Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Auxiliary article compartments
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-14
2001-11-06
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Auxiliary article compartments
C016S361000, C016S371000, C016S374000, C220S812000, C220S832000, C220S836000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312035
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electric vehicle having a battery as a drive source for the propulsion of the vehicle and, in particular, to a mounting arrangement of a lid for a storage box attached to a cover member of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, three- or four-wheeled vehicles having a battery as a drive source for the propulsion of the vehicle have become popular. Such electrically-propelled vehicles are in widespread use among elderly people, for instance because they travel at nearly a walking speed and are easy to operate. One example of such electrically-propelled vehicles is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-7-213560.
The proposed electrically-propelled vehicle includes a rear cover for covering a rear part of a vehicle body thereof. A charger is accommodated within the rear cover having an opened portion formed therein. The opened portion is opened and closed by a rear cover lid which is made of a flexible material. The rear cover lid includes a proximal end having a thin cutout portion formed therein for serving as a hinge. The rear cover lid is provided in such a manner as to pivot about the hinge, thereby opening and closing the opened portion of the rear cover.
The rear cover of the electrically-propelled vehicle as described above is of squarish contour. However, in recent years, there has been an increased demand for electrically-propelled vehicles having a cover of curved configuration. One example of such a curved cover is illustrated in FIG.
14
A. The curved cover shown in
FIG. 14A
may have hinges
103
a
,
103
b
as illustrated in
FIGS. 14B and 14C
.
As shown in
FIG. 14A
, a cover
100
includes a surface convexly extending from a right side thereof through a lateral center of the electrically-propelled vehicle to a left side thereof. Also, such a surface convexly extends in a longitudinal direction of the electrically-propelled vehicle. The cover
100
has a generally rectangular opened portion
101
formed therein. A lid
102
conforms in contour to the opened portion
101
and is attached to the cover
100
in such a manner as to pivot about two hinges
103
,
103
, thereby opening and closing the opened portion
101
.
The lid
102
pivotable about the hinges
103
,
103
includes a lid edge
104
provided proximally thereof. Among edges defining the opened portion
101
is an opening edge
105
opposed to the lid edge
104
. The cover
100
includes a storage box
106
formed below the opened portion
101
as shown in
FIGS. 14B and 14C
.
FIGS. 14B and 14C
show example hinge constructions
103
a
,
103
b
for use as the hinges
103
,
103
.
The hinge
103
a
illustrated in
FIG. 14B
includes a hinge pin
112
positioned outside the storage box
106
. More specifically, the hinge
103
a
has a circular hinge arm
111
including one end attached to an inner surface of the lid
102
, and another end mounted on the hinge pin
112
. The lid
102
pivots about the hinge pin
112
to thereby open and close the opened portion
101
.
The hinge
103
b
shown in
FIG. 14C
includes a hinge pin
116
positioned within the storage box
106
. The hinge
103
b
has a short hinge arm
115
provided on an inner surface of the lid
102
. The short hinge arm
115
is rotatably connected to the hinge pin
116
provided on a side wall forming the storage box
106
. As the hinge arm
115
rotates about the hinge pin
116
, the lid
102
pivots about the hinge pin
116
to thereby open and close the opened portion
101
.
However, the long hinge arm
111
required to provide the hinge
103
a
as illustrated in
FIG. 14B
is uneconomical. Moreover, it becomes necessary that a large hole
113
through which the hinge arm
111
extends is formed in a side wall of the storage box
106
. This leaves room for improving the hinge
103
a.
The hinge
103
b
in
FIG. 14C
employing the short hinge arm
115
is economical. Additionally, such a hinge
113
b
can be provided without forming any hole in the side wall of the storage box
106
. However, so as to provide smooth pivotal movement of the lid
102
about the hinge pin
116
, the lid edge
104
provided proximally of the lid
102
should not interfere with the opening edge
105
forming the opened portion
101
. For this reason, it is necessary to form a large gap between the lid edge
104
and the opening edge
105
, as shown in FIG.
14
C. Consequently, the electrically-propelled vehicle inevitably provides an unpleasant appearance. Also, provision of such a large gap makes poor waterproof property between the lid edge
104
and the opening edge
105
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle having a hinge which is simplified in construction by eliminating the need for forming a large hole in a side wall of a storage box and which is designed such that a lid smoothly opens and closes an opened portion of a cover with a small gap provided between a lid edge and an opening edge to thereby provide an enhanced appearance to the electric vehicle and an improved waterproof property between the cover and the lid.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle propelled by an electric motor, which comprises: a cover member for covering a vehicle body frame of the vehicle to provide a vehicle body of the vehicle, the cover member including a bent surface forming therein an opened portion; a storage box provided in such a manner as to communicate with inside of the cover member through the opened portion; and a lid disposed along the bent surface of the cover member in such a manner as to open and close the opened portion by means of hinges; the hinges each including a hinge pin provided on a side part of the lid or on a side part of the storage box, and a long aperture formed in the side part of the storage box or in the side part of the lid, the long aperture extending along the lid and perpendicularly to the hinge pin, the hinge pin being fitted into the long aperture in such a manner as to rotate within the long aperture and slide in a longitudinal direction of the long aperture.
When the lid opens the opened portion, an edge provided proximally of the lid comes into abutment on an edge forming the opened portion to thereby push the lid towards a distal end portion of the lid. The hinge pin then slides in the longitudinal direction of the long aperture. At this time, a hinge center is also moved in the same direction as the hinge pin. Since the hinge center and the lid are simultaneously moved in the manner as stated above, the lid can smoothly open the opened portion with a small gap provided between the cover member and the edge provided proximally of the lid.
In a preferred form of the present invention, the side part of the storage box or the side part of the lid is provided with a stop locking portion for regulating a full open position of the lid, the side part of the lid or the side part of the storage box is provided with a stopper arm, the stopper arm having a stopper portion disposed to abut on the stop locking portion with the lid in the full open position, and the stop locking portion and the stopper portion cooperate with each other to set the full open position of the lid. Since the stopper portion is disposed to abut the stop locking portion as the opened portion is fully opened by the lid, the full open position of the lid is automatically determined.
In a further preferred form of the present invention, the stop locking portion is an edge forming a through hole through which the stopper arm passes, the stopper arm has a cam portion disposed to contact the edge forming the through hole as the lid closes the opened portion, and the edge contacts the cam portion as the lid closes the opened portion to push the lid towards a proximal end of the lid. Namely, the hinge center and the lid are moved towards the distal end portion of the lid as the lid opens the opened portion, and the cam portion abu
Aoki Shigeru
Shin Masanori
Adams & Wilks
Engle Patricia
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Pape Joseph D.
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