Abstract:
A collapsible fuel-door housing is provided and may include a first housing and a second housing slidably attached to the first housing and moveable from a first state overlapping the first housing to a second state adjacent to the first housing. The fuel-door housing may also include a locking mechanism moveable between an unlocked state permitting movement of the second housing into the second state and a locked state restricting relative movement between the first housing and the second housing to maintain the second housing in the second state.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a fuel-door housing for a vehicle and more particularly to a collapsible fuel-door housing that facilitates installation of the fuel-door housing into a vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Vehicle manufacturing is a difficult process that requires coordination of both manufacturing personnel and the physical components of a vehicle within an assembly plant to ensure the vehicle is properly assembled within a given timeframe. Generally speaking, the more components that must be installed in a vehicle at an assembly plant, the longer it takes to assemble the vehicle, which, in turn, reduces the capacity and efficiency of the plant. Further, the increase in the overall number of components likewise increases the number of manufacturing operations and, often, the number of personnel required to assemble the vehicle. As a result, the cost associated with operating the assembly plant and producing the vehicle is increased. 
         [0003]    Vehicle manufacturers strive to reduce the number of components of a vehicle to the extent possible to reduce the cost associated with manufacturing the vehicle and, further, to simplify the manufacturing process. However, when a reduction in components is not possible or economically feasible, vehicle manufacturers often source subassemblies from automotive component suppliers that require little or no assembly time in the vehicle manufacturer&#39;s assembly plant. For example, vehicle manufacturers routinely source fuel-door housings that arrive at their assembly plant complete with a fuel door assembled to the housing. The fuel-door housings and accompanying fuel doors are typically sequenced with the production schedule of the vehicle manufacturer such that each fuel-door housing is ready to be installed in an outer panel of a specific vehicle without requiring additional assembly steps by the vehicle manufacturer. 
         [0004]    While conventional fuel-door assemblies may be properly sequenced with a production schedule of a vehicle manufacturer and provide the vehicle manufacturer with a ready-to-install subassembly, conventional fuel-door assemblies cannot be sourced to the vehicle manufacturer&#39;s assembly plant with other components connected to the housing. For example, conventional fuel-door housings cannot be sourced to a vehicle manufacturer&#39;s assembly plant with a remote-actuator assembly and associated release cable preassembled to the fuel-door housing, as such components prevent installation of the fuel-door housing into the outer panel of the vehicle. As a result, the actuator assembly and release cable must be sourced to the vehicle manufacturer&#39;s assembly plant as separate components and must be installed after installation of the fuel-door hosing into the outer panel. Requiring the actuator assembly and release cable to be separately sourced to the assembly plant therefore increases the overall complexity and time required to produce a vehicle which, in turn, increases the overall cost associated with producing the vehicle. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A collapsible fuel-door housing is provided and may include a first housing and a second housing slidably attached to the first housing and moveable from a first state overlapping the first housing to a second state adjacent to the first housing. The fuel-door housing may also include a locking mechanism moveable between an unlocked state permitting movement of the second housing into the second state and a locked state restricting relative movement between the first housing and the second housing to maintain the second housing in the second state. 
         [0006]    In another configuration, a collapsible fuel-door housing is provided and may include a first housing and a second housing slidably attached to the second housing. The fuel-door assembly may also include a locking mechanism that permits relative movement between the first housing and the second housing in an unlocked state. The locking mechanism may also restrict relative movement between the first housing and the second housing when at least one of the first housing and the second housing is moved away from the other of the first housing and the second housing a predetermined distance to fix a relative position between the first housing and the second housing. 
         [0007]    Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the summary and detailed description, including the disclosed embodiments and drawings, are merely exemplary in nature intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, its application or use. Thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a vehicle incorporating a fuel-door housing in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of a fuel-door housing in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure shown in an overlapped state; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  shown in the overlapped state; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  shown in an expanded state; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 3  shown in an expanded state; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  being installed in a body panel of a vehicle; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  shown in an overlapped state and disposed within an aperture of a body panel of a vehicle; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  disposed within an aperture of a body panel of a vehicle and moving from an overlapped state to an expanded state; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the fuel-door housing of  FIG. 2  shown in an expanded state and installed in a body panel of a vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    With reference to the figures, a fuel-door housing  10  is provided and may include a first housing  12 , a second housing  14 , and a locking mechanism  16  ( FIG. 3 ). The first housing  12  and the second housing  14  may be slidably attached to one another to allow the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to be moved from an overlapped state ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) to an expanded state ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The locking mechanism  16  may be supported by the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to maintain the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the overlapped state until a force is applied to one or both of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to move the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  away from one another and into the expanded state. The locking mechanism  16  may then be moved into a locked state to maintain the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the expanded state. 
         [0018]    The first housing  12  may include a rim  18 , a recess  20 , a mounting aperture  22 , a first track or guide  24 , and a second track or guide  26  ( FIG. 8 ). The rim  18  may extend from a top surface  28  of the first housing  12  and may include a substantially semi-circular or semi-oval shape. The recess  20  may be disposed on an opposite end of the first housing  12  from the rim  18  and may likewise include a semi-circular or semi-oval shape. 
         [0019]    The mounting aperture  22  may be formed through a wall  30  of the first housing  12  such that the mounting aperture  22  is disposed between the rim  18  and the recess  20 . The first guide  24  and the second guide  26  may be formed on opposite sides of the first housing  12  from one another and may likewise be disposed between the rim  18  and the recess  20 . The first track  24  and the second track  26  may be substantially identical to one another. Accordingly, the following description is made with respect to the first track  24  while a detailed description of the second track  26  is foregone. 
         [0020]    The first track  24  may extend from a sidewall  32  of the first housing  12  and may include a first portion  34  and a second portion  36 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first portion  34  may include a width (W 1 ) that is less than a width (W 2 ) of the second portion  36 . In addition, the first portion  34  may include a first locking aperture  38  while the second portion  36  includes a second locking aperture  40 . The second locking aperture  40  may be offset from the first locking aperture  38  due to the larger width (W 2 ) of the second portion  36 . Namely, the first locking aperture  38  and the second locking aperture  40  may be positioned relative to a bottom edge  42  of the first track  24  such that the first locking aperture  38  and the second locking aperture  40  are spaced apart from the bottom edge  42  to the same extent. 
         [0021]    The first track  24  may be formed at an angle such that the bottom edge  42  is sloped toward a bottom portion of the first housing  12  proximate to the recess  20 . Positioning the first track  24  at an angle such that the bottom edge  42  slopes toward the bottom portion of the first housing  12  allows the second housing  14  to move from the overlapped state to the expanded state, as will be described in greater detail below. 
         [0022]    The second housing  14  may include a rim  44 , a recess  46 , a hinge assembly  48 , and a pair of locking projections  50 . The rim  44  may include a semi-circular or semi-oval shape and may extend from a top surface  52  of the second housing  14 . The recess  46  may be disposed at an opposite end of the second housing  14  from the rim  44  and may likewise include a semi-circular or semi-oval shape. 
         [0023]    The hinge assembly  48  may include an arm  54 , a support  56 , and a pivot  58 . The arm  54  may be pivotably supported by the pivot  58  within a hinge housing  60  and may be fixed for movement with the support  56 . Specifically, the arm  54  may be pivotably connected to the hinge housing  60  at the pivot  58  at a first end of the arm  54  and may be attached to the support  56  at a second end of the arm  54  opposite the first end. The support  56  may receive a door  62  ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ) that is fixed for movement with the support  56  and, thus, moves with the arm  54  as the arm  54  is pivoted about the pivot  58 . 
         [0024]    The second housing  14  may include a pair of locking projections  50  that respectively extend from opposite sides of the second housing  14  and are respectively and slidably received within the first track  24  and the second track  26  of the first housing  12 . Because the locking projections  50  are virtually identical, only the locking projection  50  associated with the first track  24  of the first housing  12  will be described and shown. A detailed description of the locking projection  50  associated with the second track  26  is foregone. 
         [0025]    The locking projection  50  may extend from a sidewall  64  ( FIG. 3 ) of the second housing  14  and may include a tapered surface (not shown) that facilitates insertion of the locking projection  50  into the first locking aperture  38  and the second locking aperture  40 . The locking projection  50  may be received within the first track  24  and may be disposed proximate to a first end  66  of the first track  24  when the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are in the overlapped state. Conversely, the locking projection  50  may be disposed proximate to a second end  68  of the first track  24  when the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are in the expanded state. Accordingly, when the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are in the overlapped state, the locking projection  50  may be received within the first locking aperture  38  while the locking projection  50  may be received within the second locking aperture  40  when the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are in the expanded state. 
         [0026]    Engagement between the locking projection  50  and the first locking aperture  38  serves to maintain the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the overlapped state until a force is applied to one or both of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to move the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  away from one another. When a force is applied to one or both of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to move the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  away from one another such that the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are moved into the expanded state, the locking projection  50  may be moved into the second locking aperture  40  to maintain the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the expanded state. As such, interaction between the locking projection  50 , the first track  24 , and the first and second locking apertures  38 ,  40 , constitute the locking mechanism  16  that selectively maintains the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the overlapped state or the expanded state, as will be described in greater detail below. 
         [0027]    The fuel-door housing  10  may additionally include an actuation mechanism  70  that is attached to the first housing  12  at the mounting aperture  22 . The actuation mechanism  70  may be electrically connected to a wiring harness (not shown) that provides for remote actuation of a locking mechanism  55  associate with the arm  54  to permit movement of the arm  54  and, thus, the support  56  and door  52  from a locked state ( FIG. 1 ) to an unlocked state ( FIG. 3 ) to gain access to an interior of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14 . 
         [0028]    The actuation mechanism  70  may be coupled to a release cable  72  that allows the locking mechanism  55  to be manually moved from the locked state to the unlocked state. Movement of the locking mechanism  55  from the locked state to the unlocked state permits movement of the arm  54  and, thus, the support  56  and the door  62 , from the position shown in  FIG. 1  to a position located generally away from the rim  18  of the first housing  12  and away from the rim  44  of the second housing  14  ( FIG. 3 ). 
         [0029]    With particular reference to FIGS.  1  and  6 - 9 , installation of the fuel-door housing  10  into a body panel  74  of a vehicle  76  ( FIG. 1 ) will be described in detail. The fuel-door housing  10  is initially positioned relative to an aperture  78  of the body panel  74  with the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the overlapped state. Namely, the rim  44  of the second housing  14  may be in an overlapped relationship with the rim  18  of the first housing  12  such that a portion of the rim  44  is positioned above the rim  18 . In this position, the locking projections  50  may be disposed within respective ones of the first locking apertures  38  and, as a result, may be disposed proximate to the first end  66  of the first track  24  and the second track  26 . Positioning the locking projections  50  within respective ones of the first locking apertures  38  restricts relative movement between the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  and maintains the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  in the overlapped state. 
         [0030]    The fuel door housing  10  may be positioned relative to the aperture  78  of the body panel  74  such that the release cable  72  and actuation mechanism  70  are initially inserted into the aperture  78  ( FIG. 6 ). Namely, the release cable  72  and the actuation mechanism  70  may be moved in the (W) direction and, as a result, the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  may likewise be moved in the (W) direction. 
         [0031]    The fuel-door housing  10  may be moved in the (W) direction until the hinge housing  60  passes through the body panel  74 . At this point, the rim  18  of the first housing  12  may be positioned above a portion of the body panel  74  adjacent to the aperture  78  such that a bottom surface  80  of the rim opposes the body panel  74  in an area proximate to the aperture  78  ( FIG. 7 ). Once the bottom surface  80  of the rim  18  is in contact with the body panel  74  proximate to the aperture  78 , a rotational force in the (X) direction ( FIG. 7 ) may be applied to the fuel door housing  10  to properly position the first housing  12  relative to the aperture  78 . Specifically, the rotational force applied to the fuel-door housing  10  in the (X) direction causes the first housing  12  to abut an edge  82  ( FIG. 6 ) of the aperture  78  to properly position the first housing  12  relative to the aperture  78 . Once the first housing  12  is properly positioned relative to the aperture  78 , a force may be applied to the second housing  14  to move the second housing  14  from the overlapped state to the expanded state. 
         [0032]    The force applied to the housing may be applied in the (Y) direction ( FIG. 8 ) to cause the second housing  14  to move relative to the first housing  12 . The locking projections  50  may disengage the first locking apertures  38 , as the second housing  14  is moved relative to the first housing  12 . Further, movement of the second housing  14  relative to the first housing  12  may be guided by the shape of the first track  24  and the second track  26  and the respective bottom edges  42  of the first track  24  and the second track  26 . Namely, because the first track  24  and the second track  26  include a bottom edge  42  that slopes toward the respective recesses  20 ,  46  of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14 , when the force applied to the second housing  14  is applied in the (Y) direction, the shape of the tracks  24 ,  26  and interaction between the locking projections  50  and the respective tracks  24 ,  26  causes the second housing  14  to move away from the first housing  12  and in the (Z) direction ( FIG. 7 ). Movement of the second housing  14  in the (Z) direction may be accomplished due to the increased width (W 2 ) of the second portion  36  of the first track  24  and the second track  26 , which provides clearance to allow the second housing  14  to move in the (Z) direction. 
         [0033]    Once the second housing  14  is sufficiently moved in the (Y) direction and in the (Z) direction, the locking projections  50  may engage the second locking apertures  40  of the respective tracks  24 ,  26  such that the locking projections  50  are disposed proximate to the second end  68  of each track  24 ,  26 . Engagement between the locking projections  50  and the respective second locking apertures  40  of the first track  24  and the second track  26  positions the locking mechanism  16  in the locked state and maintains the second housing  14  the expanded state. 
         [0034]    When the second housing  14  and the first housing  12  are in the expanded state, a top surface  84  of the rim  18  is substantially flush with a top surface  86  of the second housing  14 . Once the top surface  84  of the rim  18  is substantially flush with a top surface  86  of the second housing  14 , the rim  18  of the first housing  12  and the rim  44  of the second housing  14  may cooperate to provide the fuel-door housing  10  with a substantially circular or oval shape. 
         [0035]    In addition to alignment between the rim  18  of the first housing  12  and the rim  44  of the second housing  14 , when the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are positioned in the expanded state, the recess  20  of the first housing  12  may be positioned relative to the recess  46  of the second housing  14  such that the recesses  20 ,  46  cooperate to provide the fuel-door housing  10  with a substantially circular or oval opening  88 . The opening  88  may be aligned with the opening created by the rim  18  of the first housing  12  and the rim  44  of the second housing  14  to allow a fuel-filler nozzle (not shown) of a gas pump (not shown) to be received within the fuel door housing  10  to dispense fuel into a fuel system (not shown) of the vehicle  76  via the opening  88 . 
         [0036]    Once the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  are moved into the expanded state and the locking mechanism  16  is moved into the locked state, the fuel door housing  10  may be attached to the body panel  74  of the vehicle  76 . Specifically, retention features  90  associated with each of the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  may engage an inner surface  92  ( FIG. 9 ) of the body panel  74  to retain the fuel-door housing  10  in a desired position relative to the aperture  78  of the body panel  74 . 
         [0037]    The actuation mechanism  70  is automatically installed in a desired position relative to the body panel  74  once the fuel-door housing  10  is attached to the body panel  74 , as the actuation mechanism  70  is pre-assembled to the mounting aperture  22  of the first housing  12  prior to assembly of the fuel-door housing  10  to the body panel  74 . Further, the release cable  72  is likewise pre-assembled to the actuation mechanism  70  and, thus, to the first housing  12  prior to assembly of the fuel-door housing  10  in the body panel  74  and, likewise, may be readily installed once the fuel-door housing  10  is attached to the body panel  74 . Finally, once the fuel door housing  10  is fixed to the body panel  74 , the arm  54  may pivot about the pivot  58  to allow the door  62  to move between a closed state ( FIG. 1 ) and an open state ( FIG. 8 ) to provide access to the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  to insert a fuel-filler nozzle into the housings  12 ,  14  and provide fuel to the fuel system of the vehicle  76  via the opening  88  formed by the housings  12 ,  14 .