JP2007320350A - Member mounting structure on fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a member mounting structure on a fuel tank for mounting a member to be mounted while suppressing mounting defects or rattling. <P>SOLUTION: A housing part body 36 with high fuel resistant permeability inserted into a through hole 30, a flange receiving part 38 weldable on the fuel tank body 28 and a housing member 34 integrally joined by two color molding are joined to the fuel tank body 28. In a receiving part main body 44 of the housing main body 36, hook pieces 48 for locking a flange part 20 by a locking face 48K are formed. The flange receiving part 38 is formed integrally with the housing part body 36 and positional dispersion between them is not generated. As a result, a clearance C1 between the flange part 20 and the flange receiving part 38 is taken substantially constant, and fitting defects such as rattling after fitting and unexpected coming-off are not generated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a member attachment structure for attaching a member to be attached to a fuel tank body of a fuel tank provided in a vehicle such as an automobile.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-228707, an annular receiving member for fitting an outward flange of a mounting pipe is welded and fixed around the opening of a fuel tank to a fuel tank body of a fuel tank provided in a vehicle such as an automobile. State mounting structure is described.

However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, when the annular mounting member is welded to the fuel tank, a variation in the welding allowance is likely to occur.
JP 2003-25857 A

  This invention considers the said fact and makes it a subject to obtain the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which can attach a to-be-attached member, suppressing attachment failure and backlash.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, a fuel tank main body in which fuel is accommodated, a mounted member attached to the fuel tank main body, a fitted portion provided in the mounted member, and the fuel tank main body It has a housing member to be coupled, and a fitting portion that is provided integrally with the housing member and into which the fitted portion is fitted.

  In this member mounting structure to the fuel tank, the housing member is coupled to the fuel tank body, and the fitted portion of the attached member is fitted to the fitting portion of the housing member so that the attached member is the fuel tank body. Attached to. That is, the attached member is attached to the fuel tank body via the housing member.

  Here, the fitting portion into which the fitted portion of the attached member is fitted is provided integrally with the housing member coupled to the fuel tank body. For this reason, since the variation in the clearance between the fitting portion and the fitted portion becomes small (preferably, the variation is not substantially generated), the attachment of the attached member to the fuel tank main body is possible. Accuracy is not deteriorated, and poor mounting and backlash can be suppressed.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the fitted portion is a flange portion formed in an annular shape on the outer periphery of the attached member.

  That is, the flange portion, which is the fitted portion, is formed in an annular shape on the outer periphery of the attached member, and the fitted portion is fitted to the flange portion, so that the fitted state can be maintained more firmly and the clearance can be maintained. The variation can be made smaller.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, fuel permeation resistance is provided between the fuel tank body and the housing member and between the attached member and the housing member. A sealing member having the above is provided.

  Thereby, permeation | transmission of the fuel between a fuel tank main body and a housing member and between a to-be-attached member and a housing member can be suppressed.

  Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, a member mounting structure to the fuel tank capable of mounting the mounted member while suppressing mounting failure and backlash is obtained.

  FIG. 1 partially shows a fuel tank 12 to which a member mounting structure (hereinafter simply referred to as “member mounting structure”) 14 for a fuel tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. As a member to be attached to the fuel tank, in this embodiment, the attachment pipe 16 shown in FIG. 3 is taken up. The attachment pipe 16 includes a cylindrical portion 18 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and an annular flange portion 20 extending radially outward from a substantially center in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 18. A tube 26 made of a soft resin is connected to the cylindrical portion 18 on one end side of the mounting pipe 16 (above the flange portion 20 in FIGS. 1 and 3). On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 18 on the other end side (lower side of the flange portion 20 in FIGS. 1 and 3) of the attachment pipe 16 is connected to the fuel tank main body 28.

  The fuel tank main body 28 is configured by, for example, two resin layers 22A and 22C made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and a barrier layer 24A between the resin layers 22A and 22C being stacked. The barrier layer 24A is made of a material having a lower fuel permeability than the resin layers 22A and 22C (e.g., difficult to permeate the fuel) such as EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol).

  As shown in detail in FIG. 2, a through hole 30 is formed in the upper surface of the fuel tank body 28, and a housing member 34 is inserted into the through hole 30. The inner surface of the through-hole 30 is a tapered inclined surface 32 that is inclined so that the opening diameter gradually increases from the inside to the outside of the fuel tank main body 28. From the inclined surface 32, the barrier layer 24A is exposed.

  The housing member 34 includes a housing part main body 36 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape in accordance with the opening cross-sectional shape of the through hole 30, and a flange formed on one end (the upper end in FIGS. 1 to 3) side of the housing part main body 36. Receiving part 38. The housing body 36 is made of a material having relatively low fuel permeability, such as PA, while the flange receiving portion 38 is made of a material that can be welded to the fuel tank body 28, such as PE. Yes. And the housing part main body 36 and the flange receiving part 38 which were comprised by such a different material are integrally joined by what is called two-color molding.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36, one or a plurality of (in the present embodiment, two at intervals in the axial direction) O-ring concave portions 40 are formed. The O-ring recess 40 accommodates an O-ring 42 made of a material having high fuel permeability such as FKM. As shown in FIG. 1, when the cylindrical portion 18 of the mounting pipe 16 is inserted into the housing portion main body 36, the O-ring 42 is pressed against both the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36. And seal between them.

  The flange receiving portion 38 includes a cylindrical receiving portion main body 44 having a larger diameter than the housing portion main body 36, and an annular continuous portion 46 that connects the receiving portion main body 44 and the housing portion main body 36. On the other hand, a flange-like joint portion 39 is extended from one end of the housing portion main body 36 (the end portion on the flange receiving portion 38 side), and the connecting portion 46 and the joint portion 39 are in surface contact with each other. Are joined together.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter D <b> 1 of the receiving portion main body 44 is larger than the outer diameter D <b> 2 of the flange portion 20 of the attachment pipe 16. In addition, a plurality of flange pieces 48 having a tapered surface 48T and a locking surface 48K are provided on the upper portion of the receiving portion main body 44 (in this embodiment, a constant interval (a position at a central angle of 90 degrees) in the circumferential direction of the receiving portion main body 44. 4) are formed. Slits are formed on both sides of each collar piece 48, and the collar pieces 48 can be bent and deformed radially inward and outward of the receiving portion main body 44.

  Each of the diameters of the circles connecting the inner ends of the flanges 48 is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the flange portion 20. When the cylindrical portion 18 is inserted into the housing portion main body 36, the flange portion 20 contacts the tapered surface 48T. To do. When further inserted, the flange 48 bends outward and the flange portion 20 gets over the flange 48. In the state of getting over, the flange portion 20 is locked to the locking surface 48K and cannot be removed carelessly. One flange piece 48 may be provided, but providing a plurality of flange pieces 48 is preferable because the flange portion 20 can be more reliably locked. Furthermore, when providing two or more, it is preferable to arrange | position so that there may be no excessive bias in the circumferential direction of the receiving part main body 44. FIG.

  An end portion of the receiving portion main body 44 opposite to the flange piece 48 extends below the connecting portion 46 to form a welded portion 50. When the housing portion main body 36 is inserted into the through hole 30, the tip (lower end) of the welded portion 50 comes into contact with the outer surface of the fuel tank main body 28, and the welded welded portion 50 can be welded to the outer surface of the fuel tank main body 28.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36, a recess 52 for an elastic seal material is formed in the vicinity of the boundary portion with the connecting portion 46. In the recess 52 for elastic seal material, an annular elastic seal material 54 made of a material having elasticity and low fuel permeability, such as FKM, is fitted. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the housing part main body 36 is inserted into the through hole 30, the elastic seal material 54 comes into contact with both the inclined surface 32 of the through hole 30 and the outer peripheral surface of the housing part main body 36. Seal between them.

  As can be seen from FIG. 2, the elastic sealing material 54 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, but is provided with a cut 56 toward the outside. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the housing portion main body 36 is inserted into the through hole 30 and the elastic seal material 54 contacts the inclined surface 32 of the through hole 30, the axial direction of the housing portion main body 36, that is, the through hole. It bends in the direction of insertion into 30.

  In the above description, the O-ring 42, the housing portion main body 36, the elastic seal material 54, and the barrier layer 24A are all made of a material having low fuel permeability. The fuel permeability needs to be lower than that of the resin layers 22A and 22C constituting the fuel tank body 28. In the present embodiment, in particular, the material and shape are such that the fuel does not permeate due to the secular change caused by the normal use state of the fuel tank 12.

  Next, a method of attaching the attachment pipe 16 to the fuel tank main body 28 in the attachment structure 14 of the present embodiment and the operation of the attachment structure 14 will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, the housing member 34 is joined to the fuel tank main body 28. That is, the housing part main body 36 is inserted into the through hole 30, and the welding part 50 is welded to the upper surface of the fuel tank main body 28. At this time, the elastic sealing material 54 contacts both the inclined surface 32 of the through hole 30 and the outer peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36 to seal between them. In particular, the elastic sealing material 54 is in close contact with the barrier layer 24 </ b> A exposed from the inclined surface 32 of the through hole 30 and exhibits high sealing performance.

  Moreover, since the notch 56 is provided in the elastic sealing material 54, the elastic sealing material 54 is easily bent in the insertion direction of the housing portion main body 36, and is more closely attached.

  Next, the cylindrical portion 18 of the attachment pipe 16 is inserted into the housing portion main body 36 of the housing member 34. During the insertion, the flange portion 20 comes into contact with the tapered surface 48T. When the flange portion 20 is further inserted, the flange piece 48 bends and the flange portion 20 gets over the flange piece 48 as shown in FIG. It fits into the receiving part main body 44 of the flange receiving part 38. Thereby, the attachment of the attachment pipe 16 to the fuel tank main body 28 is completed. In this state, since the flange portion 20 is locked to the locking surface 48K, the flange portion 20 is fitted into the flange receiving portion 38 and cannot be removed carelessly. As described above, the attachment pipe 16 can be attached to the fuel tank main body 28 simply by inserting the attachment pipe 16 into the housing member 34 (one-touch operation), and the productivity is improved. Further, since the attachment pipe 16 can be attached to the fuel tank main body 28 simply by forming the through hole 30, the moldability of the fuel tank main body 28 is improved, and the productivity is also improved in this respect.

  When the cylindrical portion 18 of the attachment pipe 16 is inserted into the housing portion main body 36 of the housing member 34, the O-ring 42 is crimped to both the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36. Seal the gap. As a result, a material having low fuel permeability, that is, a material having a high barrier property against fuel, continues from the O-ring 42 to the barrier layer 24A through the housing portion main body 36 and the elastic seal material 54. Overall, high fuel permeability can be ensured.

  Here, in this embodiment, the flange receiving part 38 is integrally formed with the housing part main body 36, and the position does not vary between them. For this reason, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the clearance C1 between the flange portion 20 and the flange receiving portion 38 (particularly, the distance between the flange piece 48 and the connecting portion 46) is also substantially constant. There is no fitting failure such as prepared disconnection.

  Moreover, since the relative position of the flange receiving part 38 and the housing part main body 36 is constant, high positional accuracy can be ensured in a state where the attachment pipe 16 is fitted. The O-ring 42 can also maintain the close contact with the cylindrical portion 18 of the housing portion main body 36 and the attachment pipe 16 and can maintain a good sealing performance.

  In the present embodiment, the O-ring 42 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing part body 36. For this reason, the possibility that the O-ring 42 is damaged or foreign matter adheres when the mounting pipe 16 is inserted or removed is reduced.

  4 and 5 show a mounting structure 114 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, in the second embodiment, the same components, members, and the like as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the flange 48 according to the first embodiment is not formed on the receiving portion main body 144 of the flange receiving portion 138 constituting the housing member 134, but this receiving portion main body is provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction. Two parallel slits 148 are formed so as to be located in a plane having the center line of 144 as a normal line. By forming these slits 148, the receiving portion main body 144 is partially penetrated in the radial direction (thickness direction). The position of the slit 148 in the axial direction is set so that the distance D3 between the lower surface 148B of the slit 148 and the connecting portion 46 is slightly longer than the thickness T1 of the flange portion 20 of the attachment pipe 16.

  Moreover, in 2nd Embodiment, the U-shaped clip 156 is provided by planar view as a whole. The clip 156 has two parallel arm portions 158 accommodated in two slits 148 formed in the receiving portion main body 144, and a tapered surface 160 </ b> T and an engaging portion are provided at the respective distal ends of the arm portions 158. A flange piece 160 having a stop surface 160K is formed. When the arm portion 158 is inserted into the slit 148 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. When the collar piece 48 is further inserted and comes out of the slit 148, it is locked by the locking surface 160K.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the arm portion 158 is inserted into the slit 148 in this way, a part of the arm portion 158 is located further inside than the inner peripheral surface of the receiving portion main body 144, which will be described later. The shape is determined so as to act as the engaging portion 168.

  In the second embodiment, when the attachment pipe 16 is attached to the fuel tank body 28, the clip 156 is separated from the housing member 134 (not inserted into the slit 148). The process is the same as in the first embodiment until the housing member 134 is joined to the fuel tank body 28, but the subsequent processes are different.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the attachment pipe 16 is inserted into the housing member 34, but then the clip 156 is moved in the direction of arrow A, and the arm portion 158 is inserted into the slit 148. When the collar piece 48 comes out of the slit 148, it is locked by the locking surface 160K, and the clip 156 is not carelessly detached from the receiving portion main body 144. Further, since the engaging portion 168, that is, the portion of the arm portion 158 located further inside than the inner peripheral surface of the receiving portion main body 144 engages with the flange portion 20, the flange portion 20 is fitted to the flange receiving portion 38. It will not come out carelessly.

  In the second embodiment in which the attachment pipe 16 is attached to the fuel tank main body 28 in this way, the same operational effects as in the first embodiment are obtained. That is, the flange receiving portion 138 is formed integrally with the housing portion main body 36, and there is no variation in position between them. For this reason, as can be seen from FIG. 5, since the clearance C1 between the flange portion 20 and the flange receiving portion 138 is also constant, there is no fitting failure such as rattling after fitting and careless disconnection.

  Moreover, since the relative position of the flange receiving part 138 and the housing part main body 36 is constant, high positional accuracy can be ensured in a state where the attachment pipe 16 is fitted. The O-ring 42 can also maintain the close contact with the cylindrical portion 18 of the housing portion main body 36 and the attachment pipe 16 and can maintain a good sealing performance.

  Furthermore, since the material having low fuel permeability continues from the O-ring 42 to the barrier layer 24A through the housing portion main body 36 and the elastic seal material 54, high fuel permeability resistance can be ensured as a whole.

  In the above, as an example of the so-called two-color molding of the housing member 34, the receiving portion main body 144 of the flange receiving portion 38 is also made of a material that can be welded to the fuel tank main body 28, such as PE. In short, the housing portion main body 36 may have high fuel permeation resistance, and at least a portion of the flange receiving portion 38 facing the fuel tank main body 28 may be weldable. Therefore, like the housing member 136 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the receiving portion main body 144 and the connecting portion 46 of the flange receiving portion 38 are made of the same material as the housing portion main body 36, and only the welding portion 50 is formed. You may comprise with the material which can be welded with the fuel tank main body 28. FIG.

  Moreover, although the attachment pipe 16 which has the flange part 20 was mentioned as the to-be-attached member which concerns on this invention in the above, a to-be-attached member is not limited to this, The to-be-fitted part of this invention is also in the flange part 20. It is not limited. However, since the flange portion 20 is continuously formed in the circumferential direction around the cylindrical portion 18 of the mounting pipe 14, the flange portion 20 is more firmly fitted to the receiving portion main body 44 of the flange receiving portion 38 which is a fitting portion. Can maintain a good condition. Moreover, in the process of fitting, since directivity is lost in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 18, workability is improved.

  Further, the fitting portion according to the present invention is not limited to the flange receiving portion 38 described above, and is adapted to the shape of the fitting portion or the like, or required fitting strength and workability in fitting work. A preferable configuration can be applied in consideration of the above.

It is sectional drawing which shows the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the fuel tank and housing member which comprise the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the fuel tank, the housing member, and attachment pipe which comprise the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the fuel tank and housing member which comprise the member attachment structure to the fuel tank which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

12 Fuel tank 14 Mounting structure 16 Mounting pipe (attached member)
18 Cylindrical part 20 Flange part (fitting part)
22A Resin layer 24A Barrier layer 26 Tube 28 Fuel tank body 30 Through-hole 32 Inclined surface 34 Housing member 36 Housing part body 38 Flange receiving part (fitting part)
40 O-ring recess 42 O-ring (seal member)
44 receiving portion main body 46 continuous portion 48 flange 48T taper surface 48K locking surface 50 welded portion 52 concave portion for elastic seal material 54 elastic seal material (seal member)
114 Mounting structure 134 Housing member 136 Housing member 138 Flange receiving portion 144 Receiving portion main body 148 Slit 156 Clip 158 Arm portion 160T Tapered surface 160K Locking surface 160 Hook piece 168 Engaging portion C1 Clearance

Claims (3)

A fuel tank body in which fuel is stored;
A member to be attached to the fuel tank body;
A fitted portion provided on the attached member;
A housing member coupled to the fuel tank body;
A fitting portion provided integrally with the housing member and fitted with the fitted portion;
A member mounting structure to a fuel tank, characterized by comprising:   2. The member mounting structure for a fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the fitted portion is a flange portion formed in an annular shape on an outer periphery of the attached member.   3. A seal member having fuel permeation resistance is provided between the fuel tank body and the housing member and between the attached member and the housing member. The member attachment structure to the fuel tank as described in 2.

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