JP4862850B2 - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-tank fuel supply apparatus that includes a fuel pump in a fuel tank.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a fuel supply device in which a control unit such as a control circuit for controlling power supplied to a fuel pump or a fuel pump controller unit is installed on a lid member that closes an upper opening of a fuel tank (for example, Patent Document 1, 2).
In these fuel supply devices, since the control unit is installed outside the fuel tank, that is, on the top surface of the lid member, the lead wire connecting the fuel pump installed in the fuel tank and the control unit is inevitably long. There is a need to.

Therefore, electrical noise generated from the lead wire increases, which may cause radio interference in a radio device such as a radio mounted on the vehicle.
In such a fuel supply device, the control unit is provided at a position that protrudes greatly from the lid member to the outside of the fuel tank. Therefore, the physique of the fuel supply device including the control unit increases in the vertical direction and accommodates the fuel tank. There is a risk of pressing the space.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-43834 JP 2001-214826 A

  The objective of this invention is providing the fuel supply apparatus which reduces generation | occurrence | production of an electrical noise and makes a physique small up and down in the direction of gravity.

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the fuel supply device includes a fuel pump, a control unit, and a lid member. The electrically driven fuel pump is provided in the fuel tank, sucks the fuel in the fuel tank, and discharges it outside the fuel tank. The control unit controls power supplied to the fuel pump. The lid member closes the upper opening of the fuel tank, and has a disk-like flange portion supported by an edge portion forming the upper opening, and a specific shape portion formed at the center in the radial direction of the flange portion. ing. The specific shape portion is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has a side wall that falls in a cylindrical shape on the fuel pump side, and a bottom wall that closes a lower end of the side wall. And the control part is accommodated in the space formed concavely by the side wall and bottom wall of a specific shape part. Therefore, the control unit can be provided at a position closer to the fuel pump than the flange portion of the lid member. Thereby, the wiring length of the lead wire which connects a control part and a fuel pump can be shortened. Therefore, electrical noise generated from the lead wire can be reduced. Further, with the above configuration, the control unit has a small amount of protrusion to the outside of the fuel tank. Therefore, the physique of the fuel supply device including the control unit can be reduced vertically in the gravity direction.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the passage forming member that covers the bottom wall side of the specific shape portion and forms the fuel passage between the specific shape portion is provided. By allowing the fuel to flow through the fuel passage, the specific shape portion is cooled, and the heat generated by the control portion can be radiated more effectively.
Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the passage forming member is detachably provided. Therefore, the passage forming member can be removed from the fuel supply device including the control unit that generates little heat. Thereby, in each fuel supply apparatus provided with the control part with much heat_generation | fever, or the control part with little heat_generation | fever, the location which attaches a channel | path formation member can be made into the same shape. Therefore, the members constituting the fuel supply device can be shared.

According to invention of Claim 2, the bottom face of the control part is located in the fuel pump side rather than the flange part of a cover member. That is, the control unit is provided at a position closer to the fuel pump than the flange portion of the lid member. Therefore, the length of the lead wire connecting the control unit and the fuel pump can be shortened, and electrical noise generated from the lead wire can be reduced.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the specific shape portion is formed separately from the flange portion, and is liquid-tightly attached to the flange portion. As a result, fuel leakage from the inside to the outside of the fuel tank through the flange portion and the specific shape portion can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the specific shape portion is made of metal. In general, a metal member has lower fuel permeability than a member made of resin or the like. Therefore, it can prevent that a fuel permeate | transmits a specific shape part and reaches a control part. In general, a metal member has higher thermal conductivity than a member made of resin or the like. Therefore, the heat generated in the control unit can be effectively radiated through the specific shape part .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(One embodiment)
A fuel supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. The fuel supply device 1 is a fuel supply device that is installed in a fuel tank 10 of a vehicle, for example, and supplies fuel in the fuel tank 10 to an engine outside the fuel tank 10. The fuel supply device 1 includes a lid member 2, a sub tank 3, a pump module 4, a control unit 5, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid member 2 closes an opening 11 formed in the upper part of the fuel tank 10. A control unit 5 is accommodated in the approximate center of the lid member 2. The lid member 2, the control unit 5, and the vicinity thereof will be described in detail later.
The sub tank 3 and the pump module 4 are installed in the fuel tank 10. One end of the two shafts 91 is press-fitted into the lid member 2 and the other end is loosely inserted into the insertion hole 31 formed in the resin-made sub tank 3. The spring 92 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the shaft 91, one end is locked to the lid member 2, and the other end is locked to the sub tank 3. Thereby, the lid member 2 and the sub tank 3 can reciprocate relatively up and down in the gravity direction of the fuel tank 10. Therefore, even if the fuel tank 10 in which the fuel supply device 1 is accommodated expands or contracts due to a change in internal pressure due to a temperature change or a change in fuel amount, the bottom of the sub tank 3 is always pressed against the bottom inner wall of the fuel tank 10. . An inlet 32 for introducing the fuel in the fuel tank 10 into the sub tank 3 is formed at the bottom of the sub tank 3.

  The pump module 4 is accommodated in the sub tank 3. The pump module 4 includes a fuel pump 41, a suction filter 42, a fuel filter 43, and a pressure regulator 44. The fuel pump 41 contains an electric motor (not shown) inside, and boosts the fuel sucked from the suction filter 42 by a rotating member such as an impeller rotated by the electric motor. The suction filter 42 removes foreign matters in the fuel sucked from the sub tank 3 by the fuel pump 41.

  The fuel filter 43 has a filter case 431 and a filter element 432 accommodated in the filter case 431, and covers the outer side of the fuel pump 41 in the circumferential direction. The filter element 432 removes foreign matters contained in the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 41. The pressure regulator 44 is attached to the lower side portion of the filter case 431 and adjusts the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 41 and from which foreign matters have been removed by the filter element 432. The fuel regulated by the pressure regulator 44 is supplied to an engine (not shown) via the bellows tube 61 and the discharge port 26 formed in the lid member 2. The pressure regulator 44 discharges the surplus fuel during pressure regulation into the sub tank 3.

Next, the lid member 2, the control unit 5, and the vicinity thereof will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the lid member 2 has a substantially disc-shaped flange portion 21 and a cup 22 provided at the center in the radial direction of the flange portion 21. The flange portion 21 is formed of resin and is supported by the edge portion 12 that forms the opening 11 of the fuel tank 10. The flange portion 21 has an opening 211 at the center in the radial direction. The lid member 2 has a support portion 23 that extends in a cylindrical shape from the opening 211 toward the fuel pump 41. The support portion 23 has an annular diameter stop portion 231 that protrudes radially inward from the end portion on the fuel pump 41 side.

  The lid member 2 includes a cylindrical portion 24 that extends in a cylindrical shape from the opening 211 toward the anti-fuel pump 41, and a cover 25 that closes an end portion of the cylindrical portion 24 on the anti-fuel pump 41 side. A substantially annular step 212 is formed between the support 23 and the cylinder 24. A return port 27 is formed in the flange portion 21. The return port 27 introduces fuel that is surplus in an engine (not shown) and returned from the engine.

  The cup 22 is made of a metal such as aluminum, iron or stainless steel. The cup 22 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and includes a side wall 221 that falls in a cylindrical shape on the fuel pump 41 side, a bottom wall 222 that closes the end of the side wall 221 on the fuel pump 41 side, and a side wall 221 on the side opposite to the fuel pump 41. And a flange portion 223 extending in an annular shape from the end portion in the radially outward direction. Here, the cup 22 having the side wall 221 and the bottom wall 222 constitutes a specific shape portion in the claims.

  The cup 22 is inserted into the opening 211, and the flange 223 is supported by the step 212. An annular seal member 291 is provided between the outer peripheral wall of the side wall 221 and the inner peripheral wall of the support portion 23. The seal member 291 is locked to the diameter stop portion 231 of the support portion 23, thereby restricting movement toward the fuel pump 41 side. The seal member 291 holds the space between the side wall 221 and the support portion 23 in a liquid-tight manner. The support part 23 supports the side wall 221 of the cup 22 via the seal member 291. In a gap formed between the seal member 291 and the flange 223, a spacer 292 that fills this gap is interposed. With such a configuration, the cup 22 is liquid-tightly attached to the flange portion 21.

  The control unit 5 is accommodated in a space 224 formed in a concave shape by the side wall 221 and the bottom wall 222 of the cup 22. The bottom surface 51 of the control unit 5, that is, the end surface on the fuel pump 41 side is in contact with the bottom wall 222 of the cup 22. The bottom surface 51 of the control unit 5 is located closer to the fuel pump 41 by a distance D than the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2. A potting material 225 such as an epoxy resin is filled between the control unit 5 and the side wall 221 of the cup 22. Thereby, the position of the control unit 5 is fixed in the space 224.

  A connector portion 52 having a plurality of terminals 521 connected to the control portion 5 is provided at the end of the control portion 5 on the side opposite to the fuel pump 41. The plurality of terminals 521 are connected to an unillustrated ECU (electronic control unit), a battery, a liquid level gauge, and the like by lead wires (not illustrated). As shown in FIG. 2, a connector portion 53 having a plurality of terminals 531 connected to the control portion 5 is provided on the fuel pump 41 side of the lid member 2. The plurality of terminals 531 and the fuel pump 41 are connected by lead wires 71 and 72 (see FIG. 1).

  The control unit 5 includes an IC (Integrated Circuit) and a capacitor (not shown). The control unit 5 controls the electric power supplied to the fuel pump 41 through the lead wires 71 and 72 based on a control signal input from the ECU. Moreover, the control part 5 processes the detection signal which a liquid level meter outputs while controlling the action | operation of the liquid level meter which is not shown in figure, and outputs the processed signal to ECU.

  As described above, the bottom surface 51 of the control unit 5 is located closer to the fuel pump 41 by the distance D than the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2. That is, the control unit 5 is provided at a position closer to the fuel pump 41 than the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2. Therefore, the wiring length of the lead wires 71 and 72 connecting the control unit 5 and the fuel pump 41 can be shortened. Moreover, the protrusion amount of the control part 5 which protrudes from the flange part 21 to the anti-fuel pump 41 side can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a passage forming member 8 is provided on the fuel pump 41 side of the cup 22. The passage forming member 8 is made of resin and includes a passage forming portion 81, a first discharge portion 82, a connection portion 83, and a second discharge portion 84. The passage forming portion 81 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has a cylindrical side wall 811 and a bottom wall 812 that closes the end of the side wall 811 on the fuel pump 41 side. The side wall 811 and the bottom wall 812 form a fuel passage 813 between a part of the side wall 221 of the cup 22 and the bottom wall 222. That is, the passage forming member 8 forms a fuel passage 813 between the cup 22 and the cup 22 by covering the bottom wall 222 side of the cup 22.

  The first discharge part 82 is connected to the return port 27 via the seal member 271. The connection part 83 connects the first discharge part 82 and the side wall 811 of the passage forming part 81. A passage 821 is formed inside the first discharge portion 82, and a passage 831 is formed inside the connection portion 83. The passage 821 communicates with the passage 831 via a hole 822 formed in the first discharge portion 82. The passage 831 communicates with the fuel passage 813 in the vicinity of the end portion of the side wall 811 opposite to the bottom wall 812. The first discharge part 82 is connected to a pipe part 331 formed on the upper wall 33 of the sub tank 3 by a bellows pipe 62. The tube portion 331 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, one end portion is connected to the bellows tube 62, and the other end portion is opened toward the inside of the sub tank 3.

  The second discharge part 84 is formed in contact with the side wall 811 of the passage forming part 81. A passage 841 formed inside the second discharge portion 84 communicates with the fuel passage 813 in the vicinity of the end portion of the side wall 811 opposite to the bottom wall 812. The bellows pipe 63 has one end connected to the second discharge portion 84 and the other end penetrating the upper wall 33 of the sub tank 3. Thereby, the opening of the other end portion of the bellows tube 63 is opened toward the inside of the sub tank 3.

  With the above configuration, the fuel returned from the engine (not shown) is introduced into the passage 821 via the inside of the return port 27. The fuel flow introduced into the passage 821 flows into the fuel passage 813 through the bellows pipe 62 and the pipe portion 331 and discharged to the inside of the sub tank 3 and through the hole 822 and the passage 831. Branch to fuel flow. Note that the amount of fuel flowing into the fuel passage 813 per unit time can be adjusted by setting the diameter of the hole 822 to an arbitrary size.

  The fuel that has flowed into the fuel passage 813 from the passage 831 flows between the side wall 221 and the side wall 811 and between the bottom wall 222 and the bottom wall 812, and fills the fuel passage 813 while contacting the cup 22. The fuel filled in the fuel passage 813 is discharged to the inside of the sub tank 3 via the passage 841 of the second discharge portion 84 and the inside of the bellows tube 63.

  The passage forming member 8 is detachably attached to the lid member 2 by a so-called snap fit. The specific structure of the attachment location is as follows. The passage forming member 8 has claws 85 that protrude in the radially outward direction of the passage forming portion 81 at a plurality of locations on the outer periphery. The lid member 2 has attachment portions 28 that fall to the fuel pump 41 side at a plurality of locations of the flange portion 21 and the support portion 23. A groove 281 is formed in the attachment portion 28 at a position corresponding to the claw 85. The claw 85 of the passage forming member 8 is fitted into the groove 281 of the attachment portion 28 and is locked to the attachment portion 28 in the groove 281. Due to such a structure, the passage forming member 8 can be easily attached to or removed from the lid member 2.

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 5 is accommodated in the space 224 formed in a concave shape by the side wall 221 and the bottom wall 222 of the cup 22 as the specific shape portion. Further, the bottom surface 51 of the control unit 5 is located closer to the fuel pump 41 than the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2. That is, the control unit 5 is provided at a position closer to the fuel pump 41 than the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2. Therefore, the wiring length of the lead wires 71 and 72 connecting the control unit 5 and the fuel pump 41 can be shortened. Therefore, electrical noise generated in the lead wires 71 and 72 when the control unit 5 controls the power supplied to the fuel pump 41 can be reduced.
Moreover, since the control part 5 is provided in the position closer to the fuel pump 41 than the flange part 21 of the cover member 2, the protrusion amount of the control part 5 which protrudes from the flange part 21 to the anti-fuel pump 41 side can be suppressed. . Therefore, the physique of the fuel supply apparatus 1 including the control unit 5 can be reduced vertically in the gravity direction.

  When the control unit 5 controls the power supplied to the fuel pump 41 as the fuel pump 41 is operated, heat is generated. In one embodiment of the present invention, a passage forming member 8 that covers the bottom wall 222 side of the cup 22 and forms a fuel passage 813 with the cup 22 is attached. The fuel returned from the engine flows through the fuel passage 813 while contacting the bottom wall 222 of the cup 22. Thereby, the control part 5 provided in contact with the bottom wall 222 of the cup 22 is cooled via the bottom wall 222 by the flowing fuel. Therefore, malfunction of the control unit 5 due to heat generation can be reduced.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the cup 22 is made of metal. In general, a metal member has lower fuel permeability than a member made of resin or the like. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fuel from passing through the cup 22 and reaching the control unit 5. Therefore, the life of the control unit 5 can be extended. In general, a metal member has higher thermal conductivity than a member made of resin or the like. Therefore, the heat generated by the control unit 5 can be radiated more effectively through the cup 22.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a seal member 291 is provided between the support portion 23 extending from the flange portion 21 of the lid member 2 toward the fuel pump 41 and the side wall 221 of the cup 22. Thereby, the cup 22 is liquid-tightly attached to the flange portion 21. Therefore, fuel leakage from the inside to the outside of the fuel tank 10 passing between the flange portion 21 and the cup 22 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in one Embodiment of this invention, the channel | path formation member 8 is attached to the cover member 2 so that attachment or detachment is possible. Therefore, the passage forming member can be removed from the fuel supply device including the control unit that generates little heat. Thereby, in each fuel supply apparatus provided with the control part with much heat_generation | fever, or the control part with little heat_generation | fever, the location which attaches a channel | path formation member can be made into the same shape. Therefore, the members constituting the fuel supply device can be shared.

(Other embodiments)
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cup as the specific shape portion may not be made of metal, and may be formed integrally with the flange portion of the lid member. Even with such a configuration, effects such as “reduction of electrical noise generated from the lead wires” and “miniaturization of the physique” can be obtained as in the above embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the passage forming member 8 has the claw 85, the attachment portion 28 of the lid member 2 has the groove 281, and the claw 85 fits into the groove 281 is shown. On the other hand, in another embodiment of the present invention, the passage forming member has a groove, the attachment portion of the lid member has a claw, and the passage forming member is attached to the lid member by fitting the claw into the groove. It is good also as a structure to be made.

  Moreover, in other embodiment of this invention, it is good also as a structure which does not provide a channel | path formation member. In this case, the tube portion formed on the upper wall of the sub tank and the return port may be connected by a bellows tube. In the case of the present invention, since the passage forming member is detachable, it can be easily realized even with a fuel supply device having a configuration in which the passage forming member is not provided.

  Thus, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to other various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a fuel supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which looked at FIG. 1 from the direction of arrow II. It is a figure which shows the cover member, control part, and its vicinity of the fuel supply apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  1: Fuel supply device, 2: Cover member, 5: Control part, 10: Fuel tank, 11: Opening (upper opening), 12: Edge part, 21: Flange part, 22: Cup (specific shape part), 41: Fuel pump, 221: side wall, 222: bottom wall, 224: space

Claims (4)

An electrically driven fuel pump provided in the fuel tank, for sucking the fuel in the fuel tank and discharging it out of the fuel tank;
A control unit for controlling electric power supplied to the fuel pump;
A lid member that closes the upper opening of the fuel tank, and has a disk-like flange portion supported by an edge portion forming the upper opening, and a specific shape portion formed in the center in the radial direction of the flange portion; With
The specific shape portion is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has a side wall that falls in a cylindrical shape on the fuel pump side, and a bottom wall that closes a lower end of the side wall,
The control unit is accommodated in a space formed in a concave shape by the side wall and the bottom wall ,
A passage forming member that covers the bottom wall side of the specific shape portion, and that forms a fuel passage with the specific shape portion;
The passage member, the fuel supply apparatus characterized that you have provided detachably.   2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the control unit is located closer to the fuel pump than the flange portion of the lid member.   The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the specific shape portion is formed separately from the flange portion and is liquid-tightly attached to the flange portion.   4. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the specific shape portion is made of metal.

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