JP2020063734A - Attachment structure of column within fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

To inhibit a column from falling off due to fuel swelling.SOLUTION: A connection column 52 is provided which is attached to a sub tank body 46 disposed in a bottom portion of a fuel tank 10 and is connected movably in a vertical direction to a lid member 22 closing an upper face opening 13 of the fuel tank 10. The sub tank body 46 is provided with a cylindrical part 91. The connection column 52 has a shaft part 89 inserted into the cylindrical part 91. A base end portion of the shaft part 89 is attached to the cylindrical part 91 by means of press fitting. The shaft part 89 and the cylindrical part 91 are engaged by a snap fitting 98.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The technique disclosed in the present specification relates to a mounting structure for a column in a fuel tank.

  Conventionally, there is a fuel supply device described in Patent Document 1, for example. This fuel supply device includes a lid member that closes the upper opening of the fuel tank, a sub tank that is arranged at the bottom of the fuel tank, and a shaft member that is attached to the lid member and that is vertically movably connected to the sub tank. , Is provided. The shaft member is attached to the lid member by press fitting. The lid member is made of resin, and the shaft member is made of metal.

JP, 2016-29267, A

  According to Patent Document 1, since the shaft member is only press-fitted into the lid member, the binding force of the lid member due to the press-fitting to the shaft member is reduced due to fuel swelling, and the shaft member may come off from the lid member.

  An object of the technology disclosed in the present specification is to prevent the columns from coming off due to the swelling of the fuel.

  The technique disclosed in this specification takes the following means.

  The first means is attached to one member of a lid member that closes an upper opening of the fuel tank and a member inside the fuel tank arranged at the bottom of the fuel tank, and is attached to the other member in the vertical direction. Is a structure for mounting a post in a fuel tank, which is provided with a column that is movably connected to the column, wherein the one member is provided with a tubular part, and the column is a shaft part inserted into the tubular part. The base end portion of the shaft-shaped portion is press-fitted into the tubular portion, and the shaft-shaped portion and the tubular portion are engaged by snap fit. It is a mounting structure.

  According to the first means, the base end portion of the shaft-shaped portion of the support column is press-fitted into the tubular portion of one of the lid member and the fuel tank inner member, and the shaft-shaped portion and the tubular portion are separated from each other. Engaged by snap fit. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press-fitting into the shaft-shaped portion of the column is reduced due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion of the one member, the snap-fit can prevent the column from coming off.

  A second means is a structure for mounting a post in the fuel tank of the first means, wherein the snap fit is arranged at a tip side of a press-fitting portion of the shaft-like portion with respect to the tubular portion. This is the structure for mounting the column in the tank.

  According to the second means, since the snap fit is arranged on the tip side of the press-fitting portion of the shaft-like portion with respect to the tubular portion, compared with the case where the snap-fit is arranged on the base end side of the shaft-like portion. Thus, the shaft portion can be stably engaged with the tubular portion.

  A third means is a structure for mounting the support pillar in the fuel tank according to the first or second means, wherein the support pillar is provided with a detent protrusion projecting outward in the radial direction. Is a structure for mounting the support pillar in the fuel tank, in which a rotation preventing wall portion for fitting the rotation preventing convex portion in the axial direction of the support pillar to prevent rotation of the support pillar in the axial rotation direction of the support pillar is provided.

  According to the third means, the detent protrusion of the column is fitted in the detent wall of one member in the axial direction of the column, whereby the column is prevented from rotating in the axial direction. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press-fitting into the shaft-shaped portion of the column is reduced due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion of the one member, the rotation of the column around the axis can be suppressed.

  A fourth means is the mounting structure for the support pillar in the fuel tank according to any one of the first to third means, wherein the support pillar can be replaced with a support pillar having a different height. .

  According to the fourth means, it is possible to easily cope with different kinds of fuel tanks having different heights only by changing the columns to columns having different heights.

  In a fifth aspect of the fuel tank mounting structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a cross-sectional shape of a press-fitting portion between the shaft-shaped portion and the tubular portion is elliptical. This is the mounting structure for the inner column.

  According to the fifth means, since the press-fitting portion between the shaft-shaped portion and the tubular portion has an elliptical cross-sectional shape, the shaft-shaped portion can be press-fitted into the tubular portion and prevented from rotating. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press-fitting into the shaft portion due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion is reduced, the rotation of the support column in the axial direction can be suppressed.

  The technique disclosed in the present specification can prevent the columns from coming off due to the swelling of the fuel by taking the above means.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a fuel supply device according to the first embodiment. It is a side view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. It is a rear view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. It is a bottom view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 3. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a cover member and a pump unit. It is sectional drawing which shows a pump unit. It is a top view which shows the sub tank main body provided with the connection pillar. It is a rear view which shows the sub tank main body provided with the connection pillar. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a subtank main body and a connection pillar. It is a top view which shows the support | pillar attachment part of a sub tank main body. It is a bottom view which shows the pedestal part of a connection pillar. It is a perspective view which shows a different type connection pillar. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a sub tank body and a connecting column according to a second embodiment in an exploded manner. It is a top view which shows the support | pillar attachment part of a sub tank main body. It is a bottom view which shows the pedestal part of a connection pillar.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment exemplifies a fuel supply device having a structure for mounting a post in a fuel tank. The fuel supply device is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, and supplies the liquid fuel in the fuel tank to an internal combustion engine (engine). 1 is a perspective view showing a fuel supply device, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof, FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3, and FIG. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a cover member and a pump unit. The direction of the fuel supply device is set as indicated by the arrow in the figure. The up-down direction corresponds to the direction of gravity when mounted in the fuel tank of the vehicle, the so-called vertical direction. Further, the front, rear, left, and right directions are not specified.

(Fuel tank)
As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel tank 10 is formed in a hollow container shape having an upper wall portion 11 and a bottom wall portion 12. The fuel tank 10 is made of resin and is deformed by the change in the tank internal pressure, and is expanded and contracted mainly in the vertical direction. A circular hole-shaped upper surface opening 13 is formed in the upper wall 11. In the fuel tank 10, for example, gasoline as a liquid fuel is stored.

(Fuel supply device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply device 20 includes a lid member 22 and a pump unit 24 (see FIG. 6).

(Lid member 22)
The lid member 22 is mainly formed of a circular plate-shaped lid plate portion 26. The lid member 22 is made of resin such as polyacetal resin (POM). As shown in FIG. 2, a short cylindrical fitting cylinder portion 27 is concentrically formed on the lower surface of the cover plate portion 26. An annular plate-shaped flange portion 28 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lid plate portion 26 so as to project more radially outward than the fitting cylinder portion 27.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid plate portion 26 is provided with a fuel discharge port 30 and an electric connector portion 32. The fuel discharge port 30 penetrates the cover plate portion 26 in the vertical direction. The fuel discharge port 30 is used to connect the fuel pipe inside and outside the fuel tank 10. Further, the electrical connector portion 32 is used for connecting electrical wiring inside and outside the fuel tank 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a standoff portion 34 is formed on the rear side of the lower surface of the cover plate portion 26. The standoff portion 34 has a cylindrical portion 35 and left and right curved wall portions 36 (see FIG. 6). The cylindrical column portion 35 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. Both curved wall portions 36 are formed symmetrically on both sides of the cylindrical portion 35. Both curved wall portions 36 are formed in a substantially triangular shape that converges downward from the fitting tubular portion 27 in a rear view.

(Pump unit 24)
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the pump unit. As shown in FIG. 7, the pump unit 24 includes a sub tank 38, a fuel pump 40, and a pressure regulator 42. The pump unit 24 includes a sender gauge 44 (see FIG. 6).

  The sub tank 38 includes a sub tank body 46, a lower cover 48, and a fuel filter 50. The sub tank 38 is provided with a connecting column 52 (see FIG. 6). The sub tank main body 46 has a tank forming portion 54, a pump case portion 55, a pipe portion 56, and a regulator mounting pipe portion 57. The sub-tank body 46 is made of resin such as polyacetal resin (POM).

  The tank forming portion 54 is formed in a dome shape having an open bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 5, on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the tank forming portion 54, a column mounting portion 59 whose upper surface is a horizontal surface is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pump case portion 55 is integrally formed in the central portion of the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54. The pump case portion 55 is formed in the shape of a ceiling cylinder having an opening on the lower surface. The vertical middle portion of the pump case portion 55 is connected to the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54.

  The pipe portion 56 is integrally formed on the upper surface portion of the pump case portion 55. The pipe portion 56 is formed in a straight tube shape extending substantially leftward from the upper surface portion of the pump case portion 55. The piping portion 56 has an inlet portion 56a communicating with the pump case portion 55 at one end and an outlet portion 56b at the other end. The outlet portion 56b is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 via a piping member 62 such as a hose (see FIG. 1).

  The regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is integrally formed on the upper surface of the tank forming portion 54. The regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is formed in a tubular shape extending in the vertical direction. The vertical middle portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is connected to the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54. The regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is arranged in parallel on the left side of the pump case portion 55. The passage cross-sectional area of the upper portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 gradually decreases from the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 toward the upper side. The upper end portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 communicates with the axial center portion of the pipe portion 56.

  The lower cover 48 is formed in a circular shallow dish shape. The bottom plate portion 66 of the lower cover 48 is formed in a lattice plate shape having a large number of openings (see FIG. 4). The lower cover 48 is attached to the tank forming portion 54 by a snap fit so as to cover the lower surface opening of the sub tank body 46. The lower cover 48 is made of resin.

  The fuel filter 50 has a filter member 68 and a connecting member 72. The filter member 68 is formed in a hollow bag shape with a filter material made of resin non-woven fabric. The outer shape of the filter member 68 is formed into a substantially disc shape. Inside the filter member 68, an inner frame member that secures the internal volume of the filter member 68 is arranged. The connection member 72 is arranged on the upper surface of the filter member 68. The connecting member 72 is connected to the inner frame member and communicates the inside and the outside of the filter member 68. The connecting member 72 and the inner frame member are made of resin.

  The filter member 68 is arranged in a substantially horizontal shape so as to close the lower surface of the tank forming portion 54 prior to attaching the lower cover 48 to the tank forming portion 54. The connecting member 72 is attached to the lower end of the pump case portion 55 by a snap fit. A fuel storage space 74 for storing fuel is formed between the tank forming portion 54 and the upper surface portion of the fuel filter 50. By attaching the lower cover 48 to the tank forming portion 54, the peripheral edge of the filter member 68 is sandwiched between the tank forming portion 54 and the lower cover 48 in a sealed state.

  The fuel pump 40 is composed of an approximately columnar electric fuel pump. The fuel pump 40 is inserted into the pump case portion 55 from below prior to the attachment of the connecting member 72 to the pump case portion 55. Along with this, the discharge port 40a of the fuel pump 40 is connected to the inlet portion 56a of the pipe portion 56. The fuel pump 40 is held in the pump case portion 55 by attaching the connecting member 72 to the pump case portion 55. Along with this, the internal space of the filter member 68 communicates with the suction port of the fuel pump 40 via the connecting member 72. The filter member 68 filters the fuel drawn into the fuel pump 40.

  The fuel pump 40 sucks the fuel that has passed through the filter member 68 from the suction port and pressurizes it, and then discharges it from the discharge port 40a into the pipe portion 56.

  The pressure regulator 42 is provided in the lower end portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57. The pressure regulator 42 adjusts the pressure in the pipe portion 56, that is, the pressure of the fuel supplied from the fuel pump 40 to the engine to a predetermined pressure, and ejects the surplus fuel from the surplus fuel discharge port 42a. The pressure regulator 42 is normally submerged in the fuel stored in the fuel storage space 74. A resin retaining member 43 for retaining the pressure regulator 42 is attached to the lower end of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 by a snap fit. The pressurized fuel ejected from the excess fuel discharge port 42a of the pressure regulator 42 is ejected into the fuel storage space 74 through the opening hole 43a provided in the retaining member 43. The pressure regulator 42 is arranged at the bottom of the fuel storage space 74 in the sub tank 38. The retaining member 43 is arranged near the upper portion of the filter member 68 of the fuel filter 50.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sender gauge 44 has a gauge body 76, an arm 78, and a float 80. The gauge body 76 is attached to the outer surface of the tank forming portion 54 of the sub tank body 46. The gauge body 76 is provided with a circuit board and the like. An arm holder 77 is provided on the front surface side of the gauge body 76 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis. The base end of the arm 78 is attached to the arm holder 77. The float 80 is attached to the tip of the arm 78. The sender gauge 44 is a liquid level detection device that detects the amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank 10, that is, the position of the liquid level. The gauge body 76 and the float 80 are made of resin. The arm 78 is made of metal.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting column 52 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. A pedestal portion 83 is formed at a lower end portion of the connecting column 52. The connecting column 52 is vertically installed upright with the pedestal portion 83 supported on the column mounting portion 59 of the sub tank body 46 (see FIG. 3). The connection column 52 is made of a resin made of, for example, nylon resin (PA66) mixed with glass fibers.

  The connecting column 52 is inserted in the cylindrical column portion 35 of the standoff portion 34 of the lid member 22 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction. The connection column 52 and the cylindrical column portion 35 are connected to each other by a snap fit so as to be movable in the axial direction within a predetermined range. Thereby, the lid member 22 and the sub-tank body 46 of the pump unit 24 are movably connected in the vertical direction within a predetermined range.

  A coil spring 85 made of metal is inserted into the connecting column 52. The coil spring 85 biases the lid member 22 and the sub tank main body 46 in opposite directions, that is, in the separating direction. The connecting column 52 also serves as a spring guide.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outlet portion 56b (see FIG. 7) of the pipe portion 56 is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 via a pipe member 62 such as a hose. The electrical connector 40c (see FIG. 6) of the fuel pump 40 is electrically connected to the electrical connector portion 32 of the lid member 22 via the electrical wiring 75 (see FIG. 5). The electrical connector of the gauge body 76 is electrically connected to the electrical connector portion 32 via the electrical wiring 82 (see FIG. 1).

(Installation of fuel supply device 20)
When the fuel supply device 20 is installed in the fuel tank 10, the pump unit 24 is suspended from the lid member 22 in an extended state. That is, the lid member 22 and the pump unit 24 are arranged in the most separated state. Then, the pump unit 24 is inserted into the fuel tank 10 through the top opening 13 and placed on the bottom wall 12 of the fuel tank 10 with the fuel supply device 20 in the extended state. At this time, the lower end surface of the sub tank main body 46 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 12.

  Then, the lid member 22 is pushed down against the biasing force of the coil spring 85, and the flange portion 28 of the lid member 22 is fixed to the upper wall portion 11 of the fuel tank 10 through a fixing member such as a fixing metal fitting or a bolt. It The installation of the fuel supply device 20 is completed as described above (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The lid member 22 closes the upper opening 13 of the fuel tank 10.

  In the installed state of the fuel supply device 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the pump unit 24 is held in a state of being pressed against the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 by the biasing force of the coil spring 85. A fuel supply pipe connected to the engine is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 of the lid member 22. External connectors are connected to the electric connector portions 32, respectively.

(Operation of the fuel supply device 20)
The fuel pump 40 is driven by driving power from the outside. Then, the fuel in the fuel tank 10 and / or the fuel in the fuel storage space 74 of the sub tank 38 is sucked into the fuel pump 40 via the fuel filter 50 and pressurized. The pressurized fuel discharged from the fuel pump 40 into the pipe portion 56 of the sub tank body 46 is regulated by the pressure regulator 42. The pressure-controlled pressurized fuel is supplied to the engine from the fuel discharge port 30 of the lid member 22 via the piping member 62.

  The fuel tank 10 deforms, that is, expands and contracts due to changes in the tank internal pressure due to changes in temperature, changes in the amount of fuel, and the like. Along with this, the distance between the upper wall portion 11 and the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 changes (increases or decreases). In this case, the lid member 22 and the pump unit 24 relatively move in the vertical direction to follow the change in the height of the fuel tank 10.

  When the fuel tank 10 tries to contract excessively, the standoff portion 34 of the lid member 22 comes into contact with the pedestal portion 83 of the connecting column 52 of the pump unit 24, thereby acting as a bracing rod. As a result, the distance between the lid member 22 and the sub tank body 46 is regulated to the minimum distance. That is, the fuel supply device 20 is restricted to the lowest height state.

(Attachment structure of the connecting column 52)
8 is a plan view showing a sub-tank main body provided with a connecting column, FIG. 9 is a rear view of the same, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the sub-tank main body and the connecting column. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a column mounting portion of the sub tank main body, and FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing a pedestal portion of the connecting column. As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting column 52 has a pedestal portion 83, a column body 87, and a shaft-shaped portion 89. The pillar main body 87 is formed in a bottomed square tube shape having a predetermined height. The connecting column 52 corresponds to the “column” and the “fuel tank column” in this specification.

  The pedestal portion 83 is formed in a short column shape at the lower end portion of the column main body 87. As shown in FIG. 8, the pedestal portion 83 is formed so as to project radially outward from the strut body 87 over the entire circumference. The pedestal portion 83 is formed in a substantially D shape with the front side surface 83a as a curved surface in a plan view (see FIG. 13).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the shaft-shaped portion 89 is formed in a cylindrical shape that projects downward from the lower surface of the pedestal portion 83 (see FIG. 13). The shaft-shaped portion 89 is formed concentrically with the pillar main body 87. At the base end (upper end) of the shaft-like portion 89, a press-fitting portion 90 having an outer diameter slightly larger than that of the remaining portion is formed. The remaining shaft portion 89a of the shaft-shaped portion 89 excluding the press-fitting portion 90 is formed in a gentle taper shape in which the outer diameter gradually decreases downward from the lower end portion of the press-fitting portion 90.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the hollow portion of the shaft-shaped portion 89 extends toward the vicinity of the upper end portion of the pedestal portion 83. The pedestal portion 83 is formed with a small hole 83c that connects the hollow portion of the column main body 87 and the hollow portion of the shaft-shaped portion 89. A square hole-shaped engagement hole 93 that penetrates in the radial direction is formed on the rear side of the shaft portion 89a (see FIG. 11).

  As shown in FIG. 11, a cylindrical portion 91 having a bottomed cylindrical shape extending downward is formed at the center of the column mounting portion 59 of the tank forming portion 54 of the sub tank body 46. The tubular portion 91 has an axial length longer than that of the axial portion 89. A press-fitting hole portion 92 is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 91 (see FIG. 12). The press-fitting hole portion 92 has an inner diameter capable of press-fitting the press-fitting portion 90 of the shaft-shaped portion 89. The remaining hole portion 91a of the tubular portion 91 excluding the press-fitting hole portion 92 is formed so that the shaft portion 89a of the shaft portion 89 can be inserted with almost no gap.

  As shown in FIG. 9, left and right split grooves 95 extending in parallel from the lower end surface to the vicinity of the press-fitting hole portion 92 are formed on the rear side portion of the tubular portion 91. A hanging engagement piece 96 is formed between the split grooves 95. The engagement piece 96 is formed so as to be elastically deformable, that is, flexibly deformable in the locking release direction of the engagement claw 96a, that is, rearward (see the chain double-dashed line 96 in FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 10, an engaging claw 96 a protruding forward is formed at the tip (lower end) of the engaging piece 96. The engaging claw 96a is formed so as to be engageable with the engaging hole 93 of the shaft-shaped portion 89. The engagement piece 96 and the engagement hole 93 form a snap fit 98.

  The column mounting portion 59 is formed in a shape that matches or substantially matches the pedestal portion 83 when the press-fitting portion 90 of the shaft-shaped portion 89 is press-fitted into the press-fitting hole portion 92 of the tubular portion 91. As shown in FIG. 11, the rear side surface 59a of the column mounting portion 59 and the rear side surface 83b of the pedestal portion 83 are formed in a convex arc shape. Both rear side surfaces 59a and 83b are formed in an arc shape having the same diameter or substantially the same diameter as the circumferential line passing through the maximum outer diameter of the tank forming portion 54. The sub tank body 46 corresponds to the “fuel tank inner member” in the present specification.

  The tank forming portion 54 is formed with a substantially U-shaped detent wall portion 100 in a plan view. The rotation preventing wall portion 100 is formed so as to surround the front side portion and the left and right side portions of the column mounting portion 59 with almost no gap. The whirl-stop wall portion 100 is formed so as to be fitted in the pedestal portion 83 of the coupling column 52 in the axial direction of the coupling column 52 so that the pedestal portion 83 can be prevented from rotating in the axial direction of the coupling column 52. The pedestal portion 83 corresponds to the “rotation preventing protrusion” in the present specification. The pedestal portion 83 and the anti-rotation wall portion 100 constitute a “anti-rotation device”.

(How to attach the connecting column 52 to the sub tank body 46)
From the state shown in FIG. 11, the shaft-shaped portion 89 of the connecting column 52 is inserted into the tubular portion 91 of the sub tank main body 46. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the press-fitting portion 90 of the shaft-shaped portion 89 is press-fitted into the press-fitting hole portion 92 of the tubular portion 91. Further, the shaft portion 89a of the shaft-shaped portion 89 is inserted into the hole portion 91a of the tubular portion 91. In the present embodiment, the press-fitting portions 90 of the shaft-shaped portion 89 and the press-fitting hole portions 92 of the tubular portion 91 have a circular cross-sectional shape.

  Further, during the insertion of the shaft-shaped portion 89 into the tubular portion 91, the shaft portion 89a of the shaft-shaped portion 89 interferes with the engagement pawl 96a of the engagement piece 96 of the tubular portion 91, and thus the engagement pawl 96a. Are pushed away by utilizing the elasticity of the engagement piece 96 (see the chain double-dashed line 96 in FIG. 10). Then, at the same time as the insertion of the shaft portion 89 into the tubular portion 91 is completed, the engaging piece 96 elastically restores, so that the engaging claw 96a engages with the engaging hole 93 of the shaft portion 89. That is, the connecting column 52 is prevented from coming off from the sub tank body 46 by the snap fit 98.

  Further, the lower surface of the pedestal portion 83 of the connecting column 52 abuts on the upper surface of the column mounting portion 59 of the sub tank main body 46 in a surface-contact manner. At the same time, the pedestal portion 83 is axially fitted to the rotation preventing wall portion 100 of the sub tank main body 46, so that the connecting support column 52 is prevented from rotating in the rotation axis direction.

(Example of changing the connecting column 52)
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing different types of connecting columns. As shown in FIG. 14, the heterogeneous connection columns (denoted by reference numeral 152) have a pedestal portion 183 that is higher than the height of the pedestal portion 83 of the connection column 52 (see FIG. 11). Since the other configurations are the same as the configurations of the connecting column 52, the description thereof will be omitted by giving the same reference numerals to the same portions.

  The connecting column 52 can be changed to a different type connecting column 152. As a result, it is possible to easily deal with a different type of fuel tank having a height higher than the height of the fuel tank 10 simply by changing the connecting column 152. As the different types of connecting columns 152, it is preferable to set a large number of different types of column main bodies 87 including the pedestal portion 183 having different heights.

(Advantages of this embodiment)
According to the above-described structure for mounting the pillar in the fuel tank, the base end portion of the shaft-shaped portion 89 of the connection pillar 52 is press-fitted into the cylindrical portion 91 of the sub-tank body 46, and the shaft-shaped portion 89 and the cylindrical portion 91 are connected to each other. Are engaged by a snap fit 98. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press-fitting of the connecting column 52 into the shaft-shaped portion 89 due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion 91 of the sub-tank body 46 is reduced, the snap fit 98 can prevent the connecting column 52 from coming off.

  Further, since the snap fit 98 is arranged on the tip end side of the press-fitting portion of the shaft-shaped portion 89 with respect to the tubular portion 91, compared with the case where the snap-fit 98 is arranged on the base end side of the shaft-shaped portion 89. The shaft portion 89 can be stably engaged with the tubular portion 91.

  Further, the pedestal portion 83 of the connecting column 52 is fitted in the rotation preventing wall portion 100 of the sub-tank body 46 in the axial direction of the connecting column 52, so that the connecting column 52 is prevented from rotating in the axial direction. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press fit into the shaft-shaped portion 89 of the connecting column 52 due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion 91 of the sub-tank body 46 is reduced, the rotation of the connecting column 52 in the axial direction can be suppressed.

  Further, it is possible to easily deal with different types of fuel tanks 10 having different heights by simply changing the connecting columns 52 to different types of connecting columns 152 having different heights.

[Embodiment 2]
Since the present embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, only the changed parts will be described, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the sub-tank main body and the connecting column, FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the column mounting portion of the sub-tank main body, and FIG. 17 is a bottom view showing the base of the connecting column.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the present embodiment, the tubular portion 91 of the sub-tank main body 46 and the shaft portion 89 of the connecting support column 52 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 11) are cylindrical to elliptic tubular. The portion 191 and the elliptic cylindrical shaft-shaped portion 189 are changed (see FIGS. 16 and 17). The major axis direction of the tubular portion 191 and the shaft portion 189 is arranged in the left-right direction, and the minor axis direction is arranged in the front-rear direction.

  At the base end (upper end) of the shaft-shaped portion 189, a press-fitting portion 190 whose outer diameter is slightly larger than the remaining portion is formed. The remaining shaft portion 189a of the shaft-shaped portion 189 excluding the press-fitting portion 190 is formed in a gentle taper shape in which the outer diameter is gradually reduced from the lower end portion of the press-fitting portion 190 downward. An engaging hole 93 is formed on the rear side of the shaft portion 189a as in the first embodiment.

  A press-fitting hole portion 192 is formed at the upper end of the tubular portion 191. The press-fitting hole portion 192 is formed so that the press-fitting portion 190 of the shaft-shaped portion 189 can be press-fitted (see FIG. 16). The press-fitting portion 190 and the press-fitting hole portion 192 of the shaft-shaped portion 189 correspond to the press-fitting portion of the shaft-shaped portion 189 and the tubular portion 191, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is elliptical. The remaining hole portion 191a of the tubular portion 191 excluding the press-fitting hole portion 192 is formed so that the shaft portion 189a of the shaft portion 189 can be inserted with almost no gap. An engaging piece 96 is formed on the rear side of the hole 191a as in the first embodiment.

(How to attach the connecting column 52 to the sub tank body 46)
From the state shown in FIG. 15, the shaft-shaped portion 189 of the connecting column 52 is inserted into the tubular portion 191 of the sub tank main body 46. As a result, the press-fitting portion 190 of the shaft-shaped portion 189 is press-fitted into the press-fitting hole portion 192 of the tubular portion 191. Further, the shaft portion 189a of the shaft portion 189 is inserted into the hole portion 191a of the tubular portion 191.

  According to this embodiment, since the press-fitting portion 190 of the shaft-shaped portion 189 and the press-fitting hole portion 192 of the tubular portion 191 have an elliptical cross-sectional shape, the shaft-shaped portion 189 is press-fitted into the tubular portion 191. It is possible to stop while rotating. Therefore, even if the binding force due to the press-fitting into the shaft-shaped portion 189 decreases due to the fuel swelling of the tubular portion 191, it is possible to suppress the rotation of the connecting column 52 in the axial direction. In addition, the shaft-shaped portion 189 can be effectively prevented from rotating by the cylindrical portion 191 in combination with the rotation-stopping means by the pedestal portion 83 and the rotation-stopping wall portion 100.

[Other Embodiments]
The embodiments of the technology disclosed in the present specification have been described above, but the embodiments can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the mounting structure of the fuel tank in-struts according to the technique disclosed in this specification may be applied to a device in the fuel tank other than the fuel supply device 20. Further, the connecting column 52 may be attached to the lid member 22 instead of the sub tank body 46.

10 Fuel Tank 13 Top Opening 22 Lid Member 46 Sub Tank Body (Fuel Tank Inner Member)
52 Connection support (support, support in fuel tank)
83 Pedestal part (rotation stop convex part)
89 Shaft-shaped portion 91 Cylindrical portion 98 Snap fit 100 Anti-rotation wall portion 152 Connection post (different connection post)
189 Shaft-shaped part 190 Press-fitting part 191 Cylindrical part 192 Press-fitting hole part

Claims (5)

A lid member that closes the upper opening of the fuel tank, and a member inside the fuel tank that is arranged at the bottom of the fuel tank, is attached to one member and is movably connected to the other member in the vertical direction. A structure for mounting a pillar in a fuel tank, which includes a pillar,
A tubular portion is provided on the one member,
The column has a shaft-shaped portion that is inserted into the tubular portion,
The base end portion of the shaft-shaped portion is press-fitted into the tubular portion,
A mounting structure for a post in a fuel tank, wherein the shaft portion and the tubular portion are engaged by a snap fit. The mounting structure for a prop in a fuel tank according to claim 1,
The snap fit is a mounting structure for a post in a fuel tank, which is arranged on a tip side of a press-fitting portion of the shaft-shaped portion with respect to the tubular portion. The mounting structure for a prop in a fuel tank according to claim 1 or 2,
The column is provided with a rotation-stop convex portion that projects outward in the radial direction,
A mounting structure for a fuel tank column, in which one of the members is provided with a detent wall portion that fits the detent protrusion in the axial direction of the column to prevent detent in the axial direction of the column. .. A mounting structure for a prop in a fuel tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The strut is a mounting structure for a strut in a fuel tank, which can be changed to a strut having a different height. A mounting structure for a prop in a fuel tank according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A mounting structure for a post in a fuel tank, wherein a cross-sectional shape of a press-fitting portion between the shaft-shaped portion and the tubular portion is elliptical.

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