US 12,146,362 B2
Self-locking electronic vehicle charge port door assembly
Simone Ilardo, Pianezza (IT); Anthony Guerin, Pianezza (IT); Frederic Citron, Pianezza (IT); and Sekinger Fabian, Pianezza (IT)
Assigned to Minebea AccessSolutions Italia S.p.A., Pianezza (IT)
Filed by Minebea AccessSolutions Italia S.p.A., Pianezza (IT)
Filed on Jan. 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/646,927.
Claims priority of application No. 21150432 (EP), filed on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0213728 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. B60K 15/05 (2006.01); B60L 53/30 (2019.01); B62D 25/24 (2006.01); E05F 15/63 (2015.01)
CPC E05F 15/63 (2015.01) [B60K 15/05 (2013.01); B60L 53/30 (2019.02); B62D 25/24 (2013.01); E05Y 2201/434 (2013.01); E05Y 2201/626 (2013.01); E05Y 2900/534 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle charge port door assembly, comprising:
a charge port flap;
a bracket configured to be fixed to the vehicle; and
a motorized actuation mechanism configured to move the charge port flap between a closed position and an open position, such that in the closed position, the charge port flap closes a charge port of the vehicle and sits flush with an outer surface of the vehicle and that in the open position, access is granted to the charge port,
wherein the motorized actuation mechanism comprises:
an actuator fixed to the bracket and comprising a rotatable output shaft with an eccentric crank pin,
at least one lever parallelogram with a first lever and a second lever, each lever being hinged, at one end, to the charge port flap and, at the other end, to the bracket and configured to drive the charge port flap between said open and closed position, said first lever presenting, at its end hinged to the bracket, a driving protrusion, and
a driving rod connecting said crank pin to the driving protrusion so that an eccentric movement of the crank pin drives, via the lever parallelogram, the charge port flap between the closed and the open position and vice versa,
wherein, in a plane that is normal to the output shaft, the longitudinal axis along which the crank pin extends forms an angle with the longitudinal axis along which the driving rod extends, said angle being between 1° and 3° in the closed position of the charge port flap.