JP6882127B2 - Check valve opening jig - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a check valve opening jig that holds a check valve provided in a fluid passage connected to a tank body of a tank in which a fluid is stored, such as a fuel tank of an automobile, in an open state.

An example of a tank in which fluid is stored is an automobile fuel tank. In an automobile fuel tank, a fuel supply passage from the outside to the inside of the fuel tank is connected to the tank body as a fluid passage. Some fuel tanks are provided with a check valve at the downstream end of the fuel supply passage to prevent backflow of fuel.

Specifically, for example, the fuel supply passage into the fuel tank is a tubular connecting member attached to an opening formed in the tank body and a fuel supply pipe connected to the tank body via the connecting member. A check valve is provided so as to have (inlet pipe) and open / close the opening end portion on the downstream side of the connecting member (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The fuel (for example, gasoline) in the fuel tank is pumped out by the fuel pump, and is injected into the intake passage of the engine or the like by the fuel injection valve through a predetermined path.

Such a fuel tank of an automobile is generally a highly airtight tank, and when the fuel tank is mounted on a vehicle body, a leak inspection for confirming the presence or absence of a leak in the fuel tank may be performed in advance. In the fuel tank leak inspection, as an inspection method with relatively high leak detection accuracy, for example, a gas for detection such as helium is replaced and sealed in the fuel tank, and the leak of the detection gas is detected by a leak detector. There is one that adopts the method of doing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-116901

In the leak inspection of the method of detecting gas as described above, when the gas for detection is filled in the fuel tank, the fuel tank is evacuated by a vacuum pump in order to evacuate the inside of the fuel tank. In the fuel tank, in addition to the fuel supply passage, for example, there is a piping structure that communicates with the inside of the fuel tank, such as a pipe for bleeding air. Therefore, the portion forming the fuel supply passage having a larger pipe diameter (flow path area) than other pipe structures is used as an exhaust passage for vacuuming.

Therefore, in the vacuuming of the fuel tank, in order to obtain the vacuuming action of the vacuum pump, the check valve provided in the opening on the downstream side of the fuel supply passage is opened (valve open state) as described above. Need to hold. In other words, this check valve allows the supply of fuel into the fuel tank, while the vacuuming of the fuel tank allows the flow of gas in the backflow direction, where the flow of fuel is regulated by the check valve. It is necessary to open the check valve when evacuating the fuel tank because it is generated.

Conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 15A, the check valve is maintained in the open state with respect to the tubular connecting member 106 that connects the inlet pipe 107 to the tank body 102 of the fuel tank. This is done by inserting a jig (sleeve jig) 150 made of a sleeve-shaped member having an outer diameter slightly smaller (for example, about 0.5 mm) than the inner diameter of the connecting member 106. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B, the sleeve jig 150 is attached to the connecting member 106 attached to the tank body 102 and to which the inlet pipe 107 is not connected from the upstream side (outside of the tank body 102). The valve body 121 is held at the valve opening position by inserting the sleeve jig 150 and pressing the valve body 121 of the check valve 120 provided at the downstream end of the connecting member 106.

However, according to the conventional technique for opening the check valve 120 by using the sleeve jig 150, there are the following problems.

From the viewpoint of ensuring the airtightness of the fuel tank, the leak inspection is performed while the inlet pipe 107 is connected to the connecting member 106 so that the connection portion of the inlet pipe 107 to the connecting member 106 is included in the target of the leak inspection. It is preferably done. However, when the inlet pipe 107 is connected to the connecting member 106, the distance from the opening on the upstream side to the check valve 120 becomes longer with respect to the arrangement position of the check valve 120, and the check valve Since the access path to 120 is also non-linear, it is extremely difficult for the sleeve jig 150 to act on the valve body 121 of the check valve 120.

Further, in the fuel supply passage of the fuel tank, a portion that limits the passage area may be provided at a position on the upstream side of the check valve 120. Specifically, as a portion that limits the passage area, for example, a pipe for sucking fuel or the like is inserted into the fuel tank at a position on the upstream side of the connecting member 106 in order to prevent theft of fuel in the fuel tank. A passage restriction part is provided to prevent the fuel from being blocked. In such a case, in the sleeve jig 150, the passage limiting portion becomes an obstacle, and the check valve 120 cannot be opened.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a structure in which a check valve is provided in the fluid passage connected to the tank body of the tank in which the fluid is stored, whereas the fluid passage with respect to the tank body is provided. Even if the access path to the check valve is long and non-linear depending on the configuration of the connection part, or if a part that limits the passage area is provided at the position on the upstream side of the check valve in the fluid passage, the reverse It is an object of the present invention to provide a check valve opening jig capable of holding a check valve in an open state.

The check valve opening jig according to the present invention is a check valve opening jig that holds the check valve provided in the fluid passage connected to the tank body of the tank in which the fluid is stored in the valve open state. A jig main body having a mounting portion for being mounted on the piping member constituting the fluid passage, and a state in which the jig main body is provided on the jig main body and the jig main body is mounted on the piping member. It is provided with a valve body pressing portion that holds the check valve in the valve open state by pressing the valve body of the check valve from inside the piping member.

Further, in the check valve opening jig according to the present invention, the valve body pressing portion is a linear portion extending from the jig main body portion in the check valve opening jig.

Further, the check valve opening jig according to the present invention is the check valve opening jig, in which the valve body pressing portion is a flexible wire main body portion extending from the jig main body portion and the wire main body portion. It has a rod-shaped pressing rod portion provided on the tip end side of the wire and having a higher rigidity than the wire main body portion.

Further, in the check valve opening jig according to the present invention, the diameter of the pressing rod portion is larger than the diameter of the wire main body portion in the check valve opening jig.

According to the present invention, in a configuration in which a check valve is provided in a fluid passage connected to the tank body of a tank in which fluid is stored, an access path to the check valve is provided depending on the configuration of the connection portion of the fluid passage to the tank body. The check valve can be kept open even if it is long and non-linear, or if a portion that limits the passage area is provided at a position on the upstream side of the check valve in the fluid passage.

It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the fuel tank which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the connection member which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the leak inspection apparatus of the fuel tank which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mounting state of the check valve opening jig which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the jig unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the jig unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the jig unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view (CC sectional view in FIG. 9) of the jig unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows the disassembled state of the jig unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the check valve opening jig which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mounting state of the inlet tube mounting tool which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the graph about the selection example of the diameter of the wire part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional check valve opening jig.

The present invention relates to a check valve opening jig used for a configuration in which a check valve is provided in a fluid passage connected to a tank body of a tank in which a fluid is stored, and a configuration of a connection portion of the fluid passage to the tank body. It is possible to keep the check valve in the open state even in a configuration in which access to the check valve is restricted due to the above. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

In the present embodiment, as the tank in which the fluid is stored, the fuel tank 1 of an automobile that stores gasoline as a liquid fuel will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel tank 1 has a tank main body 2 in which fuel F is stored and a fuel supply passage 3 as a fluid passage connected to the tank main body 2.

The tank main body 2 has an upper shell portion 4 forming an upper portion of the tank main body 2 and a lower shell portion 5 forming a lower portion of the tank main body 2, and has a vertically divided structure by these shell portions. The upper shell portion 4 and the lower shell portion 5 are resin members formed by injection molding, respectively. Examples of the resin constituting the tank body 2 include high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and POM (polyacetal). The tank body 2 may be entirely made of a metal member.

The upper shell portion 4 and the lower shell portion 5 are fixed to each other by fusing the flange portions 4a and 5a formed on the peripheral edges of the upper shell portions 4a and 5a so as to face outward all around the periphery. An opening 2a for connecting the fuel supply passage 3 is formed in the slope portion 4b formed at one corner of the upper shell portion 4.

The fuel supply passage 3 is a fuel supply pipeline from the outside to the inside of the fuel tank 1, and is connected to a connecting member 6 fixed to the tank body 2 and connected to the connecting member 6 in a state of penetrating the opening 2a of the tank body 2. It has an inlet pipe 7 which is a fuel supply pipe. A fuel filler port (not shown) that is opened and closed by a fuel cap is provided on the upstream side of the inlet pipe 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connecting member 6 is a substantially tubular member as a whole, and has a diameter-expanded (flange-shaped) flange portion 6a at a central portion in the tubular axial direction. In the connecting member 6, the tubular portion on one side (right side in FIG. 2) of the flange portion 6a is the main body tubular portion 11, and the tubular portion on the other side (left side in FIG. 2) of the flange portion 6a is the inlet pipe. It is a pipe connecting portion 12 that receives the connection of 7.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the connecting member 6 has an outer pipe 13 forming a flange portion 6a and a pipe connecting portion 12, and an inner pipe 14 forming a main body cylinder portion 11. The outer pipe 13 and the inner pipe 14 are members made of resin or metal, and are fixed to each other in a coaxial center-like positional relationship to form an integral connecting member 6.

The outer pipe 13 is an integral member having a cylindrical portion 13a forming a pipe connecting portion 12 and a flange-shaped portion 13b provided on one end side of the cylindrical portion 13a in the tubular axial direction and forming a flange portion 6a. The inner pipe 14 is a cylindrical member having substantially the same diameter as the cylindrical portion 13a of the outer pipe 13. In the inner pipe 14, the open end portion 14a on one end side (left side in FIG. 3) in the tubular axis direction is fitted into the fitting recess 13c formed on the flange-shaped portion 13b side of the outer pipe 13, and the outer pipe 13 is press-fitted or the like. It is fixed to.

The pipe connecting portion 12 has a plurality of ridges 12a having irregularities in the tubular axis direction of the pipe connecting portion 12 on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Then, the inlet pipe 7 is connected to the connecting member 6 by inserting the pipe connecting portion 12 into the downstream end portion in the fuel supply flow from the tip end side. Here, the pipe connecting portion 12 is press-fitted into the inlet pipe 7, and the press-fitting structure ensures that the connecting portion between the inlet pipe 7 and the connecting member 6 is hermetically sealed. In this way, the inlet pipe 7 is connected to the tank body 2 via the connecting member 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting member 6 positions the flange portion 6a on the outside of the slope portion 4b where the opening 2a is formed with respect to the tank main body 2, and most of the main body cylinder portion 11 is the tank main body 2. It is installed with it protruding inward. That is, in the connecting member 6, the flange portion 6a is fixed to the slope portion 4b in a state where the opening on one side (opposite side to the pipe connecting portion 12 side) of the main body cylinder portion 11 is located in the tank main body 2. Then, it is attached to the tank body 2. Then, the internal space of the connecting member 6, that is, the internal space of the main body cylinder portion 11 and the pipe connecting portion 12 communicating with each other communicates with the internal space of the tank main body 2, and the fuel tank supplied via the inlet pipe 7. It serves as a refueling passage for the inside of the main body 2.

In the connecting member 6 as described above, the main body cylinder portion 11 located in the tank main body 2 is provided with a check valve 20 for preventing the backflow of fuel supplied into the fuel tank 1.

The check valve 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In the following description, in the connecting member 6 provided with the check valve 20, the main body tubular portion 11 side (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3), which is the tank main body 2 side in the tubular axis direction, is set as the front side. The opposite side (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3) is the rear side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the check valve 20 has a valve body 21 provided so as to open and close an opening on the front side (downstream side) of the main body cylinder portion 11 and an inner pipe forming the main body cylinder portion 11. It has a valve support portion 22 that movably supports the valve body 21 with respect to 14, and an urging spring 23 as an urging member that urges the valve body 21 with respect to the valve support portion 22 in a predetermined direction.

At the front end of the main body cylinder portion 11, that is, the opening end portion facing the inside of the tank main body 2, an enlarged diameter opening 11a is formed by increasing the inner and outer diameters of the main body cylinder portion 11. The diameter-expanded opening 11a of the main body cylinder portion 11 expands the diameter of the opening end on the front side in a stepped manner with respect to the cylindrical portion 11b forming most of the main body cylinder portion 11.

The valve body 21 includes a substantially disk-shaped valve body 21a that opens and closes an opening on the front side of the body tube 11, and a straight rod-shaped shaft 21b extending from the central portion on the rear side of the valve body 21a. Have. The valve body 21 is a resin member made of a resin such as POM (polyacetal).

The valve body 21a has a cylindrical valve barrel 21c with an opening on the front side and a circular outer shape protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral portion of the rear end of the valve barrel 21c. It has a plate-shaped valve plate portion 21d and a substantially tapered rear wall portion 21e that closes the rear side of the valve cylinder portion 21c and gradually reduces the diameter from the front side to the rear side. From the top of the rear wall portion 21e, the shaft portion 21b extends linearly toward the rear side.

The valve main body 21a closes the opening on the front side of the main body 11 from the inside of the widened opening 11a of the main body 11. Specifically, in the main body cylinder portion 11, a circle protruding to the front side in a manner in which the front side of the cylindrical portion 11b is extended to a step portion formed on the inner peripheral side of the main body cylinder portion 11 by the enlarged diameter opening 11a. A valve seat 11c, which is an annular ridge portion, is formed. Then, the valve body portion 21a closes the opening on the front side of the main body cylinder portion 11 by bringing the valve plate portion 21d into contact with the valve seat 11c from the front side. Therefore, the opening on the front side of the cylindrical portion 11b that opens inside the enlarged diameter opening 11a becomes an opening that is opened and closed by the valve body 21 in the main body cylinder portion 11.

In such a configuration of the valve body 21a, the outer diameter of the valve tube 21c is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 11b of the body 11, and the outer diameter of the valve plate 21d is outside the cylinder 11b. It is larger than the diameter (outer diameter of the valve seat 11c) and smaller than the inner diameter of the enlarged diameter opening 11a. Further, in a state where the valve body portion 21a abuts the valve plate portion 21d on the valve seat 11c, that is, in the valve body 21 closed state, the front portion of the valve cylinder portion 21c is from the opening end of the enlarged diameter opening 11a. It is protruding.

The shaft portion 21b is located in the cylindrical portion 11b of the main body cylinder portion 11 and extends along the central axis of the main body cylinder portion 11. The shaft portion 21b has substantially the same length as the length of the cylindrical portion 11b, and the rear end portion is positioned near the rear end portion of the inner pipe 14 in the valve closed state of the valve body 21.

The valve support portion 22 movably supports the valve body 21 with respect to the main body tubular portion 11 along the tubular axis direction of the main body tubular portion 11, that is, the extending direction of the shaft portion 21b. The valve support portion 22 projects from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cylindrical portion 11b toward the inside in the radial direction at a position closer to the front side in the cylindrical portion 11b. The valve support portion 22 is formed as a part of the inner pipe 14 forming the main body cylinder portion 11.

The valve support portion 22 is a guide cylinder with respect to the tubular guide cylinder portion 22a provided in the central portion of the main body cylinder portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface 11d of the main body cylinder portion 11 when viewed in the direction of the central axis of the main body cylinder portion 11. It has a plurality of support plate portions 22b that support the portions 22a. The guide cylinder portion 22a is a portion where the guide hole 22c is formed by the inner peripheral surface thereof, and is provided so that the central axis of the guide hole 22c coincides with the central axis of the main body cylinder portion 11. The support plate portion 22b is a rectangular flat plate-shaped portion protruding from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the main body cylinder portion 11 along the radial direction of the main body cylinder portion 11, and the main body cylinder portion 11 is viewed in the central axial direction of the main body cylinder portion 11. The direction orthogonal to the radial direction of is the plate thickness direction. Although not shown, the support plate portions 22b are provided at a plurality of locations (for example, three locations) at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the main body cylinder portion 11.

The valve support portion 22 allows the valve body 21 to move along the extending direction of the shaft portion 21b, that is, the tubular axial direction of the main body tubular portion 11 in a state where the shaft portion 21b of the valve body 21 is passed through the guide hole 22c. To support. As a result, the valve body 21 can reciprocate with respect to the main body cylinder portion 11 along the cylinder axis direction (see FIG. 3, arrow X1).

The urging spring 23 is a coil spring, and is provided in a state in which the shaft portion 21b of the valve body 21 penetrates the protruding portion from the guide cylinder portion 22a to the rear side. The rear end portion of the urging spring 23 is abutted and supported by the spring receiving surface 21g formed by the enlarged diameter portion 21f at the rear end portion of the shaft portion 21b, and the front end portion of the urging spring 23 is behind the guide cylinder portion 22a. It is abutted and supported by the side end surface 22d.

The urging spring 23 urges the valve body 21 in the direction in which the check valve 20 is closed. That is, the urging spring 23 is interposed between the guide cylinder portion 22a and the diameter-expanded portion 21f in the compressed state, and urges the valve body 21 in the direction from the front side to the rear side (leftward in FIG. 3).

As described above, the connection member 6 according to the present embodiment is configured as a check valve assembly in which the check valve 20 is incorporated. In such a configuration, normally, the valve plate portion 21d is in pressure contact with the valve seat 11c due to the urging action of the urging spring 23 on the valve body 21, and the check valve 20 is in a closed state. Then, when the fuel is supplied into the tank body 2, the valve body 21 opposes the urging force of the urging spring 23 due to the pressure of the fuel flowing into the connecting member 6 from the inlet pipe 7, and the urging spring 23 Is compressed and moved to the front side (downstream side). As a result, the valve plate portion 21d is separated from the valve seat 11c (see the valve body 21 shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3), the opening on the front side of the main body cylinder portion 11 is opened, and the check valve 20 is opened. It becomes a state. As a result, fuel is supplied into the tank main body 2 from the opening on the front side of the main body cylinder portion 11. In the valve open state of the check valve 20, the valve body 21 exposes the valve body 21a as a whole from the opening on the front side of the body tube 11.

Further, in the fuel tank 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the fuel supply passage 3 is used for sucking fuel into the fuel tank 1 in order to prevent the fuel in the fuel tank 1 from being stolen. A passage limiting portion 25 for restricting the insertion of the pipe or the like is provided. The passage limiting portion 25 is provided at a position immediately upstream of the connecting member 6 in the inlet pipe 7. The passage limiting portion 25 is configured by providing a mesh body 26 as a passage limiting member arranged at a predetermined portion in the inlet pipe 7.

The mesh body 26 is a member made of resin or metal, and has a disk-shaped or cylindrical outer shape. The mesh body 26 is press-fitted and fixed to the inlet pipe 7 together with the pipe connecting portion 12 at a position adjacent to the pipe connecting portion 12 of the connecting member 6 on the upstream side in the inlet pipe 7. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 26x of the mesh body 26 is in a state of being pressed against the inner peripheral surface 7a of the inlet pipe 7.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mesh body 26 includes a cylindrical outer frame portion 26a forming the outer shape of the mesh body 26, and a cylindrical inner frame portion 26b provided concentrically with respect to the outer frame portion 26a. It has a cylindrical central tubular portion 26c provided concentrically with respect to the inner frame portion 26b inside the inner frame portion 26b. Further, the mesh body 26 has a plurality of outer connecting portions 26d connecting the outer frame portion 26a and the inner frame portion 26b. The outer connecting portions 26d are plate-shaped or rod-shaped portions that form a straight line in the direction of the central axis of the mesh body 26, and are provided at three positions at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, the mesh body 26 has a plurality of inner connecting portions 26e that connect the inner frame portion 26b and the central tubular portion 26c. The inner connecting portion 26e is a plate-shaped or rod-shaped portion forming a straight line in the direction of the central axis of the mesh body 26, and is provided at two positions opposite to each other.

In this way, the passage limiting portion 25 is provided with a mesh body 26 having a plurality of linear portions that form a curved or linear shape along the circumference in the axial direction view, which is a cross-sectional view of the passage of the inlet pipe 7. The passage cross section of the inlet pipe 7 is divided into a plurality of parts to limit the passage area in the inlet pipe 7. As a result, access from the fuel supply passage 3 to the inside of the tank body 2 is restricted, and insertion of a pipe or the like for sucking fuel in the fuel tank 1 is restricted. The configuration of the mesh body 26 shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and the configuration of the mesh body 26 is not particularly limited as long as the passage area in the inlet pipe 7 can be limited.

The fuel tank 1 having the above configuration is a highly airtight tank, and when the fuel tank 1 is mounted on the vehicle body, a leak inspection for confirming the presence or absence of a leak in the fuel tank 1 is performed in advance. In the present embodiment, as a leak inspection of the fuel tank 1, helium (He), which is a gas for detection, is replaced and sealed in the fuel tank, and a leak of the gas for detection is detected by a leak detector (inspection of a method). Helium leak test) is performed.

Here, an example of an apparatus configuration and an inspection method of an inspection apparatus for performing a leak inspection of the fuel tank 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inspection device 30 includes a chamber 31 accommodating a fuel tank 1 as a work to be inspected, a vacuum pump 32 for a chamber for evacuating the chamber 31, and a fuel tank 1. A helium supply device 33 for supplying helium to the fuel tank 1, a vacuum pump 34 for a tank for evacuating the fuel tank 1, a leak detector 35 for detecting helium in the chamber 31, and a vacuum in the leak detector 35. A vacuum pump 36 for a detector for pulling is provided. Further, the inspection device 30 includes a control device (not shown) for controlling each part.

The chamber 31 is a room for inspecting the work (fuel tank 1). The chamber 31 is provided with an opening / closing door for moving the work in and out of the chamber 31. The chamber 31 is provided with a moving table (not shown) that can be moved by a cylinder mechanism or the like in order to move the work in and out through the opening / closing door of the chamber 31.

The chamber vacuum pump 32 is communicated with the chamber 31 by a chamber vacuum drawing pipe portion 37 communicating with the inside of the chamber 31. The chamber evacuation piping section 37 is provided with an air release valve 38 that opens the inside of the chamber evacuation piping section 37 to the atmosphere.

The helium supply device 33 is communicatively connected to the tank body 2 via the fuel supply passage 3 of the fuel tank 1 and the helium supply piping portion 39 which is communicatively connected to the fuel supply passage 3. The helium supply piping unit 39 is provided with an on-off valve 40 for opening and closing the gas passage inside the helium supply piping unit 39.

In the vacuuming of the fuel tank 1 in the leak inspection of the fuel tank 1, the fuel supply passage 3 having a larger pipe diameter (flow path area) than other piping structures is used for vacuuming from the viewpoint of shortening the inspection time. It is used as an exhaust passage for. Therefore, the tank vacuum pump 34 is communicatively connected to the tank body 2 via the tank evacuation piping portion 41 which is communicatively connected to the fuel supply passage 3 and the fuel supply passage 3 of the fuel tank 1. The tank evacuation piping section 41 is provided with an air release valve 42 that opens the inside of the tank evacuation piping section 41 to the atmosphere. The helium supply piping section 39 and the tank vacuuming piping section 41 are joined to each other by the merging piping section 43 on the fuel tank 1 side, and the merging piping section 43 is attached to the fuel supply passage 3 as described later. The check valve opening jig 51 is connected to the fuel supply passage 3 via a jig unit 50 including the check valve opening jig 51.

The leak detector 35 is communicated with the chamber 31 by a detector piping portion 44 communicating with the inside of the chamber 31. The detector piping unit 44 is provided with an on-off valve 45 for opening and closing the gas passage inside the chamber vacuuming piping unit 37. A detector vacuum pump 36 is connected to the leak detector 35 via a detector vacuum pulling pipe portion 46. The detector vacuum pump 36 exhausts the test port, which is a space portion where helium is introduced in the leak detector 35, into a vacuum.

The atmosphere release valve 38, the on-off valve 40, the atmosphere release valve 42, and the on-off valve 45 included in the inspection device 30 are valve mechanisms such as solenoid valves, and the opening / closing operation of these valves is controlled by the control device.

The inspection procedure for leak inspection of the fuel tank 1 by the inspection device 30 having the above configuration will be described.

First, in the fuel tank 1 as a work, various piping structures and the like communicating with the inside of the tank main body 2 are sealed and the inside of the tank is sealed. Then, the helium supply device 33 and the tank vacuum pump 34 are connected to the fuel tank 1.

Next, after the device of the inspection device 30 is started, the fuel tank 1 set on the moving table is pulled into the chamber 31 by the operation of the moving table by the cylinder mechanism or the like, the opening / closing door of the chamber 31 is closed, and the inside of the chamber 31 is opened. Is sealed.

Subsequently, the chamber vacuum pump 32 evacuates the chamber 31 and the tank vacuum pump 34 evacuates the inside of the tank body 2. Here, in order to prevent deformation of the tank body 2 due to pressure fluctuation, the differential pressure between the pressure in the chamber 31 and the pressure in the tank body 2 is monitored.

When the pressure in the chamber 31 reaches a predetermined value in the process of evacuation of the chamber 31, nitrogen purging is performed in the chamber 31 for the purpose of improving the detectability of helium. As a result, the gas in the chamber 31 is replaced with nitrogen.

After the nitrogen purging in the chamber 31, the vacuum pump 32 for the chamber continues to evacuate the chamber 31, and when the pressure in the chamber 31 and the pressure in the fuel tank 1 reach predetermined pressures, the helium supply device is used. The filling of helium into the fuel tank 1 by 33 is started.

After a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of filling the fuel tank 1 with helium, the amount of helium leaked by the leak detector 35 is measured.

After the measurement by the leak detector 35 is completed, the atmospheric release valves 38 and 42 open the atmosphere in the chamber 31 and the fuel tank 1, and the pressure in the chamber 31 and the fuel tank 1 is returned to the atmospheric pressure.

After that, the opening / closing door of the chamber 31 is opened, and the fuel tank 1 in the chamber 31 is taken out of the chamber 31 by the operation of the moving table by the cylinder mechanism or the like. After taking out the fuel tank 1, for example, by pressing the take-out completion button provided on the predetermined operation part, each part of the inspection device 30 returns to the state (original position) at the start of the inspection.

The device configuration and inspection method of the inspection device for performing the leak inspection of the fuel tank 1 as described above are merely examples, and are not limited to the above-mentioned contents.

In the vacuuming of the fuel tank 1 in the leak inspection of the fuel tank 1 as described above, in order to obtain the vacuuming action of the tank vacuum pump 34, the reverse provided in the opening on the downstream side of the fuel supply passage 3 is provided. It is necessary to hold the stop valve 20 in the open state (valve open state).

In the leak inspection of the fuel tank 1, from the viewpoint of ensuring the airtightness of the fuel tank 1, the inlet pipe 7 is attached to the connecting member 6 so that the connection portion of the inlet pipe 7 to the connecting member 6 is included in the subject of the leak inspection. Leak inspection is performed while connected. Further, in the fuel supply passage 3, a passage limiting portion 25 for limiting the passage area is provided at a position on the upstream side of the check valve 20. Under such circumstances, the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment is used in order to keep the check valve 20 in the valve open state when the fuel tank 1 is evacuated. That is, the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment is a check valve opening holding jig for leak inspection of the fuel tank 1.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment is provided as a part of the jig unit 50, and is a piping path between the tank body 2 and the tank vacuum pump 34. Is installed between the inlet pipe 7 constituting the fuel supply passage 3 and the merging pipe portion 43.

As shown in FIG. 6, the jig unit 50 is connected to the inlet pipe 7 by inserting a part of the jig unit 50 into the inlet pipe 7 from the upstream side. On the other hand, the jig unit 50 has a piping structure as a whole, and is connected to the end portion of the merging piping portion 43 opposite to the branch side. As a result, the helium supply device 33 is connected to the tank body 2 via the helium supply piping section 39, the merging piping section 43, the jig unit 50, the inlet pipe 7, and the connecting member 6. Further, the tank vacuum pump 34 is connected to the tank body 2 via the tank vacuum drawing pipe portion 41, the merging pipe portion 43, the jig unit 50, the inlet pipe 7, and the connecting member 6.

The jig unit 50 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 13. As shown in FIGS. 7, 10 and 11, the jig unit 50 includes a check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment, an inlet pipe mounting tool 52 mounted on the inlet pipe 7, and a check valve. It has a jig mounting tool 53 on which the opening jig 51 is mounted. That is, the jig unit 50 includes the check valve opening jig 51, and is configured as an integral unit together with the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 and the jig mounting tool 53.

The check valve opening jig 51 is a jig for holding the check valve 20 provided in the fuel supply passage 3 connected to the tank body 2 of the fuel tank 1 in which fuel is stored in the valve open state. .. The check valve opening jig 51 includes a jig main body 61 and a wire portion 62 as a valve body pressing portion provided on the jig main body 61 to hold the check valve 20 in the valve open state. In the following description, in the jig unit 50, the side inserted into the inlet pipe 7 (right side in FIG. 8) is the front side and the opposite side (left side in FIG. 8) is the rear side in the longitudinal direction thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the jig main body 61 is composed of a wire support 63 which is a substantially tubular member whose front-rear direction is the tubular axis direction. The wire support 63 has a tubular intermediate portion 64 forming an intermediate portion in the tubular axial direction, a front diameter-reduced portion 65 provided on the front side of the tubular intermediate portion 64 and forming the front portion of the wire support 63, and a tubular shape. It has a rear-diameter portion 66 provided on the rear side of the intermediate portion 64 and forming the rear portion of the wire support 63.

The wire support 63 is a tubular body having both front and rear ends of the internal space 67 opened. The internal space 67 is formed in the cylindrical front space portion 67a formed mainly by the inner peripheral surface of the front diameter portion 65 and opened on the front side of the wire support 63, and inside the tubular intermediate portion 64 and the rear diameter portion 66. It is composed of a rear space portion 67b formed by a peripheral surface and opened to the rear side of the wire support 63. The rear space portion 67b is a diameter-expanded space portion having a larger diameter than the front space portion 67a.

The tubular intermediate portion 64 is a portion between the front reduced diameter portion 65 and the rear reduced diameter portion 66, and is the maximum outer diameter portion of the wire support 63. The tubular intermediate portion 64 has a constant outer diameter over substantially the entire tubular axis direction, and has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 64a.

The front reduced diameter portion 65 is a reduced diameter portion with respect to the tubular intermediate portion 64, and is a tubular portion protruding forward from the tubular intermediate portion 64. In the axial view from the front side of the wire support 63, a stepped surface 64b forming an annular shape is formed around the front reduced diameter portion 65 as the front end surface of the tubular intermediate portion 64.

In the jig main body 61 according to the present embodiment, the front reduced diameter portion 65 serves as a mounting portion for mounting on the inlet pipe 7 which is a piping member constituting the fuel supply passage 3. In the present embodiment, the jig main body 61 is mounted on the inlet pipe 7 by the front reduced diameter portion 65 via the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. The mounting structure of the jig main body 61 and the inlet tube mounting tool 52 will be described later.

The rear reduced diameter portion 66 is a reduced diameter portion with respect to the tubular intermediate portion 64, and is a tubular portion in which the outer diameter is gradually reduced from the tubular intermediate portion 64 to the rear side. Specifically, the rear diameter-reduced portion 66 has a first diameter-reduced portion 66a, a second diameter-reduced portion 66b, and a third diameter-reduced portion 66c in this order from the tubular intermediate portion 64 to the rear side. A male screw portion 66d is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first reduced diameter portion 66a. The male screw portion 66d is used for connecting the check valve opening jig 51 and the jig mounting tool 53.

The wire portion 62 is provided in the jig main body portion 61, and is a linear portion extending forward from the jig main body portion 61. The wire portion 62 is fixedly supported by the wire support 63 with its base end (rear end) inserted into the front reduced diameter portion 65 of the wire support 63.

Specifically, in the wire support 63, a support hole 65a for penetrating the base end portion of the wire portion 62 is formed in a portion on the tip end side of the inner peripheral portion of the front reduced diameter portion 65. The support hole 65a is formed by a support hole forming portion 65b provided on the upper side of the lower end portion of the peripheral wall of the front reduced diameter portion 65. At the base end of the wire portion 62 penetrating the support hole 65a, diameter-expanded stoppers 62a are provided on both front and rear portions of the support hole 65a, and the wire portions 62a are provided by the front and rear stoppers 62a. Is fixedly supported in a state of being positioned with respect to the front reduced diameter portion 65.

As described above, the wire portion 62 is located at a position along the inner peripheral surface 65c of the front reduced diameter portion 65 with respect to the jig main body portion 61, that is, a position along the peripheral wall of the front reduced diameter portion 65 within the front reduced diameter portion 65. It is provided at a position eccentric with respect to the center line (of the front reduced diameter portion 65) of the jig main body 61.

The wire portion 62 is stopped by pressing the valve body 21 of the check valve 20 from inside the inlet pipe 7 in a state where the jig main body 61 is attached to the inlet pipe 7 via the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. The valve 20 is held in the open state. Therefore, the wire portion 62 passes through the inlet pipe 7 and abuts the tip portion with respect to the valve body 21 from the upstream side in a state where the check valve opening jig 51 is attached to the fuel supply passage 3. The check valve 20 has a length that presses against the valve body 21 to open the valve (see FIG. 6).

In the present embodiment, the forward extending length of the wire portion 62 from the jig main body 61 is 3 to 4 times the length of the jig main body 61 in the front-rear direction. The details of the wire portion 62 will be described later.

The inlet pipe mounting tool 52 is mounted on the upstream end of the inlet pipe 7 and is mounted on the check valve opening jig 51 to communicate the check valve opening jig 51 and the inlet pipe 7 with each other. It functions as a connecting jig member to be connected in a state. The inlet pipe mounting tool 52 penetrates the insertion pipe member 71 inserted into the inlet pipe 7, the tubular connecting member 72 provided on the rear end side of the insertion pipe member 71, and the connecting member 72 as its constituent members. It has a flange member 73.

The insertion tube member 71 is a linear tubular member having a front end opening 71a forming an opening end surface inclined in the front-rear direction at the front end. On the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion (rear end portion) of the insertion tube member 71, an uneven portion 71b forming an unevenness in the axial direction of the insertion tube member 71 is formed. The insertion pipe member 71 is inserted into the upstream portion of the inlet pipe 7 from the front end opening 71a side until the end portion on the upstream side of the inlet pipe 7 reaches the uneven portion 71b, and is press-fitted into the inlet pipe 7 by the uneven portion 71b. To.

The connecting member 72 is a substantially tubular member attached to the insertion tube member 71 so as to be continuous with the rear side of the insertion tube member 71. The connecting member 72 has a fitting portion 72a in the first half portion in which the inner diameter is reduced from the inner diameter of the second half portion.

The flange member 73 is formed on the front and rear open tubular portions 73a having an outer diameter having substantially the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the fitted portion 72a of the connecting member 72, and on the rear side of the tubular portion 73a. On the other hand, it is a tubular member having a flange-shaped flange portion 73b whose inner and outer diameters are enlarged and the rear side is opened. The flange member 73 inserts the tubular portion 73a into the fitting portion 72a from the rear side of the connecting member 72, penetrates the connecting member 72 toward the front, and inserts the front portion into the insertion pipe member 71. In the positioned state, it is fixed to the connecting member 72. The inner diameter of the flange portion 73b is larger than the outer diameter of the tubular intermediate portion 64 of the wire support 63.

The check valve opening jig 51 is connected and fixed to the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 in a state where the front reduced diameter portion 65 is inserted into the tubular portion 73a of the flange member 73 from the rear side. In the insertion portion of the front reduced diameter portion 65 into the tubular portion 73a, the tubular portion 73a is tightened from the outer peripheral side by a fastening mechanism portion (not shown) of the connecting member 72, and the connecting member 72 and the flange member 73 are fixed to each other. To. Here, on the outer peripheral surface portion of the front reduced diameter portion 65, outer peripheral grooves 65d are formed at two locations spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the front reduced diameter portion 65, and the O-ring 74 is outside the outer peripheral grooves 65d. It is fitted. As a result, the airtightness between the outer peripheral surface of the front reduced diameter portion 65 and the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 73a is ensured.

In the connected state of the check valve opening jig 51 and the inlet pipe mounting tool 52, the jig main body 61 positions the front end portion of the wire support 63 within the flange portion 73b, and the stepped surface 64b is the flange portion 73b. It is in contact with the front wall 73c of the. That is, in the above-mentioned connected state, the front wall 73c of the flange portion 73b is interposed between the stepped surface 64b of the tubular intermediate portion 64 and the rear end surface 72b of the connecting member 72.

Further, a retaining member 75 is attached to the connecting portion between the check valve opening jig 51 and the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. The retaining member 75 is a member having a portal-shaped (inverted "U" -shaped) outer shape in each of the front view (the axial view of the check valve opening jig 51) and the side view of the jig unit 50. The retaining member 75 has a top surface portion 75a having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and leg portions 75b extending downward from the four corners of the top surface portion 75a. Front and rear recesses 75c forming an inverted "U" shape when viewed from the front of the tool unit 50 are formed, and left and right recesses 75d forming an inverted "U" shape when viewed from the side of the jig unit 50 are formed on both left and right sides. ing.

The retaining member 75 is attached from above so as to straddle the connecting portion between the check valve opening jig 51 and the inlet pipe mounting tool 52, and is predetermined for each of the check valve opening jig 51 and the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. Engage with the site to prevent disconnection at this connection. The left and right sides of the outer peripheral surface 64a of the wire support 63 in the check valve opening jig 51 are notched recesses 64c forming a flat surface facing outward in the left-right direction as portions to be engaged with the retaining member 75. Is formed (see FIG. 12).

The jig mounting tool 53 connects the check valve opening jig 51 and the merging piping portion 43 in a communicative state by receiving the mounting of the check valve opening jig 51 and the connection of the merging piping portion 43. Functions as a connecting jig member. The jig mounting tool 53 supports, as its constituent members, a substantially tubular base portion 81 having a front-rear direction as a tubular axial direction, and a tubular base portion 81 in a state of surrounding the tubular base portion 81 in a plan view. It has a support frame portion 82 for receiving the check valve opening jig 51.

The tubular base 81 has substantially the same outer diameter as the tubular intermediate portion 64 of the jig main body 61 constituting the check valve opening jig 51, and the front side is opened by the opening 81a. Is. The tubular base 81 has a front end surface 81b perpendicular to its axial direction. From the front end surface 81b, a guide cylinder 81c whose rear end is inserted and fixed in the opening 81a is projected forward.

At the lower part of the peripheral wall of the tubular base 81, a connection port 81d communicating with the internal space of the tubular base 81 is opened. The end of the merging piping portion 43 opposite to the branch side is connected and fixed to the tubular base portion 81 so as to communicate with the inside of the tubular base portion 81 via the connection port 81d. The merging pipe portion 43 is fixed to the peripheral wall of the tubular base portion 81 from the outer peripheral side by a fixture such as a bolt so that the open end portion faces the connection port 81d.

Further, the tubular base portion 81 is provided with an elongated detection tube portion 81e for detecting the pressure in the jig unit 50 by a pressure sensor (not shown). The detection tube portion 81e extends forward from the rear portion in the tubular base portion 81, and protrudes forward from the opening portion 81a on the front side.

The support frame portion 82 has a connecting cylinder portion 83 forming a front portion thereof and an outer frame portion 84 provided on the rear side of the connecting cylinder portion 83.

The connecting tubular portion 83 is a substantially tubular portion having an octagonal columnar outer shape and having an inner peripheral surface aligned in a cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surface of the front end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 83 has a reduced diameter in a stepped shape, and a female screw portion 83a is formed on the reduced diameter inner peripheral surface. The female screw portion 83a is a surface portion that is screwed into the male screw portion 66d of the check valve opening jig 51.

The outer frame portion 84 has a vertical wall portion 84a projecting from the rear end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 83 to the left and right sides, and a narrow plate shape extending rearward from the left and right sides of the vertical wall portion 84a and extending in the front-rear direction. It has a horizontal frame portion 84b of the above. The tubular base portion 81 is located between the left and right horizontal frame portions 84b.

The tubular base 81 is attached to the support frame 82 with its front end inserted into the connecting tubular 83 of the support frame 82 from the rear side. In the connecting tubular portion 83, a tubular seal rubber 85 is provided on the front side of the tubular base portion 81. The seal rubber 85 is fitted into the connecting tubular portion 83, and is interposed between the front end surface 81b of the tubular base portion 81 and the stepped surface 83b due to the reduced diameter portion forming the female screw portion 83a on the inner peripheral surface portion of the connecting tubular portion 83. It is dressed up. The inner peripheral surface portion 85a of the seal rubber 85 is gradually reduced in diameter from the front side to the rear side so as to match the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the rear diameter reduced portion 66 in the check valve opening jig 51. It has a stepped inner peripheral surface shape.

Further, the jig mounting tool 53 is configured such that the tubular base portion 81 and the support frame portion 82 move relative to each other in the front-rear direction by operating the crimping lever 86 provided on the rear side of the tubular base portion 81. As the tubular base 81 and the support frame 82 move relative to each other in the direction of approaching each other, the seal rubber 85 interposed between the tubular base 81 and the support frame 82 in the connecting tubular 83 is compressed in the front-rear direction. Will be done. The crimping lever 86 is provided so as to be rotated around a rotating shaft 87 erected between the rear ends of the left and right horizontal frame portions 84b.

The check valve opening jig 51 is mounted from the front side on the jig mounting tool 53 having the above configuration. The check valve opening jig 51 inserts the rear diameter-reduced portion 66 of the jig main body 61 into the seal rubber 85 in the connecting cylinder 83 from the front opening of the connecting cylinder 83 of the support frame 82. It is fixed to the support frame portion 82 by the screwing action between the female screw portion 83a of the connecting cylinder portion 83 and the male screw portion 66d of the rear diameter reduction portion 66. Here, the guide cylinder 81c is inserted into the rear space 67b through the opening on the rear side of the internal space 67 of the jig body 61, and the jig body 61 is positioned and supported with respect to the jig mounting tool 53. ..

Then, by operating the crimping lever 86, the tubular base portion 81 moves relative to the support frame portion 82 in the front-rear direction, and the seal rubber 85 is compressed. As a result, the connection portion between the check valve opening jig 51 and the jig mounting tool 53, that is, the connection portion between the wire support 63, the tubular base portion 81, and the connecting tubular portion 83 is sealed.

As described above, the check valve opening jig 51, the inlet pipe mounting tool 52, and the jig mounting tool 53 that are connected to each other constitute an integrated jig unit 50. The jig unit 50 has a substantially tubular shape as a whole with the tubular or tubular portions constituting each of the check valve opening jig 51, the inlet pipe mounting tool 52, and the jig mounting tool 53 arranged coaxially. Consists of the structure of.

The substantially tubular structure portion of the jig unit 50 constitutes an internal path for evacuating the fuel tank 1 by the tank vacuum pump 34 and a path for supplying helium by the helium supply device 33. To do. Specifically, the internal path of the jig unit 50 is, in order from the fuel tank 1 side, from the front end opening 71a of the insertion pipe member 71, the insertion pipe member 71, the flange member 73, the jig main body 61, and the tubular shape. It is a route that reaches the connection port 81d of the tubular base portion 81 through the internal space of each of the base portions 81.

Focusing on each component of the jig unit 50, in the inspection device 30, the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 has a configuration on the fuel tank 1 side mounted on the inlet pipe 7, and the jig mounting tool 53 merges. It can be said that this is the configuration on the equipment side attached to the piping portion 43. That is, in the inspection device 30, in the jig unit 50, the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 having a configuration on the fuel tank 1 side and the jig mounting tool 53 having a configuration on the equipment side form a check valve opening jig 51. It can be said that the configuration is such that the connection portions are connected to each other via the communication. Therefore, when attaching the check valve opening jig 51 in the piping path between the fuel tank 1 and the tank vacuum pump 34, for example, the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 previously attached to the inlet pipe 7 and the merging pipe The check valve opening jig 51 is set by mounting the check valve opening jig 51 on each of the jig mounting tool 53 previously attached to the portion 43.

In the jig unit 50 of the present embodiment having the above configuration, the check valve opening jig 51 is mounted on the inlet pipe 7 via the inlet pipe mounting tool 52, so that the wire portion 62 The valve body 21 of the check valve 20 is pressed from the inside to hold the check valve 20 in the open state. The wire portion 62 that presses against the valve body 21 of the check valve 20 in this way will be described in detail.

As described above, the wire portion 62 is a linear portion extending forward from the jig main body 61, and the flexible wire main body 91 extending from the jig main body 61 and the tip of the wire main body 91. It has a rod-shaped pressing rod portion 92 provided on the side and having a higher rigidity than the wire main body portion 91.

The wire body portion 91 is a linear portion forming most of the wire portion 62 other than the tip portion, and the wire portion 62 is aligned with the conduit shape of the non-linear (curved) inlet pipe 7. It is flexible and elastic, and bends and deforms (see FIG. 8, FIG. 9, two-dot chain line). As a member constituting the wire main body 91, for example, a metal wire rope is used. Specifically, the wire main body 91 is composed of, for example, a steel rod in which a plurality of steel wires are twisted and twisted, and a plurality of steel wires are twisted around a predetermined core material.

The material of the wire main body 91 is, for example, a stainless steel-based material, steel, or the like. Further, the wire main body 91 may be a metal wire rope coated with, for example, a resin material. As a constituent material of the wire main body 91, for example, inner wires of a bicycle brake wire are used. However, the material of the wire main body 91 may be a material other than metal, such as resin, as long as the wire portion 62 can obtain desired flexibility and strength.

The pressing rod portion 92 is a straight rod-shaped portion forming the tip portion of the wire portion 62, and is provided on the tip end side of the wire main body portion 91 so as to extend the wire portion 62 forward. The pressing rod portion 92 is a portion having a higher rigidity than the wire main body portion 91, and is basically a portion that is inflexible with respect to the flexible wire main body portion 91. As a member constituting the pressing rod portion 92, for example, a metal rod-shaped body is used.

The material of the pressing rod portion 92 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a stainless steel-based material, steel, aluminum, or the like. However, the material of the pressing rod portion 92 may be a material other than metal, such as resin, as long as the desired strength (rigidity) can be obtained in the wire portion 62. Further, in order to prevent scratches or the like caused by the tip of the wire portion 62 coming into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inlet tube 7, the tip of the pressing rod portion 92 is a hemispherical rounded portion 92a.

The length of the wire portion 62 is appropriately set according to the path length from the upstream end of the inlet pipe 7 to the valve body 21 of the check valve 20 and the like. In the present embodiment, the length L2 (see FIG. 10) of the pressing rod portion 92 is about 50 mm, and this length L2 is about 1 / of the extending length L1 of the wire portion 62 from the jig main body portion 61. It is 8 lengths. However, the overall length of the wire portion 62 and the length ratio between the wire main body portion 91 and the pressing rod portion 92 are not particularly limited.

Further, in the wire portion 62, the diameter (outer diameter) of the pressing rod portion 92 is larger than the diameter (outer diameter) of the wire main body portion 91. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the wire portion 62 is configured such that the diameter D2 of the pressing rod portion 92 is larger than the diameter D1 of the wire main body portion 91.

Specifically, for example, the diameter D1 of the wire main body 91 is 2 to 3 mm, and the diameter D2 of the pressing rod 92 is 3 to 4 mm. Then, in these numerical ranges, the diameter dimensions of the wire main body 91 and the pressing rod 92 are appropriately selected so that the diameter D2 of the pressing rod 92 is larger than the diameter D1 of the wire main body 91.

The wire portion 62 having the above configuration acts on the check valve 20 as follows by mounting the check valve opening jig 51 on the inlet pipe 7 via the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. To do.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the wire portion 62 extending forward from the tip opening of the insertion tube member 71 of the inlet tube mounting tool 52 has the inlet tube 7 due to the deformation of the flexible wire main body portion 91. Passing through the inlet pipe 7 while appropriately curving along a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the pipe line, passing through the space portion of the mesh body 26 from the pressing rod portion 92 at the tip, and connecting member 6 from the pipe connecting portion 12 side. Go inside. Here, the wire portion 62 is positioned eccentrically from the central shaft portion of the connecting member 6 from the viewpoint of avoiding interference with the shaft portion 21b of the valve body 21 located at the central shaft portion in the main body cylinder portion 11. Will be inserted into. Therefore, the wire portion 62 penetrates any of the outer peripheral side space portions 26f partitioned in the circumferential direction by the outer connecting portion 26d between the outer frame portion 26a and the inner frame portion 26b with respect to the mesh body 26. It is inserted so as to (see FIG. 4).

Then, the wire portion 62 passes between the plurality of valve support portions 22 that support the valve body 21 of the check valve 20 in the main body cylinder portion 11, and the valve plate portion 21d of the valve body portion 21a with respect to the valve body 21. It abuts on the rear surface and presses the valve body 21 in the valve opening direction against the urging force of the urging spring 23. As a result, the valve body 21 causes the valve main body 21a to protrude from the main body cylinder 11 (see arrow Y1), the check valve 20 is opened, and the inside of the tank body 2 and the inside of the fuel supply passage 3 communicate with each other. It becomes a state.

An example of selecting the diameter dimension of each of the wire main body portion 91 and the pressing rod portion 92 of the wire portion 62 will be described based on the mode of action of the wire portion 62 on the check valve 20.

The wire portion 62 penetrates the outer peripheral side space portion 26f, which is a space portion on the outer peripheral side of the mesh body 26, as described above, in the process of acting on the check valve 20. Therefore, the radial dimension of the wire portion 62 is selected based on the radial dimension of the outer peripheral side space portion 26f (hereinafter referred to as “mesh width”) E1 (see FIG. 4). In the selection example of the diameter dimension of the wire portion 62 described here, the mesh width E1 is set to 4 mm.

The graph shown in FIG. 14 shows an example of the relationship between the diameter (mm) of the wire portion 62 and the mesh width (mm) (minimum value) through which the wire portion 62 can pass. As can be seen from the graph shown in FIG. 14, the mesh width through which the wire portion 62 can pass is a dimension that is about 0.2 to 0.4 mm larger than the diameter of the wire portion 62.

If the wire body 91 is too thin in the wire portion 62, sufficient rigidity cannot be obtained, and the wire portion 62 buckles and gets caught in the passage of the fuel supply passage 3 and is caught in the passage before reaching the valve body 21. It may stop at. When the wire portion 62 is caught, it is necessary to stop the equipment and reattach the check valve opening jig 51 each time in the leak inspection by the inspection device 30. Further, since the wire portion 62 is caught inside the fuel supply passage 3, it cannot be visually recognized from the outside. The same applies to the operation of the valve body 21 in the tank body 2. Therefore, by attaching the check valve opening jig 51 to the inlet pipe 7, it is necessary to ensure that the wire portion 62 acts on the valve body 21 without the wire portion 62 being caught in the fuel supply passage 3.

Therefore, as shown in the graph of FIG. 14, in this selection example, if the diameter D1 of the wire main body 91 is 2.5 mm or more as a result of the experiment, the wire portion 62 is caught in the passage of the fuel supply passage 3. It was found that sufficient rigidity can be obtained to prevent the above. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of smoothly penetrating the wire portion 62 with respect to the mesh width E1 of 4 mm, it is preferable that the wire portion 62 is as thin as possible. Therefore, in this selection example, the diameter D1 of the wire main body 91 is set to 2.5 mm (see FIG. 14, reference numeral P1).

Further, since the pressing rod portion 92 is a portion that presses the valve body 21, the pressing rod portion 92 is required to have a higher rigidity than the wire main body portion 91. Therefore, the pressing rod portion 92 is a wire main body portion. The part is thicker than 91. Then, in this selection example, from the graph of FIG. 14, the diameter of the wire portion 62 that can pass through is about 3.7 mm with respect to the mesh width E1 of 4 mm (see the code Dx), so that there is some margin. The diameter D2 of the pressing rod portion 92 was set to 3.5 mm (see FIG. 14, reference numeral P2).

According to the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment as described above, in the configuration in which the check valve 20 is provided in the fuel supply passage 3 connected to the tank body 2 of the fuel tank 1, the check valve 20 is provided with respect to the tank body 2. Depending on the configuration of the connection part of the fuel supply passage 3, the access path to the check valve 20 is long and non-linear, or the passage limiting part limits the passage area to the position on the upstream side of the check valve 20 in the fuel supply passage 3. Even if the check valve 20 is provided, the check valve 20 can be held in the open state.

That is, in the leak inspection of the fuel tank 1 according to the present embodiment, since the inspection is performed with the inlet pipe 7 connected to the connecting member 6 as described above, the check valve 20 is arranged by the inlet pipe 7. The distance from the opening on the upstream side (the opening on the upstream side of the inlet pipe 7) to the check valve 20 is long with respect to the installation position, and the access path to the check valve 20 is also non-linear. Further, in the fuel supply passage 3, the passage area is limited by the mesh body 26 provided at a position upstream of the check valve 20. Therefore, according to the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment, the wire portion 62 makes it easy to form the mesh body 26 that limits the passage area of the fuel supply passage 3 while following the pipe shape of the inlet pipe 7. Since it can pass through, it can reliably act on the valve body 21 to open the check valve 20.

As described above, according to the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment, by adopting the wire portion 62 at the tip of the jig, it is possible to follow the shape of parts such as the inlet pipe 7 and obstacles in the path. (Mesh body 26) can be avoided, and the check valve 20 can be opened without destroying the mesh body 26 and the components of the check valve 20.

Further, the check valve opening jig 51 according to the present embodiment is a wire portion which is a linear portion extending from the jig main body 61 as a valve body pressing portion for holding the check valve 20 in the valve open state. It has 62. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily cope with a long pipeline up to the check valve 20 and a curved pipeline shape, and it is easy to pass through the passage limiting portion 25, so that the check valve can be more reliably performed. 20 can be set to the valve open state.

Further, the wire portion 62 according to the present embodiment has a wire main body portion 91 that forms most of the wire portion 62, and a pressing rod portion 92 provided on the tip end side of the wire main body portion 91. That is, the wire portion 62 has a pressing rod portion 92 at its tip that acts on the valve body 21 as a rod for opening the check valve, and comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 7a when passing through the inlet pipe 7. It has a wire main body 91 having an elastic force that does not get caught, and functions as a wire passing wire having a diameter that can change the shape of the mesh body 26 as a whole. According to such a configuration, the flexibility and elasticity of the wire main body 91 can flexibly follow the shape of the conduit of the inlet pipe 7, and the relatively high rigidity pressing rod 92 allows the valve body 21 to follow the shape of the inlet pipe 7. It is possible to easily obtain a sufficient pressing action to move the urging spring 23 in the valve opening direction against the urging force of the spring 23.

Further, in the wire portion 62 according to the present embodiment, the pressing rod portion 92 has a diameter larger than that of the wire main body portion 91. According to such a configuration, the rigidity of the pressing rod portion 92 can be easily increased, so that the passability of the wire portion 62 in the fuel supply passage 3 can be improved, and the check valve 20 can be opened. It is possible to surely obtain a pressing action on the valve body 21 for making the valve body 21.

In particular, since the diameters of the wire main body 91 and the pressing rod 92 are selected based on the mesh width E1 of the mesh body 26 as in the above-mentioned example of selecting the diameter of the wire portion 62. It is possible to prevent the wire portion 62 from being caught in the pipe of the fuel supply passage 3 and to obtain a good passability in the passage limiting portion 25 while reliably obtaining a pressing action on the valve body 21.

Further, according to the check valve opening jig 51 of the present embodiment, the installation of the check valve opening jig 51 to the inlet pipe 7 via the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 is completed due to the configuration of the wire portion 62. , It is confirmed that the check valve 20 is in the opened state. That is, for example, when the wire portion 62 buckles or the wire portion 62 is caught in the fuel supply passage 3, the wire portion 62 becomes an obstacle and the check valve opening jig 51 is normally attached to the inlet pipe 7. It becomes a state that cannot be done. As described above, according to the check valve opening jig 51 of the present embodiment, the situation of the check valve 20 which cannot be visually observed from the outside can be indirectly grasped by the mounting condition of the check valve opening jig 51. It becomes.

Further, the check valve opening jig 51 of the present embodiment constitutes a jig unit 50 that connects the fuel supply passage 3 and the merging pipe portion 43 together with the inlet pipe mounting tool 52 and the jig mounting tool 53. According to such a configuration, the check valve opening jig 51 can be easily and surely mounted in the piping path between the tank body 2 and the tank vacuum pump 34. Further, the wire portion 62 is a portion that wears when the check valve opening jig 51 is used many times, and may need to be replaced. However, the check valve opening jig 51 is removed from the inlet pipe mounting tool 52. This makes it possible to easily replace the wire portion 62.

The check valve opening jig according to the present invention described using the embodiment as described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various aspects can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention. ..

In the above-described embodiment, the check valve 20 moves the valve body 21 that causes the valve body 21a to appear and disappear from the opening on the downstream side of the body tube 11 by the valve support 22 provided in the body tube 11. The configuration of the check valve 20 is not particularly limited, although the configuration is such that it can be supported. The present invention can be applied to the check valve as long as it includes a valve body that moves so as to open the check valve by being pressed from the inside of the fuel supply passage 3. ..

Further, the valve body pressing portion included in the check valve opening jig 51 is not limited to the linear wire portion 62 of the above-described embodiment, and may be a portion having another shape such as a tubular portion. Often, the material is not particularly limited. However, regarding the material of the valve body pressing part (wire part 62), considering the durability and the drop of wear debris due to wear between the resins, the valve body pressing part is made of a stainless steel material or a metal material such as steel. It is preferable that

1 Fuel tank 2 Tank body 3 Fuel supply passage (fluid passage)
6 Connection member 7 Inlet pipe 11 Main body cylinder 20 Check valve 21 Valve body 23 Bias spring 50 Jig unit 51 Check valve opening jig 52 Inlet pipe mounting tool 53 Jig mounting tool 61 Jig main body 62 Wire part (Valve pressing part)
91 Wire body 92 Pressing rod

Claims (4)

A check valve opening jig that holds the check valve provided in the fluid passage connected to the tank body of the tank in which the fluid is stored in the valve open state.
A jig body portion having a mounting portion for mounting on the piping member constituting the fluid passage, and a jig main body portion.
The check valve is opened by pressing the valve body of the check valve from inside the piping member while the jig body is provided on the jig body and is mounted on the piping member. A check valve opening jig characterized by having a valve body pressing portion that holds the valve body in a state. The check valve opening jig according to claim 1, wherein the valve body pressing portion is a linear portion extending from the jig main body portion. The valve body pressing portion includes a flexible wire main body extending from the jig main body and a rod-shaped pressing rod provided on the tip end side of the wire main body and having a higher rigidity than the wire main body. The check valve opening jig according to claim 2, wherein the check valve is provided. The check valve opening jig according to claim 3, wherein the diameter of the pressing rod portion is larger than the diameter of the wire main body portion.

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