JPH0327859Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a tank opening closing structure in which an opening communicating with the inside of the tank is closed by a removable lid.

[Conventional technology]

In a fuel tank installed in an automobile, the fuel may expand due to the influence of heat generated while the automobile is running, and the internal pressure may increase.

When the fuel cap is removed for refueling in such a state, the inside of the tank is communicated with the atmosphere and the internal pressure drops rapidly. Therefore, the low boiling point components of the fuel evaporate and are released into the atmosphere. At this time, in some cases, phenomena such as fuel bubbling and blowback may occur.

As a countermeasure against these problems, there is a technique in which the opening/closing force of the fuel cap is changed clearly during the fuel cap removal operation. According to this technology, the operator can, during the fuel cap removal operation,
The effect is achieved by temporarily stopping the removal operation when the opening/closing force changes, and then continuing the removal operation to remove the fuel cap after the internal pressure has sufficiently decreased.

However, if the operator does not have knowledge about this technique, the purpose of this technique, which is to clearly inform the operator of the stopping position, will not be achieved.

In addition, when the internal pressure of the tank decreases, the technology that increases the internal pressure without the operator's intervention is as follows:
It is known as Utility Model No. 55-174024.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

The present invention takes the above facts into consideration, and when removing the lid blocking the opening that communicates with the inside of the tank, if the tank internal pressure has increased, the tank internal pressure will drop to a predetermined pressure. The purpose is to obtain a tank opening closing structure in which the lid cannot be removed until the lid is removed.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention described in claim (1) of utility model registration, a filler pipe communicating with the inside of the tank,
A breather that communicates with the inside of the filler pipe, a removable lid that is attached to close the opening of the filler pipe and prevent communication between the breather and the inside of the tank, and a removable lid that is installed on the lid and that controls the tank internal pressure. and a lid body restraining means disposed on the lid body and activated in communication with the operation of the valve means to restrain the lid body to the filler pipe. It is characterized by

In the present invention described in utility model registration claim (2), in the present invention described in utility model registration claim (1), the valve means is an opening in the lid that communicates between the breather and the tank. It is characterized by comprising a valve body that closes, a biasing means that biases the valve body, and a diaphragm that is disposed in a space communicating with the breather and connected to the valve body.

In the present invention described in utility model registration claim (3), in the present invention described in utility model registration claim (2), the lid body restraining means includes a lever connected to the valve body, and a lever connected to the valve body. It is characterized by comprising a lock pin that is connected to the valve body and protrudes from the lid body when the valve body is actuated and fits into the recess of the filler pipe.

In the invention stated in claim (4) for utility model registration, in the invention stated in any one of claims (1) to claim (3) for utility model registration, the tank is The tank is characterized in that the opening of the filler pipe, which is closed by the lid, is the fuel injection port.

In the invention stated in claim (5) for utility model registration, in the invention stated in claims (1) to (4) for utility model registration, the tank is a fuel tank installed in a motor vehicle. It is characterized by

[Effect]

In the tank opening closing structure configured as described above, when the tank internal pressure increases beyond a predetermined pressure when removing the lid blocking the opening of the filler pipe that communicates with the inside of the tank, In this case, the valve means is actuated by the tank internal pressure. The lid restraining means is actuated by the operation of the valve means, and the lid is restrained by the filler pipe, thereby preventing removal of the lid. .
Further, the inside of the tank is communicated with a breather and the pressure is reduced by the operation of the valve means. When the tank internal pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure, the valve means is stopped from operating due to the internal pressure, the lid restraining means is also stopped from operating, and the lid can be removed.

Further, when the tank internal pressure does not exceed a predetermined pressure when the lid is removed, the valve means is not operated and the lid restraining means is not activated, so that the lid can be quickly removed.

〔Example〕

1 to 4 show an embodiment in which the tank opening closing structure according to the present invention is applied to a fuel inlet closing structure of a fuel tank installed in an automobile.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the fuel tank 10, a filler pipe 14 having a fuel inlet 12 opened on the outer surface of the vehicle body (not shown) is connected to a carburetor and a fuel injection device (not shown). A suction tube 16 and a breather tube 1 connected to the inside of the filler pipe 14 near the fuel injection port 12
8, etc. are connected. A filler cap 20 is removably attached to the fuel inlet 12 of the filler pipe 14 to close the fuel inlet 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the filler cap 20 includes a cylindrical cap body 2 having a ceiling wall 22.
4 and a cylindrical cap housing 28 having a bottom wall 26 constitute an outer shell. The cap body 24 and the cap housing 28 are fixed together by screws (not shown) with a diaphragm 30 interposed therebetween. filler cap 20
The cap body 2 is connected by the diaphragm 30.
The space 32 on the 4th side and the space 34 on the cap housing 28 side are airtightly separated. The space 32 is communicated with the outside of the filler cap 20 through a communication hole 36. The space part 34 is
A through hole 40 formed in the peripheral wall 38 of the cap housing 28 communicates with the breather 116, and a through hole 44 formed in the bottom wall 26 of the cap housing 28 communicates with the filler pipe 14.
It is communicated with. Filler cap 20 has
Two claw portions 48 are formed on a side peripheral wall 46 surrounding the outer periphery of the ceiling wall 22 of the cap body 24, spaced apart by 180 degrees. Further, on the outside of the filler cap 20, a ring-shaped packing 50 is disposed on the ceiling wall 22 of the cap body 24.
An O-ring 52 is disposed at the lower part of the peripheral wall 38 of 8. Inside the filler cap 20 is a valve body 5.
4 are arranged.

The valve body 54 includes a disk portion 56, shaft portions 58 and 60 extending vertically from the disk portion 56, and shaft portions 58 and 60 extending perpendicularly to the shaft portion 58 from the shaft portion 58 to the front side and back side of the paper in FIG. An extending arm portion 62 is formed. The shaft portion 58 has a clamping plate 64 located on the space portion 32 side.
is fixed, and the clamping plate 66 is located on the side of the space 34.
is fixed. The diaphragm 30 is held between both sides by the holding plates 64 and 66, and connected to the valve body 54. A ring-shaped packing 68 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the disc portion 56.

The valve body 54 has a shaft portion 58 slidably fitted into a guide hole 70 formed in the ceiling wall 22 , and a shaft portion 60 .
is slidably fitted into a guide hole 72 formed in the bottom wall 26. Further, each tip of the arm portion 62 is connected to the peripheral wall 38 of the cap housing 28.
They are slidably fitted into elongated holes 74 formed at a distance of 180 degrees from each other. Note that the tip of the arm portion 62 protrudes from the elongated hole 74. The valve body 54 is
It is biased by a compression coil spring 76 wound around the shaft portion 58 and disposed between the ceiling wall 22 and the clamping plate 64 .

The gasket 68 of the disc portion 56 closes the through hole 44 when the valve body 54 is biased by the compression coil spring 76.
The valve seat 78 is formed in a ring shape and protrudes from the bottom wall 26 of the cap housing 28 so as to surround the valve seat 78 . One end of a lever 82 is pivotally supported on the disc portion 56 by a bracket 80, allowing slight movement in the left-right direction in FIG. An intermediate portion of the lever 82 is pivotally supported by a bracket 84 that projects from the inner peripheral wall of the cap housing 28, and the other end of the lever 82 is supported by a lock pin 86.
It is pivotally supported at one end of the frame to allow slight movement in the vertical direction in FIG. The lock pin 86 is connected to a through hole 8 formed in the peripheral wall 38 of the cap housing 28.
8 is slidably fitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the filler pipe 14 has a cam portion 92 protruding from the recess 90 on the outer periphery.
is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, the cam portion 92 has a stopper surface 94 and a first horizontal surface 9.
6, protruding surface 98, inclined surface 100 and second horizontal surface 1
02 is formed. The cam portions 92 have the same shape along the circumferential direction of the filler pipe 14,
Two pieces are formed so that each surface is spaced apart by 180 degrees. Note that both cam portions 92 are not continuous, and a recess 90 is located between them.

Further, the filler pipe 14 has a cam portion 104 protrudingly formed on the inner peripheral portion thereof, as shown by the chain line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the cam portion 104 has a first horizontal surface 106 and an inclined surface 108.
and a second horizontal surface 110 are formed. The cam portion 104 has the same shape as the filler pipe 14.
Two pieces are formed so that the respective surfaces are spaced apart by 180 degrees along the circumferential direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the inner circumference of the filler pipe 14 has
Two rectangular grooves 112 are formed along the circumferential direction of the filler pipe 14 at a distance of 180 degrees.

In addition, FIG. 3 shows the filler pipe 14 based on the position of the filler cap 20 in the rotational direction.
It is an expanded view. That is, the relationship between the cam portion 92 and the pawl 48 at each opening degree is based on the change in opening degree between fully open and fully closed of the filler cap 14 [Fig.
(A)], the relationship between the cam portion 104 and the arm portion 62 (see FIG. 4B), and the relationship between the groove 112 and the lock pin 86 (see FIG. 4C). Therefore, in the figure, the relative positional relationship of the cam portion 92, the cam portion 104, and the groove 112 with respect to each other is different from the actual arrangement state.

As shown in FIG.
A tapered surface 114 is formed on the inner peripheral portion, and the diameter of the lower portion of the tapered surface is reduced. A breather 116 is provided on the upper side of the tapered surface 114 so as to pass through the filler pipe 14 . The breather 116 has a constricted portion 118 formed by reducing the diameter of the passage. Restricted portion 148 of breather 116
The side end portion is communicated with the atmosphere via a fuel evaporative emission control device (not shown).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Shown in FIG. 1 is a filler cap 20.
This is the normal state when the vehicle is in use, where the door is fully closed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the claw portion 48 of the filler cap 20 comes into contact with the stopper surface 94 of the cam portion 92 and is prevented from further rotation in the closing direction. 1 horizontal plane 96
is pressed into contact with. As a result, the filler cap 20 and the seal 50 are attached to the filler pipe 14.
The O-ring 52 presses against the upper end surface of the filler pipe 14 , and the O-ring 52 presses against the tapered surface 114 of the filler pipe 14 to close the fuel injection port 12 of the filler pipe 14 .

Further, in this state, the valve body 54 is biased by the compression coil spring 76, and the packing 68 disposed on the disc portion 56 is pressed against the valve seat 78. The arm portion 62 of the valve body 54 is in contact with the first horizontal surface 106 of the cam portion 104, as shown in FIG. The locking pin 86 is opposed to one of the grooves 112, as shown in FIG. In the filler cap 20, a space 32 is communicated with the atmosphere through a communication hole 36, and a space 34 is connected to the breather 11.
6. Communicates with the atmosphere through the through hole 40 and the like.

When the internal pressure of the fuel tank 10 shown in FIG. 2 increases in the state shown in FIG. Acts as a pressing force. However, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the arm portion 62 is prevented from rising by the cam portion 104, so the valve body 54 is not pushed up.

When the filler cap 20 is rotated in the opening direction from the state shown in FIG.
slides over the protruding surface 98. At the same time, the arm portion 62 of the valve body 54 slides on the first horizontal surface 106 of the cam portion 104, and at the same time as the claw portion 48 rides over the protrusion surface 98, it moves down the inclined surface 108. As a result, the valve body 54 is released from being restrained by the cam portion 104, so that it can rise.

At this time, if the internal pressure of the fuel tank 10 has risen above a predetermined pressure, the valve body 54 is raised against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 76. Valve body 54
The rise of the shaft portions 58 and 60 is caused by the guide hole 7, respectively.
0 and 72, and the arm portion 62 is guided to the elongated hole 74. As the valve body 54 rises, the center portion of the diaphragm 30 is also pulled upward, and the lock pin 86 is also advanced to the left in FIG. 1 via the lever 82, but in this state the amount of displacement of these is still relatively small.

When the valve body 54 is raised, the disc portion 56 is moved to the valve seat 7.
8, the fuel gas enters the space 34 of the cap housing 28 through the through hole 44. The fuel gas that has entered the space 34 is
The fuel gas that fills the filler pipe 14 and passes through the through hole 40 and the like fills the inside of the filler pipe 14 located around the filler cap 20 partitioned by a packing 50 and an O-ring 52. The fuel gas filled in the space 34 and the filler pipe 14 around the filler cap 20 passes through the breather 11.
6, and a fuel evaporative emission control device, where it is released into the atmosphere as a non-polluting gas.

The fuel gas passing through the breather 116 passes through the constriction section 118
Since the fuel tank is throttled at the throttle part 1, the internal pressure of the fuel tank is high.
If a large amount of fuel gas passes through 18, the pre-throttling pressure will increase significantly, and the pressure in space 34 will increase. Due to this pressure, the center portion of the diaphragm 30 is further raised against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 76. As the diaphragm 30 rises, the valve body 54 also rises to its upper limit.

As the valve body 54 rises, the lock pin 86 moves largely toward the left in FIG. 1 via the lever 82 and fits into the groove 112 of the filler pipe 14.
The position of the lock pin 86 opposite to the groove 112 is
Rotation of the filler cap 20 moves it from a position on the right side of the groove 112 to a position on the left side of the groove 112 as shown in FIG. Therefore, since the lock pin 86 of the filler cap 20 comes into contact with the left end surface of the groove 112 (indicated by reference numeral 112A in FIG. 3), further rotation in the opening direction is prevented. In this state, the claw portion 48 of the filler cap 20 is still in pressure contact with the first horizontal surface 96 of the cam portion 92, so the gasket 50 is in pressure contact with the upper end surface of the filler pipe 14, and the fuel gas flows into the filler pipe. It will not be dissipated outside of 14.

The fuel gas in the fuel tank 10 is absorbed by the breather 116
When the internal pressure of the fuel tank reaches near atmospheric pressure, the diaphragm 30 and the valve body 54 are lowered by the compression coil spring 76, and the lever 82 is released.
The lock pin 86 is also withdrawn to the right in FIG. . When the lock pin 86 is withdrawn, the filler cap 20 is released from its restraint and can be rotated in the opening direction. The filler cap 20 is rotated so that the claw portion 48 touches the inclined surface 10 of the cam portion 92.
0, moves along the second horizontal plane 102, and the cam part 9
The filler pipe 14 is fully opened when it is located in the recess 90 between the filler pipe 14 and the cam part 92.
removed from.

Note that when the fuel tank internal pressure has not reached the predetermined pressure, the valve body 54 is not operated. Lock pin 8
6 is not operated, the filler cap 20 can be immediately removed without being restricted from rotating midway.

When attaching the filler cap 20 to the filler pipe 14, since the internal pressure of the fuel tank is atmospheric pressure, the valve body 54 will not be activated during the installation operation, and the lock pin 86 will be activated, making installation difficult. It will never be. When the filler cap 20 is mounted on the filler pipe 14 in a position rotated 180 degrees from FIG. 1, the locking pin 86 can engage the groove 112 on the right side of FIG.

In this embodiment, the valve means includes the valve body 54, the diaphragm 30, and the compression coil spring 7.
6, a constriction part 118 is provided on the breather 116, and a lever 82 is provided on the valve body 54 as a lid restraining means.
using a lock pin 86 that is connected via a lock pin 86 and can be engaged with a groove 112 formed in the filler pipe 14;
Further, a cam portion 92 formed on the filler pipe 14 and a claw portion 4 formed on the filler cap 20
8, and a cam portion 104 formed on the filler pipe 14 and an arm portion 62 formed on the valve body.
The configuration corresponds to the following. With this configuration, when the internal pressure of the fuel tank is high, regardless of the intention of the operator operating the filler cap 20,
During the rotation operation, the filler cap 20 is locked, and during this locked state, the internal pressure of the fuel tank is gradually reduced, and only after the pressure has been sufficiently reduced can the filler cap 20 be removed. Also,
While the pressure is being reduced, no gas is released from the fuel inlet 12. Therefore, it is foolproof for workers who are not familiar with the technique of this embodiment, and it is possible to reliably prevent evaporated gas from being released into the atmosphere without being treated.

In the above embodiment, the diaphragm 30 is used as a part of the valve means, but it is also possible to omit the diaphragm 30.

In addition, although the above embodiment shows an example in which the fuel inlet is closed with a lid, it may be applied to other methods such as closing the inspection window of a tank in which a substance having properties similar to the fuel in the embodiment is stored. It can also be applied to other uses.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, the tank opening closing structure according to the present invention includes a filler pipe that communicates with the inside of the tank, a breather that communicates with the inside of the filler pipe, and a breather that closes the opening of the filler pipe. A removable lid body attached to prevent communication with the inside of the tank; a valve means disposed on the lid body and actuated by the tank internal pressure to enable communication between the breather and the tank; and a valve means disposed on the lid body. The lid restraining means is operated in conjunction with the operation of the valve means to restrain the lid to the cylindrical body, so that the lid blocking the opening communicating with the inside of the tank can be removed. When the tank internal pressure increases during operation, the lid body cannot be removed until the tank internal pressure decreases to a predetermined pressure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure shows the tank opening closing structure according to the present invention.
This is an example applied to a closing structure for a fuel inlet of an automobile fuel tank. Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the whole, and Fig. 3 shows the position of the filler pipe in the rotational direction of the filler cap. FIGS. 4A, B, and C are conceptual diagrams developed with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, which are diagrams showing the positional relationship of each part of the filler cap and filler pipe. 10...tank, 12...fuel inlet, 14...
...Filler pipe, 20...Filler cap,
30...Diaphragm, 54...Valve body, 82...
Lever, 86... Lock pin, 116... Breather, 118... Throttle section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A filler pipe that communicates with the inside of the tank, a breather that communicates with the inside of the filler pipe, and a device that closes the opening of the filler pipe and prevents communication between the breather and the inside of the tank. a removable lid body that is attached to prevent the leakage; a valve means that is disposed on the lid body and is actuated by the internal pressure of the tank to enable communication between the breather and the tank; and a valve means that is disposed on the lid body and communicates with the valve means to operate the valve means. A tank opening closing structure characterized by comprising: a lid restraining means that is activated to restrain the lid to a filler pipe. (2) The valve means includes a valve body that closes an opening of a lid that communicates between the breather and the tank, a biasing means that biases the valve body, and a space that communicates with the breather and is connected to the valve body. 2. A tank opening closing structure according to claim (1) of the utility model registration, which comprises a diaphragm having a diaphragm. (3) The lid restraining means includes a lever connected to the valve body,
2. A tank opening closing structure according to claim (2), which comprises a lock pin that protrudes from a lid body and fits into a recess of a filler pipe by actuation of a valve body connected to a lever. (4) The tank opening according to any one of claims (1) to (3) for utility model registration, where the tank is a fuel tank and the opening of the filler pipe that is blocked by the lid is the fuel injection port. Closed structure. (5) The tank opening closing structure according to any one of claims (1) to (4), wherein the tank is a fuel tank installed in an automobile.