JP2014187751A - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel supply device which simplifies the process for preventing electric corrosion of a feeding electrode and reduces a load of the control for mixing of foreign substances.SOLUTION: In a fuel supply device, a power supply terminal exposed to the exterior of a fuel tank and a power feeding terminal 45 of a motor part M driving a fuel pump 3 are connected through a harness 20 in the fuel tank and electric power supplied to the power supply terminal may be supplied to the power feeding terminal 45 of the motor part M. The fuel supply device includes: a cover part 46 which covers a periphery of the power feeding terminal 45; and a closing member 50 in which the harness 20 is inserted, the closing member 50 which closes the cover part 46. A differential pressure suppression mechanism 55 which suppresses a differential pressure between the interior and the exterior of the cover part 46 is provided in at least one of the cover part 46 and the closing member 50.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel supply device for supplying fuel from a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine.

In vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles, a so-called in-tank type fuel supply device in which a fuel pump is accommodated in a fuel tank is often used. Generally, an in-tank type fuel supply device is configured to pump up fuel by a pump unit provided on the bottom side of the fuel tank and pump it to an internal combustion engine, and a motor unit that drives the pump unit above the pump unit And a filter part for preventing foreign matter from entering the fuel tank below the pump part.
In this type of fuel supply device, the flange unit that supports the fuel pump is attached to the upper wall and the bottom wall of the fuel tank. Generally, this flange unit is arranged such that a power connector for supplying power to the fuel pump is exposed to the outside of the fuel tank. This power connector has a plurality of terminal portions, and these terminal portions penetrate the flange unit and face the inside of the fuel tank. On the other hand, in the upper cup that accommodates the fuel pump and supports the fuel pump together with the flange unit, a plurality of terminal portions that are electrically connected to the brush of the motor portion are disposed through the upper cup. The terminal portions disposed on the upper cup and the terminal portions disposed on the flange unit are electrically connected to each other via a harness. As a result, the power supplied to the power connector is supplied to the motor unit via the harness (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-163238 A

By the way, in a flex fuel vehicle or the like that can use fuel containing ethanol, the water-containing ethanol that has absorbed water becomes a conductor, so the terminal portion such as a power supply terminal disposed on the upper cup or flange of the fuel pump If the vicinity of is filled with hydrous ethanol, a current leakage path is formed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the terminal portion, and there is a possibility that electrolytic corrosion occurs. In order to suppress the leakage current, for example, it is conceivable to seal the vicinity of the terminal portion with a filler, but in this case, between the harness and the crimp terminal attached to the harness, or between the crimp terminal and the power supply terminal. In order to prevent a filler from penetrating in between and causing contact failure or the like, a soldering process for soldering is required. In other words, in order to prevent the electrolytic corrosion of the terminal portion, a plurality of steps such as the soldering step, the filling step for filling the filler, and the curing step for hardening the filler are additionally required, and the burden on the operator is increased. There is a problem that increases.
Further, when the above filler is used, the residue of the filler is likely to be generated, so that the risk of contamination is increased, and there is a possibility that the burden on foreign matter management is increased.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can simplify the process for preventing electrolytic corrosion of the terminal portion to reduce the burden on the operator and the fuel that can reduce the management burden on the contamination. A supply device is provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configuration.
The fuel supply device according to the present invention is a fuel supply device including a terminal portion to which a harness is connected inside a fuel tank, a cover portion that covers the periphery of the terminal portion, and the cover portion is closed while the harness is inserted. And at least one of the cover part and the closing member is provided with a differential pressure suppression mechanism that suppresses the internal / external differential pressure of the cover part.
By comprising in this way, it can prevent that a current leakage path | route is formed because the inside and outside of a cover part are obstruct | occluded by the obstruction | occlusion member. Further, when the filler is not used, when the pressure in the cover portion rises due to the pressure rise in the fuel pump, the fuel may be pushed out, for example, through the inner side of the harness due to the differential pressure with the outside of the cover portion. However, by suppressing the differential pressure inside and outside the cover portion by the differential pressure suppressing mechanism, it is possible to prevent the fuel from entering the inside of the covering of the harness, so that the step of filling the filler can be omitted. In addition, by not using the filler, the filler does not enter between the terminal portion and the core wire of the harness, so that the soldering process for eliminating the contact failure due to the filler can be omitted, and also due to the filler. There is no risk of contamination.

The fuel supply device according to the present invention further includes a retaining member that covers the cover portion and prevents the blocking member from coming off, and a labyrinth between the retaining member and the cover portion. A structure may be provided.
With this configuration, the labyrinth structure can be formed by attaching the retaining member to the cover portion, and the current leakage path can be lengthened. Therefore, the leakage current can be sufficiently reduced while retaining the blocking member. be able to.

Furthermore, in the fuel supply apparatus according to the present invention, in the fuel supply apparatus, the differential pressure suppression mechanism is a slit formed in the cover portion, and the retaining member is provided to cover the entire slit. It may be done.
By constituting in this way, while preventing the internal pressure of the cover part through the slit, the entire slit is covered by the retaining member, thereby preventing the current leakage path from being formed through the slit. Can do.

Furthermore, the fuel supply device according to the present invention is the above fuel supply device, wherein the motor includes a pair of the terminal portions arranged in close proximity to each other, and the cover portions are individually provided in the pair of terminal portions. In the cover portion, the slits may be formed on both outer sides in the arrangement direction of the terminal portions.
With this configuration, the slits provided in the pair of cover portions are separated as much as possible, and the distance of the current leakage path can be further increased by that amount, so that the leakage current flowing between the pair of terminal portions can be further increased. Can be reduced.

  According to the fuel supply device of the present invention, it is possible to simplify the process for preventing the electrolytic corrosion of the terminal portion, thereby reducing the burden on the operator and reducing the management burden on the contamination.

1 is a perspective view of a fuel supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the fuel pump of the said fuel supply apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the power feeding part of the fuel pump. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the grommet stopper of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the partial cross section of the said electric power feeding part. It is a perspective view of the said grommet stopper. It is a top view of the said grommet stopper. It is a bottom view of the grommet stopper. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the fuel supply apparatus in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the fuel supply apparatus in a second embodiment. It is an enlarged view which shows the partial cross section of the grommet stopper in 2nd embodiment. It is a perspective view equivalent to FIG. 11 which shows the state which removed the grommet stopper in 2nd embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which follows the direction where the slit of the cover part in 2nd embodiment extends.

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a fuel supply device 1 in the first embodiment. The fuel supply device 1 is fixed to the bottom of a fuel tank 2 such as an automobile or a motorcycle, for example, and pumps up the fuel in the fuel tank 2 while being immersed in the fuel and pumps it to an internal combustion engine (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply device 1 includes a fuel pump 3, a flange unit 4 disposed at the lower end of the fuel pump 3 and attached to the fuel tank 2, and a flange unit formed so as to contain the fuel pump 3. 4 and an upper cup 5 that supports the fuel pump 3. In the following description, it is assumed that the fuel pump 3 and the upper cup 5 are arranged above the flange unit 4 as in the fuel supply device 1 shown in FIG. May be expressed respectively.

  The flange unit 4 includes an annular outer flange portion 13 that extends outward from the upper edge thereof. An annular portion 14 having a slightly smaller diameter than the opening of the fuel tank 2 is formed on the upper surface of the outer flange portion 13. By fitting the annular portion 14 into the opening of the fuel tank 2, the sealing performance between the flange unit 4 and the fuel tank 2 is ensured. The flange unit 4 is attached to the opening of the fuel tank 2 so as to insert the annular portion 14 from the outside, and closes the opening of the fuel tank 2.

The flange unit 4 is in a state in which a portion below the outer flange portion 13 is exposed to the outside of the fuel tank 2, while being supported by the flange unit 4 and disposed above the outer flange portion 13. A mechanism such as 3 is immersed in the fuel inside the fuel tank 2.
The flange unit 4 includes a connector 16 that opens downward in the radial direction of the outer flange portion 13 below the outer flange portion 13. The connector 16 can be connected to a power harness connected to an external power source or a signal harness connector (not shown) for outputting a detection signal of a sender gauge 32 described later to an external control device.

  The flange unit 4 includes a pair of power supply terminals 17 having one end extending upward and a pair of detection signal terminals 18 on the upper side of the outer flange portion 13. The power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 are arranged close to each other at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the fuel pump 3. The other ends of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 are exposed side by side in the housing 16 a of the connector 16. By connecting the power harness and the signal harness connectors to the connector 16, the power terminal 17 is electrically connected to the power harness and the detection signal terminal 18 is electrically connected to the signal harness.

  On the upper side of the outer flange portion 13, a resin housing 19 is formed around each of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18. One end of the power supply terminal 17 is connected to one end of a motor power supply harness 20 for supplying electric power supplied to the power supply terminal 17 to a motor unit M (described later) of the fuel pump 3, and one end of the detection signal terminal 18. One end of a sender gauge harness 21 for transmitting a detection signal of the sender gauge 32 to the detection signal terminal 18 is connected to the terminal. The two motor power supply harnesses 20 and the two sender gauge harnesses 21 are bundled together at the clip portion 22 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cup 5, and face the motor portion M and the sender gauge 32, respectively. Have been routed.

  On the upper side surface 5a of the upper cup 5, a through-hole 5b through which the power feeding unit 30 of the motor unit M passes in the vertical direction is formed. Further, a gauge mounting plate 31 protrudes from the upper cup 5 toward the outer side in the radial direction, and a sender gauge 32 is mounted on the gauge mounting plate 31. The sender gauge 32 is a liquid level gauge that detects the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 2, that is, the liquid level position, and includes a box-shaped gauge body 33 that is attached to the gauge mounting plate 31. A swing arm 34 is swingably attached to the gauge body 33, and a float 35 that floats on the fuel surface is attached to the tip of the swing arm 34.

  The gauge body 33 accommodates a detection board (not shown) for detecting the liquid level position, and a sliding contact piece (not shown) provided at the base end of the swing arm 34 is provided on the detection board. Abuts slidably. For example, the detection substrate detects the liquid surface position in accordance with the contact position of the sliding contact piece that is displaced when the swing arm 34 swings. The other end of the sender gauge harness 21 described above is connected to the detection board, and information on the liquid level detected by the detection board is output to an external control device via the sender gauge harness 21 and the connector 16. The

  The upper cup 5 is integrally formed with a fuel flow path unit 37 that extends along the upper side surface 5a and extends downward along the outer peripheral surface. Further, the flange unit 4 is formed with a fuel take-out pipe 38 extending downward in the radial direction below the outer flange portion 13. The fuel flow path unit 37 forms a flow path for sending the fuel discharged from the discharge port 41 (see FIG. 2) of the fuel pump 3 to the fuel take-out pipe 38 of the flange unit 4.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the fuel pump 3. The fuel pump 3 includes a pump part P and a motor part M disposed on the upper side of the pump part P. As the pump part P, for example, a non-volume regenerative pump having an impeller is used, and is driven to rotate by a motor part M. As the motor unit M, for example, a DC motor with a brush is used.

  On the upper surface 43a of the casing 43 of the fuel pump 3, a discharge port 41 for discharging the fuel compressed by the pump portion P from the fuel pump 3 is provided so as to protrude upward in the axial direction. A check valve 42 for preventing the fuel from flowing back into the fuel pump 3 is attached. The above-described fuel flow path unit 37 is connected to the discharge port 41 to which the check valve 42 is attached. Further, on the upper surface 43 a of the casing 43, a power feeding unit 30 for supplying electric power to the motor unit M is provided on the opposite side of the discharge port 41 across the axis O of the fuel pump 3 so as to protrude upward in the axial direction. ing.

  Referring also to FIG. 3, the power feeding unit 30 includes a pair of power feeding terminals 45 for positive and negative electrodes as terminal portions. The power supply terminal 45 is provided through the casing 43 of the fuel pump 3 and is electrically connected to a pair of brushes (not shown) disposed on the upper portion of the motor unit M. Further, the power feeding unit 30 includes a substantially bottomed cylindrical cover portion 46 that covers the periphery of each power feeding terminal 45 for each power feeding terminal 45. The cover portions 46 are erected upward in the axial direction, and the outer peripheral surfaces 46a of these cover portions 46 are inclined so as to be slightly tapered toward the upper side. Thus, since the outer peripheral surface 46a of the cover part 46 is tapering, the upper part of the cover part 46 can be smoothly fitted with the grommet stopper 60 mentioned later.

  The bottom wall 46 b of the cover part 46 forms a part of the casing 43. The bottom wall 46b is disposed below the upper surface 43a of the casing 43 in the axial direction. The bottom wall 46b is erected so that the power supply terminal 45 passes through the bottom wall 46b and the end of the power supply terminal 45 faces upward. ing. These power supply terminals 45 constitute so-called flat terminal plugs, and a terminal 47 attached to the other end of the motor power supply harness 20 is engaged with the power supply terminals 45, thereby The power supply terminal 45 is electrically connected.

  The terminal 47 constitutes a so-called flat terminal socket, and the power supply terminal 45 can be inserted in the axial direction at one end of the terminal 47 (the end on the lower side in the drawing in FIG. 3). Engagement portions 48 that are engaged by elastically sandwiching both sides in the width direction of 45 are formed. Further, on the other end side of the engaging portion 48, a crimping portion 49 that is crimped to the core wire 20 a of the motor power supply harness 20 is formed. Further, a grommet 50 attached so as to cover the covering 20b of the motor power supply harness 20 in the circumferential direction is caulked from the outside to the other end of the terminal 47 (the end on the upper side in FIG. 3). A fixing portion 51 for fixing the harness 20 and the grommet 50 is formed. Note that the plug and socket need only be paired, and the shape of the plug and socket may be interchanged.

  The grommet 50 is formed of a rubber material that is excellent in electrical insulation and elasticity, and is formed by reducing the diameter of the main body 52 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and on the lower side in the axial direction of the main body 52. And a fixed portion 53. The outer diameter of the main body 52 of the grommet 50 is formed to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cover 46 on the opening 46c side, whereby the grommet 50 is axially moved from the opening 46c to the inside of the cover 46. By pushing in, the opening 46c of the cover 46 can be closed by the main body 52 of the grommet 50.

  Convex portions 52 a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 52 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the axial direction. These convex portions 52a are formed so as to protrude outward in the radial direction so that a ridge line is formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 52. As described above, the ridge line is formed on the convex portion 52a, so that the entire circumference of the grommet can be stably adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the cover portion 46.

  A through hole 54 for inserting the motor power supply harness 20 is formed at the axial center of the grommet 50. The inner diameter of the through hole 54 of the grommet 50 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the motor power supply harness 20. That is, by inserting the motor power supply harness 20 into the through hole 54, temporary fixing is possible until the through hole 54 is elastically deformed and the fixing portion 51 is caulked with respect to the motor power supply harness 20.

  The fixed portion 53 is fixed to the end portion of the covering 20b of the motor power supply harness 20 by being caulked from the outer peripheral side by the fixing portion 51 described above at a position slightly above the lower end in the axial direction. The portion caulked by the fixing portion 51 of the fixed portion 53 is compressed and deformed, and the portion on the lower side in the axial direction has a larger diameter, so that the displacement of the fixed portion 53 in the axial direction is restricted. As shown in FIG. 2, a terminal 147 similar to the terminal 47 and a grommet 150 similar to the grommet 50 are attached to the end of the motor power supply harness 20 opposite to the terminal 47. 147 is connected to the power supply terminal 17 described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cover 46 has a differential pressure between the pressure in the internal space inside the cover 46 relative to the grommet 50 and the pressure in the external space outside the cover 46 relative to the grommet 50. A slit 55 is formed as a differential pressure suppression mechanism for suppressing the differential pressure. The slits 55 are arranged on both outer sides in the arrangement direction of the power supply terminals 45 so that the distance between them becomes long. The slit 55 is formed with a predetermined width slightly narrower than the outer diameter of the motor power supply harness 20, and extends from the opening 46 c of the cover 46 toward the lower side in the axial direction. The slit 55 extends from the opening 46 c to a position below the main body 52 of the grommet 50 and above the engaging portion 48, more specifically, a position near the fixed portion 53. . That is, the space below the grommet 50 in the cover portion 46 in the axial direction and the space outside the cover portion 46 are communicated with each other via a portion formed in the axially lower side than the grommet 50 in the slit 55. Yes.

  Referring to FIG. 3, between the two cover portions 46, flat ribs 57 that connect these cover portions 46 are formed. A locking hole 58 that penetrates the rib 57 in the front and back direction in FIG. 3 is formed in the upper portion of the rib 57. The rib 57 is formed from the position of the upper surface 43 a of the casing 43 in the axial direction to a position slightly below the upper end of the cover portion 46.

  A grommet stopper 60 is attached to the cover portion 46 so as to cover the upper portion thereof. The grommet stopper 60 is for preventing the grommet 50 from coming out upward in the axial direction, and can be engaged with the cover portion 46 from the upper side in the axial direction. Hereinafter, in the description of the grommet stopper 60, the left-right direction in FIG. 3 is referred to as a width direction, and the up-down direction in FIG. 3 is referred to as an axial upper side and an axial lower side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to 10, the grommet stopper 60 is formed so as to simultaneously cover the upper ends of the two cover portions 46 arranged side by side, and has a substantially oval upper wall. 61 and a side wall 62 extending in the axial direction from the peripheral edge of the upper wall 61. The side wall 62 includes a flat plate-like wall portion 62 a having a length in the width direction that is equal to the distance between the central axes of the cover portion 46. Further, the side wall 62 includes two arc-shaped wall portions 62b having a substantially cross-sectional arc shape that are continuous with both side edges of the planar wall portion 62a. The arcuate wall portion 62b has an inner peripheral radius that is equal to the radius of the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the cover portion 46, more specifically, the radius slightly lower than the slit 55 in the axial direction. .

  The upper wall 61 is formed with two insertion slits 63 for inserting the motor power supply harness 20. These insertion slits 63 are formed with a width that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the motor power supply harness 20, and extend in parallel from the edge on the discharge port 41 (see FIG. 2) side toward the center of the arc. Is formed. With reference to FIGS. 3, 5, and 8, a substantially C-shaped projecting portion 64 is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall 61 at the periphery of the end of the insertion slit 63. These protrusions 64 can be fitted to the openings 46c of the cover part 46 from the upper side in the axial direction, and the protrusions 64 are fitted into the openings 46c so as to be inserted into the openings 46c. The slit 63 is positioned.

  Furthermore, a recess 66 is formed in the upper wall 61 between the insertion slits 63 toward the inner side in the extending direction of the insertion slit 63. The concave portion 66 includes two curved portions 66a formed on the same circle as the curved portion 61a that forms the upper wall 61, and a straight portion 66b that connects the curved portions 66a. A locking claw 67 is formed on the lower side in the axial direction of the linear portion 66 b of the recess 66. The locking claw 67 includes an extending portion 67a extending toward the lower end of the flat wall portion 62a toward the lower side in the axial direction, and a claw protruding from the lower end portion of the extending portion 67a toward the flat wall portion 62a. Part 67b. The claw portion 67b of the locking claw 67 can be immersed in the locking hole 58 formed between the cover portions 46 described above, and the claw portion 67b is immersed in the locking hole 58, whereby the cover portion 46, the axial displacement of the grommet stopper 60 is restricted. At this time, since the upper wall 61 is disposed on the upper side in the axial direction of the cover portion 46, it is possible to prevent the grommet 50 from falling off from the opening 46c in the axial direction.

  A harness support member 69 that holds the motor power supply harness 20 is formed on the outer surface of the flat wall portion 62a. The harness support member 69 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the axial direction, and can hold the motor power supply harness 20 sandwiched between the flat wall portion 62a. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each harness support member 69 has projections 71 projecting toward the flat wall portion 62 a, and the motor feeding harness 20 sandwiched between the projections 71 is removed from the harness support member 69. It is prevented from falling off. Further, the tip of the harness support member 69 is tapered so that the motor power supply harness 20 can be smoothly sandwiched between the harness support members 69.

Next, a procedure for connecting the motor power supply harness 20 described above to the power supply unit 30 will be described.
First, the end of the motor power supply harness 20 is inserted into the through hole 54 of the grommet 50. Then, the coating 20b of the motor power supply harness 20 is cut by a necessary length to expose the core wire 20a.
Next, the crimping portion 49 of the terminal 47 is crimped to the core wire 20 a by using a dedicated crimping tool, and then the fixed portion 53 of the grommet 50 is arranged and crimped inside the fixing portion 51 of the terminal 47. Accordingly, the grommet 50 and the terminal 47 are fixed to the motor power supply harness 20.

  Next, the terminal 47 and the grommet 50 are inserted into the cover portion 46 from the upper side in the axial direction, and the grommet 50 is pushed into the opening 46c. At this time, the force in the pushing direction is transmitted from the grommet 50 to the terminal 47, and the power supply terminal 45 is inserted into the engaging portion 48 of the terminal 47 and engaged. Thereby, the terminal 47 and the power feeding terminal 45 are electrically connected. This operation is performed for each of the two motor power supply harnesses 20.

  Thereafter, the motor feeding harness 20 corresponding to each wiring position is inserted into the insertion slit 63 of the grommet stopper 60, and the motor feeding harness 20 is slid inside the insertion slit 63, so that the axial direction The grommet stopper 60 is attached to the cover portion 46 from above. Then, the claw portion 67 b of the locking claw 67 is inserted into the locking hole 58, and the power supply harness 20 routed between the power supply terminal 17 and the power supply terminal 45 is held by the harness support member 69.

  Here, the grommet stopper 60 is attached to the cover portion 46 and is locked by the locking claw 67 so that the upper end of the cover portion 46 abuts against the lower surface of the upper wall 61 of the grommet stopper 60 and is kept in close contact. It has become. In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the arc-shaped wall portion 62 b of the grommet stopper 60 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 46 a of the cover portion 46 on the lower side in the axial direction than the slit 55 of the cover portion 46. As a result, the entire slit 55 is covered with the arc-shaped wall portion 62b of the grommet stopper 60, and the current leakage path from the power supply terminal 45 has a labyrinth structure in the vicinity of the slit 55 as shown by the arrow in FIG. In addition, when a predetermined internal pressure is exceeded, a gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the arc-shaped wall portion 62b and the outer peripheral surface 46a of the cover member 46, so that the internal pressure can be released through the labyrinth structure. It has become.

Therefore, according to the fuel supply device 1 of the first embodiment described above, it is possible to prevent the current leakage path from being formed by closing the inside and outside of the cover portion 46 with the grommet 50. Further, when no filler is used, when the pressure in the cover portion 46 rises due to the pressure rise in the fuel pump 3, for example, the inner side of the sheath 20 b of the motor power supply harness 20 is caused by the differential pressure with the outside of the cover portion 46. The fuel may be pushed through, but the slit 55 can prevent the fuel from entering the inside of the sheath 20b of the motor power supply harness 20 by suppressing the differential pressure inside and outside the cover portion 46. The step of filling the agent can be omitted. Further, by not using the filler, the filler does not enter between the terminal 47 and the core wire 20a of the motor power supply harness 20, so that the soldering process for eliminating the contact failure due to the filler can be omitted. There is no risk of contamination due to the filler.
As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator by simplifying the process for preventing electrolytic corrosion of the power feeding electrode, and to reduce the management burden on the contamination.

  Moreover, since the labyrinth structure is formed by attaching the grommet stopper 60 to the cover portion 46 and the current leakage path is lengthened, the leakage current can be sufficiently suppressed while preventing the grommet 50 from coming off.

  Further, the slits 55 provided in the pair of cover portions 46 are separated as much as possible, and the distance of the current leakage path can be further increased by that amount, so that the leakage current flowing between the pair of power supply terminals 45 can be further reduced. Can be planned.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the second embodiment, since the present invention is applied to the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the flange unit 4 of the fuel supply device 1 includes a pair of power supply terminals 17 and a pair of detection signal terminals 18 on the upper side of the outer flange portion 13. One end of each of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 extends upward, and is arranged adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the fuel pump 3.

  The other ends of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 are exposed side by side in the housing 16 a of the connector 16. The other ends of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 are so-called flat terminals.

  A resin cover 146 is formed around the other ends of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18. One end of the power supply terminal 17 is connected to one end of a motor power supply harness 20 that supplies electric power supplied from the outside to the power supply terminal 17 to a motor unit M (described later) of the fuel pump 3. Furthermore, one end of a sender gauge harness 21 that transmits a detection signal of the sender gauge 32 to the detection signal terminal 18 is connected to one end of the detection signal terminal 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the cover 146 is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape covering the periphery of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18, and is erected upward in the axial direction. Further, the cover portions 146 are arranged side by side in a row in the circumferential direction of the outer flange portion 13. The cover part 146 includes a slit 155 that extends downward from the opening. These slits 155 are arranged on the radially outer side of the fuel supply device 1. In addition, the cover part 146 in this embodiment is made into the substantially same shape only in the position of the cover part 46 and the slit 155 of 1st embodiment mentioned above differing.

  A terminal 147 and a grommet 150 are attached to the end of the motor power supply harness 20 opposite to the terminal 47. Similarly, the terminal 147 and the grommet 150 are also attached to the end of the sender gauge harness 21. The motor power supply harness 20 and the sender gauge harness 21 are connected to the corresponding power supply terminal 17 and detection signal terminal 18 via the terminal 147, respectively. Note that the terminal 147 and the grommet 150 are the same as the terminal 47 and the grommet 50 described above, except for the mounting location.

  Similarly to the terminal 47 described above, the terminal 147 includes an engagement portion 48 that engages with the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 at one end thereof. Further, the terminal 147 includes a crimping portion 149 that is crimped to the core wire 20 a of the motor feeding harness 20 and the sender gauge harness 21 on the other end side of the engaging portion 148. Further, a fixing portion 151 that fixes the grommet 150 to the motor power supply harness 20 is formed at the other end of the terminal 147. The fixing portion 151 fixes the grommet 150 to the motor power supply harness 20 by caulking the grommet 150 attached so as to cover the covering 20b of the motor power supply harness 20 in the circumferential direction.

  A grommet stopper 160 is attached to the upper portion of the cover portion 146. The grommet stopper 160 basically has the same function as the grommet stopper 60 of the first embodiment described above. That is, the grommet stopper 160 is a member that prevents the grommet 150 from slipping upward in the axial direction, and can be engaged with the cover portion 46 from the upper side in the axial direction.

  The grommet stopper 160 of the second embodiment is formed so as to simultaneously cover the upper portions of the four cover portions 146 arranged side by side. The grommet stopper 160 includes an upper wall 161 having an outer edge formed on an arc substantially parallel to the outer flange portion 13, and a side wall 162 extending from the lower surface of the outer edge of the upper wall 161 toward the lower side in the axial direction. Yes.

The upper wall 161 is provided with a recess 163 into which the motor power supply harness 20 and the sender gauge harness 21 can be inserted from the radially inner side to the outer side. Via these recesses 163, the motor power supply harness 20 and the sender gauge harness 21 are drawn out above the grommet stopper 160.
In addition, a substantially C-shaped protrusion 164 is formed on the upper wall 161 around the recess 163. These protrusions 164 can be fitted to the opening 146c of the cover part 146 from the upper side in the axial direction, and the protrusions 164 are fitted into the openings 146c so that the recesses 163 with respect to the openings 146c are formed. Is positioned.

  The cover portion 146 has a slit 155 as a differential pressure suppression mechanism that suppresses the differential pressure between the pressure in the inner space inside the cover portion 146 relative to the grommet 150 and the pressure in the outer space outside the cover portion 146 relative to the grommet 150. Is formed.

  The slit 155 is formed with a predetermined width that is slightly narrower than the outer diameter of the motor power supply harness 20 and the sender gauge harness 21, and extends downward from the opening 146 c of the cover 146 in the axial direction. The slit 55 extends from the opening 146 c to a position below the main body 152 of the grommet 150 and above the engaging portion 148, more specifically, a position near the fixed portion 153. . That is, the space below the grommet 150 in the cover portion 146 and the space outside the cover portion 146 are communicated with each other via a portion formed below the grommet 150 in the slit 155 in the axial direction. Yes.

  The cover portion 146 is arranged so that the inner peripheral surface of the grommet stopper 160 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cover portion 146 on the lower side in the axial direction than the slit 155. As a result, the entire slit 155 is covered with the side wall 160 of the grommet stopper 160, and the current leakage path from the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 has a labyrinth structure in the vicinity of the slit 155. Further, when a predetermined internal pressure is exceeded, a gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 160 and the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 146, and the internal pressure can be released through the labyrinth structure. .

  Further, one of the plurality of cover portions 146 has a locking projection 167 formed on the lower side of the slit 155. Further, a part of the side wall 162 of the grommet stopper 160 is a locking piece portion 162a having an engagement hole 158 that engages with the cover portion 146 on which the locking projection 167 is formed. That is, the engagement protrusion 167 is immersed in the engagement hole 158 formed in the engagement piece portion 162a, so that the displacement of the grommet stopper 160 in the insertion / extraction direction is restricted.

  Therefore, according to the fuel supply device of the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment described above, the inside and outside of the cover portion 146 is closed by the grommet 150 so that a current leakage path is formed. Can be prevented. Further, the differential pressure inside and outside the cover portion 146 can be suppressed by the slit 155. Since the filler can be omitted by suppressing the differential pressure, the filler is provided between the terminal 147 and the core wire of the motor power supply harness 20, and between the terminal 147 and the core wire of the sender gauge harness 21, respectively. Never get in. Therefore, the soldering process for eliminating the contact failure due to the filler is omitted, and there is no possibility of contamination due to the filler. As a result, it is possible to simplify the process for preventing electrolytic corrosion of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 to reduce the burden on the operator, and to reduce the management burden on the contamination.

  Moreover, since the labyrinth structure is formed by attaching the grommet stopper 160 to the cover part 146 and the current leakage path is lengthened, the leakage current can be sufficiently suppressed while preventing the grommet 150 from coming off.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments, and the design can be changed without departing from the gist thereof.
In each embodiment described above, the case where the slits 55 and 155 are provided as the differential pressure suppression mechanism has been described. However, the mechanism is not limited to the slits 55 and 155 as long as the differential pressure can be suppressed. It may be a hole penetrating 150 in the axial direction or a groove formed on the peripheral surface of grommets 50 and 150 so as to extend in the axial direction. Moreover, you may make it provide the same groove | channel on the cover parts 46 and 146 side.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example of application to a fuel supply device of a type in which the flange unit 4 is provided on the lower side and is attached to the bottom surface of the fuel tank 2 has been described. 4 may be applied to a fuel supply device of the type provided on the upper side and attached to the upper surface of the fuel tank 2. In particular, when the power supply terminal 45 is arranged on the discharge side where the internal pressure of the fuel increases, as in the fuel pump 3 in the above embodiment, the fuel enters from the gap between the power supply terminal 45 and the casing 43 and covers the cover. This is preferable because the internal pressure of the portion 46 tends to increase.

  In the first embodiment described above, a case where the power supply terminal 45 is applied as a terminal portion of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 are applied as terminal portions of the present invention. Although the case has been described, the present invention may be applied to all of the power supply terminal 45, the power supply terminal 17, and the detection signal terminal 18. Further, in the second embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18 has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to only one of the power supply terminal 17 and the detection signal terminal 18.

2 Fuel tank 3 Fuel pump 17 Power supply terminal (terminal part)
18 Detection signal terminal (terminal part)
20 Motor power supply harness (harness)
21 Sender gauge harness (harness)
45 Power supply terminal (terminal part)
46,146 Cover part 50,150 Grommet (closing member)
55,155 Slit (Differential pressure suppression mechanism)
60,160 Grommet stopper (Retaining member)
M Motor part (motor)

Claims (4)

In the fuel supply apparatus provided with a terminal portion to which the harness is connected inside the fuel tank,
A cover portion covering the terminal portion;
A closing member that closes the cover while inserting the harness,
At least one of the cover part and the closing member is provided with a differential pressure suppressing mechanism that suppresses an internal / external differential pressure of the cover part.   2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a retaining member that covers the cover portion and prevents the blocking member from coming off, and further includes a labyrinth structure between the retaining member and the cover portion.   The fuel supply device according to claim 2, wherein the differential pressure suppression mechanism is a slit formed in the cover portion, and the retaining member is provided so as to cover the entire slit.   The pair of terminal portions are arranged close to each other, the pair of terminal portions are individually provided with the cover portion, and the cover portion has the slits on both outer sides in the arrangement direction of the terminal portions. The fuel supply device according to claim 3 formed.

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