JP2021085349A - Fuel passage sealing structure for fuel supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To secure good sealing performance by press-fitting of a sealing plug in consideration of the influence of swelling due to fuel without using an elastic member.SOLUTION: A fuel passage sealing structure for a fuel supply device is composed of a fuel passage 28 for the fuel supply device, which is formed inside a resin fuel passage forming portion (fuel passage constituting member) 30, an opening 40 in which one end of the fuel passage 28 is formed as an opening shape to the outside, and a sealing plug 36 that is fitted into the opening 40 to seal the fuel passage 28. The sealing plug 36 is made of the same resin as the fuel passage forming portion 30, and is attached to the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28 by press-fitting, and in a range L in which the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 are press-fitted to each other, formed thicknesses V1, V2 of them are the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The techniques disclosed herein relate to a sealing structure of a fuel passage for a fuel supply device.

Vehicles such as two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles are provided with a fuel supply device that supplies fuel from the fuel tank of the vehicle to the engine (internal combustion engine). The fuel supply device includes a fuel pump in the fuel tank, and the fuel pump stores the fuel in the fuel tank to supply the fuel stored in the fuel tank to the engine outside the fuel tank.

Therefore, the fuel supply device includes a fuel passage for supplying fuel, and the fuel passage is formed inside the resin fuel passage component. Fuel passage components are commonly referred to as "set plates". Normally, one end of the fuel passage is formed as an opening in the shape of an opening that opens to the outside, and a sealing plug is fitted in this opening to prevent the fuel in the fuel passage from leaking to the outside. It has a structure.

There are various measures for fitting the sealing plug into the opening of the fuel passage to prevent fuel leakage. As the first measure, there is a measure of assembling or applying an elastic member such as an O-ring or a primer to the sealing plug to ensure the sealing property (see Patent Document 1 below). As a second measure, there is a measure in which the sealing plug and the opening forming member (fuel passage constituent member) are made of resin and the resins are melted with each other such as hot plate welding and laser welding to ensure the sealing property. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-190425

In the case of the first measure in the technique described in the background technique described above, the number of parts increases and the cost increases because the primer coating process and the O-ring are used. In addition, when sealing with an elastic member such as an O-ring, it is necessary to consider slippage such as twisting, cutting, and biting when assembling the sealing plug, and there is a concern that the assembling man-hours will increase. .. Further, since it is necessary to inspect the missing part of the O-ring, there is also a problem in assembly such that an inspection process such as a pressure inspection is required.

In the case of the second measure, since a welding process is required, dedicated equipment is required, the cost is high, and the productivity is also poor. Further, since heat is applied, there is a concern about deterioration of the resin. Furthermore, indirect costs (electric power) are also incurred.

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the technique disclosed in the present specification is devised in view of the above-mentioned points, and is sealed in consideration of the influence of swelling due to fuel without using an elastic member. The purpose is to ensure good sealing performance by press-fitting the plug.

In order to solve the above problems, the sealing structure of the fuel passage for the fuel supply device disclosed in the present specification takes the following means.

The first means are a fuel passage for a fuel supply device formed inside a resin fuel passage component, an opening in which one end of the fuel passage is formed as an opening shape to the outside, and the opening. It is a sealing structure of a fuel passage for a fuel supply device composed of a sealing plug that is fitted to and seals the fuel passage, and the sealing plug is made of the same resin as the fuel passage component. A fuel supply device that is attached to the opening of the fuel passage by press-fitting, and has the same thickness in the range of press-fitting between the sealing plug and the opening. It is a sealing structure of the fuel passage for.

According to the first means, the opening of the fuel passage and the sealing plug are made of the same resin, and the formed thickness of each in the range where both are press-fitted is the same. As a result, the influence of swelling due to fuel in the press-fitting range can be leveled, and good sealing performance of sealing by press-fitting can be ensured.

Further, according to the first means, as described in the background art, the structure does not use an elastic member such as an O-ring to secure the sealing property of the sealing plug, so that the assembling property is improved.

The second means has a sealing structure of a fuel passage for the fuel supply device of the first means described above, and the fitting cross-sectional shape in which the sealing plug and the opening are press-fitted is circular. It is a sealing structure of a fuel passage for a fuel supply device.

According to the second means, the fitting cross-sectional shape in which the sealing plug and the opening are press-fitted is formed into a circular shape. As a result, even when the press-fitting portion is swelled by the fuel, it is possible to reliably prevent or suppress the swelling in the circumferential direction and the formation of a gap.

The third means is a sealing structure of a fuel passage for the fuel supply device of the first means or the second means described above, and further, a snap-fit engagement is provided between the sealing plug and the opening. A combined configuration is formed, and the sealing plug is locked and attached to the opening by the snap-fit engagement configuration, which is a sealing structure of a fuel passage for a fuel supply device.

According to the third means, even if the holding force due to the press-fitting of the sealing plug and the opening is reduced, the fitting state of the sealing plug and the opening is maintained by the snap-fit engagement configuration. Can be done.

According to the sealing structure of the fuel passage for the fuel supply device disclosed in the present specification, good sealing performance is ensured by press-fitting the sealing plug in consideration of the influence of swelling due to fuel without using an elastic member. can do.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the fuel supply device of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows in the cross section of line II-II of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the illustrated state of FIG. 2 in a plane. FIG. 1 is an external view taken along the line IV of FIG. 1, and is an external perspective view of a sealing structure of a fuel passage for the fuel supply device of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line VV of FIG. It is a perspective view of the three-dimensional shape which saw the sealing plug from diagonally below. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the modification of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a fuel supply device, which is a technique disclosed in the present specification, will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the direction indications such as left-right, up-down, etc. in the description of this specification indicate the directions in the illustrated state, and unless otherwise specified, they do not indicate the directions in the state where the fuel supply device is mounted on a vehicle or the like. Absent.

(Overall configuration of fuel supply device 10)
1 to 3 show an overall view of the fuel supply device 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the entire configuration in three dimensions, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show a cross-sectional view thereof. The fuel supply device 10 of the present embodiment is a fuel supply device 10 mounted on a two-wheeled vehicle such as a so-called motorcycle. As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel supply device 10 of the present embodiment has a fuel supply device assembly 12 whose basic configuration is a lid member 18 that closes the tank opening 16 formed in the bottom surface portion 14A of the fuel tank 14. Is configured as. The fuel tank 14 is a container in a closed space for storing fuel to be supplied to the engine (internal combustion engine).

(Fuel supply device assembly 12 and lid member 18)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fuel supply device assembly 12 is composed of a lid member 18, a fuel pump 20, a fuel filter 22, and accessories arranged along the lid member 18. The lid member 18 has a lid portion 24, a pump housing 26, a fuel passage forming portion 30, a pressure regulating valve mounting portion 34, and the like. The fuel passage forming portion 30 in the present embodiment corresponds to the fuel passage constituent member in the means of the technique disclosed in the present specification.

(Lid part 24)
The lid portion 24 is a portion that covers the tank opening 16 formed in the fuel tank 14. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lid portion 24 is formed in an oval shape in the left-right direction, and covers the tank opening 16 (see FIG. 3) of the fuel tank 14 formed in the same shape. The pump housing 26 is a portion for accommodating and mounting the fuel pump 20. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the fuel pump 20 is housed in the pump housing 26 of the lid member 18 and installed in the fuel tank 14.

(Fuel passage 28-Outline of the feature configuration of this embodiment-)
The fuel passage forming portion 30, which is a fuel passage component, is a portion that forms the fuel passage 28. The fuel passage 28 supplies the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 20 to the engine outside the fuel tank 14. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper end of the fuel passage 28 has an opening 40, and the fuel passage 28 has an opening shape that opens to the outside. A sealing plug 36 is press-fitted and sealed in the opening 40 to prevent fuel from leaking from the fuel passage 28. Since this sealing structure is a configuration characterized by this embodiment, it will be described in detail later.

(Pressure control valve 32)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressure regulating valve mounting portion 34 is a portion for mounting the pressure regulating valve 32. The pressure regulating valve 32 regulates the pressure of the fuel supplied to the engine through the fuel passage 28 to a predetermined pressure. A pressure regulating valve fuel passage 28B is formed in the pressure regulating valve mounting portion 34 by branching from the fuel passage 28, and fuel is supplied to the pressure regulating valve 32 through the pressure regulating valve fuel passage 28B to regulate the pressure to a predetermined pressure.

(Material of lid member 18)
The lid member 18 is made of resin and is generally called a "set plate". Each portion formed on the lid member 18 is formed by insert molding of a resin. The resin is a general polyacetal resin. Therefore, the fuel passage forming portion 30 of the constituent portion characterized by the present embodiment is also made of resin.

(Fuel passage 26)
As is well shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fuel passage 28 is formed so as to extend vertically across the lid portion 24. As seen in the figure, an engine supply fuel passage 28C leading to the fuel system of the engine is formed in the lower portion below the lid portion 24. A discharge fuel passage 28A from the fuel pump 20 and a pressure adjusting valve fuel passage 28B to the pressure adjusting valve 32 described above are formed in the upper portion above the lid portion 24.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, fuel is supplied from the fuel pump 20 to the fuel passage 28 via the discharged fuel passage 28A, and fuel is supplied from the engine supply fuel passage 28C to the fuel system of the engine. When supplying this fuel, the fuel is supplied to the pressure regulating valve 32 through the pressure regulating valve fuel passage 28B described above, and the fuel in the fuel passage 28 is regulated.

The fuel stored in the fuel tank 14 is filtered by the fuel filter 22 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and supplied to the fuel passage 28 described above. The fuel filter 22 and the fuel pump 20 are liquidtightly connected by a connecting member 38 that connects both members 22 and 20. The connecting member 38 and the fuel pump 20 are attached, and the connecting member 38 and the fuel filter 22 are attached by general attachment means.

(Mounting of fuel pump 20 to pump housing 26)
As is well shown in FIG. 2, the left half of the fuel pump 20 is inserted into and attached to the pump housing 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the pump housing 26 is mounted in a press-fitted state by forming a protrusion 54 of a linear line in the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the pump housing 26. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the fuel pump 20 is locked and attached to the pump housing 26 by a snap-fit configuration 56. That is, a locking claw 58 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fuel pump 20, a locking hole 60 is formed in the pump housing 26, and the locking claw 58 is engaged with the locking hole 60 and locked. There is. Slits 62 are formed on both sides of the pump housing 26 in the circumferential direction in which the locking holes 60 are formed, so that the pump housing 26 can be bent and deformed at the time of engagement.

(Conduction member 48)
The fuel pump 20 of the present embodiment is an electric pump, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electric pump is provided with a conductive member 48 embedded (insert molded) in the lid member 18. Electricity is supplied. The pressure regulating valve fuel passage 28B in the conductive member 48 is partially cut off, but this portion is formed by bypassing the conductive member 48. Further, the upper end of the conductive member 48 is formed in the sandwiching terminal 74, and the terminal 46 of the fuel pump 20 is sandwiched so as to be in an electric communication state.

(Sealing structure 42 by sealing plug 36-feature configuration of this embodiment-)
Next, a sealing structure 42 for sealing the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28, which is characterized by the present embodiment, will be described. The sealing structure 42 is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of 42 sealing structures, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the sealing plug 36 alone. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sealing structure 42 is configured as an opening 40 at the upper end of the fuel passage 28 formed in the fuel passage forming portion 30 in the vertical direction. The sealing structure 42 is a structure in which the sealing plug 36 is press-fitted into the opening 40 at the upper end of the fuel passage 28 to be sealed. As described above, the fuel passage forming unit 30 in the present embodiment corresponds to the fuel passage constituent member in the means of the technology disclosed in the present specification.

The fuel passage forming portion 30 constituting the sealing structure 42, that is, the fuel passage forming portion 30, which is a fuel passage constituent member forming the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28, is formed of resin as described above. .. The sealing plug 36 is also made of the same resin. The sealing plug 36 includes a main body portion 82 formed in the axial center portion and an engaging hole forming portion 84 formed in the outer peripheral portion, and a snap-fit engaging configuration 80 is provided in the engaging hole forming portion 84. It is composed.

As is well shown in FIG. 5, the main body portion 82 of the sealing plug 36 is formed of a closing plate portion 86 and a tubular fitting portion 88. The closing plate portion 86 and the tubular fitting portion 88 are formed as an arrangement form having a T-shaped cross section. As seen in FIG. 5, the closing plate portion 86 is located above, the tubular fitting portion 88 is located below, and the tubular fitting portion 88 is press-fitted into the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28. It is composed.

In the press-fitting of the sealing plug 36 into the opening 40, the outer peripheral lower surface 86U of the closing plate portion 86 comes into contact with the upper end surface 30T of the fuel passage forming portion 30 forming the fuel passage 28, and the fitting insertion movement thereof. Is configured to be blocked. As shown in FIG. 6, the detailed configuration for preventing this movement is such that circular small protrusions 90 are formed at several places in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral lower surface 86U of the closing plate portion 86 at equal intervals. The tip of the 90 is prevented from coming into contact with the upper end surface 30T of the fuel passage forming portion 30. Therefore, a gap corresponding to the height of the small protrusion 90 is formed between the outer peripheral lower surface 86U of the closing plate portion 86 of the sealing plug 36 and the upper end surface 30T of the fuel passage forming portion 30. ..

As is well shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the thickness of each of the sealing plug 36 and the fuel passage forming portion 30 forming the opening 40 in the press-fitting range is the same. The range of press-fitting in the present embodiment is the range indicated by L shown in FIG. The forming thickness of the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 in the range of L is V1, and the forming thickness of the fuel passage forming portion 30 is V2. In the present embodiment, V1 and V2 have the same forming thickness, and the forming material is also the same resin material.

The outer peripheral portion of the lower end of the fitting portion 88 in the sealing plug 36 is formed in a tapered shape 92 having a gradually smaller diameter from the upper side to the lower side. The upper end inner peripheral portion of the fuel passage forming portion 30 forming the opening 40 at a position facing the opening is formed in the opposite tapered shape 94. That is, it has a tapered shape 94 in which the diameter gradually decreases from the upper side to the lower side. This facilitates the insertion operation when the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 is press-fitted into the opening 40 of the fuel passage forming portion 30.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fitting cross-sectional shape in which the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 of the fuel passage forming portion 30 are press-fitted is formed in a circular shape.

(Action and effect of the sealing structure 42 by the sealing plug 36)
According to the present embodiment, the formation thicknesses V1 and V2 in the press-fitting range L of the sealing plug 36 and the fuel passage forming portion 30 forming the opening 40 are the same and are the same. It is said to be made of resin. As a result, the sealing function of the fuel passage 28 by the sealing plug 36 in the range L where the press-fitting is performed can level out the influence of the swelling by the fuel in the range L where the sealing function is performed, and the sealing by the press-fitting can be performed. Good sealing performance can be ensured. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to use an elastic member such as an O-ring to secure the sealing property of the sealing plug 36, and the assembling property is improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fitting cross-sectional shape in which the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 of the fuel passage forming portion 30 are press-fitted is formed in a circular shape. As a result, even when the press-fitting portion is swelled by the fuel, it is possible to reliably prevent or suppress the swelling in the circumferential direction and the formation of a gap.

(Snap-fit engagement configuration 80 of sealing plug 36)
Next, the snap-fit engagement configuration 80 of the sealing plug 36, which is another characteristic configuration in the present embodiment, will be described. In the present embodiment, when the sealing plug 36 is press-fitted and attached to the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28, the sealing plug 36 is positioned and fixed in the axial direction (insertion direction) by the press-fitting, and has a snap-fit engagement configuration. Even with 80, it is configured to be positioned and fixed in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the snap-fit engagement configuration 80 is formed on the engagement hole forming portion 84 arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the sealing plug 36 and the outer peripheral portion on the upper portion of the fuel passage forming portion 30. It is composed of a locking claw 96. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the engagement hole forming portion 84 is formed so as to hang down from the outer peripheral portion of the closing plate portion 86 of the sealing plug 36, and at the lower end position thereof, two adjacent pillars are engaged with each other. The hole forming portion 84 is connected by the bridge portion 97, and an engaging hole 98 is formed in the upper portion thereof.

On the other hand, the locking claw 96 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has an engaging hole 98 in a position state when the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 is press-fitted into the opening 40 of the fuel passage 28. It is formed at the position of the fuel passage forming portion 30 corresponding to the position where it is located. That is, the engaging hole 98 and the locking claw 96 are arranged so as to be engaged with each other.

As is well shown in FIG. 5, the vertical cross-sectional shape of the bridge portion 97 forming the engagement hole 98 of the snap-fit engagement configuration 80 has a horizontal surface shape on the upper surface and an inner peripheral surface from the lower side to the upper side. It is formed with a tapered shape 97a that gradually becomes smaller in diameter. On the other hand, the lower surface of the locking claw 96 is formed in a horizontal plane shape, and the outer peripheral surface is formed in a tapered shape 96a from the lower side to the upper side. As a result, when the sealing plug 36 is inserted into the opening 40 for press-fitting, the tapered shape 97a of the bridge portion 97 overcomes the engagement with the tapered shape 96a of the locking claw 96, and FIGS. 4 and 5 As shown in the above, the horizontal shapes of the locking claw 96 and the engaging hole 98 engage with each other. As a result, the upward movement of the sealing plug 36 is prevented, and the sealing plug 36 is positioned and fixed to the fuel passage forming portion 30.

(Action and effect of snap-fit engagement configuration 80 on the sealing plug 36)
According to this embodiment, the sealing plug 36 is also held with respect to the opening 40 by the snap-fit engagement configuration 80 of the sealing plug 36. Therefore, even if the holding force due to the press-fitting of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 is reduced, the fitting state of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 can be reliably maintained.

(Modification example)
FIG. 7 shows a modified example of the sealing plug 36. In the above-described embodiment, the closing plate portion 86 of the sealing plug 36 is provided above the press-fitting range of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40. In this modification, the position of the closing plate portion 86A is provided below the press-fitting fitting range L. Therefore, the opening form of the sealing plug 36 is a form in which the lower side is opened in the above-described embodiment, but in this modified example, the upper side is opened.

Further, in this modification, the formed thicknesses V1 and V2 in the press-fitting range L of the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 and the fuel passage forming portion 30 forming the opening 40 have different thicknesses. Has been done. In the case of this modification, the forming thickness V1 of the fitting portion 88 in the sealing plug 36 is thinner than the forming thickness V2 of the fuel passage forming portion 30. That is, V1 <V2. It should be noted that the formed thickness may be reversed. That is, V1> V2 may be set. In this modification, the same reference numerals are given to the constituent parts corresponding to the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

(Other embodiments)
The techniques disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the fuel supply device of the above-described embodiment was a fuel supply device for a two-wheeled vehicle. The fuel supply device of the technology disclosed herein is also widely applicable as a fuel supply device for automobiles and other vehicles.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the fitting cross-sectional shape in which the fitting portion 88 of the sealing plug 36 and the opening 40 of the fuel passage forming portion 30 are press-fitted is formed into a perfect circular shape. However, the shape is not limited to a perfect circle, and may be an oval shape, an elliptical shape, or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the press-fitting range L in the sealing plug 36 is a hollow portion shape, but it may be a solid shape. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of material, the hollow shape is preferable.

10 Fuel supply device 12 Fuel supply device assembly 14 Fuel tank 14A Bottom part 16 Tank opening 18 Lid member 20 Fuel pump 22 Fuel filter 24 Lid part 26 Pump housing 28 Fuel passage 28A Discharge fuel passage 28B Pressure control valve Fuel passage 28C Engine supply Fuel passage 30 Fuel passage forming part (fuel passage component)
32 Pressure regulating valve 34 Pressure regulating valve mounting part 36 Sealing plug 38 Connecting member 40 Opening 42 Sealing structure 46 Terminal 48 Conducting member 56 Snap fit configuration 58 Locking claw 60 Locking hole 62 Slit 74 Holding terminal 80 Snap fit engaging configuration 82 Main body 84 Engagement hole forming part 86 Closing plate part 88 Fitting part 90 Small protrusion 92 Tapered shape 94 Tapered shape 96 Locking claw 96a Tapered shape 97 Bridge part 97a Tapered shape 98 Engagement hole

Claims (3)

A fuel passage for a fuel supply device formed inside a resin fuel passage component, an opening formed at one end of the fuel passage as an opening shape to the outside, and the opening fitted to the opening. It is a fuel passage sealing structure for a fuel supply device composed of a sealing plug that seals the fuel passage.
The sealing plug is made of the same resin as the fuel passage component and is attached to the opening of the fuel passage by press-fitting, and the range in which the sealing plug and the opening are press-fitted. The sealing structure of the fuel passage for the fuel supply device, each of which has the same thickness. The structure for sealing the fuel passage for the fuel supply device according to claim 1.
A sealing structure for a fuel passage for a fuel supply device, wherein the fitting cross-sectional shape of the sealing plug and the opening is press-fitted into a circular shape. The structure for sealing the fuel passage for the fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2.
Further, a fuel supply in which a snap-fit engagement configuration is formed between the sealing plug and the opening, and the sealing plug is locked and attached to the opening by the snap-fit engagement configuration. Sealing structure of the fuel passage for the device.

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