Abstract:
Problems to be solved: 
     To provide a fuel filler port closing apparatus that can be adapted to fuel filling nozzles of various shapes and that excels in operability. 
     Means to solve the problems: 
     Problems are solved through the fuel filler port closing apparatus adapting two-action fuel filling operation. The first action is to open a cover 5 closing an opening 44 of a fuel filler port by pushing a slider 53 with fuel filling nozzle 71, and the second action is to push and open a flapper 3 closing an opening 211 of a nozzle guide.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a fuel filler port closing apparatus provided with a flapper for opening and closing an opening of a nozzle guide for guiding a fuel filling nozzle inserted from an opening of a filler neck (a fuel filler port), the flapper being pushed and biased upwardly by a torsion coil spring and being rotatable downwardly. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A filler neck cap screwed into a filler neck has an advantage of being easy to ensure sealability of the filler neck. However, it has a disadvantage in that the attachment/detachment of the filler neck cap is cumbersome. There is also a possibility that sealing may be insufficient if a screw-in operation of the cap is inappropriate or that the detached filler neck cap may get lost. Considering these problems, a fuel filler port closing apparatus provided with a flapper is proposed. Such a fuel filler port closing apparatus has the flapper which opens by rotating downwardly when pushed by the fuel filling nozzle inserted from the outside and closes by rotating upwardly when the fuel filling nozzle is removed. According to the fuel filler port closing apparatus, forgetting to tighten the filler neck cap cannot occur. Further, since the filler neck cap is closed immediately before the fuel filling nozzle is inserted and opens only when the fuel filling nozzle is inserted (i.e., during actual fuel filling task of injecting fuel), discharge of fuel vapor can be suppressed at minimum. 
         [0005]    A conventional fuel filler port closing apparatus has a configuration in which an opening at the nozzle guide for guiding a fuel filling nozzle inserted from the opening of the filler neck is opened and closed by a rotating flapper. Specifically, the flapper is attached so as to be pushed and biased upwardly by a torsion coil spring and to be freely downwardly rotatable. The flapper is rotated downwardly when pushed by the fuel filling nozzle inserted from the opening of the filler neck, thereby opens the opening of the nozzle guide. The flapper is rotated upwardly by the torsion coil spring when the fuel filling nozzle is removed, thereby closes the opening of the nozzle guide. Since the opening of the nozzle guide is at a deep position when seen from the opening of the filler neck, dust and rainwater tend to accumulate between the opening of the filler neck and the nozzle guide when the opening of the filler neck is exposed to the outside. This causes dust and rainwater to enter the fuel filling tube when the fuel filling nozzle is inserted and the flapper is pushed and opened. Therefore, the fuel filler port closing apparatus is normally provided with a cover that opens and closes the opening of the filler neck. 
         [0006]    The fuel filler port closing apparatus disclosed in DE 20 2007 004 451 U1 is provided with a door (Tur104) that slides by being pushed with the fuel filling nozzle and thereby opens the opening of the filler neck. The door prevents dust and rainwater from entering the opening of the filter neck. DE 20 2007 004 451 U1 is characteristic that a regulation block (Durchlassbereich150) has two projections (150a, 150b) facing each other and spacing a distance that does not pass the diesel filling nozzle but passes the gasoline filling nozzle. The two projections (150a, 150b) are provided on the upstream of the door 104 when seen from the door. This utilizes the fact that the outer diameter of the diesel filling nozzle is larger than the gasoline filling nozzle. When a user moves the fuel filling nozzle towards the door from between the projections of the regulation block 150, only the gasoline filling nozzle can pass between the projections (150a, 150b) and push the door 104. Thus, the possibility of mistakenly filling diesel fuel is eliminated. Since the door 104 is biased in the closing direction, the user needs to insert the fuel filling nozzle into the opening of the filler neck while pushing the door 104 with the fuel filling nozzle that pushed and opened the door 104. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel filler port closing apparatus that can be adapted to fuel filling nozzles of various shapes and that excels in operability. 
         [0008]    The fuel filler port closing apparatus disclosed in DE 20 2007 004 451 U1 is superior in that entering of dust and rainwater from the opening of the filler neck can be prevented by providing the door that opens and closes the opening of the filler neck, and that a function for discriminating the fuel filling nozzle to open and close the door is added. However, the fuel filler port closing apparatus disclosed in DE 20 2007 004 451 U1 has the following problems. Some fuel filling nozzles have a wounded coil for the purpose of preventing the fuel filling nozzle from carelessly dropping out from the filler neck while filling fuel. Such a fuel filling nozzle wound with the coil cannot be used in the fuel filler port closing apparatus disclosed in DE 20 2007 004 451 U1. This is because the fuel filling nozzle wound with coil cannot be inserted while pushing the door as the coil gets caught at the door. 
         [0009]    The distal end of the fuel filling nozzle that pushes the door does not have a portion to engage. Therefore, the user needs to manipulate the fuel filling nozzle along a specific path and push the distal end of the fuel filling nozzle against the door while passing the nozzle between the projections of the regulation block, pushing the door from the side against the bias, and inserting the fuel filling nozzle from the opening of the filler neck while pushing the door. This means that the fuel filling nozzle is difficult to handle, and the elderly may not be able to successfully open the door and insert the fuel filling nozzle into the opening of the filler neck. In other words, the difficulty in manipulation of DE 20 2007 004 451 U1 is due to the fact that the manipulation is of a single action. Considering these problems, a fuel filler port closing apparatus that facilitates the handling of the fuel filling nozzle while adding the function of discriminating the fuel filling nozzle, similar to DE 20 2007 004 451 U1, is developed. 
         [0010]    The above problem is solved by a fuel filler port closing apparatus in which a flapper, which closes an opening of a nozzle guide by being pushed and biased upwardly, is pushed and opened with a fuel filling nozzle inserted through an opening of a filler neck up to the opening of the nozzle guide; wherein the fuel filler port closing apparatus is provided with a cover upwardly rotatable with respect to the opening of the filler neck. The cover is configured by a rotation shaft arranged near the opening of the filler neck, a cover main body, which is biased upwardly and downwardly rotatable with respect to the opening of the filler neck, and a slider movably attached to an upper surface of the cover main body and biased towards a peripheral edge of the cover main body. The slider is arranged with a latch that engages to a latch receiver arranged on the filler neck side. Herein, the slider may be biased in any direction, as long as the slider is biased opposite to the rotation shaft and be movable. More preferably, the slider is movable in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft. 
         [0011]    In the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention, the cover that opens and closes the opening of the filler neck is not pushed and opened with the fuel filling nozzle. In the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention, the cover (cover main body) is opened according to the upward bias by pushing the slider with the fuel filling nozzle, and disengaging the engagement of the latch receiver arranged near the opening of the filler neck and the latch. As an example, the upward bias of the cover main body is generated by the torsion coil spring loosely fitted to the rotation shaft. When the opening of the filler neck is closed, the slider returns to the initial position (starting position) before being pushed by the fuel filling nozzle since the slider is no longer pushed by the fuel filling nozzle and is biased. By pushing the cover downwardly, the slider again engages the latch to the latch receiver arranged near the opening of the filler neck. As a latch, the hook-shaped latch that narrows towards the lower side and has inclined surface slidably contacting to the latch receiver may be preferably adapted. According to the hook-shaped latch, the slider is temporarily pushed back by having the inclined surface slidably contact to the latch receiver, and slides forward again when the top of a projection of the hook-shaped latch rides over the latch receiver. 
         [0012]    As the latch receiver arranged on the filler neck side, any member can be adopted as long as it receives a hook of the latch and keeps an engaged state and easily cancels engaged state. As examples, a penetrating hole made on a plate around the opening of the filler neck and an annular rib formed along the opening of the filler neck are exemplified. 
         [0013]    The fuel filling nozzle that pushes the slider presses its distal end against the slider from a transverse direction against the bias. Therefore, if a member for determining the outer diameter of the fuel filling nozzle that passes therethrough is arranged in front of the portion where the slider and the fuel filling nozzle comes into contact, only the gasoline filling nozzle can push the slider and open the cover (cover main body). In other words, on the cover main body, a pair of outer projections facing each other at a width that does not pass the diesel filling nozzle but passes the gasoline filling nozzle is arranged in front of a starting end of the biased slider; and the slider is provided with an inner projection that engages the gasoline filling nozzle passed the interspace between the outer projections. In this way, the outer diameter of the fuel filling nozzle can be distinguished based on whether or not the nozzle can pass the interspace between the two outer projections, and only the gasoline filling nozzle passing the interspace between the outer projections can push the slider. Herein, the outer projection refers to the projecting portion formed on the cover main body, and the inner projection refers to the projecting portion formed on the slider. For example, two blocks projecting out on the slider may be the left and right inner projections, and left end and right end of the cover covering inner projections may be the left and right outer projections. 
         [0014]    The number of the inner projection provided on the slider may be one if it has the size and the shape that can be pushed by the gasoline filling nozzle passed the interspace between the outer projections. However, the fuel filling nozzle having a round side surface may detach from the inner projection when pushed obliquely. Therefore, the slider is preferably provided with a pair of inner projections facing each other at a width that does not pass the gasoline filling nozzle passed the interspace between the outer projections, but passes a fuel filling nozzle narrower than the gasoline filling nozzle. In this configuration, the pair of inner projections comes into contact at two points with the round side surface of the fuel filling nozzle, and the pair of inner projections is less likely to detach. If the inner projections are spaced apart, non-standard fuel filling nozzle narrower than the gasoline filling nozzle can be pass the interspace between the inner projections. This means that only the fuel filling nozzle having an outer diameter of between the size (D-out) and the size (D-in), namely, only the gasoline filling nozzle can push the slider. In this case, “D-out” means the distance between the two outer projections and “D-in” means the distance between the two inner projections. In this manner, the fuel filler port closing apparatus in which only the gasoline filling nozzle pushes the slider and disengages the engagement of the latch to thereby open the cover is configured. 
         [0015]    By modifying the above-mentioned fuel filler port closing apparatus in which only the gasoline filling nozzle pushes the slider to open the cover (cover main body), the fuel filler port closing apparatus in which only the diesel filling nozzle can push the slider to open the cover (cover main body) can be configured. Specifically, on the cover main body, a pair of outer projections facing each other at a width (D-out) that passes a diesel filling nozzle but does not pass a fuel filling nozzle thicker than the diesel filling nozzle is arranged in front of the starting end of the biased slider. The slider is provided with a pair of inner projections, which engages the diesel filling nozzle passed between the outer projections and which faces each other at a width (D-in) that passes the gasoline filling nozzle passed between the same outer projections. According to this configuration, only the fuel filling nozzle having an outer diameter smaller than the size (D-out) and larger than the size (D-in), that is, only the diesel filling nozzle, can push the slider to disengage the engagement of the latch to open the cover. 
         [0016]    According to the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention, the slider may be pushed with the fuel filling nozzle only when the cover (cover main body) is needed to be opened. When the slider is pushed, the latch and the latch receiver disengage and the cover opens according to the upward bias. Since the cover goes up following the bias to expose the opening the filler neck, the fuel filling nozzle can be inserted into the opening of the filler neck without interfering with the opened cover. This means that even the fuel filling nozzle wound with coil can be inserted from the opening of the filler neck without being caught. Thus, the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention has advantages in that the operation of opening the cover (cover main body) and inserting the fuel filling nozzle to the opening of the filler neck after opening the cover (cover main body) are facilitated, and in that the fuel filling nozzle can be very easily handled as a whole. 
         [0017]    The fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention adapts the operation of pushing the slider to the side with the distal end of the fuel filling nozzle, which is inserted through the space formed by the outer projections arranged on the cover main body and push the inner projections. According to this operation, only the gasoline filling nozzle or only the diesel filling nozzle can push the slider and open the opening of the filler neck. This means that gasoline or diesel fuel will not be mistakenly filled. Furthermore, since the slider cannot be pushed with the fuel filling nozzle other than the gasoline filling nozzle or the diesel filling nozzle, the cover (cover main body) cannot be opened therewith. Therefore, only either the gasoline or the diesel fuel can be filled. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one example of a cover based on the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the cover of the present example (Example 1). 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a fuel filler port closing apparatus using the cover of the present example (Example 1). 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the cover of the present example (Example 1). 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of pushing a slider with a gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state of pushing the slider with the gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of pushing the slider of another example (Example 2) with the gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is completely opened with the gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of attempting to push the slider with a diesel filling nozzle. 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is pushed down with the gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is completely closed. 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  is a plan view of a cover of another example (Example 3). 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 12  illustrating a state of attempting to push the slider with the gasoline filling nozzle. 
           [0031]      FIG. 14  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 12  illustrating a state of pushing the slider with the diesel filling nozzle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0032]    A preferred embodiment for implementing the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one example of a cover based on the present invention.  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the cover of the present example.  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a fuel filler port closing apparatus using the cover of the present example.  FIG. 4  is a plan view of the cover of the present example.  FIG. 5  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of pushing a slider with a gasoline filling nozzle.  FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state of pushing the slider with the gasoline filling nozzle.  FIG. 7  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of pushing the slider with the gasoline filling nozzle of another example.  FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is completely opened with the gasoline filling nozzle.  FIG. 9  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 4  illustrating a state of attempting to push the slider with the diesel filling nozzle.  FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is pushed down with the gasoline filling nozzle.  FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to  FIG. 3  illustrating a state in which the cover is completely closed. 
         [0033]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a cover  5  of the present example is attached to a cover unit  4  by way of an attachment plate  56  with respect to a filler neck  1 , and opens and closes an opening  44  of the filler neck formed in the cover unit  4 . The cover unit  4  is for facilitating the assembly of the fuel filler port closing apparatus. If the cover unit  4  is not used, the opening at the upper end of the opened filler neck  1  becomes the opening of the filler neck, and the cover  5  is attached to the peripheral edge of the opened portion at the upper end by way of the attachment plate  56 . In this case, a latch receiver that forms a pair with a latch  531  for maintaining the closed state of the cover  5  needs to be arranged on the opening at the upper end of the filler neck  1 . 
         [0034]    The cover  5  is configured by a cover main body  51  pivotally attached to the attachment plate  56 , a slider  53  that slidably comes into contact with the upper surface of the cover main body  51 , and a holding member  52  for sandwiching and holding the slider  53 . The attachment plate  56  is a metal plate member having a front edge cut to a circular-arc shape along the outer periphery of the filler neck  1 . The attachment plate  56  comes into contact with a surface of a top panel  43  of the cover unit  4 , and is fixed by attachment screws  57 ,  57 . The cover  5  is pivotally attached to a rotation shaft  511  bridged across a pair of left and right supporting flanges  561 ,  561  arranged upstanding at the back side of the attachment plate  56 . A torsion coil spring  512  for biasing the cover main body  51  in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft  511  (direction of opening the cover  5 ) is loosely fitted to the rotation shaft  511 , where one end is pressed against the attachment plate  56  and the other end is pressed against the cover main body  51 . 
         [0035]    The cover main body  51  is a resin member having rotation arms  519 ,  519  projecting out towards the back side from a disc of a size that can cover the opening  44  of the filler neck from the upper side. The rotation arm  519  is formed with a hole for passing the rotation shaft  511 , and the cover main body  51  is pivotally attached to the supporting flange  561  of the attachment plate  56  by way of the rotation shaft  511 . The cover main body  51  of the present example has lower coupling projections  513 ,  513  protruding out at the left and the right, where a stopper  516 , rail  518  for the slider  53  and a groove  517  for accommodating the latch  531 , a flange  515  for receiving a spring, and an engagement hole  514  for receiving a locking nail  523  are arranged on the upper surface in order from the front side to the back side. 
         [0036]    Coupling screws  55 ,  55  are screwed into the lower coupling projections  513 ,  513  through the corresponding upper coupling projections  522 ,  522  of the holding member  52 . The engagement hole  514  engages the locking nail  523  arranged at the back end of the holding member  52 . The cover main body  51  and the holding member  52  are thereby integrated so as not to rattle through the coupling of the coupling screws  55 ,  55 , and the engagement of the locking nail  523  and the engagement hole  514 . 
         [0037]    The rail  518  is configured by four protrusions extending in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft  511  (opening/closing direction of the cover  5 ) and one short protrusion connecting the back end of each protrusion in the left and right direction. The two of four protrusions on the inner side are arranged along the groove for accommodating the latch  532  so that the two protrusions sandwich the groove  517 . Since the slider  53  is supported only by four protrusions, friction resistance between the slider  53  and cover main body  51  can be suppressed and slidable movement can be stable without rattling. The stopper  516  locks the front edge of the slider  53  that slidably moves on the rail  518 , and regulates the forward movement of the slider  53 . 
         [0038]    The groove  517  movably accommodates the latch  531  formed on the lower surface of the slider  53 . The lower end of the latch  531  projects out from the lower surface of the cover main body  51  when the slider  53  sets onto the cover main body  51 . The flange  515  for receiving the spring supports the back end of a coil spring  54  accommodated in a spring accommodating portion  534  of the slider  53 , and compresses the coil spring  54  in response to the backward movement of the slider  53 . 
         [0039]    The slider  53  is a resin plate having a rectangular shape in plan view in which the right and left rails  518  of the cover main body  51  correspond to the left and right edges of the rectangle, the latch  531  is arranged at the front end of the lower surface, a pair of inner projections  533 ,  533  is arranged on the front side on the upper surface, and the spring accommodating portion  534  is arranged at the middle of the back end on the upper surface. In addition, the slider  53  of the present example has an inclined surface  535  (see  FIG. 2 ) for guiding a gasoline filling nozzle  71  (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) along gradual inclination to the inner projections  533 . 
         [0040]    The inner projections  533 ,  533  are faced to each other and lined at a distance (D-in) that engages the gasoline filling nozzle  71 . Each inner projection  533  of the present example has the corner at the inner front edge facing the counterpart chamfered so that the left and right inner projections  533 ,  533  can equally engage the gasoline filling nozzle  71 . Two projections  536 ,  536  of circular arc shape in side view are arranged on the upper surface of each inner projection  533  for the purpose of reducing the friction resistance with respect to the holding member  52 . The projection  536  is arranged at the front end and the back end of the inner projection  533 . The left and right projections  536 ,  536  are also arranged along the left and right wall surfaces of the spring accommodating portion  534 . 
         [0041]    The latch  531  is a portion having a triangular shape in side view. The latch  531  projects out through the groove of the cover main body  51 , where the front surface is formed to an inclined surface  532  of wide width, and the rear surface is arranged with an orthogonal rib for reinforcement. The inclined surface  532  comes into contact with the inner peripheral edge of the opening  44  of the filler neck when closing the opened cover  5 , and rides over the inner peripheral edge by moving the slider  53  (including latch  531 ) backward, so that the latch  531  again engages the latch receiver  441 . In this example, an annular rib formed at the inner peripheral lower edge of the opening  44  of the filler neck functions as the latch receiver  441 . 
         [0042]    The holding member  52  is a resin member having a Y-shape in plan view, having the expanded (opened) portion of the “Y” at the front side and a root portion of the “Y” at the back side. The holding member  52  has the upper coupling projections  522  protruding to the left side and right side in plan view. Further, the holding member  52  has the locking nail  523  at the back side. A left end and right end of the “Y”-shaped expanded portion function as outer projections  521 ,  521  in the present example. The left outer projection  521  and right outer projections  521  face each other and are lined spacing a distance corresponding to the size (D-out) that engages the diesel filling nozzle  72 . The outer projections  521 ,  521  of the present example are attached so as to be positioned immediately before the inner projections  533 ,  533  when the holding member  52  is integrated with the cover main body  51  with the slider  53  in between. Since the holding member  52  covers most of the each inner projection  533 , only the chamfered corner at the inner front edge of the each inner projection  533  is exposed. 
         [0043]    Whole structure of the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present example applied with the present invention is described below. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present example is configured by the filler neck  1 , the closure unit  2 , and the cover unit  4 . The closure unit  2  is attached with the flapper  3  that is pushed down by the gasoline filling nozzle  71  (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) inserted from the opening  44  of the filler neck of the cover unit  4  to thereby open the opening  211  of the nozzle guide. The cover unit  4  is pivotally attached with the upwardly rotatable cover  5 . The cover  5  opens and closes the opening  44  of the filler neck. 
         [0044]    The filler neck  1  is a tubular member integrally formed from one plate material through drawing process. The shape of the filler neck  1  is such that the opening at the upper end is wide and a connection port  11  having the opening at the lower end is narrowed in accordance with an fuel filling tube main body  8  to be connected. The closure unit  2  is a member made of synthetic resin. The closure unit  2  is formed with a nozzle guide  21  for guiding the gasoline filling nozzle  71  (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) inserted from the opening  44  of the filler neck. The flapper  3  that opens and closes the opening  211  of the nozzle guide is integrally assembled near the opening  211  of the nozzle guide. The opening  211  localizes at the bottom of the nozzle guide  21 . At the unit peripheral surface  22 , an annular groove  221  is formed near the upper edge and a seal ring  222  is fitted thereto. The seal ring  222  pressure contacts to the inner side of the peripheral surface of the filler neck  1  and blocks the gap when the closure unit  2  is fitted into the filler neck  1 , thereby ensuring sealability other than at the opening  211  of the nozzle guide. 
         [0045]    As previously described, the cover unit  4  is a member provided with the opening  44  of the filler neck, which is opened and closed by the cover  5 . The cover unit  4  is configured by the top panel  43  for attaching the attachment plate  56  of the cover  5  and a peripheral surface  41  continuing from the top panel  43 . In this example, the opening  44  of the filler neck is defined by a ring shaped flange  442 . The ring shaped flange  442  is formed by folding a plate of the cover unit  4  twice. That is, once folding the plate inwards with respect to the radial direction of the opening  44  and then folding the end of the plate downwards. The annular rib  441  of the ring-shaped flange functions as the latch receiver  441  in this example, and engages the latch  531  to maintain the cover  5  in the closed state. 
         [0046]    The cover  5  prevents rainwater and dust from accumulating at the opening  211  of the nozzle guide. The cover  5  of the present invention can distinguish the fuel filling nozzles  71 ,  72  to be used for filling fuel. Specifically, the D-out (the distance between the pair of outer projections  521 ) is narrower than the diesel filling nozzle  72 , and wider than the gasoline filling nozzle  71 . The D-in (the distance between the pair of inner projections  533  arranged on the slider  53 ) is narrower than the gasoline filling nozzle  71 . Therefore, only the gasoline filling nozzle  71  engages to the inner projections  533 ,  533  and pushes the slider  53  to disengage the latch  531  and the latch receiver  441 . 
         [0047]    The procedure in which the gasoline filling nozzle  71  opens the cover  5  is described in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . The gasoline filling nozzle  71  is parallel moved along the inclined surface  535  towards the slider  53  that keeps the closed state of the cover  5 . The D-out (the distance between the pair of outer projections  521 ) is set to a size that passes the gasoline filling nozzle  71  (D-gas) but does not pass the diesel filling nozzle  72  (D-diesel). Therefore, the gasoline filling nozzle  71  moved along the inclined surface  535  can pass the interspace defined by the outer projections  521 ,  521 , and engage the inner projections  533 ,  533 . Hence, the engaged gasoline filling nozzle push the slider  53 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In the figures, the outer diameter of the gasoline filling nozzle  71  is represented by D-gas and that of the diesel filling nozzle  72  is represented by D-diesel. 
         [0048]    The pair of left and right inner projections  533 ,  533  is arranged with a spacing of the D-in, so that a non-standard fuel filling nozzle having an outer diameter narrower than the D-in can pass therethrough. Therefore, a non-standard fuel filling nozzle cannot push the slier  53 . In other words, only the gasoline filling nozzle  71  can push the slider  53 . The pair of left and right inner projections  533 ,  533  functions as two pushing points at symmetrical positions by the fuel filling nozzle  71 , and has a merit in that the slider  53  can be stably and reliably pushed. However, if it is sufficient to simply prevent the slider  53  from being pushed with the diesel filling nozzle  72 , an inner projection  537  having a circular arc shape in front view along the outer surface shape of the gasoline filling nozzle  71  as illustrated in  FIG. 7  may be provided in place of the inner projections  533 ,  533  of the present example. 
         [0049]    The slider  53  pushed by the gasoline filling nozzle  71  moves backward i.e., towards the rotation shaft  511  of the cover  5 , and detaches the latch  531  from the latch receiver  441  arranged on the opening  44  of the filler neck. The cover  5  is constantly biased in the opening direction by the torsion coil spring  512 . Therefore, the cover  5  opens when the latch  531  and the latch receiver  441  are disengaged (see  FIG. 8 ). Since the slider  53  is biased in the forward moving direction by the coil spring  54 , the slider  53  returns to the initial position when the gasoline filling nozzle  71  is moved away. 
         [0050]    Even if the diesel filling nozzle  72 , having an outer diameter larger than the gasoline filling nozzle  71  (D-diesel&gt;D-gas), is moved closer to the inner projections  533 ,  533  along the inclined surface  535  of the slider  53 , the diesel filling nozzle  72  gets caught at the outer projections  521 ,  521  and cannot push the inner projections  533 ,  533  (see  FIG. 9 ). Also, the D-in (the distance between the inner projections  533 ,  533 ) is smaller than the outer diameter (D-gas) of the gasoline filling nozzle  71 , the diesel filling nozzle  72  obviously cannot be pushed in. Therefore, the inner projections  533 ,  533  never pushed in with the diesel filling nozzle  72 . This means that the diesel fuel will not be mistakenly filled since the cover  5  cannot be opened with the diesel filling nozzle  72 . 
         [0051]    In order to close the cover  5 , the cover  5  is held down by the gasoline filling nozzle  71 , as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . When closing the cover  5 , the slider  53  comes back at the initial position before being pushed by the fuel filling nozzle since the slider is biased forward by the coil spring  54  and no longer pushed by the gasoline filling nozzle  71 . The latch  531  of the slider  53  is at the position engaging the latch receiver  441  in this state. If the cover  5  is continuously pushed down by the gasoline filling nozzle  71 , the slider  53  is temporarily moved backward while having the inclined surface  532  of the front surface of the latch  531  slayable contact with the latch receiver  441 , and then the top of the latch  531  rides over the latch receiver  441 , as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . When the top of the latch  531  rides over the latch receiver  441 , the slider  53  again moves forward by the bias of the coil spring  54 , thereby engaging the latch  531  to the latch receiver  441 . 
         [0052]    According to the fuel filler port closing apparatus of the present invention, the slider  53  of the cover  5  may be pushed by the gasoline filling nozzle  71  only when the cover  5  needs to be opened. Therefore, the gasoline filling nozzle  71  can be moved away from the slider  53  while the cover  5  is opening. This means that the cover  5  can be easily opened even with the fuel filling nozzle wounded with coil. By combining the function of distinguish the fuel filling nozzles to such simple opening/closing operations of the cover  5 , only the gasoline filling nozzle  71  can open the cover  5  to fill fuel. Thus, the present example provides a fuel filler port closing apparatus capable of filling only gasoline. 
         [0053]    Modifying the above-explained examples (i.e.; example 1 corresponds to  FIGS. 1 to 6  and  8  to  11 , example 2 corresponds to  FIG. 7 ), a fuel filler port closing apparatus of another example (Example 3) is configured. That is, the fuel filler port closing apparatus having the cover  5  (cover main body  51 ) opened only by the diesel filling nozzle  72 . This is realized by the slider  53  that is pushed only by the diesel filling nozzle  72 . The figures related to another example are the following.  FIG. 12  is a plan view of a cover of another example.  FIG. 13  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 12  illustrating a state of attempting to push the slider with the gasoline filling nozzle.  FIG. 14  is a plan view corresponding to  FIG. 12  illustrating a state of pushing the slider with the diesel filling nozzle. 
         [0054]    As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the distance (D-out) between the two outer projections  521 ,  521  arranged on the holding member  52  is set to a width that passes the gasoline filling nozzle  72  and the diesel filling nozzle  72  (D-out&gt;D-diesel&gt;D-gas). The distance (D-in) between the two inner projections  533 ,  533  arranged on the slider  53  is set to a width that engages the diesel filling nozzle  72  passed between the outer projections  521  and that passes the gasoline filling nozzle  71  (D-diesel&gt;D-in&gt;D-gas). The configuration of other components such as the cover main body  51  and the attachment plate  56  are the same as the example described above. This means that cover  5  of the above-described examples (i.e.; example 1 corresponds to  FIGS. 1 to 6  and  8  to  11 , example 2 corresponds to  FIG. 7 ) can be easily configured by replacing the holding member  52  and the slider  53  of this example (i.e., example 3 corresponds to  FIGS. 12 to 14 ). 
         [0055]    According to the fuel filler port closing apparatus of another example ( FIGS. 12 to 14 ), the gasoline filling nozzle  71  passes not only between the outer projections  521 ,  521  but also between the inner projections  533 ,  533 . Therefore the gasoline filling nozzle cannot push the slider  53 , as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , due to the distance (D-out) between the outer projections  521 ,  521  and the distance (D-in) between the inner projections  533 ,  533  set as above. As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the diesel filling nozzle  72  passes between the two outer projections  521 ,  521  but engages to the inner projections  533 ,  533 , and thus can push the slider  53 . This means that only the diesel filling nozzle  72  can open the cover  5  of another example. In other words, the cover  5  of another example provides a fuel filler port closing apparatus for diesel fuel capable of filling only the diesel fuel.