JP2017210012A - Vehicle fuel tank structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle fuel tank structure which enables a sub tank to be stably held by a main tank and inhibits deterioration of fixing portions of these tanks.SOLUTION: A vehicle fuel tank structure (a tank structure 100) according to the invention includes: a main tank 110 which stores a liquid fuel 102; a sub tank 120 which is disposed in the main tank and stores the liquid fuel; a fuel pump 130 which is disposed in the sub tank and pumps the liquid fuel in the sub tank; and a float 132 extending from the fuel pump and floating on a liquid surface of the liquid fuel in the sub tank. The sub tank has: a lower wall 124b disposed at a height indicating invalid residual quantity of the liquid fuel in the main tank; side walls 122a, 124a extending upward from an edge of the lower wall and joined to an inner side of the upper wall of the main tank; and a communication hole 126 which is formed near a lower end of the side wall and allows the liquid fuel in the main tank to flow into the sub tank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular fuel tank structure including a main tank for storing liquid fuel and a sub tank disposed therein.

  A fuel tank for storing fuel is disposed inside the vehicle. For example, as in Patent Document 1, some fuel tanks include a main tank and a sub tank disposed therein, and a fuel pump for pumping fuel is disposed inside the sub tank. Thereby, the fuel water level in the fuel tank can be suitably maintained, and stable fuel supply by the pump is possible without being affected by the inclination of the tank due to the road surface condition.

JP-A-2015-93546

  As described above, in order to maintain a stable fuel supply, the sub tank itself needs to be stably held in the main tank. For this reason, as in Patent Document 1, conventionally, the sub tank is generally fixed to the lower wall, that is, the bottom surface of the main tank (fuel tank body) by spot welding or the like.

  However, fuel is always stored in the main tank. For this reason, when the conventional method is to fix the sub tank to the bottom of the main tank by welding or the like, it is possible to firmly fix them, but the fixing part is always exposed to the fuel and deteriorated. Tends to occur.

  In particular, after a long period of time, impurities having a high specific gravity or deteriorated substances are deposited in the lower part of the main tank. Then, when the fuel moves in the main tank due to vibration during traveling or the inclination of the vehicle, there is a concern that impurities and the like move together with the fuel, and contact with the fixed portion accelerates deterioration of the fixed portion. ing.

  In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank structure for a vehicle that can stably hold a sub-tank in a main tank and suppress deterioration of a fixed portion thereof.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle fuel tank structure according to the present invention includes a main tank that stores liquid fuel, a main tank that is disposed inside the main tank, A sub tank for supplying and storing liquid fuel; a fuel pump disposed inside the sub tank for pumping the liquid fuel in the sub tank; and a float that extends from the fuel pump and floats on a liquid surface of the liquid fuel in the sub tank. A lower wall disposed at a height indicating an ineffective remaining amount of liquid fuel in the main tank, a side wall extending upward from an edge of the lower wall and joined to an inner side of the upper wall of the main tank, and the lower wall or the side wall And a communication hole that is formed in the vicinity of the lower end of the main tank and into which the liquid fuel in the main tank flows.

  According to the above configuration, the sub tank is joined to the main tank at the upper part of the side wall. As a result, the sub tank can be stably held in the main tank. At this time, since the joining location is located above the inside of the main tank, it is possible to prevent the joining location from being constantly exposed to the liquid fuel, and to suppress deterioration of the joining location.

  Moreover, in the said structure, the lower wall of a subtank is arrange | positioned in the height which shows the invalid remaining amount of liquid fuel, and the communicating hole is formed in this lower wall vicinity. As a result, while the liquid fuel is kept at the effective remaining amount, the liquid level in the main tank and the sub tank becomes equal, and the liquid fuel can be consumed until reaching the invalid remaining amount. That is, according to the above configuration, the function of measuring the liquid level from the effective remaining amount to the invalid remaining amount can be reliably ensured by the float floating on the liquid fuel level in the sub tank. .

  The sub-tank is formed of an upper member and a lower member joined to each other to constitute portions above and below a predetermined height of the side wall, and between the lower member and the upper wall of the main tank among the upper members. May be formed with one or more notches or holes.

  According to this configuration, when the fuel pump is assembled to the sub tank, the float can be retracted outside the sub tank from the notch or the hole. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the assembly property of the fuel pump. Further, by configuring the sub-tank with the upper member and the lower member, different materials can be used for them. This makes it possible to select a suitable material for each of the upper members that form notches or holes, such as using a highly rigid material and a lower member that is exposed to liquid fuel using a highly corrosion-resistant material. It becomes possible to do.

  It is preferable that a plurality of the notches or holes are formed and arranged at a point-symmetrical position around the fuel pump when viewed from above. Thereby, since the notch or the hole is symmetrically arranged with respect to the fuel pump, the rigidity with respect to the load can be secured in a balanced manner.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fuel tank structure for vehicles which can suppress deterioration of those fixed locations can be provided, hold | maintaining a sub tank to a main tank stably.

It is a figure which illustrates the fuel tank structure for vehicles concerning this embodiment. It is typical sectional drawing of the fuel tank structure for vehicles shown in FIG. It is typical sectional drawing explaining attachment of the fuel pump to a subtank.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle fuel tank structure (hereinafter referred to as a tank structure 100) according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle fuel tank structure shown in FIG. For easy understanding, FIG. 1 shows a state before assembling each member, and FIG. 2 shows a state after assembling each member.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tank structure 100 of the present embodiment is configured to include a main tank 110 that stores liquid fuel and a sub-tank 120 disposed therein. The sub tank 120 is supplied with the liquid fuel 102 stored in the main tank 110 through a communication hole 126 described later, and stores the liquid fuel 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main tank 110 includes an upper panel 112 and a lower panel 114. The upper panel 112 and the lower panel 114 have flanges 112a and 114a, respectively. By joining these flanges 112a and 114a, the upper panel 112 and the lower panel 114 are connected. The upper wall 112b of the upper panel 112 is formed with an attachment hole 112c through which the fuel pump 130 is inserted when the fuel pump 130 is attached.

  In the tank structure 100 of the present embodiment, the sub tank 120 is also configured by the upper member 122 and the lower member 124 that are joined together. The upper member 122 and the lower member 124 constitute portions above and below a predetermined height of the side wall of the entire sub tank 120, respectively. The side wall of the sub tank 120 is configured by joining the side wall 122a of the upper member 122 and the side wall 124a of the lower member 124. As a whole, the side wall of the sub tank 120 is upward from the edge of the lower wall (strictly, the lower wall 124b of the lower member 124). It extends toward.

  A fuel pump 130 is disposed inside the sub tank 120. The liquid fuel 102 stored in the sub tank 120 is pumped up by a fuel pump 130 and sent to an engine (not shown). A float 132 that extends from the fuel pump 130 and floats on the liquid level of the liquid fuel 102 in the sub tank 120 is disposed inside the sub tank 120. The fuel pump 130 is equipped with a fuel gauge (not shown) that is a gauge that mechanically measures the amount of ups and downs of the float 132, and is stored in the subtank 120 and in the tank structure 100 based on the amount of ups and downs. The remaining amount of liquid fuel is detected.

  In the present embodiment, the upper end of the side wall of the sub tank 120, that is, the upper part of the side wall 122 a of the upper member 122 of the sub tank is joined to the inside of the upper wall 112 b of the main tank 110. Thereby, the sub tank 120 is stably held in the main tank 110. At this time, the joint between the sub tank 120 and the main tank 110 is located above the inside of the main tank 110. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the joint portion from being constantly exposed to the liquid fuel and to suppress the deterioration of the joint portion.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, a flange 122b is formed on the upper portion of the side wall 122a of the upper member 122 of the sub tank 120, and the upper member 122 is joined to the main tank 110 on the surface of the flange 122b. As a result, the load on the side wall of the sub tank 120 due to the swing of the sub tank 120 or the swing of the liquid fuel 102 can be received by the surface at the flange 122b, so that the sub tank 120 can be stably held for a long time.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the lower wall of the sub tank 120, that is, the lower wall 124 b of the lower member 124 of the sub tank 120 has a height H indicating the invalid remaining amount of the liquid fuel 102 in the main tank 110. Has been placed. As shown in FIG. 1, a communication hole 126 through which the liquid fuel 102 in the main tank 110 flows is formed near the lower end of the side wall 124 a of the lower member 124.

  According to the above configuration, the liquid level of the liquid fuel 102 in the main tank 110 and the sub tank 120 becomes equal while the liquid fuel is kept at the effective remaining amount. As a result, the liquid fuel 102 can be consumed up to the invalid remaining amount. If the lower wall 124b of the sub tank 120 is disposed above the height indicating the invalid remaining amount, the liquid fuel 102 is contained in the sub tank 120 even though the remaining amount of liquid fuel 102 remains in the main tank 110. Will not be supplied. Then, the liquid fuel 102 cannot be consumed up to the invalid remaining amount.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the function of measuring the liquid level height from the effective remaining amount to the invalid remaining amount of the liquid fuel 102 by the float 132 floating on the liquid level 102a of the liquid fuel 102 in the sub tank 120. Can be securely secured. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the communication hole 126 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the side wall of the lower member 124 of the sub tank 120 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication hole is provided in the lower wall 124b of the lower member 124. However, the same effect can be obtained.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the attachment of the fuel pump 130 to the sub tank 120. When assembling the tank structure 100 of the present embodiment, first, the upper member 122 and the lower member 124 of the sub tank 120 are joined, and the sub tank 120 is joined to the upper panel 112 of the main tank 110. Then, after joining the upper panel 112 and the lower panel 114 of the main tank 110, the fuel pump 130 is inserted into the mounting hole 112 c formed in the upper panel 112.

  At this time, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a notch 128 is formed between the lower member 124 and the upper wall 112 b of the main tank 110 in the upper member 122 of the sub tank 120. As a result, when the fuel pump 130 is attached to the sub tank 120, the float 132 can be retracted from the notch 128 to the outside of the sub tank 120 as shown in FIG. 4, and the assembly of the fuel pump 130 can be improved. Is possible.

  Further, as described above, the sub tank 120 of this embodiment is configured by two members including the upper member 122 and the lower member 124. Thereby, different materials can be used for the upper member 122 and the lower member 124. Therefore, a material having high rigidity is used for the upper member 122 forming the notch 128, and a material having high corrosion resistance is used for the lower member 124 exposed to the liquid fuel 102. Selectable. In addition, since a high rigidity is obtained at the joint portion between the upper member 122 and the lower member 124 of the sub tank 120, the rigidity that tends to decrease by providing the notch 128 can be compensated.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, four notches 128 are formed in the upper member 122 of the sub tank 120, and these notches 128 are point-symmetrical with respect to the fuel pump 130 when viewed from above. Be placed. Thereby, the rigidity with respect to a load can be ensured with a good balance.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the four cutouts 128 are provided is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the above effect can be obtained by providing one or more cutouts. In the present embodiment, the notch 128 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the above-described effect can be obtained even when the hole is provided instead of the notch.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a fuel tank structure for a vehicle that includes a main tank that stores liquid fuel and a sub tank disposed therein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Tank structure, 102 ... Liquid fuel, 102a ... Liquid level, 110 ... Main tank, 112 ... Upper panel, 112a ... Flange, 112b ... Upper wall, 112c ... Mounting hole, 114 ... Lower panel, 114a ... Flange, 120 ... Sub tank, 122 ... Upper member, 122a ... Side wall, 122b ... Flange, 124 ... Lower member, 124a ... Side wall, 124b ... Lower wall, 126 ... Communication hole, 128 ... Notch, 130 ... Fuel pump, 132 ... Float

Claims (3)

In the fuel tank structure for vehicles,
A main tank for storing liquid fuel;
A sub tank disposed inside the main tank and supplied with liquid fuel from the main tank;
A fuel pump disposed inside the sub-tank to pump up liquid fuel in the sub-tank;
A float extending from the fuel pump and floating on a liquid level of the liquid fuel in the sub-tank,
The sub tank is
A lower wall disposed at a height indicating an ineffective remaining amount of liquid fuel in the main tank;
A side wall extending upward from an edge of the lower wall and joined to the inner side of the upper wall of the main tank;
A vehicular fuel tank structure having a communication hole formed near the lower end of the lower wall or the side wall and into which the liquid fuel in the main tank flows. The sub tank is
It is formed of an upper member and a lower member that are joined to each other to constitute portions above and below a predetermined height of the side wall,
The vehicle fuel tank structure according to claim 1, wherein one or more notches or holes are formed between the lower member and the upper wall of the main tank among the upper members. .   3. The vehicle fuel tank structure according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the notches or holes are formed and are arranged at point-symmetrical positions with respect to the fuel pump when viewed from above. .

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