JP2001113965A - Oil filter port structure of fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the nozzle of a fueling gun being positioned eccentrically from a sealing member as insertion of the nozzle of the fueling gun into a nozzle guide is facilitated and to prevent diffusion of fuel vapor to the atmosphere and a lowering of durability of the seal member. SOLUTION: A housing 13 fixed at the internal part of an oil filler port 12 formed in the upper end of a filler pipe 11 is provided with a nozzle guide 16 to guide insertion of the nozzle N of a fueling gun G, a sealing member 15 made of rubber to seal the outer periphery of the nozzle N. By positioning the center Og of the nozzle guide 16 and the center Os of the sealing member 15 on the axis An of the nozzle N when the fueling gun G is held in the oil filler port 12, the nozzle N is prevented from exerting a radial deviated load on the sealing member 15, and diffusion of fuel vapor to the atmosphere and lowering of durability of the sealing member 15 are prevented from occurring.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an annular nozzle guide for guiding the insertion of a nozzle of a refueling gun into a filler port of a filler pipe of a fuel tank, and an outer periphery of the nozzle located below the nozzle guide. And an annular sealing member for sealing the fuel tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A filler port for inserting a nozzle of a fuel gun is provided at an upper end of a filler pipe extending upward from a fuel tank of an automobile toward the outside of the vehicle body. Inside the refueling port, an annular nozzle guide for facilitating the insertion of the refueling gun nozzle and an annular sealing member for preventing fuel vapor from escaping to the atmosphere are vertically arranged adjacent to each other. You.

[0003] The refueling gun inserted into the refueling port at the time of refueling,
The operator releases the hand and is locked to the filler port. At this time, the axis of the nozzle of the filler gun is inclined with respect to the axis of the filler pipe by gravity. Therefore,
When the center of the annular nozzle guide and the center of the annular seal member are arranged on the axis of the filler pipe, the nozzle held in an inclined state applies an uneven load in the radial direction to the seal member, so that the seal member is greatly deformed. Therefore, there is a problem that a gap is generated between the nozzle and the nozzle and that the durability of the seal member is reduced.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the fuel gun is guided by a pair of upper and lower nozzle guides so that the fuel gun can be supported in a state where the axis of the nozzle coincides with the axis of the filler tube. Proposed.

[0005]

However, the provision of two nozzle guides not only increases the number of parts but complicates the structure, but also causes the nozzle guide of the two nozzle guides to be inserted when the nozzle of the refueling gun is inserted. There is a problem that the lubrication work is troublesome because the lubrication work is easily performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to prevent the nozzle of a refueling gun from being eccentric with respect to a seal member while facilitating insertion of the nozzle of the refueling gun into a nozzle guide. And

[0007]

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a ring-shaped guide for guiding the insertion of a nozzle of a refueling gun into a filler port of a filler pipe of a fuel tank is provided. In a fuel filler opening structure of a fuel tank provided with a nozzle guide and an annular seal member that seals an outer periphery of a nozzle inserted below the nozzle guide, an axis connecting the center of the nozzle guide and the center of the seal member is formed. A fuel supply port structure for a fuel tank is proposed in which the nozzle guide and the seal member are arranged along the axis of the nozzle penetrating therethrough.

According to the above configuration, the axis connecting the center of the nozzle guide and the center of the seal member is aligned with the axis of the nozzle penetrating the nozzle guide and the seal member, so that the axis of the nozzle is aligned with the axis of the filler pipe. Even if the nozzle is inclined, the nozzle can be correctly fitted to the center of the seal member. As a result, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from imposing an eccentric load on the seal member, and to prevent the seal member from being greatly deformed to form a gap between the nozzle and the seal member and to reduce the durability of the seal member. Can be. Moreover, since only one nozzle guide is required, not only is it easy to insert the nozzle of the refueling gun, but also the number of parts is prevented from increasing.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
An annular nozzle guide that guides the insertion of a nozzle of a fuel gun and an annular seal member that is positioned below the nozzle guide and seals the outer periphery of the inserted nozzle are provided at a filler port of a filler pipe of a fuel tank. In the fuel tank filler opening structure, a fuel tank filler opening structure is proposed in which a housing having a nozzle guide and a seal member is swingably supported inside a filler pipe.

According to the above construction, the housing provided with the nozzle guide and the seal member is swingably supported inside the filler pipe, so that the axis of the nozzle penetrating the nozzle guide and the seal member is aligned with the axis of the filler pipe. When the housing is inclined, the housing swings with respect to the filler pipe, and the axis connecting the center of the nozzle guide and the center of the sealing member follows the axis of the nozzle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from imposing an eccentric load on the seal member, and to prevent the seal member from being greatly deformed to form a gap between the nozzle and the seal member and to reduce the durability of the seal member. Can be. Moreover, the number of nozzle guides is one
Since it suffices to use only one piece, not only is it easy to insert the nozzle of the refueling gun, but also the number of parts is prevented from increasing.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an upper portion of a filler pipe, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of inserting the nozzle of a gun.

As shown in FIG. 1, a filler port 12 at an upper end of a filler pipe 11 extending upward from a fuel tank (not shown).
A housing 13 formed of a synthetic resin into a substantially cylindrical shape is fitted through two O-rings 14 and 14 on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 13. An outer peripheral portion of an annular rubber seal member 15 is fitted into the first step portion 13a on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 13, and an outer peripheral portion of an annular nozzle guide 16 which engages with the seal member 15 in an uneven manner. The second step portion 13b on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 13 is fitted. The nozzle guide 16 is fixed by engaging locking claws 16a projecting from the outer peripheral surface thereof with engaging holes 13c formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 13.
The outer peripheral portion of the housing 5 is fixed by being sandwiched between the first step portion 13 a of the housing 13 and the nozzle guide 16.

The nozzle guide 16 is a nozzle N of the refueling gun G.
The inner diameter of the opening is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle N. The seal member 15 is provided with a seal lip 15a for elastically contacting the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle N of the refueling gun G to prevent the above-mentioned dispersion of the fuel. It is set slightly smaller than the diameter.

A plate-shaped shutter 18 is supported by a bracket 13d projecting from the lower surface of the housing 13 via a support shaft 17, and a housing 1 on which a sealing member 15 faces.
An annular valve seat 19 is fixed to the outlet opening 3. The shutter 18 is a spring 20 wound around the support shaft 17 and the valve seat 1.
9 is urged in the direction of sitting.

2 and 3, the axis An connecting the center Og of the opening of the nozzle guide 16 and the center Os of the opening of the seal member 15 is
It is inclined by an angle θ with respect to the axis Ap of the filler pipe 11. When the nozzle N of the refueling gun G is inserted into the nozzle guide 16 and the seal member 15 from the refueling port 12 in order to refuel the fuel tank, the shutter 18 is pushed open by the tip of the nozzle N. When the operator releases his hand from the refueling gun G, the flange Na protruding from the outer periphery of the nozzle N engages with the thread 12a protruding from the inner periphery of the refueling port 12 at the point p, and the outer periphery of the nozzle N The portion is engaged with the nozzle guide 16 at the point q, so that the refueling gun G is held in a stable posture.

When the nozzle N of the refueling gun G is supported by the refueling port 12 in this manner, as is apparent from FIG.
The axis of the nozzle N is the center Og of the opening of the nozzle guide 16.
And the axis An connecting the center Os of the opening of the seal member 15. Therefore, the nozzle N of the refueling gun G correctly passes through the center Os of the seal member 15, and the seal member 1
5 is prevented from deforming unevenly in the radial direction, so that the fuel vapor passes through the seal member 15 and is radiated to the atmosphere, or the seal member 15 is excessively deformed and the durability is reduced. The problem of losing is eliminated. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide two nozzle guides, the number of parts is reduced, and the nozzle N is not easily caught by the two nozzle guides, so that the insertion work is not difficult.

4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper part of the filler pipe, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4, and FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of inserting the nozzle of a gun.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a portion near the oil supply port 12 at the upper end of the filler pipe 11 is swelled in a spherical shape, and a partially spherical upper guide surface 11a and a lower guide surface having a common center therein. The surface 11b is formed.
The housing 21 includes a substantially cylindrical housing main body 21a,
A flange 21b extending radially from a lower end of the housing body 21a; and a partial spherical sliding surface 21c slidably supported by the lower guide surface 11b of the filler pipe 11 is formed on the outer periphery of the flange 21b. Is done.
The lower end of the annular nozzle guide 16 abuts on the upper end of the housing main body 21a of the housing 21, and a plurality of locking claws 21d projecting from the housing main body 21a.
And engagement holes 16 c formed in the nozzle guide 16. A circular sliding surface 16 d connected to the upper end of the tapered guide surface 16 b of the nozzle guide 16 is slidably supported by the upper guide surface 11 a of the filler pipe 11.

The inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm 22 and the outer peripheral portion of the seal member 15 are sandwiched between the connecting surface of the housing body 21a of the housing 21 and the nozzle guide 16, and the outer peripheral portion of the annularly formed diaphragm 22 is a filler pipe. 11 is coupled between the upper guide surface 11a and the lower guide surface 11b. A guide pipe 23 is vertically slidably supported inside the housing body 21a.
Spring 24 disposed between housing body 21a
Is urged upward. The seal member 15 is tapered upward from a fixed portion with the housing body 21a, a seal lip 15c located at an upper end of the tapered portion 15b and facing an opening of the nozzle guide 16, and extends downward from the seal lip 15c. And a cylindrical parallel portion 15d coupled to the upper end of the guide pipe 23.

A stopper 23a protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the guide pipe 23 at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of through holes 23b are formed above the stopper 23a to communicate the inside and outside of the guide pipe 23. A plate-shaped shutter 18 is supported by a bracket 21 e projecting from the lower surface of the housing 21 via a support shaft 17, and an annular valve seat 19 is fixed to an outlet opening of the housing 21. The shutter 18 is provided with a spring 20 provided between the shutter 18 and the guide pipe 23 and the valve seat 1.
9 is urged in the direction of sitting.

When the fuel is not supplied as shown in FIG. 4, the housing 21 and the nozzle guide 16 are held in the illustrated neutral position by the elastic force of the diaphragm 22. When the nozzle N of the refueling gun G is inserted into the refueling port 12 to perform refueling from this state, the nozzle N penetrates through the opening of the nozzle guide 16 and the parallel portion 15d of the seal member 15 as shown in FIG. It enters the inside of the pipe 23, and its tip comes into contact with the stopper 23 a of the guide pipe 23. Nozzle N
Is further pressed, the guide pipe 23 descends while compressing the spring 24, and the shutter 18, whose upper surface is pressed by the lower end of the guide pipe 23, is opened against the elastic force of the spring 20.

When the guide pipe 23 descends relative to the housing 21, the parallel portion 15d of the seal member 15
Is pushed down, the seal lip 15c moves inward in the radial direction, closely adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle N of the refueling gun G, and the emission of fuel vapor to the atmosphere is reliably prevented.
When the fuel tank is full and the fuel level in the filler pipe 11 rises, the fuel flows into the guide pipe 23 through the through holes 23b, and the auto stop device provided in the nozzle N of the refueling gun G is used. It can be operated without any trouble.

When the hand is released from the refueling gun G in this state, the flange Na of the nozzle N of the refueling gun G tilted by gravity is p
At this point, the fuel abutment G abuts on the thread 12a of the fuel filler port 12, and the fuel filler gun G is held in the inclined position at that time. With the inclination of the refueling gun G, the sliding surfaces 16d and 21c are changed to the spherical guide surface 11.
The nozzle guide 16 and the housing 21 guided by the nozzles a and 11b respectively swing together with the seal member 15 and the guide pipe 23.
5 is prevented from being applied with a radially unbalanced load to the seal lip 15c.

As described above, also according to the second embodiment,
Not only does the problem that the fuel vapor passes through the seal member 15 to be radiated to the atmosphere and the seal member 15 is excessively deformed and durability is reduced, but it is not necessary to provide two nozzle guides. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the nozzle N can be smoothly inserted.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various design changes can be made in the present invention without departing from the gist thereof.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the axis connecting the center of the nozzle guide and the center of the seal member is aligned with the axis of the nozzle penetrating the nozzle guide and the seal member. Even if the axis of the nozzle is inclined with respect to the axis of the filler pipe, the nozzle can be correctly fitted to the center of the seal member. As a result, the nozzle is prevented from applying an eccentric load to the seal member,
It is possible to prevent the seal member from being greatly deformed, generating a gap between the nozzle and the nozzle, and preventing the durability of the seal member from decreasing. Moreover, since only one nozzle guide is required, not only is it easy to insert the nozzle of the refueling gun, but also the number of parts is prevented from increasing.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
Since the housing provided with the nozzle guide and the seal member is swingably supported inside the filler pipe, when the axis of the nozzle penetrating the nozzle guide and the seal member is inclined with respect to the axis of the filler pipe, the housing is filled with the filler. The axis connecting the center of the nozzle guide and the center of the seal member by shaking the pipe follows the axis of the nozzle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from imposing an eccentric load on the seal member, and to prevent the seal member from being greatly deformed to form a gap between the nozzle and the seal member and to reduce the durability of the seal member. Can be. Moreover, since only one nozzle guide is required, not only is it easy to insert the nozzle of the refueling gun, but also the number of parts is prevented from increasing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an upper part of a filler pipe according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when a nozzle of a refueling gun is inserted.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an upper portion of a filler pipe according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when a nozzle of a refueling gun is inserted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Filler pipe 12 Oil filler 15 Seal member 16 Nozzle guide 21 Housing An Axis line G Oil gun N Nozzle Og Center of nozzle guide Os Center of seal member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Shimizu 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama Prefecture Inside Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takeshi Suzuki 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama 3D038 CA25 CC13 CC14 Inside Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiaki Ichitani 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama

Claims (2)

[Claims] An annular nozzle guide (16) for guiding the insertion of a nozzle (N) of a fuel gun (G) into a filler port (12) of a filler pipe (11) of a fuel tank, and a nozzle guide (16). A center (Og) of a nozzle guide (16) and a sealing member, provided with an annular sealing member (15) for sealing an outer periphery of a nozzle (N) inserted below the nozzle (N). A fuel supply port for a fuel tank, wherein an axis (An) connecting the center (Os) of (15) is aligned with an axis of a nozzle (N) penetrating the nozzle guide (16) and the seal member (15). Construction. 2. An annular nozzle guide (16) for guiding insertion of a nozzle (N) of a fuel gun (G) into a fuel port (12) of a filler pipe (11) of a fuel tank, and a nozzle guide (16). A nozzle guide (16) and a seal member (15) in a fuel supply port structure of a fuel tank provided with an annular seal member (15) for sealing the outer periphery of a nozzle (N) inserted below the nozzle (N). The fuel supply port structure of a fuel tank, characterized in that the housing (21) is swingably supported inside the filler pipe (11).