JP2005335565A - Mounting structure of inlet filler pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve sealing performance by surely bringing an elastic seal cup into elastic contact with an attaching hole of a wheel house outer without using a ring spring as far as possible. <P>SOLUTION: A thick part 42 having a seal part 45 brought into elastic contact with the wheel house outer 2, and a pressure receiving part 44 extending from the thick part 42 to an inner peripheral direction and brought into elastic contact with an inlet filler pipe 1 are formed on one end part of an elastic seal member 4. The pressure receiving part 44 presses the thick part 42, and thereby the seal part 45 is constituted to be brought into elastic contact with the wheel house outer 2. Thus, a moment acts, and the seal part 45 can be brought into elastic contact with the wheel house outer 2 by larger force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an attachment structure for an end portion of an inlet filler pipe that connects an opening formed in an outer plate of a vehicle and a fuel tank and is supplied with fuel.

  For example, a structure shown in FIG. 6 is known as a conventional inlet filler pipe mounting structure. In this structure, a flange 103 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the inlet filler pipe 102 is fixed around the inner through hole 101 provided in the wheel house outer 100, and the tip of the inlet filler pipe 102 is connected to the inner through hole 101. Projecting outward from Therefore, the fuel cap 107 of the inlet filler pipe 102 can be attached and detached from the outer through hole 106 formed in the bottom of the concave portion 105 of the side member outer 104, and fuel supply to the inlet filler pipe 102 becomes possible. An openable / closable lid 108 is provided at the surface opening of the recess 105.

  Incidentally, the side member outer 104 and the wheel house outer 100 are formed at a predetermined interval, and are used as a space 109 in which an electric system is disposed. However, since the space 109 is closed at the lower part or the upper part, moisture that has entered from the outer through-hole 106 accumulates during refueling and may cause rust and the like. Therefore, conventionally, a cylindrical cup member 110 is used, and both ends thereof are welded to the peripheral edge portion of the outer through hole 106 of the side member outer 104 and the peripheral edge portion of the inner through hole 101 of the wheel house outer 100, respectively. 109 is sealed.

  However, the gap dimension between the side member outer 104 and the wheel house outer 100 is not highly accurate but varies greatly. Therefore, when the cup member 110 is welded, it is necessary to weld while absorbing the dimensional variation, and there is a problem that the number of man-hours is large. Further, when welding, it is performed from the side of the recess 105 of the side member outer 104. If the size of the surface opening of the recess 105 is too small, it becomes difficult to perform the welding operation of the cup member 110 to the wheel house outer 100. Therefore, it is necessary to enlarge the surface opening of the recess 105 to some extent. However, in this case, the size of the lid 108 increases, and the appearance design of the vehicle may be impaired, and the degree of freedom in design is low.

  Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-163069 uses a seal cup made of rubber or the like as a cup member, and both ends are respectively engaged with a peripheral edge portion of the outer through hole of the side member outer and a peripheral edge portion of the inner through hole of the wheel house outer. A mounting structure for the jointly held inlet filler pipe is described. In this way, gaps in gap dimensions can be absorbed by easy deformation of the seal cup, and welding is not required, so the number of man-hours can be greatly reduced.

  In the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-163069, one end of the seal cup is pressed against the peripheral edge portion of the outer through hole of the side member outer by the diameter expansion force of the C-shaped ring spring, thereby exhibiting the sealing performance. . However, when a ring spring is used, there is a problem that the number of man-hours for mounting the ring spring in a narrow work space is great and the number of parts is large. When engaging with the inner through hole of the rear wheel house outer, it is particularly difficult to mount. Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-040092 discloses that a ring groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of both ends of a rubber seal cup, and the outer peripheral holes and outer peripheral holes of the side member outer and the wheel house outer are formed in the ring groove. The structure which seals by engaging each is described.

However, in the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-040092, the thick portion of the seal cup is dragged by pressing the seal lip when the inlet filler pipe is inserted. If the seal lip setting is an opening on the outside of the vehicle, the seal body between the panels will resist dragging of the thick wall part, but if the seal lip is set on the opening inside the vehicle, the rigidity of the thick wall part will be Only acts as a resistance to drag. Therefore, in order to ensure sealing performance, the seal lip is set at the opening on the outside of the vehicle.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-040092 JP 2001-163069

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object to improve the sealing performance by reliably elastically contacting the seal cup having elasticity to the mounting hole of the wheel house outer without using a ring spring. To do.

The feature of the inlet filler pipe mounting structure of the present invention that solves the above problems is that the inlet filler pipe, the wheel house outer having an inner through-hole, and the wheel house outer are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other and through the recess and the bottom of the recess. A side member outer with a hole, and a substantially cylindrical shape, with one end held in the outer through hole and the other end held in the inner through hole, thereby sealing the space between the side member outer and the wheel house outer And an inlet filler pipe mounting structure in which both end portions of the elastic seal member are engaged and held by the peripheral portions of the inner through hole and the outer through hole, respectively.
An outer ring groove that is formed on the outer peripheral surface and engages with a peripheral edge of the inner through hole, and a seal portion that is adjacent to the outer ring groove and elastically contacts the wheel house outer are formed at one end portion held in the inner through hole of the elastic seal member. And a pressure receiving portion that extends in the inner circumferential direction from the thick portion and elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe, and the thick portion is sealed by the pressure receiving portion pressing the thick portion. This is because the part is pressed toward the wheel house outer.

  It is desirable that the thick portion of the elastic seal member has a recess with which the pressure receiving portion is engaged. The thick portion is preferably formed on the side opposite to the side member outer of the outer ring groove, and is elastically deformed so as to swing around a fulcrum formed at the bottom of the outer ring groove. Furthermore, the seal portion is preferably a lip portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the thick portion.

  According to the inlet filler pipe mounting structure of the present invention, the pressure receiving part presses the thick part, and the thick part presses the seal part toward the wheel house outer. Can be sealed. In addition, since the pressure receiving part is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe and the thick part, an elastic reaction force is expressed, so that the force to press the thick part is expressed for a long time, and the sealing performance is prolonged. The period can be maintained. And since a ring spring is not used on the inner through hole side which leads to deterioration in workability, the number of parts is reduced and the number of assembling steps is also reduced.

  The inlet filler pipe generally has a fuel filler port to which a fuel cap is screwed, and the other end is fixed to the fuel tank to communicate the fuel filler port with the fuel tank. Can be used. The fixing method of the inlet filler pipe is not particularly limited, and can be locked to the body sheet metal or fixed to the wheel house outer.

  Each of the wheel house outer and the side member outer constitutes a part of the vehicle body outer plate, and can have a structure similar to that of a conventional sheet metal plate. The wheel house outer has an inner through-hole through which the tip of the inlet filler pipe can be inserted, and the side member outer has a recess having an outer through-hole opened at the outer surface. The side member outer is provided with a swingable lid that can open and close the surface opening of the recess.

  The side member outer and the wheel house outer are formed at a predetermined interval, and the space formed therebetween is used as a space in which an electric system or the like is disposed. The substantially cylindrical elastic seal member is disposed with its both ends engaged and held in the outer through hole and the inner through hole, respectively. As a result, the space between the side member outer and the wheel house outer is sealed, and moisture can be prevented from entering.

  By fixing the inlet filler pipe around the inner through hole of the wheel house outer via an elastic seal member, the inlet filler pipe is fixed to the wheel house outer, and the side member outer and the wheel house are fixed using the elastic seal member. It is desirable to seal the space between the outer. With this configuration, the inlet filler pipe can be easily assembled regardless of the variation in the gap size between the side member outer and the wheel house outer and the size of the surface opening of the recess of the side member outer. Therefore, the size of the surface opening of the concave portion of the side member outer can be freely designed, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and the appearance design is improved by reducing the surface opening of the concave portion and the lid.

  The elastic seal member is made of a soft resin such as rubber or thermoplastic elastomer, and one end is held in the inner through hole of the wheel house outer and the other end is held in the outer through hole of the side member outer. In order to hold the other end portion in the outer through hole of the side member outer, known means such as uneven fitting by its own elasticity and fastening by a ring spring can be employed.

  A feature of the present invention is that an outer ring groove formed on the outer peripheral surface engages with a peripheral edge portion of the inner through hole at one end held by the inner through hole of the elastic seal member, and a wheel house adjacent to the outer ring groove. A thick portion having a seal portion that elastically contacts the outer portion, and a pressure receiving portion that extends from the thick portion in the inner peripheral direction and elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe, and the pressure receiving portion presses the thick portion. The thick portion is that the seal portion is pressed toward the wheel house outer.

  The thick part is formed in an endless ring shape at one end of the elastic seal member. This thick part may be formed on one side of both sides of the inner through-hole or may be formed on both sides. In view of the fact that the inlet filler pipe is inserted from the outside of the one end portion to the other end portion side, in order for the insertion force to be efficiently transmitted to the thick wall portion via the pressure receiving portion, at least outside the inner through hole It is desirable to form so as to be elastically contacted (on the side opposite to the side member outer). In this way, since the space between the side member outer and the wheel house outer can be sealed from the outside of the wheel house outer, the reliability is higher than that of sealing from the inside. Further, the seal portion formed in the thick portion refers to a portion that elastically contacts the wheel house outer surface around the inner through hole, and is preferably a lip portion that is easily deformed.

  The pressure receiving part is a part that extends in the inner circumferential direction from the thick part and elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe, and is formed to have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the inlet filler pipe. For example, the pressure receiving part can be formed by bulging a part of the thick part inward in the radial direction. Moreover, it is also preferable to form so that it may extend from a thick part through the plate-shaped part which can be changed easily. If it does in this way, the resistance at the time of insertion of an inlet filler pipe can be made smaller, and an assembling property will improve. The pressure receiving portion is formed in a ring shape on the inner periphery of the thick portion, and is endless in the circumferential direction.

  When the pressure receiving part is formed so as to extend from the thick part via a plate-like part that can be easily deformed, it is desirable that the thick part has a recess with which the pressure receiving part engages. By doing so, the pressure receiving part can be engaged with the concave part when the inlet filler pipe is inserted, and the positional accuracy of the pressure receiving part pressing the thick part is improved, so that the thick part is reliably pressed. This improves the reliability of sealing performance.

  Further, it is desirable that the thick portion is formed outside the outer ring groove (on the side opposite to the side member outer) and is elastically deformed so as to swing around a fulcrum formed at the bottom of the outer ring groove. If it does in this way, a moment will act at the time of insertion of an inlet filler pipe, and since the force which presses a thick part improves more, sealing nature improves more. In this case, if the seal portion is a lip portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the thick wall portion, the pressing force from the pressure receiving portion is amplified by the moment, and the lip portion elastically contacts the wheel house outer surface with a large force. Further, the sealing performance is further improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples.

(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the mounting structure of the present embodiment, and FIG. This mounting structure includes an inlet filler pipe 1, a wheel house outer 2, a side member outer 3, and an elastic seal member 4.

  The inlet filler pipe 1 is made of metal, and a fuel cap 10 is screwed to the tip, and is locked to the body sheet metal at an intermediate portion (not shown). Further, the tip portion is held in the inner through hole 20 of the wheel house outer 2 via the elastic seal member 4.

  The wheel house outer 2 has an inner through hole 20.

  The side member outer 3 is spaced apart from the wheel house outer 2 and has a recess 31 having an outer through hole 30 at the bottom. In addition, a lid 32 is swingably held in the recess 31 by a hinge (not shown), and the surface opening of the recess 31 can be opened and closed by the lid 32. The wheel house outer 2 and the side member outer 3 are joined to each other by welding at an upper portion and a lower portion (not shown).

  The outer through hole 30 and the inner through hole 20 communicate with each other at an arbitrary angle, and the inlet filler pipe 1 protrudes from the inner through hole 20 to the side member outer 3 side, and between the wheel house outer 2 and the side member outer 3. The fuel cap 10 is fixed so as to be positioned in the space 24.

  The rubber elastic seal member 4 elastically contacts the peripheral edge of the inner through hole 20 of the wheel house outer 2 and the peripheral edge of the outer through hole 30 of the side member outer 3 to seal the space 24. The elastic seal member 4 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the first ring groove 40 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the one end engages with the peripheral portion of the inner through hole 20 of the wheel house outer 2, and the outer peripheral surface of the other end. A second ring groove 41 formed on the side member is engaged with the peripheral edge of the outer through hole 30 of the side member outer 3.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, a thick portion 42 is formed in an endless ring shape at the outer end portion of the first ring groove 40. The thick portion 42 is formed with a displacement portion 43 that bulges to the outer peripheral side and then reverses and extends to the inner peripheral side, and a pressure receiving portion 44 thicker than the displacement portion 43 is formed at the distal end of the displacement portion 43. Has been. The displacement part 43 and the pressure receiving part 44 are formed in an endless ring shape. The inner diameter of the pressure receiving portion 44 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the inlet filler pipe 1 that abuts. A ring-shaped lip portion 45 that protrudes toward the wheel house outer 2 side is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the thick portion 42.

Therefore, when the elastic seal member 4 is inserted and fixed in the inner through hole 20 and the outer through hole 30 and the inlet filler pipe 1 is inserted after the C-ring 47 is assembled, the pressure receiving portion 44 first has an outer periphery of the inlet filler pipe 1. Abutting on the surface, the displacement part 43 is elastically deformed as the insertion proceeds, and the pressure receiving part 44 is expanded in diameter, and the pressure receiving part 44 presses the thick part 42 at the power point (P ₁ ) in FIG. Then, a moment (clockwise arrow A in FIG. 3) around the fulcrum (P ₂ ) formed at the bottom of the first ring groove 40 acts on the thick wall portion 42, and the lip portion 45 acts on the action point (P ₃ ) Is elastically contacted with the surface of the wheel house outer 2 by a large force. Thereby, the space between the elastic seal member 4 and the wheel house outer 2 is reliably sealed.

  An inner ring groove 46 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second ring groove 41, and a C ring 47 that is urged in the diameter increasing direction is engaged and held in the inner ring groove 46. Due to the urging force of the C ring 47, the second ring groove 41 engages with the peripheral edge portion of the outer through hole 30 of the side member outer 3, and the sealing performance between the side member outer 3 and the elastic seal member 4 is ensured. ing.

  In order to assemble the mounting structure of this embodiment, first, the elastic seal member 4 is inserted from the recess 31 side, and the first ring groove 40 and the second ring groove 41 are inserted into the peripheral portions of the inner through hole 20 and the outer through hole 30, respectively. Engage with. Next, the C ring 47 is engaged with the inner ring groove 46 to expand the diameter, and the second ring groove 41 is engaged and held on the peripheral edge portion of the outer through hole 30 of the side member outer 3. Thereafter, the tip of the inlet filler pipe 1 is inserted into the elastic seal member 4 from the inner through hole 20 side.

  At this time, the pressure receiving portion 44 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe 1, the displacement portion 43 is elastically deformed as the insertion proceeds, and the pressure receiving portion 44 is expanded in diameter, and the pressure receiving portion 44 eventually becomes the thick portion 42. It abuts and presses the thick portion 42 in the outer circumferential direction. The inlet filler pipe 1 is inserted to a predetermined position while resisting the force, and finally the intermediate portion (not shown) of the inlet filler pipe 1 is locked to the body sheet metal to complete the assembly.

  Therefore, according to the mounting structure of the present embodiment, the gap between the elastic seal member 4 and the wheel house outer 2 is reliably sealed by the lip portion 45. Further, since the C-ring is not used for the engagement with the inner through hole 20 existing in the back, the number of parts is reduced, and the assembly man-hour is greatly reduced.

(Example 2)
In the first embodiment, the pressure receiving portion 44 is formed via the displacement portion 43. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the ring-shaped ridge protruding from the thick portion 42 in the inner circumferential direction and elastically contacting the inlet filler pipe 1 is used. Even if 47 is formed, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained. In this case, the protrusion 47 constitutes a pressure receiving portion. The protrusion 47 is formed in a volume that does not deform so as to fall into the inner through hole 30 when pressed from the inlet filler pipe 1 and is a tapered surface that guides the insertion of the inlet filler pipe 1 on the outer end face. Is formed.

(Example 3)
As shown in FIG. 5, the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a ring-shaped concave groove 48 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the thick portion 42. In the present embodiment, the thick portion 42 is pressed in a state where the pressure receiving portion 44 that has been pressed and expanded by the inlet filler pipe 1 is engaged with the concave groove 48. Therefore, since the accuracy of the position where the pressure receiving part 44 presses the thick part 42 is improved, the thick part 42 can be reliably pressed at the correct position, and the reliability of the sealing performance is improved.

It is sectional drawing of the attachment structure of one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the components structure of the attachment structure of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the attachment structure of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the attachment structure of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the attachment structure of the 3rd Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional attachment structure.

Explanation of symbols

1: Inlet filler pipe 2: Wheel house outer 3: Side member outer 4: Elastic seal member 10: Fuel cap
20: Mounting hole 20: Inner through hole 30: Outer through hole
42: Thick part 44: Pressure receiving part 45: Lip part

Claims (4)

An inlet filler pipe, a wheel house outer having an inner through hole, a recess and a side member outer having an outer through hole at the bottom of the recess, and a substantially cylindrical end portion. An elastic seal member that seals the space between the side member outer and the wheel house outer by holding the other end portion of the outer through hole in the inner through hole, respectively. An inlet filler pipe mounting structure in which both end portions are respectively engaged and held at the peripheral edge portions of the inner through hole and the outer through hole,
An outer ring groove formed on an outer peripheral surface and engaged with a peripheral edge portion of the inner through hole, and an outer ring groove adjacent to the outer ring groove are formed at one end portion held in the inner through hole of the elastic seal member. A thick-walled portion having a seal portion that elastically contacts, and a pressure-receiving portion that extends in an inner circumferential direction from the thick-walled portion and elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the inlet filler pipe,
An attachment structure of an inlet filler pipe, wherein the pressure receiving portion presses the thick portion, and the thick portion presses the seal portion toward the wheel house outer.   The inlet filler pipe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the thick-walled portion of the elastic seal member has a recess with which the pressure receiving portion is engaged.   The thick wall portion is formed on the side of the outer ring groove opposite to the side member outer, and is elastically deformed to swing around a fulcrum formed at the bottom of the outer ring groove. Item 3. An inlet filler pipe mounting structure according to Item 2.   The inlet filler pipe mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seal portion is a lip portion formed on an outer peripheral portion of the thick portion.

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