JP2008057388A - Vaporized fuel distribution member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vaporized fuel distribution member excellent in sealing performance and assemblability of an orifice body and components constructing the vaporized fuel distribution member other than the orifice body, and capable of being manufactured at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The vaporized fuel distribution member is composed of a cylindrical nipple body integrated with one of a fuel tank, a canister, and an inlet filler pipe, a cylindrical tube body capable of elastically deforming and connected to the nipple body, and a cylindrical orifice body having an inner diameter smaller than the nipple body and the tube body. The nipple body, the tube body and the orifice body are formed as separate bodies, an end part of the nipple body and the orifice body are pressed into the tube body, and the orifice body is held between the nipple body and the tube body. Since the orifice body is held between the nipple body and the tube body, the orifice body does not come off from the nipple body and the tube body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vaporized fuel circulation member connected to a fuel tank and constituting a part of a vaporized fuel flow path.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a vaporized fuel recovery system called an evaporation circuit 6 is connected to the fuel tank 5 of the automobile. The evaporation circuit 6 guides vaporized fuel from the fuel tank 5 to an external canister 7. The canister 7 temporarily stores vaporized fuel adsorbed on activated carbon or the like. Therefore, by connecting the evaporation circuit 6 to the fuel tank 5, it is possible to prevent the vaporized fuel from being discharged to the outside air. Further, since the canister 7 is connected to the engine (not shown), the vaporized fuel adsorbed on the activated carbon is desorbed from the activated carbon by the intake negative pressure of the engine.

  The evaporator circuit 6 is generally provided with a breather tube 9 that allows the gas phase portion 50 in the fuel tank 5 and the inlet filler pipe 8 to communicate with each other. By providing the breather tube 9 in the evaporation circuit 6, it is possible to prevent the outside air from being caught inside the fuel tank 5 during refueling. Specifically, one end of the breather tube 9 is connected to the vicinity of the fuel filler opening 80 of the inlet filler pipe 8. The other end of the breather tube 9 is inserted into a nipple 51 integrated with the fuel tank 5. The nipple 51 is fixed to the fuel tank 5 so as to communicate with the gas phase portion 50 of the fuel tank 5. The vaporized fuel existing in the fuel tank 5 passes from the nipple 51 integrated with the fuel tank 5 through the breather tube 9 and circulates to the inlet filler pipe 8, so that outside air is caught in the fuel tank 5 during refueling. Is reduced and fuel vaporization is suppressed. With this structure, the amount of vaporized fuel adsorbed by the canister 7 can be reduced. Hereinafter, the member that communicates between the fuel tank 5 and the inlet filler pipe 8 and the member that communicates between the fuel tank 5 and the canister 7 in the evaporation circuit 6 are collectively referred to as a vaporized fuel distribution member.

  By the way, the optimum amount of vaporized fuel flowing through the vaporized fuel circulation member may vary depending on the vehicle. Therefore, in order to adjust the vaporized fuel amount, a member having an orifice (orifice body) may be provided in the vaporized fuel flow member. In this case, as the orifice body, it is common to use a member molded separately from a member other than the orifice body constituting the vaporized fuel flow member such as the nipple 51 and the breather tube 9 (hereinafter referred to as a general member). It is. This is because the general member is shared by various vehicle types, and the manufacturing cost of the vaporized fuel distribution member in various vehicle types is reduced.

Patent Document 1 introduces a vaporized fuel circulation member having an orifice body. According to the vaporized fuel flow member introduced in Patent Document 1, the orifice body is formed separately from the nipple, and is engaged with the end of the nipple that is exposed inside the fuel tank. That is, in this vaporized fuel circulation member, the orifice body is only engaged with the nipple. For this reason, it is necessary to firmly engage the orifice body and the nipple so that the orifice body does not fall off. Moreover, it is necessary to assemble the orifice body and the nipple with high sealing properties so that vaporized fuel does not leak out. Therefore, in this case, the design of the orifice body and the nipple is difficult, and the assembly process of the orifice body and the nipple is complicated, so that the manufacturing cost of the vaporized fuel circulation member cannot be reduced so much.
JP 2002-187439 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vaporized fuel distribution member that can prevent the orifice body from falling off, is excellent in assembling between the orifice body and a general member, and is manufactured at low cost. Objective.

  The vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention that solves the above problems is a cylindrical nipple body integrated with any of a fuel tank, a canister, and an inlet filler pipe, and is elastically deformable and connected to the nipple body. A cylindrical tube body, and a nipple body and an orifice body having an inner diameter smaller than that of the tube body. The nipple body, the tube body, and the orifice body are formed separately from each other. Is press-fitted into the tube body, and the orifice body is sandwiched between the nipple body and the tube body.

The vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention preferably includes any of the following (1) to (2). More preferably, both (1) and (2) are provided.
(1) The outer peripheral surface of the portion adjacent to the nipple body in the orifice body and the outer peripheral surface of the portion adjacent to the orifice body in the nipple body are flush with each other.
(2) One end of the orifice body is press-fitted into the nipple body.

  The above-described evaporation circuit is provided with a path that connects the fuel tank and the canister (hereinafter referred to as a canister side path) and a path that connects the fuel tank and the inlet filler pipe (hereinafter referred to as a breather side path). It has been. In the canister side path, a canister tube connecting the fuel tank and the canister, a nipple integrated with the fuel tank and connected to the canister tube (hereinafter referred to as a tank side canister nipple), a canister tube integrated with the canister And a nipple (hereinafter referred to as a canister-side canister nipple). In the breather side path, a breather tube connecting the fuel tank and the inlet filler pipe, a nipple integrated with the fuel tank and connected to the breather tube (hereinafter referred to as a tank side breather nipple), and an inlet filler pipe are integrated. And a nipple connected to a breather tube (hereinafter referred to as an inlet-side breather nipple).

  The vaporized fuel flow member of the present invention has a nipple body, a tube body, and an orifice body. The nipple body is integrated with any one of the fuel tank, the canister, and the inlet filler pipe. That is, as the nipple body, any of the tank side canister nipple, the canister side canister nipple, the tank side breather nipple, and the inlet side breather nipple described above can be selected.

  The tube body is connected to a nipple body, that is, any of a tank side canister nipple, a canister side canister nipple, a tank side breather nipple, and an inlet side breather nipple.

  The orifice body is formed separately from the nipple body and the tube body, and is sandwiched between the nipple body and the tube body. For this reason, in the vaporized fuel distribution member of the present invention, only the inner diameter of the orifice body needs to be designed for each vehicle type, and the nipple body and tube body, which are general members, can be shared by various vehicle types. Since the nipple body is pressed into the elastically deformable tube body, the nipple body and the tube body do not move in the axial direction. Furthermore, the orifice body sandwiched between the tube body and the nipple body also does not move in the axial direction. Therefore, in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention, the orifice body is firmly fixed between the tube body and the nipple body. Furthermore, since the orifice body is only press-fitted into the tube body together with the nipple body, the orifice body, nipple body and tube body can be assembled very easily. Therefore, the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention is excellent in assemblability.

  In the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention, the orifice body is press-fitted into the tube body together with the nipple body, and is sandwiched between the nipple body and the tube body. For this reason, it is difficult for the orifice body to drop off from the tube body or the nipple body, and the work of assembling the orifice body, the nipple body and the tube body is easy. Further, since the orifice body does not require a special structure for connecting the orifice body and the nipple body or a special structure for connecting the orifice body and the tube body, the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention Can be manufactured inexpensively.

  In the vaporized fuel distribution member of the present invention, the nipple body is integrated with any one of the fuel tank, the canister, and the inlet filler pipe. In other words, in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention, a part of a fuel tank, a canister, or an inlet pipe is used as the nipple body. For this reason, the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention can reduce the number of parts and can be manufactured at a very low cost.

  When the vaporized fuel flow member of the present invention includes the above (1), the outer peripheral surface of the orifice body and the outer peripheral surface of the nipple body are smoothly continuous. Therefore, the tube body is not locally depressed or raised, and the orifice body, the nipple body, and the tube body are assembled with high sealing performance.

  When the vaporized fuel flow member of the present invention is provided with the above (2), the orifice body is press-fitted into the nipple body, and both are engaged. Therefore, when the vaporized fuel circulation member is manufactured by assembling the tube body, the nipple body, and the orifice body, the orifice body is press-fitted into the nipple body in advance, and the orifice body and the nipple body are simultaneously joined to the tube body. Can be pressed into. For this reason, according to the vaporization fuel distribution member of the present invention provided with the above (2), the assembly workability is further improved. Moreover, the orifice body and the nipple body can be engaged with each other with a simple structure by press-fitting the orifice body and the nipple body. Therefore, the vaporized fuel circulation member can be manufactured at a lower cost.

  In the vaporized fuel distribution member of the present invention, the orifice body includes a tank-side canister nipple and a canister tube, a canister-side canister nipple and a canister tube, a tank-side breather nipple and a breather tube, and an inlet-side breather nipple. And between the breather tube and the breather tube. You may distribute to two or more places. The vaporized fuel flow member of the present invention may be manufactured by first assembling the orifice body into the nipple body and then assembling the nipple body assembled with the orifice body into the tube body. After assembly, the tube body with the orifice body assembled may be assembled with the nipple body.

  The tube body in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention is made of an elastically deformable material. Examples of the material of the tube body include general elastic materials such as resins, elastomers, and rubbers. Among these, nylon resin, fluororesin, PPS resin, PE resin and the like are particularly preferably used as the tube body material. This is because these materials are excellent in fuel resistance.

  The nipple body in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the present invention is integrated with any of a fuel tank, a canister, and an inlet filler pipe. The nipple body may be formed integrally with these members, or may be formed separately and integrated by a method such as welding or adhesion. The nipple body is preferably made of a material that is relatively rigid and difficult to deform, such as POM resin, PA resin, PE resin, and PP resin. This is because the orifice body is pressed against the pressing force (diameter reduction force) of the tube body. The orifice body may also be made of a material that is relatively rigid and difficult to deform, such as POM resin, PA resin, PE resin, and PP resin. This is for maintaining the shape against the diameter reducing force of the tube body.

  The tube body and the nipple body may be fixed only by the diameter reducing force of the tube body, or may be fixed by a fastening band or the like from the outer peripheral side of the tube body. When the tube body and the nipple body are fixed only by the diameter reducing force of the tube body, there is an advantage that the assembling work of the tube body and the nipple body becomes easy. In this case, if the nipple body is formed in a fur tree shape (so-called bowl shape), the tube body and the nipple body can be engaged with each other by the diameter reducing force of the tube body. It becomes difficult to come off.

  Of the orifice body and the nipple body, the end on the tube body side is preferably tapered so that it can be easily press-fitted into the tube body. Further, an end portion located on the nipple body side in the orifice body (hereinafter referred to as an orifice-side connection end portion) and an end portion located on the orifice body side in the nipple body (hereinafter referred to as a nipple-side connection end portion) And preferably have shapes that can be engaged with each other. In this case, since the orifice body can be engaged with the nipple body in advance and the orifice body and the nipple body can be simultaneously pressed into the tube body, the workability of assembling the vaporized fuel flow member is further improved.

  Hereinafter, the vaporized fuel flow member of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Example)
In the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment, the nipple body is a tank side breather nipple integrated with the fuel tank, and the tube body is a breather tube. 1 to 3 are sectional views schematically showing the vaporized fuel flow member of the example.

  The vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment constitutes a part of the breather side path. As shown in FIG. 1, the tube body 1, the nipple body 2, and the orifice body 3 are separate bodies in the vaporized fuel flow device of the embodiment.

  The nipple body 2 includes a tip end portion of a fuel valve (not shown) integrated with a fuel tank (not shown). The nipple body 2 is made of PA resin and has a fur tree shape. The tip end portion (nipple side connection end portion 20) of the nipple body 2 is tapered. 1 to 3, in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment, an O-ring 4 is attached to the outer peripheral side of the nipple body 2.

  The orifice body 3 has a short cylindrical shape. One end of the orifice body 3 (orifice side connecting end 30) has a stepped shape. The other end portion (orifice side insertion end portion 31) of the orifice body 3 is tapered. The orifice body 3 is made of POM resin. The inner diameter of the orifice body 3 is smaller than the inner diameter of the nipple body 2 and the inner diameter of the tube body 1. The outer diameter of the orifice side connection end 30 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the nipple side connection end 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the orifice body 3 has an orifice-side connection end 30 facing the nipple body 2 and an orifice-side insertion end 31 facing the tube body 1, and the orifice body 3 is located between the nipple body 2 and the tube body 1. It is sandwiched. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the orifice-side connection end 30 is press-fitted into and engaged with the nipple-side connection end 20. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the portion adjacent to the orifice-side connection end portion 30 (adjacent end portion 32) in the orifice body 3 is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the nipple-side connection end portion 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer peripheral surface of the adjacent end portion 32 and the outer peripheral surface of the nipple side connecting end portion 20 are adjacent to each other when the orifice body 3 and the nipple body 2 are assembled to the tube body 1.

  The tube body 1 is made of a breather tube and is formed integrally with an inlet filler pipe (not shown). The tube body 1 is made of PA resin. The inner diameter of the tube body 1 is larger than the minimum outer diameter of the orifice body 3 and smaller than the maximum outer diameter. The inner diameter of the tube body 1 is larger than the minimum outer diameter of the nipple body 2 and smaller than the maximum outer diameter.

  In the vaporized fuel flow member of the embodiment, the orifice body 3 is first press-fitted into the nipple body 2 (FIG. 2), and then the nipple body 2 into which the orifice body 3 is press-fitted is press-fitted into the tube body 1 and assembled (FIG. 2). 3). The nipple body 2 and the orifice body 3 and the tube body 1 are fixed by the diameter reducing force of the tube body 1. Further, the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2 are engaged with each other so that the nipple body 2 has a fur tree shape. Therefore, the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2 do not move in the axial direction (horizontal direction in the figure), and the tube body 1 is not detached from the nipple body 2. Further, the orifice body 3 sandwiched between the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2 does not fall off from the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2. Therefore, the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment is firmly assembled with a simple structure. That is, the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment is excellent in assembling workability, and the orifice body 3 does not fall off and can be manufactured at a low cost.

  In the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment, the orifice body 3 is separate from the nipple body 2 and the tube body 1 which are general members. For this reason, the general members (nipple body 2 and tube body 1) in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment can be shared by various types of vehicles.

  Furthermore, since the outer peripheral surface of the adjacent end portion 32 of the orifice body 3 is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the nipple side connection end portion 20, the diameter reducing force of the tube body 1 is equal to the adjacent end portion 32 of the orifice body 3, It acts equally on the nipple side connecting end 20 of the nipple body 2. Therefore, in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment, the tube body 1, the orifice body 3, and the nipple body 2 are assembled with high sealing performance. Therefore, the vaporized fuel does not enter the gap between the tube 1 and the orifice body 3 or the gap between the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2, and the vaporized fuel does not leak into the outside air.

  Further, since the O-ring 4 is attached to the outer peripheral side of the nipple body 2, the gap between the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2 is also sealed by the O-ring 4. For this reason, in the vaporized fuel circulation member of the embodiment, the tube body 1 and the nipple body 2 are assembled with very high sealing performance.

  Further, since the nipple body 2 is integrated with the fuel tank, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the vaporized fuel circulation member is further reduced.

It is sectional drawing which represents typically the vaporization fuel distribution | circulation member of an Example. It is sectional drawing which represents typically the vaporization fuel distribution | circulation member of an Example. It is sectional drawing which represents typically the vaporization fuel distribution | circulation member of an Example. It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the general evaporation circuit connected to the fuel tank of a motor vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

1: Tube body, 2: Nipple body, 3: Orifice body

Claims (3)

A cylindrical nipple body integrated into any of a fuel tank, a canister, and an inlet filler pipe, a cylindrical tube body that is elastically deformable and connected to the nipple body, the nipple body, and the tube An orifice body having a smaller inner diameter than the body,
The nipple body, the tube body, and the orifice body are molded separately,
The end of the nipple body and the orifice body are press-fitted into the tube body,
The vaporized fuel flow member, wherein the orifice body is sandwiched between the nipple body and the tube body.   2. The vaporized fuel flow according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the orifice body adjacent to the nipple body is flush with an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the nipple body adjacent to the orifice body. Element.   The vaporized fuel circulation member according to claim 1, wherein one end of the orifice body is press-fitted into the nipple body.

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