Vehicle body front structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459036-B2
Application number	US-201916560494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2018
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle body front structure including a front hood (7) provided in a front part of a vehicle body (3), and a port device (30) mounted to the vehicle body and positioned under the front hood. The front hood includes an outer panel (7A) and an inner panel (7B) attached to a back side of the outer panel, the outer panel and the inner panel defining a port opening (21) facing the port device and passed through the outer panel and the inner panel in a thicknesswise direction thereof, and being welded to each other along a peripheral edge (22) of the port opening, and a garnish (23) is provided on an outer surface of a peripheral part of the outer panel surrounding the port opening, and a lid (58) for selectively closing the port opening is provided on the vehicle body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle body front structure including a front hood provided in a front part of a vehicle body, and a port device mounted to the vehicle body and positioned under the front hood;
wherein the front hood includes an outer panel and an inner panel attached to a back side of the outer panel, the outer panel and the inner panel defining a port opening facing the port device and passed through the outer panel and the inner panel in a thicknesswise direction thereof, and being welded to each other along a peripheral edge of the port opening; and
wherein a garnish has a frame portion disposed along an outer surface of a peripheral part of the outer panel surrounding the port opening, the garnish covers a welded portions of the outer panel and the inner panel, and a lid for selectively closing the port opening is provided on the vehicle body,
the vehicle body is provided with a housing having an open side facing the port opening, the port device being received in the housing, and the lid includes a lid plate for selectively closing the port opening, and a hinge arm extending from the lid plate into the housing and supported by the housing so as to be rotatable around a laterally extending hinge axis,
the lid is configured to move from a closed position to an open position by a rearward rotation of the lid plate, and a rear part of the housing is provided with a lid receiving recess which is recessed more downward than a front part of the housing and configured to receive at least a part of the lid in the open position,
a front bottom wall of the housing includes an opening through which the port device extends, and
a bottom part of the lid receiving recess is formed with a drain hole passed through a bottom wall of the lid receiving recess in a thicknesswise direction.

2. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the lid plate has a smaller lateral width in a front part thereof than in a rear part thereof, and a frangible portion is provided in a middle portion of the hinge arm with respect to the lengthwise direction thereof.

3. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a front wall extending laterally in front of the port device, and a pair of side walls extending rearward from either side edge of the front wall along either side of the port device, and
wherein a front edge and side edges of the lid plate are fitted with a first seal member that projects downward therefrom so as to engage the front wall and the side walls when the lid is in the closed position.

4. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 3 , wherein the garnish is provided with a flange portion projecting beyond the peripheral edge of the port opening in a part of the garnish corresponding to a rear edge of the port opening, and
a rear edge of the lid plate is fitted with a second seal member that projects downward and under the flange portion so as to overlap with the flange portion as viewed from above when the lid is in the closed position.

5. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 4 , wherein the first seal member and the second seal member are continuous to each other.

6. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 5 , wherein the rear edge of the lid plate coincides with a part of the lid receiving recess as viewed from above when the lid is closed.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakanishi Yukinobu
• Ebihara Daisuke
• Kato Seiichi

Classifications

• B60K15/05

  Inlet covers · CPC title

• B60K2015/053

  with hinged connection to the vehicle body · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• B60K2015/0561

  Locking means for the inlet cover · CPC title

• H01R13/5213

  Covers · CPC title