JP5042929B2 - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply apparatus.

  In a fuel supply device used for an automobile or the like, in order to cope with deformation of a fuel tank, vibration of a vehicle, etc., a component member is connected so as to be movable (linear movement, rotation) with respect to another component member (For example, Patent Document 1).

  The fuel supply device of Patent Document 1 includes a fuel pump, a reserve container fixed to the fuel pump, a lid, and a rail. The lid closes the opening of the fuel tank. The rail extends from the lid into the fuel tank. The fuel pump and the reserve container are accommodated in the fuel tank. The reserve container is formed with a resin slot for slidably receiving the rail. The slot is slidable with the rail. The rail and the slot are made of the same kind of resin material.

  In Patent Document 1, the fuel tank is deformed depending on the pressure in the fuel tank, a change in temperature, a change in fuel amount, and the like. The reserve container moves along the rail as the fuel tank is deformed. As the reserve container moves along the rail, the slot of the reserve container slides with the rail. When the resin rail and the slot slide directly, an abnormal noise (stagnation sound) may occur. Therefore, in this fuel supply device, a metal plate is disposed on the inner surface of the slot. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of unusual noise is suppressed.

JP 2003-293879 A

  According to the technique of the above-described Patent Document 1, it is possible to suppress noise generated by sliding between the constituent members constituting the fuel supply device. However, a metal plate that matches the shape of the sliding surface of the component member must be produced, and the metal plate must be fixed to the sliding surface of the component member.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and it aims at providing the technique which suppresses generation | occurrence | production of abnormal noise, without arrange | positioning the metal plate produced separately on the sliding surface.

The inventors of the present invention have intensively studied the cause of abnormal noise generated when resin-made structural members slide with each other. When the resin-made constituent members slide with each other, both of the constituent members repeat microscopic melting, adhesion, and separation due to frictional heat generated by the sliding. At the time of separation, the adhered part is broken, and abnormal noise is generated.
From this examination result, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first fuel supply device of the present invention is disposed in the fuel tank in a state of being connected to the set plate that closes the opening of the fuel tank and the set plate. A fuel pump is provided. This fuel supply device has a resin-made first component member and a resin-made second component member slidably connected to the first component member. The sliding surfaces on which the first component member and the second component member slide are formed of resin materials having different melting points.
According to this configuration, both the first component member and the second component member can be prevented from melting due to frictional heat generated by sliding. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of unusual noise is suppressed. In this configuration, the metal plate may not be disposed on one of the sliding surfaces of the first component member and the second component member that slide relative to each other.
The first component member may be made of a resin material that does not melt due to frictional heat generated by sliding with the second component member.

Another fuel supply device disclosed in the present specification includes a set plate that closes an opening of the fuel tank and a fuel pump that is connected to the set plate and disposed in the fuel tank. This fuel supply device has a resin-made first component member and a resin-made second component member slidably connected to the first component member. And the dissimilar material layer is formed in at least one of the sliding surfaces which a 1st component member and a 2nd component member slide mutually.
In this configuration, the resin materials do not slide with each other. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the abnormal noise resulting from adhesion of a sliding surface can be suppressed. In this configuration, the metal plate may not be disposed on one of the sliding surfaces of the first component member and the second component member that slide relative to each other.

The dissimilar material layer described above may be formed of a metal material. Or you may form with the material whose friction coefficient is lower than the material of the structural member in which the different material layer was formed.
According to this configuration, the wear resistance of the sliding surface can be improved. Further, by using a material having a lower friction coefficient than that of the base material, it is possible to reduce the frictional resistance generated during sliding.

  According to the present invention, it is not necessary to prepare a metal plate separately, and the work of fixing the metal plate can be reduced. Thereby, the manufacturing process of a fuel supply apparatus can be reduced.

The technical features of the following examples are listed.
(Mode 1) A fiber material is added to at least one of the resin materials forming the sliding surfaces of the first component member and the second component member that slide on each other.
(Mode 2) One of the first constituent member and the second constituent member is made of POM (polyoxymethylene, polyacetal), and the other is made of PA66 (polyamide 66).
(Mode 3) The fuel supply device includes a first resin member and a second resin member. The first resin member is fixed to the upper surface of the tank. The second resin member contacts the bottom surface of the fuel tank. The second resin member is slidably connected to the first resin member.
(Form 4) As for the 1st resin member, the rail arrange | positioned in the fuel tank and the cover body which block | closes the opening of a fuel tank upper surface are integrally formed. The 2nd resin member has a support part which supports the measuring device which measures the amount of remaining fuel in a fuel tank. The second resin member is supported by the rail of the first resin member and is movable along the rail.
(Mode 5) The fuel supply apparatus has a third resin member. The third resin member has a pipe portion that communicates with the fuel pump. The third resin member is slidably supported by the second resin member. Specifically, a part of the third resin member is inserted into a hole-like support portion formed in the second resin member, and the third resin member is rotatably supported by the second resin member.

(First embodiment)
A fuel supply apparatus according to an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a fuel supply device for supplying gasoline to an automobile engine will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the fuel supply device 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply device 10 includes a set plate 12, a fuel pump 28, a sender gauge adapter 24, a sender gauge 30, and a suction pipe 34.
The set plate 12 is made of, for example, POM. The set plate 12 includes a lid body 13, a canister 14, and a rail 22. The lid 13 of the set plate 12 is fitted into the opening of the fuel tank 50 and closes the opening. The set plate 12 is positioned with respect to the fuel tank 50 such that the outer peripheral edge of the lid 13 is in contact with the upper surface of the fuel tank 50. A discharge port 16 and an external connector 18 are formed on the upper surface of the lid body 13. The discharge port 16 is connected to an engine (not shown) via a fuel passage (not shown). The discharge port 16 supplies the fuel pressurized by the fuel pump 28 to the engine. The fuel pump 28 is supported by the set plate 12. The external connector 18 is connected to an external power source (not shown) such as a battery.

A canister 14 is formed integrally with the lid 13. That is, the canister 14 is also formed by POM. A canister body 14 b is formed on the lower surface of the lid body 13 along the outer peripheral shape of the lid body 13. The canister main body 14b includes an adsorption chamber for storing an adsorbent, a cut-off valve, and the like (not shown). The canister body 14b prevents the evaporated fuel from being released into the atmosphere by adsorbing the evaporated fuel in the fuel tank 50 to the adsorbent. On the upper surface of the lid 13, there are provided a plurality of ports 14 a including an atmospheric port and a purge port communicating with the canister body 14 b. The fuel adsorbed by the adsorbent in the canister body 14b is purged by the engine through the port 14a. Although the specific structure of the canister 14 is not specifically limited, For example, the structure described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-184664 is employable.
Two rails 22 are integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the canister body 14b. That is, the two rails 22 are also formed by POM. The rail 22 extends perpendicular to the lid body 13.

  A sender gauge adapter 24 is slidably connected to the rail 22. The sender gauge adapter 24 is made of PA66. A sender gauge 30 is rotatably supported on the sender gauge adapter 24. The sender gauge 30 is supplied with power from an external power source (not shown) via the external connector 18 and the harness 32. The sender gauge 30 is used for measuring the amount of fuel in the fuel tank 50.

A spring 20 is disposed between the upper end of the sender gauge adapter 24 and the lower surface of the lid 13 of the set plate 12. The spring 20 urges the sender gauge adapter 24 downward. Thereby, the lower end of the sender gauge adapter 24 is in contact with the bottom surface of the fuel tank 50.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the rail 22 and the sender gauge adapter 24 extracted. The fuel tank 50 expands or contracts due to a pressure change in the fuel tank 50 or a force applied from the outside. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the fuel tank 50 is deformed and the vertical distance in the fuel tank 50 is minimized. On the other hand, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the vertical distance in the fuel tank 50 is the largest. The sender gauge adapter 24 is movable along the rail 22 from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sender gauge adapter 24 is formed with a snap fit 24b. The snap fit 24b engages with the engaging portion 12a of the set plate 12 from above. As a result, the sender gauge adapter 24 is prevented from falling off the set plate 12. When the sender gauge adapter 24 moves along the rail 22, the sliding surface 24 a of the sender gauge adapter 24 moves while sliding with the sliding surface 22 a of the rail 22. The sender gauge 30 moves in the vertical direction with respect to the set plate 12 along with the sender gauge adapter 24.

  The sender gauge adapter 24 has a pipe support portion 31 for supporting the suction pipe 34. The pipe support portion 31 is formed integrally with the sender gauge adapter 24. That is, the pipe support portion 31 is formed by PA66. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction pipe 34 is inserted into a through hole 31 a formed in the pipe support portion 31. The suction pipe 34 is attached to the pipe support 31 by the snap fit 34 b engaging with the upper end of the pipe support 31. The suction pipe 34 is made of POM. The suction pipe 34 is connected to the fuel pump 28. The suction pipe 34 rotates with respect to the pipe support portion 31 due to vibration of a vehicle (not shown) or deformation of the fuel tank 50. At this time, the sliding surface 34a of the suction pipe 34 slides with the inner surface 31b of the through hole 31a.

In the fuel supply device 10 described above, the sender gauge adapter 24 moves along the rail 22 as the fuel tank 50 is deformed. At this time, the sliding surface 22a of the rail 22 and the sliding surface 24a of the sender gauge adapter 24 slide. When the sliding surface 22a and the sliding surface 24a slide, frictional heat is generated. As a result, the temperature of the sliding surfaces 22a and 24a increases. When the sender gauge adapter 24 is made of POM, which is the same material as the rail 22, when the melting point of the POM exceeds about 170 ° C., the sliding surface 22a and the sliding surface 24a melt and adhere microscopically. Repeat the separation. At the time of separation, the adhered part is broken, and abnormal noise is generated.
In the fuel supply apparatus 10 described above, the set plate 12 is made of POM, and the sender gauge adapter 24 is made of PA66. The melting point of PA66 is approximately 260 ° C. According to the fuel supply device 10, the sender gauge adapter 24 is not melted by frictional heat due to sliding. Therefore, adhesion between the rail 22 and the sender gauge adapter 24 is prevented. Thereby, the abnormal noise by sliding with the rail 22 and the sender gauge adapter 24 can be suppressed.

In the fuel supply device 10, the suction pipe 34 slides with the pipe support portion 31. Since the suction pipe 34 is made of POM and the sender gauge adapter 24 is made of PA 66, the sliding surface 34a of the suction pipe 34 and the inner surface 31b of the through hole 31a of the pipe support 31 may adhere. Is prevented. Thereby, the abnormal noise by sliding with the suction pipe 34 and the pipe support part 31 can be suppressed.
Further, in the sliding between the POM and the PA 66, the difference between the maximum friction force and the minimum friction force is smaller than in the sliding between the POMs, and so-called stick-slip phenomenon is suppressed. Thereby, abnormal noise can be suppressed.

  In the fuel supply device 10, the rail 22 of the set plate 12 fixed to the upper surface of the fuel tank 50 and the sender gauge adapter 24 in contact with the bottom surface of the fuel tank 50 are formed of different resin materials. As a result, even when the fuel tank 50 is deformed and the sender gauge adapter 24 slides along the rail 22, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise. From this point of view, the technique of the present embodiment can also be suitably applied to the first component member fixed to the upper surface of the fuel tank 50 and the second component member contacting the bottom surface of the fuel tank 50. That is, by forming the first component member and the second component member that slide along with the deformation of the fuel tank 50 from different resin materials, it is possible to effectively prevent abnormal noise generated when both component members slide. Can be suppressed. The functions of the first component member and the second component member are not particularly limited. For example, the second component member may be a holding member that holds a sub-tank (reservoir container) disposed on the bottom surface of the fuel tank 50 or a fuel pump.

(Modification 1)
In the fuel supply apparatus 10 described above, the set plate 12 is made of POM, and the sender gauge adapter 24 is made of PA66. However, both the set plate 12 and the sender gauge adapter 24 may be made of the same resin material. Further, the suction pipe 34 may be made of the same resin material as the sender gauge adapter 24. In this case, a different material layer is formed on at least one of the sliding surface 22 a of the rail 22 and the sliding surface 24 a of the sender gauge adapter 24. Further, a different material layer is formed on at least one of the sliding surface 34a of the suction pipe 34 and the inner surface 31b of the through hole 31a. For example, chromium, gold, or the like may be plated on the sliding surface 22a, the sliding surface 24a, the inner surface 31b, and the sliding surface 34a. Alternatively, DLC (diamond-like carbon) or fluorine having a smaller friction coefficient than PA 66 may be applied to the sliding surface 22a, the sliding surface 24a, the inner surface 31b, and the sliding surface 34a.
Also with this configuration, adhesion between the sliding surfaces can be prevented. Thereby, abnormal noise can be suppressed. Further, by providing a highly lubricated material layer such as DLC or fluorine on the sliding surface 22a, the sliding surface 24a, the inner surface 31b, and the sliding surface 34a, resistance due to friction during sliding can be reduced.

(Modification 2)
For example, a fiber material such as GF may be added to PA 66 which is a material of the sender gauge adapter 24. For example, PA66-GF33 is preferable. According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.
5 and 6 are graphs showing experimental results when the material of the sender gauge adapter 24 is PA66 and when it is PA66-GF33. FIG. 5 shows the rate of change in strength of the snap fit 24b of the sender gauge adapter 24 when the sender gauge adapter 24 is immersed in fuel. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 shows the elapsed time since the sender gauge adapter 24 was immersed in fuel. The vertical axis in FIG. 5 indicates the ratio of the strength of the snap fit 24b to the strength of the initial snap fit 24b. A point 102 (● in FIG. 5) indicates the rate of change in strength when the material of the sender gauge adapter 24 is PA66-GF33. A point 104 (× in FIG. 5) indicates a rate of change in strength when the material of the sender gauge adapter 24 is PA66. In PA66-GF33, the degree of strength decrease is small compared to PA66.
FIG. 6 shows the dimensional change of the sender gauge adapter 24 when the sender gauge adapter 24 is immersed in fuel. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 shows the elapsed time since the sender gauge adapter 24 was immersed in fuel. The vertical axis of FIG. 6 shows the rate of increase in the size of the sender gauge adapter 24 relative to the initial size of the sender gauge adapter 24. A point 112 (● in FIG. 6) indicates the rate of change in dimensions when the material of the sender gauge adapter 24 is PA66-GF33. A point 114 (x in FIG. 6) indicates a rate of change in dimensions when the material of the sender gauge adapter 24 is PA66. PA66-GF33 has a smaller dimensional change due to fuel swelling than PA66. The PA 66 constituting the sender gauge adapter 24 has a larger dimensional change due to fuel swelling than the POM constituting the rail 22. Therefore, by adding a fiber material to PA66 and reducing the dimensional change of PA66, the difference from the dimensional change of POM can be reduced.
When two constituent members that slide with each other are formed of different resin materials as in this embodiment, the dimensional changes that occur in the two constituent members are different from each other. For this reason, the clearance between the two constituent members may change, and the two constituent members may not be slidable, or rattling may occur between the two constituent members. On the other hand, when a fiber material is added to the constituent member having a larger dimensional change, the dimensional change can be suppressed, so that the slidability of the two constituent members can be maintained.

Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.
For example, the set plate 12 and the suction pipe 34 may be made of PA66, and the sender gauge adapter 24 may be made of POM.
Further, for example, the entire set plate 12 may not be the same material, and the entire sender gauge adapter 24 may not be the same material. In this case, a combination of materials of the sliding surface 22a and the sliding surface 24a is a resin material having different melting points, such as PA66 and POM. Similarly, the entire suction pipe 34 may not be the same material. In this case, a combination of materials of the sliding surface 34a and the inner surface 31b is a resin material having different melting points, such as PA66 and POM.
The resin material used for the set plate 12, the sender gauge adapter 24, and the suction pipe 34 is not limited to POM and PA66. In this case, one of the sliding structural members is made of a resin material that does not melt due to frictional heat generated by sliding.
In addition, the technical elements described in the present specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings achieves a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the objects.

The front view of the fuel supply apparatus of an Example. The front view which extracted a part of fuel supply apparatus. The top view of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the IV-IV cross section of FIG. The graph which shows the experimental result of the intensity | strength change of the supporting member of a modification. The graph which shows the experimental result of the dimensional change of the support member of a modification.

Explanation of symbols

10: Fuel supply device 12: Set plate 22: Rail 22a: Sliding surface 24: Sender gauge adapter 24a: Sliding surface 24b: Snap fit 28: Fuel pump 31: Pipe support 34: Suction pipe 34a: Sliding surface

Claims (2)

A fuel supply device comprising a set plate that closes an opening of a fuel tank and a fuel pump that is connected to the set plate and disposed in the fuel tank,
A first component member made of resin;
A second resin component slidably connected to the first component;
Have
The sliding surfaces on which the first component member and the second component member slide are formed of resin materials having different melting points ,
The fuel supply device, wherein the first component member is made of a resin material that is not melted by frictional heat generated by sliding with the second component member . 2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein a fiber material is added to at least one of resin materials forming a sliding surface that slides between the first component member and the second component member.

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