JP7448347B2 - Fuel supply system for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel supply device mounted on a vehicle.

Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel supply device in which a pump unit is integrally attached to a lid that is attached to an opening provided at the top of a fuel tank of a vehicle.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses that the outer surface of the fuel tank other than the opening to which the lid is attached is covered with a heat insulating material, and the lid is attached to the opening by bringing the heat insulating material around the opening into contact with the floor panel of the vehicle body. A structure is disclosed in which the space around the lid is closed to improve the heat insulation effect.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-56820 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-221777

Incidentally, depending on the structure of the vehicle, the fuel tank may be placed apart from the floor panel of the vehicle body. In this case, as described in Patent Document 2, the heat insulating material around the opening cannot be brought into contact with the floor panel of the vehicle body, and the opening ends up in an open state. Therefore, the lid attached to the opening may come into contact with hot air or liquid, leading to further deterioration of the lid.

An object of the present invention is to suppress deterioration of a lid attached to an opening of a fuel tank.

A fuel supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a fuel tank that is arranged below a floor panel constituting a floor of a vehicle, spaced apart from the floor panel, and has an opening at the top, and a fuel tank that is attached to the opening. a lid, a heat insulating material that covers an outer surface of the fuel tank other than the opening, and a cover member that is attached to the outer surface of the heat insulating material around the opening and covers the outer surface of the lid, the heat insulating material , the cover member has a plurality of recesses around the opening, the cover member has a disc part, a cylindrical part, and a plurality of fixing parts protruding outward from a lower end of the cylindrical part, The fixing portion is fitted into the plurality of recesses .

According to the fuel supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the cover member can prevent hot air or liquid from coming into contact with the lid attached to the opening of the fuel tank, thereby suppressing deterioration of the lid. .

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the lid of the fuel supply device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel tank taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 together with the floor panel, and a side view of the pump module as seen from the rear. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the upper part of the fuel tank taken along the line BB in FIG. 1 together with the floor panel, and is a side view of the pump module as seen from the left. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view from FIG. 1 with the cover member and hose removed.

Hereinafter, a fuel supply device 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Arrow FR, arrow UP, and arrow RH shown in each figure indicate the forward direction, upward direction, and right direction, which are the traveling directions of the vehicle in which the fuel supply device 100 is mounted, respectively. Further, directions opposite to each of the arrows FR, UP, and RH indicate the rearward direction, downward direction, and leftward direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, when the directions are simply referred to as front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions, unless otherwise specified, this refers to front and back in the front and back direction of the vehicle, left and right in the left and right direction of the vehicle, and up and down in the up and down direction of the vehicle. The left-right direction is also referred to as the width direction of the vehicle.

(Configuration of fuel supply device 100)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the fuel supply device 100 includes a fuel tank 110, a pump module 130 including a lid 131, a heat insulator 140, and a cover member 150.

Fuel tank 110 stores fuel for the vehicle engine. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fuel tank 110 has an opening 111 forming an opening 111A in its upper part, an inclined part 112 located outside the opening 111, and an inclined part 112 located outside the inclined part 112. and a flat portion 113 located thereon. The fuel tank 110 includes a bottom 114 at its lower part.

The opening 111 has an annular shape, and the inclined portion 112 has the shape of a side surface of a truncated cone. The inclined portion 112 is connected to the opening 111. The flat portion 113 is connected to the inclined portion 112. The opening 111 has a recess 111B that is annular in plan view on its upper surface. A seal member 120 such as an O-ring is housed in the recess 111B.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the pump module 130 includes a lid 131, a sub-tank 133 attached to the lower side of the lid 131 via shafts 134A and 134B, and a fuel pump 136 provided in the sub-tank 133. , a fuel pipe 137 that connects the fuel supply section 131C of the lid 131 and the sub-tank 133, and a lead wire 138 that connects the connector section 131D of the lid 131 and the fuel pump 136. The pump module 130 is a device in which a sub-tank 133, a fuel pump 136, a fuel pipe 137, and a lead wire 138 are integrally attached to a lid 131.

The lid 131, sub-tank 133, fuel pump 136, fuel pipe 137, and lead wire 138 that constitute the pump module 130 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

The lid 131 is detachably attached to the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110 with a plurality of bolts 171, and covers the opening 111A by closing the opening 111A. The lid 131 includes a cylindrical portion 131A, a flange 131B, a fuel supply portion 131C, and a connector 131D.

The cylindrical portion 131A of the lid 131 is a cylindrical portion of the lid 131, and a flange 131B extends outward from the top thereof. The lower part of the lid 131 fits into the opening 111A. The outer circumferential surface of the lower part of the cylindrical portion 131A is in contact with the inner wall of the opening 111A, that is, the inner circumferential wall of the opening 111.

The flange 131B of the lid 131 is formed into a donut plate shape. The flange 131B is tightened and fixed to the opening 111 with a plurality of bolts 171 while covering the upper surface of the opening 111 from above. Specifically, the flange 131B has a through hole through which the threaded portion of each bolt 171 passes, and the threaded portion of each bolt 171 passes through the through hole and is inserted into a threaded engagement provided in the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110. Screws into the hole. By this screwing, the flange 131B is tightened and fixed to the opening 111. By this tightening and fixing, the lid 131 is attached to the opening 111, and the sealing member 120 in the recess 111B of the fuel tank 110 is elastically deformed. This elastic deformation creates a seal between the fuel tank 110 and the lid 131.

The fuel supply section 131C of the lid 131 is a hollow tube through which the fuel stored in the fuel tank 110 passes. The fuel supply section 131C includes a first portion 131CA that extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the columnar portion 131A, and a second portion 131CB that extends in the left-right direction from the first portion 131CA. One end of the hose H is connected to the first portion 131CA. The other end of the hose H is connected to the engine. One end of the fuel pipe 137 is connected to the lower end of the second portion 131CB.

The connector 131D of the lid 131 extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the columnar portion 131A. The upper part of the connector 131D is a female connector and is connected to a male connector (not shown). The male connector is electrically connected to a power source and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) (not shown) via lead wires. One end of each of a plurality of flexible lead wires 138 is connected to the lower end of the connector 131D. The other end of each of the plurality of lead wires 138 is connected to the fuel pump 136. Thereby, the fuel pump 136 is electrically connected to the power source and the ECU via the lead wire 138, the connector 131D, and the like. The fuel pump 136 receives power from a power source and is controlled by the ECU.

The cylindrical portion 131A of the lid 131, the flange 131B, the fuel supply portion 131C, and the portions of the connector 131D other than the conductive portions such as the terminals are integrally molded from synthetic resin or the like. For example, the lid 131 is integrally formed by insert molding, in which parts constituting the conductive portion of the connector 131D are inserted into a mold. Examples of the material include POM (polyacetal), which is highly cost-effective.

The sub-tank 133 is a tank that is disposed at the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110 and supports a fuel pump 136 inside. The sub-tank 133 is formed with a hole 133A through which the fuel in the fuel tank 110 flows into the sub-tank 133.

The sub-tank 133 is attached to the lower part of the shafts 134A, 134B so as to be movable up and down within a predetermined range. The upper ends of the shafts 134A and 134B are fixed to the lower side of the lid 131. Spring 135A, 135B is arranged on the outside of shaft 134A, 134B, respectively. The springs 135A and 135B are sandwiched between the cylindrical portion 131A of the lid 131 and the sub-tank 133. Since the sub-tank 133 is vertically movable within a predetermined range along the shafts 134A, 134B, the springs 135A, 135B push the sub-tank 133 downward.

The sub-tank 133 enters into the fuel tank 110 through the opening 111A when the lid 131 is attached to the opening 111, and comes into contact with the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110. Then, when the bolt 171 is tightened and the lid 131 is assembled into the opening 111, the springs 135A and 135B press the sub-tank 133 against the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110. Thereby, even if the fuel tank 110 is deformed by external heat or the like, the sub-tank 133 is always located at the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110.

The fuel pipe 137 connects the fuel supply section 131C of the lid 131 and the fuel pump 136. The fuel pipe 137 is made of a bellows pipe or the like, and is expandable and retractable in accordance with changes in the distance between the sub-tank 133 and the lid 131. The fuel pipe 137 may be a flexible pipe that bends or extends in accordance with the change in distance. Furthermore, since the lead wire 138 has flexibility, it can bend or expand in accordance with changes in the distance between the sub-tank 133 and the lid 131.

The fuel pump 136 is supported by the sub-tank 133 inside the sub-tank 133, and supplies the fuel in the fuel tank 110, that is, the fuel in the sub-tank 133, through a fuel pipe 137, a fuel supply section 131C, and a hose H. Supply to the engine. The fuel pump 136 may include a filter for removing foreign matter mixed into the fuel tank 110.

As described above, the sub-tank 133 and the fuel pump 136 are integrally attached to the lid 131, but the specific manner of the integral attachment is arbitrary. The fuel pump 136 and the like are integrally attached to the lid 131, so that when the lid 131 is moved, the fuel pump and the like are also moved together with the lid 131, for example, when the lid 131 is removed from the fuel tank 110. It is only necessary that the fuel pump 136 and the like be attached to the lid 131 so that the fuel pump 136 and the like can also be removed at the same time.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the heat insulating material 140 covers the outer surface of the fuel tank 110 except for the opening 111, and prevents external heat from being transmitted to the fuel tank 110, thereby reducing temperature changes in the fuel. suppress. The heat insulating material 140 is made of, for example, thermoplastic foam resin such as foamed polyethylene or foamed urethane. The heat insulating material 140 includes a heat insulating inclined part 141 that covers the outer surface of the inclined part 112 of the fuel tank 110, a heat insulating flat part 142 that covers the outer surface of the flat part 113 of the fuel tank 110, and a heat insulating material that covers the outer surface of the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110. A bottom portion 143.

The heat insulating inclined portion 141 has a side surface shape of a truncated cone that covers the inclined portion 112 around the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110 . The inner peripheral edge of the heat insulating inclined portion 141 forms an opening 141A, and the opening 141A is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110. The opening 141A exposes the upper part of the outer surface of the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110 and the lid 131 of the pump module 130 from the heat insulating material 140. In other words, the heat insulating material 140 does not cover the opening 111 and the lid 131 from above. The outer surface of the heat insulating slope 141 has a plurality of recesses 141B shown in FIG. A fixing portion 153, which will be described later, of the cover member 150 is inserted into the recess 141B and fixed therein.

The heat insulating flat portion 142 is arranged on the outside of the heat insulating slope portion 141 and is connected to the heat insulating slope portion 141 . The heat insulating flat portion 142 covers the outer surface of the flat portion 113 of the fuel tank 110 from above. The insulating bottom portion 143 covers the outer surface of the bottom 114 of the fuel tank 110 from below.

The cover member 150 is attached to the outer surface of the heat insulating inclined portion 141 disposed around the periphery of the opening 111, and covers the outer surface of the lid 131 from above. The cover member 150 preferably has heat insulating properties and acid resistance in order to protect the lid 131 from hot air and liquid. For example, the cover member 150 may be formed by forming an acid-resistant coating on a cover member body made of thermoplastic foam resin. The cover member 150 may be formed of acid-resistant thermoplastic foam resin or the like. Such a cover member 150 protects the lid 131 from hot air and from liquids, particularly acidic liquids.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover member 150 includes a disk portion 151, a cylindrical portion 152, a plurality of fixing portions 153, and a housing portion 154. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover member 150 may be placed with a space between the lid 131 and the lid 131, as shown in FIGS.

The disk portion 151 is formed into a disk shape with a portion where the housing portion 154 is provided cut out. The cylindrical portion 152 extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the disk portion 151.

Each of the plurality of fixing parts 153 is formed of a protruding plate that protrudes from the lower end of the cylindrical part 152 to the outside of the cylindrical part 152. Each fixing portion 153 is inclined in accordance with each recess 141B of the heat insulating inclined portion 141, and is fitted into each recess 141B. Each fixing portion 153 has a through hole through which the threaded portion of the bolt 172 passes. The threaded portion of the bolt 172 passes through the through hole of the fixing portion 153, penetrates the heat insulating inclined portion 141, and engages with a threaded hole formed in the inclined portion 112 of the fuel tank 110. As a result, each fixing portion 153 , that is, the cover member 150 is attached to the outer surface of the heat insulating inclined portion 141 , which is a heat insulating material disposed around the periphery of the opening 111 . The disk portion 151 has a through hole 151A at a position corresponding to the connector 131D of the lid 131. A connector 131D passes through the through hole 151A.

The housing portion 154 accommodates the fuel supply portion 131C and one end portion of the hose H connected to the second portion 131CB of the fuel supply portion 131C by covering it from above. The housing portion 154 has a box-like shape that is convex upward from the disk portion 151 and is open at the bottom. The housing portion 154 extends linearly from the center of the disk portion 151 toward the outer periphery along the radial direction of the disk portion 151 in a plan view. An end 154A on the outer circumferential side of the disk portion 151 in the accommodating portion 154 is open, while a portion 152A below the end 154A in the cylindrical portion 152 is not open. The hose H passes through the opening of the end portion 154A and is routed outside the cover member 150.

When attaching the cover member 150 to the heat insulating inclined portion 141, it is preferable to pass the hose H connected to the fuel supply portion 131C through the opening of the end portion 154A of the cover member 150 before the attachment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 100 is disposed below the floor panel 11 constituting the floor of the vehicle and spaced apart from the floor panel 11. For example, the fuel supply device 100 is suspended from the floor panel 11 by a hanging member (not shown) or the like. The floor panel 11 has a circular service hole 11A, and the service hole 11A is covered and closed by a service hole cover 12 attached to the floor panel 11 with bolts 13. The fuel tank 110, the lid 131, the insulating inclined portion 141, and the like are arranged below the floor panel 11, the service hole 11A, and the service hole cover 12, and spaced apart from them in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the cover member 150 is also attached to the heat insulating material 140 at a position below the floor panel 11.

(Effects of cover member 150 in fuel supply device 100)
As described above, the fuel supply device 100 of this embodiment is arranged below the floor panel 11 and the service hole cover 12 at a distance from the floor panel 11 and the service hole cover 12, and has the opening 111 at the top. The fuel tank 110, a fuel pump 136, etc. are integrally attached to the lid 131, and the lid 131 is attached to the opening 111 and closes the opening 111A. The fuel supply device 100 further includes a heat insulating material 140 that covers the outer surface of the fuel tank 110 other than the opening 111, and a heat insulating slope 141 that is attached to the outer surface of the heat insulating slope 141 that is a heat insulating material around the opening 111 on the lower side of the floor panel 11. and a cover member 150 that covers the outer surface of the lid 131. Therefore, the cover member 150 covering the lid 131 can prevent the lid 131 from coming into contact with hot air and liquid inside the vehicle, thereby suppressing deterioration of the lid 131 due to contact with the hot air or liquid.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the fuel supply device 100, there is a gap between the heat insulating inclined portion 141 of the heat insulating material 140, the floor panel 11, and the service hole cover 12, and they are not in contact with each other. For this reason, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, hot air or liquid (see arrow R) that enters between the heat insulating material 140 and the floor panel 11 or between the service hole cover 12 may reach the position of the lid 131. There is a possibility that it may invade. Examples of the hot air include air heated by heat from an engine, a catalyst device, a road surface, or the like. Examples of the liquid include acidic liquids, particularly strongly acidic liquids that enter from the outside of the vehicle or from the passenger compartment. If the cover member 150 is not provided, the lid 131 may come into contact with the hot air or liquid, resulting in further deterioration of the lid 131. In particular, if the hot air is at a high temperature, there is a possibility that the lid 131 will deteriorate further. Moreover, when the lid 131 is formed of POM as described above and the liquid has strong acidity, the deterioration is likely to progress. In the fuel supply device 100 of this embodiment, the cover member 150, which is different from the floor panel 11 and the service hole cover 12, is attached to the heat insulating inclined portion 141 and covers the lid 131, so that exposure of the lid 131 is suppressed as much as possible. This prevents hot air or liquid from coming into contact with the lid 131. This suppresses deterioration of the lid 131. Note that when hot air comes into contact with the lid 131, the fuel in the fuel tank 110 may be heated through the lid 131 by the hot air, but since the cover member 150 blocks contact between the lid 131 and the hot air, Heating of the fuel as described above is also suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover member 150 is arranged with a space between the cover member 150 and the lid 131 without contacting the lid 131, so that an air layer is formed between the cover member 150 and the lid 131. This results in a high heat insulation effect against hot air.

(Modified example)
The shape of each member explained above is arbitrary and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the openings of the through hole 151A and the end portion 154A of the cover member 150 may be made as small as possible. Thereby, hot air and liquid can be suppressed as much as possible from entering the inside of cover member 150, and contact of hot air and liquid with lid 131 can be further suppressed.

The lid 131 may be attached to the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110 in any manner. The lid 131 may be fixed by another member instead of the bolts 171, for example, a cap member having a through hole in the center and screwed into the outer circumferential wall of the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110.

The method of attaching the cover member 150 to the heat insulating material 140 is also arbitrary. For example, the cover member 150 may be attached to the heat insulating material 140 by adhering the cover member 150 to the heat insulating inclined portion 141 or the recess 141B using double-sided tape or the like. The cover member 150 can be attached to the heat insulating material 140 by directly fixing the cover member 150 to the heat insulating material 140, or by attaching the cover member 150 to the heat insulating material 140 as in the above embodiment. This includes a mode in which the cover member 150 is fixed to a member other than the heat insulator 140, such as the fuel tank 110, to prevent the cover member 150 from moving relative to the heat insulator 140.

The material of the cover member 150 is also arbitrary. As long as the cover member 150 covers the lid 131, hot air and liquid are unlikely to come into direct contact with the lid 131, so deterioration of the lid 131 is suppressed.

A gap may be provided between the inner circumferential wall of the heat insulating inclined portion 141 of the heat insulating material 140, that is, the inner wall of the opening 141A, and the outer circumferential surface of the opening 111. Whether or not there is a gap, the heat insulating inclined portion 141 can be said to be a heat insulating material around the periphery of the opening 111. It is desirable that the heat insulating material 140 covers all of the fuel tank 110 other than the opening 111, or the entire portion of the fuel tank 110 other than the opening 111 and the gap. This effectively provides a heat insulating effect.

It is desirable that the cover member 150 is in contact with the heat insulating material 140 without any gaps. Specifically, it is desirable that the entire lower end of the cover member 150, for example, the entire lower end of the cylindrical portion 152, be in contact with the heat insulating inclined portion 141. This can prevent hot air and liquid from entering through the gap between the cover member 150 and the heat insulating material 140 and coming into contact with the lid 131. In particular, the insulating inclined portion 141 surrounds the opening 111 of the fuel tank 110 over the entire circumference, and the lower end of the cover member 150 is in contact with the insulating inclined portion 141 over the entire circumference, which effectively prevents the intrusion. It can be suppressed.

The upper end portion of the cover member 150, for example, the accommodating portion 154 may be higher than the floor panel 11 and enter the service hole 11A. For example, the upper end of the upper end may be disposed within the service hole 11A, or the upper end may pass through the service hole 11A. In this case, the service hole cover 12 may be provided with an upwardly convex accommodating portion for accommodating the upper end, or the entire service hole cover 12 may be raised so that the service hole cover 12 does not touch the upper end of the cover member 150. It may also have a convex dish shape.

11 floor panel, 11A service hole, 12 service hole cover, 100 fuel supply device, 110 fuel tank, 111 opening, 111B recess, 112 slope, 113 flat part, 114 bottom, 120 seal member, 130 pump module, 131 lid , 131A cylindrical part, 131B flange, 131C fuel supply part, 131D connector, 133 sub-tank, 133A hole, 134A, 134B shaft, 135A, 135B spring, 136 fuel pump, 137 fuel pipe, 138 lead wire, 140 heat insulation material, 141 heat insulation Inclined part, 141B Recessed part, 142 Insulating flat part, 143 Insulating bottom part, 150 Cover member, 151 Disc part, 151A Through hole, 152 Cylindrical part, 152A Part, 153 Fixed part, 154 Accommodating part, 154A End part, 13, 171 , 172 volts, 111A, 141A opening.

Claims (1)

a fuel tank disposed on the underside of a floor panel constituting the floor of a vehicle, spaced apart from the floor panel, and having an opening at the top;
a lid attached to the opening;
a heat insulating material covering an outer surface of the fuel tank other than the opening;
a cover member attached to the outer surface of the heat insulating material around the opening and covering the outer surface of the lid;
Equipped with
The heat insulating material has a plurality of recesses around the opening,
The cover member has a disc part, a cylindrical part, and a plurality of fixing parts protruding outward from a lower end of the cylindrical part,
the plurality of fixing parts are fitted into the plurality of recesses;
A vehicle fuel supply device characterized by: