(5)-4 The linking member 36 can be mounted simply by inserting the engaging protrusion 33b of the mounting part 33 of the rotatable ring 32 in the mounting hole 39b, making the mounting operation simple.
(5)-5 Because the rotatable ring 32 and the linking member main body 36a are separate but connected via the rotatable connector 39, twisting of the linking member main body 36a does not hinder the rotation of the rotatable ring 32, such that the rotatable ring 32 can smoothly rotate relative to the fuel cap 20, and consequently there is no obstacle to the opening and closing of the fuel cap 20.
B. Second Embodiment
According to the second embodiment, since the rotatable connector 39B is mounted directly to the mounting part 12Ba of the fuel supply lid 12B, and the rotatable ring and first support end are integrally formed as a single unit, the operation to mount the rotatable ring of the first embodiment shown in
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be implemented in any of various forms within the essential scope of the invention.
(1) In the first and second embodiments, a construction was described in which a long linking member main body and a U-shaped connector main body are formed integrally as a single unit and the connector main body engages with an engaging protrusion formed on a rotatable ring or the fuel supply lid, but the present invention is not limited to this construction, and the constructions of the fourth or fifth embodiments shown in
As shown in
As shown in
(2) In the above embodiments, the second support end of the linking member is mounted to the fuel supply lid 12, but the present invention is not limited to this construction. The prevent invention may be applied to a vehicle-side member (mounting member) on the periphery of the fuel supply opening 16, such as the bottom wall 11a of the recession 11, or any other member that does not hinder the opening or closing of the fuel cap 20.
(3) While the above embodiments pertained to a fuel cap, the present invention is not limited to a fuel cap, and may be applied to any type of cap, such as an automobile radiator cap.
The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been provided for the purpose of explaining the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The foregoing detailed description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Modifications and equivalents will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art and are encompassed within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A cap device that includes a cap that opens and closes a tank opening, and a tether mechanism that connects the cap to a peripheral member on a periphery of the tank opening,
- wherein the tether mechanism comprises:
- a ring mounting element formed along an outer circumference of the cap;
- a rotatable ring that is rotatably mounted to the ring mounting element;
- a linking member that has (i) an elastic long linking member main body, (ii) a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and (iii) a second support end that is formed at the other end of the linking member main body and is connected to the peripheral member; and
- a rotatable connector that is mounted such that the rotatable ring is supported rotatably relative to the peripheral member around a longitudinal axis of the linking member main body.
2. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector is disposed on the first support end and the rotatable ring.
3. The cap device according to claim 2, wherein the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and the first support end is rotatably connected to the connector main body.
4. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a U-shaped configuration.
5. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a S-shaped configuration.
6. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a O-shaped configuration.
7. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a rectangular configuration.
8. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the first support end comprises an engaging protrusion that engages rotatably with the connector main body, and a deformable element that is formed between the engaging protrusion and the linking member main body.
9. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector is disposed on the second support end and the peripheral member.
10. The cap device according to claim 9, wherein the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and the second support end is rotatably connected to the connector main body.
11. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a U-shaped configuration.
12. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a S-shaped configuration.
13. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a rectangular configuration.
14. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the rotatable ring, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the first support end in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in the connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
15. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the peripheral member, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the second support end in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in the connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
16. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that is formed at the first support end, a mounting part that protrudes from the rotatable ring, and a mounting hole engaging hole that is formed in the mounting part and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
17. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the first support end, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the rotatable ring in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
18. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises engaging protrusions that protrudes from the rotatable ring and the first support end respectively, a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and mounting holes that is formed in connector main bodies and engage rotatably with the engaging protrusion respectively.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 29, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 1, 2007
Applicant: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD (Aichi-ken)
Inventors: Hiroyuki Hagano (Aichi-ken), Kazuhisa Ishida (Aichi-ken)
Application Number: 11/511,501
International Classification: B65D 55/16 (20060101);