JP5696467B2 - Vehicle fuel tank - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel tank in which a fuel pump support member is welded and fixed to the bottom surface of the fuel tank.

  A support member is installed on the bottom surface of the fuel tank, and a fuel pump for supplying fuel to the engine is disposed on the support member. The bottom portion of the fuel pump is always pressed against the bottom surface of the fuel tank via the support member by an urging means such as a vertically extendable spring. This prevents the bottom surface of the fuel tank from directly contacting and rubbing the bottom of the fuel pump, while allowing the fuel pump to follow the deformation due to the internal pressure fluctuation of the fuel tank and the fuel's own weight, and reliably sucks out the fuel. .

  With regard to this type of fuel tank, for example, in Patent Document 1, an urging means such as a spring that can be vertically expanded and contracted is disposed in the fuel pump, and the bottom of the fuel pump is pressed against a reinforcing plate disposed on the bottom wall of the fuel tank. A fuel supply apparatus having the above-described configuration is disclosed. In this way, by using the reinforcing plate separately from the bottom wall of the fuel tank, the relative position between the bottom of the fuel pump and the bottom wall of the fuel tank can be adjusted without complicated press processing of a relatively rigid fuel tank. It can be regulated.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicular fuel tank in which a bead (protruding portion) protruding outward from the fuel tank is provided on the bottom surface of the lower tank panel of the fuel tank to which the auxiliary tank is attached. Thereby, the convex part of the bead does not get in the way when the auxiliary tank is welded to the bottom surface of the lower tank panel.

Japanese Patent No. 4144528 JP 2002-321537 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, when the joining between the reinforcing plate and the bottom wall of the fuel tank is spot welding, when the fuel tank is placed on the flat portion with its bottom face down, the joint portion becomes the flat portion. Direct contact. For this reason, there exists a possibility that the paint peeling of a spot-welded part may generate | occur | produce.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a bead that is convex in the outer direction of the fuel tank is provided, and a bead that is convex in the same direction as the deformation direction of the lower tank panel is provided, so that the direction opposite to the deformation direction of the lower tank panel is provided. Compared with the case where a bead that protrudes in the (inner direction of the fuel tank) is provided, the deformation becomes larger. For this reason, stress concentration tends to occur in the welded portion in the vicinity of the bead, and a problem remains in strength.

  In view of such problems, the present invention provides a vehicle fuel capable of reducing the stress of the welded portion and maintaining the rust prevention function of the welded portion when the support member of the fuel pump is welded to the bottom surface of the fuel tank. The purpose is to provide a tank.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle fuel tank according to the present invention is a container-like upper tank panel and a lower tank panel having openings in the vehicle fuel tank, and the openings are mutually connected. Upper tank panel and lower tank panel joined to form an internal space for fuel storage, a support member attached to the inner surface of the lower tank panel, and passing through the inner space from the outer surface of the upper tank panel via the support member And a fuel pump pressed and urged to the inner surface of the lower tank panel, the lower tank panel protruding in the direction of the internal space, and having a substantially flat mounting seat surface to which the support member is attached at least partially It is characterized by having.

  In the present invention, since the raised portion formed in the lower tank panel is convex in the direction of the internal space for fuel storage, the surface rigidity of the bottom surface of the lower tank panel is improved and the fuel tank is deformed outward. It is suppressed. In addition, since the bottom surface of the lower tank panel that is the base of the support member is not easily deformed, it is possible to reduce the stress generated in the joint portion of the support member due to such deformation. Further, in the state of a single fuel tank before assembling to the vehicle, even when the fuel tank is placed on the flat portion with the bottom face down, the joint portion does not contact the flat portion.

  For this reason, for example, even when the joint is spot welding, it is possible to prevent paint peeling from occurring at the joint. Furthermore, the mounting seat surface of the raised portion is located above the bottom surface of the lower tank panel, and this mounting seat surface is hidden when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. The chipping phenomenon that the paint peels off hardly occurs.

  The raised portion may include a belt-like region having a predetermined width that continuously extends to the mounting seat surface, and the width of the mounting seat surface may be larger than the predetermined width. With this configuration, only the mounting seat surface portion of the support member protrudes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the belt-like raised portion (width direction of the raised portion), so that the raised portion is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the raised portion. By forming the side wall surface in the direction, the surface rigidity of the bottom surface of the lower tank panel is improved. For this reason, the amount of deformation of the bottom surface of the lower tank panel in the outward direction of the fuel tank can be reduced, and the stress on the joint portion of the support member can be further reduced.

  Furthermore, the support member may be joined in the vicinity of the edge of the raised portion. With this configuration, for example, spot welding is performed on the portion having the highest surface rigidity of the raised portion, so that stress on the spot welded portion is further reduced.

  The support member may be formed of a plate material having a rectangular cross section. With this configuration, the stress generated by the deformation of the lower tank panel can be absorbed by the portion of the support member that is separated from the lower tank panel having a rectangular cross-sectional shape deformed by bending elasticity. Thereby, the stress to the joint portion of the support member is reduced.

  Further, the belt-like direction of the raised portion may be substantially parallel to the vehicle front-rear direction. With this configuration, since the side wall surface of the raised portion faces the vehicle front-rear direction, there is little possibility that pebbles and the like collide with the side wall surface. For this reason, the chipping phenomenon that the coating is peeled off due to the collision of pebbles or the like on the side wall surface of the raised portion hardly occurs.

  According to the present invention, when a fuel pump support member is welded and fixed to the bottom surface of a fuel tank, a fuel tank for a vehicle capable of reducing the stress at the welded portion and maintaining the antirust function of the welded portion is provided. Can do.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the fuel tank for vehicles of this embodiment, and the fuel pump integrated in this. It is a disassembled perspective view of the fuel tank for vehicles of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is the IV section enlarged view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation state of the protruding part corresponding to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel tank of Comparative Example 1 corresponding to FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel tank of Comparative Example 2 corresponding to FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing of the fuel tank of the comparative example 3 corresponding to FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation state of the protruding part corresponding to FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified.

  In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  1 is an exploded perspective view of a fuel tank for a vehicle and a fuel pump incorporated therein according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fuel tank for a vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the -III line.

  1 and 2, a vehicle fuel tank (hereinafter referred to as “fuel tank”) 100 includes a metal upper tank panel 102 and a lower tank panel 104, and a support member 106 attached to the inner surface of the lower tank panel 104. And a fuel pump 108 pressed against the inner surface of the lower tank panel 104 via the support member 106.

  The upper tank panel 102 has an opening 103 and has a container shape having a flange portion 102a around it. Similarly, the lower tank panel 104 has an opening 105 and has a container shape with a flange 104a around the opening 105. In the upper tank panel 102 and the lower tank panel 104, the openings 103 and 105 are joined to each other by seam welding or the like through the flange portions 102a and 104a to form an internal space 110 for storing fuel (FIG. 1, (See FIG. 3).

  A plurality of bolt insertion holes 116 are provided in the flange portions 102a and 104a. Using this bolt insertion hole 116, the fuel tank 100 is attached to the vehicle body side by a bolt (not shown).

  The upper tank panel 102 is provided with a through hole 118 at a position closer to the outside than the center. A fuel pump 108 is inserted into the through hole 118 so as to pass through the internal space 110 from the outer surface of the upper tank panel 102. The upper surface of the fuel pump 108 is covered with a plate 120 and fixed with a plurality of bolts 122. At the rear part of the fuel tank 100, filler hose and breather hose attachment parts 124, 126 (not shown) are provided.

  The lower tank panel 104 has raised portions 112 and 113 that are convex in the direction of the internal space 110. The raised portions 112 and 113 include, for example, a belt-like region having a predetermined width that is continuously formed and formed by pressing. This belt-like direction is substantially parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction. Auxiliary raised portions 132 and 133 extending in the vehicle width direction are formed in the middle of the raised portions 112 and 113.

  The raised portions 112 and 113 and the auxiliary raised portions 132 and 133 are provided mainly to increase the rigidity of the lower tank panel 104. For convenience, the upper end surfaces of the raised portions 112, 113, etc. are indicated by thin diagonal lines (see FIG. 2). Note that the number of the raised portions 112, 113, etc. can be arbitrarily selected.

  The lower tank panel 104 receives a load, which is deformed to the vehicle lower side (outward direction of the fuel tank 100) by the urging force of the fuel pump 108, from the bottom surface 108a of the fuel pump 108 via the support member 106.

  The support member 106 is attached to a predetermined location on a substantially flat surface of one of the raised portions 112 and 113. Since the raised portions 112 and 113 have the same configuration, only the raised portion 112 will be described below.

  The support member 106 is composed of a plate-like member (for example, a sheet metal member) and is formed in a rectangular wave shape (cross-sectional hat shape). Thus, the support member 106 was formed in a rectangular wave shape in cross section using a plate-like member. For this reason, the influence by the load added to the inner surface (bottom surface 104b) of the lower tank panel 104 from the fuel pump 108 can be relieved. That is, a portion of the support member 106 having a rectangular corrugated cross section that is separated from the lower tank panel 104 toward the vehicle upper side (inner direction of the fuel tank 100) is deformed by bending elasticity, thereby lowering the lower tank panel due to the urging force received from the fuel pump 108. The stress generated by the deformation of 104 can be absorbed.

  Therefore, the stress to the joint part A (see FIG. 4) of the support member 106 can be reduced. (Due to the deformation of the support member 106 due to bending elasticity, the stress concentration on the joint A of the support member 106 can be reduced.) The support member 106 is formed on the raised portion 112 formed on the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104. It is attached by spot welding or the like.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the support member 106 is interposed between the lower tank panel 104 and the bottom surface 108a of the fuel pump 108 to avoid direct contact between the lower tank panel 104 and the bottom surface 108a of the fuel pump 108. Yes. The lower tank panel 104 is prevented from rubbing due to vibrations when the vehicle travels or vibrations caused by the operation of the fuel pump 108 itself.

  By the way, the fuel pump 108 can be vertically expanded and contracted, and a spring (not shown) is built in the fuel pump 108, and a force pressing the support member 106 to the vehicle lower side by this spring always acts. doing. Therefore, the bottom surface 108 a of the fuel pump 108 can follow the deformation of the lower tank panel 104 via the support member 106.

  Therefore, initial stress is generated in the spot welded portion between the lower tank panel 104 and the support member 106, and further between the lower tank panel 104 and the support member 106 regardless of the vehicle running state and the remaining amount of fuel. In addition to this initial stress, the lower tank panel 104 is further deformed in the outward direction of the fuel tank 100 due to the increase in the internal pressure of the fuel tank 100 due to the vaporization of the fuel and the stress due to the weight of the fuel. Stress will be concentrated.

  As described above, the fuel pump 108 passes through the internal space 110 from the through hole 118 of the upper tank panel 102, and is urged by the elastic pressure of the spring to the bottom surface 104 b of the lower tank panel 104 via the support member 106.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion IV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the raised portion 112 includes a side wall surface 112a that is inclined from the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 toward the center OO of the raised portion 112, and an upper end side of the side wall surface 112a. And a belt-like region having a predetermined width w (see FIG. 2) extending continuously and a mounting seat surface 114 having a width W larger than this. The mounting seat surface 114 is substantially flat, but the belt-like region does not necessarily have to be substantially flat in the entire region, and may have a recess or the like in part.

  In this embodiment, the support member 106 is joined to the vicinity of the end edge of the substantially flat mounting seat surface 114 (in the vicinity of the end edge of the raised portion 112) by spot welding, for example. However, a fixing method other than spot welding may be used. In FIG. 4, let A be a joint (welded spot) by spot welding at this time. Further, as described above, the width W of the mounting seat surface 114 to which the support member 106 is attached is made larger than the predetermined width w of the belt-like region.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the belt-like direction of the raised portion 112 is made substantially parallel to the vehicle front-rear direction, thereby reducing the possibility that pebbles and the like collide with the side wall surface 112a of the raised portion 112 when the vehicle is traveling. . Thereby, a so-called chipping phenomenon in which pebbles or the like collide with the painted surface and the paint of the portion peels off can be suppressed.

  Further, in FIG. 4, since the joint A by spot welding is located on the vehicle upper side from the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104, there is little possibility that the pebbles jumped up by the wheels collide with the joint A. Thus, the chipping phenomenon can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when the fuel tank 100 is mounted on the plane table with the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 facing down in a single item state before the fuel tank 100 is assembled to the vehicle body, the joint A is directly connected to the plane portion. Do not touch. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the peeling of the joint A.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the width W of the mounting seat surface 114 is larger than the belt-shaped predetermined width w, the mounting seat surface 114 projects from the belt-shaped region in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the side wall surface 112c (the side wall surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the raised portion) is formed in the vehicle width direction, whereby the surface rigidity of the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 can be improved. For this reason, it is possible to further reduce the deformation of the mounting seat surface 114 in the outward direction of the fuel tank 100 (the vehicle lower side). In this way, the stress generated in the joint A can be further reduced. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in FIG. 4, the support member 106 is joined in the vicinity of the edge 112 b of the raised portion 112. As described above, since the joint portion A is provided near the portion (end edge 112b) having the highest surface rigidity of the raised portion 112, the stress applied to the joint portion A can be reduced.

  Note that the position of the joint A (spot welding) is, as shown by the symbol A in FIG. 2, the mounting seat surface 114 (protrusion) at the corner where the side wall surface 112c in the vehicle width direction and the side wall surface 112b in the vehicle front-rear direction intersect. If the vicinity of the edge 112b of the portion 112) is set, the stress applied to the joint portion A can be further reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed state of the raised portion 112 corresponding to FIG. Thus, in this embodiment, not only the convex direction of the raised portion 112 is directed inward of the fuel tank 100 but also a part of the raised portion 112 is used as the mounting seat surface 114 of the support member 106. is there.

  Here, for example, when the portion B passing through the center OO where the deformation of the raised portion 112 is the largest and the joint A of spot welding become B1 and A1 due to the deformation, respectively, B and A before the deformation If the difference in the height direction of h1 is h0, and the difference in height direction between B1 and A1 after deformation is h1, the larger the difference between h1 and h0, Δh = h1−h0, the greater the spot welding joint A. Stress increases. Then, next, the magnitude | size of the stress concerning the junction part A is examined, comparing this embodiment and Comparative Examples 1-3.

(Comparative Example 1)
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank 100 of Comparative Example 1 corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 6, a sheet metal support member 106 is disposed between the bottom surface 104 b of the lower tank panel 104 and the bottom surface 108 a of the fuel pump 108. Further, the support member 106 is fixed to the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 by spot welding (joint portion A).

  Here, a force F that presses the support member 106 toward the vehicle lower side by a spring (not shown) incorporated in the fuel pump 108 is constantly acting on the support member 106. For this reason, the lower tank panel 104 to which the support member 106 is fixed bends (deforms) to the vehicle lower side (outward direction of the fuel tank 100). Then, stress concentrates on the spot welded portion (joint portion A) that fixes the support member 106 and the lower tank panel 104. In Comparative Example 1, since the raised portion 112 is not provided in the arrangement part of the support member 106, the surface rigidity of the lower tank panel 104 is low, and the amount of deformation (flexure) of the lower tank panel 104 increases, and this embodiment It is assumed that a stress larger than (see FIG. 5) acts on the joint A.

  In the first comparative example, the spot welding joint A is present on the bottom surface 104 b of the lower tank panel 104. For this reason, for example, when the fuel tank 100 is transported and mounted, and the temporary tank is temporarily placed on the flat surface with the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 facing down, the joint portion A rubs against the flat surface portion.

(Comparative Example 2)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank of Comparative Example 2 corresponding to FIG. In Comparative Example 2, the support member 106 is joined to the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 at the joint portion A by spot welding, and a bulge that protrudes inward of the fuel tank 100 between the joint portion A and the joint portion A. A portion 142 is formed. Thereby, the rigidity of the lower tank panel 104 is improved.

  However, in Comparative Example 2, first, as in Comparative Example 1, since the spot welding joint A exists on the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104, for example, the flat surface portion with the bottom surface 104b of the lower tank panel 104 facing down is provided. When temporarily placed, the joint A rubs against the flat portion. Then, the rust preventive coating applied to the surface of the fuel tank 100 is peeled off only that portion.

  Furthermore, it can be said that generally the joint A by welding has poor paint adhesion, and rust is likely to proceed from the weld. Therefore, the following comparative example 3 can be considered as a countermeasure.

(Comparative Example 3)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank of Comparative Example 3 corresponding to FIG. In Comparative Example 3, the support member 106 is joined to the lower tank panel 104 at the joint A by spot welding, and a raised portion 152 that protrudes outwardly of the fuel tank 100 is formed between the joint A and the joint A. Forming. Thereby, the rigidity of the lower tank panel 104 is improved.

  However, in general, the direction in which the convexity of the bead (the bulging portion) is changed to the direction opposite to the deformation direction is such that the deformation becomes smaller. It can be said that the deformation of the lower tank panel 104 is smaller when the fuel tank 100 is directed in the direction opposite to the outer direction of the lower tank panel 104. For this reason, the raised portion 152 of Comparative Example 3 is disadvantageous in terms of strength. Therefore, the stress applied to the joint A will be considered next.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed state of the raised portion 152 corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 9, the difference in the height direction between the portion C passing through the center OO before deformation of the lower tank panel 104 and the joint portion A of spot welding is defined as h2, and C1 and the joint portion after deformation corresponding to the portion C The difference between the height direction and A2 is defined as h3. The difference between h3 and h2 is Δh (Δh = h3−h2).

  Then, in FIG. 9, since the convex direction of the raised portion 152 faces the same direction as the deformation direction, as described above, the deformation amount (Δh) of Comparative Example 3 is the deformation amount of FIG. 5 of the present embodiment. It becomes larger than (Δh). That is, in Comparative Example 3, the stress applied to the joint A is increased as compared with the present embodiment.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used for a vehicle fuel tank in which a fuel pump support member is welded and fixed to the bottom surface of the fuel tank.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vehicle fuel tank, 102 ... Upper tank panel, 102a ... Flange part, 103 ... Opening part, 104 ... Lower tank panel, 104a ... Flange part, 104b ... Bottom face, 105 ... Opening part, 106 ... Support member, 108 ... Fuel Pump, 108a ... bottom surface, 110 ... internal space, 112 ... bulged portion, 112a ... side wall surface, 112b ... edge, 112c ... side wall surface in the vehicle width direction, 113 ... raised portion, 114 ... mounting seat surface, 116 ... bolt insertion Holes 118, through holes 120, plates 122, bolts 132, auxiliary raised portions 133, auxiliary raised portions 142, raised portions 152, raised portions, w, predetermined width, W, mounting seat surface width

Claims (4)

In vehicle fuel tanks,
A container-like upper tank panel and a lower tank panel having an opening, wherein the openings are joined together to form an internal space for fuel storage; and
A support member attached to the inner surface of the lower tank panel;
A fuel pump that passes through the internal space from the outer surface of the upper tank panel and is urged against the inner surface of the lower tank panel via the support member,
The lower tank panel is
The internal space has become convex in the direction of, have a raised portion having a mounting seat surface of the substantially flat at least partially said support member is attached,
The vehicular fuel tank , wherein the raised portion includes a belt-like region having a predetermined width continuously extending on the mounting seat surface, and the width of the mounting seat surface is larger than the predetermined width . The vehicle fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein the support member is joined in the vicinity of an edge of the raised portion. The vehicle fuel tank according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the support member is formed of a plate member having a rectangular cross section. 2. The vehicle fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein the belt-like direction of the raised portion is substantially parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction.

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