JPH0532069U - Vehicle fuel tank mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel tank mounting structure for an automobile, which enables a fuel tank having a large volume and a large weight to be easily and properly mounted to a lower vehicle body. [Structure] A side frame 1 is constituted by an upper frame 4 extending along the left and right sides of a floor panel 6 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a lower frame 5 arranged below the upper frame 4, and the upper frame 4 and the lower portion are arranged. A space for inserting the side portion of the fuel tank 7 is provided between the frame 5 and a connecting member 8 for connecting the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 on the outer side of the installation portion of the fuel tank 7. The connecting member 8 is provided so as to cover the outer surface of the fuel tank 7.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a fuel tank mounting structure for an automobile configured to mount a fuel tank on a lower vehicle body.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-279264, a hydrogen storage alloy is arranged in a fuel tank for hydrogen engine, and hydrogen atoms are adsorbed between metal atoms of the hydrogen storage alloy. It is known that hydrogen is stored and when the hydrogen storage alloy is heated with cooling water of an engine or the like when necessary, the hydrogen is discharged as a gas body.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 When a fuel tank equipped with the above hydrogen storage alloy is used, it is not necessary to cool it to a low temperature (about 253 ° C below zero), unlike a liquefaction tank that stores hydrogen in a liquefied state, so the structure is simplified. While having the advantage of being able to do so, it has the disadvantage of being large in volume and weight. Therefore, there are problems that the mounting position of the fuel tank is limited and the mounting work is complicated. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 2-48296, in a vehicle having a pair of left and right side members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, as shown in FIG. 4, a floor panel provided between the side members 21. The fuel tank 23 is attached to the lower surface of the fuel tank 22. In this case, until the work of attaching the fuel tank 23 to the lower surface of the floor panel 22 by a bottle stopper is completed, the operator cannot The tank 23 must be held, a large number of workers are required, and it is difficult to obtain a stable support state.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and even a fuel tank having a large volume and weight can be easily and properly attached to the lower vehicle body of a vehicle. It is intended to provide a mounting structure.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The invention according to claim 1 constitutes a side frame by an upper frame extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body along both left and right sides of the floor panel, and a lower frame disposed below the upper frame, and the upper frame and the lower frame. A space for inserting the side portion of the fuel tank is provided between the frame and the frame, and a connecting member for connecting the upper frame and the lower frame is provided outside the installation portion of the fuel tank. is there.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, at least one of a front frame and a rear frame continuously provided on the side frame is kicked up to form an opening for inserting a fuel tank at an end of the side frame. In the invention according to claim 3 formed, a fuel tank for a hydrogen engine equipped with a hydrogen storage alloy is installed between an upper frame and a lower frame that form a side frame.

[0007]

[Action]

 According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, a state in which the side portion of the fuel tank is introduced between the upper frame and the lower frame forming the side frame and the fuel tank is placed on the lower frame. Thus, the mounting work can be performed, and the side portion of the fuel tank is protected by the connecting member in the mounted state.

According to the present invention, the opening for inserting the fuel tank is formed in at least one of the front end and the rear end of the side frame, and the fuel tank is opened from the opening through the upper frame and the lower part. It can be easily installed between the frames.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fuel tank for the hydrogen engine, which has a large volume and a large weight, is supported below the floor panel between the upper frame and the lower frame of the side frame. Become.

[0010]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 shows a lower vehicle body having a fuel tank mounting structure for an automobile according to the present invention. The lower vehicle body is installed on both left and right sides of a floor panel, which will be described later, and a side frame 1 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The front frame 2 is kicked up from the front end of the side frame 1 and extends forward, and the rear frame 3 is kicked up from the rear end of the side frame 1 and extended rearward. The side frame 1 is a member forming a basic structure of a lower vehicle body, and includes an upper frame 4 made of a square pipe material and a lower frame 5 arranged below the upper frame 4, as shown in FIG. The side end of the floor panel 6 is fixed to the lower end of the inner surface of the upper frame 4.

The upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 are installed to face each other with a space for accommodating the fuel tank 7 therebetween, and are made of square pipe materials arranged at predetermined intervals. Members 8 are connected to each other. That is, the connecting member 8 is arranged between the outer ends of the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 and fixed by means such as welding, and at the inner side of the connecting member 8, the frames 4, 4 are formed. A space for inserting the side portion of the fuel tank 7 is provided between the fuel cells 5. In FIG. 2, 9 side sills, 10 are doors, and 11 are pipes for engine cooling water and the like.

The fuel tank 8 is formed in a flat box shape having a size corresponding to the floor panel 6, and has a hydrogen storage alloy that adsorbs and stores hydrogen therein, and is stored in this hydrogen storage alloy. The hydrogen is led to a hydrogen engine (not shown) provided on the rear frame 3 as needed. As shown in FIG. 3, the front and rear ends of the fuel tank 7 are attached to the lower surfaces of the cross members 12, 13 installed between the left and right side frames 2 by means of bolting or the like. Brackets 14 and 15 are provided in a protruding manner.

In order to attach the fuel tank 7 having the above structure to the lower vehicle body, the fuel tank 7 carried in below the rear frame 3 as shown in FIG. 1 is pushed forward as shown by an arrow A. After being inserted into the tank introduction opening provided between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5, the fuel tank 7 is advanced along the space between the frames 4 and 5 to move the floor panel 1 of the floor panel 1. Move it down. By fixing the mounting brackets 14 and 15 to the cross members 12 and 13, the fuel tank 7 is mounted to the lower vehicle body.

As described above, the side frame 1 forming the basic structure of the lower vehicle body is provided with the upper frame 4 extending along the left and right sides of the floor panel 6 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and the lower frame 5 arranged below the upper frame 4. Since a space for inserting the side portion of the fuel tank 7 is provided between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5, the upper frame 4 and the lower frame are arranged from the rear end portion of the side frame 1. The fuel tank 7 can be installed between the fuel tank 7 and the fuel tank 7, and the fuel tank 7 can be mounted while the side portion of the fuel tank 7 is placed on the lower frame 5. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the complicated work of attaching the fuel tank 7 having a large volume and heavy weight to the operator as in the conventional case, and the fuel tank 7 can be attached to the lower vehicle body by a small number of operators. It can be installed easily and properly.

A connecting member 8 for connecting the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 is provided on the outer side of the installation portion of the fuel tank 7, and a part of the outer surface of the fuel tank 7 is provided by the connecting member 8. Since the side frame 1 including the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 supporting the side portions of the fuel tank 7 is sufficiently secured, the fuel tank 7 can be stably supported. In addition, the fuel tank 7 can be effectively protected by the connecting member 8 in the event of a side collision of an automobile. The side portion of the fuel tank 7 is inserted between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5, and the fuel tank 7 is configured to interconnect the cross members 14 and 15 of the lower vehicle body. Can reinforce the lower body and effectively improve its rigidity.

The rear frame 3 provided at the rear end of the side frame 1 is kicked up and positioned above the upper frame 4 so that the rear end of the side frame 1 is opened. Therefore, the work of introducing the fuel tank 7 from the rear end of the side frame 1 between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 of the side frame 1 can be easily performed without being disturbed by the rear frame 3. The advantage is that The introduction work of the fuel tank 7 does not necessarily have to be performed from the rear end portion of the side frame 1, and the fuel tank 7 formed at the front end portion of the side frame 1 by kicking up the front frame 2 for introducing the fuel tank. The fuel tank 7 may be introduced between the upper frame 4 and the lower frame 5 through the opening.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the upper frame 4, the lower frame 5 and the connecting member 8 are formed by the square pipe material has been described. However, instead of the square pipe material, a channel steel, an angle material, a plate material, or the like. The above-mentioned members may be formed by Further, the fuel tank mounting structure for a vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the vehicle equipped with the hydrogen engine described above, but can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a fuel tank for a normal gasoline engine.

[0018]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the side frame forming the basic structure of the lower vehicle body includes the upper frame extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body along the left and right sides of the floor panel, and the lower frame disposed below the upper frame. Since the space for inserting the side portion of the fuel tank is provided between the upper frame and the lower frame, it is necessary to mount the fuel tank on the lower frame while mounting the side portion. It is possible to easily and properly attach a tank with a large volume and weight, such as a fuel tank equipped with a hydrogen storage alloy used in a hydrogen engine, to the lower vehicle body by a small number of workers. it can.

Further, a connecting member for connecting the upper frame and the lower frame is provided outside the installation portion of the fuel tank, and the connecting member covers the outer surface portion of the fuel tank. The side frame, which consists of the upper frame and the lower frame that accommodates the sides of the tank, has sufficient rigidity to support the fuel tank in a stable manner. It can be surely prevented from being damaged. Furthermore, by mounting the fuel tank on the lower vehicle body, the rigidity of the lower vehicle body can be effectively improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a lower vehicle body having a fuel tank mounting structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the lower vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing a mounting state of a fuel tank.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a conventional example of a fuel tank mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 side frame 2 front frame 3 rear frame 4 upper frame 5 lower frame 6 floor panel 7 fuel tank 8 connecting member

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A side frame is constituted by an upper frame extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle body along both left and right sides of a floor panel, and a lower frame disposed below the upper frame, and the upper frame and the lower frame are combined. A space is provided between which a side portion of the fuel tank is inserted, and a connecting member that connects the upper frame and the lower frame is provided outside the installation portion of the fuel tank. Fuel tank mounting structure. 2. An opening for inserting a fuel tank is formed at an end of the side frame by kicking up at least one of a front frame and a rear frame which are continuously provided on the side frame. Item 1. A fuel tank mounting structure for an automobile according to item 1. 3. A fuel tank for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a fuel tank for a hydrogen engine equipped with a hydrogen storage alloy is installed between an upper frame and a lower frame constituting a side frame. Mounting structure.