JP2002264670A - Fuel tank unit and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy-to-manufacture fuel tank unit 10 wherein a capacity change to tank internal pressure is small. SOLUTION: In this fuel tank unit 10, a tank outer wall 12 having a tank chamber 12S is formed by blow molding. The inside of the tank chamber 12S is disposed with tank partitions 22. The tank partition 22 is disposed nearly perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the tank outer wall 12 and is sandwiched between the inner faces of the opposite tank outer walls 12. The tank partition 22 is installed with a function component 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a fuel tank for an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a fuel tank unit formed by blow molding and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of fuel tank unit, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-301227 is known. The fuel tank has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which a wall between a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper wall and a bottom wall is surrounded by a side wall, and a synthetic resin plate is fixedly held inside so as to be sandwiched by the inner peripheral surface of the side wall. .
The outer wall forming the upper wall, the bottom wall, and the side wall is formed by blow molding. Functional parts such as a cutoff valve and a pump unit are attached to the synthetic resin plate.

[0003] In this fuel tank, the functional parts are pre-assembled on a synthetic resin plate, and then the outer wall of the tank is formed by blow molding, so that the tank opening can be made small and the workability of assembling through the tank opening is improved. be able to.

[0004]

In a conventional fuel tank, the mechanical strength of the outer wall of the tank is increased to enhance the safety in the event of a collision to protect the functional components, and to reduce the change in the tank capacity due to the tank internal pressure. Therefore, it has been required to improve the accuracy of a system for sensing changes in the tank internal pressure and flow rate.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, in which the change in capacity with respect to the tank internal pressure is small,
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuel tank unit that can be easily manufactured.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Action / Effect The first invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is that a fuel tank unit formed by blow molding is blow-molded with resin to form a tank chamber. A tank outer wall, at least one tank partition wall disposed in the tank chamber, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tank outer wall, sandwiched between opposed inner surfaces of the tank outer wall, and a functional component mounted on the tank partition wall And characterized in that:

According to the first aspect, all the functional components are stored in the tank outer wall, and the functional components are protected from external force by the tank outer wall and the support, so that the safety at the time of collision can be improved.

Further, since the outer wall of the tank is integrated by sandwiching the tank partition wall and has high mechanical strength, not only is the shape retaining property against external force large, but also the change in the tank capacity due to the tank internal pressure is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of a system for sensing changes in the tank internal pressure and the flow rate. Here, the number of the tank partition walls is not limited to one as long as the shape retaining property of the outer wall of the tank is enhanced, and a plurality of tank partition walls may be provided as necessary. further,
By adopting a configuration in which the end of the tank bulkhead is inserted and held in a recess formed on the entire circumference or a part of the tank outer wall, the coupling strength between the tank bulkhead and the tank outer wall can be further increased.

As a preferred embodiment of the first invention, it is possible to adopt a configuration including a connecting member that is arranged in the tank chamber and in the longitudinal direction and connects the tank partition walls to each other. This connecting member may be formed integrally with the tank partition or may be separately assembled, or may be removed after blow molding.

Further, as another preferred embodiment of the first invention, a connection unit for connecting a functional component housed in the tank chamber to the outside through a connection opening formed in an outer wall of the tank is provided. As an aspect, an external unit having a lid that closes the connection opening by being thermally welded to the tank outer wall, an outer pipe penetrating the lid and connected to the outside, and an inner pipe connected to the outer pipe And an internal unit having an elevating mechanism mounted on the tank partition wall and supporting the inner pipe so as to be able to elevate and lower.

According to this aspect, the opening formed in the outer wall of the tank is only a small connection opening, and is sealed with the lid by heat welding, so that the fuel permeation resistance can be improved. In addition, the functional components can be connected to the outside by a simple operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a fuel tank unit according to the first aspect, a step of assembling the tank partition with a connecting member to form a support, a step of mounting a functional component to the tank partition, A step of setting one end of the body in a blow molding machine, a step of covering the assembled body with a parison, a step of forming a tank outer wall by clamping a mold, and forcing gas into the parison, and an opening of the parison. And sealing the part.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the fuel tank unit mounts the functional component on the support in advance and forms the tank outer wall by blow molding. Therefore, a large opening is formed in the tank outer wall, and the function is formed through the opening. There is no need to perform the troublesome work of attaching parts.

Here, as a step of sealing the opening of the parison, a molding die is set so as to surround the opening of the parison, and the molten resin is injected into the cavity of the molding die to seal the opening of the parison. You can take the method of wearing. Further, a method of bonding a cap for closing the opening of the parison with an adhesive may be used.

[0015] In a preferred aspect of the second invention, further,
Forming a connection opening in the upper wall of the tank outer wall, lifting the internal unit supported by the elevating mechanism, connecting the external pipe of the external unit to the internal pipe of the internal unit through the connection opening, Welding the body to the outer wall of the tank to close the connection opening.

According to this aspect, the functional component can be connected to the outside by a simple operation.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a fuel tank unit 10 of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1
, The fuel tank unit 10 is formed by blow molding and forms the tank outer wall 1 forming the tank chamber 12S.
2, a support 20 for supporting the tank outer wall 12, a functional component 30 mounted on the support 20, and a connection unit 40 for connecting the functional component 30 to the outside.

(1) Tank outer wall 12 The tank outer wall 12 is integrally formed by blow molding, and is formed by laminating a resin layer such as polyethylene. A connection pipe 14 for connecting to an inlet filler pipe (not shown) protrudes from a side portion of the tank outer wall 12.

(2) Support 20 The support 20 includes a tank partition 22 and a connecting member 24. The tank partition walls 22 are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tank outer wall 12 and substantially parallel to each other, and are integrally held between the inner surfaces of the opposed tank outer walls 12. FIG. 2 shows an end 22a of the tank bulkhead 22.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a connecting portion to the tank outer wall 12 in FIG. As shown in FIG.
a is held by the fitting portion 12b of the tank outer wall 12. That is, the fitting portion 12b is formed along the end portion 22a of the tank partition wall 22 and is recessed in the upper and lower walls of the tank outer wall 12, so that the end portion 22a of the tank partition wall 22 protrudes into the recess and is clamped. It is configured. In addition, tank bulkhead 2
A plurality of ribs 22b project from the second end portion 22a in a direction perpendicular to the tank partition wall 22, and the ribs 22b protrude into the tank outer wall 12. As described above, the end 22a of the tank partition wall 22 is
And the rib 22b
To increase the bonding strength. Here, the material of the tank partition wall 22 is preferably a resin material that is welded to the tank outer wall 12, for example, polyethylene. As a result, it is thermally welded to the tank outer wall 12, so that the bonding strength is further improved. The tank partition 22 is
It functions as a reinforcing structural material for preventing deformation of the tank outer wall 12. Further, the connecting member 24 penetrates through the plurality of tank partitions 22 and connects them, so that the tank partition 22 is integrally assembled in the tank outer wall 12. The functional component 3 is provided on the tank partition 22 on the left side of the drawing.
A frame body 25 for attaching 0 is attached.

(3) Functional Component 30 The functional component 30 is housed in the tank outer wall 12 by being mounted on the tank partition wall 22. Functional component 30
Are components arranged in a normal fuel tank, for example, a fuel cutoff valve 31, a pump module 32,
And the like. The fuel cutoff valves 31 are mounted at two positions above the tank partition wall 22 and are valves that release fuel vapor in the fuel tank to the canister and prevent liquid fuel from flowing out. The pump module 32 is a device for supplying fuel to the outside, and includes a fuel pump 32a, a filter 32b, and a pressure regulator 32c, and these are connected by a tube 32d. The fuel pump 32a and the filter 32b are mounted on the frame 25.

(4) Connection Unit 40 FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the periphery of the connection unit 40. In FIG. 3, the connection unit 40 is connected to an external unit 41.
And an internal unit 51 connected to the functional component 30. The external unit 41 includes a lid 42 that is thermally welded to the tank outer wall 12 to close the connection opening 16 formed in the tank outer wall 12. That is, the lid 4
Reference numeral 2 is made of polyethylene, which is the same resin material as the fuel tank unit 10, and has a lid body 42a, a flange 42b on the outer periphery of the lid body 42a, and a heat-welded end 42c at the lower end of the flange 42b. . Outer pipes 43 penetrate the lid body 42a. A nipple 43a is formed outside the outer pipe 43, and a connection end 43b is formed inside the nipple 43a. A stopper 43d protrudes above the connection end 43b. The internal unit 51 includes the inner pipes 52, 52 and the inner pipe 5
2 and 52 are provided. The elevating mechanism 53 includes an elevating member 53a for connecting the inner pipes 52, 52 to elevate and lower, and a cylinder 53b for supporting the elevating member 53a and restricting a vertical movement amount thereof.
And The inner pipes 52, 52 are provided with a female insertion opening 52a, and the inner pipes 52, 52 are connected to the outer pipes 43, 43 by inserting the connection ends 43b of the outer pipes 43, 43 into the female insertion opening 52a. Is done. In addition, a sealing member 56 that seals between the inner pipe 52 and the outer pipe 43 is disposed in the female insertion port 52a. The other ends of the inner pipes 52, 52 are nipples 52b, and the tubes 32d, 32d are connected to the nipples 52b. Tubes 32d, 32d
Is formed of a spiral or flexible tube so that the internal unit 51 can be moved up and down.

Next, a process of manufacturing the fuel tank unit 10 will be described. FIG. 4 shows a functional component 3
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the internal unit 51 and the internal unit 51 are assembled. In FIG. 4, the fuel cutoff valve 31, the fuel pump 32a, and the pressure sensor 34 are fixed to the tank partition 22 of the support 20 manufactured in advance by injection molding using screwing or welding, and the internal unit 51 is fixed. By mounting, the assembled body 20A is formed. The support 2
0 is provided at the end of the connecting member 24 at the bottom thereof.
6 is fixed in advance.

Subsequently, blow molding is performed. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a mold opening state before blow molding. The blow molding machine 60 includes a head 61 for extruding the parison 12A,
Molds 62 and 62 and a holding jig 63 are provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the molds 62, 62
6, a fitting groove 62b is formed on the molding surface 62a along a position corresponding to the end 22a of the tank partition wall 22, as shown in FIG. I have. The fitting groove 62b is a groove that forms the fitting portion 12b shown in FIG. First, the support base 26 of the support 20 is set on the holding jig 63. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the support base 26 is inserted into the support hole 63a of the holding jig 63, and is fixed with the fixing slide 63b, thereby supporting the assembled body 20A in an upright state.

Then, the cylindrical parison 12A is extruded from the head 61 of the blow molding machine 60 shown in FIG. 5, and the parison 12A is arranged around the assembly 20A. Thereafter, the mold is clamped, and the air blowing pipe 65 is connected to the parison 12A.
And air is blown into the parison 12 </ b> A, so that the parison 12 </ b> A conforms to the molding surfaces 62 a of the molds 62, 62.
Shape to form 2. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the end 22a of the tank partition 22 is
Since 2A serves as the fitting portion 12b following the fitting groove 62b and is clamped, the bonding strength is increased. In addition, parison 1
When 2A is formed of a material that is mutually welded to the tank partition 22, the parison 12A is thermally welded at the end 22a of the tank partition 22, so that the bonding strength is further increased.

Subsequently, the holding jig 63 is evacuated, and FIG.
As shown in (2), the lower end of the support base 26 is cut with a cutter. Next, as shown in FIG.
2 and 62. The fixed mold 67 has a cavity 67a formed therein.
The support base 26 and the open end 12a of the tank outer wall 12
Is set. Then, the molten resin is injected into the cavity 67a from a resin injection device (not shown). When the molten resin cools, the sealing portion 18 (see FIG. 1) in which the support base 26 and the opening end 12a are integrated is formed. This allows
A seal is provided between the open end 12a and the support base 26.
Thereafter, the mold is opened and the fuel tank unit 10 is taken out.

Next, an operation of connecting the functional component 30 disposed in the tank outer wall 12 to the outside is performed. FIG. 10 is a view showing the vicinity of the upper wall of the tank outer wall 12. First, a connection opening 16 is formed on the upper wall of the tank outer wall 12 by a cutter or the like. The connection opening 16 is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the internal unit 51. Subsequently, the internal unit 51 is pulled up through the connection opening 16. At this time, the internal unit 51 is supported by the lifting member 53a so as to be able to move up and down by the cylinder 53b, and furthermore, the tubes 32d, 32d
Is arranged in a slack state, so that it can be pulled out from the connection opening 16 while maintaining the vertical posture.

In this state, the external unit 41 is connected to the internal unit 51. That is, the external unit 41
The connection end 43b of the internal unit 51 is
Insert into a. A sealing member 56 is inserted into the female insertion port 52a.
Are sealed with respect to the connection end 43b. Then, the heat-welded end 4 of the flange 42b of the lid 42
2c is melted by a hot plate (not shown) and welded to the tank outer wall 12. Then, through a process such as attaching an inlet pipe to the connection pipe 14 (see FIG. 1),
The fuel tank unit 10 is completed.

According to the fuel tank unit 10, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) In the fuel tank unit 10, the functional component 30 is mounted on the support 20 in advance, and the tank outer wall 12 is formed by blow molding. Therefore, a large opening is formed in the tank outer wall 12, and the function is performed through this opening. There is no need to perform the troublesome work of attaching parts.

(2) The opening formed in the tank outer wall 12 is only the small connection opening 16 and the lid 42
And heat sealing, the fuel permeation resistance can be increased.

(3) The functional component 30 is provided inside the tank outer wall 12.
And the functional component 30 is protected from external force by the tank outer wall 12 and the support 20.
Safety at the time of a collision can be improved.

(4) The tank outer wall 12 is
Since the mechanical strength is large due to being integrated by clamping, the change in the tank capacity due to the tank internal pressure can be reduced, as well as the change in the tank capacity due to the tank internal pressure. The accuracy of the system can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) In the above embodiment, the connecting member 24 supporting the tank partition 22 is housed in the tank outer wall 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the tank outer wall 12 and the tank partition 22 are integrated. It may be removed after blow molding.

(2) In the above embodiment, the sealing portion 18
Although the tank opening is sealed by the above, the present invention is not limited to this, and a cap or the like may be sealed with an adhesive or the like as long as the means is for sealing the tank opening.

(3) FIG. 11 is an explanatory view for explaining a joint between an end of a tank partition wall 22B and a tank outer wall 12B according to another embodiment. In FIG. 11, a flange 22Bc is formed at an end of the tank partition 22B. The flange 22Bc prevents displacement of the tank partition wall 22B and the tank outer wall 12B, increases the adhesion area between the tank outer wall 12B, and improves mechanical strength and pressure resistance due to dispersing stress applied to the tank outer wall 12B. Can be planned. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, when the tank outer wall 12B enters the fitting groove 62Bb on the side of the flange 22Bc, the thickness t of the other part is increased.
Since the thickness t2 is smaller than 1 and the retaining action is performed on the flange 22Bc, the joining strength can be further increased.

(4) The portion where the end of the tank partition is fitted by the fitting portion of the outer wall of the tank is not limited to the upper and lower walls of the outer wall of the tank, and the mechanical strength and manufacturability of the outer wall of the tank are taken into consideration.
It can be provided in various ranges.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a fuel tank unit 10 of an automobile according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion where the end portion 22a of the tank partition wall 22 is joined to the tank outer wall 12.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a connection unit 40.

FIG. 4 shows a functional component 30 and an internal unit 51 provided on a support 20.
It is an explanatory view for explaining a state in which is assembled.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a mold opening state before blow molding.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating the vicinity of a fitting groove 62b of a molding surface 62a.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration for supporting a support body 20 on a holding jig 63.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating terminal processing of the support base 26.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of sealing the vicinity of the tank opening.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection operation of the connection unit 40.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a joint between a tank partition wall 22B and a tank outer wall 12B according to another embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel tank unit 12 ... Tank outer wall 12A ... Parison 12S ... Tank chamber 12a ... Open end part 12b ... Fitting part 14 ... Connection pipe 16 ... Connection opening 18 ... Sealing part 20 ... Support body 20A ... Assembled body 22 ... Tank partition 22a ... End 22b ... Rib 22Bc ... Flange 24 ... Connecting member 25 ... Frame 26 ... Support base 30 ... Functional parts 31 ... Fuel shut-off valve 32 ... Pump module 32a ... Fuel pump 32b ... Filter 32c ... Pressure regulator 32d ... tube 34 ... sensor 40 ... connection unit 41 ... external unit 42 ... lid 42a ... lid body 42b ... flange 42c ... heat welding end 43 ... outside pipe 43a ... nipple 43b ... connection end 43d ... stopper 51 ... internal unit 52 ... inside Pipe 52a: female insertion opening 52b: nipple 53: elevating Mechanism 53a ... Elevating member 53b ... Cylinder 56 ... Sealing member 60 ... Blow molding machine 61 ... Head 62 ... Mold 62a ... Molding surface 62b ... Fitting groove 62Bb ... Fitting groove 63 ... Holding jig 63a ... Support hole 63b ... Fixing Slide tool 65 ... Air blow-out pipe 67 ... Fixed mold 67a ... Cavity

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F02M 37/00 301 B29K 105: 20 // B29K 105: 20 B29L 24:00 B29L 24:00 31:30 31 : 30 B60K 15/02 A

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A fuel tank unit formed by blow molding, comprising: a tank outer wall blow-molded with a resin to form a tank chamber; and a tank outer wall disposed in the tank chamber and substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the tank outer wall. A fuel tank unit comprising: at least one tank partition sandwiched between inner surfaces of tank outer walls to be formed; and a functional component mounted on the tank partition. 2. The fuel tank unit according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting member disposed in the tank chamber and in the longitudinal direction, for connecting the tank partition walls to each other. 3. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein an end of the tank partition is inserted into a recess formed in the outer wall of the tank, so that the fuel tank is sandwiched by the outer wall of the tank. unit. 4. The connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the functional component housed in the tank chamber is connected to the outside through a connection opening formed in an outer wall of the tank. An external unit having a lid that closes the connection opening by being thermally welded to the tank outer wall, and an outer pipe that penetrates the lid and is connected to the outside; and a connection unit that is connected to the outer pipe. A fuel tank unit, comprising: an inner pipe that is provided; and an elevating mechanism mounted on the tank partition and supporting the inner pipe so as to be able to move up and down. 5. The method of manufacturing a fuel tank unit according to claim 1, wherein a step of assembling the tank partition with a connecting member to form a support, a step of mounting a functional component to the tank partition, and one end of the support are performed. Step of setting in a blow molding machine, Step of covering the assembled body with a parison, Step of clamping the mold and forming the tank outer wall by pumping gas into the parison, and sealing the opening of the parison A method for manufacturing a fuel tank unit, comprising: 6. A method for manufacturing a fuel tank unit according to claim 4, wherein, following the step of claim 5, a step of forming a connection opening in an upper wall of the outer wall of the tank; Lifting the internal unit, connecting the outer pipe of the external unit to the inner pipe of the internal unit through the connection opening, and sealing the connection opening by welding the lid to the tank outer wall. Characteristic fuel tank unit manufacturing method