JP4345239B2 - Fuel tank - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel tank provided with a module that functional structure of such valves and pumps are disposed integrally therein.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a fuel tank of an automobile or the like, functional components such as a full control valve and a fuel pump are disposed. These functional components are indispensable for smoothly supplying fuel to the engine.
[0003]
The functional component is usually disposed from the outside of the fuel tank via a flange or the like. However, when the functional component is disposed via the flange, it is necessary to separately attach a seal member such as an O-ring in order to ensure airtightness or liquid tightness at the periphery of the disposed portion.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-301227 introduces a resin fuel tank in which a functional component is disposed on the inner wall side of the fuel tank as a fuel tank in which the functional component is disposed without using a flange. .
[0005]
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank 108. The tank body 107 has a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape. The tank body 107 is made of resin and is produced by blow molding. The plate module 103 includes a resin base 109 and a functional component 100 disposed on the base 109. The module 103 is bridged between the side surfaces of the tank body 107 facing each other.
[0006]
Thus, conventionally, the functional component 100 is integrally provided in the plate-like module 103, and the plate-like module 103 is installed in the tank body 107 in a cross-linked manner, whereby the functional component is attached to the fuel tank. It was arranged on the inner wall side.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional fuel tank cannot reinforce the vertical rigidity of the fuel tank. That is, according to the conventional fuel tank 108, the plate-like module 103 is disposed by bridging the inner wall side surfaces of the tank body 107 facing each other. For this reason, even if the lateral rigidity of the fuel tank 108 can be reinforced, the vertical rigidity cannot be reinforced. Rather, since the plate-like module 103 is suspended in the tank main body 107, the plate-like module 103 may bend due to its own weight, and the vertical rigidity may even be lowered.
[0008]
Fuel tank of the present invention has been completed in view of the problem described above. That object of the present invention is that the rigidity in the vertical direction to provide a high fuel tank.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the fuel tank according to claim 1 is provided with a tank main body for storing fuel, and a functional component such as a valve and a pump fixedly integrated inside the tank main body. a fuel tank comprising a module, a module, Ri Oh columnar module erected between the inner wall top surface and the inner wall lower surface of the tank body in order to increase the rigidity in the vertical direction of the fuel tank, the columnar module Is provided with retaining ribs embedded in the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall of the tank body to prevent the upper and lower surfaces from being pulled out from the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall .
[0010]
In other words, the fuel tank according to the first aspect is such that the module in which the functional component is disposed is a columnar module. The columnar module is installed like a column between the upper surface of the inner wall and the lower surface of the inner wall of the tank body that forms the outer shell of the fuel tank. The columnar module plays a role like a rebound rod, so that the vertical distortion of the fuel tank is suppressed. That is, the vertical rigidity of the fuel tank is reinforced.
[0011]
The shape of the columnar module is not particularly limited as long as the functional component can be disposed. For example, it can be a rectangular tube shape, a cylindrical shape, or the like. Preferably, the columnar module has a cylindrical configuration.
[0012]
According to this configuration, the outer surface of the columnar module is a circumferential surface having no corners. For this reason, the flow of fuel in the fuel tank is not hindered by the columnar module.
[0013]
Also, in order to increase the bonding strength between the columnar module and the tank body, the columnar module is configured to include retaining ribs embedded in the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall of the tank body to prevent the columnar module from being pulled out from the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall. .
[0014]
That is, in this configuration, retaining ribs are arranged at the upper and lower ends of the columnar module. The retaining ribs are embedded in the upper surface of the inner wall and the lower surface of the inner wall of the tank body. And when a tensile stress is applied to a tank main body from an up-down direction, it has a role which prevents that a columnar module will be pulled out. Therefore, the retaining ribs only need to extend in the radial direction of the columnar module regardless of the inner circumferential direction or the outer circumferential direction. The shape of the retaining rib is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the retaining ribs do not need to be disposed over the entire circumference of the upper and lower ends of the columnar module. For example, they may be spaced apart by a certain angle such as every 90 degrees or every 60 degrees.
[0015]
Also, the location of wiring necessary for driving the functional components is not particularly limited. Preferably, the columnar module is preferably configured to include a pipe-like extension pipe that accommodates the wiring of the functional component on the outer peripheral surface and extends to the outside of the tank body.
[0016]
That is, this structure arrange | positions extension piping on the outer peripheral surface of a columnar module. The extension pipe extends from the outer peripheral surface of the columnar module to the outside of the tank body. A wiring of a functional component is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the extension pipe. That is, the extension pipe has a role of leading to the outside of the tank while protecting the wiring of the functional component. The length, diameter, etc. of the extension pipe are not particularly limited. The material of the extension pipe may be a material insoluble in fuel. Moreover, what is necessary is just to make the extension piping extend outside from the filler neck pipe of a tank main body, for example. Thereby, since there is no communication part with the outside other than the filler neck pipe, the fuel permeation resistance is good.
[0017]
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a fuel tank that is resistant not only to compressive stress in the vertical direction but also to tensile stress. Moreover, according to this structure, the fuel tank which can protect the wiring of a functional component can be provided.
[0018]
(2) Moreover, the fuel tank of this invention can be manufactured with the following manufacturing methods, for example. That is, the manufacturing method of this, the functional configuration of such valves and pumps a method for manufacturing a fuel tank provided inside the module that is disposed integrally, columnar allowed the functional arrangement fixed to a resin base The columnar module is manufactured on the inner peripheral side of the parison so that the axial direction of the columnar module is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the columnar module and the diameter direction of the tube-shaped and semi-molten resin parison. A columnar module arranging step to be arranged; and a columnar module nipping step in which the parison is sandwiched from both sides of the columnar module on the outer peripheral side and the axially opposite ends of the columnar module on the inner circumferential surface of the parison; A tank body forming step of expanding the parison and spreading it into a container mold and then cooling to form a tank body of the fuel tank .
[0019]
A resin fuel tank is generally manufactured by blow molding. In blow molding, a tube-shaped intermediate molded body called a “parison” in a semi-molten state is first prepared, then a container mold is placed on the outer peripheral side of the parison and closed, and finally the parison after closing. This is a molding method for obtaining a molded body by blowing air or the like from the inner peripheral side of the glass to inflate the parison along the mold like a balloon.
[0020]
The manufacturing method incorporates a step of arranging and pinching the columnar module in a series of steps of the blow molding method, and synchronously performs formation of the tank body and pinching of the columnar module. Specifically, the columnar module is inserted into the inner periphery of the parison before the mold is closed. The columnar module is held between the inner peripheral surfaces of the parison by the pressing force of the container mold when the mold is closed.
[0021]
Here, it is preferable that the resin forming the base of the columnar module and the resin forming the parison (tank body) have good weldability. For example, when the columnar module and the parison are formed of the same kind of resin, if the weldability is good, a welding effect can be obtained in addition to the clamping effect when the columnar module is sandwiched by the parison. For this reason, the joining strength of the tank main body and columnar module after shaping | molding can be raised.
[0022]
Also, even when the weldability between the resin forming the base of the columnar module and the resin forming the parison (tank body) is poor, the retaining ribs extending in the radial direction are provided at the upper and lower ends of the columnar module. Bonding strength can be increased by embedding retaining ribs in the inner wall of the parison.
[0023]
According to the above manufacturing method, the step of arranging and sandwiching the columnar modules is incorporated without taking into account the flow of the blow molding process, but rather using the characteristic of the blow molding of using a semi-molten parison, and the tank The main body and the columnar module can be easily held.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the embodiment and the fuel tank exemplary fuel tank of the present invention.
[0025]
(1) Fuel Tank FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel tank 1 of this embodiment includes a tank body 10 and a columnar module 20.
[0026]
The tank body 10 is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and has a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape that is wide in the lateral direction. A circular filler neck pipe hole 11 is formed on the side wall of the tank body 10.
[0027]
On the other hand, the columnar module 20 has a cylindrical shape. The columnar module 20 includes an HDPE base 21 and a functional component 22 (part indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 1) fixed to the base 21. The columnar module 20 is erected between the inner wall upper surface 26 and the inner wall lower surface 27 of the tank body 10. Further, the upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the columnar module 20 is embedded in the inner wall upper surface 26, and the lower end is embedded in the inner wall lower surface 27. Ring-shaped retaining ribs 23 are provided around the upper and lower ends of the columnar module 20. The retaining rib 23 prevents the columnar module 20 from coming out of the tank body 10 when a tensile stress is applied to the tank body 10 from above and below. A pipe-like extended pipe 24 is connected to the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the columnar module 20. The extension pipe 24 extends laterally along the upper surface of the inner wall of the tank body 10, extends downward along the side surface of the inner wall, and extends out of the tank body 10 from the filler neck pipe hole 11. For example, an electrical wiring for taking out an electrical signal from the functional component 22 is disposed in the extension pipe 24.
[0028]
According to the fuel tank of the present embodiment, since the filler neck pipe hole 11 is used as it is as the path of the extension pipe 24, there is no need to provide a separate through hole for the extension pipe 24 in the tank body 10 separately.
[0030]
The installation location of the columnar module 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is between the inner wall upper surface 26 and the inner wall lower surface 27 of the tank body 10. That is, the columnar module 20 may be fixed in a state in which the upper end of the columnar module 20 is in contact with the inner wall upper surface 26 of the tank body, and may be fixed in a state in which the lower end of the columnar module 20 is in contact with the inner wall lower surface 27 of the tank body 10.
[0031]
Examples of the functional component 22 integrally disposed in the columnar module 20 include a fuel gauge sensor, a pressure regulator, a full amount regulating valve, a supercharging prevention valve, a rollover valve, and a fuel pump.
[0032]
(2) Fuel Tank Manufacturing Method The fuel tank manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes a columnar module manufacturing process, a columnar module arranging process, a columnar module clamping process, and a tank body forming process.
[0033]
First, the columnar module manufacturing process will be described. In this step, a columnar module is produced from the base and the functional component. The substrate is made of HDPE and formed into a hollow cylindrical shape by injection molding. Ring-shaped retaining ribs are provided around the upper and lower ends of the outer peripheral surface of the base body. On the other hand, a mounting seat is provided on the inner peripheral side of the base. The functional component is fixed to the mounting seat by screwing or welding. The electrical wiring of the functional component is passed through an extension pipe made of stainless steel extending in a crank shape in the lateral direction from the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the base body.
[0034]
Next, the columnar module arrangement process will be described. In this step, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the columnar module 20 is placed sideways and below the parison molding machine 7. At this time, the columnar module 20 is in a suspended state by the extension pipe 24 being fixed to the lower end of the parison molding machine 7 (not shown). Next, in this step, the tubular parison 30 is extruded from the parison molding machine 7. The parison 30 has a multilayer structure, and the innermost and outermost layers are made of HDPE. The parison 30 is in a semi-molten state. By being extruded from the parison molding machine 7, the parison 30 is suspended to the periphery of the suspended columnar module 20. At this time, both ends of the columnar module 20 are prevented from contacting the inner peripheral surface of the parison 30. Further, adjustment is made so that the crank end of the extension pipe 24 is positioned at the center of the parison 30 in the radial direction.
[0035]
Next, the columnar module clamping step will be described. In this step, as shown in FIG. 2, the pair of side molds 40 and 41 is a pair of rectangular parallelepiped container molds 4, and the parison 30 is sandwiched and closed from the side direction. This clamping direction is parallel to the axial direction of the columnar module 20 inside the parison 30. Concave portions 400 and 410 are formed in the inner walls of the side molds 40 and 41, respectively. When the side molds 40 and 41 are closed, both ends of the columnar module 20 are disposed in these recesses 400 and 410. The retaining ribs 23 at both ends of the columnar module 20 sink into the inner peripheral surface of the parison 30 in a semi-molten state. In addition, the semi-molten resin at the peripheral edge of the recesses 400 and 410 turns around so as to cover the retaining rib 23. In this way, both ends of the columnar module 20 are embedded in the inner peripheral surface of the parison 30. In this state, the heat of the parison 30 is transmitted to both ends of the columnar module 20. The columnar module 20 is sandwiched and welded to the parison 30. When the container mold 4 is closed, an opening is formed at the upper center. The crank end of the extension pipe 24 is disposed in this opening.
[0036]
Next, the tank body forming process will be described. In this step, as shown in FIG. 3, the blow pin 70 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the parison 30 from the opening 8 formed by the closed mold, and air is press-fitted. Then, the parison 30 is expanded in a rectangular parallelepiped shape along the cavity. At this time, the parison 30 expands mainly in the horizontal direction (the vertical direction of the drawing surface of FIG. 3). The parison 30 is pushed to every corner of the container mold 4. Thereafter, the parison 30 is cooled and solidified to become a tank body. Finally, the pair of side molds 40 and 41 of the container mold 4 are opened, and burrs and the like are cut. In this way, a fuel tank having a columnar module disposed therein is obtained.
[0037]
In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the base of the columnar module is made of HDPE, but may be a resin such as POM or PA as long as it has a retaining structure with the tank body.
[0038]
Further, in the columnar module arranging step of the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the parison is suspended around the columnar module arranged in advance so that both ends of the columnar module do not contact the inner peripheral surface of the parison, but the reverse may be possible. . In addition, the columnar module is arranged by a method of providing a dedicated holder in addition to a method of gripping the extension pipe from the parison molding machine side as in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment.
[0039]
Moreover, in the columnar module clamping step of the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, molding is performed using a pair of container molds called a pair of side molds, but the number of container molds is not particularly limited. For example, four or six may be used as long as both ends of the columnar module can be sandwiched on the inner peripheral side of the parison.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
According to the fuel tank of the present invention, a fuel tank having high rigidity in the vertical direction can be provided .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel tank according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which columnar modules are arranged in the method for manufacturing a fuel tank of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a tank body is blown in the fuel tank manufacturing method of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional fuel tank.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: Fuel tank 4: Container type 7: Parison molding machine 8: Opening 10: Tank body 11: Filler neck pipe hole 20: Columnar module 21: Substrate 22: Functional component 23: Retaining rib 24: Extension pipe 26: Inner wall upper surface 27: Inner wall lower surface 30: Parison 40: Side mold 400: Recess 41: Side mold 410: Recess 70: Blow pin

Claims (3)

A fuel tank comprising a tank body for storing fuel, and a module that is fixed inside the tank body and in which functional components such as valves and pumps are integrally disposed,
The module Ri Oh columnar module erected between the inner wall top surface and the inner wall lower surface of the tank body in order to increase the rigidity in the vertical direction of the fuel tank,
The columnar module is provided with a retaining rib embedded in upper and lower ends of the inner wall upper and lower surfaces of the tank main body to prevent extraction from the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall . The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the columnar module is cylindrical. 2. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the columnar module is provided with a pipe-like extension pipe that accommodates the wiring of the functional component on an outer peripheral surface thereof and extends to the outside of the tank body .

Images