JPH07111163B2 - Swivel tank for automobile fuel tank - Google Patents

Description

Description: [Object of the invention] (Field of industrial application) [0001] The present invention relates to a swirl tank of a fuel tank for an automobile, and in particular, an introduction means for introducing fuel from the fuel tank into the swirl tank. (Prior art) Generally, a swirl tank is attached to the bottom wall of the tank body of the fuel tank, and even if the fuel is biased to one side due to centrifugal action when the vehicle is turning, the fuel pump The required amount of fuel is stored so as not to hinder the suction of the fuel.

A conventional swirling tank of this type is, for example, Shoukai 61-5703.
There is one as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 described in Japanese Patent Publication No.

The swirling tank 211 is welded to, for example, a bottom wall of a resin-made tank main body 201, and is entirely formed in a box shape with an open bottom and serves as a fuel storage portion.
A gutter-shaped fuel flow path 211 for introducing fuel into 213 is provided.

The fuel flow passage 221 is formed in an L shape in plan view outside the adjacent side walls 215 and 217 of the tank body 213, and the upper edge 223a of the flow passage outer wall 223 with respect to the side wall 217 is inclined downward to the vicinity of the bottom wall 203. It is extended. Further, the side wall 215 has an upper edge 215a inclined and approaches the adjacent side wall 219, and a delivery port is formed between the side wall 215 and the side wall 219.
225 is formed.

Inside the tank body 213, the pipe end portion of the suction pipe 227 of the fuel pump is arranged directly or through a filter. Also usually
For example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-59432, the return fuel from the engine is introduced into the tank body 213 by the return tube 229.

Then, when the fuel in the tank body 201 is subjected to the centrifugal action or the like in a state where the fuel in the tank body 201 is relatively small, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the maximum amount of fuel stored is determined by the line A or B passing through the introduction port 221a or the delivery port 225, and the maximum amount of stored fuel is prepared for turning, uphill or downhill driving.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) By the way, the suction capacity of the fuel pump is fixed,
It is necessary to secure the fuel capacity in the swirling tank 211 defined by the line A or B according to the suction capacity when subjected to a centrifugal action or the like so that the suction can be maintained.
Therefore, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the swirl tank 211 to some extent, but when the swirl tank 211 is inserted from the work window on the upper wall of the fuel tank and then assembled, the size of the swirl tank 211 is restricted. It will end up. In particular, a resin fuel tank is blow molded, but if the complicated work of inserting the swirling tank 211 in advance and simultaneously welding when clamping the mold while sucking air into the parison is avoided, the insertion assembly from the work window It becomes necessary to attach the above, and the above problem becomes remarkable.

On the other hand, if the inlet 221a and the outlet 225 of the fuel flow channel 221 are made higher than the bottom wall 203 of the tank body 201 to some extent, the swirling tank 211
It is possible to secure the required amount of fuel by increasing the liquid level defined by the line A or B when the centrifugal force or the like is applied while making the size of the assembly from the work window.

However, when the remaining amount of fuel in the tank main body 201 is decreasing, it becomes impossible to guide the fuel below the inlet 221a and the outlet 225 into the swirl tank 221. There is a problem that unsucked fuel remains.

The fact that such a large amount of unsucked fuel remains causes a reduction in the margin when the fuel must be used to the maximum.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application can secure a necessary amount of fuel in the swirl tank while making the swirl tank small, and can introduce this into the swirl tank without delay even when the remaining fuel amount in the tank body is extremely small. Such a swirl tank for a fuel tank for automobiles has already been proposed (see JP-A-63-307781).

This swirling tank 301 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, a tank main body 303 which is entirely formed in a box shape having a bottom and a lid and serves as a fuel storage portion, and from the tank main body into the tank main body 303. And a fuel channel 305 for introducing fuel.

As shown in FIG. 15, the fuel passage 305 is a swirl tank 301.
It is configured like a tunnel at the bottom. This fuel channel 30
The ceiling surface and both side surfaces of 5 are formed by the inner surface of the groove 309 formed by recessing the periphery of the bottom wall 307 of the tank body 303 upward, and the bottom surface is a chamber that is inserted into the groove 309 from below and bonded to the bottom wall 307. It is formed by the plate 311. A portion 317 higher than the introduction port 313 is provided in the path from the introduction port 313 of the fuel flow passage 305 to the delivery port 315.

Therefore, this higher part 317 acts as a weir, and the liquid level in the swirl tank 301 can be raised when the liquid level is inclined.

Even in the structure in which the high-order portion 317 is present in the middle of the flow passage 305, the fuel flow passage 305 is connected to the chamber plate 311.
Since it is configured by fitting, the manufacturing of the tank main body 303 is extremely easy.

On the other hand, in such a swirl tank 301, in order to secure the sealing property of the fuel flow channel 305, the shape accuracy of the chamber plate 311 and the groove 309 of the swirl tank 301 may be increased, or both may be bonded with an adhesive. Must be done, and the processing and assembling thereof are extremely complicated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a swirling tank of a fuel tank for an automobile, which can secure the sealing property while fixing the chamber plate without using an adhesive or the like.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is capable of introducing the fuel of the bottom wall into the tank main body, which is attached to the bottom wall of an automobile fuel tank. In a swirl tank of an automobile fuel tank having a fuel flow path, the fuel flow path is formed by a groove in which the bottom wall of the tank body is recessed upward and a chamber plate fitted in the groove from below. The chamber plate is a separate member having a larger amount of swelling due to fuel than the tank body.

(Operation) According to the above configuration, the chamber plate swells with the fuel, so that the chamber plate is brought into close contact with the groove of the tank body to reliably seal the fuel passage.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 7 show a swirling tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In these drawings, the left side in FIGS. 1 to 5 is the front side of the automobile.

To explain the surroundings, the swirl tank 1 is made of fiber reinforced resin such as nylon containing glass fiber, and the tank body 3 is surrounded on four sides by left and right side walls 5a and 5b, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 9. As a whole, it is formed in a box shape with no bottom, and is formed in an elongated shape as a whole so that it can be inserted from the working window 205 of the fuel tank 201. The rear wall 9 is inclined forward except for the upper portion, and a groove 13 is formed in the widthwise central portion thereof, and the mounting plate 15 of the groove 13 is inclined almost in the same tendency as the rear wall 9 and the bottom of the tank main body 3 is inclined. wall
It is connected to 11. The mounting plate 15 has an electromagnetic fuel pump 101
(Fig. 2) is attached. A flange 19 is formed below the tank body 3 and extends from the middle of the tank body 3 to near the lower end of the rear wall 9. Further, the front of the upper part of the tank body 3 is inclined downward, and the lid 21 is attached to this inclined portion. The lid body 21 prevents the fuel in the tank from overflowing forward when the vehicle suddenly stops.

The fuel pump 101 is sandwiched between a base 103 made of an elastic resin such as nylon and a cover 105 attached to the base 103 via cushion rubbers 107, 109, 111 and the like. Then, the base 103 is mounted on the front surface of the mounting plate 15 while holding the fuel pump 101, and the suction filter 113 of the fuel pump 101 is not in contact with the bottom wall 11 of the tank body 3 or is arranged in proximity thereto. It is like this. As shown in FIG. 2, the swirling tank 1 is mounted on the adapter 23 welded to the bottom wall 203 of the tank body 201 via the flange 19.

Next, the fuel flow path 25 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The fuel flow path 25 is formed in the bottom of the swirl tank 1 in a tunnel shape. The bottom surface 11 of the tank body 3 on the ceiling surface and both side surfaces of the fuel flow path 25 is formed by the inner surface of the groove 27 formed by recessing upward, and the bottom surface is fitted to the bottom wall 11. It is formed by the chamber plate 29.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, a mounting portion 27a for fitting the chamber plate 29 is formed at the lower end of the groove 27. The rear end of the groove 27 is opened to the left rear of the tank body 3, and the opening 27b also communicates with the groove 13 of the tank body 3.

The chamber plate 29 is formed of a member having a larger amount of swelling due to fuel than that of the swirl tank 1, for example, 12 nylon resin,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6, it is almost U in plan view.
A plate body portion 31 having a character shape and a fitting portion 33 formed on the front side of the plate body portion 31 are provided. Both outer side walls 33 of the fitting portion 33
A plurality of protruding ribs 34 are provided on a and 33b at appropriate intervals. The lower end of the protruding rib 34 is integrated with the plate portion 31, and is provided over the entire height of the fitting portion 33. Then, the fitting portion 33 is inserted into the front side of the groove 27 from below, and the plate portion
31 is fitted in the insertion portion 27a below the groove 27.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
This inlet 3 had a fuel inlet 35 slightly ahead of 27b.
A forward path 25b extending from 5 to the reversing flow path 25a formed along the front wall 7 of the tank body 3, and a right side wall of the tank body 3 from the reversing flow path 25a
It is composed of an almost U-shaped detour path with a return path 25d that extends rearward along 5b and then stops near the rear wall 9.
The dead end is opened upward and a delivery port 37 is formed here.

Further, the outward path 25b includes a rising portion 25c on the front side. The rising portion 25c approaches the left side wall 5a of the tank main body 3 while rising diagonally to the front, and the width is gradually reduced and the height is gradually increased to convert the form into a vertically long flow passage having the same flow passage area. (See Figures 3 and 4).

The reversing flow channel 25b has the above-described vertically long flow channel configuration except that the forward route 25a and the rear route 25b have different curved portions on both sides thereof. The return path 25d is formed substantially symmetrically with the outward path 25a, and a rising portion 25e is provided in the middle thereof as shown in FIG.
Here, the width is gradually increased and the height is gradually decreased to restore the flow path form. The front portion of the fuel flow channel 25 is made vertically long as described above in order to make the flow channel of the portion as a whole higher. In addition, in the reversing flow path 25a, the bent portion of the rising portion 25c and the falling portion 25e, which is formed with the curved portion, is provided with a radius as large as possible. This is because the part is square,
This is because when fuel flows at high speed, vortices are generated at the corners and the vapor breaks out.

In this way, a portion higher than the introduction port 35 is provided in the path from the introduction port 35 of the fuel flow path 25 to the delivery port 37.

On the other hand, a return tube 39 through which the return fuel from the engine is guided is attached to the left side of the rear wall 9 in the tank body 3 via a clip 41. The lower part of the return tube 39 faces forward through the curved part, and the lower part of the return tube 39 is opened at the opening of the groove 27.
It is housed in 27b, and its tip is directed toward the forward path 25b of the fuel flow path 25 from slightly behind the introduction port 35. In this embodiment, the nozzle 39a is formed by crimping the tip portion. Therefore, an ejector using the returning fuel as a driving fluid is configured in this portion. The opening 27b communicates with the groove 13 of the tank body 3 as described above. And
A mesh 43 is provided in this communication portion as shown in FIG. When the fuel is sucked out, the mesh 43 captures foreign substances that are often mixed in the fuel.

On the other hand, a barrier member 45 is attached to the delivery port 37 as shown in FIGS. Further, the barrier member 45 is provided with a check valve 47 on its upper surface. This check valve 47 is the outlet
When the fuel is delivered through the barrier member 45, the opening 37 opens, and when the fuel tries to flow backward from within the swirl tank 1, it closes and blocks this backward flow.

This embodiment is constructed as described above, and as shown in FIG. 2, a flexible return hose 49 is connected to the return tube 39 and a flexible feed hose 51 is connected to the fuel pump 101. The return hose 49 and the feed hose 51 are connected to a return pipe 53 and a feed pipe 55, and the return pipe 53 and the feed pipe 55 together with the lead wire 102 of the fuel pump 101 close an upper plate 207 for closing the working window 205. It communicates with the outside via.

In this way, when connecting with the hoses 49 and 51,
The connection between the pipes 53, 55, the return tube 39, and the fuel pump 101 can be maintained even after the vehicle is detached from the adapter 23, and the traveling can be performed as it is.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

When the return fuel from the engine is introduced to the return tube 39, this fuel is introduced from the tip of the tube 39 to the inlet port.
After passing through 35, it vigorously ejects into the outward path 25b of the fuel flow path 25.
In this case, since the tip portion is formed by the nozzle 39a, the jet force is further heated. Therefore, since an effective ejector action is performed here, the opening 27 of the groove 27 is
Fuel flows into the a from the rear of this opening and the groove 13.
These are sucked into the jet flow described above and the forward path 25 of the fuel flow path 25
Introduced to b. Then, the heated return fuel is mixed with the sucked fuel and cooled. The ejector action described above is performed even when the remaining amount of fuel in the tank body 201 becomes very small.

Then, the fuel introduced into the outward path 25b flows through the inversion path 25a and the return path 25d without delay.

In this way, the fuel that has flowed through the fuel flow path 25 is delivered to the tank main body through the barrier member 45 at the delivery port 37.

By the way, in this embodiment, since the chamber plate 29 is a member having a larger amount of swelling due to fuel than the swirl tank 1, the peripheral edge of the plate body portion 31 of the chamber plate 29 adheres to the mounting portion 27a at the lower end of the groove 27 due to the swelling, The fuel flow path 25 can be reliably sealed.

Therefore, it is not necessary to use an adhesive to improve the sealing property between the chamber plate 29 and the insertion portion, or to improve the shape accuracy, and the manufacturing and assembling are significantly facilitated.

Further, in this embodiment, since the fitting portion 33 is provided with a plurality of projecting ribs 34, the degree of swelling increases at the projecting ribs 34, and the tips of the projecting ribs 34 are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. So that the inner surfaces of the groove 27 are closely attached. Therefore, the chamber plate 29 can be securely fixed to the groove 27, and the fuel passage
The sealing property of 25 can be reliably ensured.

Further, since the reversing flow path 25a is at a high position and the sealing property is secured as described above, the action of the weir of the reversing flow path 25a causes the liquid shown in the line C of FIG. 5 and the line D of FIG. You can save fuel by maximizing the area. That is, the plate body portion 31 is in close contact with the mounting portion 27a, and the protruding rib 34 is in close contact with the inner surface of the groove 27, whereby the fuel in the fuel flow path 25 leaks from between the plate body portion 31 and the mounting portion 27a, The fuel does not flow out to the flow path direction introduction port 35 side between the fitting portion 33 and the groove 27. For this reason, the fuel flow path is changed with respect to the liquid surface inclination as shown in FIGS.
The liquid surface in 25 can be held at the upper edge of the fitting portion 33, and the liquid surfaces shown by the lines C and D can be held.

8 and 9 show another embodiment of the chamber plate. Chamber plate 57 in this example
Is a plate body portion 59 having a substantially U shape in plan view, and the plate body portion 59.
The chamber plate 29 of the above-described embodiment is substantially the same as that of having the fitting portion 61 on the front side portion of 59.

On the other hand, in the chamber plate 57 of this embodiment, the fitting portion 61
Is hollow and has a hat cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG.
A plurality of closing ribs 63 are provided on the inner surface of the fitting portion 61 at appropriate intervals. The closing rib 63 is provided so as to close the cross section of the fitting portion 61 almost entirely, and connects both side walls.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the entire fitting portion 61 is grooved due to the swelling.
The outer surface of the fitting portion 61 is more closely contacted with the groove 27 at the portion of the closing rib 63 and its periphery as well as the inside of the closing rib 63. Therefore, the degree of close contact between the fitting portion 61 and the groove 27 is further increased, and the sealing property can be further improved in addition to the effect of the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment.

The chamber plate 65 of this embodiment has a double structure. That is, a plate portion 67 having a substantially U-shape in a plan view, and a fitting portion 69 having a hat cross-section on the front side of the plate portion 67.
And an inner member 73 that is largely inserted in the hat cross section of the fitting portion 69 of the outer member 71.

On both side surfaces of the inner member body 73a of the inner member 73, a plurality of protruding ribs 74 are vertically formed at appropriate intervals, and a flange portion 73 which is slightly larger than the plate portion 67 is formed.
b is formed continuously and integrally with the inner member main body 73a.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the swelling of the outer member 71 causes the fitting portion 69 to adhere to the groove 27 as a whole and the inner member main body.
The outer member 71 is expanded by the swelling of 73a, particularly the large swelling of the protruding rib 75 portion, and the degree of close contact of the outer member 71 with the groove 27 can be further enhanced at the corresponding portion of the protruding rib 75 and its periphery. The same effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 9 can be obtained. In addition, since the peripheral edge of the flange portion 73b is fixed to the bottom surface of the tank body 3 by the welded portion along the fuel flow passage 25, the sealing performance of the fuel flow passage can be more reliably improved.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the configuration of the present invention, by using the chamber plate, it is possible to easily increase the degree of freedom in the shape of the fuel flow path formed in the tank body while the chamber is filled with the fuel. Since the plate swells and comes into close contact with the groove of the tank main body, the sealing performance of the fuel passage can be further improved. Moreover, there is no need to use an adhesive or to improve the shape accuracy, and the manufacturing is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a swirl tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a mounted state of the swirl tank, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway bottom view of the swirl tank, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV and a line VV in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the chamber plate, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 8, and FIG. Exploded explanatory view showing an example, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a swirl tank according to a conventional example, FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a swirl tank according to another conventional example. FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway bottom view of the swirl tank, and FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the swirl tank. 1 …… Swirl tank, 3 …… Bath body 11 …… Bottom wall, 27 …… Groove 29,57,65 …… Chamber plate 34,75 …… Projecting rib 63 …… Closing rib

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Katsunori Ozaki 2 Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeru Kimura 184 Maioka-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 1 Nifco Co., Ltd. (72) Kazuyuki Tomioka, Kazuyuki Tomioka, 184-1, Maioka-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Nifco Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-2-155832 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A swirl tank of a fuel tank for an automobile, comprising a tank main body attached to a bottom wall of a fuel tank for an automobile, and a fuel passage for introducing fuel from the bottom wall into the tank main body.
The fuel flow path is formed by a groove in which the bottom wall of the tank body is recessed upward and a chamber plate fitted in the groove from below, and the chamber plate is a separate member having a larger amount of swelling due to fuel than the tank body. A swirling tank for an automobile fuel tank, which is characterized by 2. A swirling tank for an automobile fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the chamber plate is provided with a fitting portion into the groove, and a vertical wall of the fitting portion is provided on a wall surface of the groove. A swirling tank for a fuel tank for an automobile, which is provided with a protruding rib capable of contacting. 3. A swirling tank for an automobile fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the chamber plate has a hat cross-section that fits in the groove, and both sides are formed on the inner surface of the hat cross-section. A swirl tank for an automobile fuel tank, characterized in that ribs connecting walls are provided. 4. A swirling tank for an automobile fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the chamber plate has a double structure of an outer member fitted into the groove and an inner member fitted into the outer member. A swirl tank for a fuel tank for an automobile, wherein the inner member is provided with a protruding rib.