JP2001277868A - Oil filler port structure of fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the oil filler port structure of a fuel tank to enhance the efficiency of assembly work. SOLUTION: A filler neck 21a for mounting a fuel cap 21 is arranged over the oil filler port 20c of the fuel tank 20, and the oil filler port 20c and the filler neck 21a are connected with a cylindrical joint 22 made of an elastic material by fitting them. A pan 22c for receiving leaked oil is integrally formed in the cylindrical joint 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel tank provided in a construction machine such as a hydraulic shovel or the like.
The present invention relates to a fuel filler structure of the fuel tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a hydraulic excavator, an upper revolving unit is rotatably mounted on a crawler type lower traveling unit, and an engine unit, a fuel tank, a hydraulic oil tank, a battery, a hydraulic device and the like are mounted on the upper revolving unit. Are arranged. In particular, in the case of a small excavator called a mini excavator, the above-described components must be collectively arranged in an equipment cover (exterior member) with limited space.
The engine unit and the fuel tank are arranged close to each other.

[0003] Therefore, a receiving pan is attached to the fuel supply port of the fuel tank, and even when fuel overflows from the fuel supply port during fueling, the fuel is received by the pan and the fuel is prevented from dripping into the engine unit. Fuel collected in the pan is discharged to a safe place through drain.

In recent years, the fuel tank is often molded into a desired shape in accordance with the shape of the equipment cover and the equipment layout so that a certain volume can be secured even in a narrow space. The fuel filler port of such a resin fuel tank is opened and closed using a fuel cap, but in the type that can be key-locked, the fuel cap and the filler neck to which the cap is attached are made of metal. Therefore, it is necessary to connect the filler port of the resin fuel tank and the metal filler neck formed of a member separate from the fuel tank. Then, the tray is attached to the filler neck.

[0005] As described above, conventionally, when a fuel filler opening structure of a fuel tank is formed, a filler neck is connected to the fuel filler opening of the fuel tank using a connecting part, and another connecting part is further used for the filler neck. The work of attaching a saucer is performed.

[0006]

However, in the conventional filler opening structure, since a plurality of connecting fittings are used in connecting the filler neck and attaching the receiving tray, the filler opening structure becomes complicated and cost is reduced. Is an obstacle. In addition, there is a problem in that connection and installation are troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems in the fuel filler structure of the conventional fuel tank, and can simplify the connection in the fuel filler structure to reduce the cost and to assemble the fuel tank. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel tank filler port structure that can improve the workability of the fuel tank.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a filler neck for mounting a fuel cap is disposed above a filler port of a fuel tank, and the filler port and the filler neck straddle between the two. And a receiving pan connected to the cylindrical joint to be fitted and receiving the leaked oil, the fuel tank being provided integrally with the cylindrical joint.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the fuel supply port is provided so as to face the outside through an opening of an exterior member in which the fuel tank is accommodated, and the tray is provided with a gap around the fuel supply port in the opening. Is a fuel filler opening structure of a fuel tank having a shielding portion that shields the fuel tank in plan view.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the fuel supply port of the fuel tank is provided so as to face the outside through an opening of an exterior member in which the fuel tank is housed, and the receiving tray for receiving leaked oil is provided in the above-mentioned manner. FIG. 4 is a fuel port structure of a fuel tank provided so as to shield a gap around the fuel port in the opening in plan view.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the receptacle is provided integrally with the cylindrical joint connecting the filler port and the filler neck, the receptacle is connected to the filler neck at the same time as the filler port is connected to the filler neck. Can be formed.

In the present invention, as a specific example of the elastic material forming the tubular joint, a synthetic rubber molded into a tubular shape is shown. As the synthetic rubber, any one can be used as long as it is excellent in chemical resistance, weather resistance and mechanical strength. For example, CR rubber, NBR rubber and the like can be selected.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, when the oil supply port is provided so as to face the outside through the opening of the exterior member, a pan (shielding portion) for receiving the leaked oil surrounds the oil supply port. Since the gap can be shielded in a plan view, the appearance is improved.

In other words, since the receiving tray also serves as a shielding member, a shielding-dedicated component is not required, so that the cost can be further reduced and the structure around the refueling port can be simplified.

In particular, in the case of the second aspect of the present invention, since the tubular joint serves as both the receiving tray and the shielding member, the effect in this respect is high.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the entire configuration of a small hydraulic excavator to which a fuel tank filler port structure according to the present invention is applied.

In the small hydraulic excavator 1 shown in FIG. 1, an upper revolving unit 3 is rotatably mounted on a crawler type lower traveling unit 2, and a front attachment 4 is provided on a front side of the upper revolving unit 3. ing. The front attachment 4 mainly includes a boom 4a, an arm 4b, a bucket 4c, and a boom cylinder 4d, an arm cylinder 4e, and a bucket cylinder 4f for driving these.

An equipment cover 5 as an exterior member for housing an engine unit, a fuel tank, a hydraulic oil tank, a battery and the like (not shown) is provided on the rear side of the upper swing body 3. 6 is attached.

A control box 7 is arranged on the left and right sides of the driver's seat 6.
By operating the upper operation lever 7a, the front attachment 4 can be operated.

Also, four columns 8, 9, and 10, 11 are erected on the front side and the rear side of the upper swing body 3 so as to surround the driver's seat 6, and a canopy is provided at the upper end of these columns 8 to 11. 12 are attached.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged views of the device cover 5 shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a front view.

In both figures, in this embodiment, the side cover 5a (shown by a thick line in the figure) of the device cover 5 can be opened in the direction of arrow A with the hinge 5b as a fulcrum. A fuel tank 20 is arranged behind the fuel tank 20, and an engine unit is arranged near the fuel tank 20.

The top plate of the side cover 5a is formed with a U-shaped notch 5c as an opening for allowing a fuel filler port to be described later to be exposed to the outside. Of the fuel cap 21 protrudes. Below the fuel cap 21, a receiving tray 22c described below is arranged to receive fuel leaked at the time of refueling and discharge it to a safe place via a drain pipe 25 described later.

A part of the tray 22c shields a gap (a range B shown by oblique lines in the figure) left between the edge 5d 'of the top plate 5d and the notch 5c in the device cover 5. And a part of the device cover 5.
Reference numeral 23 denotes a mounting bracket for fixing the rear supports 10 and 11.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the fuel tank 20. FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a right side view.

3 (a) to 3 (c), the fuel tank 20 is formed of a resin molded product, and the rear surface 20a is formed in an arc shape along the shape of the device cover 5, and At a substantially central portion, a concave groove 20b is formed to avoid the hinge 5b.

Next, the fuel supply port structure 24 formed in the fuel tank 20 will be described.

The filler port structure 24 includes a filler port 20c provided at an upper portion of the fuel tank 20, a filler neck 21a connected to the filler port 20c, and a filler neck 2a.
1a, a fuel cap 21 and a fuel filler 2
Joint 22 for connecting filler neck 21a and filler neck 21a
It is mainly composed of

The filler port 20c is formed of a straight pipe erected at a height "h" from the upper surface of the fuel tank 20, and the filler neck 21a is connected to the filler port 20c in a state of communicating with the filler port 20c. The fuel cap 21 mounted on the filler neck 21a is of a key lock type. When a key (not shown) is inserted into the key hole 21b and turned clockwise by 90 ° from the vertical position (the OPEN position shown in FIG. 3A). ) It can be removed, and it can be locked by rotating it 90 ° to the left from its OPEN position (LOCK position shown in FIG. 3A). 21c is the key hole 2
1b is a cover for protecting 1b.

The tubular joint 22 is mounted so as to straddle the oil filler port 20c and the filler neck 21a, and the drain pipe 25 is connected to the drain portion 22a.
Reference numeral 26 denotes a tightening band for tightening and fixing the filler neck 21a side fitted to the cylindrical joint 22, and reference numeral 27 denotes a tightening band for tightening and fixing the filler port 20c side.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged views of the tubular joint 22. FIG. 4A is a plan view, FIG.
FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

The tubular joint 22 is made of a synthetic rubber molded product, and the oil filler port 20c fitted using its elasticity.
And the filler neck 21a.

On the upper part of the cylindrical joint 22, a saucer 22c is provided.
Are formed integrally, and a part of the saucer 22c is
A shielding portion 22d for shielding the hatched portion (gap around the oil filler) B shown in FIG. 2 is formed. That is,
The shielding portion 22d is for connecting the top plate 5d of the device cover 5 and the notch 5c of the side cover 5a flush to shield the oblique line portion B in a plan view. Make up.

The inner diameter d of the body portion 22b of the tubular joint 22 is determined by the outer diameter of the filler port 20c and the filler neck 21.
a is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of
c and the filler neck 21a are fitted in a state where the body 22b is slightly elastically deformed. Therefore, the filler port 20c fitted from the lower side of the body 22b and the filler neck 21a press-fitted from the upper side are combined with the body 22b.
Adhered to the inner wall.

On the other hand, the tray 22c is provided with the filler neck 2
1a is fitted to form an annular concave groove 22e around it, and this concave groove 22e is formed in the passage 22a.
f and communicates with the drain opening 22g.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the fuel supply port structure 24.

In the figure, the filler port 20c of the fuel tank 20 is fitted to about half the length of the body 22b, and the filler neck 21a is fitted from the opposite side of the body 22b.

A tightening band 27 is wrapped around the fitting portion 20c of the body portion 22b on the side where the filler port 20c is fitted, and the cylindrical joint 22 and the filler port 20c are more firmly fixed by tightening. Next, the tightening band 26 is also wound around the filler neck 21a fitting side of the body 22b,
Similarly, the tubular joint 22 and the filler neck 21a are fixed with the tightening force strengthened.

As described above, by simply fitting the filler port 20c to one of the body portions 22b of the tubular joint 22 and fitting the filler neck 21a to the other, the filler port 20c and the filler neck 21a are brought into abutting communication. Can be connected at the same time.

Moreover, since the tray 22c is provided integrally with the tubular joint 22, the tray 22c can be formed around the filler neck 21a at the same time as the filler neck 21a is fitted.
For this reason, it is not necessary to separately attach the saucer as a separate component as in the related art. Note that FL in the figure is a filter.

Other Embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, the cylindrical joint was fastened with a tightening band. However, threaded portions were formed on the inner surface of the body of the cylindrical joint and the fuel supply port of the fuel tank, respectively. You may make it fixable.

(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the receiving tray is provided integrally with the cylindrical joint is exemplified. However, in the third aspect of the present invention, the receiving tray may be provided integrally with the filler port or the filler neck or as a separate part. Good. Even in this case, the gap around the filler hole can be shielded in plan view by the saucer (the saucer forms a part of the exterior member), so that the appearance is improved, and further, there is no need for a dedicated shielding part. Have.

(3) The invention of claim 1 can be applied to a case where the fuel cap is disposed in the exterior member. In this case, the shielding part of the saucer becomes unnecessary.

(4) The fuel tank filler port structure according to the present invention is suitable for a small excavator in which the engine unit and the fuel tank must be arranged close to each other, but is not limited to the small excavator. The present invention can be applied to any fuel tank as long as it connects the filler port and the filler neck of the fuel cap.

[0046]

As is apparent from the above description,
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the pan is integrally provided with the tubular joint that connects the filler port and the filler neck, it is possible to connect the filler port and the filler neck and simultaneously form the tray around the filler neck. it can.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, when the oil supply port is provided so as to face the outside through the opening of the exterior member, the oil supply port is provided by a tray (shielding portion) for receiving leaked oil. Since the surrounding gap can be shielded in a plan view, the appearance is good.

Further, since the receiving plate also serves as a shielding member, a dedicated shielding component is not required, so that the cost can be further reduced and the structure around the refueling port can be simplified.

In particular, in the case of the second aspect of the present invention, since the cylindrical joint serves as both the receiving tray and the shielding member, the effect in this respect is high.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a small hydraulic excavator to which a fuel tank filler port structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the device cover shown in FIG. 1,
(B) is a front view.

3A is a plan view of a fuel tank, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a right side view.

4A is a plan view of a joint, FIG. 4B is a front view,
(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the fuel supply port structure shown in FIG. 3 (b).

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Equipment Cover (Exterior Member) 20 Fuel Tank 20c Filler Port 21 Fuel Cap 21a Filler Neck 22 Cylindrical Joint 22a Drain Part 22b Body 22c Receiving Plate 22d Shielding Part B Gap Around Filler Port 22e Concave Groove 24 Filler Structure

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2D015 CA00 3D038 CA04 CA15 CA24 CA34 CB09 CC14 CC20 CD02 CD03 CD18 CD19

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A filler neck for mounting a fuel cap is disposed above a filler port of a fuel tank, and the filler port and the filler neck are connected by a tubular joint that fits between the filler neck and the filler neck. And a receiving tray for receiving the leaked oil is provided integrally with the tubular joint, wherein a filler port structure for the fuel tank is provided. 2. The fuel supply port is provided so as to face outside through an opening of an exterior member in which a fuel tank is accommodated,
The fuel tank filler structure according to claim 1, wherein the tray has a shielding part that shields a gap around the filler hole in the opening in a plan view. 3. A fuel supply port of the fuel tank is provided so as to face the outside through an opening of an exterior member in which the fuel tank is accommodated, and a receiving tray for receiving leaked oil is provided at the fuel supply port in the opening. A fuel filler structure for a fuel tank, wherein a surrounding gap is shielded in a plan view.