JP7134829B2 - Mounting structure of liquid level detector - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a mounting structure for a liquid level detection device. More particularly, it relates to a mounting structure for a liquid level detection device for detecting the liquid level position of fuel in a fuel tank.

Conventionally, for example, there is a mounting structure for a liquid level detection device described in Patent Document 1 (see FIG. 17). As shown in FIG. 17, the mounting structure of the liquid level detection device is attached to the sub-tank 1010 arranged in the fuel tank by sliding the body portion 1050 of the liquid level detection device in one direction (from top to bottom). . Fitting portions 1060 extending in the sliding direction are provided on both sides of the body portion 1050 . A hooked portion 1070 having a hooked claw 1071 is formed at the tip of the body portion 1050 in the sliding direction. The sub-tank 1010 is formed with a fitting portion 1110 having a fitting groove 1111 that fits with the fitting portion 1060 of the main body portion 1050 . Also, in the sub-tank 1010, a hooking portion 1120 that elastically hooks the hooked hook 1071 of the hooked portion 1070, and a support portion 1122 that supports the hooking portion 1120 in a cantilever manner are formed. It is

When the main body portion 1050 is attached to the sub-tank 1010, both fitting portions 1060 are slid in one direction from above along the fitting grooves 1111 of both fitting portions 1110, and the tip of the hooking portion 1070 is supported. It is brought into contact with the portion 1122 . Further, the attachment of the body portion 1050 is completed when the hooking portion 1120 is elastically hooked to the hooked claw 1071 of the hooked portion 1070 .

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-48780

In the conventional example (see Patent Document 1), the fitting portion 1060 of the main body portion 1050 and the fitted portion 1110 of the sub-tank 1010 constitute a pair of slide guide means. Further, the hooked portion 1070 of the main body portion 1050 and the hooking portion 1120 and the support portion 1122 of the sub-tank 1010 constitute slide positioning means. In other words, the structure is complicated because the slide guide means and the slide positioning means are arranged apart from each other.

An object of the technique disclosed in this specification is to simplify the mounting structure of the liquid level detection device.

The technology disclosed in this specification takes the following measures.

The first means comprises a member to be attached arranged inside the fuel tank, and a liquid level detection device for detecting the liquid level position of the fuel in the fuel tank. A mounting structure for a liquid level detection device in which a member is slid onto a member to be mounted in one direction, wherein the member to be mounted has at least two rail portions extending in a sliding direction of the mounting member. The mounting member is provided with a plurality of mounting portions that can be mounted on the at least two rail portions, and the mounting portions are slidably fitted to the rail portions. a fitting portion that contacts the fitting side end of the rail portion to restrict movement of the fitting portion; and an end portion of the rail portion opposite to the fitting side. and a retaining portion that engages with the rail portion to retain the rail portion.

According to the first means, at least two attachment portions of the attachment member attached to at least two rail portions of the attached member have the fitting portion, the restricting portion, and the retaining portion. Therefore, each pair of mounting means formed by the rail portion and the mounting portion is provided with slide guide means formed by the rail portion and the fitting portion, and slide positioning means formed by the rail portion, the restricting portion, and the retainer portion. Therefore, the mounting structure of the liquid level detection device can be simplified as compared with the conventional example. Moreover, by providing at least two sets of mounting means, the mounting stability of the mounting member can be improved.

In the second means, the rail portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface with a C-shaped cross section, and the fitting portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with an inner peripheral surface with a C-shaped cross section. It is a mounting structure of the liquid level detection device.

According to the second means, when fitting the fitting portion to the rail portion, the fitting portion can be easily fitted to the rail portion even if the rail portion and the fitting portion are slightly displaced in the circumferential direction. can. As a result, it is possible to improve the mounting workability of the mounting member.

A third means is the first or second liquid level detection device mounting structure, wherein the mounted member is a sub-tank arranged in a fuel tank.

According to the third means, the mounting member of the liquid level detection device can be mounted on the sub-tank.

A fourth means is the liquid level detection device mounting structure of the third means, wherein the rail portion is arranged in the sub-tank so that the mounting position of the mounting member can be selected. mounting structure.

According to the fourth means, it is possible to easily change the mounting position of the mounting member of the liquid level detection device with respect to the sub-tank.

The technique disclosed in this specification can simplify the mounting structure of the liquid level detection device by taking the above means.

It is a perspective view showing a fuel supply device concerning an embodiment. It is a side view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. It is a rear view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. It is a bottom view which shows a fuel supply apparatus. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3; FIG. It is a perspective view which explodes and shows a cover member and a pump unit. It is a sectional view showing a pump unit. It is a front view which shows the attachment structure of a sender gauge. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a sub-tank main body and a gauge body; FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before the rail portion and the mounting portion are engaged; It is a front view which shows a rail part. It is a top view which shows a rail part. It is a front view which shows an attachment part. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 13; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 13; FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a mounting structure of a liquid level detection device according to a conventional example;

An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a fuel supply system with a sender gauge is exemplified. A fuel supply system is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and supplies liquid fuel in a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine (engine). 1 is a perspective view showing the fuel supply device, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the same, FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the same, FIG. It is a perspective view which explodes and shows a cover member and a pump unit. Determine the orientation of the fuel supply device as indicated by the arrow in the figure. The vertical direction corresponds to the gravitational direction, that is, the vertical direction when mounted in the fuel tank of the vehicle. Further, the front, rear, left, and right directions are not specified.

(fuel tank)
As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel tank 10 is formed in the shape of a hollow container having a top wall portion 11 and a bottom wall portion 12 . The fuel tank 10 is made of resin, and deforms, mainly expands and contracts in the vertical direction, due to changes in tank internal pressure. A circular hole-shaped top opening 13 is formed in the top wall 11 . For example, gasoline as liquid fuel is stored in the fuel tank 10 .

(Fuel supply device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply device 20 includes a lid member 22 and a pump unit 24 (see FIG. 6).

(Lid member 22)
The cover member 22 is mainly formed of a circular plate-shaped cover plate portion 26 . The lid member 22 is made of resin such as polyacetal resin (POM). As shown in FIG. 2 , a short cylindrical fitting tube portion 27 is concentrically formed on the lower surface of the cover plate portion 26 . An annular plate-shaped flange portion 28 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cover plate portion 26 so as to protrude radially outward from the fitting cylinder portion 27 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover plate portion 26 is provided with a fuel discharge port 30 and an electrical connector portion 32 . The fuel discharge port 30 extends vertically through the cover plate portion 26 . The fuel discharge port 30 is used for connecting fuel pipes inside and outside the fuel tank 10 . The electrical connector portion 32 is used to connect electrical wiring inside and outside the fuel tank 10 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , a standoff portion 34 is formed on the rear portion of the lower surface of the cover plate portion 26 . The standoff portion 34 has a cylindrical column portion 35 and both left and right curved wall portions 36 (see FIG. 6). The cylindrical column portion 35 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. Both curved wall portions 36 are formed symmetrically on both sides of the cylindrical column portion 35 . Both curved wall portions 36 are formed in a substantially triangular shape that converges downward from the fitting cylinder portion 27 when viewed from the rear.

(Pump unit 24)
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the pump unit. As shown in FIG. 7, the pump unit 24 includes a sub-tank 38, a fuel pump 40, and a pressure regulator 42. The pump unit 24 has a sender gauge 44 (see FIG. 6).

The sub-tank 38 has a sub-tank body 46 , a lower cover 48 and a fuel filter 50 . The sub-tank 38 has a connection strut 52 (see FIG. 6). The sub-tank main body 46 has a tank forming portion 54 , a pump case portion 55 , a pipe portion 56 and a regulator mounting pipe portion 57 . The sub-tank main body 46 is made of resin such as polyacetal resin (POM).

The tank forming portion 54 is formed in a topped cylindrical shape with an open bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 5, on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the tank forming portion 54, a column mounting portion 59 is formed with the upper surface being a horizontal plane.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pump case portion 55 is integrally formed in the central portion of the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 . The pump case portion 55 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape with an open bottom surface. A vertically intermediate portion of the pump case portion 55 is connected to an upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 .

The pipe portion 56 is integrally formed on the upper surface portion of the pump case portion 55 . The pipe portion 56 is formed in a straight pipe shape extending substantially leftward from the upper surface portion of the pump case portion 55 . The pipe portion 56 has an inlet portion 56a communicating with the pump case portion 55 at one end and an outlet portion 56b at the other end. The outlet portion 56b is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 via a piping member 62 such as a hose (see FIG. 1).

The regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is integrally formed on the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 . The regulator attachment pipe portion 57 is formed in a tubular shape extending in the vertical direction. A vertically intermediate portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 is connected to the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 . The regulator attachment pipe portion 57 is arranged in parallel on the left side of the pump case portion 55 . The upper portion of the regulator attachment pipe portion 57 has a passage cross-sectional area that gradually decreases upward from the upper surface portion of the tank forming portion 54 . The upper end portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 communicates with the central portion of the pipe portion 56 in the axial direction.

The lower cover 48 is formed in the shape of a circular shallow plate. A bottom plate portion 66 of the lower cover 48 is formed in a lattice plate shape having a large number of openings (see FIG. 4). The lower cover 48 is attached to the tank forming portion 54 by snap fitting so as to cover the lower opening of the sub-tank main body 46 . The lower cover 48 is made of resin.

Fuel filter 50 has a filter member 68 and a connecting member 72 . The filter member 68 is formed in the shape of a hollow bag with a filter material made of resin nonwoven fabric. The outer shape of the filter member 68 is formed in a substantially disc shape. Disposed within the filter member 68 is an internal bone member that secures an interior volume of the filter member 68 . The connection member 72 is arranged on the top surface of the filter member 68 . The connection member 72 is coupled with the inner bone member and communicates the inside and outside of the filter member 68 . The connecting member 72 and the inner bone member are made of resin.

The filter member 68 is arranged substantially horizontally so as to close the lower surface of the tank forming portion 54 before the lower cover 48 is attached to the tank forming portion 54 . The connecting member 72 is attached to the lower end portion of the pump case portion 55 by snap fitting. A fuel storage space 74 for storing fuel is formed between the tank forming portion 54 and the upper surface portion of the fuel filter 50 . By attaching the lower cover 48 to the tank forming portion 54 , the peripheral portion of the filter member 68 is sandwiched between the tank forming portion 54 and the lower cover 48 in a sealed state.

The fuel pump 40 is a substantially cylindrical electric fuel pump. The fuel pump 40 is inserted into the pump case portion 55 from below before the connection member 72 is attached to the pump case portion 55 . Along with this, the discharge port 40 a of the fuel pump 40 is connected to the inlet portion 56 a of the pipe portion 56 . The fuel pump 40 is held within the pump case portion 55 by attaching the connection member 72 to the pump case portion 55 . Along with this, the internal space of the filter member 68 communicates with the suction port of the fuel pump 40 via the connecting member 72 . Filter member 68 filters the fuel sucked into fuel pump 40 .

The fuel pump 40 sucks the fuel that has passed through the filter member 68 from the suction port, pressurizes it, and then discharges it into the pipe portion 56 from the discharge port 40a.

The pressure regulator 42 is provided inside the lower end portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 . The pressure regulator 42 adjusts the pressure in the pipe portion 56, ie, the pressure of the fuel supplied from the fuel pump 40 to the engine, to a predetermined pressure, and ejects surplus fuel from the surplus fuel discharge port 42a. The pressure regulator 42 is normally submerged in fuel stored in the fuel storage space 74 . A retaining member 43 made of resin for retaining the pressure regulator 42 is attached to the lower end portion of the regulator mounting pipe portion 57 by snap fitting. The pressurized fuel ejected from the excess fuel discharge port 42 a of the pressure regulator 42 is ejected into the fuel storage space 74 through the opening hole 43 a provided in the retainer member 43 . The pressure regulator 42 is arranged at the bottom of the fuel storage space 74 inside the sub-tank 38 . The retaining member 43 is arranged near above the filter member 68 of the fuel filter 50 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the sender gauge 44 has a gauge body 76, an arm 78 and a float 80. As shown in FIG. The gauge body 76 is attached to the outer surface of the tank forming portion 54 of the sub-tank main body 46 . A circuit board and the like are provided on the gauge body 76 . An arm holder 77 is provided on the surface side of the gauge body 76 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. A base end of the arm 78 is attached to the arm holder 77 . A float 80 is attached to the distal end of the arm 78 . The sender gauge 44 is a liquid level detection device that detects the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 10, that is, the liquid level position. The gauge body 76 and float 80 are made of resin. Arm 78 is made of metal. A mounting structure for the sender gauge 44 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting strut 52 is formed in a hollow tubular shape. A pedestal portion 83 is formed at the lower end portion of the connecting strut 52 . The connection strut 52 is erected vertically with the pedestal portion 83 supported on the strut mounting portion 59 of the sub-tank main body 46 (see FIG. 3). The connecting strut 52 is made of resin such as nylon resin (PA66) mixed with glass fiber.

The connection strut 52 is inserted into the cylindrical column portion 35 of the standoff portion 34 of the lid member 22 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction. The connecting strut 52 and the cylindrical column portion 35 are connected to each other by snap fitting so as to be axially movable within a predetermined range. Thereby, the lid member 22 and the sub-tank main body 46 of the pump unit 24 are connected so as to be vertically movable within a predetermined range.

A coil spring 85 made of metal is inserted into the connecting strut 52 . The coil spring 85 urges the lid member 22 and the sub-tank main body 46 in opposite directions, that is, in the separation direction. The connecting strut 52 also serves as a spring guide.

As shown in FIG. 1, an outlet portion 56b (see FIG. 7) of the piping portion 56 is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 via a piping member 62 such as a hose. An electrical connector 40c (see FIG. 6) of the fuel pump 40 is electrically connected to the electrical connector portion 32 of the lid member 22 via an electrical wiring 75 (see FIG. 5). The electrical connector of the gauge body 76 is electrically connected to the electrical connector portion 32 via electrical wiring 82 (see FIG. 1).

(Installation of fuel supply device 20)
When the fuel supply device 20 is installed in the fuel tank 10 , the pump unit 24 is suspended from the cover member 22 in an extended state. That is, the lid member 22 and the pump unit 24 are arranged in the furthest apart state. Subsequently, while the fuel supply device 20 is in the extended state, the pump unit 24 is inserted into the fuel tank 10 from the top opening 13 and placed on the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 . At this time, the lower end surface of the sub-tank main body 46 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 12 .

Subsequently, the lid member 22 is pushed down against the urging force of the coil spring 85, and the flange portion 28 of the lid member 22 is fixed to the upper wall portion 11 of the fuel tank 10 via fixing means such as fixing metal fittings and bolts. be. Installation of the fuel supply device 20 is completed as described above (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The lid member 22 closes the top opening 13 of the fuel tank 10 .

In the installed state of the fuel supply device 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the pump unit 24 is held in a state of being pressed against the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 by the biasing force of the coil spring 85 . A fuel supply pipe leading to the engine is connected to the fuel discharge port 30 of the lid member 22 . An external connector is connected to each of the electrical connector portions 32 .

(Operation of fuel supply device 20)
The fuel pump 40 is driven by drive power from the outside. Then, the fuel in the fuel tank 10 and/or the fuel in the fuel storage space 74 of the sub-tank 38 is sucked into the fuel pump 40 through the fuel filter 50 and pressurized. The pressurized fuel discharged from the fuel pump 40 into the piping portion 56 of the sub-tank main body 46 is regulated by the pressure regulator 42 . The pressure-regulated pressurized fuel is supplied to the engine from the fuel discharge port 30 of the lid member 22 through the piping member 62 .

The fuel tank 10 deforms, that is, expands and contracts due to changes in the internal pressure of the tank due to changes in air temperature, changes in the amount of fuel, and the like. Accordingly, the distance between the top wall portion 11 and the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 changes (increases or decreases). In this case, the change in height of the fuel tank 10 is followed by the relative vertical movement of the lid member 22 and the pump unit 24 .

When the fuel tank 10 is about to contract excessively, the stand-off portion 34 of the lid member 22 abuts against the base portion 83 of the connection strut 52 of the pump unit 24 and acts as a tension rod. As a result, the distance between the lid member 22 and the sub-tank main body 46 is regulated to the minimum distance. That is, the fuel supply device 20 is restricted to the lowest height state.

(Mounting structure of sender gauge 44)
As shown in FIG. 1, the gauge body 76 of the sender gauge 44 is attached to the tank forming portion 54 of the sub-tank main body 46 of the sub-tank 38 by sliding it downward in one direction. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the mounting structure of the sender gauge, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the sub-tank main body and the gauge body. In FIG. 8, a solid line 76 indicates the mounting state of the gauge body 76, and a two-dot chain line 76 indicates the state immediately before the mounting.

The sender gauge 44 corresponds to the "liquid level detector" referred to in this specification. The sub-tank 38 corresponds to the "attachment member" referred to in this specification. The gauge body 76 corresponds to the "mounting member" referred to in this specification. Further, regarding the description of the mounting structure of the sender gauge 44 , the side facing the tank forming portion 54 corresponds to the rear side of the gauge body 76 . The side opposite to the tank forming portion 54 corresponds to the front side of the gauge body 76, and the arm holder 77 is attached to the front side (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 9, the tank forming portion 54 of the sub-tank main body 46 has a substantially cylindrical side wall portion 106 . A rail portion 136 extending in the sliding direction of the gauge body 76, that is, in the vertical direction, is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the side wall portion 106. As shown in FIG. A plurality of rail portions 136 (for example, 6 to 7 rail portions) are arranged in parallel at equal intervals (for example, 45° intervals) in the circumferential direction with respect to the remaining outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion 106 of the sub-tank body 46 excluding the column mounting portion 59 . ) is formed. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before engagement between the rail portion and the mounting portion, FIG. 11 is a front view showing the rail portion, and FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the rail portion.

As shown in FIG. 10, the rail portion 136 is connected to the side wall portion 106 of the sub-tank body 46 via a connecting portion 137 (see FIG. 12). The connecting portion 137 is formed in the shape of a rib extending in the vertical direction of the side wall portion 106 . The rail portion 136 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface 136a with a C-shaped cross section (see FIG. 12). A tapered surface 136b is formed at the upper end of the rail portion 136 (see FIG. 11). The upper end of tapered surface 136b is rounded. A lower end surface 136c of the rail portion 136 is formed of a plane orthogonal to the axis of the rail portion 136. As shown in FIG. The rail portion 136 and the connecting portion 137 are collectively referred to as an attached portion. The upper end portion of the rail portion 136 corresponds to the end portion on the fitting side. Also, the lower end of the rail portion 136 corresponds to the end opposite to the fitting side.

As shown in FIG. 8, the gauge body 76 of the sender gauge 44 is formed like a block plate (see FIG. 9). The plate thickness direction of the gauge body 76 is oriented in the front-rear direction (the front-rear direction of the paper surface in FIG. 8). A pair of mounting portions 140 that can be mounted on the pair of adjacent rail portions 136 of the sub-tank main body 46 are formed symmetrically on both left and right sides of the gauge body 76 . Hereinafter, the right mounting portion 140 will be mainly described, and the description of the left mounting portion 140 will be omitted by denoting the same portions with the same reference numerals. 13 is a front view showing the mounting portion, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 13, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. It is an arrow sectional view.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the attachment portion 140 has a fitting portion 142 , a restricting portion 144 and a retainer portion 146 . As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the fitting portion 142 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape extending vertically in the gauge body 76 . A slit groove 143 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the rear side portion of the fitting portion 142 . The slit groove 143 is formed so as to receive the connecting portion 137 of the side wall portion 106 of the sub-tank main body 46 .

The fitting portion 142 has an inner peripheral surface 142a having a C-shaped cross section. The inner peripheral surface 142 a has an inner diameter that is the same as or substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 136 a of the rail portion 136 . The fitting portion 142 is formed to be slidable in the axial direction and to be fitted to the outer peripheral surface 136 a of the rail portion 136 . The fitting portion 142 is preferably formed so as to be fitted to the rail portion 136 with a predetermined sliding resistance. A vertically elongated window hole 142b opening forward is formed in the front side portion of the fitting portion 142 (see FIGS. 15 and 16).

As shown in FIG. 10 , the restricting portion 144 is formed to close the top opening of the fitting portion 142 . The restricting portion 144 contacts or approaches the upper end portion of the rail portion 136 when the fitting portion 142 is fitted to the rail portion 136 (see two-dot chain line 144 in FIG. 10). The restricting portion 144 restricts further movement of the rail portion 136 by coming into contact with the upper end portion of the rail portion 136 .

As shown in FIG. 13 , the retaining portion 146 is formed in a substantially U-shaped plate shape at the lower end portion of the fitting portion 142 . The retainer portion 146 is formed so that the plate thickness direction faces the radial direction of the side wall portion 106 of the sub-tank main body 46 when the fitting portion 142 is fitted to the rail portion 136 (see FIG. 16). The retaining portion 146 has a pair of left and right side piece portions 146a extending downward from the fitting portion 142, and a retaining piece portion 146b connecting the lower ends of the both side piece portions 146a to each other.

Both side pieces 146a are formed so as to be elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction, that is, flexurally deformable (see two-dot chain line 146a in FIG. 10). The retaining piece portion 146b is formed so as to cross the hollow portion of the fitting portion 142 in a bottom view (see two-dot chain line 146b in FIG. 16). The distance between the retaining piece portion 146b and the restricting portion 144 is set equal to or slightly longer than the length of the rail portion 136. As shown in FIG. The retaining piece 146b engages with the lower side of the lower end surface 136c of the rail 136 to retain the rail 136 (see two-dot chain line 146b in FIGS. 10 and 11).

(Installation of sender gauge 44)
Two adjacent rail portions 136 are selected from the plurality of rail portions 136 of the sub-tank main body 46 according to the mounting position of the gauge body 76 with respect to the sub-tank 38 . Next, both mounting portions 140 of the gauge body 76 are positioned close to above two adjacent rail portions 136 of the sub-tank main body 46 (see two-dot chain line 76 in FIG. 8).

Next, the retaining piece 146b of the retaining portion 146 is brought into contact with the rail portion 136 to bend the side pieces 146a, and the fitting portion 142 is moved along the rail portion 136 in one direction, that is, downward. As a result, the fitting portion 142 is slid and fitted to the rail portion 136 . At this time, the connecting portion 137 is relatively inserted into the slit groove 143 . As a result, both side pieces 146a are elastically restored and the retainer pieces 146b are engaged with the lower surface of the rail portion 136 at the same time or almost at the same time when the restricting portion 144 comes into contact with the upper end portion of the rail portion 136 . That is, the retaining portion 146 is elastically engaged with the lower end surface of the rail portion 136 so that the mounting portion 140 is retained by the rail portion 136 . In this manner, the gauge body 76 is attached to the sub-tank main body 46 (see FIG. 8).

(Advantages of this embodiment)
According to the attachment structure of the sender gauge 44 described above, both attachment portions 140 of the gauge body 76 attached to the two rail portions 136 of the sub-tank 38 have the fitting portion 142 , the restriction portion 144 and the retaining portion 146 . Therefore, for each set of mounting means made up of the rail portion 136 and the mounting portion 140, the slide guide means made up of the rail portion 136 and the fitting portion 142, and the slide positioning made up of the rail portion 136, the restricting portion 144 and the retaining portion 146. a means; Therefore, the mounting structure of the sender gauge 44 can be simplified as compared with the conventional example. Also, by providing at least two sets of mounting means, the mounting stability of the gauge body 76 can be improved.

The rail portion 136 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface 136a with a C-shaped cross section, and the fitting portion 142 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with an inner peripheral surface 142a with a C-shaped cross section. Therefore, when fitting the fitting portion 142 to the rail portion 136, the fitting portion 142 can be easily fitted to the rail portion 136 even if the rail portion 136 and the fitting portion 142 are slightly displaced in the circumferential direction. can be done. As a result, workability of attaching the gauge body 76 can be improved.

A plurality of (eg, 6 to 7) rail portions 136 are arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion 106 of the sub-tank main body 46 . Thus, the rail portion 136 is arranged on the sub-tank 38 so that the mounting position of the gauge body 76 can be selected. That is, two adjacent rail portions 136 can be selected from among the plurality of rail portions 136 according to the mounting position of the gauge body 76 . Therefore, the mounting position of the gauge body 76 of the sender gauge 44 with respect to the sub-tank 38 can be easily changed. In this embodiment, at least three rail portions 136 are required.

Further, in the case of this embodiment, either the right or left mounting portion 140 of the gauge body 76 can be mounted on the remaining rail portions 136 excluding the rail portion 136 adjacent to the strut mounting portion 59 . Therefore, the mounting positions of the gauge body 76 can be increased.

[Other embodiments]
Although the technology disclosed in this specification has been described above with respect to specific embodiments, it can be implemented in various other forms. For example, one set of attachment means including the rail portion 136 and the attachment portion 140 may be provided, or three or more sets may be provided. Moreover, in the embodiment, the rail portion 136 can be attached to either the left or right attachment portion 140 of the gauge body 76, but a rail portion dedicated to each attachment portion 140 may be used. Also, the shapes of the rail portion 136 and the fitting portion 142 may be appropriately changed as long as they are shapes that can be fitted to each other. Also, the attached member may be changed to a member other than the sub-tank 38 .

10 fuel tank 38 sub-tank (attached member)
44 Sender gauge (liquid level detection device)
76 gauge body (mounting member)
136 Rail portion 136a Outer peripheral surface 140 Mounting portion 142 Fitting portion 142a Inner peripheral surface 144 Regulating portion 146 Retaining portion

Claims (4)

a mounted member arranged in the fuel tank;
a liquid level detection device for detecting the liquid level position of the fuel in the fuel tank;
and
A mounting structure for a liquid level detection device that is mounted by sliding a mounting member of the liquid level detection device on the member to be mounted in one direction,
At least two rail portions extending in the vertical direction of the mounting member are provided in parallel on the mounting member,
The mounting member is provided with a pair of left and right mounting portions that can be mounted by sliding the at least two rail portions downward from above ,
Each of the mounting portions includes a fitting portion that is slidably fitted to the rail portion, a restricting portion that abuts against an end portion of the rail portion on the fitting side to restrict movement of the fitting portion, and the rail. a retaining portion that elastically engages with the end portion on the opposite side of the fitting side of the portion to retain the rail portion,
The fitting portion is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape,
The restricting portion is formed to close an upper opening of the fitting portion,
The retaining portion is formed in a substantially U-shaped plate shape at a lower end portion of the fitting portion,
The retaining portion connects a pair of left and right side pieces extending downward from the fitting portion and formed to be elastically deformable in a plate thickness direction, and lower end portions of the pair of side pieces. and a retaining piece,
When the fitting portion is fitted to the rail portion, the retaining piece portion utilizes the elastic deformation of the pair of side piece portions to slide while contacting the side surface of the rail portion. mounting structure for a liquid level detection device , wherein when the pair of side pieces passes through the lower end surface of the rail portion, the rail portion engages with the lower end surface of the rail portion due to the elastic restoration of the pair of side pieces . The mounting structure for the liquid level detection device according to claim 1,
The rail portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface with a C-shaped cross section,
The mounting structure of the liquid level detection device, wherein the fitting portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an inner peripheral surface with a C-shaped cross section. The mounting structure for the liquid level detection device according to claim 1 or 2,
The mounting structure of the liquid level detection device, wherein the mounted member is a sub-tank arranged in the fuel tank. A mounting structure for a liquid level detection device according to claim 3,
The mounting structure of the liquid level detection device, wherein the rail portion is arranged in the sub-tank so that the mounting position of the mounting member can be selected.

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