JP2001280212A - Fuel pump unit device of internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel pump unit device of such a structure that an opening formed in a fuel tank for insertion of a pump unit is blocked with a sub-tank equipped with fuel pump and a cover fitted with a strainer, wherein the strainer and sub-tank are arranged to allow easy mounting of the cover and easy perfor mance of the maintenance works. SOLUTION: The opening TA formed in the fuel tank T for insertion of the pump unit is blocked with the cover 1. The top 6A of a supporting rod 6 is fixed to the cover 1 while the bottom 6B extends downward. From the bottom 6B of the supporting rod 6, a strainer guide hole SE for the strainer S, a spring 9, and a sub-tank guide hole CE for the sub-tank C are inserted one after another and installed. The sub-tank C is pressed to the bottom surface TB of the fuel tank T by the spring 9 and held resiliently while the strainer S is pressed to a mounting boss 5 on the cover 1 by spring S and held resiliently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called in-tank type fuel pump unit in which a sub-tank having a fuel pump is housed and arranged in a fuel tank of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In such a conventional fuel pump unit, a pump unit insertion opening formed in a fuel tank is hermetically closed by a cover, and a sub-tank having a fuel pump is mounted on the cover. On the other hand, the pressurized fuel that draws the fuel in the sub-tank and travels from the discharge path of the fuel pump to the fuel injection valve needs to be supplied with the foreign matter removed by a strainer, filtered to clean fuel, and supplied. Is mounted on the fuel pump unit and accommodated in the fuel tank in consideration of the degree of freedom of arrangement around the engine. Specifically, the strainer is directly fixed to the surface of the cover facing the fuel tank,
Alternatively, the strainer is directly fixed to the sub tank. Therefore, by closing the pump unit insertion opening of the fuel tank with the cover, the sub-tank including the fuel pump mounted on the cover and the strainer fixed to the cover or the sub-tank can be housed and arranged in the fuel tank.

[0003]

The conventional fuel pump unit has the following disadvantages. If the strainer is fixedly arranged on the surface of the cover facing the inside of the fuel tank, the installation positions of the coupler terminal, the fuel discharge path, the return fuel path, and the like provided on the cover are limited, and the design freedom thereof is impaired. Further, when the strainer is fixedly arranged in the sub-tank, the entire strainer is housed in the sub-tank, and the chamber capacity of the sub-tank is greatly reduced, and a sufficient chamber capacity cannot be secured. Here, if the size of the sub-tank is increased, a sufficient capacity of the chamber can be ensured, but it is difficult to make the fuel pump unit device compact.
Further, in the above, the sub-tank bears the weight of the strainer, and accordingly, consideration must be given to increasing the rigidity of the sub-tank. This includes increasing the thickness of the sub-tank, adding reinforcement ribs, selecting a rigid material, and the like. Furthermore,
The strainer is screwed to the cover or the sub-tank with a mechanical connecting means such as a screw member, or is adhered by an adhesive, and furthermore, a strainer made of a synthetic resin material is melted and welded. According to the mechanical coupling using a screw member or the like, the coupling operation requires a lot of time, and the cover and the sub-tank are generally made of a synthetic resin material for the purpose of reducing the weight of the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to take care to secure the tightening connection strength of the screw, which makes it difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost. Also, according to the fixing to the cover by the strainer adhesive, welding,
Strainer maintenance cannot be performed.

[0004] The fuel pump unit device according to the present invention comprises:
In view of the above-mentioned problem, in a fuel tank and a strainer provided in a cover or a sub-tank which closes a pump unit insertion opening of a fuel tank, the strainer has a high mountability, and the strainer is extremely simple and reliable. It is an object of the present invention to provide the above-mentioned apparatus which can be mounted at a low cost and can perform the maintenance work of the strainer extremely easily.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fuel pump unit for a vehicle according to the present invention has a cover for closing a pump unit insertion opening formed in a fuel tank, and a fuel tank contained in the fuel tank. A sub-tank equipped with a fuel pump, and an upper end fixed to the mounting boss of the cover, a lower end extending toward the inside of the fuel tank and movably arranged in a sub-tank guide hole formed in a guide cylinder portion of the sub-tank. And a strainer in which a strainer guide hole extending in the axial direction is formed in a guide cylindrical portion formed in the outer portion, and the strainer guide hole of the strainer is inserted and arranged at the upper end side of the support rod and supported. The sub-tank guide hole of the sub-tank is inserted and arranged at the lower end of the rod, and the lower end of the guide cylinder of the strainer and the upper end of the guide cylinder of the sub-tank A first feature is that a spring is contracted on the outer periphery of the support rod between the sub tank and the sub tank is elastically pressed and held toward the bottom of the fuel tank and the strainer is elastically pressed and held toward the cover. .

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the first feature, a second feature is that the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material, and a guide cylinder including a guide hole is formed integrally with the strainer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first feature, an upper portion of the strainer is disposed below a lower end of a cylindrical portion formed integrally with the cover, and a lower portion is disposed in a sub-tank. The feature of.

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the third feature, a fuel pressure control valve is disposed below the strainer, and a fuel pressure control valve including the lower portion of the strainer is disposed in a sub-tank. The feature of.

Further, according to the present invention, in addition to the first feature, the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material, and the support rod is formed of a conductive material to support static electricity generated in the strainer. The fifth feature is that the electric discharge is performed via the rod.

Further, the present invention provides, in addition to the first feature,
A sixth feature is that the strainer and the sub-tank are formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material, and the support rod is formed of a conductive material, and static electricity generated in the strainer and the sub-tank is discharged through the support rod. And

[0011]

According to the first feature, the strainer guide hole of the strainer is inserted and arranged from the lower end of the support rod having the upper end fixed to the mounting boss of the cover, and then the spring is inserted and arranged. The hole is inserted and arranged, and in this state, the pump unit insertion opening of the fuel tank is closed by the cover. According to the above, the sub tank is elastically pressed and held toward the bottom of the fuel tank by the spring, while the strainer is elastically pressed and held toward the mounting boss of the cover by the spring. Therefore, the strainer can be attached to the cover very easily, and by removing the sub-tank from the lower end of the support rod, the strainer can be easily taken out from the cover, and the maintenance work of the strainer can be easily performed.

According to the second feature, when the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material, a guide tube portion including a strainer guide hole can be simultaneously formed integrally, so that a new guide member is required or the guide member is attached to the strainer. No need to install.

Further, according to the third feature, the strainer is disposed below the lower end of the cylindrical portion of the cover, and the strainer does not enter the cylindrical portion and is disposed. Degree of freedom can be improved.

Further, according to the fourth feature, since the fuel pressure control valve including the lower portion of the strainer is disposed in the fuel in the sub-tank, operation noise generated in the fuel pressure control valve can be reduced.

According to the fifth feature, static electricity generated in the strainer by fuel flowing through the strainer is reliably discharged from the strainer to the outside via the support rod, so that a special component for discharging static electricity is provided. Do not need.

Further, according to the sixth feature, static electricity generated in the strainer by fuel flowing in the strainer and static electricity generated by fuel flowing in the sub tank are reliably discharged to the outside via the support rod. It is released and does not require special electrostatic discharge means.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a state where a fuel pump unit device is mounted on a fuel tank. T is a fuel tank mounted on the vehicle. A pump unit insertion opening TA is formed above the fuel tank. Fuel is supplied into the fuel tank T from a fuel supply hole (not shown). It is stored. Reference numeral 1 denotes a cover made of a synthetic resin material for closing the pump unit insertion opening TA of the fuel tank T. Specifically, an annular seal member 2 is disposed between the flat flange 1A and the upper surface of the fuel tank T. Then, the cylindrical portion 1B directed downward from the flat flange portion 1A is inserted into the pump unit insertion opening 7A, and the lower end 1C thereof is disposed to enter the fuel tank T. The cover also has a connector terminal 3 for electrically connecting a power supply (not shown) and a fuel pump P (described later), and a fuel injected from a discharge path PA of the fuel pump P to a fuel injection valve (not shown). , The fuel discharge path 4,
A mounting boss 5 for fixing and supporting a support rod, which will be described later, is formed. The connector terminal 3, the fuel discharge path 4, and the mounting boss 5 are formed inside the cylindrical portion 1B. In this example, a pair of support rod attachment bosses 5 are formed to face each other.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a support rod fixed to the cover 1 and extending vertically, specifically, a rod-shaped member having a circular cross section, the upper end of which is integrally fixed to the mounting boss 5, and the lower end 6B of which is directed downward. Extend. For example, the upper end 6A of the support rod 6
Is insert-molded and fixed to the mounting boss 5 during the injection molding of the cover 1. In this embodiment, the support rods 6 are symmetrically arranged in a pair.

The strainer S comprises the following. SA is a lower cup body that is open at the top and has a cup shape with a bottom, and has a fuel pressure control valve insertion hole SB and a discharge passage SC at the lower bottom. A pair of guide cylinders SD, SD is formed on the side of the lower cup body SA, and a strainer guide hole SE extending vertically extends through the guide cylinder SD. The hole shape of the strainer guide hole SE is
Into which a pair of strainer guide holes S can be inserted.
The hole pitch X of E is the same as the pitch of the pair of support rods 6. SF is an upper cup body which is open at the bottom and has a cup shape with a bottom, and an inflow path SG is opened at the upper bottom. Further, the lower cup body SA and the upper cup body SF are formed of a synthetic resin material. Then, the strainer S has the filtering member 7 disposed in the lower cup body SA, and then connects the upper opening of the upper cup body SF and the lower opening of the upper cup body SF with bonding means such as an adhesive or welding. To join.
According to the above, in the strainer S, the inflow chamber SH is formed by the upper bottom of the upper cup body SA and the upper end of the filter member 7, and the outflow chamber SJ is formed by the lower bottom of the lower cup body SA and the lower end of the filter member 7. The inflow passage SG opens into the inflow chamber SH, and the fuel pressure control valve insertion hole SB and the discharge passage S
C opens into the outflow chamber SJ.

C is a sub-tank consisting of: The sub-tank C is formed of a synthetic resin material, has a bottomed cylindrical shape, has an open top, and houses therein a fuel pump P having a filter 8 connected to the suction passage PB.
The fuel pump P is a well-known Wesco-type pump that performs a pump function by rotating an impeller by rotation of a motor, for example, and is disposed via a support member 9 in a storage wall portion CA in a sub tank C. CB is a guide cylinder formed integrally with the sub tank C, and the upper end C of the guide cylinder CB.
A sub-tank guide hole CE is drilled downward from D. The sub tank guide hole CE has a support rod 6
Into which a pair of sub-tank guide holes C can be inserted.
The hole pitch of E is the same as the pitch of the pair of support rods 6.
That is, the pair of strainer guide holes SE and the pair of sub-tank guide holes CE are formed at the same pitch facing the pair of support rods 6, and their longitudinal axes are arranged on the same line.

Then, the fuel pump unit device is assembled as follows. First, the strainer guide hole SE of the strainer S is inserted and arranged from the lower end 6B of the support rod 6 fixed to the cover 1 toward the support rod 6, and then a coil spring is formed from the lower end 6B of the support rod 6 toward the support rod 6. 9
The support rod 6 is then inserted from the lower end 6B of the support rod 6.
The sub tank guide hole CE of the sub tank C is inserted and arranged toward. According to the above description, the strainer S is slidably guided on the support rod 6 via the strainer guide hole SE, and the sub-tank C is slidably guided on the support rod 6 via the sub-tank guide hole CE. Also, the guide tube portion S of the strainer S
The upper end SL of D is arranged facing the lower end 5A of the mounting boss 5, the lower end SN of the guide cylinder SD of the strainer S is arranged facing the upper end CD of the guide cylinder CB of the sub tank C,
Further, the spring 9 is contracted between the lower end SN of the guide cylinder SD of the strainer S and the upper end CD of the guide cylinder CB of the sub tank C.

As described above, the sub-tank C having the strainer S and the fuel pump P is attached to the cover 1 via the support rod 6 with the rotation thereof being suppressed, and the fuel pump unit device is constructed. The terminal PG of the fuel pump P and the connector terminal 3 of the cover 1 are electrically connected, the discharge path PA of the fuel pump P and the inflow path SG of the strainer S are flow-connected, and the discharge path SC of the strainer S and the cover 1 are connected. Is connected to the fuel discharge path 4. Such a fuel pump unit device is inserted and arranged in the fuel tank T through the pump unit insertion opening TA of the fuel tank T.
The seal member 2 is disposed between the flat flange portion 1A and the fuel tank T, and the cover 1 is fixed to the fuel tank T.

According to the above description, the sub-tank C is formed on the bottom surface of the fuel tank T by the spring force of the spring 9 contracted between the lower end SN of the guide cylinder SD of the strainer S and the upper end CD of the guide cylinder CB of the sub-tank C. The rotation is suppressed by the pair of support rods 6 while being elastically pressed and held by the TB. Reference numeral 10 denotes an elastic cushion disposed between the bottom surface CG of the sub tank C and the bottom surface TB of the fuel tank T. On the other hand, the upper end SL of the guide tube portion SD of the strainer S is moved to the lower end 5 of the mounting boss 5 of the cover 1 by the spring force of the spring 9 contracted in the above-described state.
A is elastically pressed and held toward A, and its rotation is suppressed by a pair of support rods 6. Note that the support rod 6 is not necessarily required to be a pair, and when one support rod is used,
In order to suppress the rotation of the strainer S and the sub-tank C, the cross-sectional shape of the support rod 6 may be made short or circular.

According to the fuel pump unit device of the present invention, the lower end 6B of the support rod 6 fixed to the cover 1 is provided.
By inserting the strainer guide hole SE of the strainer S, the spring 9 and the sub-tank guide hole CE of the sub-tank C sequentially, the strainer S and the sub-tank C can be mounted on the cover 1 very easily and in a short time. In addition, since there is no need to use any mechanical coupling means such as screws in the assembling work, the strainer S,
Even when the sub-tank C is formed of a synthetic resin material, there is no need to consider the bonding strength. Also, cover 1
When the fuel tank T is removed from the fuel tank T, the sub-tank C and the strainer S can be easily removed from the cover 1 by extracting the sub-tank C and the strainer S from the support rod 6, whereby the filter 8 and the strainer The maintenance workability of S was greatly improved. Also, according to the fact that the sub tank C is elastically pressed and held toward the bottom surface TB of the fuel tank T by the spring force of the spring 9, the internal pressure in the fuel tank T changes and the bottom surface TB of the fuel tank T is displaced. Even in this case, the sub-tank C can follow this displacement, and the generation of unnecessary stress at the contact portion can be suppressed.

When the strainer S is injection-molded from a synthetic resin material, the guide cylinder SD including the strainer guide hole SE is connected to the strainer S (specifically, the lower cup body S).
Since the injection molding can be performed integrally with A), it is not necessary to prepare a specially new guide member or attach the guide member to the strainer S, thereby achieving a reduction in component cost and assembly cost. Further, the strainer S itself can be made compact.

Further, the upper part SP of the strainer S in the present embodiment.
Is disposed below the lower end 1C of the cylindrical portion 1B formed so as to protrude downward from the cover 1 and the lower part ST of the strainer S is disposed in the sub-tank C. The connector terminal 3, the fuel discharge path 4, the mounting boss 5, and the interference between the fuel return path (not shown) and the strainer S are eliminated, so that the degree of freedom in designing the cover 1 of each of the above-mentioned components can be greatly improved. It is. Furthermore, sub tank C
Only the lower part ST of the strainer S enters and is arranged inside,
Since the entire strainer S does not enter and is disposed, the capacity of the sub-tank is not greatly reduced, and the effect of reducing the size of the sub-tank C is achieved.

Further, such a fuel pump unit device includes:
A fuel pressure control valve R, which functions to keep constant the fuel pressure from the fuel pump P to the fuel injection valve and the atmospheric pressure or the negative pressure of the intake pipe, is provided. R, the fuel inlet RA of the strainer S is inserted into the fuel pressure control valve insertion hole SB of the strainer S.
Is always disposed in the fuel in the sub-tank C, whereby the operating noise generated in the fuel pressure control valve R is hardly transmitted to the outside of the fuel tank T, so that a quiet fuel pump unit can be provided. .

Also, a lower cup body SA and an upper cup body SF
When the strainer S is formed of a synthetic resin material including a conductive material such as carbon and the support rod 6 is formed of a conductive material, static electricity generated in the strainer S due to fuel flowing through the strainer S is generated by the strainer S. In addition, it is possible to discharge to the outside through the support rod 6, thereby eliminating the problem due to static electricity and simplifying the mechanism for the discharge. Reference numeral 20 denotes a ground wire connected to the upper end of the support rod 6.

When the above-mentioned strainer S is formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material, the sub-tank C is also formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material, and the support rod 6 is formed of a conductive material. The static electricity generated in the strainer S and the static electricity generated in the sub-tank C can be discharged to the outside through the support rod 6, and the static electricity generated in the fuel tank T can be more effectively removed.

Further, even when the strainer S is changed, it can be mounted in common by setting the hole shape and the hole pitch X of the guide holes SE to be the same. Attachment means is obtained.

[0030]

As described above, according to the fuel supply device for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention, the strainer guide hole of the strainer, the spring, and the sub-tank guide hole of the sub-tank are sequentially arranged from the lower end of the support rod fixedly supported by the cover. Then, the strainer is elastically pressed and held on the cover by the spring force of the spring, and the sub tank is pressed and held on the fuel tank by the spring force of the spring. it can. Also, by removing the fuel pump unit from the fuel tank, the sub-tank, the spring, and the strainer can be sequentially removed, thereby greatly improving the maintainability of the filter in the strainer and the sub-tank.
Further, if the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material and the guide cylinder portion including the strainer guide hole is integrally formed with the strainer at the time of molding, the mounting means can be made extremely inexpensively. In addition, since the upper part of the strainer is arranged below the lower end of the cylindrical part of the cover and the lower part of the strainer is arranged in the sub-tank, the degree of freedom in designing connector terminals, flow paths, etc. formed on the cover is increased. This is preferable in manufacturing the fuel pump unit, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the strainer from greatly reducing the capacity of the chamber in the sub tank. Further, by disposing the fuel pressure control valve below the strainer and disposing the fuel pressure control valve in the sub-tank, it is possible to reduce the operating noise of the fuel pressure control valve and to make them compact. Further, when the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material and the support rod is formed of a conductive material, static electricity generated in the strainer can be effectively discharged through the support rod. Further, when the strainer and the sub-tank are formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material and the support rod is formed of a conductive material, static electricity generated in the strainer and the sub-tank can be more effectively discharged through the support rod.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a main part of an embodiment of a fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the strainer in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 T fuel tank P fuel pump S strainer SE strainer guide hole SD guide cylinder C sub tank CB guide cylinder CE sub tank guide hole 1 cover 6 support rod 9 spring

Claims (6)

[Claims] A cover for closing a pump unit insertion opening formed in the fuel tank;
Sub-tank C with fuel pump P housed and arranged in
The upper end 6A is fixed to the mounting boss 5 of the cover 1 and the lower end 6B extends toward the inside of the fuel tank T and is movably disposed in a sub-tank guide hole CE formed in the guide cylinder CB of the sub-tank C. And a strainer S in which a strainer guide hole SE extending in the axial direction is formed in a guide cylindrical portion SD formed in an outer portion. A strainer guide hole of the strainer S is provided at the upper end side of the support rod 6. S
E, the sub-tank guide hole CE of the sub-tank C is inserted and disposed at the lower end side of the support rod 6, and the lower end SN of the guide cylinder SD of the strainer S and the sub-tank C
A spring 9 is contracted around the outer periphery of the support rod 6 between the upper end CD of the guide cylinder CB and the sub-tank C to elastically press and hold the sub-tank C toward the bottom TB of the fuel tank T, and the strainer S is attached to the cover 1. A fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine, wherein the fuel pump unit device is elastically pressed and held toward the engine. 2. The strainer is made of a synthetic resin material, and a guide tube portion SD including a strainer guide hole SE is formed integrally with the strainer S.
A fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to the above. 3. An upper part SP of the strainer is covered with a cover 1.
2. The fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion ST is disposed in the sub tank C below the lower end 1C of the cylindrical portion 1B integrally formed with the sub tank C. 4. A fuel pressure control valve R is disposed in a lower portion ST of the strainer, and a fuel pressure control valve R including a lower portion ST of the strainer S is disposed in a sub-tank C. A fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine. 5. A method in which the strainer is formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material and the support rod 6 is formed of a conductive material, and the static electricity generated in the strainer S is discharged through the support rod 6. The fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein 6. The strainer and the sub-tank C are formed of a synthetic resin material containing a conductive material, and the support rod 6 is formed of a conductive material. The fuel pump unit device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel pump unit has been discharged through the power supply.