JP2010071232A - Connector with built-in valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a built-in valve having a simple structure and a reduced number of parts, and equipped with the built-in valve capable of varying a gas flow rate according to pressure of fuel evaporation gas generated in a fuel tank installed in a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The connector with the built-in valve has a tube connecting part 22 formed at one end and a pipe insertion part 23 formed at the other end and is equipped with the built-in valve 10 for varying the gas flow rate according to the pressure of the fuel evaporation gas generated in the fuel tank installed in the vehicle. The built-in valve 10 is equipped with a circumferentially formed part 11 with its outside in contact with the inner peripheral face of a flow passage 21 of a housing 20 and with its inside being a portion of the flow passage 21, a flap part 12 projecting in the flow passage 21 and narrowing the cross sectional area of the flow passage 21, and a supporting part 13 formed on the circumferentially formed part 11 on the flow passage side for elastically supporting the flap part 12. The flap part 12 receiving pressure of the fuel evaporation gas passing through the flow passage 21 rotates with the supporting part 13 as a fulcrum by the supporting part 13 being flexible and increases the cross sectional area of the flow passage 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve built-in connector including a built-in valve that varies a gas flow rate in accordance with the pressure of fuel evaporative gas generated in a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle.

  Gasoline, fuel for automobiles, is highly evaporable. Some gasoline may evaporate due to changes in temperature or pressure environment in the fuel tank. In order to prevent the fuel vapor gas from being released into the atmosphere, a system for collecting the fuel vapor gas is provided in the vicinity of the fuel tank of the automobile. In this system, fuel vapor gas is guided from a fuel tank to an external canister, adsorbed by activated carbon or the like, and temporarily stored, thereby preventing vaporized fuel from being discharged to the outside air. The canister is connected to the engine, and the vaporized fuel is discharged from the activated carbon by the intake negative pressure of the engine and mixed in the air-fuel mixture, so that the adsorbed vaporized fuel is used again as fuel.

  This system for recovering fuel vapor gas is called an evaporation circuit. At the time of refueling, gasoline mixed with air is refueled from the refueling port, which may increase the pressure in the fuel tank and promote the evaporation of gasoline. Therefore, a so-called breather is provided in order to reduce the mixed air. One end of the breather is attached to the vicinity of the fuel inlet of the inlet pipe, and the other end is attached to the gas phase portion of the fuel tank. The breather communicates the inlet pipe with the fuel tank. With this configuration, the fuel vapor gas in the fuel tank circulates from the fuel tank to the inlet pipe.

However, if the fuel tank and the inlet pipe are simply communicated with each other by a breather, the circulating fuel vapor gas may increase too much. Therefore, a technology has been developed in which a differential pressure valve called a valve built-in connector is provided between the fuel tank and the inlet pipe, and the fuel vapor gas is circulated by regulating the flow rate according to the pressure in the fuel tank (for example, patents). Reference 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3775656

  In the valve structure in the connector with a built-in valve disclosed in Patent Document 1, a valve seat and a valve body are disposed in a flow path in the housing of the connector, and the valve body is biased by a compression spring in the valve seat direction, The flow rate is regulated according to the pressure in the tank.

  Such a configuration requires a slide leg serving as a guide for regulating the moving direction of the valve body, a fixing means for the compression spring, and the like, and has a problem that the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large.

  The present invention provides a connector with a built-in valve having a built-in valve that has a simple structure and a small number of parts, and that has a built-in valve that varies the gas flow rate according to the pressure of fuel evaporative gas generated in an on-vehicle fuel tank. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a tube connection portion at one end and a pipe insertion portion at the other end, and an airtight flow path that passes between the tube connection portion and the pipe connection portion. A valve built-in connector comprising: a housing provided; and a built-in valve that is disposed in the flow path and varies a gas flow rate in accordance with a pressure of fuel evaporative gas generated in a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle. The built-in valve has an outer side in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flow path of the housing, and an inner side that is a part of the flow path, and a cross-sectional area of the flow path that protrudes into the flow path. And a support portion that is formed on the flow passage side of the peripheral portion and elastically supports the flap portion, and receives the pressure of the fuel evaporative gas passing through the flow passage. The flap portion is flexible at the support portion. By pivots the support part as a fulcrum, the cross-sectional area of the flow path is expanded, and the configuration.

  According to this configuration, the support portion elastically changes according to the pressure load on the flap portion, and the flap portion rotates. The rotation of the flap portion enlarges the flow path area, and the pressure decreases as the flow passage expands, so the pressure load on the flap portion decreases. And rotation of a flap part stops in the location where the load by a pressure load and the repulsive force of a support part balance.

  Thus, the built-in valve can achieve a function required with a very simple configuration of a flap portion, a support portion, and a peripheral portion including the support portion.

  The built-in valve described above can be integrally formed from a thin steel plate.

  For example, the built-in valve is formed by performing die cutting from a single thin steel plate, bending the support portion to form a support portion and a flap portion, and then forming a peripheral portion by a bending press or the like. Can be formed, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  You may form the hole or notch which lets the said fuel evaporative gas pass in the said flap part.

  With such a configuration, even when the pressure difference between the fuel tank and the inlet pipe is small and the valve does not operate, a constant flow rate of gas can be circulated through the hole through which the fuel evaporative gas passes. Since this hole acts as an orifice, in the case of a small pressure difference, an effect similar to the operation of the built-in valve occurs.

  The said flap part is good also as a structure provided with two or more so that the cross section of a flow path may be divided | segmented.

  For example, if it is set as the structure which opens a some flap part in petal shape, the burden of the support part used as the edge part of a cantilever can be reduced. Moreover, when die-cutting from one thin steel plate, the size of the material can be reduced.

  A connector housing is further interposed between the housing and the peripheral portion. The connector housing is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flow path of the housing, and the inner side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral portion. May form the flow path. The connector housing is formed with a projection directed toward the flow path, and the peripheral portion is provided with an engagement hole that engages with the projection. The built-in valve is engaged with the projection and the engagement hole. In combination, the movement in the flow path direction may be restricted.

  Such a configuration facilitates replacement and installation of the built-in valve.

  The connector housing is formed with a convex portion directed in the flow path direction at an end portion on the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows, and the flap portion comes into contact with the convex portion so that the fuel evaporative gas is You may comprise so that the said rotation to the inflow side may be controlled. Further, when the rotation is restricted, the flap portion may be configured to come into contact with the convex portion via an elastic body attached to a place where the convex portion comes into contact.

  With this configuration, when the pressure on the inlet pipe side is higher than that of the fuel tank, the built-in valve does not operate, and excessive inflow of air can be suppressed. Further, when the flap portion comes into contact with the convex portion via the elastic body, the gap of the seal point of the flap portion is absorbed by the elastic body, so that uniform sealing performance can be achieved.

  In addition to the above configuration, the support portion may further include a spring that urges the flap portion toward the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows. With this configuration, the urging force can be set according to the flow rate of the fuel evaporative gas, and stable flow rate control can be easily achieved.

  The peripheral portion, the flap portion, and the support portion may be formed separately, and the support portion may be a spring that urges the flap portion toward the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows. With this configuration, the urging force can be set according to the flow rate of the fuel evaporative gas, and stable flow rate control can be easily achieved.

  The present invention provides a connector with a built-in valve having a simple structure, a small number of parts, and a built-in valve that varies a gas flow rate in accordance with the pressure of fuel evaporative gas generated in an on-vehicle fuel tank. it can.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view when the valve built-in connector according to the present embodiment is mounted on a housing, FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the valve built-in connector, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the valve built-in connector. is there. In the following description, coordinates X, Y, and Z described in the upper right of FIG.

  The connector with a built-in valve has a tube connection portion 22 at one end and a pipe insertion portion 23 at the other end, and is provided with an airtight flow path 21 penetrating between the tube connection portion 22 and the pipe connection portion 23. A housing 20 and a built-in valve 10 that is disposed in the flow path 21 and varies the gas flow rate according to the pressure of the fuel evaporative gas generated in the on-vehicle fuel tank are provided.

  A connector housing 30 is further interposed between the housing 20 and the peripheral portion 11. The connector housing 30 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 21 of the housing 20, and the inside is a part of the flow path 21. Is forming.

  The fuel evaporative gas flows in from a fuel tank (not shown) on the tube side A of the tube connecting portion 22, proceeds from the flow path 21 to the built-in valve 10, and flows out from the pipe side B in the minus Z direction. Have.

  The tube connecting portion 22 has a small outer diameter, is inserted into the tube so as to widen the inner periphery of the tube (not shown), and is joined to the tube. The pipe connecting portion 23 has a cylindrical shape with a large outer periphery, and is connected to the pipe by inserting a pipe (not shown) into the cylinder.

  On the tube connection part 22 side of the pipe connection part 23, a peripheral surface 25 in the XY direction is formed so as to reduce the inner diameter of the cylindrical part. At a position slightly advanced from the peripheral surface 25 to the pipe side B (minus Z direction), a projection 24 directed in the flow path 21 direction (X, Y direction) is formed.

  The connector housing 30 is inserted from the pipe connection portion 23 side (Z direction) and is fitted to the housing 20. Here, the connector housing 30 is restricted from moving in the Z direction by the peripheral surface 25. Further, the rotation of the hole that engages with the protrusion 24 provided in the connector housing 30 is restricted by engaging with the protrusion 24.

  The connector housing 30 is formed with a convex portion 33 directed in the flow path direction at an end portion 32 on the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows. The convex portion 33 is a rectangular plate protruding toward the flow path 21 and is not an annular shape like an orifice (see FIG. 5D described later). An elastic body 34 is provided near the tip of the convex portion 33. Further, a projection 31 is formed in the vicinity of the center in the Z direction of the connector housing 30 in the direction of the flow path 21 (X, Y direction).

  The built-in valve 10 is inserted into the connector housing 30 from the pipe side B (Z direction) and is fitted to the connector housing 30. Here, a hole 15 that engages with the protrusion 31 is formed in the built-in valve 10, and the movement and rotation of the built-in valve 10 in the Z direction are restricted by the engagement of the hole 15 and the protrusion 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the built-in valve 10 has a peripheral portion 11 whose outer side is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 21 of the housing 20 and whose inner side is a part of the flow path 21, and projects into the flow path. And a support portion 13 that is formed on the flow passage side of the peripheral portion 11 and elastically supports the flap portion 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the flap portion 12 that has received the pressure of the fuel evaporating gas passing through the flow path 21 is rotated about the support portion 13 as the support portion 13 is flexed. The cross-sectional area is increased.

  The flap portion 12 is in contact with the elastic body 34 provided in the convex portion 33, and thus the rotation to the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows is restricted.

  With this configuration, when the pressure on the inlet pipe side is higher than that of the fuel tank, the built-in valve 10 does not operate, and excessive inflow of air can be suppressed. Moreover, since the gap of the seal point of the flap part 12 is absorbed by the elastic body 34 by the flap part 12 coming into contact with the convex part 33 through the elastic body 34, uniform sealing performance can be achieved.

  The flap portion 12 is formed with a hole 14 through which fuel evaporative gas passes. With this configuration, even when the pressure difference between the fuel tank and the inlet pipe is small and the valve does not operate, a constant flow rate of gas can be circulated through the hole through which the fuel evaporative gas passes. Since this hole acts as an orifice, in the case of a small pressure difference, an effect similar to the operation of the built-in valve occurs.

  That is, when the amount of fuel evaporative gas is small or absent, as shown in FIG. 3A, the flap portion 12 maintains the initial XY plane, and a small amount of fuel evaporative gas (solid line arrow) passes through the hole 14. Pass through. When the flow rate of the fuel evaporative gas increases (thick solid line arrow), the flap portion 12 is flexible in the inflow direction (minus Z direction) as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. A large gap is generated in the minus X direction. Gas passes through this gap (solid arrow). Thus, the rotation of the flap portion 12 enlarges the flow path area, and the pressure decreases as the flow passage expands, so the pressure load on the flap portion 12 drops. And rotation of a flap part stops in the location where the load by a pressure load and the repulsive force of a support part balance.

  With this configuration, this embodiment has a simple connector, a small number of components, and a built-in valve connector that includes a built-in valve that varies the gas flow rate according to the pressure of the fuel evaporative gas generated in the on-vehicle fuel tank. Can be provided.

  In the above description, the connector housing 30 is accommodated in the housing 20 and then the built-in valve 10 is accommodated in the connector housing 30. However, after the internal valve 10 is accommodated in the connector housing 30 in advance, the connector housing 30 is accommodated in the housing 20. Can also be accommodated. Such procedures can improve the workability of replacement and repair.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a front view of the built-in valve 100 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the fuel evaporative gas inflow direction (Z direction).

  This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the flap portion. That is, the technical idea of integrating the valve and the cylinder part of FIGS. 1 to 3 and elastically supporting the valve by utilizing the joint part of the two is the same, but a plurality of flap parts serving as valves are provided. It is the modification of providing.

  In FIG. 4, as an example, the number of the flap portions 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D is four, the number of the support portions 13 is the same, and a petal shape is formed.

  With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the burden on the support portion that is the end portion of the cantilever. Moreover, when die-cutting from one thin steel plate, the size of the material can be reduced.

  Further, by dividing into four parts, the load applied to one flap portion is reduced, so that the influence of fatigue due to repeated loads is also reduced.

  Further, although it is basically a gas phase that flows in the pipe, there is a possibility that a two-phase flow in which a part of the liquid phase is also mixed. In this case, by changing the width of the connecting portion of the upper and lower flaps, widening the lower side and narrowing the upper side, it is possible to cope with the lower portion where the load is increased by the liquid phase.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the built-in valve 200 according to the present embodiment.

  The present embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and a spring 216 is added. For example, a torsion coil spring can be applied to the spring 216, and one end is fixed to the circumferential portion 211 and the other end is fixed to the flap portion 212. The spring 216 is provided to urge the flap portion 212 in the Z direction against the inflow of the fuel evaporative gas.

  With this configuration, by selecting and arranging an appropriate spring, it is possible to arbitrarily set the urging force in accordance with the flow rate of the fuel evaporative gas, and stable flow rate control can be easily achieved. .

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a built-in valve 300 according to a modification of the present embodiment.

  In this modification, the peripheral portion 211, the flap portion 212, and the support portion 213 that are integrally formed as shown in FIG. 5 are separated and separated. The spring 316 is configured as a support portion.

  Even with such a configuration, by selecting and arranging an appropriate spring, it is possible to arbitrarily set the urging force in accordance with the flow rate of the fuel evaporative gas, and to easily achieve stable flow rate control. it can.

[Production example]
Next, an example of manufacturing the example described in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is an example of processing and assembly of the built-in valve 10.

  The built-in valve of this embodiment is integrally formed from a thin steel plate. As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the developed shape that will eventually become the peripheral portion 11, the flap portion 12, and the support portion 13 of FIG. The holes 14 and 15 are drilled by burring or punching.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the support portion 13 is bent in the direction of the solid line arrow.

  And as shown in FIG.7 (c), the surrounding part 11 is bent in the direction of a solid line arrow with a U-shaped press or an O-shaped press, and is formed in a cylindrical shape.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, the cylindrical built-in valve 10 is inserted into the connector housing 30 from the direction of the solid arrow, and the built-in valve 10 and the connector housing 30 are fitted as described above.

  Here, after being formed into a cylindrical shape, the butting portion on the circumference in the machine axis direction is not particularly required to be fixed by welding, brazing, fasteners, or the like. That is, by inserting the connector housing 30 while holding the outer shell of the cylinder, the cylinder always urges the inner circumference of the “cassette housing” that abuts by the repulsive force of the elastic body, and the mounting is easy and This is because the retainability is also good.

  As described above, the connector with a built-in valve according to the present invention has a small number of parts, can be easily processed and assembled, and can be selected from a low-cost material. In addition, the product itself is compact and lightweight, and has a long service life, but also has high maintainability such as replacement.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The present invention is not limited to the one described in the drawings, and design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing when the connector with a built-in valve concerning 1st Embodiment is mounted | worn with a housing. 1 is an overall perspective view of a valve built-in connector according to a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action of the valve built-in connector concerning 1st Embodiment. It is the front view which looked at the built-in valve concerning a 2nd embodiment from the inflow direction of fuel evaporative gas. It is sectional drawing of the connector with a built-in valve concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the connector with a built-in valve | bulb concerning the modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is an example of processing and assembly of a built-in valve.

Explanation of symbols

10, 100, 200, 300 Built-in valve 11 Circumferential portion 12 Flap portion 13 Support portion 14 Hole 15 Hole 20 Housing 21 Flow path 22 Tube connection portion 23 Pipe connection portion 24 Protrusion 25 Peripheral surface 30 Connector housing 31 Protrusion 32 End portion 33 Convex part 34 Elastic body

Claims (10)

A tube connection portion at one end and a pipe insertion portion at the other end, and a housing provided with an airtight flow path penetrating between the tube connection portion and the pipe connection portion; A built-in valve connector having a built-in valve that varies the gas flow rate according to the pressure of the fuel evaporative gas generated in the fuel tank mounted on the vehicle,
The built-in valve is
A peripheral portion where the outer side is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flow path of the housing, and the inner side is a part of the flow path;
A flap portion that projects into the flow path and narrows the cross-sectional area of the flow path;
A support portion that is formed on the flow path side of the peripheral portion and elastically supports the flap portion;
The flap portion that has received the pressure of the fuel evaporative gas passing through the flow path rotates with the support portion as a fulcrum, and the cross-sectional area of the flow path is enlarged, as the support portion is flexible. Connector with built-in valve.   The valve built-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the built-in valve is integrally formed from a thin steel plate.   The valve built-in connector according to claim 1, wherein one or both of a hole through which the fuel evaporative gas passes and a notch are formed in the flap portion.   The valve built-in connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the flap portions are provided so as to divide one section of the flow path. A connector housing is further interposed between the housing and the peripheral portion,
5. The connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the connector housing is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of a flow path of the housing, an inner side is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the peripheral portion, and a part forms the flow path. Connector with built-in valve as described. The connector housing is formed with a protrusion directed to the flow path side,
The peripheral portion is provided with an engagement hole that engages with the protrusion,
6. The built-in valve connector according to claim 5, wherein the built-in valve is restricted from moving in one or both of a flow path direction and a circumferential direction of the flow path by engaging the protrusion and the engagement hole. .   In the connector housing, a convex portion directed in the flow path direction is formed at an end portion on the side where the fuel evaporative gas flows, and the fuel vapor gas flows in by the flap portion contacting the convex portion. The valve built-in connector according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the rotation to the side to be controlled is restricted.   The valve built-in connector according to claim 7, wherein the flap portion is in contact with the convex portion via an elastic body.   9. The connector with a built-in valve according to claim 1, wherein the support portion further includes a spring that urges the flap portion toward a side into which the fuel evaporative gas flows. The peripheral portion, the flap portion, and the support portion are formed as separate bodies,
The valve built-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is a spring that biases the flap portion toward a side where the fuel evaporative gas flows.

Images