JPH04110619U - vehicle fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent breakage of spot welding, which conventionally welds a reservoir cup, without impairing the function of the reservoir cup. [Structure] The reservoir cup 1 welded to the bottom of the tank body 2 by spot welding includes a box-shaped reservoir 1f,
A pump insertion port 1a into which the suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13 is inserted, a fuel inlet 1c opened on both the left and right sides of the pump insertion port, and a swingable end of the fuel inlet on the pump insertion port side. The door 1d is pivotally supported by the vehicle and is pushed by the fuel to close the fuel inlet and prevent fuel from flowing out from the fuel inlet when the vehicle changes its attitude. Thereby, horizontal movement of fuel can be suppressed, and the bottom surface width of the reservoir cup 1 can be expanded to increase the number of spot welds.

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

This idea is useful for vehicles equipped with large fuel tanks or for vehicles that change their posture while driving. The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel tank suitable for automobiles etc. with a large size.

0002

[Conventional technology]

Generally, the tank body 2 of a vehicle fuel tank installed in an automobile etc. is shown in FIG. It consists of an upper tank 11 and a lower tank 12, which are connected to each other. is welded to. The upper tank 11 sucks up the fuel in the tank and transfers it to the engine's fuel port. An in-tank pump (transfer means) 13 is installed vertically to supply the liquid to the pump.

0003 On the other hand, the lower tank 12 is provided with a reservoir cup 10 at its bottom, as described above. The suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13 is near the bottom of this reservoir cup 10. It is located in Here, the reason why the reservoir cup 10 is provided is as follows. sand In other words, when a car etc. undergoes a sudden change in attitude, especially when equipped with a large fuel tank, If the fuel in the tank is equipped with a The suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13 is temporarily exposed to the air. This is because air may be sucked in and the engine may stop.

0004 For this reason, the reservoir cup 1 0 in a very narrow range and near the suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13. The aim is to minimize the drop in fuel level caused by The above-described reservoir cup 10 is spot-molded at the bottom of the lower tank 12. It is welded by welding.

[0005]

[Problem that the idea aims to solve] However, conventional vehicle fuel tanks are prone to bending, twisting, etc. Then, attach the reservoir cup 10 to the spot welded part where it is welded to the lower tank 12. There is a problem that stress is added and this causes breakage. To solve this problem, there is a compensation between the reservoir cup 10 and the lower tank 12. You can partially increase the rigidity of the lower tank 12 by inserting a stiff plate, or Proposals have been made to increase the rigidity of the entire lower tank 12 by increasing the wall thickness of the lower tank 12. There is.

[0006] However, in the former method using a reinforcing plate, there is a possibility of spot welding breaking. No significant improvement effect was observed, and the latter method of increasing the thickness of the fuel tank There is a problem in that it causes an increase in weight. This invention was made to solve such problems, and the reservoir cup 1 To provide a fuel tank for a vehicle that effectively prevents breakage of spot welding. With the goal.

[0007]

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle fuel tank of the present invention includes a tank body, A communication hole welded to the bottom of the tank body by spot welding and provided at the bottom of the tank body. While the fuel in the tank body flows through the hole and accommodates the fuel, it also prevents the vehicle from changing its attitude. a sub-tank device that suppresses horizontal movement of fuel when raised; and the sub-tank. A vehicle fuel tank equipped with a transfer means for transferring fuel inside the device to the outside of the tank body. The sub-tank device includes a box-shaped reservoir and an opening on the top surface of the reservoir. The transfer means insertion port into which the transfer means is inserted, and the reservoirs on both the left and right sides of the transfer means insertion port. A fuel inlet that opens on the top surface and allows the fuel in the tank body to flow in, and each fuel inlet. Each of the ports is pivotably supported on the edge of the transfer means insertion port side, and is pushed by the fuel to transfer the fuel. A door that blocks the fuel inlet and prevents fuel from flowing out from the fuel inlet. be a sign.

[0008]

[Effect] In the vehicle fuel tank described above, the auxiliary tank device includes a box-shaped reservoir and each fuel tank. It is equipped with a door that can close each inlet from the inside. Here, when the vehicle changes its attitude, the door is pushed by the fuel and the fuel enters the door. Close the port and trap the fuel within the reservoir.

[0009] This prevents fuel from flowing out from the fuel inlet and allows the fuel to enter the secondary tank device. The effect of suppressing the level drop is further enhanced. Along with this, the secondary tank device sacrifices its original effect of suppressing the drop in fuel level. Since the base area can be expanded without causing any It can be welded to the tank body by welding.

0010

【Example】

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a specific configuration of a vehicle fuel tank according to the present invention. The fuel tank for this vehicle basically consists of the tank body 2 and the in-tank pump (transfer mechanism). 13 and a reservoir cup (auxiliary tank device) 1.

[0011] The tank body 2 has a sheet metal structure consisting of an upper tank 11 and a lower tank 12. It is. Additionally, the upper tank 11 and the lower tank 12 have a husbandry joint at their lower or upper ends. They are mutually welded by flanges 11a and 12a formed respectively. And then The main fuel tank is shown in the figure by bolt holes drilled in the lunges 11a and 12a, respectively. It gets screwed onto the vehicle body.

0012 Further, a circular access port 11b is opened on the top surface of the upper tank 11. There is. This access port 11b is connected to the in-tank pump 13, which will be described later, inside the tank body. It is formed in a size that allows it to be inserted and removed at will. On the other hand, a reservoir cup 1 is disposed on the bottom surface of the lower tank 12.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the reservoir cup 1 has a box-shaped sheet metal structure. It consists of a server 1f. Then, the bottom width of reservoir 1f is formed to the required size. has been done. Here, the required size of the bottom surface area of the reservoir 1f will be described later. uni, the number necessary and sufficient to weld the reservoir cup 1 to the lower tank 12. This is the area that allows for spot welding. Therefore, the bottom surface of this reservoir cup 1 is wide. The diameter is set larger than that of the conventional reservoir cup 10 (see Fig. 4) described above. ing.

[0014] By the way, approximately in the center of the upper surface of the reservoir 1f, there is an in-tank pump 13 which will be described later. A pump insertion port (transfer means insertion port) 1a for inserting the It's open. Further, a flange 1b is erected upward around the pump insertion port 1a. It is. On the other hand, on both the left and right sides of the pump insertion port 1a of the reservoir 1f, there are rectangles that are long in the front and back direction. The fuel inlets 1c are opened, respectively.

[0015] Further, a door 1d is attached to the edge of each fuel inlet 1c on the flange 1b side, and a hinge is attached to the edge. Due to the connection, it is rotatably supported inside the reservoir 1f. This door 1d is It contacts the upper plate of the reservoir 1f from the inside and closes each of the above-mentioned fuel inlets 1c. be able to. The distance between each hinge of door 1d is the distance between each hinge of door 1d. By doing so, the function of the in-tank pump 13 described later is not impaired. is set to small.

[0016] Furthermore, the horizontal width of the entire reservoir cup 1 is also determined by the various structures of the reservoir cup 1 described above. or the minimum setting within the range that allows the operation of reservoir cup 1, which will be described later. It is. Further, fuel inlet holes 1e are formed at the four corners of the bottom of the reservoir 1f. .

[0017] The reservoir cup 1 configured in this way is placed at a predetermined position at the bottom of the lower tank 12. It is then welded by spot welding. Here, the number of spot welds is the lower tank In order to prevent spot welding from breaking even if bending, twisting, etc. occur in 12, Set to a value that provides sufficient strength. More specifically, the fuel tank for this vehicle The number of spot welds is increased compared to that of conventional vehicle fuel tanks (see Figure 4). It is.

[0018] Furthermore, in the reservoir cup 1 described above, the reservoir 1f has a box-shaped structure. This means that its rigidity has been dramatically increased compared to the previous model. Even with this, Prevention of spot welding breakage becomes even more effective. Next, the fuel in the fuel tank is supplied to the engine's fuel pump (not shown). In-tank pump 13 is arranged as follows.

[0019] That is, the cover 11c is placed on the access port 11b of the upper tank 11 mentioned above. , liquid-tight screwed. A fuel supply line 14a and a return line 14b are provided on the top surface of the cover 11c. are fixedly installed respectively. The latter return line 14b is connected through the cover 11e. It communicates with the inside of the tank.

[0020] On the other hand, a substantially U-shaped pump support 13b is vertically provided on the lower surface of the cover 11c. ing. In other words, the upper end surface of the pump support 13b is fixed to the lower surface of the cover 11c. It is. Further, the lower part of the pump support 13b is connected to the port of the reservoir cup 1 mentioned above. is inserted into the pump insertion opening 1a. The lower end surface of the pump support 13b has a riser. is placed near the bottom of the server cup 1.

[0021] Next, a clamp 13c is fixed to the lower part of the pump support 13b. Then, the electric pump 13d is supported by the pump support 13b by the clamp 13c. It is fastened to. In addition, the suction port 13a of the pump 13d is connected to the pump support described above. It is supported by the lower end of the reservoir cup 13b and is disposed near the bottom of the reservoir cup 1. The discharge port of the pump 13d and the above-mentioned supply line 14a are connected to the pipe 13e. are connected via the cover 13c.

[0022] Next, the operation of this vehicle fuel tank will be explained. First, the fuel level in the tank body 2 is low, and the fuel reaches the top of the reservoir 1f. If the fuel is not reached, the fuel is returned from the fuel inlet holes 1e provided at the four corners of the reservoir 1f. It flows into the reservoir cup 1. On the other hand, the fuel level exceeds the top of reservoir 1f. In this case, the fuel is mainly supplied through the above-mentioned fuel inlet in addition to the above-mentioned fuel inlet hole 1e. 1c, and then insert the pump when the fuel level is higher than the upper end of flange 1b. It also flows into the reservoir cup 1 from the opening 1a.

[0023] The fuel stored in the reservoir cup 1 in this way is transferred to the in-tank pump 13. It is sucked in through the suction port 13a and supplied to the engine's fuel pump. During this time, the fuel in the reservoir cup 1 may be moved to the left due to slight left-right shaking of the vehicle, etc. When attempting to move to the right, each door 1d acts as a so-called baffle plate. to suppress the movement of fuel in the left and right direction.

[0024] As a result, the suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13 is temporarily exposed to the air. This prevents In addition, the excess fuel supplied to the engine fuel pump is removed from the return line 1. 4b into the tank body 2. Next, the behavior of the fuel in the main fuel tank when a car, etc. starts a sharp left turn. will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0025] In other words, when a car etc. starts a sharp left turn, the inside and outside of reservoir cup 1 The fuel moves independently at each instant. And when the fuel level is low, Due to the inertial force, the fuel inside and outside the reservoir cup 1 is largely shifted to the left side in the drawing. At this time, the fuel level outside the reservoir cup 1 is It is located at a lower position than the entrance 13a. In other words, if reservoir cup 1 is not installed. If not, air will be sucked in from the suction port 13a of the in-tank pump 13. Ru.

[0026] On the other hand, the fuel in the reservoir cup 1 can be removed by pushing up the door 1d on the left side in the figure. The side fuel inlet 1d is closed. This causes the fuel in the reservoir cup 1 to become It is prevented from flowing out from the inlet 1d. As a result, its base area is narrower. Reservoir cup 10 (see Figure 4) as well as or even more effective. A decrease in the fuel level within the reservoir cup 1 is suppressed. This allows in-tank The suction port 13a of the pump 13 is prevented from being exposed to the air.

[0027] Here, the height of the reservoir cup 1 excluding the flange 1b is the height of this fuel level. The height is set in consideration of the height at which the drop prevention effect is most effective. In addition, a flange 1b is erected at the pump insertion port 1a on the upper surface of the reservoir cup 1. flange 1b, even if the deviation of the fuel becomes even larger, the flange 1b Therefore, the outflow of fuel from the pump insertion port 1a can be suppressed.

[0028] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a vehicle fuel tank with a built-in pump is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fuel suction port 13a is connected to the reservoir cup. Any vehicle fuel tank may be used as long as it is located within 1. .

[0029]

[Effect of the idea]

As explained in detail above, in the vehicle fuel tank of the present invention, the auxiliary tank This increases the bottom surface width without sacrificing the original fuel level reduction suppressing effect. It is welded to the tank body by a sufficient number of spot welds for strength. Therefore, spot welding may occur due to stress caused by distortion, twisting, etc. of the tank body. Breaking is effectively prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a specific configuration of a vehicle fuel tank according to the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the reservoir gap 1 in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing the behavior of fuel in the vehicle fuel tank when an automobile or the like suddenly turns left.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional vehicle fuel tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Reservoir cup (sub tank device) 1a Pump insertion port (transfer means insertion port) 1c Fuel inlet 1d door 1f reservoir 2 Tank body 11 Upper tank 12 Lower tank 13 In-tank pump (transfer means) 13a Inlet 13d pump

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim 1: A tank body and a tank body which is welded to the bottom of the tank body by spot welding, and which allows the fuel in the tank body to flow in through a communication hole provided at the lowest part of the tank body to accommodate the fuel, while preventing the vehicle from changing its attitude. In a vehicle fuel tank, the vehicle fuel tank includes a sub-tank device that suppresses horizontal movement of fuel when raised, and a transfer means that transfers the fuel in the sub-tank device to the outside of the tank main body, the sub-tank device comprising: A box-shaped reservoir, a transfer means insertion port that opens on the upper surface of the reservoir and into which the transfer means is inserted, and a fuel flow that opens on the upper surface of the reservoir on both left and right sides of the transfer means insertion port and allows the fuel in the tank body to flow therein. A door is pivotably supported at the inlet and at the edge of each fuel inlet on the transfer means insertion port side, and is pushed by the fuel to close the fuel inlet and prevent fuel from flowing out from the fuel inlet. A vehicle fuel tank characterized by comprising: