JP2008196440A - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel supply device having high reliability of a connection part of a connector and a coupler. <P>SOLUTION: A support part 17 is provided near the connector 30 of a flange 11. The support part 17 supports lead wire 31 at sections near the connector 30 and the coupler 50. Length of the lead wire 31 from the support part 17 to the coupler 50 is longer than length thereof from a pump module 21 to the support part 17. Therefore, even if distance between the flange 11 and the pump module 21 changes and the lead wire 31 between the support part 17 and the pump module 21 deforms, movement of the lead wire 31 in the coupler 50 side is reduced as compared to movement of the support part 17. Consequently, movement of the coupler 50 connected to the lead wire 31 is reduced and relative movement of the coupler 50 and the connector 30 is reduced. As a result, slide motion of a terminal of the coupler 50 and a terminal 32 of the connector 30 is reduced and poor connection between the terminals can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply device that supplies fuel inside a fuel tank to the outside of the fuel tank.

  Conventionally, an in-tank type fuel supply apparatus in which a pump module is accommodated in a fuel tank is known. Such a fuel supply device includes a lid member that closes the opening of the fuel tank, and a pump module that is housed inside the fuel tank. The lid member is provided with a connector connected to a power source such as a battery or an ECU. The connector is connected to a coupler extending from the pump module via a lead wire. Thereby, the connector and the pump module are electrically connected. As a result, electric power is supplied to the pump module from a power source such as a battery, and an electric signal from, for example, a sender gauge is output from the pump module.

The pump module is supported directly on the lid member by a rod-shaped support member or indirectly with the sub tank interposed therebetween, for example. By supporting the pump module on the lid member, the lid member and the pump module are relatively movable in the axial direction of the lid member. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
By the way, the fuel tank expands or contracts due to a change in internal pressure accompanying a change in temperature or a change in the amount of fuel, and its depth changes. Therefore, the pump module pressed against the bottom wall of the fuel tank reciprocates in the depth direction of the fuel tank. As the pump module moves, the lead wire connected to the pump module reciprocates in the depth direction of the fuel tank together with the pump module.

  When the lead wire reciprocates, the coupler connected to the lead wire moves together with the lead wire. Therefore, relative movement also occurs between the coupler and the connector. The coupler and the connector each have a conductive terminal. As a result, if a relative movement occurs between the coupler and the connector, the coupler terminal and the connector terminal may slide to cause a contact failure.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-220964

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable fuel supply device at a connection portion between a connector and a coupler.

  In the first or second aspect of the invention, the lead wire is supported by the support portion provided on the lid member. Since the lead wire is supported by the support portion, the movement of the lead wire from the support portion to the coupler is reduced. That is, even if the depth changes due to, for example, expansion or contraction of the fuel tank, the movement of the end of the lead wire on the coupler side is small. As a result, even if the depth of the fuel tank changes, the movement of the coupler is reduced, and the relative movement between the coupler and the connector is also reduced. Accordingly, contact failure between the connector and the coupler due to sliding between the connector and the coupler is reduced, and the reliability at the connection portion between the connector and the coupler can be increased.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the support portion is provided integrally with the connector. Thereby, the lead wire is supported by the support portion at a portion close to the coupler and the connector. Therefore, the relative movement between the coupler and the connector accompanying the movement of the lead wire is more limited. Therefore, contact failure between the coupler and the connector can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
(First embodiment)
A fuel supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The flange 11 as a lid member of the fuel supply device 10 is formed in a disk shape from resin. The flange 11 is attached to an opening 14 formed by the upper wall 13 of the fuel tank 12. When the fuel supply device 10 is mounted on the fuel tank 12, the flange 11 closes the opening 14. Parts other than the flange 11 of the fuel supply device 10 are accommodated in the fuel tank 12. The fuel tank 12 is made of, for example, resin. The fuel supply device 10 includes a flange 11 attached to the fuel tank 12 and a sub tank 20 supported by the flange 11 and accommodated in the fuel tank 12. A pump module 21 is accommodated in the sub tank 20.

  The flange 11 has a discharge pipe portion 15, a connector 30, and a support portion 17. The discharge pipe portion 15 is a pipe that supplies fuel discharged from a fuel pump (not shown) of the pump module 21 to the outside of the fuel tank 12. The connector 30 is connected to a power source and ECU (not shown). The connector 30 projects through the flange 11 toward the sub tank 20 side. A lead wire 31 extends from the connector 30 into the fuel tank 12 via a coupler 50 connected to the connector 30. Power from the power source is supplied to the fuel pump via the lead wire 31. The support portion 17 is formed integrally with the flange 11 with resin. The support part 17 is provided on the pump module 21 side of the flange 11. The support portion 17 supports the lead wire 31.

  The flange 11 and the sub tank 20 are connected by a shaft 22 as a support member. One end of the shaft 22 is press-fitted into the flange 11, and the other end is supported by the sub tank 20. The end of the shaft 22 on the sub tank 20 side is supported by the sub tank 20. The sub tank 20 supports the shaft 22 so as to be movable in the axial direction. A spring 23 as an elastic member is installed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft 22. The spring 23 presses the flange 11 and the sub tank 20 away from each other. Thereby, the flange 11 and the sub tank 20 in which the pump module 21 is accommodated can relatively reciprocate in the axial direction of the flange 11, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. As a result, the distance between the flange 11 and the sub tank 20 changes, and the height of the fuel supply device 10 changes. Therefore, even if the fuel tank 12 expands or contracts due to a change in internal pressure or a change in fuel amount due to a temperature change, the sub tank 20 is always pressed against the bottom wall 16 of the fuel tank 12 by the pressing force of the spring 23.

  The sub tank 20 is formed in a container shape having an open flange 11 side. The sub tank 20 is provided with a sender gauge 40 outside the side wall 24. The sender gauge 40 includes a detection unit 41, an arm 42, and a float 43. The sender gauge 40 detects the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 12. The float 43 floats on the liquid level of the fuel stored in the fuel tank 12. The arm 42 supports a float 43 that moves according to the fuel level position so as to be rotatable about the detection unit 41. The detection unit 41 has a plurality of electrical wirings having different resistance values. As a result, when the float 43 moves depending on the fuel level, the arm 42 that supports the float 43 rotates around the detection unit 41. When the arm 42 rotates, the contact state between the arm 42 and the electric wiring of the detection unit 41 changes. As a result, the resistance of the detection unit 41 varies depending on the fuel level. The liquid level position of the fuel is detected based on the resistance value detected by the detection unit 41. The detection unit 41 is connected to the connector 30 via the lead wire 31. The fuel level detected by the sender gauge 40 is output to an external ECU via the lead wire 31 and the connector 30.

  A pump module 21 is accommodated in the sub tank 20. The pump module 21 includes a fuel pump, a suction filter, a fuel filter, a pressure regulator, and the like (not shown). The suction filter is provided on the suction side of the fuel pump. The suction filter removes relatively large foreign matters contained in the fuel. The fuel pump is driven by a motor (not shown), sucks fuel through a suction filter, pressurizes it, and discharges it to the fuel filter. The discharged fuel is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by a pressure regulator after foreign matters contained in the fuel are removed by the fuel filter. The fuel whose pressure has been adjusted is discharged from the pressure regulator to the discharge pipe portion 15 installed on the flange 11 via the fuel pipe 25.

  The connector 30 is provided on the flange 11. The connector 30 is integrally formed with resin together with the flange 11. The connector 30 has a terminal 32 made of a conductor inside. The terminal 32 is installed through the flange 11 in the axial direction. As a result, one end of the terminal 32 is exposed from the flange 11 to the outside of the fuel tank 12, and the other end is exposed from the flange 11 to the inside of the fuel tank 12.

  The connector 50 is attached with a coupler 50 from the fuel tank 12 side. The coupler 50 has a terminal (not shown) made of a conductor inside. When the coupler 50 is connected to the connector 30, the lead wire 31 is electrically connected to the terminal 32 of the connector 30 via the terminal of the coupler 50. The end of the lead wire 31 opposite to the connector 30 is connected to a sender gauge 40 of the pump module 21 and a fuel pump (not shown).

Next, the support part 17 is demonstrated.
The support portion 17 is provided so as to protrude from the flange 11 to the pump module 21 side. The support portion 17 is provided adjacent to the connector 30 and in the vicinity of the connector 30. The support portion 17 protrudes from the end on the pump module 21 side of the flange 11 to the pump module 21 side in a side view, and is positioned closer to the flange 11 than the end of the connector 30 on the pump module 21 side. Thus, by providing the support portion 17 between the end portion of the flange 11 on the pump module 21 side and the end portion of the connector 30 on the pump module 21 side, the connector 30 and the flange 11 formed integrally with resin are formed. The mold configuration is easy. Further, in order to reduce the movement of the lead wire 31, it is desirable that the support portion 17 be positioned as close to the flange 11 as possible. Therefore, by providing the support portion 17 between the end portion of the flange 11 on the pump module 21 side and the end portion of the connector 30 on the pump module 21 side, the configuration of the mold is facilitated and the lead wire 31 is moved. Reduction can be achieved in a balanced manner.

  The support part 17 has an arm part 171 and a claw part 172. The arm portion 171 extends in parallel with the end portion of the flange 11 on the pump module 21 side. The claw portion 172 protrudes from the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 171 toward the flange 11. By inserting the lead wire 31 between the flange 11 and the arm portion 171, the lead wire 31 is supported by the support portion 17 in the vicinity of the connector 30. The claw portion 172 restricts the movement of the lead wire 31 and reduces the dropout of the lead wire 31 from the arm portion 171. The support portion 17 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may have any configuration as long as it can support the lead wire 31. For example, the support portion 17 may be formed in a substantially J shape that integrally curves the arm portion 171 and the claw portion 172, or the arm portion 171 and the claw portion 172 may be formed in a substantially V shape. Alternatively, the support portion 17 may be formed in a plate shape, a notch may be provided in the plate-like member, and the lead wire 31 may be sandwiched and supported in the notch.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the support portion 17 is provided in the vicinity of the connector 30 and the coupler 50. As a result, the length of the lead wire 31 from the support portion 17 to the coupler 50 is shortened. When the distance between the flange 11 and the pump module 21 changes, the lead wire 31 bends or extends between the support portion 17 and the pump module 21 as the distance changes. In the first embodiment, by supporting the lead wire 31 with the support portion 17, the distance between the flange 11 and the pump module 21 changes, and the lead wire 31 is bent between the support portion 17 and the pump module 21. Even if it stretches, the movement of the lead wire 31 is reduced on the coupler 50 side of the support portion 17. Therefore, the movement of the coupler 50 connected to the lead wire 31 in the vertical direction of FIG. 1 together with the lead wire 31 is reduced, and the relative movement between the coupler 50 and the connector 30 coupled to the coupler 50 is reduced. Is also reduced. That is, even if the lead wire 31 is deformed between the flange 11 and the pump module 21, the relative movement between the coupler 50 and the connector 30 is reduced. The shorter the distance between the support portion 17 and the coupler 50 and the shorter the total length of the lead wire 31 between the support portion 17 and the coupler 50, the more the lead wire 31 is deformed on the pump module 21 side than the support portion 17. The movement of the coupler 50 is reduced. As a result, for example, even if the depth of the fuel tank 12 changes due to a change in the internal pressure or a change in the fuel amount due to a change in the temperature of the fuel tank 12, and the distance between the flange 11 and the pump module 21 changes, the coupler 50 The sliding between the terminal of the coupler 50 and the terminal 32 of the connector 30 due to the relative movement between the connector 30 and the connector 30 is reduced, and the occurrence of poor contact is reduced. Therefore, the reliability at the connection portion between the connector 30 and the coupler 50, particularly the reliability of electrical connection, can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A fuel supply apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
In the second embodiment, the support portion 17 is provided integrally with the connector 30. As a result, the lead wire 31 is supported by the support portion 17 at a position closer to the connector 30 and the coupler 50. Therefore, the length from the support part 17 of the lead wire 31 to the coupler 50 is shortened compared with 1st Embodiment. As a result, even if the lead wire 31 is deformed due to a change in the distance between the flange 11 and the pump module 21, the relative movement between the coupler 50 and the connector 30 is further reduced. Therefore, the reliability at the connection portion between the connector 30 and the coupler 50 can be further increased.

(Other embodiments)
In the plurality of embodiments described above, the configuration in which the pump module 21 includes the sub tank 20 has been described. However, the pump module 21 including a fuel pump and a fuel filter may be supported by the flange 11 and the shaft 22 without including the sub tank 20. In this case, for example, a pump case that accommodates the fuel pump and the fuel filter can be provided with a support portion that supports the end portion of the shaft 22 opposite to the flange 11. Further, for example, the configuration of the pump module 21 supported by the flange 11 can be arbitrarily changed, such as a configuration that improves the ability to collect foreign matters by the suction filter and eliminates the fuel filter.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.

Schematic which shows the fuel supply apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the fuel supply apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10: Fuel supply device, 11: Flange (lid member), 12: Fuel tank, 14: Opening part, 17: Support part, 21: Pump module, 30: Connector, 31: Lead wire

Claims (3)

A lid member that closes the opening of the fuel tank;
A pump module housed inside the fuel tank and discharging fuel inside the fuel tank to the outside;
A connector provided on the lid member, protruding from the lid member toward the pump module, and having a terminal electrically connected to the pump module inside;
A coupler connected to the connector;
Via the coupler, a lead wire that electrically connects the terminal and the pump module;
A support portion provided on the pump module side of the lid member and supporting the coupler side of the lead wire;
A fuel supply device comprising:   The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is provided adjacent to the connector.   The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is provided integrally with the connector.

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