JP2005248731A - Fuel supply device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably supply fuel to a fuel injection valve even if a little fuel remains in a fuel tank when a vehicle is running in a slope area. <P>SOLUTION: A low part 26 is formed to an area including at least a center part of a base plate of a fuel tank 3 to make a remaining little fuel accumulate in the low part 26. On the other hand, a fuel suction port 31 of a fuel pump 18 which is installed in the fuel tank 3 is positioned at an approximately the center in width and longitudinal directions of the fuel tank 3. The low part 25 is lowered more to form a cone-shaped fuel reservoir 47 so as to promote accumulation of the fuel around the fuel suction part 31 even if a little fuel remains. The fuel reservoir 47 is positioned at the center of the fuel tank 3 to surely supply the fuel in traverse travel and ascending/descending travel of the slope area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel supply apparatus, and more particularly to a vehicle fuel supply apparatus suitable for stably supplying fuel to an engine when traveling on an inclined ground.

  There is known a fuel supply device in which a fuel pump is provided in a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle (for example, JP-A-11-93794). FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional fuel supply apparatus. In the figure, a fuel tank 100 has a flat portion 102 in the vicinity of the rear end (right side in the figure) of a bottom plate 101, and a fuel pump assembly 103 is attached to the flat portion 102. On the upper surface of the flat portion 102, that is, on the inner surface side of the fuel tank 100, a fuel pump 104 and a filter 106 connected to the suction port 105 of the fuel pump 104 are disposed. A discharge side hose joint 107 and a return side hose joint 108 connected to a fuel injection valve (not shown) are provided on the lower surface of the flat portion 102, that is, the outer surface of the fuel tank 100.

In addition, in a fuel supply system with a fuel pump attached to the rear bottom plate of the fuel tank, it is used for waving to prevent the remaining fuel from moving forward when the vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill. The thing which provided the front step surface wall of this is known (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-214274).
JP-A-11-93794 JP 2003-214274 A

  The positional relationship between the upper surface of the fuel stored in the fuel tank, that is, the oil surface and the fuel pump 104 changes depending on the inclination of the vehicle. In FIG. 14, the oil level when the vehicle tilts backward is indicated by a line 109, and the oil level when the vehicle tilts forward is indicated by a line 110. As can be understood from this example, when the vehicle is tilted forward, the fuel pump 104 is exposed from the oil level. That is, when the vehicle is tilted forward, the filter 106 is positioned above the line 110 indicating the oil level.

  Moreover, although what was described in patent document 2 is advantageous with respect to the inclination of a vehicle, since the front step surface wall is provided for a wave stop, there exists a subject that the structure in a fuel tank becomes complicated.

  As described above, in the conventional fuel supply apparatus, a difference occurs in the fuel suction state depending on the inclination of the vehicle. In particular, in a saddle-ride type vehicle for rough terrain traveling (hereinafter referred to as “ATV”), which often travels on uneven terrain, fuel is stably supplied until the remaining fuel is reduced as much as possible regardless of the inclination. An apparatus that can be used is desired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular fuel supply device that is less susceptible to the inclination direction of the vehicle and can stably supply fuel to the engine.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicular fuel supply apparatus having a fuel tank and a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank, wherein the bottom plate of the fuel tank is provided at the rear portion of the step portion and the step portion. The fuel pump has a fuel reservoir portion formed in a lower portion, and the fuel suction port of the fuel pump is below the step portion and on the upper surface of the lower portion, and the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank There is a first feature in that it is installed so as to be located at a substantially central portion.

  The present invention also provides a space occupied by fuel in common when the fuel tank is inclined at a predetermined angle in the front-rear direction when the remaining fuel in the fuel tank has a predetermined reserve amount, and the fuel tank The fuel pump suction port is located in at least one of the spaces occupied by the fuel in common when the fuel tank is inclined to the right and left by a predetermined angle.

  In addition, the present invention has a third feature in that the fuel reservoir portion has a mortar shape including the low portion and a step portion surrounding the low portion.

  Furthermore, the present invention has a fourth feature in that the fuel reservoir is formed at a substantially central portion of at least one of the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank.

  According to the present invention having the first feature, the remaining fuel in the fuel tank is accumulated in the fuel reservoir. And since the fuel inlet of the fuel pump is located at the approximate center position in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank with respect to the fuel reservoir, even if the vehicle may travel in a state where it leans forward, backward, left and right The fuel intake port is lower than the oil level of the remaining fuel when the vehicle is inclined during normal driving, and the fuel can be sucked and discharged by the fuel pump.

  In particular, according to the second feature, the fuel pump is installed so that the suction port is located below the common oil level in each inclination direction even if the vehicle is inclined when the remaining fuel is the reserve amount. The fuel can be reliably sucked until the remaining fuel reaches the reserve amount.

  According to the third feature, even when the remaining fuel is small, the fuel accumulated in the mortar-shaped fuel reservoir does not flow out, so that the fuel can be reliably sucked and discharged.

  Furthermore, according to the fourth feature, since the fuel reservoir is formed at the center of the fuel tank, the fuel can be better held near the fuel inlet of the fuel pump when the vehicle is inclined. .

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 3 is a perspective view of an ATV equipped with a fuel supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a left side view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof. In these drawings, an ATV 1 includes an engine 2 located in the center of the vehicle body, a fuel tank 3 located above the engine 2, an occupant seat 4, front and rear cargo beds 5, 6, a front guard 7 provided at the forefront of the vehicle, An under guard 8 is provided. The front portion of the fuel tank 3 is recessed toward the rear of the vehicle (see FIG. 5), and a steering shaft 9 extending vertically through the recess is provided. That is, since the fuel tank 3 has the recessed portion, interference with the steering shaft 9 can be avoided, and the fuel tank 3 can be extended to the front of the steering shaft 9.

  A handle 10 is provided at the upper part of the steering shaft 9 and a link 11 is provided at the lower part. The link 11 is connected to the front wheel 12 via a connecting device (not shown). A rear wheel 13 is provided at the rear of the vehicle. A front fender 14 and a rear fender 15 including a tire house are provided above the front wheel 12 and the rear wheel 13 so as to cover them. Between the front fender 14 and the rear fender 15, footrests 16 and 17 are provided for an occupant straddling the occupant seat 4 to place their feet.

  A fuel pump 18 is accommodated in the fuel tank 3, and the fuel sucked up by the fuel pump 18 is a fuel injection valve (not shown) provided in the intake pipe of the engine 2 via the fuel hose 19. To be supplied. In addition, an exhaust pipe 20 is connected to the engine 2, and the exhaust pipe 20 is connected to a muffler 21 disposed at the rear of the vehicle. The exhaust pipe 20 is provided with an O2 sensor 22 in the vicinity of a connection portion with the muffler 21.

  The ATV 1 includes a main frame 23 and an under frame 24, and the above-described components of the vehicle are supported by these frames 23 and 24 and pipes or plates such as subframes and brackets connected to the frames 23 and 24.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fuel supply device, and FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof. In the drawing, the bottom plate of the fuel tank 3 is located on the front side of the vehicle and is inclined downward (hereinafter referred to as “step portion”) 25 toward the vehicle rear (right direction in the figure), and the vehicle from the step portion 25. And a surface (hereinafter referred to as “low part”) 26 formed rearward and one step below. A base plate 27 for attaching a fuel pump is attached to the step portion 25 from the outside of the fuel tank 3. A stay 28 is fixed above the base plate 27, that is, inside the fuel tank 3. The stay 28 has a curved shape that is once directed upward from the base plate 27 and directed toward the lower portion 26 therefrom. A fuel pump main body 29 is attached to the stay 28. In the fuel pump main body 29, the fuel suction port 31 formed in the chamber 30 is close to the upper surface of the low portion 25 at a position lower than the step portion 25 at the substantially central portion in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank 3. It is attached as follows. A fuel supply port 3 a for supplying fuel to the fuel tank 3 is provided at the upper part of the fuel tank 3.

  The oil level 32 in the fuel tank 3 when the vehicle tilts backward when the remaining fuel in the fuel tank 3 has a predetermined reserve amount, and the oil level 33 when the vehicle tilts forward are both in the chamber 30. The fuel pump 18 is disposed so as to be above a lower portion (specifically, an intake filter described later). In this example, the angle of backward tilt and forward tilt is assumed to be 30 ° in both cases.

  The fuel intake port 31 of the fuel pump 18 is positioned at the front and rear of the fuel tank 3 and at a substantially central portion in the width direction. However, the low portion 26 is not necessarily limited to these central portions, and a bottom plate including at least the central portion. What is necessary is just to be formed. That is, when the remaining fuel is low, the fuel is accumulated in the lower portion 26 that is lower than the step portion 25, and the fuel intake port 31 that is positioned at the substantially central portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and the front-rear direction is provided in the fuel reservoir portion. It only has to be located.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the remaining fuel has a predetermined reserve amount, both the oil level 34 when the vehicle tilts to the right and the oil level 35 when the vehicle tilts to the left are located at the lower part of the chamber 30. The fuel pump 18 is disposed so as to be above the fuel inlet 31. In this example, the angle of right inclination and left inclination is assumed to be 15 ° in both cases.

  Thus, the fuel pump 18 is disposed so that the fuel inlet 31 is close to the upper surface of the low portion 26 and is located at the center of the fuel tank 3 in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, in the case where the remaining fuel in the fuel tank 3 has a predetermined reserve amount, the fuel tank 3 is defined when the inclination angles of the front, rear, left and right road surfaces that are planned for the traveling of the vehicle are defined as the predetermined angle. Is the space occupied by the fuel (indicated by reference numeral Z1 in FIG. 1) when the fuel tank 3 is tilted back and forth at a predetermined angle (30 ° in the embodiment), and the fuel tank 3 is set at a predetermined angle (in the embodiment in FIG. 1). The fuel intake port 31 of the fuel pump 18 is preferably located in at least one of the spaces (indicated by reference numeral Z2 in FIG. 2) that the fuel occupies in common at each inclination of 15 °.

  The reserve amount is a lower limit value of the remaining fuel that is set according to the type of vehicle, that is, the application and the type. For example, in the ATV 1 of this embodiment, about 20% of the fuel tank 3 when the tank is full is set as the reserve amount. Is done. In general, when the remaining fuel is low, for example, the reserve amount is used as a reference amount when the sensor outputs a detection signal to light or flash a warning light, or when a meter is used to notify that the remaining fuel is low. Is set. The reserve amount is not limited to 20% and can be determined for each vehicle. A display example of the reserve amount will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Further, in a vehicle equipped with a reserve tank, the amount of fuel stored in the reserve tank is used as the reserve amount.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the fuel pump 18, FIG. 7 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the base plate 27. In the figure, a filter 36 accommodated in a chamber 30 is provided at the tip of a fuel pump main body 29 supported by a bracket 28. On the discharge side, there is a discharge pipe 38 connected to the fuel discharge port 37 (see FIG. 8). A pressure regulating valve 39 is provided in the middle of the discharge pipe 38, and the discharge pipe 38 branches to the return hose 40 in the pressure regulating valve 39. The end of the return hose 40 is disposed so as to terminate on a fuel keeper 41 disposed adjacent to the filter 36. Reference numeral 42 denotes a lead wire for supplying power to the fuel pump main body 29, and reference numeral 43 denotes a ground wire.

  The chamber 30 is filled with fuel that has entered from the fuel inlet 31, and the filter 36 and the fuel keeper 41 are immersed in the fuel. Even when the remaining amount of fuel is reduced to the reserve amount and the vehicle is tilted as described above, the fuel inlet 31 is closed by the fuel, that is, the fuel inlet 31 is at the lowest position. Are arranged as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate 27 is provided with a fuel discharge port 37, a power feeding terminal 44, and a ground terminal 45. The hose 19 extending to a fuel injection valve (not shown) is connected to the fuel discharge port 37.

  During operation, the fuel sucked into the fuel pump main body 29 via the filter 36 is discharged to the discharge pipe 38, and the fuel is supplied to the fuel injection valve of the engine 2 via the fuel discharge port 37 and the hose 19. When the fuel supply pressure becomes too high, the pressure regulating valve 39 is actuated and the fuel returns from the middle of the discharge pipe 38 to the hose 40 and is discharged onto the fuel keeper 41.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the fuel tank, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same or equivalent parts. In this example, another step 46 connected to the lower portion 26 is provided near the rear of the vehicle. That is, the wall behind the low portion 26 is high, and the fuel reservoir 47 that is deeper than the fuel tank 3 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by the low portion 26 and the step portions 27 and 46 before and after the low portion 26.

  The fuel reservoir 47 projects not only in the shape seen from the side, that is, the direction shown in FIG. 9, but also in the shape seen from the front, that is, the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Yes. In other words, the fuel reservoir portion 47 has a mortar shape or funnel shape surrounding the lower portion 26 with the step portions including the step portions 25 and 46, and the remaining fuel easily collects in the fuel reservoir portion 47. . Since the fuel suction port 31 is positioned in the fuel reservoir 47, the fuel pump 18 can suck and discharge the remaining fuel even when the vehicle body is tilted back and forth and left and right.

  In particular, in an ATV that is expected to travel up and down a large slope or traverse a slope, fuel can be stably supplied to the engine even when there is little remaining fuel.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel tank provided with a fuel gauge, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same or equivalent parts. A fuel gauge 48 is provided on the upper wall of the fuel tank 3 adjacent to the fuel filler port 3a. The fuel gauge 48 is arranged with its center shifted to the front right side of the vehicle with respect to the fuel filler opening 3a. The fuel gauge 48 includes an arm 49 extending downward and a float 50 attached to the tip of the arm 49. The position of the float 50 changes following the oil level of the remaining fuel. The position of the float 50 is converted into a movement of a pointer (described later) of a fuel gauge 48 provided at the base of the arm 49, and the remaining amount is indicated by this pointer.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of the display unit of the fuel gauge 48. In FIG. 11, a letter E indicating a position where the fuel is empty and a letter F indicating a position where the fuel is almost full in the fuel tank are written on the display unit 51, and the pointer 52 is left between the letters E and F. Point to the position corresponding to the fuel. An area between the designated position indicating the sky in the letter E and the designated position slightly closer to the letter F side, that is, the reserved area 53 is shown in red, for example. When the pointer 52 points to this region 53, the remaining fuel is less than the reserve amount.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of the fuel gauge. The example of FIG. 12 displays the amount of remaining fuel as a partial function of the multi-function display panel. The display panel 54 digitally displays a plurality of information. When the fuel is full according to the remaining amount of fuel, the plurality of segments 55 are all lit, and the number of segments 55 that are lit decreases as the fuel decreases. When the remaining fuel is reduced to the reserve amount, the character 56 indicating the reserve amount is turned on.

  13A and 13B are diagrams showing still another example of the fuel gauge. In this example, the plurality of segments 57 of the display panel are lit corresponding to the remaining amount of fuel. When the fuel is full, all the segments 57 are lit as shown in FIG. 13A, and when the fuel is reduced to the reserve amount, the letter “RES” indicating the reserve amount in the segment 57 as shown in FIG. 13B. The segment adjacent to flashes.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the fuel reservoir may be located at substantially the center of at least one of the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank 3. If the fuel reservoir is located at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the fuel tank, a small amount of residual fuel can be well retained when the vehicle is going up and down the slope. Further, if the fuel reservoir is located at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the fuel tank, a small amount of remaining fuel can be retained well when the vehicle is traveling on the laterally inclined surface.

  Further, since the fuel pump only needs to have at least the fuel suction port set at the above-described position, the support position of the fuel pump with respect to the fuel tank is not limited to the step portion 25 and can be arbitrarily set.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of ATV provided with the fuel supply device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of ATV provided with the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of ATV provided with the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged side view of a fuel pump. It is an enlarged plan view of a fuel pump. It is a bottom view of a fuel pump. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on a modification. It is sectional drawing of the fuel tank provided with the fuel fuel gauge. It is a top view which shows an example of the display part of a fuel gauge. It is a figure which shows another example of a fuel gauge. It is a figure which shows another example of a fuel gauge. It is a figure which shows another example of a fuel gauge. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... ATV, 3 ... Fuel tank, 18 ... Fuel pump, 25 ... Step part, 26 ... Low part, 29 ... Fuel pump main body, 31 ... Fuel inlet, 32 ... Oil surface at the time of back inclination, 33 ... Oil at the time of front inclination Surface, 46 ... step, 47 ... fuel reservoir

Claims (4)

In a vehicle fuel supply apparatus having a fuel tank and a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank,
The bottom plate of the fuel tank has a fuel reservoir portion comprising a step portion and a lower portion located below the step portion;
The fuel suction port of the fuel pump is installed so as to be positioned below the stepped portion and on the upper surface of the lower portion and at a substantially central portion in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank. Vehicle fuel supply device. In the case where the remaining fuel in the fuel tank is a reserved reserve amount,
At least one of a space occupied by fuel in common when the fuel tank is tilted forward and backward by a predetermined angle and a space occupied by fuel in common when the fuel tank is tilted by a predetermined angle from side to side The fuel supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a suction port of the fuel pump is located in the vehicle.   The fuel supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fuel reservoir portion has a mortar shape including the low portion and a step portion surrounding the low portion.   The vehicular fuel supply device according to claim 3, wherein the fuel reservoir portion is formed at a substantially central portion of at least one of the width direction and the front-rear direction of the fuel tank.

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