JP2011052586A - Bracket for pump unit, and fuel supply device equipped with the same bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bracket for pump units capable of facilitating an assembly work, as well as suppressing an event in which vibration propagates from an pump unit to a fuel tank. <P>SOLUTION: A bracket 100 is assembled in an assembly direction along a drive shaft 43a of electric motor 43, onto a pump unit 40 in which a large diameter portion 51 protrudes in an outwardly radial direction of rotation of an electric motor 43, and is supported by a sub-tank 30. The bracket 100 includes a body 66 extending in a circumferential direction of rotation of the electric motor 43, a receiving portion 73 that receives the large diameter portion 51 by a rear end portion 74 in the assembly direction, and a holding portion 71 that connects the receiving portion 73 to the body portion 66, allows a relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 with respect to the body 66 by an elastic deformation in a radial direction of rotation, and restores an attitude of the receiving portion 73 by disengagement of the bracket 100 from the pump unit 40 to an attitude inclining to more inner circumferential side of the body 66 as coming nearer to an opposite side to the assembly direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  A pump unit with a protrusion projecting outward in the radial direction of the electric motor that drives the fuel pump is assembled in the assembling direction along the rotation axis of the electric motor, and is supported by a fuel tank that stores pumped fuel from the fuel pump. Is related to the bracket.

  Conventionally, the structure which added the effect | action which attenuates the vibration which arises in a pump unit to the bracket assembled | attached to the pump unit which incorporates an electric motor is known. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a case portion formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and three support portions that are formed integrally with the case portion to form a radial shape, and a reservoir cup that is a fuel tank that stores fuel pumped up by a fuel pump. A supported vibration damping device is disclosed. In the vibration damping device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the support portion supported on the outer peripheral side of the reservoir cup supports the cylindrical pump unit press-fitted into the case portion. The vibration of the pump unit is damped by elastically supporting the support portion.

JP 2008-88814 A

  Now, the pump unit provided in the fuel supply device pumps up the fuel by driving the fuel pump with an electric motor. The vibration generated from the pump unit as the fuel pump is driven by the electric motor is mainly due to the imbalance of the dynamic balance around the rotating shaft of the electric motor, and thus becomes prominent in the radial direction of the electric motor. Here, in the vibration damping device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the pump unit is press-fitted into the case portion formed in the hollow cylindrical shape under the support state by the reservoir tank, so that it is conspicuous in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor. The vibration of the pump unit becomes easy to propagate. Therefore, even if the vibration is allowed by the elastic deformation of the support portion and the damping action is exhibited with respect to the vibration of the pump unit, there has been a situation in which the vibration is propagated to the reservoir cup via the vibration damping device. In addition, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the pump unit must be press-fitted into the case portion, and the assembling work cannot be easily performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pump unit bracket that facilitates assembly work and suppresses a situation in which vibration is propagated from the pump unit to the fuel tank. That is.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the assembly along the rotating shaft of the electric motor is performed with respect to the pump unit having a structure in which the protruding portion protrudes outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor that drives the fuel pump. A bracket that is assembled in the direction and supported by a fuel tank that stores the pumped fuel of the fuel pump, and that extends in the rotational circumferential direction of the electric motor and is supported by the fuel tank, and a rear end in the assembly direction The receiving portion that receives the protruding portion by connecting the receiving portion to the main body portion, allowing the relative displacement of the receiving portion relative to the main body portion by elastic deformation in the rotational radial direction, and by removing the bracket from the pump unit An elastic part that restores the posture to a posture that inclines toward the inner peripheral side of the main body as it goes in the direction opposite to the assembly direction. .

  According to the present invention, in the bracket detached from the pump unit, the posture of the receiving portion is restored to the posture in which it is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion toward the opposite side to the assembly direction by the action of the elastic portion. ing. Therefore, the bracket receiving portion can relatively displace the rear end portion in the assembly direction along the rotating shaft of the electric motor toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion by restoring the posture by the elastic portion. With this configuration, the receiving portion of the bracket that receives the protruding portion of the pump unit that protrudes outward in the radial direction of the electric motor by the rear end portion is the rear of the mounting direction when the bracket is assembled to the pump unit in the assembling direction. It can come into contact with the protrusion on the end side.

  Here, the elastic portion that connects the receiving portion to the main body portion extending in the rotational circumferential direction of the electric motor allows relative displacement of the receiving portion with respect to the main body portion by elastic deformation in the rotation radial direction of the electric motor. Therefore, when the assembly in the assembling direction is continued from the contact state between the receiving portion and the projecting portion, the receiving portion is fitted while being expanded outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor by the projecting portion. Further, when the receiving portion gets over the protruding portion, the receiving portion is restored to the inner side in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor by the action of the elastic portion and receives the protruding portion by the rear end portion in the assembling direction. According to the above, the assembly work of the bracket to the pump unit is easy because the bracket is pushed toward the pump unit in the assembly direction.

  Thus, under the state where the bracket assembled to the pump unit is supported by the fuel tank, the receiving portion receives the pump unit in the direction along the rotation axis of the electric motor, so that the vibration of the pump unit that becomes noticeable in the radial direction of the electric motor. Makes it difficult to propagate to the bracket. At the same time, since the relative displacement of the receiving portion with respect to the main body portion is allowed by elastic deformation of the elastic portion in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor, a damping action can be exerted on the vibration of the pump unit in the rotational radial direction. From these things, the situation where the vibration of a pump unit is propagated to a fuel tank via a bracket can be controlled.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the receiving portion is provided with an inclined portion that is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion by detachment of the bracket from the pump unit, and the inclined portion on the side opposite to the assembly direction. The elastic portion is provided adjacent to the inclined portion in the rotational circumferential direction, and is connected to the inclined portion on the side opposite to the rear end portion in the assembling direction. And According to the present invention, when the receiving portion is fitted to the protruding portion, the elastic portion connected to the inclined portion of the receiving portion on the side opposite to the rear end portion in the assembly direction is elastically deformed outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor. Therefore, it can contribute to the ease of fitting. In addition, when the receiving portion gets over the protruding portion and the rear end portion receives the protruding portion, the inclined portion is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion, that is, the inner side in the rotation radial direction of the electric motor by the restoring action of the elastic portion. Therefore, the rear end portion connected to the inclined portion on the side opposite to the assembling direction can surely receive the protruding portion. Further, under the state where the bracket is supported by the fuel tank after assembly, the rear end portion connected to the inclined portion whose posture is restored toward the inner side in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor is connected to the pump unit that vibrates greatly in the rotational radial direction. It becomes possible to contact. At the time of this contact, the receiving part is allowed to be displaced relative to the main body part by elastic deformation of the elastic part, so that it can also exhibit a damping action against large vibrations of the pump unit.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the receiving portion is inclined to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion as it goes to the side opposite to the assembling direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit. It is further characterized by further comprising a clamping part for clamping. According to the present invention, under the state in which the bracket is supported by the fuel tank after assembly, the bracket remains in the pump unit while the receiving portion is relatively displaced radially outward, that is, the elastic portion is elastically deformed. It is assembled. Specifically, the receiving portion is inclined toward the outer peripheral side of the main body portion as it goes to the opposite side to the assembly direction. Therefore, the projecting portion is urged toward the oblique inner peripheral side opposite to the assembly direction by the restoring force of the elastic portion acting on the receiving portion, and the receiving portion is opposite to the assembly direction. It is clamped by the clamping unit on the side. By including a component facing the direction opposite to the assembly direction in the direction of the urging force, the receiving portion can securely hold the protruding portion together with the holding portion while the elastic portion is elastically deformed in advance. Since the elastic deformation amount of the elastic portion when the pump unit that vibrates greatly in the radial direction comes into contact with the receiving portion is reduced by elastically deforming the elastic portion in advance, large vibration of the pump unit can be suppressed. It will be.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the clamping part is an urging part that urges the pump unit in the assembling direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit. According to the present invention, under the state in which the bracket is supported by the fuel tank after assembly, the urging portion that urges the pump unit toward the assembly direction urges the pump unit to the side opposite to the assembly direction. The pump unit is held together with the receiving portion. In this configuration, the protrusions can be more securely held by the receiving portion and the urging portion, so that the bracket assembled to the pump unit can maintain the state in which the elastic portion is elastically deformed for a long period of time. Therefore, a strong damping action against large vibrations in the rotational radial direction of the pump unit is reliably exhibited over a long period of time.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the rear end portion is in surface contact with a surface along the rotational radial direction of the protruding portion by assembling the bracket to the pump unit. According to this invention, a receiving part receives a pump unit by the structure which surface-contacts a rear-end part to the surface in alignment with the radial direction of a protrusion part. When the direction of the contact surface between the rear end portion and the surface of the protruding portion is along the rotation radial direction of the electric motor, vibration in the rotation radial direction is hardly transmitted to the receiving portion.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the receiving portion is provided at least at three locations in the rotational circumferential direction. In the invention according to claim 7, the main body portion is formed in an annular shape in the rotational circumferential direction, and connects all receiving portions in the rotational circumferential direction. In these inventions, the receiving portions provided in at least three locations in the rotational circumferential direction of the electric motor are continuously assembled in the assembling direction from the contact state with the projecting portion, and are moved outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor. The main body can be accurately positioned in the rotational radial direction with respect to the pump unit.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the receiving portions have substantially the same spring constants in the rotational radial direction and are positioned at substantially equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction. According to this invention, by rotating the body portion relative to the pump unit during assembly by positioning the receiving portions having the same spring constant in the rotational radial direction at substantially equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction at least at three locations. Radial positioning can be performed more accurately.

  In the invention according to claim 9, the assembly of the bracket to the pump unit causes the main body portion to be positioned on the outer side in the radial direction of the pump unit while being separated from the pump unit. Therefore, the vibration does not propagate directly.

  In the invention according to claim 10, there is provided a rotation restricting portion that is fitted to the pump unit along the assembling direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit and restricts relative rotation of the pump unit with respect to the bracket in the rotational circumferential direction. It is further provided with the feature. According to this invention, since the rotation restricting portion is fitted to the pump unit along the assembling direction, the ease of work for assembling the bracket to the pump unit is maintained. In addition, according to the configuration in which the rotation restricting portion restricts the relative rotation in the rotation circumferential direction with respect to the bracket of the pump unit, the relative displacement in the rotation circumferential direction of the receiving portion with respect to the main body portion can be suppressed. Therefore, since the relative displacement of the receiving portion is limited to that in the rotational radial direction, the damping action obtained by the elastic portion that allows the relative displacement of the receiving portion by elastic deformation is reliably exhibited.

  In the invention described in claim 11, the bracket is inserted toward the opening formed in the fuel tank and supported by the fuel tank, and is fitted to the periphery of the opening along the insertion direction. It further has a bracket support part to be assembled to the housing. According to this invention, the bracket fits the bracket support portion to the periphery of the opening by being inserted toward the opening formed in the fuel tank. Since the bracket is attached to the fuel tank only by the insertion operation into the opening, the ease of work is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to provide a bracket that can be easily assembled to the fuel tank as well as the pump unit.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the bracket described above, a fuel pump driven by an electric motor to pump up fuel, a pump unit having a protruding portion protruding outward in the radial direction of the electric motor, and fuel pumped fuel are stored. And a fuel tank.

It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the fuel supply apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the bracket by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of a bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. It is a front view of the principal part of the bracket by one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the IV arrow line view of FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | work which attaches a bracket to a pump unit, Comprising: (a-1)-(d-1) It is a figure which shows the mode of the whole bracket, (a-2)-(d-2) Around the principal part It is an enlarged view which shows the mode of. It is the figure which expanded the waist part of the bracket assembled | attached to the pump unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the bracket assembled | attached to the pump unit and the sub tank.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a fuel supply apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fuel supply device 10 is installed in a vehicle together with an internal combustion engine or the like, and is installed in a fuel tank 13 that stores fuel to be burned by the engine, and supplies the fuel in the tank 13 to the engine. For convenience, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is the vertical direction of the fuel supply device 10, and the vertical direction is along the direction of gravity.

  The fuel supply device 10 includes a flange 20, a sub tank 30, a pump unit 40, a bracket 100, and the like.

  The flange 20 is a lid that is formed in a disk shape by a resin material or the like and closes the opening 13 c opened in the ceiling 13 a of the fuel tank 13. An upper portion of the flange 20 is provided with a flange projecting annularly outward in the radial direction, and is in liquid-tight contact with the outer surface of the ceiling portion 13a. In addition, a fuel discharge pipe 21 and a power supply socket 22 are formed on the flange 20, and a power supply wiring 23, a guide shaft 24 a and a spring 24 b are assembled.

  The fuel discharge pipe 21 and the power supply socket 22 are integrally formed when the flange 20 is molded. The fuel discharge pipe 21 is connected to the pump unit 40 by a pipe hose (not shown), and discharges the fuel pumped up from the pump unit 40 toward the internal combustion engine. The power supply socket 22 is connected to the pump unit 40 side via the power supply wiring 23. By connecting an external power supply plug (not shown) to the power supply socket 22, power is supplied to the pump unit 40 side.

  The guide shaft 24a is a columnar member made of a metal material, and has a proximal end attached to the flange 20 so that a distal end protrudes downward. The guide shafts 24a are disposed at two equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the flange 20 and face the radial direction. A sub tank 30 is slidably attached to the guide shaft 24a in the vertical direction. The spring 24b is a coil spring formed by spirally winding a metal wire, and is coaxially disposed on the radially outer side of the guide shaft 24a while being compressed between the flange 20 and the sub tank 30. . According to the cooperation of the guide shaft 24 a and the spring 24 b, the sub tank 30 is pressed downward with respect to the flange 20 and is fixed to the bottom 13 b of the fuel tank 13.

  The sub tank 30 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape by a resin material or the like, and has an opening 37, a bottom wall portion 31, and a side wall portion 33 that open upward. The sub tank 30 is a container for storing fuel around the pump unit 40 even when horizontal acceleration is applied. A communication hole (not shown), a shaft support portion 34 and a bracket fitting portion 36 are formed in the bottom wall portion 31 and the side wall portion 33 of the sub tank 30. The bracket fitting portion 36 is located on the periphery of the opening 37 of the side wall portion 33.

  The communication hole is a hole that communicates the inside and outside of the sub tank 30 and allows fuel to pass therethrough. Three bracket fitting portions 36 (see FIG. 3) are formed at the upper end of the side wall portion 33 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the sub tank 30. These bracket fitting portions 36 support the bracket 100 from the lower side toward the upper side. The shaft support portion 34 is formed outside the side wall portion 33 and near the center in the vertical direction, and is slidable with respect to the guide shaft 24a by penetrating the guide shaft 24a in the vertical direction. In addition, the lower side of the spring 24 b is seated on the upper surface of the shaft support portion 34. As described above, the sub tank 30 is fixed to the bottom portion 13b by the urging force of the spring 24b acting via the shaft support portion 34.

  The pump unit 40 includes a fuel pump 41, a fuel filter 44, a pressure regulator 46, a pump housing 50, a suction filter 48, and the like, and pumps up fuel stored in the sub tank 30.

  The fuel pump 41 has a columnar shape as a whole, and has a suction port 42 for sucking fuel stored in the sub tank 30 on the lower surface. The fuel pump 41 includes an electric motor 43 and an impeller (not shown). The electric motor 43 includes a drive shaft 43 a configured integrally with a rotor (not shown) driven by electric power supplied via the power supply socket 22 and the power supply wiring 23. The impeller is an impeller having a plurality of blade portions, and is assembled to the drive shaft 43a of the electric motor 43 and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 43a. The impeller and the electric motor 43 are arranged above the suction port 42 in this order. According to the above structure, the fuel is sucked into the fuel pump 41 from the suction port 42 by the impeller rotated by driving the drive shaft 43 a of the electric motor 43, pumped upward, and then pumped toward the fuel filter 44. Is done. In the present embodiment, the axial direction of the drive shaft 43 a of the electric motor 43 coincides with the axial direction of the pump unit and the vertical direction of the fuel supply device 10. Therefore, when the electric motor 43 drives the drive shaft 43a, the pump unit 40 undergoes radial vibration due to a dynamic balance imbalance around the drive shaft of the electric motor 43. The radial direction of the drive shaft 43a is the rotational radial direction, and the circumferential direction of the drive shaft 43a is the rotational circumferential direction.

  The fuel filter 44 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is arranged coaxially with the fuel pump 41 on the outer peripheral side of the fuel pump 41. The fuel filter 44 is a filter that filters the fuel pumped by the fuel pump 41 and removes foreign matters contained in the fuel.

  The pressure regulator 46 is disposed on the side below the fuel pump 41, and is located downstream of the fuel filter 44 and upstream of the fuel discharge pipe 21. The pressure regulator 46 is configured to adjust the pressure of the fuel that has passed through the fuel filter 44. When the pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure, the excess fuel is supplied into the sub tank 30 through a drain port (not shown). Discharge. According to this pressure adjustment function, the fuel whose pressure is adjusted is discharged from the fuel discharge pipe 21.

  The pump housing 50 is formed in a two-stage cylindrical shape by a resin material or the like, and houses the fuel pump 41 and the fuel filter 44 inside and holds these elements 41 and 44. The upper side of the pump housing 50 protrudes outward in the rotational radial direction with respect to the lower side, and is a large-diameter portion 51 having a larger outer diameter than the lower side. The lower side of the pump housing 50 is a small diameter portion 53 having a smaller outer diameter than the large diameter portion 51. A stepped portion 55 is formed between the large diameter portion 51 and the small diameter portion 53. The stepped portion 55 is formed with a supported surface 55 a that is an annular flat surface along the rotational radial direction of the drive shaft 43 a of the electric motor 43 and supported by the bracket 100. Further, a chamfered portion 51a which is an outer edge of the upper surface of the large-diameter portion 51 and is chamfered so as to incline in the rotational radial direction toward the upper side is formed between the upper surface and the outer peripheral surface. . In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 51, a fitting convex portion 51b protruding outward in the rotational radial direction is formed along the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). Further, a regulator accommodating portion 53 a for accommodating the pressure regulator 46 is provided on the side of the small diameter portion 53.

  The suction filter 48 is formed using a nonwoven fabric made of resin fibers such as polyester, nylon, or polyacetal. The suction filter 48 is a filter attached to the lower side of the pump housing 50 to filter the fuel sucked into the suction port 42, and removes foreign matters in the fuel.

  Next, the bracket 100 which is a characteristic part of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The bracket 100 is a member that is supported by the sub tank 30 and is a bracket for a pump unit that is assembled to the pump unit 40 by being pushed in the assembling direction along the drive shaft 43a (see FIG. 1) of the electric motor 43. is there.

  First, the structure of the bracket 100 and the shape of each part are demonstrated. 2 to 4 show the bracket 100 in a state of being detached from the pump unit 40. FIG.

  The bracket 100 is formed of, for example, a resin material such as polyacetal, and includes a main body portion 66, a rotation restricting portion 67, a bracket support portion 61, a pump unit biasing portion 63, and a pump unit support portion 70.

  The main body 66 is an annular portion extending in the rotational circumferential direction of the drive shaft 43 a of the electric motor 43. The main body 66 is formed in an annular shape in the rotational circumferential direction of the drive shaft 43a, and all three pump unit support portions 70, bracket support portions 61, and pump units are arranged in the rotational circumferential direction of the pump unit 40. The urging portion 63 is coupled in the rotational circumferential direction. The main body 66 has a cylindrical shape, and its inner peripheral diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the outer edge of the large diameter portion 51 (see FIG. 1) of the pump housing 50. Further, a rotation restricting portion 67 is formed on a part of the cylindrical shape constituting the main body portion 66 by curving a member outward in the rotational radial direction. The rotation restricting portion 67 is fitted to a fitting convex portion 51b provided in the pump housing 50 along the assembly direction of the bracket 100, and restricts relative rotation of the pump unit 40 in the rotation circumferential direction with respect to the bracket 100. (See FIG. 7).

  The bracket support portions 61 are provided at three substantially equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction of the main body portion 66, and are arranged corresponding to the bracket fitting portions 36. The bracket support portion 61 protrudes from the main body portion 66 toward the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 66, and on the periphery of the opening portion 37 along the insertion direction in which the pump unit 40 is inserted into the opening portion 37 of the sub tank 30. It is provided, is fitted to the bracket fitting portion 36, and is supported by the sub tank 30 (see FIG. 7).

  The pump unit urging portion 63 is a clamping portion that teaches the pump unit 40 together with the bracket support portion 61, and three pump unit urging portions 63 are provided at substantially equal intervals in the rotation circumferential direction of the main body portion 66. The pump unit urging portion 63 is formed in a band shape, and once protrudes upward from the main body portion 66, it is bent toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66. In addition, the portion between the bent portion and the tip of the pump unit urging portion 63 is curved so as to protrude downward. By assembling the bracket 100 to the pump unit 40, the pump unit urging portion 63 brings the curved tip into line contact with the upper surface of the pump housing 50, and urges the pump unit 40 downward in the assembling direction. .

  The pump unit support part 70 is located at three substantially equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction of the main body part 66 and is configured to support the pump unit 40 from below. Each pump unit support part 70 has a holding part 71, a receiving part 73, a rear end part 74, and a front end part 75. The holding portion 71 extends in a band shape along the vertical direction from the main body portion 66 to the lower side, and is held by the main body portion 66. The holding portion 71 is bent toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 in the vicinity of the middle, and is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 toward the assembly direction. In addition, the holding portion 71 is provided adjacent to the receiving portion 73 in the rotation circumferential direction, and the receiving portion 73 is connected to the main body portion 66, and the relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 with respect to the main body portion 66 is changed in the rotation radial direction. Is allowed by elastic deformation. As the bracket 100 is detached from the pump unit 40, the holding portion 71 restores the posture of the receiving portion 73 to a posture that inclines toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 as it goes away from the assembly direction.

  The receiving portion 73 has the spring constants of the large-diameter portion 51 by the rear end portions 74 in the assembly direction which are substantially the same in the rotational radial direction and are positioned at substantially equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction. The step portion 55 is received. The receiving portion 73 has an inclined portion 73 a that is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 when the bracket 100 is detached from the pump unit 40. The inclined portion 73 a is a rib formed in the receiving portion 73 along the vertical direction, and gives the receiving portion 73 the bending rigidity in the vertical direction required to support the pump unit 40. The inclined portion 73a is connected to the rear end portion 74 on the side opposite to the assembling direction, and is connected to the holding portion 71 adjacent as a part of the receiving portion 73 at the front end portion 75 in the assembling direction. In addition, a contact surface 74 a that is in surface contact with the supported surface 55 a (see FIG. 6) of the stepped portion 55 of the pump unit 40 is formed at the rear end portion 74. Further, the front end portion 75 faces the chamfered portion 51a at the outer edge above the large-diameter portion 51 in the assembling direction in an assembling operation described later.

  FIG. 5 (a-1) shows an operation of assembling the bracket 100 to the pump unit 40 by gripping the bracket 100 having the above-described configuration and pushing it in the assembling direction along the drive shaft 43a of the pump unit 40. ) To (d-1) and (a-2) to (d-2). 5 (a-2) to (d-2) are enlarged views of the periphery of the pump unit support portion 70 in the work stage of FIGS. 5 (a-1) to (d-1). The assembly direction in which the bracket 100 is assembled to the pump unit 40 is a direction from the upper side to the lower side of the fuel supply device 10.

  When the worker grips the bracket 100 and starts to push it along the assembly direction, the front end portion 75 of the bracket 100 and the chamfered portion 51a of the large-diameter portion 51 are in contact with each other (FIG. -1) and (a-2)). The holding part 71 that connects the receiving part 73 to the main body part 66 allows relative displacement of the receiving part 73 with respect to the main body part 66 by elastic deformation in the rotational radial direction. Therefore, when the assembly in the assembling direction is continued from the contact state between the front end portion 75 of the receiving portion 73 and the chamfered portion 51a of the large diameter portion 51, the receiving portion 73 has a large diameter via the inclined portion 73a. The portion 51 is fitted while being expanded outward in the rotational radial direction (FIGS. 5B-1 and 5B-2). In addition, the receiving portion 73 can be easily displaced outward in the rotational radial direction by the holding portion 71 that elastically deforms outward in the rotational radial direction together with the receiving portion 73 including the inclined portion 73a. Here, in the above-described operation, the pump constant support in the rotational radial direction is the same as each other, and the pump unit support portion 70 is configured at substantially equal intervals at three locations in the rotational circumferential direction of the main body 66, thereby Positioning of the main body 66 with respect to the unit 40 in the rotational radial direction is accurately performed.

  When the assembling work is further continued, first, the front end portion 75 gets over the stepped portion 55, whereby the holding portion 71 is restored to the inner side in the rotational radial direction (FIGS. 5C-1 and 5C-2). In addition, it is desirable to match | combine the position of the rotation convex direction of the fitting convex part 51b of the large diameter part 51, and the rotation control part 67 of the main-body part 66 by the above operation | work. When the assembly work is further continued and the receiving portion 73 gets over the stepped portion 55 of the large diameter portion 51, it is restored to the inside in the rotational radial direction by the action of the holding portion 71, and the stepped portion is formed by the rear end portion 74. 55 will be received. Further, the rotation restricting portion 67 is fitted to the fitting convex portion 51b. Further, the pump unit urging portion 63 contacts the upper surface of the pump unit 40 (FIGS. 5 (d-1) and (d-2)).

  Then, the operator grasps the integrated elements 40 and 100 as a result of the above work, inserts it along the insertion direction passing through the opening 37 formed in the sub tank 30, and performs an operation of pushing in. The bracket support portion 61 is fitted to the bracket fitting portion 36 (see FIG. 7). Through the above steps, the operation of supporting the pump unit 40 on the sub tank 30 is completed. Thus, since the assembly operation to the pump unit 40 and the assembly operation to the sub tank 30 can be completed only by a simple operation of the operator, the bracket 100 can be easily assembled.

  The support state of the bracket 100 by the sub tank 30 after the above assembling work will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The bracket 100 is assembled to the pump unit 40 while the receiving portion 73 of the pump unit support portion 70 is relatively displaced outward in the radial direction, that is, the holding portion 71 is elastically deformed. Specifically, the receiving portion 73 is inclined to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 66 as it goes to the opposite side to the assembly direction. As a result, the inclined portion 73a that is inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 in a state where the bracket 100 is detached from the pump unit 40 is substantially parallel to the outer peripheral wall of the small diameter portion 53 of the pump unit 40, It is spaced apart from the outer peripheral wall with a slight gap. In addition, the receiving portion 73 brings the contact surface 74a of the rear end portion 74 into surface contact with the supported surface 55a of the step portion 55 along the rotational radial direction. Due to the above contact state, the receiving portion 73 that is inclined toward the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 66 toward the opposite side to the assembly direction causes the rear end portion 74 to cause the large diameter portion 51 to be inclined toward the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 66. It is biased toward the upper oblique inner peripheral side which is the opposite side to the assembly direction. Since the biasing force includes a component facing the direction opposite to the assembly direction, the receiving portion 73 can sandwich the large-diameter portion 51 together with the pump unit biasing portion 63 while the holding portion 71 is elastically deformed in advance. it can. In addition, since the pump unit urging portion 63 urges the pump unit 40 in the assembling direction, the large-diameter portion 51 is securely held by the receiving portion 73 and the pump unit urging portion 63. Further, the main body 66 having an inner peripheral diameter slightly larger than the large-diameter portion 51 of the pump unit is located on the outer side in the rotational radial direction of the outer peripheral wall while being separated from the outer peripheral wall of the large-diameter portion 51.

  According to the present embodiment described so far, the receiving portion 73 receives the pump unit 40 in the direction along the drive shaft 43 a of the electric motor 43 under the support state of the bracket 100 assembled to the pump unit 40 by the sub tank 30. become. Therefore, the vibration of the pump unit 40 that becomes noticeable in the rotational radial direction is difficult to propagate to the bracket 100. At the same time, the relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 with respect to the main body portion 66 is allowed by elastic deformation of the holding portion 71 in the rotational radial direction, so that a damping action can be exerted on the vibration of the pump unit 40 in the rotational radial direction. . From these things, the situation where the vibration of the pump unit 40 is propagated to the sub tank 30 via the bracket 100 can be suppressed.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the holding portion 71 connected to the receiving portion 73 including the inclined portion 73a is elastically deformed together with the receiving portion 73 to the outside in the rotational radial direction, which can contribute to the ease of fitting the bracket 100. . Further, when the receiving portion 73 gets over the large diameter portion 51 and the rear end portion 74 tries to receive the large diameter portion 51, the inclined portion 73 a is rotated on the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66, that is, rotated by the restoring action of the holding portion 71. Since it is returned to the inside in the radial direction, the rear end portion 74 connected to the inclined portion 73a on the side opposite to the assembling direction can surely receive the stepped portion 55.

  Further, the rear end portion 74 connected to the inclined portion 73a whose posture is restored by the action of the holding portion 71 is supported by the pump unit that is greatly oscillated in the rotational radial direction under the support state of the bracket 100 after assembly by the sub tank 30. Can be contacted. At the time of this contact, the receiving portion 73 is allowed to be relatively displaced with respect to the main body portion 66 by elastic deformation of the holding portion 71, so that it can exhibit a damping action even with respect to large vibrations of the pump unit 40.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the receiving portion 73 receives the pump unit 40 by elastically deforming the holding portion 71 in advance in a state where vibration due to driving of the fuel pump 41 is not generated. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of elastic deformation of the holding portion 71 when the pump unit 40 that vibrates greatly in the rotational radial direction comes into contact with the rear end portion 74 of the receiving portion 73, and to suppress the large vibration of the pump unit 40. it can. In addition, the pump unit biasing portion 63 biases the pump unit 40 from above, so that the state in which the holding portion 71 is elastically deformed can be maintained for a long period of time. Therefore, the effect | action which can suppress the big vibration of the pump unit 40 is reliably exhibited over a long period of time.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the receiving part 73 receives the pump unit 40 by the structure which makes the contact surface 74a of the rear-end part 74 surface-contact with the to-be-supported surface 55a along the rotation radial direction of the large diameter part 51. Since the direction of the contact surface between the rear end portion 74 and the supported surface 55a is along the rotational radial direction, vibration in the rotational radial direction of the pump unit 40 is difficult to propagate to the rear end portion 74. In addition, by adopting a configuration in which the main body 66 is separated from the pump unit 40, it is possible to have a configuration in which vibration does not propagate directly from the pump unit 40 to the main body 66.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the rotation restricting portion 67 is fitted to the pump unit 40 along the assembling direction, the ease of work for assembling the bracket 100 to the pump unit 40 is maintained. In addition, since the rotation restricting portion 67 restricts the relative rotation of the pump unit 40 relative to the bracket 100 in the rotational circumferential direction, the relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 relative to the main body portion 66 in the rotational circumferential direction can be suppressed. Therefore, since the relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 is limited to that in the rotational radial direction, the damping action obtained by the holding portion 71 that allows the relative displacement of the receiving portion 73 by elastic deformation is reliably exhibited.

  In the present embodiment, the sub tank 30 corresponds to the “fuel tank” described in the claims, the opening 37 corresponds to the “opening” described in the claims, and the electric motor 43 corresponds to the “electric motor” described in the claims. The drive shaft 43a is in the “rotary shaft” described in the claims, the large-diameter portion 51 is in the “projecting portion” in the claims, and the pump unit biasing portion 63 is in the “clamping portion” and “attachment” in the claims. The holding portion 71 corresponds to an “elastic portion” described in the claims.

(Other embodiments)
Although one embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not construed as being limited to this embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the bracket 100 has the pump unit urging portion 63 that makes line contact with the upper surface of the pump unit 40 and urges the upper surface in the assembling direction. However, as long as the vibration from the pump unit 40 is difficult to propagate, the shape of the pump unit urging portion and the form of urging the pump unit 40 are not limited. Moreover, the bracket which is not provided with the structure corresponded to the "biasing part" as described in a claim may be sufficient. Specifically, it may be a bracket having a configuration in which the force generated by the reaction of the weight of the pump unit 40 or the force of assembling the fuel of the fuel pump 41 acts as an alternative to the urging force by the urging unit.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pump unit support portions 70 are located at three locations at regular intervals in the rotation circumferential direction in the main body portion 66. However, the pump unit support part may be provided in more than three places, or may be provided in fewer than three places. In addition, the pump unit support portions may not be located at regular intervals in the rotation circumferential direction of the main body portion 66. Further, the location where the bracket support portion and the pump unit urging portion are arranged and the interval between the bracket support portion and the pump unit urging portion may be set as appropriate similarly to the pump side support portion.

  In the above-described embodiment, the receiving portion 73 displaces the rear end portion 74 relative to the main body portion 66 on the outer side in the rotational radial direction of the drive shaft 43a in a state where the electric motor 43 is not driving the fuel pump 41. Received unit 40. However, the receiving portion 73 is tilted toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 66 toward the opposite side to the assembly direction due to the action of the holding portion 71 in a state where the electric motor 43 is not driving the fuel pump 41. That is, the posture when the bracket 100 is detached from the pump unit 40 may be restored. Further, the rib structure in the vertical direction forming the inclined portion 73a may be omitted if the receiving portion 73 can obtain the required rigidity.

  In the above-described embodiment, the main body 66 has a cylindrical shape that extends around the large-diameter portion 51 of the pump unit 40 in the rotational circumferential direction of the electric motor 43 and is separated from the large-diameter portion 51. However, the main body does not have to have a cylindrical shape that surrounds the entire circumference of the pump unit 40. In addition, as long as the vibration from the pump unit 40 does not directly propagate, the main body may be in contact with the pump unit 40 via a buffer material, for example. Further, the rotation restricting portion may be located at a place other than the main body portion or may not be provided on the bracket 100.

  As described above, an example in which the present invention is applied to the bracket 100 for mounting the pump unit 40 formed by combining the fuel pump 41 and the fuel filter 44 to the sub tank 30 that stores the pumped fuel of the fuel pump 41 around the pump unit 40. Explained. However, the configuration in which the bracket is assembled is not limited to the sub tank 30 described above. For example, an assembly portion or the like for assembling the bracket to the inner wall of the fuel tank 13 may be formed. In such a configuration, the bracket can reduce vibrations propagating from the pump unit 40 to the fuel tank 13. Further, the configuration supported by the bracket 100 is not limited to the pump unit 40 described above. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a bracket that directly supports a fuel pump 41 that is a generation source of vibration or an electric motor built in the pump 41.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel supply apparatus, 13 Fuel tank, 13a Ceiling part, 13b Bottom part, 13c Opening part, 20 Flange, 21 Fuel discharge pipe, 22 Feed socket, 23 Feed wiring, 24a Guide shaft, 24b Spring, 30 Sub tank (fuel tank), 31 bottom wall part, 33 side wall part, 34 shaft support part, 36 bracket support part, 37 opening part, 40 pump unit, 41 fuel pump, 42 suction port, 43 electric motor (electric motor), 43a drive shaft (rotary shaft), 44 Fuel filter, 46 Pressure regulator, 48 Suction filter, 50 Pump housing, 51 Large diameter part (projection part), 51a Chamfered part, 51b Fitting convex part, 53 Small diameter part, 53a Regulator accommodating part, 55 Step part, 55a Supported surface, 61 Bracket support, 63 points Pump unit urging part (clamping part / urging part), 66 body part, 67 rotation restricting part, 70 pump unit support part, 71 holding part (elastic part), 73 receiving part (elastic part), 73a inclined part, 74 Rear end, 74a Contact surface, 75 Front end, 100 Bracket

Claims (12)

A fuel tank that is assembled in an assembly direction along the rotation axis of the electric motor and stores the pumped fuel of the fuel pump with respect to a pump unit having a configuration in which a protruding portion protrudes outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor that drives the fuel pump A bracket supported by
A body portion extending in the circumferential direction of the electric motor and supported by the fuel tank;
A receiving portion for receiving the protruding portion by a rear end portion in the assembling direction;
The receiving portion is connected to the main body portion, the relative displacement of the receiving portion with respect to the main body portion is allowed by elastic deformation in the rotational radial direction, and the posture of the receiving portion is determined by detachment of the bracket from the pump unit. An elastic part that is restored to a posture inclined toward the inner peripheral side of the main body part as it goes to the opposite side to the assembly direction;
A bracket for a pump unit comprising: The receiving portion is connected to the inclined portion on the side opposite to the assembling direction, and an inclined portion that is inclined to the inner peripheral side of the main body portion by detachment of the bracket from the pump unit. A rear end,
The elastic portion is provided adjacent to the inclined portion in the rotational circumferential direction, and is connected to the inclined portion on a side opposite to the rear end portion in the assembling direction. The bracket for the pump unit described in 1. The receiving portion is inclined to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion as it goes to the opposite side of the assembling direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit,
The bracket for a pump unit according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a clamping part that clamps the pump unit together with the receiving part.   The bracket for a pump unit according to claim 3, wherein the clamping portion is a biasing portion that biases the pump unit toward the assembly direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit. .   The said rear-end part is surface-contacted to the surface in alignment with the said rotation radial direction of the said protrusion part by the assembly | attachment of the said bracket to the said pump unit. Bracket for pump unit.   The said receiving part is provided in at least three places in the said rotation circumferential direction, The bracket for pump units as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The bracket for a pump unit according to claim 6, wherein the main body portion is formed in an annular shape in the rotational circumferential direction, and connects all the receiving portions in the rotational circumferential direction.   8. The receiving portion according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the receiving portions have substantially the same spring constants in the rotational radial direction and are substantially equidistant in the rotational circumferential direction. Bracket for pump unit.   The said main-body part is located in the said rotation-radial direction outer side of the said pump unit, with being spaced apart from the said pump unit by the assembly | attachment of the said bracket to the said pump unit. The bracket for the pump unit as described in the section.   The assembly further includes a rotation restricting portion that is fitted to the pump unit along the assembling direction by assembling the bracket to the pump unit and restricts relative rotation of the pump unit with respect to the bracket in the rotational circumferential direction. The bracket for pump units as described in any one of Claims 1-9 characterized by the above-mentioned. A bracket inserted toward an opening formed in the fuel tank and supported by the fuel tank;
The bracket for a pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a bracket support portion that is fitted to a peripheral edge of the opening portion along the insertion direction and is assembled to the fuel tank. A bracket for a pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A fuel pump driven by an electric motor to pump up fuel, and a pump unit having a protruding portion protruding outward in the rotational radial direction of the electric motor;
And a fuel tank for storing fuel pumped up by the fuel pump.

Images