JP3925352B2 - Fuel tank connector mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a fuel tank connector mounting structure that is attached to a wall of a fuel tank of a vehicle such as an automobile or a motorcycle, and that electrically connects an electrical device disposed in the fuel tank and an external power source outside the fuel tank. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A first example of a conventional fuel tank connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) mounting structure is shown in FIG. A sleeve 51 is fixed to the lid 50 attached to the wall surface of the fuel tank by brazing. The sleeve 51 is disposed so as to protrude upward from the upper surface 50A of the lid 50 with a funnel-shaped enlarged portion 51A. The lower portion of the sleeve 51 projects downward from the lower surface 50B of the lid 50, and a tongue piece 51B is provided in the vicinity of the lower end. The connector 52 is formed in an L shape, an external connection portion 53 and an internal connection portion 54 are formed at both ends thereof, and male terminals that are insert-molded in the connector 52 in the respective connection portions 53 and 54. The end portion of the pin 55 is disposed so as to protrude. Then, the internal connection portion 54 side of the connector 52 is inserted and disposed in the sleeve 51, and the tongue piece 51 </ b> B of the sleeve 51 is crimped inward toward the engagement step portion 52 </ b> A of the connector 52.
[0003]
A second example of the connector mounting structure is shown in FIG. A sleeve 61 having an enlarged diameter portion 61A is fixed to the lid body 50 by brazing, and the enlarged diameter portion 61A is disposed so as to protrude above the upper surface 50A of the lid body 50. The lower surface 50B of the body 50 is disposed so as to protrude downward. The connector 64 is formed by a first insulator 62 and a second insulator 63, and the first insulator 62 has a fitting recess 64A on the upper side surface, and the second insulator 63 has a fitting recess 65 downward. Prepare. Then, after the first insulator 62 and the second insulator 63 are inserted into the sleeve 61, the first insulator 62 and the second insulator 63 are ultrasonically welded to fix both members, thereby the first insulator 62 and the second insulator 63 are ultrasonically welded. The connector 64 can be attached to the sleeve 61 by the flange portion 62A of the insulator 62 and the engaging step portions 63A and 63B of the second insulator 63.
[0004]
FIG. 8 shows a third example of a conventional connector mounting structure. A sleeve 70 is fixed to the lid 50 by brazing, and an expanded portion 70A above the sleeve 70 is disposed so as to protrude upward from the upper surface 50A of the lid 50, and is continuously provided by a large diameter portion 70B and a small diameter portion 70C. The stepped cylindrical portion is arranged so as to protrude downward from the lower surface 50B of the lid 50. The connector 71 is provided with a plug body portion 71A that is widened above, and an internal connection portion 71D that includes a large diameter portion 71B and a small diameter portion 71C is formed below the plug body portion 71A. An external connection portion 71E directed to the side is formed above 71A. An elastic locking member 72 having a lock portion 72A is provided on the stepped surface 71F of the internal connection portion 71D of the connector 71. When the connector 71 is completely inserted into the sleeve 70, the elastic locking member 72 is returned to the outside, and the locking portion 72A is inserted into the locking window 70D formed in the small diameter portion 70C of the sleeve 70. The connector 71 can be attached to the sleeve 70 by fitting.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Focusing on the conventional sleeves 51, 61, 70 shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the upper portion of the sleeve protrudes upward from the upper surface 50A of the lid 50 with the enlarged diameter portions 51A, 61A and the enlarged portion 70A. According to this, the external connection portions 53 and 71E and the fitting recess 64A that open outward are formed at positions above the enlarged diameter portions 51A and 61A and the expanded portion 70A. It will be. According to the above, the height H of the connector protruding upward from the upper surface 50A of the lid 50 is large, and this has the following problems. That is, especially in a two-wheeled vehicle or the like, a frame and a cowling are disposed in the vicinity of the wall surface of the fuel tank, and there is a possibility that the configuration and the connector interfere with each other, making it difficult to arrange the connector. On the other hand, the frame and cowling should be changed upward to eliminate such problems. Or change the wall of the fuel tank downward. However, in any case, the mold is changed and the cost required for the change is high, which is not preferable. Of these, the change of the cowling particularly leads to a change in the external shape of the motorcycle, which is not preferable in terms of design. Also, changing the fuel tank leads to a decrease in tank capacity, which is not preferable. In addition, in order to reduce the height H of the connector, the tip of the male terminal pin 55 protruding to the external connection portion 71E is once bent downward and then bent to the right as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Although considered, according to this, insert molding of the male terminal pin 55 becomes difficult.
[0006]
Next, when examining the attachment between the connector and the sleeve, it has the following problems. In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is necessary to crimp the tongue piece 51 </ b> B provided on the sleeve 51 toward the engagement step portion 52 </ b> A of the connector 52. According to this, the caulking equipment, the caulking equipment Storage space and caulking work are required. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 7, since the sleeve is constituted by the first insulator 62 and the second insulator 63, the number of parts is increased, and both insulators 62, 63 are further ultrasonically welded. Therefore, there is a problem similar to the example of FIG. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 8, it is necessary to prepare the elastic locking member 30 with a metal elongated pin, which leads to an increase in the number of parts, which is not preferable.
[0007]
Further, in the case shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, only the connector cannot be removed after the connector is mounted on the sleeve, and the sleeve and the lid are discarded when the connector is replaced. In other words, it is not preferable in terms of resource saving.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel that is particularly suitable for use in a two-wheeled vehicle with the protrusion of the external connection portion of the connector as small as possible from the upper surface of the lid. The object is to provide a tank connector mounting structure, to provide an inexpensive fuel tank connector mounting structure with fewer parts and assembly steps, and to allow only the fuel tank connector to be replaced.
[0009]
[Means for solving the problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the fuel tank connector mounting structure according to the present invention has a cylindrical shape in which the fuel tank connector has a cylindrical shape and a seal ring is disposed on the outer periphery thereof. A flange portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the tubular portion, a fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess formed to protrude downward from the lower end of the tubular portion, and a flange portion, Formed on the outer periphery of the external power supply side terminal pin storage recess and the fuel tank side terminal pin storage recess formed on the lower surface of the portion, the lower surface being arranged close to and projecting sideways. A locking piece is formed facing the lower end and elastically deformable toward the center, and one end protrudes into the fuel tank terminal pin housing recess and the other end is an external power supply side terminal. Male that protrudes into the pin storage recess And a sleeve that closes the opening of the fuel tank, and a sleeve for inserting the tubular portion of the connector projects downward from the lower surface of the lid, and is engaged with the fuel tank connector. By inserting the stopper, the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess, and the cylindrical part into the sleeve, the lower surface of the flange part of the fuel tank connector is placed in contact with the upper surface of the lid, and the cylindrical part is sealed. The first feature is that the locking portion of the locking piece of the fuel tank connector is disposed in contact with the lower end of the sleeve.
[0010]
According to the present invention, in addition to the first feature, a pair of restricting portions having a gap in the rotation direction of the fuel tank connector are formed on the upper surface of the lid so as to protrude, and the fuel tank connector is connected to the external power supply side. A second feature is that the outer periphery of the terminal pin housing recess is disposed between the restricting portions.
[0011]
Furthermore, in addition to the first feature, the present invention has a third feature that the sleeve is integrally formed with the lid by drawing.
[0012]
[Action]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess of the fuel tank connector includes a flange formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion, and is provided close to the lower surface of the flange and laterally. On the other hand, a sleeve that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the lid is formed on the lid. Accordingly, when the cylindrical portion including the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess of the fuel tank connector is inserted into the sleeve of the lid body, the sleeve of the fuel tank connector is in a state where the lower surface of the flange portion is in contact with the upper surface of the lid body. The position of the fuel tank connector is determined after insertion into the fuel tank is completed. Therefore, the height of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess with respect to the upper surface of the lid body (the height of the fuel tank connector protruding upward from the upper surface of the lid body) can be reduced. In addition, when the fuel tank connector is completely inserted into the sleeve, the locking portion of the locking piece formed integrally with the fuel tank connector is elastically returned to be in contact with the lower end of the sleeve. Therefore, the fuel tank connector can be prevented from coming out of the sleeve.
[0013]
Further, according to the second feature of the present invention, even if a rotational force is applied to the fuel tank connector from the outside, the outer periphery of the external power supply side terminal storage recess comes into contact with the regulating portion in the rotational direction. The rotation of the fuel tank connector is suppressed. At this time, since the restricting portion is integrally formed with the lid, the number of parts and assembly man-hours do not increase.
[0014]
Further, according to the third feature of the present invention, since the sleeve is integrally formed by drawing the lid, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are not increased. This integral formation can be achieved by the sleeve protruding only in one direction (downward) of the lid.
[0015]
【Example】
An embodiment of a fuel tank connector C according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. Reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape, and an annular seal ring groove 1 </ b> A is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 1. An annular flange 2 is formed at the upper end 1 </ b> B of the tubular portion 1, and the diameter A of the flange 2 is larger than the diameter B of the tubular portion 1. Further, an upper portion 1B of the cylindrical portion 1 is formed with an external power-side terminal pin housing recess 3 toward the right side including the flange 2. (The external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 opens toward the right side.) At this time, the lower surface 3A of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 is formed at the same height as or slightly above the lower surface 2A of the flange 2. The This is for placing the entire lower surface 2A of the collar portion 2 in contact with the upper surface of a lid, which will be described later. Further, a fuel tank side terminal pin storage recess 4 is formed below the cylindrical portion 1 downward, and the fuel tank side terminal pin storage recess 4 opens downward and its outer portion is a cylinder. It is formed inward of the diameter B of the shaped part 1. This is for inserting the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 into a sleeve to be described later. A locking piece portion 5 having a locking portion 5A is integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion 4A of the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4. That is, the locking piece portion 5 is bent upward in an L shape from the outer peripheral portion 4A of the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4, and a locking portion 5A facing the lower end 1C of the cylindrical portion 1 is formed at the upper end thereof. Is done. The locking part has a lower end 1C of the cylindrical part 1 and a gap S, and the locking piece part 5 is supported by the outer peripheral part 4A only at its base part. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the locking part 5A, When it is deformed inward from the position and the external force is removed, it returns elastically to the original position outside. Further, the locking portion 5A is formed so as to protrude slightly outward from the cylindrical portion 1 by D. A plurality of the locking pieces 5 described above may be provided on the outer peripheral portion 4A of the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 equally and in the circumferential direction. Reference numeral 6 denotes an L-shaped male terminal pin, one end 6A of which projects from the bottom of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 and the other end 6B of which projects from the bottom of the fuel tank terminal pin housing recess 4. The male terminal pin 6 is insert-molded when the fuel tank connector C is injection-molded with a synthetic resin material.
[0016]
Next, the lid 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The lid 7 closes an opening formed in a fuel tank (not shown). The lid 7 has a fuel pump, a pressure regulator, a filter, a liquid level detector, and the like disposed in the fuel tank. Installed. (A device such as the fuel pump is not shown) The lid body 7 is formed of a metal plate material, for example, has a disk shape, and a sleeve 8 is formed integrally with the lid body 7. The sleeve 8 having a circular cross section is formed so as to protrude downward from the lower surface 7A of the lid 7, and the height E of the sleeve 8 is formed small. That is, in FIG. 1, when attention is paid to the tubular portion 1 of the fuel tank connector C, the height F of the tubular portion 1 is the groove width F1 of the seal ring groove 1A and the lower portion formed below the seal ring groove 1A. What is necessary is just to have the total height of the height F2 of the cylindrical portion and the height F3 of the upper cylindrical portion formed above the seal ring groove 1A. There is no need to make it bigger. For example, the height E of the sleeve 8 may be about 2.5 times the groove width F1 of the seal ring groove 1A. The sleeve 8 constructed as described above can be easily formed by drawing simultaneously when the lid 7 is press-molded. This is because the height E of the sleeve 8 can be reduced as described above.
[0017]
Next, the mounting of the fuel tank connector C to the lid 7 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The lid body 7 is arranged so that the sleeve 8 protrudes downward. In this state, the fuel tank connector C in which the seal ring 9 is arranged in the seal ring groove 1A is inserted into the sleeve 8 from the upper surface 7B of the lid body 7. Is done. Specifically, the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 is inserted into the sleeve 8 opened on the upper surface 7B of the lid body 7, and at this time, the locking portion 5A of the locking piece 5 is compressed inward. Thus, in the state where the inside of the sleeve 8 moves downward from above while being elastically deformed, and the locking portion 5A has escaped downward from the lower end 8A of the sleeve 8, the locking portion 5A is locked to the locking piece portion 5. It expands outwards by the elastic force possessed by it and returns to its original state, and the upper end of the locking portion 5A is locked to the lower end 8A of the sleeve 8. This state is a state where the insertion of the fuel tank connector C into the sleeve 8 is completed. At this time, the tubular portion 1 is disposed in the sleeve 8, and the outer periphery of the tubular portion 1 and the inner periphery of the sleeve 8 are arranged. The airtightness between them is held by the seal ring 9, and the lower surface 2 </ b> A of the flange portion 2 is disposed in contact with the upper surface 7 </ b> B of the lid body 7. According to the above, the fuel tank connector C is fixedly attached to the lid body 7 by the lower surface 2A of the flange portion 2 and the locking portion 5A. At this time, the fuel tank side terminal pin accommodating recess 4 is formed in the sleeve 8. The other end 6B of the male terminal pin 6 is also arranged facing downward. On the other hand, the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 is disposed close to the upper surface 7B of the lid body 7 and is disposed so as to protrude rightward, and one end 6A of the male terminal pin 6 is also disposed facing the right side. The other end 6B of the male terminal pin 6 is inserted with a connector provided at the end of the electric wire extending from the electric device arranged in the fuel tank, while the other end 6A of the male terminal pin 6 is connected to the external power source. A connector provided at the tip of the extending electric wire is inserted, whereby the electrical equipment in the fuel tank and the external power source are electrically connected via the fuel tank connector C.
[0018]
As described above, according to the fuel tank connector C of the present invention, the height H (referred to as connector height H) of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 located on the upper surface 7B of the lid 7 is sufficiently reduced. be able to. This is because the sleeve 8 formed on the lid 7 does not protrude upward from the upper surface 7B, and protrudes only downward from the lower surface 7A of the lid 7. And the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 including the flange 2. Is due to. Further, according to the present invention, the connector C can be easily attached to and detached from the lid body 7. That is, the fuel tank is mounted by inserting the locking piece 5 of the fuel tank connector C into the sleeve 8 while being elastically deformed into the sleeve 8 from the upper surface 7B of the lid 7, while the removal is performed by the locking. This is done by pressing and moving the piece 5 upward while being deformed. Further, according to the present invention, the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 including the locking piece 5, the cylindrical portion 1, the flange 2, and the external power source side terminal pin housing recess 3 are integrally formed by a single member. Therefore, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced, and an inexpensive fuel tank connector can be provided. Further, in the lid 7, the sleeve 8 can be formed by drawing when the lid 7 is processed (for example, pressing). This is because the height E of the sleeve 8 can be reduced by reducing the height F of the cylindrical portion 1 of the fuel connector C as described above. According to the above, the manufacturing cost of the lid 7 including the sleeve 8 can be reduced. Further, 7C and 7D are a pair of restricting portions formed so as to protrude upward from the upper surface 7B of the lid body 7, and these restricting portions 7C and 7D are the rotation directions of the fuel tank connector C (indicated by X in FIG. 5). )). The outer periphery 3B of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 is arranged between the gaps Y of the restricting portions 7C and 7D. According to this, when a rotational force is applied to the fuel tank connector C from the outside. Even in this case, since the outer periphery 3B of the power-side terminal pin housing recess 3 abuts against the regulating portions 7C and 7D, the rotation of the fuel tank connector C is prevented. And since the said control parts 7C and 7D can also be formed by the embossing by a press at the time of the process of the cover body 7, the raise of the process cost by this is suppressed.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the fuel tank connector mounting structure of the present invention, the fuel tank connector has a cylindrical shape with a seal ring disposed on the outer periphery thereof, and an upper end of the cylindrical portion. A flange portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the cylindrical portion, a fuel tank side terminal pin storage recess formed to protrude downward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion, and a lower surface of the flange portion Are formed on the outer periphery of the external power supply side terminal pin storage recess and the fuel tank side terminal pin storage recess, which are formed close to each other and projecting toward the side, facing the lower end of the cylindrical portion A locking piece formed with a locking portion and elastically deformable toward the center, and one end projecting into the fuel tank terminal pin housing recess and the other end within the external power supply terminal pin housing recess Male terminal pin On the other hand, the cover that closes the opening of the fuel tank is formed with a sleeve for inserting the cylindrical portion of the connector protruding downward from the lower surface of the cover, By inserting the one part, the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess and the cylindrical part into the sleeve, the lower surface of the flange part of the fuel tank connector is placed in contact with the upper surface of the lid, and the cylindrical part is sealed with a seal ring. Since the locking portion of the locking piece portion of the fuel tank connector is in contact with the lower end of the sleeve, the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess that protrudes upward from the lid body Can be made as low as possible, thereby eliminating interference with the frame, cowling, and the like disposed above, and is particularly suitable for two-wheeled vehicles. Further, according to the locking piece portion, since it is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the fuel tank side terminal pin housing concave portion constituting the fuel tank connector, the number of parts does not increase, and the lid can be detached from the sleeve. This can be done very easily, and in particular, the fact that the fuel tank connector can be detached from the lid leads to resource saving.
[0020]
Further, a pair of restricting portions having a gap in the rotation direction of the fuel tank connector are formed on the upper surface of the lid so as to protrude, and the outer periphery of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess of the fuel tank connector is formed on the upper surface of the restricting portion. According to this arrangement, even when a rotational force is applied to the fuel tank connector from the outside, the fuel tank connector does not rotate, and a good electrical connection state can be maintained. , At this time, in particular, the restriction portion is formed to protrude from the lid. In addition, by arranging the outer periphery of the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess in the gap between the restricting portions, an inexpensive rotation suppression mechanism can be obtained.
[0021]
In addition, the sleeve can be formed integrally with the lid by drawing. According to this, the number of parts and assembly man-hours are reduced compared to the sleeve that is provided separately from the lid and fixed to the lid. And manufacturing costs can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a fuel tank connector used in a fuel tank connector mounting structure according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a lid used in the fuel tank connector mounting structure according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a fuel tank connector used in a fuel tank connector mounting structure to which a lid according to the present invention is mounted.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first example of a conventional fuel tank connector mounting structure.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second example of a conventional fuel tank connector mounting structure.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third example of a conventional fuel tank connector mounting structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylindrical part 2 Eaves part 3 External power supply side terminal pin accommodation recessed part 4 Fuel tank side terminal pin accommodation recessed part 5 Locking piece part 5A Locking part 6 Male terminal pin 7 Lid 7C, 7D Restriction part 8 Sleeve

Claims (3)

The fuel tank connector C is
A cylindrical portion 1 having a cylindrical shape and a seal ring 9 disposed on the outer periphery thereof;
A collar 2 having a diameter A greater than a diameter B of the tubular portion 1 at the upper end 1B of the tubular portion 1;
A fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 formed to project downward from the lower end 1C of the tubular portion 1;
An external power-side terminal pin housing recess 3 that includes the flange portion 2 and is formed so that the lower surface 3A thereof is disposed close to the lower surface 2A of the flange portion 2 and protrudes sideways;
A locking piece portion 5 formed on the outer periphery of the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4, facing the lower end 1C of the cylindrical portion 1 and having a locking portion 5A, which is elastically deformable toward the center;
A male terminal pin 6 having one end protruding into the fuel tank side terminal pin housing recess 4 and the other end protruding into the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3;
On the other hand, the lid 7 that closes the opening of the fuel tank includes:
A sleeve 8 for inserting the tubular portion 1 of the connector is formed so as to protrude downward from the lower surface 7A of the lid body 7,
By inserting the locking piece 5 of the fuel tank connector C, the terminal pin housing recess 4 of the fuel tank side, and the cylindrical portion 1 into the sleeve 8, the lower surface 2A of the flange 2 of the fuel tank connector C is covered with the lid. The cylindrical portion 1 is hermetically supported by the sleeve 8 via the seal ring 9 and the locking portion 5A of the locking piece portion 5 of the fuel tank connector C is connected to the sleeve. A fuel tank connector mounting structure, wherein the fuel tank connector is disposed in contact with the lower end 8A of the fuel tank 8. A pair of restricting portions 7C and 7D having a gap Y in the rotation direction of the fuel tank connector C are formed on the upper surface 7B of the lid so as to protrude from the external power supply side terminal pin housing recess 3 of the fuel tank connector C. 2. The fuel tank connector mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein an outer periphery 3B is disposed between the restricting portions 7C and 7D.     2. The fuel tank connector mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the lid body by drawing.

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