JPH09290647A - Car fuel cylinder supporting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a car fuel cylinder supporting structure that is equipped with a structure capable of fully protecting a convergent spot of fuel pipelines to be extended out of a fuel cylinder, and checking any movement of this fuel cylinder by setting apart from the inner part of a cabin. SOLUTION: In an automobile being mounted with a fuel cylinder storing fuel gas after being prescribed to some extent, a cylindrical fuel cylinder 6 is set up in the rear of a rear seat back 5 after making it point to the car width direction, while a support frame supporting the fuel cylinder 6 from the lower side supports the fuel cylinder 6 so as to hold it from front and rear between a front side support frame 16 and a rear side support grame 17, and then this front side support frame 16 is attached tight to the body frame and projectingly installed high between the rear seat back 5 and the fuel cylinder 6, and thus fuel pipelines are converged beneath the front side support frame 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile that runs on a gaseous fuel such as natural gas.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 16 is an example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-186741 filed by the same applicant earlier. A cylinder is provided in a trunk room 04 behind a rear seat back 03 at a rear portion of a vehicle body 02 of an automobile 01. Two fuel cylinders 06 and 07 are mounted on a support frame 05. The cylinder support frame 05 is a body frame via the rear floor 06.
Fixed at 08.

The cylinder support frame 05 supports the two cylinder-shaped fuel cylinders 06 and 07, so that it is constructed as a large unit and is arranged vertically along the rear surface of the rear seat back 03. Is located, both fuel cylinders 06,
The fuel pipe extending from 07 will be concentrated in the space formed below the upper fuel cylinder 06 and behind the lower fuel cylinder 07.

FIG. 17 shows a conventional supporting structure in which one fuel cylinder is mounted. Book cylinder support frame 010
The long side members 011 are placed on the left and right in the front-rear direction, and the long cross members 012, 012 are placed on the front and back between the side members 011 and 011.
A rectangular frame body is integrally formed in advance.

The fuel cylinder 015 is a front and rear cross member.
It is sandwiched between 012 and 012 and clamped and fixed by two fixing belts 013 and 013. A fuel pipe extends through the floor directly below the cylinder opening 016 at the end of the fuel cylinder 015.

[0006]

In the former example of mounting two fuel cylinders 06 and 07, the cylinder support frame 05 becomes large, and the work of assembling the cylinder support frame 05 and the work of mounting the fuel cylinders 06 and 07 are performed. Is troublesome.

Further, the central portion of the fuel pipe provided in the rear space of the cylinder support frame 05 is located below the fuel cylinder 06, behind the fuel cylinder 07, and there is no barrier behind, and there is no impact from the rear. It is difficult to protect against Further, the fuel cylinder 07 on the lower side has a low frame 05a supporting the front side thereof, and is insufficient to prevent the fuel cylinder 07 from moving forward from the passenger compartment when there is a rear impact. It has a simple structure.

On the other hand, in the latter example of mounting one fuel cylinder 015, since the fuel pipe extends through the floor immediately below the cylinder mouth 016 at the end of the fuel cylinder 015,
The fuel pipe is located in front of the rear wheel, and the protection of the fuel pipe at the same position is insufficient. Further, since the cross member 012 on the front side of the cylinder support frame 010 supports the low position of the fuel cylinder 015, the structure for preventing the movement apart from the passenger compartment is also insufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to sufficiently protect the concentrated portion of the fuel pipe extending from the fuel cylinder and prevent the fuel cylinder from moving away from the passenger compartment. The point is to provide a fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile having a structure.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a fuel cylinder for pressurizing and storing fuel gas, wherein the cylinder-shaped fuel cylinder is The support frame, which is arranged rearward of the rear seat back with being oriented in the direction, supports the fuel cylinder from below, supports the fuel cylinder by sandwiching the fuel cylinder from the front and rear with a front support frame and a rear support frame,
The front side support frame is fixed to a vehicle body frame and is provided so as to project high between the rear seat back and the fuel cylinder, and has a fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile in which fuel pipes are concentrated under the front side support frame.

Since the front side support frame is fixed to the vehicle body frame and protrudes high between the rear seat back and the fuel cylinder, it is possible to reliably prevent the fuel cylinder from moving away from the vehicle compartment. Further, since the fuel pipes are concentrated under the front support frame that is protruded high from the vehicle body frame, the concentrated portion of the fuel pipes is protected by the front support frame and the rear is protected by the fuel cylinder that is securely fixed. .

The fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the joint box in which the fuel pipes are concentrated is integrally attached to the front support frame, thereby facilitating the work of assembling the fuel cylinder. You can

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a partially omitted side view of the rear half of the four-wheeled motor vehicle 1 of the present embodiment. This four-wheeled motor vehicle 1 is a vehicle that runs on natural gas as a fuel, and is equipped with one pressurized fuel cylinder 6 that compresses and stores natural gas.

The vehicle body 2 of the motorcycle 1 has a large rear door opening 2a formed in the side portion near the center of the rear half thereof, a rear window 3 is fitted behind the roof, and the rear window 3 is expanded below and further rearward. The trunk room 4 is formed in the exposed part. Inside the trunk room 4, behind the seat back 5 of the rear seat, one cylinder-shaped fuel cylinder 6 is arranged. A spare tire 7 is stored under the fuel cylinder 6.

Therefore, the front half of the luggage compartment 4 is occupied by the fuel cylinder 6 and is partitioned by the partition plate 8 so that the latter half is used as a container. The bottom of the storage compartment divides the storage part of the lower spare tire 7 by using a lid 9 that can be opened and closed as a bottom plate, and the spare tire 7 opens and closes the lid 9 to take in and out.

At the bottom of the rear half of the vehicle body, a rear floor 11 is supported on a pair of left and right vehicle body side frames 10 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a fuel cylinder 6 is fixed on the rear floor 11 via a support frame. Then, the spare tire 7 is placed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear floor 11 has a generally rectangular plate shape, and the front portion 11a is somewhat lower,
The central portion 11c becomes a high position from a through the inclined portion 11b,
Wheelhouses 12, 12 with both sides bulging like bowls (Fig. 2
The left wheel house 12 is omitted) is formed, and the wheel house 12, 12 covers the upper side of the rear wheels 14, 14.

A rectangular hole 13 is formed in the center of the left-right width of the central portion 11c of the rear floor 11. From the central portion 11c, the left and right side portions 11d, 11d are rearward at substantially the same height as the central portion 11c. A recess 11e is formed between the left and right side portions 11d, 11d. The recess 11e is a storage portion for the spare tire 7.

The support frame for supporting the fuel cylinder 6 is
A pair of left and right side support frames 15 and 15 that are long in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a pair of front and rear front support frames 16 and 17 that are long in the vehicle width direction are combined in the front and rear direction. Side support frames 15 and 15 are the rear floor
The left and right wheel houses 12, 11, both sides 11d,
Bolt 18a, nut 18b, bolt 19a, nut 19 on 11d
The front and rear are screwed by b.

On the other hand, the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 are fixed to the fuel cylinder 6 by two fixing belts 25, 25, and are integrally formed as one side support frame 1.
5 and 15 are screwed by bolts 20a and 21a. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 to the fuel cylinder 6.

The front support frame 16 includes a left and right fixed portion 16
It has a bridge shape in which a horizontal central portion 16c at a higher position is formed from a, 16a through inclined portions 16b, 16b, and the rear support frame 17 similarly has left and right fixing portions 17a,
Although it has a bridge shape in which a horizontal central portion 17c is formed from 17a through inclined portions 17b and 17b, the horizontal central portion 17c is at a lower position than the front support frame 16.

A fixing belt 25 for fixing the fuel cylinder 6
Is a pair of left and right made of steel, and each fixed belt 25 is a belt half body 26 and a belt half body 27 having a semi-arcuate shape joined together to tighten and fix the fuel cylinder 6.
Fastening stays 26a and 26b and fastening stays 27a and 27b are welded and fixed to both ends of 6 and 27, respectively, and mounting stays 26c and 27c are welded and protruded at predetermined positions on the outer peripheral surface, respectively. . An elastic member having a large friction coefficient is attached to the inner peripheral surfaces of the belt halves 26, 27.

The procedure for attaching the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 to the fuel cylinder 6 with the fixing belt 25 is as follows. First, the attachment stay 26c of the belt half body 26 is attached.
Is fixed to both sides of the horizontal center portion 16c of the front support frame 16 with bolts 28a and nuts 28b, and the left and right belt halves 26, 26 are attached to the front support frame 16. Similarly, the other left and right belt halves 27, 27 are attached to the rear support frame 17.
Install with bolts 29a and nuts 29b.

Next, the axial center position of the cylinder-shaped fuel cylinder 6 is set by a jig, and the front support frame is set, respectively.
16, half belt 2 attached to the rear support frame 17
6 and 27 are provided at predetermined positions on the outer circumference of the cylindrical fuel cylinder 6, and the lower tightening stays 26b and 27b facing each other are temporarily tightened with tightening bolts 30 and nuts 31.

Then, the upper and opposite tightening stays are opposed to each other.
26a and 27a are tightened with the tightening bolts 32 and nuts 33, and the lower temporarily tightened tightening bolts 30 and nuts 31 are also adjusted and tightened so that the upper tightening stays 26a and 27a are tightened.
The tightening allowance of a and the tightening allowances of the lower tightening stays 26a and 27a are adjusted alternately while tightening.

Since the fastening band 25 can be tightened while adjusting the upper and lower tightening margins as described above, even if the outer diameter of the fuel cylinder 6 varies, the variation is absorbed and the fuel for the support frames 16 and 17 is absorbed. It is possible to accurately set the axial center position of the cylinder 6. Further, it is possible to avoid that the outer diameter of the fuel cylinder 6 gives extra stress to the support frames 16 and 17.

Thus, the fuel cylinder 6 has a fixed band 25
Front and rear support frames 16, 17 that are long in the vehicle width direction via
3 are mounted so as to be sandwiched from the front and rear, and a rectangular plate-shaped joint plate 37 is hung from above and below the front support frame 16 via a long stay bracket 36 as shown in FIG. That is, the upper portion of the stay bracket 36 is welded to a predetermined position of the horizontal center portion 16c of the front support frame 16, and the lower end portion is fixed to the cut-and-raised piece 37a of the joint plate 37 in the horizontal posture by bolts and nuts.

A joint box 38, in which fuel pipes are concentrated, is fixed to the joint plate 37 by welding in a vertically penetrating manner. The joint box 38 has six fuel pipe joints, of which three joints 38a, 38b and 38c are above the joint plate 37 and the remaining three joints 38d and 38d.
e and 38f are below the joint plate 37.

On the other hand, the cylinder mouth 40 at the left end of the fuel cylinder 6
Has three joints 40a, 40b, 40c protruding from it.
A filling connection pipe 41, a supply connection pipe 42, and a relief connection pipe 43 that allow fuel to pass through are connected to the joints 40a, 40b, and 40c, respectively, and the filling connection pipe 41 and the supply connection pipe 4 are connected.
2. The other end of the relief connecting pipe 43 is connected to the joints 38a, 38b, 38c of the joint box 38 (see FIGS. 4 and 14).

As shown in FIG. 4, the cylinder mouth 40 is airtightly covered with a bowl-shaped cover 44, and a cylindrical cover 45 extending from the bowl-shaped cover 44 is the filling connection pipe 41 and the supply connection pipe.
The three pipes 42 and the relief connecting pipe 43 are passed through the inside to cover the joint box 38, and the joint box 38 is covered with the joint cover 46.

As described above, the fixing belt 25 is fixed to the fuel cylinder 6.
The front and rear support frames 16 and 17 are fixed by the joint box 38 and the connecting pipes 41, 42 and 43 around the cylinder.
Are assembled together to form one fuel cylinder module 48 as shown in FIG.

The fuel cylinder module 48 integrally assembled in this way is mounted and fixed on the rear floor 11. As described above, the pair of left and right side support frames 15, 15 are fixed to the rear floor 11 first. Has been done.

When mounting the fuel cylinder module 48, the fuel cylinder module 48 is inserted through the door opening 2a of the rear door of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. 1 (the fuel cylinder 6 is shown by a chain line in FIG. 1).
Further, it moves rearward and passes between the left and right wheel houses 12, 12, and the left and right end portions 16a of the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 at predetermined positions on the side support frames 15, 15.
17a is placed and fixed by bolts 20a and 21a.

5 to 11, the side support frame 15,
15 shows a structure for attaching the front support frame 15, the front support frame 16, and the rear support frame 17 to the rear floor 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the length Df of the front support frame 16 in the vehicle width direction is slightly longer than the length Dr of the rear support frame 17, but is slightly shorter than the width Dw between the left and right wheel houses 12, 12.

Therefore, when mounting the fuel cylinder module 48, in which the front support frame 16 is integrally assembled, through the space between the wheel houses 12, there is no interference and the fuel cylinder module 48 is mounted without any trouble.

The maximum width Ds of the left and right side support frames 15, 15 is the width D between the left and right wheel houses 12, 12.
Therefore, if the side support frames 15, 15 are also incorporated in the fuel cylinder module 48, it becomes difficult to mount the side support frames 15, 15 on the rear floor 11. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the side support frames 15 and 15 are attached to the rear floor 11 first.

As described above, the fuel cylinder 6 can be mounted by moving it from the inside front of the vehicle body 2 into the trunk room 4. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the rear window 3 and insert it from the opening to mount it. Moreover, since it is installed as a fuel cylinder module 48 in which the piping around the cylinder is also integrally assembled, there is no need for troublesome work such as piping after mounting, installation work is simple and work efficiency is extremely good .

Now, the mounting structure of the side support frame 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. Side support frame 15
Is a hollow cylindrical member in which two upper and lower elongated rectangular boxes 15a and 15b are integrated by welding their overlapping fitting portions so that their opening sides are aligned with each other. Are placed at predetermined positions on both side portions 11d, 11d along the left and right wheel houses 12, 12 of the rear frame 11, and bolts 18a, 19a are penetrated from above and below the front and rear portions thereof.

The bolts 18a, 19a are provided in the vehicle body side frame 10 having a U-shaped cross section and an opening facing upward.
Brackets 50 and 51 are horizontally installed on the penetrating portion of the bracket. Bolts 18a and 19a penetrating the rear floor 11 also penetrate the brackets 50 and 51, and nuts 18b and 19b are screwed and tightened at their ends. . A collar 5 is provided inside the side support frame 15 and between the rear floor 11 and the brackets 50 and 51.
2, 53, collars 54, 55 are installed.

FIG. 5 shows the mounting structure of the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 which are installed on the left and right side support frames 15, 15 mounted on the rear floor 11 as described above.
And illustrated in FIGS. 9-11.

Both the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 are hollow cylindrical members in which bottom plates 16d, 17d are covered with long rectangular boxes 16e, 17e and welded. The front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17 are also welded. Bolts 20a, 21a penetrating from above from above penetrate the upper box 15a of the side support frame 15 and are welded to the inner surface of the nut 20a.
It is tightened by screwing on b and 21b. Inside the front support frame 16 and the rear support frame 17, collars 56 and 57 are provided.
Is interposed.

In this way, the fuel cylinder module 48 is firmly fixed to the predetermined position on the rear floor 11. As described above, it is easy to mount the fuel cylinder module 48 on the rear floor 11, and the mounting work by the bolts 20 and 21 after mounting is also easy. Therefore, the mounting work of the fuel cylinder 6 can be performed very efficiently and the productivity can be improved. Can be improved.

The fuel cylinder module 48 is on the rear floor.
When fixed in position 11, the front support frame 16
The joint plate 37 that is hung up closes the rectangular hole 13 formed in the central portion 11c of the rear floor 11 from above, and the peripheral edge is screwed with bolts. Therefore, the lower part of the joint box 38 projects below the rear floor 11.

A joint 38d provided below the joint box 38 protruding downward from the rear floor 11,
38e, 38f, rear floor 11 outside trunk room 4
A fuel filling pipe 61, a supply pipe 62, and a relief pipe 63, which are piped below, are connected to each other.

As shown in FIG. 15, a filling pipe 61 is provided under the rear floor 11 and extends upward along the side wall of the rear floor 11, and is connected to a fuel filling port 65 provided on the outer panel of the vehicle body to supply the pipe. 62 enters the engine room via a manual valve 66 and a strainer 67 while being routed under the rear floor 11, and is connected to an injector 71 mounted on an intake pipe of an internal combustion engine 71 via a pressure adjusting unit 68. .

The injector 71 is driven by the injector driver 72, and the injector driver 72
Is controlled by the ECU 73 to control the fuel supply timing. The ECU 73 inputs the internal pressure and temperature information detected by the joint box 38 and the pressure adjusting unit 68 to drive and control the injector driver 72, and also controls the opening and closing of the valve leading to the supply pipe 42 of the fuel cylinder 6. .

The fuel supply system according to the present embodiment comprises the fuel pipe and control system as described above. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the joint box 38 in which the fuel piping is concentrated is located between the seat back 5 and the fuel cylinder 6 and is protected by being covered from above by the front support frame 16. There is. Joint box
Behind 38 is a structure in which the fuel cylinder 6 firmly fixed by the support frame is positioned and protected as described above, and the joint box 38 is firmly protected.

Further, since the front support frame 16 is provided between the seat back 5 and the fuel cylinder 6 so as to project higher than the rear floor 11, the fuel cylinder 6 should be reliably prevented from moving away from the passenger compartment. It has a structure that allows

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted side view of a rear half of a four-wheeled motor vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a mounting structure of a fuel cylinder module.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a fuel cylinder module.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fuel cylinder module.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a support frame on a rear floor.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line IX-IX in FIG.

10 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line XX in FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a state where a fuel cylinder module is attached to a rear floor.

FIG. 13 is a sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a fuel pipe.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a fuel pipe and a control system.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rear half of a vehicle body showing a conventional fuel cylinder support structure.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a supporting structure for another conventional fuel cylinder.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... automobile, 2 ... body body, 3 ... rear window,
4 ... Trunk room, 5 ... Seat back, 6 ... Fuel cylinder, 7 ... Spare tire, 8 ... Partition plate, 9 ... Lid, 10 ... Vehicle side frame, 11 ... Rear floor, 12 ... Wheel house, 13 ... Rectangular hole, 14 ... Rear wheel, 15 ... side support frame,
16 ... Front support frame, 17 ... Rear support frame, 25
… Fixed belt, 26, 27… Belt half, 30… Tightening bolt,
31 ... Nut, 32 ... Tightening bolt, 33 ... Nut, 36 ... Stay bracket, 37 ... Joint plate, 38 ... Joint box, 40 ... Cylinder opening, 41 ... Fill connection pipe, 42 ...
Supply connection pipe, 43 ... Relief connection pipe, 44 ... Bowl cover, 45 ... Cylindrical cover, 46 ... Joint cover, 48 ... Fuel cylinder module, 50, 51 ... Bracket, 52, 53, 5
4, 55, 56, 57 ... Collar, 61 ... Filling pipe, 62 ... Supply pipe, 63 ... Relief pipe, 65 ... Fuel filling port, 66 ... Manual valve, 67 ... Strainer, 68 ... Pressure adjusting unit, 70 ...
Internal combustion engine, 71 ... Injector, 72 ... Injector driver, 73 ... ECU.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a vehicle equipped with a fuel cylinder for pressurizing and storing fuel gas, the cylinder-shaped fuel cylinder is arranged rearward of a rear seat back in the vehicle width direction, and the fuel cylinder is arranged from below. A supporting frame that supports the fuel cylinder is sandwiched between the front support frame and the rear support frame from the front and rear, and the front support frame is fixed to a vehicle body frame and is provided between the rear seat back and the fuel cylinder. A fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile, which is provided so as to project high, and fuel pipes are concentrated under the front support frame. 2. The fuel cylinder support structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the joint box in which the fuel pipes are concentrated is integrally attached to the front support frame.