JP2018100634A - Fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel tank that can secure sufficient filtration performance.SOLUTION: A fuel tank 1 comprises: a tank body 10 including an opening part 11; and a fuel filter 20 including a bag-shaped filter element 21 to which a suction port 32 of a fuel pump 30 is connected, and a plurality of sub-tanks 22 and 23 attached to the side of an upper surface of the filter element 21 to form a fuel storage part 24. The fuel filter 20 is attached to a bottom part of the tank body 10 in such a manner that the side of a lower surface of the filter element 21 is opposed to a bottom surface of the tank body 10. The fuel filter 20 is provided so as to be bendable at a portion of the filter element 21 between the plurality of sub-tanks 22 and 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel tank.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel tank. The fuel tank includes a sub-tank that is disposed in the fuel tank and stores fuel, and a bag-like filter member that is provided horizontally at the bottom of the sub-tank and filters the fuel sucked into the fuel pump. A fuel suction port of a fuel pump is connected to the filter member. The fuel filter device includes a plurality of fuel storage portions arranged in parallel with fuel inlets therebetween.

JP 2011-185112 A

  The fuel filter is disposed in the fuel tank, for example, by being inserted into the fuel tank from an opening formed in the fuel tank. In this case, in order to arrange in the fuel tank, the fuel filter must be accommodated in a size that can be inserted from the opening of the fuel tank. For this reason, the size of the fuel filter device is restricted, and it may be difficult to secure a sufficient filtration area.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object to be solved is to provide a fuel tank that can ensure sufficient filtration performance.

The fuel tank of the present invention is
A tank body having an opening;
A bag-like filter element to which a suction port of a fuel pump is connected, and a plurality of sub-tanks that are attached to one side of the filter element to form a fuel reservoir, and the other side of the filter element is connected to the tank body A fuel filter attached to the bottom of the tank body in a form opposed to the bottom surface,
The fuel filter is characterized in that it is bent at a portion of the filter element between the plurality of sub tanks.

  According to this configuration, by bending to reduce the plane projection area, even if the fuel filter has a larger plane projection area than the opening area of the opening of the tank body, it is inserted into the tank body from the opening. can do. Thereby, a fuel filter with a larger filtration area can be inserted into the tank body. Therefore, the fuel tank of the present invention can ensure sufficient filtration performance.

1 is a front sectional view schematically showing a fuel tank according to Example 1. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view schematically showing a fuel filter according to a first embodiment. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a fuel filter according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a fuel filter according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the fuel filter according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which bent the fuel filter which concerns on Example 1. FIG. 6 is a front view schematically showing a fuel filter according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of a fuel filter according to a second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the IX-IX arrow of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which bent the fuel filter which concerns on Example 2. FIG.

  (1) The present invention may have a pair of guide members for guiding the fuel filter to be engaged and bent relative to each other. According to this configuration, the fuel filter can be stably bent while being guided by the pair of guide members, so that it is possible to avoid damage due to the filter element being forcibly bent or the like.

  (2) In the present invention according to (1), one of the pair of guide members is formed with an arcuate guide groove, and the other of the pair of guide members is guided along the guide groove. Guide protrusions may be formed. According to this configuration, the fuel filter can be stably bent with a simple configuration.

  (3) The present invention may be configured such that the fuel filter bends about a virtual axis that is set outward on the other surface side of the filter element. According to this configuration, since the imaginary axis serving as the bending center is located outward of the other side of the filter element, compared to the case where the central axis of bending is between one side of the filter element and the other side. Thus, the bending center axis is arranged farther away from the bending portion, and the bending radius of the filter element can be increased. For this reason, deformation of the filter element due to bending can be suppressed.

  (4) In the present invention, the fuel filter can be bent in the direction of the other surface side of the filter element. According to this configuration, the other surfaces of the filter element from which the filter surface is exposed face each other, and the one surface side is protected by the sub tank. For this reason, it can be bent while protecting the filter element.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following description, for the up and down directions, the directions appearing in FIGS. For the left and right directions, the directions appearing in FIGS. 1 to 3, 5 and 6 are defined as left and right as they are. For the front-rear direction, the lower part in FIG. 3 is defined as the front.

  The fuel tank 1 according to the first embodiment is a tank that is mounted on a vehicle in order to store fuel to be supplied to the internal combustion engine of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel tank 1 includes a tank body 10 and a fuel filter 20. The tank body 10 is a resin container. The fuel filter 20 is disposed in the tank body 10. A fuel pump 30 is connected to the fuel filter 20. The fuel pump 30 pumps fuel to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle (not shown).

  The tank body 10 is formed by blow molding of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 1, the tank body 10 has an opening 11. The opening 11 is provided through the upper wall of the tank main body 10 and communicates the internal space and the external space of the tank main body 10 serving as a fuel storage space. The opening 11 is provided with a pipe connected to the discharge port 31 of the fuel pump 30, a wiring for supplying a drive current for the fuel pump 30, etc. It is a hole for doing. The opening 11 is closed by a lid member 12. The lid member 12 suspends and fixes the fuel pump 30 by fixing means (not shown). A mounting seat 13 is provided at the bottom of the tank body 10. Mounting portions 22A and 23A of a fuel filter 20 described later are attached to the mounting seat portion 13, and the fuel filter 20 is fixed. The mounting seat 13 can be provided by being attached by welding or caulking after the tank body 10 is molded, or can be provided by insert molding or the like when the tank body 10 is molded.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the fuel filter 20 includes a filter element 21 and sub tanks 22 and 23. The filter element 21 is formed in a bag shape in which the peripheral portions 21A of two sheet-like filter media made of nonwoven fabric or the like are joined by welding or the like, and has a flat shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view. A discharge portion 21 </ b> B that discharges the filtered fuel is formed at the center of the upper surface of the filter element 21. The discharge part 21B connects the inner space and the outer space of the filter element 21 having a bag shape. The suction port 32 of the fuel pump 30 is connected to the discharge part 21B. Note that a space holding member (not shown) is disposed between the two filter media of the filter element 21 to prevent the internal space from being blocked by the suction force of the fuel pump 30 or the like.

  The sub tanks 22 and 23 are attached to the upper surface side of the filter element 21. In the first embodiment, two sub tanks 22 and 23 are made of synthetic resin. The two sub tanks 22 and 23 have substantially the same shape, and are mounted side by side on the upper surface side of the filter element 21. Specifically, the sub-tanks 22 and 23 are attached to the filter element 21 in a form in which the sub-tanks 22 and 23 are arranged on the upper surface side of the filter element 21 on both sides of the discharge unit 21B with a space therebetween. The sub tanks 22 and 23 are formed in a box shape whose bottom surface is opened. The sub tanks 22 and 23 are welded to the upper surface of the peripheral edge portion 21 </ b> A of the filter element 21 except for the lower end surface of the filter element 21 on the center side (discharge portion 21 </ b> B side). Spaces between the sub tanks 22 and 23 and the upper surface of the filter element 21 are used as fuel storage portions 24, respectively. Fuel is introduced into the fuel storage portion 24 through fuel introduction holes 24A formed in the upper walls of the sub tanks 22 and 23.

Further, the sub tanks 22 and 23 are provided with attachment portions 22A and 23A. The attachment portions 22A and 23A are provided on the left and right sides of the sub tanks 22 and 23, respectively. These attachment portions 22 </ b> A and 23 </ b> A are attached to an attachment seat portion 13 provided at the bottom of the tank body 10, thereby fixing the fuel filter 20 to the bottom of the tank body 10.
The mounting seat 13 is provided so as to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the tank body 10. The protruding amount of the mounting seat portion 13 is substantially equal to the distance from the lower end surface of the mounting portions 22A and 23A to the lower surface of the filter element 21. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel filter 20 is configured such that the lower half of the filter element 21 protrudes from the lower ends of the sub-tanks 22 and 23 in a side view. For this reason, by making the upward protrusion amount of the mounting seat portion 13 substantially equal to the downward protrusion amount of the filter element 21 from the lower ends of the sub-tanks 22, 23, the lower surface of the filter element 21 is placed on the tank body 10. It is in contact with the bottom.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the fuel filter 20 has a pair of guide members 25 and 26. The pair of guide members 25 and 26 are engaged with each other so as to be relatively rotatable, and guide the fuel filter 20 to bend. In the pair of guide members 25, 26, one end of one guide member (first guide member) 25 is fixed to the sub tank 22, and one end of the other guide member (second guide member) 26 is fixed to the sub tank 23. ing. Thereby, it can be said that the pair of guide members 25 and 26 indirectly connects the sub tanks 22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, the pair of guide members 25 and 26 are provided in pairs on the front side and the rear side of the sub tanks 22 and 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first guide member 25 is formed in a substantially semicircular plate shape in front view with an arc located above. The first guide member 25 is formed with a guide groove 25A and a shaft hole 25B. The guide groove 25 </ b> A is formed with an arcuate trajectory that is open at the bottom. The shaft hole 25B is formed at a position that becomes the arc center of the arc-shaped guide groove 25A. The second guide member 26 is formed in a plate shape having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The second guide member 26 is provided with a guide protrusion 26A that fits into the guide groove 25A of the first guide member 25 and a shaft protrusion 26B that fits into the shaft hole 25B. The pair of guide members 25 and 26 rotate relative to each other when the guide protrusion 26A moves along the guide groove 25A around the shaft hole 25B and the shaft protrusion 26B.

  The fuel filter 20 is provided so as to be freely bent at the portion of the filter element 21 between the sub tanks 22 and 23. In the case of the first embodiment, the fuel filter 20 can be bent in the direction of the lower surface side that is the other surface side of the filter element 21 while being guided by the relative rotation of the pair of guide members 25 and 26. In other words, the fuel filter 20 can be bent in the direction in which the left and right ends are directed downward. Specifically, the fuel filter 20 is provided so as to be bendable between the unfolded state shown in FIG. 3 and the bent state shown in FIG. The bending range of the fuel filter 20 is regulated by the engagement between the guide groove 25A and the guide protrusion 26A. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel filter 20 has both left and right ends downward in the deployed state in which the two sub tanks 22 and 23 extend in the left-right direction by the action of the guide groove 25A and the guide protrusion 26A. Bending toward the direction is allowed, but bending toward the upper direction is restricted.

  Next, a method for assembling the fuel tank 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, the fuel filter 20 is inserted into the tank body 10 from the opening 11 of the tank body 10. At this time, the fuel filter 20 is bent as shown in FIG. As a result, the fuel filter 20 has a planar projection area smaller than the opening area of the opening 11 and can pass through the opening 11. At this time, the fuel filter 20 is bent while being guided by the pair of guide members 25 and 26. As a result, bending in the wrong direction and excessive bending of the filter element 21 are prevented.

  Next, the fuel filter 20 is deployed in the tank body 10 and fixed to the tank body 10. Specifically, the attachment portions 22A and 23A of the fuel filter 20 are attached to the attachment seat portion 13 of the tank body 10 by welding, caulking, or the like. Thereby, the fuel filter 20 is stably attached to the bottom of the tank body 10. Further, the fuel filter 20 is provided with the filter element 20 by providing the mounting seat 13 so as to project from the bottom surface of the tank body 10 in accordance with the downward projecting amount of the filter element 21 from the lower ends of the sub tanks 22 and 23. 21 is attached with the lower surface of 21 in contact with the bottom surface of the tank body 10. For this reason, even when the remaining amount of fuel is reduced and the liquid level is lowered, the occurrence of the liquid film breakage of the filter element 21 is suppressed. Then, the fuel pump 30 is put into the tank body 10 through the opening 11, and the suction port 32 of the fuel pump 30 is connected to the discharge part 21 </ b> B of the filter element 21 of the fuel filter 20. Finally, the opening 11 of the tank body 10 is closed by the lid member 12.

  The fuel pump 30 may be connected to the fuel filter 20 after the fuel filter 20 is attached to the tank body 10 as in the first embodiment, or before the fuel filter 20 is attached to the tank body 10. 20 may be connected in advance. In the first embodiment, as described above, the fuel pump 30 is fixed in such a manner that it is suspended from the lid member 12 that closes the opening 11 of the tank body 10. In such a case, the connection between the fuel pump 30 and the fuel filter 20 can have a flexible structure while maintaining liquid tightness. Further, the fuel filter 20 and the fuel pump 30 are fixedly connected, the fuel filter 20 is fixed to the mounting seat 13 of the tank body 10, and the fuel pump 30 is fixed to the lid member 12. The fuel pump 30 may be used as a structural material for the fuel tank 1.

  As described above, the fuel tank 1 of the first embodiment is attached to the tank body 10 having the opening 11, the bag-like filter element 21 to which the suction port 32 of the fuel pump 30 is connected, and the upper surface side of the filter element 21. And a fuel filter 20 having two sub-tanks 22 and 23 that form a fuel reservoir 24. The fuel filter 20 is attached to the bottom of the tank body 10 in a form in which the lower surface side of the filter element 21 is opposed to the bottom surface of the tank body 10. The fuel filter 20 is provided so as to be freely bent at a portion of the filter element 21 between the two sub tanks 22 and 23.

  According to this configuration, the fuel filter 20 having a larger planar projection area than the opening area of the opening 11 of the tank main body 10 is inserted into the tank main body 10 by bending and reducing the planar projection area. Can do. For this reason, a fuel filter having a larger filtration area can be inserted into the tank body regardless of the opening area of the tank body. Therefore, the fuel tank 1 can ensure sufficient filtration performance.

  Further, the fuel filter 20 has a pair of guide members 25 and 26 for guiding the relative bending of the fuel filter 20 to be bent. As a result, the fuel filter 20 can be stably bent while being guided by the pair of guide members 25 and 26, and damage due to the filter element 21 being forcibly bent or the like can be avoided.

  The first guide member 25, which is one of the pair of guide members 25, 26, is formed with an arcuate guide groove 25A, and the second guide member 26, which is the other of the pair of guide members 25, 26, is formed on the first guide member 25, 26. Since the guide protrusion 26A guided along the guide groove 25A is formed, the fuel filter 20 can be bent stably with a simple configuration.

  Further, the fuel filter 20 can be bent in the direction of the lower surface side, which is the other surface side of the filter element 21. As a result, in the fuel filter 20, the lower surfaces of the filter elements 21 where the filter surfaces are exposed face each other, and the upper surfaces are protected by the sub tanks 22 and 23. For this reason, the filter element 21 can be bent while being protected.

<Example 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The fuel tank of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the configuration of the pair of guide members and a plurality of bent portions are provided. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numeral is given to the same configuration, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fuel filter 220 of the second embodiment has a pair of guide members 225 and 226. The pair of guide members 225 and 226 engage with each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other to guide the fuel filter 220 to bend. Thereby, the fuel filter 220 is provided so as to be freely bent between the developed state shown in FIG. 7 and the bent state shown in FIG. The fuel filter 220 bends about a virtual axis A set below the lower surface side of the filter element 21. For this reason, the fuel filter 220 can take a large bending radius of the filter element 21 and can suppress deformation of the filter element due to bending.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an arcuate guide groove 225 </ b> A is formed in the first guide member 225 which is one of the pair of guide members 225 and 226. The second guide member 226 that is the other of the pair of guide members 225 and 226 is formed with a guide protrusion 226A that is guided along the guide groove 225A. The guide groove 225 </ b> A is set at a substantially equal position as compared with the guide groove 25 </ b> A of the first embodiment, but its curvature is set smaller than that of the guide groove 25 </ b> A of the first embodiment. Thereby, the position of the arc center of the guide groove 225A is set lower than the lower surface of the filter element 21 in a state where the fuel filter 220 is deployed. The fuel filter 220 bends with the arc center of the guide groove 225A as the virtual axis A. As described above, the pair of guide members 225 and 226 according to the second embodiment is not provided with the shaft hole and the shaft protrusion at the center of bending as in the first embodiment.

  The guide protrusion 226A has the same curvature as the arc of the guide groove 225A, is formed in an arc shape having a length shorter than the arc length of the guide groove 225A, and is engaged with the guide groove 225A. Accordingly, the pair of guide members 225 and 226 are rotated relative to each other without providing the shaft hole and the shaft protrusion.

  Each of the pair of guide members 225 and 226 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape when viewed from the side. The first guide member 225, which is one of the pair of guide members 225, 226, is formed to be slightly larger than the other second guide member 226, and has an arc shape in the front-rear direction (the axial direction of the arc) on the outer periphery thereof. A guide portion 225 </ b> B projecting over is provided. The guide portion 225B is formed in an arc shape centered on the virtual axis A. As for the 2nd guide member 226, the outer peripheral surface 226B is slidably contact | abutted to the inner peripheral surface of the guide part 225B. The pair of guide members 225 and 226 are guided and rotated by the guide portion 225B and the outer peripheral surface 226B of the second guide member 226 together with the guide groove 225A and the guide protrusion 226A. Accordingly, the fuel filter 220 is more stably guided and bent by the pair of guide members 225 and 226.

  Furthermore, the fuel filter 220 is provided with two subtanks 222 and 223 so that they can be bent. Specifically, the sub tank 222 is divided into two box-like portions 222A and 222B in the left-right direction of the fuel filter 220. The two box-like portions 222A and 222B are each formed in a box shape whose lower side is opened. The box-shaped portions 222A and 222B have their lower end surfaces fixed to the peripheral edge portion 21A of the filter element 21 by welding, and use the bending of the peripheral edge portion 21A of the filter element 21 with the vicinity of the lower end of each adjacent portion as the central axis. And bend. Similarly, the sub-tank 223 is divided into two box-like portions 223A and 223B, and bends with the vicinity of the lower end of each adjacent portion as the central axis. Thereby, compared with the case where it bends only in one place, the planar projection area of the fuel filter 220 is further reduced.

  Further, the fuel filter 220 has a third guide member 27. The third guide member 27 guides the bending of the box-like portions 222A and 222B. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the third guide member 27 has one end attached to the side surface of the box-shaped portion 222A which is one of the two box-shaped portions 222A and 222B to be paired, and the box-shaped portion 222B. It has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view extending in the direction of.

  The third guide member 27 includes a guide groove 27A. The guide groove 27A is formed with an arcuate locus. The arc center of the guide groove 27A is the bending center of the box-shaped portions 222A and 222B. The guide groove 27A is movably engaged with a guide protrusion 27B formed to project from the side surface of the box-like part 222B which is the other of the two box-like parts 222A and 222B to be paired. As a result, when the box-like portions 222A and 222B are bent, the guide protrusion 27B moves along the guide groove 27A and is guided by the third guide member. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the third guide member 27 has the same configuration as described above, and is also provided on the box-like portions 223A and 223B side, and the box-like portions 223A and 223B are bent. To guide.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the second embodiment, the sub tank 222 is provided with engaging portions 222C and 222D. One of the engaging portions 222C and 222D is formed in a convex shape protruding toward the other, and the other is formed in a concave shape in which one shape can be fitted. Thereby, the engaging portions 222C and 222D are engaged with each other, and the state where the two box-like portions 222A and 222B shown in FIG. Further, the sub tank 223 is provided with engaging portions 223C and 223D which are substantially the same as the engaging portions 222C and 222D. The engaging portions 223C and 223D fix the state where the two box-like portions 223A and 223B are deployed.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the fuel filter 220 is bent around the virtual axis A set below the lower surface side of the filter element 21. According to this configuration, compared to the case where the central axis of bending is between the one surface side and the other surface side of the filter element, the bending central axis is arranged farther from the bent portion, and the bending radius of the filter element is increased. Can take. For this reason, compression of the filter element due to bending can be suppressed.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the first embodiment, the form of bending at only one central part is illustrated, but a form of bending at two or more parts may be used. In this case, a form that is bent by the configuration shown in the second embodiment may be applied, or a bent form by another configuration may be used.
(2) In the first and second embodiments, the mounting seat portion of the tank body protrudes upward, but the fuel filter mounting portion may extend downward.
(3) In Examples 1 and 2, the tank body is a blow-molded product, but it may be manufactured by other manufacturing methods such as injection molding.
(4) In Examples 1 and 2, the tank body is made of synthetic resin, but other materials may be used.
(5) In the first and second embodiments, the fuel filter includes a pair of guide members having a specific configuration. However, the fuel filter may include a guide member having another configuration. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which is not provided with a guide member.
(6) In the first and second embodiments, the mode in which the pair of guide members includes the guide groove and the guide protrusion is illustrated, but these are not essential. The configuration of the pair of guide members is not particularly limited as long as the guide members are engaged with each other so as to be relatively rotatable and guide the bending.
(7) In the second embodiment, the fuel filter bends at three locations. However, the fuel filter may be bent at two or less locations. When the number of bent portions is two or less, it is preferable that at least one bent portion is provided at the center in the left-right direction. This is because it is suitable for a configuration in which the planar projection area is further reduced.
(8) In the second embodiment, the sub tank is illustrated as being bent by being guided by the third guide member having a specific configuration. Good. Further, the third guide member may not be provided.
(9) In Embodiment 2 described above, the engagement portion engaging the two box-shaped portions has been illustrated as being engaged by unevenness, but may be an engagement portion of another form. Moreover, it is not essential to provide an engaging part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fuel tank 10 ... Tank main body 11 ... Opening part 12 ... Cover member 13 ... Mounting seat part 20,220 ... Fuel filter 21 ... Filter element 21A ... Peripheral part 21B ... Discharge part 22,23,222,223 ... Sub tank 22A, 23A ... Mounting portion 24 ... Fuel reservoir 24A ... Fuel introduction hole 25, 26, 225, 226 ... Guide member (25, 225 ... First guide member, 26, 226 ... Second guide member)
25A, 225A ... guide groove 25B ... shaft hole 26A, 226A ... guide protrusion 26B ... shaft protrusion 27 ... third guide member 27A ... guide groove 27B ... guide protrusion 30 ... fuel pump 31 ... discharge port 32 ... suction port 222A, 222B, 223A, 223B ... Box-shaped part 222C, 222D, 223C, 223D ... Engagement part 225B ... Guide part A ... Virtual axis

Claims (5)

A tank body having an opening;
A bag-like filter element to which a suction port of a fuel pump is connected, and a plurality of sub-tanks that are attached to one side of the filter element to form a fuel reservoir, and the other side of the filter element is connected to the tank body A fuel filter attached to the bottom of the tank body in a form facing the bottom surface,
The fuel tank, wherein the fuel filter is provided so as to be freely bent at a portion of the filter element between the plurality of sub tanks.   2. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the fuel filter has a pair of guide members for guiding the fuel filters to be engaged with each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other.   An arcuate guide groove is formed on one of the pair of guide members, and a guide projection guided along the guide groove is formed on the other of the pair of guide members. The fuel tank according to claim 2.   4. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the fuel filter is bent around a virtual axis that is set outward of the other surface side of the filter element. 5.   The fuel tank according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fuel filter is bendable in a direction toward the other surface side of the filter element.

Images