JPH06144030A - Fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely and easily support partition plates and a sub-tank at predetermined positions in a fuel tank wherein a closed space is defined by joining the opening part of a pair of vessels. CONSTITUTION:A closed space is defined with the openings of a pair of vessels 2 (lower case) and 3 (upper case) joined, and partition plates 5 and 6, in the plate surfaces of which a plurality of communication holes are drilled, and a sub-tank 7 integratedly formed with separators 5 and 6 are housed in the vessels 2, 3. The partition plates 5 and 6 are held and fixed between the bottom sections of the pair of vessels 2, 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel tank suitable for automobiles, and more particularly to a fuel tank in which the openings of a pair of containers are joined to form a closed space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a fuel tank of an automobile is formed by joining a pair of openings of a container, and the fuel in the fuel tank is prevented from flowing suddenly during traveling of the vehicle. A partition plate is provided which is divided into small chambers and can communicate with each other through the communication holes. This partition plate is called a separator or a baffle plate, and there are various shapes, but generally it is composed of a metal plate having a plurality of communication holes formed therein, and this metal plate forms a fuel tank. Are joined to one of the pair of containers by welding or brazing.

The fuel in the fuel tank is supplied to the engine by the fuel pump, and the surplus fuel is returned to the fuel tank through the return tube. Some fuel pumps are provided outside the fuel tank, but so-called in-tank type fuel pumps provided inside the fuel tank have become widespread, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-114023. The suction port of this fuel pump is arranged so as to be located near the bottom of the fuel tank, but the suction port is generally arranged in a so-called sub-tank as described in the publication.

The sub-tank is a small container which normally has a communication passage on its side, and at least the bottom of the sub-tank is made of a metal plate, which is fixed to the bottom of the fuel tank by spot welding or the like. It is arranged so that the suction port of the pump is located. Thus, even if the fuel level in the fuel tank is tilted with respect to the fuel tank when the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank is small, the fuel remains in the small container and is sucked into the fuel pump. It is possible to supply a predetermined amount of fuel without interrupting the fuel supply.

[0005]

In the above conventional fuel tank, the partition plate (separator) and the sub tank are
Since both are joined to the bottom of the fuel tank by welding or the like, the joining work is complicated and the manufacturing is difficult. In recent years, there are some vehicles in which the sub-tank is made of synthetic resin and supported by a metal separator, but the separator is still welded to the fuel tank, and it is not always easy to manufacture. Also, assembly work is not easy.

In view of the above, according to the present invention, in a fuel tank in which the openings of a pair of containers are joined to form a closed space, the partition plate and the sub tank can be securely and easily fixed to predetermined positions in the fuel tank. The purpose is to do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a fuel tank in which a pair of containers are joined together to form a closed space, and a plurality of communicating holes are formed in the plate surface. The partition plate is provided, and a sub tank integrally formed with the partition plate is provided, and the partition plate is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom portions of the pair of containers.

[0008]

In the fuel tank having the above construction, the partition plate formed integrally with the sub tank is housed in one container, and the opening of the other container is joined to the opening of the partition plate. This holds the partition between the bottoms of both containers,
The partition plate and the sub-tank are supported by both containers, and the closed space defined by both containers is divided into small chambers. A communication hole is formed in the partition plate, and the fuel supplied into the fuel tank can flow between the small chambers through the communication hole, but the rapid flow is restricted, so the flow that occurs at this time is limited. The sound is reduced.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a fuel tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is roughly divided into three parts as shown in FIG. That is, it is composed of the lower case 2, the upper case 3 and the separator assembly 4, and the separator assembly 4 is interposed between the lower case 2 and the upper case 3. The separator assembly 4 is one in which the separators 5 and 6 and the sub tank 7 are integrally formed of synthetic resin. When the flange 2a of the lower case 2 and the flange 3a of the upper case 3 are joined by welding or the like, the separator assembly 4 is separated between them. The separators 5 and 6 are configured to be held.

The lower case 2 is, for example, a steel plate press-molded into a container shape, and a flange 2a is integrally formed in its opening. Further, the upper case 3 is also formed by pressing a steel plate into a container shape, for example, and a flange 3a is integrally formed in its opening, and a mounting opening 3b is formed in its bottom (top in FIG. 1). Then, the mounting plate 8 is fixed by a screw or the like via a gasket (not shown) so as to close the mounting opening 3b, and a fuel pump (not shown) is attached to the mounting plate 8 via a bracket (not shown). Is supported.

A main tube 9a and a return tube 9b are provided penetrating the mounting plate 8 and joined by brazing or the like. The open end of the main tube 9a is connected to the discharge port of the fuel pump. The fuel pump of this embodiment is an in-tank type, for example, an impeller type pump and a DC motor for driving the pump are built-in, and a filter (not shown) is attached to the suction port thereof. Further, a fuel injection pipe 10 for injecting fuel is attached to the upper case 3.

The separator assembly 4 is formed by resin molding into a container shape as shown in FIG.
And the sub-tank 7 are integrally formed on the bottom surface. An opening 4a is formed in each side wall of the separator assembly 4, and an opening 4b is also formed in the bottom of the separator assembly 4 to further reduce the weight by reducing the amount of material. The height of the side wall of the separator assembly 4 is larger than the depth of the lower case 2 as is apparent from FIG. The separators 5 and 6 extend from the bottom surface to the outside of the opening substantially in parallel, and as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of communication holes 5a and 6a are formed over the entire surfaces thereof.

The sub-tank 7 is formed in a container shape, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a side surface is formed with a communication passage 7a which opens in the direction of the separator 5 and which communicates with the inside of the lower case 2. However, the fuel is configured to flow into the sub tank 7. Further, at the bottom of the sub tank 7, the fuel pump is supported by the upper case 3 via a bracket so that the suction port is located in the opening direction of the communication passage 7a into the sub tank 7.

After the separator assembly 4 is housed in the lower case 2, the flange 3a is replaced by the flange 3a.
The upper case 3 is placed on the lower case 2 so that they collide with each other. As a result, the separators 5 and 6 are sandwiched between the bottom of the lower case 2 and the bottom of the upper case 3, and the flanges 2a and 3a are joined by, for example, seam welding to form a housing. Then, lower case 2
The closed space defined by the upper case 3 is divided into three small chambers by the separators 5 and 6, and the sub-tank 7 is arranged in the central chamber.

In the fuel tank having the above structure, when a fuel pump (not shown) is operated, the fuel in the sub tank 7 is sucked from its suction port and supplied to the engine (not shown) through the main tube 9a. Then, it is returned to the inside of the fuel tank 1 through the return tube 9b. And
The fuel in the fuel tank 1 flows between the small chambers partitioned by the separators 5 and 6 through the communication holes 5a and 6a, but the rapid flow is restricted by these, so that the flow noise is reduced. Further, for example, even if the fuel liquid level in the fuel tank 1 is inclined with respect to the fuel tank 1, the fuel is retained in the sub tank 7, so that the fuel supply is not interrupted.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the separators 5 and 6 and the sub tank 7 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin as the separator assembly 4, and the separators 5 and 6 are integrally formed.
Since 6 is supported by being sandwiched between the lower case 2 and the upper case 3, it is securely fixed at a predetermined position, and high rigidity is secured as the fuel tank 1. Therefore, the plate thicknesses of the lower case 2 and the upper case 3 can be made thinner than in the conventional case, and the weight can be further reduced in addition to the weight reduction by using the synthetic resin. Further, the cost is reduced due to the reduction of the number of parts and the like.

Although the two separators 5 and 6 are provided in this embodiment, one separator may be provided, or three or more separators may be provided. In addition, the communication holes 5a,
The size and the number of 6a are also appropriately set according to the generation state of the flowing sound. Further, the size, shape and arrangement of the sub-tank 7, the shape of the communication passage 7a, the opening direction and the like are appropriately set according to the relationship with the intake port of the fuel pump.

FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to another embodiment of the present invention, and particularly to another embodiment of the separator assembly 4 described above. Separator assembly 40 of this embodiment
Is integrally formed with the side surface of the sub tank 70 joined to the plate surface of the separator 50. The opening direction of the communication passage 70a is parallel to the plate surface of the separator 50. A large opening 40b is formed at the bottom of the separator assembly 40, and the bottom surface of the sub tank 70 is formed at a position above the bottom surface of the lower case 2 by a predetermined distance d.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the lower case 2
It is possible to prevent water, foreign matter, and the like that settle at the bottom of the sub tank 70 from flowing into the sub tank 70. The above distance d
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the thickness is equal to the thickness of the bottom of the separator assembly 40. However, the thickness may be larger or smaller than this. Further, the opening direction of the communication passage 70a may be the same as that of the embodiment of FIG. 1 described above. Further, the shape of the separator assembly 40 does not necessarily have to be a container shape similar to that of the lower case 2, and if the separators 50 and 60 are sandwiched between the lower case 2 and the upper case 3, It may have any shape.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the present invention, which is a container-shaped separator assembly 40 of FIG.
Without the above structure, the separator 51 integrally formed with the sub-tank 70 and the plate-shaped separator 61 are sandwiched between the lower case 20 and the upper case 30. That is, the lower case 20 and the upper case 30 have grooves 21, 22 and grooves 31, 32 at their bottoms.
Are formed, and the separators 51,
If the lower case 20 and the upper case 30 are joined after the arrangement of the separators 61, 61, 61
Is securely fixed in place.

[0021]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. That is, in the fuel tank of the present invention, the partition plate and the sub-tank are housed in the pair of containers, and the partition plate is configured to be sandwiched between the bottom portions of both the containers, so that the partition plate and the sub-tank are securely attached. It can be fixed at a predetermined position and high rigidity can be secured. Further, the number of parts is reduced and the weight is reduced as compared with the conventional one, and the manufacturing and assembling operations are easy, and the cost is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fuel tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a fuel tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a separator assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of a separator and a sub tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a separator assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a separator and a sub tank according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a fuel tank according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Fuel Tank 2 Lower Case 3 Upper Case 4 Separator Assembly 5,6 Separator 7 Sub Tank 8 Mounting Plate 9a Main Tube 9b Return Tube 10 Fuel Injection Pipe 40,41 Separator Assembly 50,51 Separator 60,61 Separator 70 Sub Tank

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fuel tank in which an opening of a pair of containers is joined to form a closed space, and a partition plate having a plurality of communication holes formed in a plate surface, and the partition plate integrally formed with the partition plate. And a sub-tank, which holds the partition plate between the bottoms of the pair of containers.