JP2549542B2 - Fuel inlet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel inlet of a fuel tank and is suitable for a vehicle.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, for example, the configuration of the fuel inlet 1 for an automobile is
It was as shown in the figure. The fuel inlet 1 is a cylindrical member projecting obliquely rightward and upward from the right side wall of the fuel tank 3. In the drawings, reference numeral 5 denotes a blister hose, reference numeral 6 denotes a rollover valve, and reference numeral 7 denotes a canister. Then, the fuel injection nozzle 9 is inserted into the fuel injection port 1 and the fuel 11 is poured into the tank 3.

However, in the fuel injection port 1 having the above-described configuration, the relationship with the nozzle 9 is a clearance fit, so that the fuel vapor 12 vaporized in the tank 3 leaks to the outside from the clearance between the two.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, a fuel injection port 10 provided with a sealing member 13 on the inner peripheral surface has been proposed (see SAE Technical Paper 851204). Reference numeral 15 in the figure is a retainer, reference numeral
17 is a trap door. In this fuel injection port 10, when the nozzle 9 is inserted, the trap door 17 opens to the back side, and the seal portion 14 of the seal member 13 continuously and closely contacts the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 9 in the circumferential direction (Fig. 10). reference). As a result, the fuel paper 12 in the tank 3 does not leak outside.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the fuel injection port 10 of FIG. 9 described above, when the nozzle 9 is inserted, the tip portion thereof (usually, many scratches are formed on the surface). It may interfere with the seal portion 14 of the seal member 13 and damage it. Damaged seal part
14 is not preferable because the sealing effect of the fuel vapor 12 is reduced.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a configuration in which a tubular main body portion and a fuel injection nozzle (hereinafter referred to as a fuel injection nozzle) provided on an inner circumference of the main body portion are provided. A seal member having a seal portion made of a polymer elastic material, which can be continuously and closely contacted in the circumferential direction, on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle).
A fuel injection port of a fuel tank comprising: a guide member having the following requirements.

(A) The guide member expands the seal portion to prevent contact between the seal portion and the tip of the nozzle, and a nozzle receiving member that is in a contact-holding relationship with the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle. And a surface.

(A) The guide member is disposed inside the seal member so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the main body while being biased by the spring member toward the inlet.

(C) The guide member protects the seal part by the seal part protection surface without inserting the nozzle into the body part, and the guide member follows the nozzle with the nozzle receiving surface while the nozzle part is inserted into the body part. When moved, the seal protection surface is separated from the seal portion, and the seal portion comes into close contact with the nozzle.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. The same members as those described in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be partially omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel inlet 21 of the embodiment has a body portion 23,
A seal member 31, a guide member 41 and a stopper 61 are provided.

The main body 23 is a tubular member, and the left end of FIG. 1 is connected to the tank 3. The right end of the drawing is the opening 24, and the tip of the nozzle 19 is provided in the opening 24 with the seal member 31 and the guide member.
A reduced diameter portion 25 for leading to 41 is formed. A cover 27 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the opening 24. This cover
Numeral 27 prevents the opening 24 from being scratched by its tip (usually its surface is scratched) when the nozzle 19 is inserted into the fuel inlet 21.

The seal member 31 is an NBR tubular member and has a large-diameter base portion 3.
3 and a tapered seal portion 35 continuing from the base portion 33.

The base portion 33 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 23. The fixing is performed by sandwiching the base portion 63 of the stopper 61 and a portion (bulging portion 29) bulging from the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 23. The seal portion 35 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the nozzle 19. Therefore, in the state where the nozzle 19 is inserted into the main body portion 23 as shown in FIG. 2, the seal portion 35 continuously comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19 in the circumferential direction.

 Reference numeral 37 in the figure is an elastic reinforcing ring.

The material for forming the seal member 31 is such that the seal portion 35 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19 so that the seal portion 35-the nozzle 19
There is no particular limitation as long as suitable sealability can be obtained, and oil resistance, weather resistance and the like are provided. NBR above
In addition to these, synthetic rubbers such as fluororubber, and elastic polymer materials such as polyester-based, polyvinyl chloride-based, and polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomers can be used.
It is sufficient that at least the seal portion 35 is formed of the elastic polymer material.

Further, the manner of attaching the base portion 33 to the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 23 is not limited to the above, and both can be fixed by adhesion or the like.

The guide member 41, as shown in Figs.
43, a nozzle receiving portion 47, and a spring receiving portion 51, and is formed of a metal plate having spring elasticity. And the guide member
The 41 is arranged so as to be slidable (movable) in the inner direction (axial direction) of the main body 23 while being biased toward the inlet side by a spring member (compression coil spring) 57 inside.

The seal part protection part 43 is tapered, and its right end small diameter part has a larger outer diameter dimension than the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19. Therefore, the upper surface of the seal part protection part 43 (the seal part protection surface 45)
When is pressed against the seal portion 35, the seal portion 35 is expanded as shown in FIG. This makes it difficult for the tip of the nozzle 19 and the seal portion 35 to interfere when the nozzle 19 is inserted into the main body portion 23. In order to further secure the interference preventing action, it is preferable to bend the right end of the seal portion protecting portion 43 upward so that the seal portion 35 does not appear as shown in FIG. In addition, in the seal part protection part 43,
A slit can be provided from the viewpoint of reducing the weight and ensuring the flexibility of the nozzle receiving portion.

The nozzle receiving portion 47 is a strip-shaped member, and the seal portion protecting portion 43
4 are extended from the right end of and are folded back inward. Further, the free end of each nozzle receiving portion 47 is bent outward. The inner peripheral surface (nozzle receiving surface 49) of each nozzle receiving portion 47 is located on the virtual truncated cone surface, and the small diameter dimension (diameter) of this virtual truncated cone surface is smaller than that of the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19. Since each nozzle receiving portion 47 is formed of a metal material having spring elasticity, when the nozzle 19 is inserted into the main body portion 23 (Fig. 2), the nozzle receiving surface 49 has spring elasticity and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19. It will be in a tight fit state. This allows the guide member
41 does not slip with respect to the nozzle 19 and follows this and moves to the inner side (left side in the figure) of the fuel inlet 21.

The number of nozzle receiving portions 47 formed is not particularly limited. Also, the nozzle receiving portion 47a shown in FIG. 6 can be used. According to the nozzle receiving portion 47a, the size (diameter) of the virtual circumference formed by the nozzle receiving surface 49a and the nozzle 19
Since the difference between the outer peripheral surface of the guide member 41 and that of the outer peripheral surface thereof is larger than that shown in FIG.

The spring receiving portion 51 extends in a flange shape from the large diameter side of the seal portion protecting portion 43. Then, the peripheral edge portion 53 is bent to the left side in the figure and slides to the inner peripheral surface of the base portion 62 of the stopper 61 to form a pair.

As shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral edge portion 53 is embedded in a resin (or metal) slider 55, and the slider 55 and the stopper 55 are embedded.
The base portion 63 of 61 is slid against the spring portion 51.
Is preferably reinforced. In the above embodiment, the guide member is made of sheet metal, but it is of course possible to form it with a resin material having spring elasticity. Further, this guide member, if provided with a seal portion protecting surface for preventing contact between the seal portion and the tip portion of the nozzle 19, and a nozzle receiving surface in a contact holding relationship with the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19, The structure is not particularly limited. For example, the guide member 41b shown in FIG. 7 which is entirely made of rubber can be used. In this figure, reference numeral 45b indicates a seal protecting surface, reference numeral 49b indicates a nozzle receiving surface, and reference numeral 51b indicates a spring receiving portion.

The stopper 61 is a tubular member including a base portion 63, a spring seat portion 65, and a groove 67. The stopper 61 is made of synthetic resin (polyamide or the like), but the material for forming the stopper 61 is not particularly limited as long as it has a predetermined rigidity.

The base portion 63 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 23 by adhesion. The mode of fixing the both is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an interference fit.

The spring seat portion 65 bulges in the inner diameter direction from the left end of the base portion 63.

The groove 67 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the spring seat portion 65. The free end of each nozzle receiving portion 47 engages with the right wall surface of the groove 67 (see FIG. 2), and the guide member 41 is repulsed by the spring 57 while the nozzle 19 is inserted into the main body portion 23. It is prevented to return to the original state shown in FIG. When the guide member 41 returns to the state of FIG. 1, the seal portion 35 is expanded by the seal portion protection surface 45, and a gap is generated between the seal portion 35 and the nozzle 19, which is not preferable.

Of course, since the nozzle receiving surface 49 is in a state of holding the nozzle 19 in contact with the nozzle 19, it is needless to say that the guide member 41 can be maintained in the state of FIG. 2 even without the concave groove 67. That is,
The groove 67 is provided to increase the safety factor.

Next, the operation of the fuel injection port 21 of the embodiment will be described.

The state in which the nozzle 19 is not inserted into the main body portion 23 (FIG. 1) In this state, the guide member 41 is pushed to the right by the spring 57, and the seal portion protecting surface 45 expands the seal portion 35. As a result, in FIG.
When viewed from the 24 side, this is hidden behind the reduced diameter portion 25 of the main body portion 23. Therefore, the nozzle 19 is connected to the fuel inlet 21
The tip of the nozzle 19 hardly interferes with the seal portion 35 when it is inserted into.

In this state, a seal against the fuel vapor and an intrusion of dust from the outside are prevented by a fuel cap (not shown).

When the nozzle 19 is inserted into the main body 23, the guide member 41 is temporarily fixed to the tip of the nozzle 19 by the nozzle receiving surface 49, and moves in the insertion direction (that is, the back side) with the nozzle 19. Then, the seal portion protection surface 45 is separated from the seal portion 35, and the seal portion 35 continuously and closely contacts the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 19 in the circumferential direction. As a result, the sealing property with respect to the fuel vapor is secured.

Further, when the nozzle 19 is inserted, the guide member 41 comes into contact with the stopper 61, so that further movement is prevented. Then, when the nozzle is further pushed, the guide member 41 is relatively displaced from the state of being fixed to the tip of the nozzle 19 to the original side of the nozzle 19, the nozzle receiving portion 47 is expanded in diameter, and its tip is a concave groove. It enters into 67 and becomes the state shown in FIG. Since a fuel overflow prevention device is generally provided at the tip of the nozzle 19, the tip of the nozzle 19 is required to be inserted deeper than the stopper 61.

In the state of FIG. 2, due to the relationship in which the nozzle receiving surface 49 abuts and holds the nozzle 19, and the engagement between the tip of the nozzle receiving portion 47 and the concave groove 67, the isolated state of the guide member 41 from the seal portion 35 is maintained. ing.

When refueling is completed and the nozzle 19 is pulled out, the guide member 41
Follows the nozzle 19 and moves to the right in the figure. And
The guide member 41 comes into contact with the seal member, and the movement thereof to the right side is regulated there, and the guide member 41 separates from the nozzle 19 and returns to the state of FIG.

<Operations and Effects of the Invention> As described above, the fuel injection port of the present invention is disposed on the cylindrical main body and the inner circumference of the main body, and is continuously arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the fuel injection nozzle. A seal member having a seal portion made of a polymer elastic material that can be in close contact with the fuel tank, and a fuel injection port of a fuel tank, the guide member having the following requirements.

(A) The guide member widens the seal portion to prevent contact between the seal portion and the tip of the nozzle, and a nozzle receiving surface that is in a contact-holding relationship with the nozzle outer peripheral surface. And.

(A) The guide member is disposed inside the seal member so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the main body while being biased by the spring member toward the inlet.

(C) The guide member protects the seal part by the seal part protection surface without inserting the nozzle into the body part, and the guide member follows the nozzle with the nozzle receiving surface while the nozzle part is inserted into the body part. When moved, the seal protection surface is separated from the seal portion, and the seal portion comes into close contact with the nozzle.

As a result, when the nozzle is not inserted into the main body,
Since the seal part is protected by the seal part protection surface,
Even when the nozzle is inserted into the main body, the tip of the nozzle does not interfere with the seal portion. Therefore, the seal portion is less likely to be damaged, and the sealability against the fuel vapor is secured.

Further, when the nozzle is inserted into the main body, the nozzle receiving portion comes into contact with and holds the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle, so that the guide member follows the nozzle and the insertion direction of the nozzle (that is, the depth direction of the main body). Move to. Then, the seal portion protection surface is separated from the seal portion, and the seal portion is on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle,
It will be in close contact continuously in the circumferential direction. As a result, the sealing action on the fuel vapor is performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of the fuel injection port of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the fuel injection port 21 in a state where the nozzle 19 is not inserted into the main body portion 23, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 41, FIG. 4 is a front view of the guide member 41, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of a fuel injection port in a modified form. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a guide member 41b of a modified mode, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a fuel injection port 1 of a conventional example.
FIG. 10 is also a sectional view showing a fuel injection port 10 of a conventional example. 1 ・ 10 ・ 21 …… Fuel inlet, 13 ・ 31 …… Seal member, 14 ・ 35 …… Seal part, 19 …… Nozzle, 23 …… Main body part, 41 ・ 41b …… Guide member, 45 ・ 45b… … Protective surface of seal part, 49 ・ 45a ・ 49b …… Nozzle receiving surface.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A seal having a cylindrical main body and an elastic polymer material sealing member which is disposed on the inner circumference of the main body and is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fuel injection nozzle continuously in the circumferential direction. A fuel injection port of a fuel tank comprising: a member, and a guide member having the following requirements: A seal part protection surface that expands to prevent contact between the seal part and the tip of the fuel injection nozzle; and a nozzle receiving surface that is in a contact-holding relationship with the outer peripheral surface of the fuel injection nozzle. (A) The seal member is disposed inside the seal member so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the main body portion in a state in which a biasing force is applied to the inlet side by a spring member, and (c) the main body portion. To the guide part without inserting the fuel injection nozzle into Protects the seal part by the seal part protection surface, and in a state where the fuel injection nozzle is inserted into the main body part, the guide member moves along the fuel injection nozzle by the nozzle receiving surface, The seal protection surface is separated from the seal portion, and the seal portion is in close contact with the fuel injection nozzle.